Welcome back Greg, sucks to hear about the not so tasty stick. Anywho, I went with an Oliva Serie O Habano, got lots of cedar and wood type flavors when I first lit up and it didn't change a terrible amount, but it did mellow out a bit. Lasted about an hour and a half and stayed cool even down to the nub, pretty impressive in my book for a little robusto.
I had a MOW Ruination belicoso this afternoon, good but I like the robusto #1 more. Later on was a Viaje Oro toro, a very nice cigar, think I need to get some more of these guys.
I have one of each resting in my humi now.
1st up is Robusto #2 (6x60)
The other ones just came in and Im going to let them rest a while.
Smoked a La Arora 1495 last night. My first that wasn't the 1994 blend. It wasn't bad. I want to try it again because I didn't get to give it the full smoking it deserved. I had to put it out three twice. Tonight, I am not sure. I"m thinking maybe a GoF Carlito, maybe a ruination, decisions decisions.......
just had a cuban cohiba club, (size up from the mini cigarillo things)
was very nice, im running low i usualy save them for when i can only fit in a 15-20 min smoke which seems to be happaning a lot resently. note to self must devote more time to the important things
Hanging out down at the creek with friends today, had a Camacho 1962 torpedo, this was sublime, the best one i've ever had... had been in the humi since the beginning of November. Perfect draw and smoke, nice sweetness I haven't noted in them before, just perfect. Later had a Ruination belicoso, another perfect smoke. Great day.
07/11/09 Gurkha Park Avenue Churchill (1 year and 5 days resting)
Pairing This one is a nice Churchill so Im pairing it with some Chivas Regal 12 year and it is straight out of the bottle, no ice no water. Pre-light I would say a hint of barnyard or maybe a oaky smell to it seems very fragrant and silky, kinda smells like one person has called like a meal and it is rich. There seem to be a couple soft spots under the band and that is not a good feeling, but the wrapper is a perfect Connecticut and no major veins. Lick on the cap is salty and somewhat flavorless. A hint of the oaky woody is in it but not much. Lighting using single torch flame First light impressions There is a patch that is really tough to toast on one side of the cigar and that is showing a rolling problem that may elude to the soft spots further up the cigar. After getting a nice rounded orange foot the initial draw is easy (little tight on the draw) and has a short finish with little spice and flavors of the woody and oak are coming out. Through the nose a coffee aroma is present and more spice is picking up on the first few puffs. Ive had one of these guys at about a month old (I believe) and this one with a year should be good! First Third The smoke is what I might say creamy? Ive never called a cigar creamy before but I do believe, to me, that this is creamy. Its a heavy and velvety smoke with a little punch on the end. The cigar is burning slowly and still having a nice burn (surprisingly). It looks, so far, that the rolling thick point is not effecting it and the cigar is perfectly humidified! The smoke after a bit of scotch is now taking on a nutty flavor. Not perfectly nutty but almost like if you were to burn peanuts. Its not bad but the nutty flavor and the spice are combating for my tongue and that is making the subtle nuts a little harsh. As is goes on though they are melding into a rich and smooth coffee flavor. I tend to get Coffee Grounds in my tastings but with the creamy smoke Im getting actually rich roast coffee (read: not as harsh) It is honestly like walking into a starbucks after a long night of drinking when your senses are over-sensitive and having the dark roast in the air hit your nostrils. WOW! It is hanging on to the coffee and the spice (although the spice is subdoing and becoming less impactful on the finish. Finishing up the first third it seems this cigar is changing. The spice is very subdued and it really is just a milder smoke now, not a pack-a-punch of flavor, but just mellow. The coffee is still present but again not much of a presence as before . Before the second third Im going to try on some more scotch! Second Third After a little scotch Im becoming more aware of my pairings, while the scotch is a sweet aged scotch it is powerful and it may overtaking the creamy smoke of the Gurkha but the start of the second third is a high-hoped one. While this guy is just hanging in there and not really changing Ill talk about the cigar itself. The ash is hanging on for about 1-1.5 inches and is burning perfectly and no problems at all. The cigars draw is perfect and just a little toughness that I like. The smoke is very plentiful and not overbearing (read: It doesnt pour out like a Sancho Panza) and this is a long and thin cigar and I can tell time and effort were put into making it. Now this is changing subtly its going more harsh and becoming the old standby of mine Coffee Grounds I tend to (or have HAD to) like this flavor and thats what is the dominant flavor now. The coffe ground have gained a bit of the creaminess and now I got a hint of Chocolate Not something that I could fully reproduce, but a sudden flash of chocolate entered my senses. MY BAD! I had gotten so absorbed in the online threads and cigar buying that I kinda let this guy go out a little, it tunneled due to lack of puffing. A quick relight and Im back in business, sorry little guy! Last Third After the relighting of just the edge of the cigar to get the wrapper going again this cigar is once again mellow. The oaky taste is somewhat back and the coffee grounds are the dominant here but the spice has lifter a little, I was hoping itd be back after I had to put flame to it again, but its not that powerful. Smoking into the twilights of this cigar is where it shines. Now a rich and roasted coffee and the nutty is back and there is a cedar finish with the spice coming back up to punch your tongue. The draw begins with the coffee hitting your palate and then a cedar buzz takes on your cheeks and throat and then the spice finishes it off. Very good and if you can picture a freshly brewed pot of coffees grounds in a Churchill box then you can try to understand the flavor. The scotch is almost gone and so is the cigar, but the flavor is still gaining complexity and nuances, and Im not ready for all these flavors to describe but this guy is really enjoyable little smoke right now! Overall This cigar was a treat at a year and I did get down to about 2 inches left and the tastes were great and the spice and coffee and chocolate and everything was good. This guy is a cheaper cigar for Gurkha but Im not complaining. Not a super premium by any means yet I would like to have these guys around for some everyday kind of smoke! (86)
Had a few tonight with some beers, I'm pretty drunk right now but the best I can remember I had a Primos something or other, a RP Rosado, and finished the night off with a Vigilanter. I'm sure I will regret burning the Vigilante all drunk tomorrow, but it wa sgreat tonight.
Gurkha Titan last nite. Only had been sitting for a couple months, but still a nice smoke. I'm gonna let the other 14 sit for at least 6 months, see if they get better with age. Not that this one was bad, it was great, but I just want to see if it can get even better. Total smoke time was 2 hours, 15 minutes and smoked to the burn.
Ended up smoking the GoF Carlito Torpedo last night. Near the end I started to get a little exhuasted. I think my stomach was not as full as it should have been and I was pretty tired in general from lack of sleep. Once I ate though I was feeling better. Good smoke. I would have smoked it even longer than I did if it were not for the exhaustion. I think I left about an inch, This one has been aging in my humidor since June of last year.
Ive got a Kristoff criollo Maduro Torpedo to smoke after a nice meal of pork tenderloin shish kabobs.
I love these Cigars, has anyone else had any experience with them? I usually cant resist them at my local shop because of their gorgeous, enticing packaging (packed in loose tobacco, curly head and shaggy foot).
I just had my Camacho Connecticut from the Black Band Project. It was good, perfect construction perfect draw, perfect burn. Really good flavors. It wont bump the Oliva CT reserve as my favorite CT, but it was good! I would say it is on par with the Rocky CT cigar (not the 99, the Rocky CT).
I think i'm the only one on here that doenst like GoF. I bought 2 and traded the other one off after smoking one. Hmmm
I'm with you on that one Vinny. I thought it was a good cigar, but nothing about it justified the price to me.
I agree that the price is way to high but the Don Carlos blend was freakin awesome. I didn't like them both the first time I had them but a little more age and they grew on me. However, the Don Carlos was the ***!
Smoked an Upmann what I think is a crytal. It was in a glass tube and was about the lenght of a churchill but was maybe a 48 ring. I have had this in my humidor for at least 4 years, maybe more like 5. It was pretty good. It is the longest cigar I have had stored myself and also the last of the bunch. My oldest cigars of course are the Partagas 150 and the Ashton VSG round. But I haven't had them that long myself. Less than a year for the Ashton and about a year - year and a half for the Partagas. Next would be the Padron 1964 and the Don Carlos #2 that I got in October of 2006.
I think i'm the only one on here that doenst like GoF. I bought 2 and traded the other one off after smoking one. Hmmm
I'm with you on that one Vinny. I thought it was a good cigar, but nothing about it justified the price to me.
I agree that the price is way to high but the Don Carlos blend was freakin awesome. I didn't like them both the first time I had them but a little more age and they grew on me. However, the Don Carlos was the ***!
If I can find them at a decent price then I try to get them (same with opus) but yes, the price is a bit much. Though cheaper than the DC 30th.. which isn't as good as the GOF (in my opinion)... or maybe I would have to have both in a row....
At a work cookout and picnic I had an El Ray Delmundo (toro-ish) and it was spicy as hell, I only gave this guy about 1 month rest but I wanted to smoke it for it looked like a tampon in it's sleeve.
At a work cookout and picnic I had an El Ray Delmundo (toro-ish) and it was spicy as hell, I only gave this guy about 1 month rest but I wanted to smoke it for it looked like a tampon in it's sleeve.
At a work cookout and picnic I had an El Ray Delmundo (toro-ish) and it was spicy as hell, I only gave this guy about 1 month rest but I wanted to smoke it for it looked like a tampon in it's sleeve.
Had a Nording Torpedo earlier today that I have had for a little more than a month. It was pretty good, but I do prefer the Robusto. I am sure they will just get better with age. For my evening smoke, I went with a 777, this one wasn't as good as I remember the other one being, but it was still very enjoyable.
Had a Nording Torpedo earlier today that I have had for a little more than a month. It was pretty good, but I do prefer the Robusto. I am sure they will just get better with age. For my evening smoke, I went with a 777, this one wasn't as good as I remember the other one being, but it was still very enjoyable.
I had a Nording the other day that i had let rest for a good while...makes me wish a had bought a box and let em rest a good while...damn fine smoke with some age.
Today was a good day! Started with a Grayclif 1666, i wont touch these until i've had em 8 months atleast, it reallly pays of. Later was a Padilla Miami, outstanding as always(in my top 3) and finally a Onyx Vintage 97 which alien bombed me with a long time ago, this thing was really good. Very woodsy and balanced. Wish i knew where to find em.
Yesterday, had a great MOW Ruination, which was fantastic in terms of strength and flavor. I noticed it had sort of an uneven dispersal of flavor, and I was wondering if these need some rest just like the original MOW? Anyhow, I had a JyJ Habano Reserve which actually had great flavor, but the construction and burn were a little suspect.
Comments
I have one of each resting in my humi now.
1st up is Robusto #2 (6x60)
The other ones just came in and Im going to let them rest a while.
just had a cuban cohiba club, (size up from the mini cigarillo things)
was very nice, im running low i usualy save them for when i can only fit in a 15-20 min smoke which seems to be happaning a lot resently. note to self must devote more time to the important things
I've been worried about my humidity for the past few weeks, but this guy is starting out great so it's putting me at ease and it does taste great!
Pairing This one is a nice Churchill so Im pairing it with some Chivas Regal 12 year and it is straight out of the bottle, no ice no water.
Pre-light I would say a hint of barnyard or maybe a oaky smell to it seems very fragrant and silky, kinda smells like one person has called like a meal and it is rich. There seem to be a couple soft spots under the band and that is not a good feeling, but the wrapper is a perfect Connecticut and no major veins. Lick on the cap is salty and somewhat flavorless. A hint of the oaky woody is in it but not much.
Lighting using single torch flame
First light impressions There is a patch that is really tough to toast on one side of the cigar and that is showing a rolling problem that may elude to the soft spots further up the cigar. After getting a nice rounded orange foot the initial draw is easy (little tight on the draw) and has a short finish with little spice and flavors of the woody and oak are coming out. Through the nose a coffee aroma is present and more spice is picking up on the first few puffs. Ive had one of these guys at about a month old (I believe) and this one with a year should be good!
First Third The smoke is what I might say creamy? Ive never called a cigar creamy before but I do believe, to me, that this is creamy. Its a heavy and velvety smoke with a little punch on the end. The cigar is burning slowly and still having a nice burn (surprisingly). It looks, so far, that the rolling thick point is not effecting it and the cigar is perfectly humidified! The smoke after a bit of scotch is now taking on a nutty flavor. Not perfectly nutty but almost like if you were to burn peanuts. Its not bad but the nutty flavor and the spice are combating for my tongue and that is making the subtle nuts a little harsh. As is goes on though they are melding into a rich and smooth coffee flavor. I tend to get Coffee Grounds in my tastings but with the creamy smoke Im getting actually rich roast coffee (read: not as harsh) It is honestly like walking into a starbucks after a long night of drinking when your senses are over-sensitive and having the dark roast in the air hit your nostrils. WOW! It is hanging on to the coffee and the spice (although the spice is subdoing and becoming less impactful on the finish. Finishing up the first third it seems this cigar is changing. The spice is very subdued and it really is just a milder smoke now, not a pack-a-punch of flavor, but just mellow. The coffee is still present but again not much of a presence as before . Before the second third Im going to try on some more scotch!
Second Third After a little scotch Im becoming more aware of my pairings, while the scotch is a sweet aged scotch it is powerful and it may overtaking the creamy smoke of the Gurkha but the start of the second third is a high-hoped one. While this guy is just hanging in there and not really changing Ill talk about the cigar itself. The ash is hanging on for about 1-1.5 inches and is burning perfectly and no problems at all. The cigars draw is perfect and just a little toughness that I like. The smoke is very plentiful and not overbearing (read: It doesnt pour out like a Sancho Panza) and this is a long and thin cigar and I can tell time and effort were put into making it. Now this is changing subtly its going more harsh and becoming the old standby of mine Coffee Grounds I tend to (or have HAD to) like this flavor and thats what is the dominant flavor now. The coffe ground have gained a bit of the creaminess and now I got a hint of Chocolate Not something that I could fully reproduce, but a sudden flash of chocolate entered my senses. MY BAD! I had gotten so absorbed in the online threads and cigar buying that I kinda let this guy go out a little, it tunneled due to lack of puffing. A quick relight and Im back in business, sorry little guy!
Last Third After the relighting of just the edge of the cigar to get the wrapper going again this cigar is once again mellow. The oaky taste is somewhat back and the coffee grounds are the dominant here but the spice has lifter a little, I was hoping itd be back after I had to put flame to it again, but its not that powerful. Smoking into the twilights of this cigar is where it shines. Now a rich and roasted coffee and the nutty is back and there is a cedar finish with the spice coming back up to punch your tongue. The draw begins with the coffee hitting your palate and then a cedar buzz takes on your cheeks and throat and then the spice finishes it off. Very good and if you can picture a freshly brewed pot of coffees grounds in a Churchill box then you can try to understand the flavor. The scotch is almost gone and so is the cigar, but the flavor is still gaining complexity and nuances, and Im not ready for all these flavors to describe but this guy is really enjoyable little smoke right now!
Overall This cigar was a treat at a year and I did get down to about 2 inches left and the tastes were great and the spice and coffee and chocolate and everything was good. This guy is a cheaper cigar for Gurkha but Im not complaining. Not a super premium by any means yet I would like to have these guys around for some everyday kind of smoke! (86)
I love these Cigars, has anyone else had any experience with them? I usually cant resist them at my local shop because of their gorgeous, enticing packaging (packed in loose tobacco, curly head and shaggy foot).
I had a Nording the other day that i had let rest for a good while...makes me wish a had bought a box and let em rest a good while...damn fine smoke with some age.
Today was a good day! Started with a Grayclif 1666, i wont touch these until i've had em 8 months atleast, it reallly pays of. Later was a Padilla Miami, outstanding as always(in my top 3) and finally a Onyx Vintage 97 which alien bombed me with a long time ago, this thing was really good. Very woodsy and balanced. Wish i knew where to find em.
a gurkha regent, a book, and some tea on the porch seems like a good afternoon to me.