Last night I had an Excalibur Dark Knight (tubo) by Hoyo de Monterey. Overall it was a good smoke with notes of coffee and cocoa dominating the profile with a hint of leather and earth. I'm not sure why (probably because of the guy who recommended it at my local B&M), but I expected a little more spice and kick to this one. Probably a good thing that it wasn't too strong because I realized about half way through that I was starving. So if you're looking for an early morning smoke with your coffee or afternoon smoke with an espresso, this would be good. Just not an after dinner smoke.
Went to my best friend's house earlier tonight and brought a few sticks for some friends while we all hung out. I brought one of my Camacho Pre-Embargo cigars for myself and I'm glad I did. While I'm sure now that these will be incredible smokes with some age, I really enjoyed this one being fairly fresh.
There was a subtle sweetness along with very earthy, leathery notes to this cigar that one would expect from an actual cuban cigar. What got me the most about this stick was the amounts of smoke that came from every draw. Absolutely incredible. Almost effortless draw without being too loose and just tons of smooth, flavorful smoke with every pull. Just about burned my fingers on this one and I haven't done that with a cigar in a LONG time.
It's now on my highly recommended list, but I'd recommend it in at least a 3 or 5 pack at a decent price. I think it'll be a nice cigar to have one shortly after getting them and age the others at least 6 months to a year to see how they change.
Glad to hear it. I picked up a couple of the one day deals these were offered in a week or so ago. Like always, I will fire one up shortly after receiving them and the rest will be for aging and ordinance.
The Camacho PE is a really great smoke. They do only get better with time too...I like them so much that I picked up a box on auction...got it for less than half price too, so I was super stoked. Great cigar, good review Rob.
dude, a box for half price would be friggin fantastic....if only I had room for any more smokes. For those of you who haven't tried them - if you can get your hands on 'em at a decent price (like the daily deal ccom recently offered - 5 for $35 was an incredible price - I WISH I bought two packs, but I was dumb and only picked up one) I'd say jump on them quick. Under $10, it's a great smoke, but not at $25 a stick. Maybe they'll offer these on a one day deal again soon (HINT, HINT).
All this talk aboutthe pre embargo inspired me to light one up(props joe!). Wow, what a fantastic smoke. I'm currently at the halfway point and that sweetness is nice. Kinda like toffee and vanilla, lots of leather and deep coffee. Smooth billows of smoke with every puff and what i consider a absoutley perfect draw. Damn i shoulda jumped on that daily deal, this is a damn fine smoke! If you guys havent had one i uber-reccommend it!
I completely agree and am glad we see eye to eye on the profile Jet. Kind of confirms my pallet is on the spot at least some of the time. The more I think about it, the more I want another one.
Glad you enjoyed it Vinny, I figured you would knowing what I know about where your tastes are. I think the PE might fall just outside my top five favorite list, but it is definitely well regarded in my book. Them boys at Camacho sure do know how to make a cigar.
It's been a while - I was just down in FL for a weekend and found some time at night to have a cigar each night I was down there.
The first night was at Corona Cigar Bar in Orlando - upon recommendation of one of the shop guys, I picked up a Greycliff purple label. I figured Greycliff is a great name - I loved the 1666, so I'd give this a shot. The cigar started out nice, woodsy, not as much spice as I'd expected since he recommended it as a very full, strong cigar. After a few inches, however, it just kind of died out. Not much else went on after this point and I ended up putting it out a little soon. Disappointing for what I paid for it.
Next night I had an Opus X Lancero that I brought down. While this was a tasty cigar, again, I expected much more spice being an Opus. Still nice earthy notes and some sweet nuances. Strong as one would expect - I felt like I'd just had 2 more drinks after finishing this one. Overall, good, but not my favorite opus (the #5 is my fav so far).
The last night, I went for the 5 Vegas Cask Strength II that I've had my eyes on for a while. This was an excellent cigar and I'm having a hard time not ordering a box of these right now. Unfortunately, I'm low on my budget and completely out of room in my humis at the moment. Nice spice, but not overbearing, paired with woodsy, earthy and slightly sweet (almost raisin) notes. I highly recommend this cigar.
Glad to hear that the Cask Strength II is a good smoke, just picked up a few in a recent order. Would you put some age on it, or is it good enough to smoke fresh?
Garen, mine rested for a few weeks and was great like that, though I could see it being very nice with some age as well. Not overpowering where I'd recommend aging it, but it would probably do well with age. And Squirrel, I'd love to, but I'm also trying to save as much as possible now, so I really can't justify the purchase.
Trying to think back on what I've had recently, but only two new ones come to mind:
Finally tried a Vigilante Sun Grown that was gifted to me, I believe by Laker. Nice cigar. Some spice along with lots of leather and coffee notes on this cigar. My only problem with it was that it remained a little too consistent and I lost interest after a while. May have just been my mood.
Last night I finally got to try a 5 Vegas A. I can't remember the name of the size, but it's a monster of a cigar. Started with some spice which faded in and out from time to time and lots of coffee and cocoa notes. Throw occational wood notes in and you've got a great cigar. Kept me busy for a while and may have made me a little loopy too (it was either the cigar or the southern sweet tea vodka). Damn, I hate those guys at 5V. Now I have 3 cigars that I want boxes of (the A, relic and Cask Strength).
Sounds like the 'A' Apocalypse, I still have three of them sitting, two in the aging humi and one for whenever I want to smoke it. Very good cigar, 5 vegas is a great line.
These are some great reviews you put on here. I really liked the A - still need to try the relic.
Thanks. Hopefully someone finds them useful. The relic is much different from the A, but a top notch cigar either way. I'm currently contemplating boxes of the Relic and Cask Strength II.
Trying to think back on what I've had recently, but only two new ones come to mind:
Finally tried a Vigilante Sun Grown that was gifted to me, I believe by Laker. Nice cigar. Some spice along with lots of leather and coffee notes on this cigar. My only problem with it was that it remained a little too consistent and I lost interest after a while. May have just been my mood.
Last night I finally got to try a 5 Vegas A. I can't remember the name of the size, but it's a monster of a cigar. Started with some spice which faded in and out from time to time and lots of coffee and cocoa notes. Throw occational wood notes in and you've got a great cigar. Kept me busy for a while and may have made me a little loopy too (it was either the cigar or the southern sweet tea vodka). Damn, I hate those guys at 5V. Now I have 3 cigars that I want boxes of (the A, relic and Cask Strength).
I can't remember if I also sent you a Vigilante Maduro or not Rob, but if I did, then you should give it a try. They are even better then the Corojo's IMO. Too bad they can't be had any more except on rare chance.
I think you did send me a maduro as well Lake. I'll shuffle through things and see if I can find it. If I do, I'll definitely give it a try soon. Like I said, the sun grown was good and I have a feeling it was probably my mood because I remember lighting it up and for the first inch or two thinking to myself "Damn, why didn't I smoke this sooner."
Just wanted to say I enjoyed the burberry that rob reviewed a little while ago. It looks amazing and smoked rather even and had some good flavor. wish they came in boxes though....
OK, I've had two that I can think of at the moment, fairly recently.
First was the Macanudo 1968 Robusto. I'll keep it short by saying I wasn't entirely impressed. Slightly more beefed up than a regular mac, but most of the notes seemed flat and sort of dragged out. Overall, I can't say I'd highly recommend it, especially at the price point (I got 3 during their promotion, so they ended up being about 3 or 4 bucks each).
Last night I had a Man-o-War churchill that someone on the boards sent me after I complained about my first MOW experience (my first got lots of tar build up and basically ruined the cigar for me). I have to say, I'm glad I gave it a second shot. While it wasn't a perfect cigar - burn was very wavy, taking quite a few corrections and even going out more than once despite me puffing fairly actively - the flavors were nice. Subtle sweetness along with spice, leather and wood brought this together nicely. There was an occasional ashy, or bitter taste, but for the most part, the flavors were the selling point of this cigar. I would definitely smoke another one (I actually have another from another member of the boards here), maybe on a night that I have more time to spare. This one took well over an hour and I was only about 2/3's through it.
I recently realized that I haven't updated this thread in a while, even though I've smoked quite a few sticks in the last few months. Unfortunatly, I can't remember all of them and worse, my returning post is not a good one.
Just got through my first Padilla Obsidian (Edicion Especial) Belicoso. It had been sitting in my humi for quite a few months calling me, so I finally decided to light it up.....and light it up....and light it up....man, this stick just did NOT want to be smoked!
The initial scent was a barnyard, hay/tobacco note and the wrapper had some spice to it before lighting. On the first few draws, I got a lot of cocoa, espresso bean and some spice and wood notes. I figured I was in for a nice, complex treat of a cigar. A few draws in.....nothing. Not, no flavor, just nothing. No more smoke! So I lit up again. Next puff....nothing. DAMN! Lit up again. You get the idea. The flavors were mostly nice, when I could actually get some smoke. The draw felt ok, slightly on the tight side, but not too bad.
If it weren't for the burn issues, I'd say this was a wonderful smoke. It's just hard to relax and smoke when you have to puff every 10 seconds or relight every puff.
I love the Obsidians, but they can have burn problems. I have found that the more time on them, the better they smoke. You may also want to try storing them a bit drier. The last few I've smoked have burned perfectly now that they have about a year on them.
Thanks, Zoom. I think I have at least one more laying around. I'll let it rest for a while and saw another suggestion on another review site that someone said let it sit out for a few hours before smoking.
I have had both bad and good experiences with the Obsidian. One burned terribly, and the other one was near perfect. It did have a few months on it so hopefully that did the trick.
I typically love a good maduro wrapper and this is one cigar that I really do enjoy. The burn issues really plague this cigar........it's a shame.
I have had both bad and good experiences with the Obsidian. One burned terribly, and the other one was near perfect. It did have a few months on it so hopefully that did the trick.
I typically love a good maduro wrapper and this is one cigar that I really do enjoy. The burn issues really plague this cigar........it's a shame.
The Obsidion is the only Padilla I don't love. I have just had too many bad experiences with them.
Everything from too tight of a draw , to having to relite the bloody things half a dozen times. Too many other good sticks to smoke to torture myself with these. This is all about relaxing, lol.
I guess it's good to hear that it wasn't just me with those burn issues. I guess a lot of people have had issues with that particular stick.
A few days ago, a friend gave me a Gurkha Grand Reserve (single infused in the glass tube with the copper wax seal). I have a few more hanging around that I haven't ripped into yet, so I figured I'd finally light one up. Though not as much cognac flavor and sweetness as the Royal Salute (triple infused with the purple wax) and not quite as full bodied, this was a great smoke. Burn was spot on, lots of smoke, and that great, initial sweetness on every draw. The flavors on this one were more of toasted nuts and baked bread. A much more mild, creamy profile compared to the Royal Salute.
Last night I had a Perdomo Cabinet Cuban Cafe Robusto. I was told a while back that Perdomo has discontinued almost the entire cabinet line of their cigars (although I saw they just recently brought back the maduro reserve) and that makes me sad. These are such wonderful cigars. This particular one had been sitting in my humi for about a year and had a nice sheen to it when I removed it from the celo. It smoked like a dream, giving off clouds of thick, full-flavored smoke. The burn wavered a bit from time to time, but never too bad. The flavors were mostly wood, leather and slight spice with traces of a subtle, caramel-like sweetness underneath. Consistent throughout, this was a great smoke that I just did not want to put down.
This morning I lit up my Gurkha Holy Grail that was sent to me by our favorite Squirrel (thanks, bro). This was one of the Gurkhas that I've really enjoyed recently. Perfect for a sunny morning. Even burn, lots of smoke, great flavors of cedar and roasted nuts and hints of earth and barnyard. If they were a bit cheaper, I'd be tempted to pick up a box, not just for the cigars but (come on, you have to see this coming by now!) also for the fancy packaging.
Looking back, I guess this was a pretty good week.....at least as far as cigars are concerned.
Comments
There was a subtle sweetness along with very earthy, leathery notes to this cigar that one would expect from an actual cuban cigar. What got me the most about this stick was the amounts of smoke that came from every draw. Absolutely incredible. Almost effortless draw without being too loose and just tons of smooth, flavorful smoke with every pull. Just about burned my fingers on this one and I haven't done that with a cigar in a LONG time.
It's now on my highly recommended list, but I'd recommend it in at least a 3 or 5 pack at a decent price. I think it'll be a nice cigar to have one shortly after getting them and age the others at least 6 months to a year to see how they change.
The first night was at Corona Cigar Bar in Orlando - upon recommendation of one of the shop guys, I picked up a Greycliff purple label. I figured Greycliff is a great name - I loved the 1666, so I'd give this a shot. The cigar started out nice, woodsy, not as much spice as I'd expected since he recommended it as a very full, strong cigar. After a few inches, however, it just kind of died out. Not much else went on after this point and I ended up putting it out a little soon. Disappointing for what I paid for it.
Next night I had an Opus X Lancero that I brought down. While this was a tasty cigar, again, I expected much more spice being an Opus. Still nice earthy notes and some sweet nuances. Strong as one would expect - I felt like I'd just had 2 more drinks after finishing this one. Overall, good, but not my favorite opus (the #5 is my fav so far).
The last night, I went for the 5 Vegas Cask Strength II that I've had my eyes on for a while. This was an excellent cigar and I'm having a hard time not ordering a box of these right now. Unfortunately, I'm low on my budget and completely out of room in my humis at the moment. Nice spice, but not overbearing, paired with woodsy, earthy and slightly sweet (almost raisin) notes. I highly recommend this cigar.
Finally tried a Vigilante Sun Grown that was gifted to me, I believe by Laker. Nice cigar. Some spice along with lots of leather and coffee notes on this cigar. My only problem with it was that it remained a little too consistent and I lost interest after a while. May have just been my mood.
Last night I finally got to try a 5 Vegas A. I can't remember the name of the size, but it's a monster of a cigar. Started with some spice which faded in and out from time to time and lots of coffee and cocoa notes. Throw occational wood notes in and you've got a great cigar. Kept me busy for a while and may have made me a little loopy too (it was either the cigar or the southern sweet tea vodka). Damn, I hate those guys at 5V. Now I have 3 cigars that I want boxes of (the A, relic and Cask Strength).
Thanks. Hopefully someone finds them useful. The relic is much different from the A, but a top notch cigar either way. I'm currently contemplating boxes of the Relic and Cask Strength II.
First was the Macanudo 1968 Robusto. I'll keep it short by saying I wasn't entirely impressed. Slightly more beefed up than a regular mac, but most of the notes seemed flat and sort of dragged out. Overall, I can't say I'd highly recommend it, especially at the price point (I got 3 during their promotion, so they ended up being about 3 or 4 bucks each).
Last night I had a Man-o-War churchill that someone on the boards sent me after I complained about my first MOW experience (my first got lots of tar build up and basically ruined the cigar for me). I have to say, I'm glad I gave it a second shot. While it wasn't a perfect cigar - burn was very wavy, taking quite a few corrections and even going out more than once despite me puffing fairly actively - the flavors were nice. Subtle sweetness along with spice, leather and wood brought this together nicely. There was an occasional ashy, or bitter taste, but for the most part, the flavors were the selling point of this cigar. I would definitely smoke another one (I actually have another from another member of the boards here), maybe on a night that I have more time to spare. This one took well over an hour and I was only about 2/3's through it.
Just got through my first Padilla Obsidian (Edicion Especial) Belicoso. It had been sitting in my humi for quite a few months calling me, so I finally decided to light it up.....and light it up....and light it up....man, this stick just did NOT want to be smoked!
The initial scent was a barnyard, hay/tobacco note and the wrapper had some spice to it before lighting. On the first few draws, I got a lot of cocoa, espresso bean and some spice and wood notes. I figured I was in for a nice, complex treat of a cigar. A few draws in.....nothing. Not, no flavor, just nothing. No more smoke! So I lit up again. Next puff....nothing. DAMN! Lit up again. You get the idea. The flavors were mostly nice, when I could actually get some smoke. The draw felt ok, slightly on the tight side, but not too bad.
If it weren't for the burn issues, I'd say this was a wonderful smoke. It's just hard to relax and smoke when you have to puff every 10 seconds or relight every puff.
I typically love a good maduro wrapper and this is one cigar that I really do enjoy. The burn issues really plague this cigar........it's a shame.
Everything from too tight of a draw , to having to relite the bloody things half a dozen times. Too many other good sticks to smoke to torture myself with these. This is all about relaxing, lol.
A few days ago, a friend gave me a Gurkha Grand Reserve (single infused in the glass tube with the copper wax seal). I have a few more hanging around that I haven't ripped into yet, so I figured I'd finally light one up. Though not as much cognac flavor and sweetness as the Royal Salute (triple infused with the purple wax) and not quite as full bodied, this was a great smoke. Burn was spot on, lots of smoke, and that great, initial sweetness on every draw. The flavors on this one were more of toasted nuts and baked bread. A much more mild, creamy profile compared to the Royal Salute.
Last night I had a Perdomo Cabinet Cuban Cafe Robusto. I was told a while back that Perdomo has discontinued almost the entire cabinet line of their cigars (although I saw they just recently brought back the maduro reserve) and that makes me sad. These are such wonderful cigars. This particular one had been sitting in my humi for about a year and had a nice sheen to it when I removed it from the celo. It smoked like a dream, giving off clouds of thick, full-flavored smoke. The burn wavered a bit from time to time, but never too bad. The flavors were mostly wood, leather and slight spice with traces of a subtle, caramel-like sweetness underneath. Consistent throughout, this was a great smoke that I just did not want to put down.
This morning I lit up my Gurkha Holy Grail that was sent to me by our favorite Squirrel (thanks, bro). This was one of the Gurkhas that I've really enjoyed recently. Perfect for a sunny morning. Even burn, lots of smoke, great flavors of cedar and roasted nuts and hints of earth and barnyard. If they were a bit cheaper, I'd be tempted to pick up a box, not just for the cigars but (come on, you have to see this coming by now!) also for the fancy packaging.
Looking back, I guess this was a pretty good week.....at least as far as cigars are concerned.