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

Nestor Miranda Special Selection:Rothschild;Rosado

Being a fan of Pepin I was eager to smoke this stick. First trying the Miami Cigars 20th Anniversary stick and liking it I was excited to smoke this cigar. Much later I found out that this blend was first specially rolled for Mr. Miranda himself. Personally I would of chosen the 20th. But this Cigar did not disappoint.

SPECS-
Size-Rothschild 4.5x50
Wrapper-Nicaragua
Binder-Nicaragua
Filler-Nicaragua & Costa Rica
Price-$6.10
Smoke Time-45 mins
Cut-Punch,Guillotine

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-The first thing I noticed when I picked up the stick was the band. Its pretty simple yet distinct. As I tried to read the small cursive on the band the cigar lured me in with its very fragrant wrapper, it smelled like a bag of gummy-worms. I sat at my B&M smelling this thing for 5 minutes just to make sure it was really the cigar and not anything else. The wrapper is a slick brown with minimal veins,that wrapper was slightly salty. Once I got home first thing I did was give the cigar a nice punch,the cold taste surprised me. It was just like root beer. I was starting to see why this is Nestor's private cigar.

FIRST THIRD-As soon as I lit this cigar the smoke enveloped the room with a delicious room note, I usually can't smell the cigars I smoke but this one really stood out. As with the smoke a ton of cedar flavor came at me, it wasn't to overpowering just really crisp and fresh tasting. The cedar left a finish nuts that was quick but pleasant. The construction help up quite nice and the ash was solid white.This was my favorite third.

SECOND THIRD-This cigar is a slow burner. The construction is fabulous. The burn line was straight as a razor and the wrapper burnt nice and steady. The overall flavors though didn't change much. I was still getting good tastes of cedar and nuts. But as soon as those main flavors were gone touches of mocha were splashed here and there that keep me interested.

FINAL THIRD-The flavors on this stick are pretty solid and never leave you.This is a Cedar and Nut fan's delight, but I'm not one of those people. The cedar and nuts are good but they don't keep my interested for long. But this cigar did something special. Right when you think this cigar has showed you all it has to offer it throws you a wild card. Well I got a really tart flavor of black cherries that were splendid and made me smoke this stick to the nub. Overall a pretty good smoke.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS-This was a interesting smoke. There's nothing really over the top here nor anything sub-par. You get a pretty decent stick for a very decent price. I wouldn't call this a everyday smoke, nor a celebratory smoke. This cigar would be good to smoke while doing other things. Say if you like smoking on long trips this would be great stick also golfing with this would be a good idea. This stick doesn't seem special enough for me to devote a whole hour for. It's a good stick to kill time with where you can appreciate certain flavors and a pleasant smoke but not anything more than that.

RATING-80
Buy It Again?To kill time yes.
Do I Recommended?Yea, see how you like it.

Don Pepin My Father:Robusto:Natural

Don Pepin is the man behind most blends in the cigar world, and without a doubt he makes the best blends too. This cigar features tobacco that is from his own private reserve in Miami. This rare stogie is limited to 50,000 sticks, which makes quality control superb. So does this cigar sneak through quality as a fluke? Or did it come out as a winner? Let's find out.


SPECS-
Size- 5x50

Wrapper-Ecuadorian Habano
Binder-Nicaragua
Filler-Nicaragua
Smoke Time-50 min.
Price-$10.80
Cut-Punch/Guillotine

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-This cigar is gorgeous. Very oily with no veins at all, just a small main vein on the bottom that branches just a little. Its brown wrapper was fragrantly sweet. The foot was also matched with that sweetness with a hint of earth. The draw was easy and smooth with that familiar sweetness. The construction is flawless, the triple cap is perfect, and the band is pink for a cigar named "My Father", beautiful.



FIRST THIRD-The wrapper being so sweet I was surprised to taste spice and a slight saltiness. The cigar burnt very slow and easy. The initial taste was spicy but good reveling a good bit of flavorful smoke. You get introduced to a nice cocoa that remains on the palate, it coats your mouth with a sweet mollaces that is splendid.

SECOND THIRD- The spiciness remains pretty much thought the length of the cigar which is a good compliment to the flavors you get. Undertones of nuts and coffee, its a pleasure. After the main flavors decay a nice finish of yeast, similar to bread sticks around that makes you feel like you've just eaten bread. For a full-flavored smoke this cigar is very smooth. The ash is very stable, it presents great craftsmanship.








LAST THIRD-A great finish to such a splendid smoke. The cocoa and coffee disappear in this last bit,but you get better flavors here. The coffee is replaced with toffee, and the cocoa gets more herbal. A good taste of tea floats around in your palate, very unexpected but easily welcomed. I smoked this cigar to the numb.








LAST IMPRESSIONS-This was definitely not a fluke. This cigar was a masterpiece. For the $10 dollars it may seem a little steep, but its worth every dollar. I can't think of a better stick for this price range. Don Pepin outdid himself with this one, and I'm glad he did. This cigar was one of the best I've had in a while, sticks that are completely unexpected makes this hobby so great.


RATING-95
Buy It Again? Yes, I'll try to get one every month.
Recommended? Without a doubt, get one if you can.

Oliva V:Figurado:Sun Grown

This Nicaraguan puro is one of the smoothness full-flavored cigars out there, or that's what Oliva's website says. This V is my favorite series that Oliva produces, it also is one of my favorite full flavored smokes. But that whole smoothest cigar out there claim, does it hold true here?

SPECS-
Size-Figurado 6 x 60
Wrapper-Nicaragua
Binder-Nicaragua
Filler-Nicaragua
Smoke Time-1 hour
Price-$8.80
Cut-Guillotine
Touch Ups-2

FIRST IMPRESSIONS-This is a very nicely rolled cigar. Rolling such a cigar is an art, it has the best sun grown wrapper I have seen. It has a really nice heft to it and you can just tell this is going to be something special. The wrapper has very minimal veins and its a very beautiful brown sheen to it. With a sweet wrapper and fragrant wrapper this stick invites you in. The Cold Taste had no particular flavor but it was a nice breezy draw that makes you think this is gunna be a super fine smoke.



FIRST THIRD-The wrapper was slightly dry when I put it on my lips, but the nipple lit up quite well with just one match. As the ash works down the nipple end you get introduced with more volume of smoke and flavor. The first flavor that welcomes you in is a sweet spice, almost like cinnamon or nutmeg. The very subtle flavors of cedar and coffee is really nice. The spice is very easy on the nose, doesn't make you sneeze and with the spice it leaves the coffee and cedar notes on your mouth, its subtle but nice.

SECOND THIRD-The ash is very strong, slightly wavy but strong, another testament to the high class rolling going on at Oliva. Along the transition between thirds a toffee flavor is introduced, you get hints of it along with the cedar and coffee. This cigar doesn't have one main flavor, just a real nice bouquet of taste. The smoothest full flavored cigar ever? Yea, so far it is.








FINAL THIRD- The spiciness moves from being just a nasal spice to more of a tongue spice, almost similar to a pipe tobacco bite. Now the cigar is becoming more leathery and dark. This is my least favorite third of the whole smoke but the ash makes me appreciate the overall smoke. The smoke produced a whole bunch of thick white smoke. Quite nice







FINAL IMPRESSIONS-This stogie puts in good place why this cigar review is called the longest ash. This is a very fabulous smoke with a pretty good smoking time. This cigar its very nice, truly a very smooth full flavored smoke. But the flavors aren't very robust to make this a truly mind-blowing smoke. This cigar is good, I keep it on my rotation, truly one of my favorite full flavored smokes.

Rating-91
Buy It Again-I always do
Reccomeded? Yes

Xikar HC:Robusto:Habano

The Xikar HC, this is my third experience with the stogie with that last 2 being very disappointing because of 2 plugged stogies. Hopefully after 2 tries and much anticipation this stick won't disappoint.

SPECS-
Size: Robusto 5 x 50
Wrapper: Habano Colorado
Binder: Esteli
Filler: Costa Rida Jalapa Honduras
Smoke Time: 45 mins
Price: $8.30
Drink: Coke
Cut:Guillotine and punch
Touch-Ups: 2

FIRST IMPRESSIONS- The wrapper is the first thing you notice on this stick. Its dark brown and veiny wrapper is well in lack of words its impressive. The wrapper is very sweet and fragrant, foot had a nice rich earth and hay aroma that was a polar opposite of the wrapper. The dark wrapper also was spicy on the lips, and the cold taste was sweet overall with of hint of dry straw. The Xikar is very nicely rolled, very firm with no soft spots or lumps and a good heft overall.

FIRST THIRD- While toasting the cigar it took the flame very well for this humid weather today. Plenty of white smoke compliments the cigar. The flavor takes a while to finally build up and hit your palate, during this warm-up your introduce to a strong spice that is really nice and makes you pay attention to the flavor that follow. The first flavor that hits you its a nice and rich mocha that coats your mouth that leaves a thick film in your mouth, almost like syrup. The mocha is joined by hints of cedar and a slight nuttiness. The ash is is strong but wavy, doesn't look like it'll hold up for very long though.



SECOND THIRD- My favorite third, this cigar gets very dark and rich at this point. Along with the mocha a second layer of chocolate is introduced, a earthiness chocolate, one that is lovely the earthiness of the chocolate can be identified as a cocoa powder, or a fine chocolate truffle. The ash is flaking at this point and its not quite holding on, but it docent effect the cool burn overall of this stick. As it approaches the last third these flavor become more muted and darker that leads to a rich tobacco flavor.






FINAL THIRD-My least favorite third, That rich tobacco flavor really develops here. Along with the rich tobacco flavor is a really good bit of leather. The flavor is good, gives you a taste of how well refined these leaves were made, but the flavor doesn't interest me. Albeit its a good flavor its not a flavor I want to cling to. Finish this stogie ended up being more of a task or accomplishment rather a pleasure during the last final minutes. I really thought the flavor was good though, it was just a miss for me.






FINAL IMPRESSIONS-I'm glad after the 3rd try this stick was a success. At $8 bucks its a good cigar, also great after a great dinner or one to cap off a splendid night. Though I don't think I'll keep this stick as a celebratory cigar I can see myself keeping these in my rotation. If it wasn't for the last third I'd enjoy this cigar a lot more. Overall it has great construction, a decent price, and good flavors, the Xikar HC is a great smoke.

Rating-89
Buy It again? Ill keep it in my rotation
Recommended? Yes if you like a nice complex smoke

Avo XO:Preludio:Connecticut

This is my first AVO cigar. With Davidoff's master blender behind this one I expected a much richer or fulfilling smoke.

SPECS-
Size: Preludio 6 x 40
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Smoke Time: 30 mins
Price: $7.60
Drink: None
Cut: Punch/Guillotine
Touch-Ups: 1

FIRST IMPRESSION- This is a very crisp and clean looking stick. Sporting a somewhat dry
Connecticut wrapper with just one big vein branching vein on the back, this cigar is pretty. Its construction is excellent, light yet modestly packed this cigar shows AVO's high class rollmenship. The dry wrapper smelt of dry hay, or barnyard. The foot had the same dry smell with a slight earth hint. The cigar was punched cleanly and easily. The draw was very good, with the wrapper being slightly salty and with the cold taste similar to nori, or that green leaf outside sushi rolls. Interesting.

First-Second-Third Thirds-Since this is a very one dimensional cigar it'd be redundant to give this cigar proper third reviews. The tastes are all very similar beginning to end and with separate thirds review I'd be almost repeating myself. The First Third, was probably the best third. With hints of cedar,nuts, and a smooth butter cream that leaves a long taste on the palate. The Second Third looses the cedar hints and welcomes you with more of a roasted nut flavor. The nuts are complimented with a very sweet leather and hints of coffee if you dig for them hard enough. The creaminess of cigar is still there but not as profound. The Cigar is very mild for me and with the Last Third it just picks up a little into a very light medium range of flavor. A dark and more richer taste of leather takes up as the main flavor. This crescendo was good, but the flavor is not all there it peaks, then its gone, leaving you a faint taste of leather. The ash on this cigar was slightly above average with the longest ash holding up a least a inch close to the band and the rest just slight flaky and never truly holding on after that.

FINAL IMPRESSIONS-Overall the cigar was alright. For its price point I just expected a lot more outta of it, you can get better same flavor profiles from cheaper sticks. I think the name of the cigar fits it perfectly "The Preludio" which I'm pretty sure means prelude in Italian. This Cigar is great for the middle of the day, or if you're going to smoking a lot of other cigars its perfect. The emptiness and not much of a punch makes you desire something else and gets your mind set for a stronger, more complementing,fuller smoke, this truly is a prelude. I just wish this intro was much cheaper.

Rating-81
Buy It Again-Maybe, not in any rush to get one though.
Recommended? Only If you never tried a AVO or Davidoff, or you're heading to a Hurf.