In The Pipeline:Prometheus:God Of Fire:Don Carlos

Alright, last week I've learnt a lesson. Never leave your laptop near the ledge of a table so that it could be easily kicked off by a sleeping family member. My laptop survived the fall fine, but because the HDD was being used during the fall all its data go erased.Along with many many years of personal accumulated data all my pictures that I was saving to do future reviews were lost, in a nut shell they were "In The Pipeline". Well my favorite part of the reviews I do are the pictures, the unique long ashes that I try to capture are kinda of my niche in this Cigar Blogging World we live in. But Since I don't wanna see the cigars I smoked and reviewed go to waste, I will post short summaries of the cigars. Cigar Afficianato style, sans pictures:


Prometheus:God Of Fire:Don Carlos:Robusto:2005

This cigar is very Iconic to me. Ever since I started getting into cigar this stick was sort of a Holy Grail to me, and I was very lucky to get to smoke one. The band on this stick is just outstanding, and the wrapper only adds to the icon of the cigar. The wrapper has aged perfectly and is silky smooth to the touch and the slight sweet wheat aroma is interesting. The foot had a great smell of sweat honey,chocolate,and earth. This cigar just had a bouquet of flavors, the first initial puffs were just a pure silky smooth chocolate with no spice. The smoke felt so soft in the palate it felt as if it could be inhaled.Towards the middle of the smoke though the lack of spice was missed. The cigar felt like it needed something to chug it along, during this point the cigar could of had more volume of smoke. In the palate the smoke just felt slightly puffy, and the flavors were lack luster do to it. The ash help up well and the burn line was solid. Towards the nub of the cigar the spice picked up and the flavors got more creamier with slight hints of a herbal honey and star anise, this was a treat of a cigar, Rating-93

I have plenty more of reviews that I can do in such a format. If you guys are interested leave me some feedback and comments. What do you guys think of this short format?

CAO Brasilia Versus Italia:Artistry of Champions:Brazilian Flag Perfecto

I seem to to be review a lot of rare item recently, I have some other rarities on my pipeline. Well today I bring you the CAO Brazilia Perfecto. Like its Italia sibling both of them are somewhat rare and are part of CAO's Artistry Of Champions Humidor. I also have yet to see I review on this particular cigar, so this is also a little bit of a comparison review to the Italia. Let's see how these cigars stack up.


SPECS-
Size-7x47
Wrapper-Brazilian Maduro with Candella and Conn. Bands
Binder-Nicaragua
Filler-Nicaragua
Cost-$20
Cut-Straight
Smoke Time-1 hour and 15 mins.
Drink-Coke over Ice


FIRST IMPRESSIONS-The first thing I noticed when I picked up the cigar was its smell. The cigar just oozed of a aromatic cedar. Second was the wrapper, it glisten with oil and the somewhat spotted maduro is a sight to look at. At close inspection though the triangle in the middle of the cigar is slightly green. Now I don't if it was originally Candela that got discolored or if it was a Conn. leaf that turned slightly green. The foot had also I interesting aroma of a sweet spice almost like clove and the tickler head had a nice aroma of aged tobacco. The construction is also a great piece of art and with a good cold taste of a nice subtle hay this cigar begged to be smoked.


FIRST HALF-As soon as the cigar took the flame it presented a great deal of a deep earth and chocolate flavor that I haven't experienced before. The black pepper was also deep and slightly sweet adding to the overall profile of the smoke. The spice is slightly stronger than the Italias but I like the profile. Exploring the chocolate flavors I could detect a slight roasted coffee undertone and the earth had a nut undertone. The ash never really hung out for very long but the burn was always straight with only 1 touch up needed.


LAST HALF-Once the burn line reached the Conn. portion of the cigar I thought the smoke couldn't get better. The overall flavors had a nice toasty finish and a few hints of a roasted caramel that slightly tasted of toffee. The main flavors never really changed trough out the cigar, after the main Conn. strip was gone I was reintroduced to the original Maduro. The maduro now got slightly darker and lost all its complexities, a new leather taste was produced along with a soy sauce finish. Though interesting it wasn't my cup of tea and after a few puff I felt I was satisfied by the cigar and set it down.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS-I think I might have to eat my words here. I never thought a Italia could be better than a Brazilia. But after smoking the Trumpets of the same humidor set I quickly found out that the Brazilian wrapper gets rather too dark and almost harsh when taken in large doses. Which one is better though you might ask? I think they're both equally good. The Italia for those who prefer a milder and less complex smoke and the Brazilia for those who can pick up on subtle tobacco subtleties easily and prefer a darker smoke. I can see me picking up another vitola (If I could) and smoke it after a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner. So if you have one of these cigars and holding up for a special occasion but can't decide on when to smoke it, I hope I helped.

RATING-94
Buy It Again? Yes
Suggest It? Yes

CAO Brasilia Versus Italia:Artistry of Champions:Italian Flag Perfecto

Ah rare cigars, or rare anything really. Nothing out there in world has more prestige then something that is rare. Today I bring you the CAO Italia, not just any regular ol' Italia, but what I think is THE Italia to own and to smoke. This cigar is 1 outta 5 special vitolas that CAO made back in 05' to show their master rollsmanship and a tribute to their flagship brands. These cigar we're all shipped in a special commemorative box that retailed $100 and only 2000 of these boxes have been made. I was lucky enough to get a hold of one of these boxes, these things are so rare that trying to find any info on these is pretty much next to impossible. As far as I'm concerned I'm the first one ever to review this vitola and I plan to do it justice. So in to the deep abyss of CAO I go!

SPECS-
Size-7/46ish
Wrapper-The Center Piece is a combo of-Maduro,Candella,and Conn. Natural Wrapper
Binder-Honduras
Filler-Italy,Nicaragua,Peru
Cost-Around $20
Cut-Straight
Drink-Iced Tea
Smoke Time-1 hour and a Half

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-At first glance this cigar is a piece of art. The lines are very neat. The Italian flag center piece is in perfect squares, though at the reverse side the Candela strip is slightly discolored probably due to uneven sun exposure. The wrapper on this cigar is very oily and almost veinless giving the cigar a silky appearance, the sweetly fragrant cedar on the leaf just adds to this masterpiece, its almost a shame to smoke it. The foot of this cigar smells of peaches and the cold taste produces a perfect draw of sweet peach and cedar.

FIRST HALF- The cigar took the flame very well, at the first puffs the cigar opens up with a super smooth and creamy nut taste with a slightly salty cedar finish. The black pepper profile in this cigar was blended to a T, it hit the nose smoothly and never overstayed it's welcome. As the cigar progresses one can notice its very simple taste. There's nothing too complex, all the flavors are well homogenized and play off each other well. Once the smoke reached the flag centerpiece the flavors got simply sublime, along with the original main flavors small touches of chocolate and caramel were hinted with a touch of a toasted bread finish.

LAST HALF-As the longest ash feel a slight flavor switch was made. A deeper caramel flavor is added along with a deep espresso. The smoke becomes less creamy and smooth but the smoke is still soft on the palate. The construction is still holding up well and the ash is a very even and never flaky. Touch ups on this cigar were kept at a minimal but there was only a slight flaw on this cigar. During this last half the flavors didn't progress much they just stayed the same, though a pleasant taste of leather was added towards the end. The slightly salty cedar is also a minor complaint on this cigar, the saltiness sorta builds up in the back of the throat and just becomes a little too much.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS-This in no doubt in my mind the best CAO I ever tried, also one of the best cigars I have ever had and the best Italia out there. The tastes this cigar produced were very easy to follow and I'm sure any palate could appreciate the cigar. As much as I'm sad to see this cigar go, as one of my main center pieces in my humidor, I'm much happier now that I've smoked it. This Italia is also one of the better Vitolas in the B.vs.I box. I've smoked the trumpets and the Bratalia(the centerpiece) and I believe those are much better off left alone as pieces of art. I now cannot wait to taste the Brazilia Flag Perfecto and see how it compares to this majestic stick.

RATING-95
Buy It Again? If I could I would
Recommend It? If you can get your hand on 1 make the plunge, you won't regret it.

Arturo Fuente:Hemingway:Between The Lines

After going through some of my past reviews I was surprised to see that I didn't review anything remotely rare. Well today I bring you the Hemingway Between The Lines. I originally planned to age this cigar, but with me moving to a new house and a bottle of Baileys on a sunny day I couldn't think of a better time to smoke one of my rarities. This cigar was first conceived by Cynthia Fuente who wanted a cigar that was flavorful but yet not harsh. The BTL is only released on Christmas season on very limited quantities and to only a very lucky few. This limited window to get a BTL only adds tinder to the hype machine that is Arturo Fuente and like many Fuente's, getting one of these for the MSRP is very hard. But tobacco is tobacco,it comes goes, and today here's my attempt to review one.


SPECS-

Size-4.5x54
Wrapper-Connecticut Shade and Maduro
Binder-Dominican
Filler-Dominican
Price-$13.95
Cut-Straight
Smoke Time-45 mins
Drink-Bailey's Over Ice


FIRST IMPRESSIONS- This cigar in short words is just neat. The wrapper is very clean and almost veinless. The double wrapper seam very close together, one could think that the Fuentes grew a Wrapper leaf that is multicolored when analyzing the overall neatness of the cigar. The nearly smooth wrapper presented a succulent aroma of cedar and slight hay. The cold taste produced a very good draw that showed a bit of earth and slight chocolate truffle, the natural sweetness of the wrapper leave left a good taste on the lips. The craftsmanship of this cigar is pretty much perfect.


FIRST HALF-The nipple end of cigar was very easy to light and even with the slight breeze I was having the cigar took a flame really well. At the first puffs the cigar produces a unique taste of creamy cedar that I never experienced. The cedar produces a undertone of hay which itself has an undertone of black pepper. The profile is very mild and smooth producing subtle tastes of ripe peanuts and a nutmeg finish. There's not much going on on this first half. The main flavors of hay and cedar play on each other and sometimes highlight and outshine each other leaving the smoker with a very interesting experience. The burn is good and with a room note of sweet honey this delicacy can definitely be attributed to the touch of a woman.


LAST HALF-This cigar isn't very big on flavor spectrum. The main flavors of this cigar never really change. But what does change is the texture of the smoke. The cigar goes from a creamy wonderland to a Oreo cookie splendor. Towards the end of the cigar the smoke leaves and feels like a hearthy chocolate cake in your mouth, very soft yet moist. The finish changes from an earthy chocolate to a dry cocoa powder, what this cigar lacks in flavors it makes up for it in the smoke profile. The creaminess of Baileys just adds to the overall flavor of the cigar.


FINAL IMPRESSIONS-This to me is easily one of my favorite AF cigars. The cigar is mild and flavorful. But here's one major flaw about this cigar, the flavors and the profile sometimes is too mild. This cigar reminds of me chicken, mild but with a good taste, chicken can be prepared in many different ways but in the end it will taste like chicken and we all know chicken can get rather boring and bland. While I was smoking this cigar I wished for just a bigger bloom of smoke for my palate or maybe more array of flavors to sample, and this is the only bad thing about this cigar, everything else is just perfect. This cigar is worth every penny of its MSRP but paying anything over the MSRP is just crazy. After all chicken is just chicken even if it lays golden eggs.

Rating:92
Buy It Again? Yes
Recommend It? Yes

A.Fuente Anejo:No. 49:Maduro

Time to shake off the dust on my cigar notebook today, after a solid 3 months without posting I feel bad about not updating you, my fellow readers on my cigar adventure. This brief hiatus was due to me not having a digital camera and I sorta felt bored with the blog in general. I hope this blog would of spread like wildfire once I released it, but to my avail it didn't. I did capture the attention of a few and for that I'm thankful for y'all not giving up on me. But enough chit chat and circle jerking, its review time. Today I bring you a rather infamous cigar. The Arturo Fuente Anejo. After 1998's hurricane swept through the Caribbean it left a huge aftermath. The Fuente farm found itself without its Rosado Wrapper leafs. After some digging the Fuentes found a Aged Maduro leaf, (hence the word "Anejo") and with the new found leaf and previous filler tobacco they created the Anejo. So if this cigar is about fresh starts and here's mine.

SPECS-
Size-8x49
Wrapper- Conne. Broadleaf Maduro
Binder-Dominican
Filler-Dominican
Price-~$14
Cut-Straight
Smoke Time-1 hour and a Half
Drink-Coke

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-The wrapper leaf on this cigar looks weather worn. The dark brown leaf presents thick veins and small discolored spots. But in between the lines is a smooth fragrant cedar leaf. This cigar had very good overall construction with just a small soft band near the band. The leaf was slightly salty on the lips and the near perfect draw had woodsy sweetness almost contradicting the rum and raisin scented foot.


FIRST HALF-The cedar in this cigar seems like a big flavor in this cigar. As the cigar develops the initial puffs are of a dry cedar with an undertone of red pepper. The initial dry finish is soon replaced by chocolate and a rum sweetness, this is what I describe as a Anejo signature taste. I've smoked lots of Anejo's and they all seem to have this main flavor. Exploring the flavor it presents a vanilla wafer after taste and is slightly musky.


LAST HALF-In the last half the volume in the last half picks up tons of smoke. The main Anejo flavor now gets slightly tart but still maintaining its original flavor. The cedar turns sweeter and the pepper is at its most pleasant at this point hiting the nose smoothly. Through out the smoke the flavor never really changes up, that main flavor usually is completed by slight woodsy flavors. sometimes cedar and oak with slight Cinnamon backdrops is ussually hinted but never remain.


FINAL IMPRESSIONS- A. Fuente does tend to make some epic cigars from time to time. But what Fuente is really more famous for is being a hype machine. I believe they can get their regular Gran Reserva line, slap a new band on it and say only 200 cigars were made people would swear by them. The Anejo is not one of those cigars. Overall the Anejo line is good, the flavors are deep,pleasant and overall a great experience. But if you're not one of those lucky few that can get these in season this experience might cost you $30.


Rating-88
Buy It Again? Sure.
Suggest It? Sometimes, while its season is a great smoke.

Taboo Connecticut:Churchill:Connecticut

I'm a big fan of smaller no name brands. I truly like how these cigars makers do the things they do. They usually offer a pretty decent smoke for a decent price. I guess this is because they don't have to pay for advertising like big name brands do, I feel also that the smaller people have more control on the cigars that they make. Taboo cigar is relatively unknown at the cigar world,but for those who do know the brand can attest to the lovely cigar ladies that follow Taboo whenever they have a large cigar tasting. But my question is, behind all the mascara and highlights are these cigars hiding their true imperfections?

SPECS-
Size-7x50
Wrapper- Ecuador
Binder-Nicaragua
Filler-Nicaragua
Cost-$4.99
Cut-Punch,Guillotine
Smoke Time-45 mins
Drink-Hot French Vanilla Coffee

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-This cigar is rather plain looking. Its the standard Connecticut shade with the expected slight veins and almost dry look. The even wrapper offered a decent amount of compost smell with a ketchup like foot. Not very standard anymore, the cut was crisp and offered a good draw with no particular cold taste. This isn't too bad nor over the top, it seems just about right and a good cigar for this lovely SC sun.

FIRST HALF-The initial taste of this cigar is very decent for the price range. The cigar opens up with a good bit of earth with almost a touch of nuts. The well rounded and mild finish left a good background for the spice to embed it self in your palate. The coffee is complimenting the cigar perfectly, all I wished for when I had this cigar was a nice puff pastry like a nice and warm apple strudel. The small cinnamon undertones shapes this cigar for a good early morning smoke, I didn't find this cigar lacking nor over the top it was just right. Construction is holding up well with just a few occasional touch ups and no flaws on the wrapper, so far so good.

LAST HALF-By this point I've drunk all my coffee and I don't have the perfect companion for this cigar. In this last half I was very fulfilled and choose to smoke the cigar up to the band. So just because you see me reviewing a cigar in halves doesn't mean its a bad smoke,shame on you and your assumptions,ha. But in all seriousness though without the coffee the cigar gets a little darker and not as complex. Along with the darker profile the cinnamon hint is gone and is replaced with a cedar overtone, so overall its not too bad of a trade off in flavors. The cigar did have some small flaws with the wrapper not ashing properly and the burn line did stray off here and there, but for a $5 dollar cigar its great. When the cigar reached the goal line I had planed,the cigar became hard to put down, it almost made me want to go back inside and make another cup of coffee but I felt truly satisfied with this smoke so I can't complain.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS-At $5 bucks this cigar can be a perfect everyday smoke in the morning, the flavor profile is mild enough for anyone to enjoy and feel fulfilled. Even though the constructions was slightly iffy at times it didn't take away from the overall experience. I guess this cigar isn't as Taboo as the name implies. It's just a rather comfortable smoke that will surely greet you well in the morning without disappointments. Cigars like these is why I'm always looking for the next and best small house blends of cigars.

RATING-89
Buy It Again? Yes
Recommend It? Yes, without a doubt.

Arturo Fuente:King B:Rosado

Arturo Fuente is a bit tricky with me. They have some alright blends. I feel like they specialize more in rare cigars than everyday smokes. Every cheap cigar I tried by AF has been somewhat lacking. The 8-5-8 is a good example of this, to me they don't make good everyday smokes. Well today I bring you a King B, a somewhat rare smoke that when priced right is just about in the everyday smoke price range but since these are kinda rare they also tend to be overpriced, so how does this semi-rare cigar smoke? Like its rare brother the Opus? Or is this like its other sibling the 8-5-8? Lets find out.

SPECS-
Size-6x55
Wrapper-Ecuador Sun Grown
Binder-Dominican
Filler-Dominican
Cut-Guilatine at a angle
Price-$9.60
Smoke Time-45 mins

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-This is a very pretty cigar. The torpedo is very solid, no mushiness. The wrapper was very veiny but the brown smooth wrapper made them blend in very well. The wrapper had a nice cedar smell to it probably due to the cedar sleeve its packaged in. Foot was slightly coconuty with a bit of earth on the background. The cold taste produced a easy draw with no particular flavor, so far nothing too overwhelming.

FIRST HALF-Yup, another review in halves. It's easy to write a review on a cigar that you like, but when a cigar disappoints its very hard to describe it. So excuse me if you find this review slightly lacking. The cigar opens up very spicy on the back of the throat, after the first initial spice you are left with a very dry finish. If you venture to smoke this cigar make sure you have plenty of water. Once you get used to the harsh smoke hints of vanilla add to the dryness. After the finish small touches of nuts with a hay undertone are introduced adding more to the already sharp flavor profile. The burn was also iffy, the burn line would sometimes stray off and the cigar would put itself out. I think I got a fluke but this cigar tasted too much like the candella.

LAST HALF-The smoke is still disappointing, the cigar turns for the worst. Little by little the smoke gets darker and stingier. The spice is still there and very much dry.Almost all the familiar flavors on the first half are lost except the mocha that is introduced does have a small hint of nuts. After the longest ash fell the cigar just completely got bitter. The smoke tasted stale,very dry,and a nasty bit of tobacco is there. I quickly put the cigar out the flavor gave me a nasty headache and a terrible nicotine buzz. I can handle strong cigars but for some reason this cigar just gave me a huge dollop of nicotine. I was happy I didn't pay for this cigar since this was a gift from my Cousin. (Thanks Paul).

LAST IMPRESSIONS- The King B seems to be either hit or miss. I talked to many people that liked it and other people that hated it. I wanted to like this cigar but I feel that Fuente doesn't make anything good that's available everyday. So far I feel that Fuente should just make their rare stogies and not focus their attention anywhere else. At $9 bucks a pop its a rip-off really and even if it never got harsh and just the same dry flavor profile is not worth $9.

RATING-60
Buy It again?No
Recommend It? Only if you got it as a gift and who ever gave you it assured you that the cigar you just got is one of the better blends.

Man O' War:Double Corona:Habano

I'm not a big fan of online retailers and that's what has me put me off from getting my hands on this Cigar International's exclusive. Another thing that has put me off was that it was an exclusive, I'm not a big fan of Online Retailers "own" blends. I'm fine about house made B&M cigars but I tend to think that O&R make their own blends for their own profit and don't really care for the quality of the smoke. But I got gifted this cigar and I just can't turn down a cigar. But so does this cigar support my assumptions about O&R quality or does it change my views?

SPECS-
Size- 6.5x52
Wrapper-Ecuadorian Habano
Binder-Nicaragua
Filler-Nicaragua
Price-Around $9 dollars
Cut-Punch/Guillotine
Smoke Time-1 hour
Drink-Coke

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-I'm impressed by the quality. The band is a nice paper with a grim and sinister helmet. The wrapper is very smooth to the touch and fragrant. The foot smells like a earthy hay and nicely packed. The cap was cut rather squishy but produced a perfect draw and no particular taste. So far this cigar is proving me wrong and I don't mind.

FIRST THIRD-The cigar opened up quite nicely. The first initial puffs were similar to a Macanudo 1968. Slightly more spicy and hits you more on the back of the throat. Its not as a refined flavor but its overall decent. The first initial tastes are of nuts, the nuts had a interesting cedar undertone and earth overtone. The finish was good and had a cereal grain similar to puffed corn, it reminded me of Hot Fries. The burn was slow and even, it completely contradicts my expectations.

SECOND THIRD-The spice gets very subdued and not as ruff. The smoke gets more even and refined. The earth that was present on the first third gets deeper and produces a almost sweet mocha. The smoke gets milder and the nut flavor comes and goes with no undertones. Not much to speak about this middle spot other than interesting and not to bad for a CI exclusive.

LAST THIRD-The best and most interesting third. The smoke just blooms up here and produced almost sweet flavors. Though there are no pronounced flavor the occasional hints of leather and nuts are welcomed. After this rather average profile the cigar gets darker and very off putting. As I was close to put the cigar out the flavor profile changed. Though the same flavors were there the way they got introduced was better than before. The nut came on earlier with a good sweetness and with a nutmeg finish. This made me smoke and enjoy the cigar a lot longer than I thought. A pretty decent cigar.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS-This is a decent cigar albeit it's a CI exclusive it changes the exclusive game for me a lot more. The flavors thought weren't as pronounced as I like but this makes for a decent smoke for doing any other things. The price is a bit high and for the expected shipping it'd but this stick well over $10 dollars a pop not worth that price tag, if it was $5 bucks cheaper it'd be good.

RATING-88
Buy it Again? Not Likely
Recommend It? Yes, its decent CI is usually doing special with this cigar that could make it more affordable and worth it.

Perdomo Habano Maduro:Robusto:Maduro

I liked my recent birthday, I've ate some fine food with my family, got to smoke a beautiful cigar with a good friend, but best of all was all the cigars I was gifted.This Perdomo was one of em'(Thanks Bob!). Though this was somewhat of a belated birthday present I was happy non-the-less but I had plans to age this cigar but those plans fell through. Once I got home from my B&M I found the door locked and I forgot my keys and it would of been a good hour and a half before someone came home to open the door, what better way to kill that time than to smoke a cigar? But is this cigar just that? A time killer? Or do I have something more magical in my hands?

Specs-
Size-5x52
Wrapper-Nicaragua
Binder-Nicaragua
Filler-Nicaragua
Price-$6.00
Cut-Guillotine
Smoke Time-50 mins
Drink-Mr.Pibb

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-This is a very gorgeous cigar. The subtle hints of blue,silver and white on the band contrast the dark chocolate brown wrapper well. The toothy leaf was almost vein less and very sweetly fragrant. The foot smelt like earth and a slight touch of hay. The cold draw produce a tea like flavor and it feels slightly too loose for my taste. Overall though the construction seems solid and gorgeous for a $6 dollar stick.

FIRST THIRD-This cigar first blooms up with a good bit of nasal spice that hits you like black pepper, its a subtle spice but enjoyable. Once the spice is subdued a main flavor of nut is introduced with a long and smooth finish that coats your mouth similar to how tea with cream does. Along with the nuts there is a strong overtone of mocha with a undertone of hay. Another flavor that was here was a cedar, it had no complexities but good. My favorite third. The burn is even and for the loose draw the cigar doesn't seem to burn as fast as I thought.

SECOND THIRD-The flavors mellow out here and the with the nut taking a down step as the main flavor and letting the cedar shine through. The cedar gets floral and is slightly sweet. Also the mocha that was present before splits up in flavors. Now you got more of isolated flavors of chocolate and coffee bean. The finish is good but somewhat lacking, the spice also takes a backseat and it feels like there isn't much chugging this cigar to the finish.

LAST THIRD-The cigar definitely looses all its steam here. The enjoyable creamy finish that was present seems to water out and the flavors get milder. All the mocha and nut flavors are gone. The mocha gets replaced leather and the main flavor of cedar is turned to a undertone on the leather. The least favorable third but it still an enjoyable smoke.

LAST IMPRESSIONS- I guess this cigar does answer my question after all. It's more of a cigar that you kill time with and nothing more than that. At the price range its a very good everyday cigar and the flavor profile is good enough to keep you interested. Not to bad of cigar, and a good birthday present and wouldn't you know it I might buy more of these.

RATING-87
Buy It Again?Yes
Recommended It?Yes

La Flor Dominicana:Double Press:Habano

I hate being sick. It has been maybe four days since I smoked a cigar and boy do I miss it. The terrible thing about having cigars and being sick is that you're very tempted to smoke but you know you won't get the cigar true experience, but after my long awaited adieu I was ready to get back on the sattle. So to wake up my taste buds from their dormant state I choose something more stout, more vigorous, I choose more Ligero. If you don't know much about Ligero shame on you. Ligero is the upper most part of the tobacco plant also with the leaf being the most exposed to the sun it produces stronger and spicier flavors. What better way to get off a cold with a nice spice punch right to the chest?

SPECS-
Size- 6x52
Wrapper-Equador
Binder-Dominican
Filler-Dominican
Cut-Guilattine
Cost-$8.00
Smoke Time-1 hour
Drink-Water

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-The box these cigar come in are very pretty, all the cigars on there are in their own slots with a nice piece of red lace so you can pry em' out of their environment. All the cigars look shiny and this stick was no exception. The wrapper just glistens with oil and the box press is very square with very sharp lines. At closer inspections you can see all the very fine veins on the leaf and its very pretty to look at. The wrapper was slightly sweet smelling and with a foot heavy with earth. The cold draw produced a perfect draw that had a herbal tea flavor to it, very delicate aromas and a delicate cigar.

FIRST THIRD-This vitola is new to LFD (La Flor Dominicana) and I think they need to iron out some kinks on these cigars. The first one I tried did not burn well after an inch or so the wrapper would not ash, just char and the filler would burn, slowly hollowing out the stick. But after another try I was very surprised. The cigar properly opened up with thick smoke that has a good punch of red pepper flakes behind it, its very well rounded and smooth. The burn though is still tricky, the burn line is wavy and sometimes canoes, and this really takes away from the experience. After the red pepper dissipates a subtle but stout flavor of nuts is present, it leaves a thick finish on your palate and its very enjoyable.

SECOND THIRD-I've heard that LFD goes through a very complex process in making these sticks. Since the cigars are pressed so much the oils on the ligero are extracted from the pores and are risen to the surface. I think this might be a problem here. The cigar burn suffers very much from the procedure. Although the flavors are good they are all over the place and never in harmony with each other, a cacophony if you will. For example; The cigar has a very nice clove like bite to it but it has a licorice roundness and after taste to it, after that some grassy tones are introduced and then the nuts as the finish, this somehow is all over the place for me. There is no smooth progression in flavors they are just all over the place with no under or overtones. Apart from the burn issues the cigar is quite tasty in itself.

LAST THIRD-The burn is still iffy but it subdues itself some. The flavors mellow out, now the cigar displays a good bit a leather and mocha with a cedar undertone. A very nice finish to a hectic cigar. After the flavors a herbal tea flavor coats your mouth and its really a flavor to savor. As the cigar slowly works its way to its finish the burn gets more regular and you truly get to enjoy the flavors, it was very hard put down.

LAST IMPRESSIONS-This was a good cigar and the price point is pretty damn perfect. The only big obvious flaw is the construction, maybe in another batch of cigars they'll smoke better but LFD might of released these too early. This cigar would of gotten a great 95 rating but it just lacked the construction in the end. It was a great cigar to brighten up my taste buds again so all in all I can't complain.

RATING-85
Buy It Again? When I hear they changed something in this cigar or pick it up for when I'm no longer sick.
Recommend It? Sure, I mean maybe my B&M got a bad batch and if you do happen to get one that smokes just fine I'm sure you're in for a great smoke.

La Aurora 100 anos:Robusto:Corojo

I have a very fond memory of my first ever La Aurora 100 Anos. Back in the summer I payed a Boston a visit, a city in which I came from before I moved to SC. It was a very long time since I I've been there and couldn't wait to see my old friends. Once there I traveled to a B&M and had a blast, I was taking the subway, the bus, and even walking my old streets. It really was a blast to the past traveling to get this cigar. Once I got it I held on to it and smoked it here in SC and it wasn't that good. I blamed my eagerness to smoke it and me not being patient for not waiting for the cigar to settle in my humidor. So felling a little homesick I bought another one to give it another try. So does this cigar bring back fond memories? Or are those memories better off forgotten?

SPECS-
Wrapper-Dominican
Binder-Dominican
Filler-Dominican
Price-$13.00
Cut-Guillotine
Smoke Time-45 mins
Drink-Coke

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-This is a very pretty cigar from the lion to the cardboard colored leaf, this cigar presents itself well. The almost vein less wrapper was very fragrant with compost. The foot was also had an outstanding smell of graham cracker and raisins similar to the Opus, I felt that I had a little treasure on my hand. Clipping the cigar was effortless and it produced a hay flavor with the same graham cracker on the foot. The wrapper was slightly spicy on the lips and I couldn't wait to spark it up.

FIRST THIRD-The first initial flavors are very woodsy,that bring about a very present oaky finish to it that was very delicate. Along with the oak a slight nut flavor was intermingled but somewhat muted by the strenght of the oak.The oak also brings along a sweeter and woodsy undertone of flavor that is very similar to cedar. The slow and somewhat lopsided burn worries me but so far it's not to bad of a cigar and it brought some memories back from my trip. A great introduction.

SECOND THIRD-The flavors get more delicate and the burn more erratic. During the period of this third I had to touch up the cigar numerous of times which took away from the overall experience. As the flavors mellow out more the cedar brings a sweeter finish that was starting to shape up to be an orange peel taste but I'd loose the taste because of the burn. The burn also gets very hot and I have my focus somewhere else because of this disappointing third. As the flavors get more delicate the cigar does too, after getting hot I left the stick down for maybe two minutes and it went out . After that I had to keep puffing the cigar to keep it lit and with the constant relighting it brought along a harsh tar taste.

LAST THIRD- After a nice purge the cigar is on track again. The cedar is still sweet but any hints of oranges are far gone but a cherry flavor is now the undertone. The nut flavor is still there but its not sweet, it just brings a floral taste almost like honey and it's delectable. But again the cigar doesn't fail to disappoint. After maybe an inch of solid smoking the cigar gets messy again. I had to relight it numerous times and was only greeted with harsh ash flavor and nicotine. After many tries I just gave up on the smoke completely,it was good while it lasted.

LAST IMPRESSIONS-Overall this was a very woodsy cigar with complex undertones, this cigar might of been a fluke but my gripe is at $13 dollars a stick there shouldn't ever be a fluke. This was an interesting cigar to bring back old memories with, but at the price range I know cigars that offer better experiences and better memories. Good thing about this cigar though is that when I was done, the nub made a very good device to wipe off my B&M's ash tray. The flavors were good though, but ultimately the construction overshadowed the experience for the worst.

RATING-77
Buy It Again? No
Recommended It? Maybe yes, if you don't get a fluke and enjoy very woodsy cigars. Overall though no.

Acid:Kuba Kuba:Conn

I'm a fan of cigars, I like brown ones,white ones,silver ones, and even purple ones. But I'm not so big on the infused or "flavored" kind. I never had a Acid phase or particularly liked their stuff. While living in the Grand Strand I've seen many golfers and people new to cigars pick these up. There must be a reason why these are so popular and after so many tasting I finally had something to say about it. A lot of people shun these cigars as if it was a baby with 8 feet. They won't even look at them, but they sure will talk bad about em'. So will this review turn me into one of those baby-fearing cigar smokers or will I get some mutual respect for this cigar? Let's find out.

SPECS-
Size-5x54 Robusto
Wrapper-Nicaragua
Binder-Nicaragua
Filler-Nicaragua
Price-$7.70
Smoke Time-45 mins
Cut-Guillotine

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-This cigar has a very smooth persona, the almost vein less beige wrapper was good to look at and without a doubt was a interesting leaf to smell. This thing smells very strong of perfume and a miscellaneous collection of botanical, but once you dig deeper you will find that the foot smells of a very rich earth and touch of honey. The wrapper too has that big perfume smell but also a clove spiciness and sweetness that most don't pick up. The cigar was slightly soft but overall nicely constructed, the draw was perfect and tasted somewhat like thyme, the sweetness of the wrapper was a change of pace. So far I'm not shunning this cigar, I'm just curious about it

FIRST THIRD-Once this cigar is lit it just envelops the room with that unique and hit or miss aroma, me I don't mind the smell. The initial taste was something other than "flower" you typically read in reviews, it was more like a nut like flavor accented by a spice that is well rounded and hits the nose just right. Further inspection one can say the spice is very similar to cloves and the nut has some depth to it. The cigar produces a ton of smoke in this third and its alright so far. Lot's of care went to making this cigar and I can respect that. The finish is mild and smooth burns slow and relatively straight.



SECOND THIRD-The flavors produce a lot more depth here and its the best third. The sugar that is on the wrapper fades away some and really let's the tobacco's flavor shine their best. The earthiness of the smoke is still here, the nut flavor is slightly complex and has a bay leave undertone to it. Along with the earth, slight touches of chocolate are also found but take a while for you to find. The burn line got off track some but the ash was very solid and white, again it shows the care that Drew Estate is putting into these sticks. Towards the final third a small touch of milky caramel is noticeable and appreciated, again this ain't too bad of a cigar.

LAST THIRD-The sugar on the leaf is almost gone now, with no more sweet backdrop the earth and nut really get strong now and is the reason why most people can't smoke these cigars any further. I did find though that once the sugar on the leaf is gone the cigar does display some sugar cane pulp qualities to it, so all hope is not lost. The spice gets a little offencive now and has a sharp bite on the tongue, this cigar now doesn't seem as refined. The earth is really dark and losses all the touches of nuts it had. you now are left of with just a big slightly sweet cigarette and after 50 mins, I decided to call it quits, the complexities of the stick were good while they lasted.


FINAL IMPRESSIONS-Again I don't like infused cigars, but this was an ok experience, it let me know why some people enjoy this cigar, and I don't blame em'. I feel that young smokers are the most likely to pick this cigar. Ussually never having any expirience with other cigars they're scared of getting a big "offencive" stick, they'll go for something "sweet" or flavors they already recognize and the smell on this cigar is inviting. This cigar really helps the image of cigars, it introduces people to a unforgettable smell that people just can't help to wonder, and maybe those people will try a ACID and maybe like it. Then those people start getting a feel for cigars and try out different stuff and long behold we have new brothers of the leaf. I can't rag on this cigar, nor can I say I like it or hate it, I just respect this cigar for what it does. It changes up the cigar world and I think it does it for the better.

RATING-85
Buy It Again? Not anytime soon, but once in a blue moon maybe.
Recommend It? If you never tried one go to your B&M and just smell it, if it's something that intrigues you, than yes. If you already had one and have your mind set that all infused cigars are evil I say revisit one with an open mind. The price isn't too bad.

Opus X:Fuente Fuente:Sun Grown

Today is my birthday, or at least it was since it's 12:21 am right now. To celebrate I decided to smoke a cigar which I've been saving up for a while. A cigar that almost needs no introduction. But for those that don't know what the Opus is about, let me tell you. The Opus was the first Dominican Puro, being the first to have a Dominican wrapper which was never done before circa 1995. This rare stick is very limited to only about 500,000 a year or its what I'm lead to believe and only sold in major B&M's twice a year, once in the summer time and once during the winter months. This limited stick is often sold at high prices when it's not in season it has the most hype out there than any cigar. So I've had a ESG which claimed to be just as good as the Opus, but now here's the real thing. So did this cigar start my birthday in a sour note?

SPECS

Size-Robusto 5.25 x 52
Wrapper-Dominican
Binder-Dominican
Filler-Dominican
Cost-$13.50
Cut-Punch/Guillotine
Smoke Time-55 mins
Drink-McD's Iced Caramel Coffee

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-Once you get this cigar in your hand it doesn't seem that menacing or a dark, stingy and powerful cigar as some people describe it. The flawless wrapper had no veins,no tears no toothyness to it, just a smooth sandy color, that invited me with its sweet honey aroma. At a closer inspection the foot smelt like graham cracker with touches of cinnamon, honey, and some raisin. The cold taste also had that unexpected but lovely taste of graham crackers and honey. The wrapper itself had a very neutral taste on the lips and the draw was perfect. This cigar wasn't as hard as a lead pipe or soft and mushy, it had the perfect amount of give. This cigar was begging to be smoked.

FIRST THIRD-I took my time to light this stick, I must of used over 10 matches to light it and as soon as I took my first puff the cigar greeted me with a good bloom of smoke. Some say that this cigar is "ultra-powerful" and that it will knock you on your ass in the first puffs. I didn't get that here or with any other Opus I've smoked, it was a perfect morning smoke that didn't make me feel dizzy or anything. The first flavor that is introduced is a lovely spice on the nose, its very soft and it almost felt like a piece of cotton candy in your mouth. After the introduction of the spice a well rounded sweet cedar is present in the smooth finish. This is a very delicate and well rounded third, nothing stands out at first and makes you pay attention to the cigar to see what flavors are coming up. It's burning quite well at this point and the ash is white and very solid without any wave marks on it. I wish I could start more mornings like this.

SECOND THIRD-The best third without a doubt, the flavors here are outstanding. The well rounded cedar that was in the middle of the finish gets sweeter and more rounded, producing a tasty flavor of orange peel that is marvelous. The orange peel flavors comes and goes as if it doesn't want to overstay it's welcome. When ever the orange peel flavor fades to the back its replaced by a coffee bean flavor that is accented by mocha. Truly a great flavor that stirs up the pot in a world of cigars where you mainly get chocolate,cedar,dirt,or coffee. The finish is still very smooth and the cigar is burning at the same slow pace. Ash help up well before falling a half a inch short of the band. Only gripe with this cigar so far is that I expected the ash to be longer, but the flavors do a lot more than just make up for it.

LAST THIRD-If this cigar ever gets slightly "offencive" it's here. The orange peel soon fades when the longest ash fell, along with it is the mocha and cedar. The main flavors now are a honey maple sweetness adjoined with a spicy leather taste. A very unclimatic end to a superb smoke. The leather profile is still in a class of its own, it brings with it floral accents that makes this cigar difficult to put down. The finish gets dirtier and less refined, but worth it. The ash got more flacky here and never held a long ash. This is a definitely a full-bodied smoke and would take many Opuses(?) for one to truly understand the flavor profile. Lucky for me I have one more.

LAST IMPRESSIONS-This was a superb smoke to start my day. Hopefully when ever I look back to my 19th birthday I'll remember the Opus that introduced me to it's subtle tones of orange peel, and this is the most memorable flavor of the smoke, the orange peel taste. Without a doubt this cigar is worth all the hype it gets. The thing is though I'm happy this cigar is very limited, because if this was available everyday I wouldn't pick up everyday, or make it an everyday thing. This cigar is truly reserved for special occasions, no wonder it's usually sold on Father's Day and Christmas. The price I payed for it was very justified, no cigar I've smoked before has surprised me like this cigar does. Long story short, this was a beautiful cigar that I had the pleasure of smoking with a good friend, one of the best mornings I've had in a while.

RATING-96
Buy It Again? Yes
Recommend It? Yes

San Cristobal:Fabuloso:Rosado

I like Ashton's cigars, I also tend to like Don Pepin's creations so when a friend of mine gifted me this cigar I was more than excited to smoke it, Thanks Landon! So I've also heard that this San Cristobal was in the works for a while and after much acclaim this cigar was getting great reviews. So is this cigar worth the hype?

SPECS-
Size-6.25x52
Wrapper-Nicaragua
Binder-Nicaragua
Filler-Nicaragua
Price-$13.00
Smoke Time-1 hour
Cut-Guillotine
Drink-Starbucks Iced Mocha

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-The first thing that catches your attention is the big vermilion Parrot. The band is very classy along with the wrapper. Even though the wrapper was spotted with veins this one year old aged wrapper (Thanks one more time Landon) looked fabulous. The brown leaf was very matte in its finish and sweetly fragrant. The foot was earthy and spicy with a cold taste that was married with the same spice and a touch of hay. The solid construction gave the perfect draw and I knew I was ready for something special.

FIRST THIRD-The perfect draw bloomed the perfect bloom of smoke. Very thick and white, the first initial flavors was of black pepper spice that hit you one the nose that almost made me want to sneeze, but I smiled, I was happy thus far. As the spice progressed the sweet and earthy mocha left a good finish in my mouth that had a coffee bean taste in the middle. The cigar is burning at a even pace and good burn line, it's worth the hype so far.









SECOND THIRD-The spice takes a back seat in the second third and leaves ample room for the flavors to flourish. Along with the mocha a touch of cedar is introduced in the finish that thicks the mouth with an almost like syrup finish similar to one of Pepin's creation "My Father". Along with the finish a nice bit of cream joins along that makes you want to sip the cigar and wish it burnt more slowly and that's the only gripe I have with the stick so far, it burns just slightly too quick.



LAST THIRD-The spice picks up where it left off. The mocha is welcomed back and the finish changes. The cigar still coats the palate but the cedar changes to more of a burnt bread flavor that is similar to crispy pizza crust, along with this bready flavor a touch of sea salt is sprinkled here and there. The ash held well and the rate of burn picked up the pace a little bit. As the cigar starts working it's way to the nub it greats you a farewell and see you soon with a good bit of rich tobacco taste and a rounded out flavor that I just couldn't pick up, a great finish.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS-This was a great cigar with a great well rounded flavor, Don Pepin never disappoints. The price point is just about right for one of Pepin's blends and Ashton's craftsmen ship, though I wish this cigar burnt a little slower and wish the flavors were more robust. But overall this is a good stick for a good occasion say you won $500 bucks on a scratcher ticket or good enough for a treat cigar. I'm glad I got to try this cigar and my world is just now opening up to Don Pepin's master selections.

RATING-93
Buy It Again? Yes
Recommend It? Yes