3-15-2015 been in humidor since 12-18-14
Nat Sherman Timeless Collection Nicaragua #452 (4 x 52)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Blender: Plasencia, Herklots
The Nat Sherman Brand has two distinct blends in the Timeless Collection. One is a multi-country blend constructed in the Dominican Republic (at the MATASA factory) that took the number 10 spot for CA's best 25 of the year. This is that cigars partner in crime. Made at the Plasencia Factory, this Nicaraguan puro debuted in 2012. The blend is supposed to retain the feel of the original Timeless Collection but take on qualities that both market trends and research show people want, namely a Nicaraguan profile. The bands of this cigar and the MATASA version are the same and one must rely on wrapper leaf color to determine what blend the cigar is.
The concept of this blend started well over a year before their initial offering, during the 2011 IPCPR. The story goes that brand owner Michael Herklots was handing out cigars at the 2011 IPCPR with little cards so people would beable to give notes on what they thought of the blends. The concept of a Nicaraguan Timeless were always a part of the plan, but the focus was to get the Dominican version out first.
The Nicaraguan timeless has a dark brown wrapper with veins that have been smoothed into submission. They seem to shine in the light more than the rest of the wrapper. There is a decent press to this cigar. It seems to be done more in the style of a traditional press that creates soft corners rather than a heavy press creating sharp edges. The cream and gold band is designed to look like a watch with the hands pointing up to twelve, but instead of numbers around the dial, there are the words Nat Sherman. It is a very simple, yet good looking band.
the wrapper has a slightly fuzzy feel to it, but somehow maintains an oily quality. There is a light earth smell to this cigar that does not really throw out many dominant notes. It is over all lighter than expected given that this is a dark colored Nicaraguan puro. The lick on the cap has somewhat of a citrus note to it with the slightest hint of spice if held too long. Clip with a double guillotine. The cold draw is full of various chocolate notes that lean slightly to the dark chocolate side. The resistance on the draw is very good, leaning to the firm side.
light with a soft flame.
The first draw once lit has more spice than expected given the relatively mild cold draw. Beyond that, the opening flavors are a slight coffee, a decent chocolate, and the classic Nicaraguan woody spice. The Nicaraguan woody spice seems to be the dominant flavor early on. As the cigar settles in and evens out from the light, a slightly rounder earthy note comes into play. The other flavors are there still as well but they all seem to stem from the umami middle. The spice levels off and maintains. Its a nice level of spice if you enjoy spicy cigars, and if you dont then it is not enough to get in your way. The retrohale brings more spice with a slight burn, and a wood undertone.
The middle third brings more smokey chocolate to the table. The spice has declined to more of a pulpy feel than a flavor. Some peppercorn flavors accompany that pulpy feel. The cigar has smoothed out and homogenized to the point where flavors melt together but are not lost. None of the flavors have been a wow moment but all of them are solid and make sense. This cigar is a very good example of a Nicaraguan Puro.
The final third amps up the Classic nicaraguan flavors but there is a little surprise in the form of a light sweetness. This sweetness is shot and mild and only on the initial moment the smoke reaches the palate, but it adds a level of complexity that the cigar was lacking through the rest of the journey. The smoke warms ever so slightly as the end nears.
if you like my reviews please see my blog. If you want to see what im up to between reviews and get micro reviews of cigars and beer then follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook
Nice to see that the hiatus has ended, Kuzi. Good review. I had the pleasure of smoking the Nat Sherman Timeless Nicaraguan (thanks again, Jsherman). I'm eager to try the Dominican version as well.
4-9-15 been in humidor since 10-26-14
Ezra Zion FHK Honor Series Truth (7 x 44)
Wrapper: San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Brazilian, Nicaraguan
Blender: Placencia, Hoover, Kelly
The Honor Series came about when owners Chris Kelly and Kyle Hoover were researching their family trees. They discovered honorable men who served in the military, were statesmen, and men who started businesses. The letters FHK stand for Fathers of Hoover and Kelly to pay respect to the men in their families who helped shape them into who they are.
This was the very first cigar released in 2014 (of any brand). Its official date and time of release was 12:00am on January 1, 2014. Though it was a first that year for the industry, there is also a first within the company with this release. This is the first true multi-country blend featuring tobacco from four countries. In the past the brand has been very Nicaraguan based with at best one leaf that is from another country.
The Honor Series was blended and designed for the specific vitola that became Truth. That makes this specific cigar being reviewed, arguably, the most accurate representation of the goals of the blenders. The 7 x 44 size is not a standard size and has no official name, but it is being called a Lancero Gordo, though a cazadores is probably a more accurate name for the size.
The presentation of this cigar is a familiar styling used in previous Ezra Zion releases, but this time the colors are gold and black. There is a footband on the cigar with the letters FHK in large print and the words honor series in script below. The wrapper is dark and fairly even in color. It looks thick at the seems and has a few dominant veins that have been flattened to the point where they can be seen but not felt.
In the hand, the cigar feels solid with no soft spots anywhere. There is a slight oily feel to it but it feels to be tempered by a tooth that is only perceptible by touch. The scent of the FHK before the light has a heavy barnyard quality to it. This Barnyard scent leans to a damp wood impression. A lick on the cap is oily and slightly sour. Some mild spice on the lips. After a clip with the Xi2, there is a very firm draw with milder than expected flavors of sweet cedar and a hint at mushroom. The difficulty of the draw is not cigar-ending. It is, however, distracting.
Light with a soft flame
The first few draws are a bit woody. There is a subtle sweet undertone that is reminiscent of a brewhouse in the process of mashing and boiling. Through the nose there is a mild coffee and a bit of a mild pepper. The wood notes that are there on the initial flavors pull through the other flavors and remain on the palate into the finish. As the cigar settles in and hits its stride the malted grain flavors seem to take over but they are not overly sweet. The wood continues through the nose and on the finish. The sweet and the wood balance each other very well.
The middle third maintains a high level of balance. The wood notes are becoming more of an oak flavor than a generic wood. The pepper starts to show up in the initial flavors and stays through the middle flavors but does not make it to the finish. It is a mild pepper, adding only enough to keep things interesting. The finish does pick up a hint at coffee, but it is not the main flavor of the finish. The burn is very slow and very even. This may be partially because the draw is so firm. The good news is that the draw keeps the burn cool, but the bad news is that is it distracting to have to draw so hard.
The final third lets the coffee out to play. The wood notes have faded back to the generic undertone much like the beginning of the cigar. The malty notes have all but faded as well. Some of the classic Nicaraguan pulpy texture starts to come out near the end of the cigar but it is not distracting. The retrohale is now more earth and wood than every before. At this point the real complexity is all in the retrohale. The spice continuously picks up at the very end to the point where it is out of balance, signaling the end of the cigar.
If the construction issue had not caused a tight draw this would have been a 9.0 or better cigar.
if you like my reviews please see my blog. If you want to see what im up to between reviews and get micro reviews of cigars and beer then follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook
Always enjoy your reviews Kuzi. I've tried several things after reading your reviews and I've always found you to be very accurate in your descriptions.
WARNING: The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme. Proceed at your own risk.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
I agree ith Kuzi, the EPC LH is a fantastic cigar, easily a for sure rebuy/resmoke
Amen! Just last night I had the one that came in the Ccom COTM a short while back, and thoroughly enjoyed it, which is fortunate because I bought a couple boxes of 10, based on Kuzi's review and what I've been reading around the web... we'll have a few more during the summer, and then see how they do in a couple years.
Filler: Honduran Corojo, Nicaraguan Habano Ligero and Mexican San Andrés Ligero.
Blender: Matt Booth
The
Room101 Master Collection One is the first of (currently) three blends
that are the Master Collection. The Master Collection blends bear the
new Room101 logo of the cherry blossom. This is a significant symbol.
The cherry blossom has a short yet beautiful life. There are holes in
the outer regions of the blossom to indicate the metaphorical storms in
life that cause damage. The intact and solid center of the blossom in
the logo represent the nucleus and strong core of the Room101 family.
This symbol of the cherry blossom will be on the highest quality Room101
products.
The Master Collection was released
after Camacho decided to re-brand with the Bold Standard campaign. Part
of this re-brand was to rename the Camacho factory from “Tabacos
Rancho Jamastran" to "Agroindustrias Laepe, S.A." it is still the same
exact factory, just with a new name. This cigar is made in that factory,
but unlike the slogan of the new Camacho line, this cigar is not
intended to be one that delivers a heavy dose of nicotine.
At
the time of this review, this is only the second cigar from Room101
that has a San Andres wrapper, the other being the Room101 SA. This is
the eleventh cigar released by Room101
This cigar is a
very rich chocolate brown and with a bit of a stretch, the rosado can
be seen. The wrapper looks thick and slightly weathered, but never rough
or sloppy. A slight color variation can be seen at the seems. This
probably indicates the natural fermentation process. The band of silver
and black dons the Room101 Cherry blossom logo. The only other hint to
what this cigar is would be the word “one” on the edge of the band on
the back. The cap is a classic Cuban style pigtail.
In
the hand the cigar feels consistently firm from head to foot. There is a
slight fuzz to it. The smell mild but has the classic maduro barnyard
quality that leans to sweet. A lick on the cap is oily on the lips and
has light earth flavors. A quick and easy cut with the Xi2 reveals a
draw that is earthy-autumn and a light spice-drop. This spice-drop
flavor lingers.
Light with a soft flame.
The
light is quick and easy. Initial impressions are a mild leather with
oak and a slight musk. It is incredibly smooth, having zero hint at any
form of spice even with an entire puff expelled through the nose.
As
the cigar settles in, a very slight citrus and cedar develop on the
“high end” with the slightest hint of white pepper. Most of the pepper
shows up in the finish and retrohaole. It is a very nuanced cigar with
mild complexities. They are there but they are not in your face.
The
middle third of this cigar has a more intense wood flavor and the
pepper spreads its way into the initial flavor. The underlying leather
oak and musk has lost a good deal of the musk, though it is there. A
quick burst of sweet shows up in the transition from the initial flavor
to the middle flavor. The finish is non-oppressive in any way, even
though there is a slight spice. It is mostly leather and a light wood.
The
final third has a bit more of a pulpy texture. The sweetness is still
there but less of a burst and more of a fade in and out. The underlying
flavors that have been present throughout are most of the flavor at this
point. It is warm smoke in flavor not in actual temperature. This gives
a strange impression of the sweet element. It is almost a baked fruit
style sweetness. As the cigar approaches the end, it does not heat any
more. It does, however, flatten out. The flavors dull and mute and muddy
together. The spice comes out a bit more especially on the finish.
if you like my reviews please see my blog. If you want to see what im up to between reviews and get micro reviews of cigars and beer then follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook
This
brand, and vitola, are a Cuban cigar staple. It is a classic. The brand
itself has been around since 1840 when the name was first registered.
Punch was named after a 17th century British wife-beating
puppet named “Mr Punch” who is most often depicted in a traditional
Jesters outfit. The Modern Punch Punch cigar box still has the image of
this puppet lounging with a cigar and a pet dog wearing a multi-colored
collar. That image is surrounded by four illustrations of the cigar
making process.
The name “Manuel Lopez” appears
on the box as well. This is not the name of the original owner of the
cigar brand. It is estimated that he is the third owner. He is, however,
the one who made the brand an icon of Cuban cigars. His full name is
“Manuel Lopez Fernandez,” who is the brother Fernando Lopez Fernandez,
operator of Juan Valle y Cia. cigar company. This is why the other name on the modern box is “J. Valle.” This name combo on the box can be dated back to the 1920's.
The
Punch Punch is a pre-revolution release and is still being sold. This
is the Stereotypical Punch cigar. This is the vitola that is most
commonly associated with the brand. Until the 1980s the Punch Punch had a
slightly different name of “Punch Punch de Luxe.”
The
band of this cigar is in a red, white and gold color scheme with
typical Cuban cigar band styling. It is a classic look. The wrapper is a
touch darker than a brown paper bag and has very few large veins. What
veins are there, are well dispersed. There is a slight natural box
press, almost unnoticeable unless looking for it, but realized when
attempting to take the first cigar from the box. The wrapper and cap
look applied flawlessly. There is an nice sheen on this cigar that is
mirrored in the oily feel of it in the hand.
The
Band comes off very easily, keeping the wrapper fully in tact, a touch
that is always appreciated. When gently squeezed there is a very evenly
distributed slight give. The scent unlit is a very mild barnyard with
the slightest push to wood. A lick on the cap is much woodier in a balsa
wood sort of way. Once clipped with the above pictured double
guillotine there is a firm draw that has a dried stone fruit quality to
it. This is on the sour side almost like the style of sour found in the
Gose style of beer. This is a very unique quality.
Light with a soft flame.
The
first few puffs are slightly sweet, woody and incredibly smooth.
Through the nose there is a very mild version of the typical Cuban sharp
earth. The finish is long and has a light oak to it and a slight
desiccant feel. The sweetness is fruity, but in an extremely mild way,
and is focused on the initial part of the draw. It is extremely balanced
in this first quarter inch.
As the cigar settles in,
the dried stone fruit style sweetness picks up a tick. This fades into
an oak and white pepper taste on the palate. Through the nose the Cuban
sharp earth flavors pick up.
The middle third has a
much more umami flavor with a black tea impression that truly makes the
mouth water. The spice on the middle and finishing flavors pick up while
the fruity flavors fade to next to nothing. The cigar is still
incredibly smooth, even through the nose. On this retrohale, the flavors
are the same as the first third, nothing but the beautiful sharp earth
with a slight oak. Through the middle third the wood notes increase. The
body builds to a solid medium, making it very relaxing.
Though the burn is not a razors edge, it is quite good and corrects itself before any issues call for a corrective light.
By
the final third the spice has turned on quite a bit. This is noticed
heavily in the retrohale. It does not reach the level of being harsh,
but it does throw the cigar ever so slightly out of balance. This should
age out in 2-3 years. The oak flavor on the finish becomes more of a
generic wood and it lengthens quite a bit. The initial flavors are not
sweet anymore but have some of the wood that is found in the middle and
finishing flavors while still retaining some of the tea flavor. This tea
flavor dies out quickly after the draw on the cigar stops, when the
smoke is held in the mouth. The body builds to the fuller side of medium
in the non-Cuban sense but is full bodied for a Cuban cigar.
The
very end of the cigar heats up and becomes spicy in a cinnamon way. It
is very different than the rest of the cigar and enjoyable, but not as
much as the rest of the cigar.
This cigar burns
slowly. This is probably promoted by the slightly tight draw. The
downside is that if it is let to sit for a moment it tries to go out.
Either some heavy puffing is required or a very quick relight is needed.
Age will put this over 9 within a few short years.
if you like my reviews please see my blog. If you want to see what im up to between reviews and get micro reviews of cigars and beer then follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook
Yeah man, we miss you. Good to see you around a little bit lately. I hope things are going well for you. and, I hope this weekend you'll get a smoke in? And, if you don't feel like doing a review, shake it off. Do the review. LOL
Blenders: Robert Caldwell, William and Henderson Ventura
The
King is Dead is part of the Caldwell collection. This collection of
cigars has a theme of using rare tobaccos that often are notoriously
hard to blend and use in cigars. In the King is Dead the wrapper is a
once popular verity of tobacco for a wrapper that lost popularity in the
1950s once the Castro took over in the Cuban revolution. Originally the
tobacco was grown in Cuba then the seeds were harvested and planted in
the Dominican Republic. In the early 2000s Caldwell's growers started to
plant these seeds again in an attempt to make a unique cigar tobacco.
This
actually proved harder to be harder to do than expected. The blending
process took seven years to complete because, according to Caldwell
himself, “it wouldn't burn and it wouldn't blend.” After the tobacco had
plenty of time to rest and age it mellowed and became more pliable.
This made blending a possibility. The King is Dead should have qualities
that many modern cigars do not poses, simply because it uses a tobacco
that has not been used since the 1950s.
The original release of The King Is Dead had four sizes:
Broken Sword: 5 x 40 Premier: 5 x 50 The Last Payday 6 x 52 (Torpedo) Supreme: 7 1/2 x 52
The
size that is under review here, called Diamond Girl is 6.5 x 42 was
officially released at the 2015 IPCPR. However, this size, along with
other new vitolas for Caldwell's other lines, were released to the
“first 49” initially. These are the 49 retail locations that were the
first to support the brand. They subsequently became available to all
Caldwell Cigar Co. retailers shortly after the trade show
The
King is Dead has a lighter brown color to the wrapper, a bit lighter
than a classic chocolate color, much closer to a brown paper bag in hue.
There are some visible veins but none of them seem to be very large.
The cap is a classic pigtail style that is twisted tightly. The Band is a
cream and gold with an image of a split throne in the center. This
throne divides the words “The King” and “Is Dead” written in black.
In
the hand the cigar has a bit of a fuzzy/rough texture, however this is
not visible to the eye. The scent of the cigar is light and has a touch
of barnyard to it. There is a bit more to it than that, almost like a
root beer scent, just extremely mild. A lick on the cap is a bit sour
and a bit spicy. The clip with a double guillotine is easy and reveals a
cold draw that has perfect resistance and leans heavy to a licorice
with a floral undertone.
light with a soft flame.
The
first few puffs have a wood note to them and each puff fades quickly
black pepper spice that is intense but not harsh in any way. There is a
sweet undertone that is almost caramel like. This spice at the beginning
does not last very far into the cigar. A half inch in it fades to a
more gentile spice and the wood comes to the front some along with a
white bread quality. Through the nose there is more spice and some wood
that leans to a sweet side. The body is on the medium side of full. It
is definitively the wood that is sweet, not the spice. The two flavors
are distinct and separate yet they work together. The spice is still on
the heavy side at times making it feel a bit out of balanced. The spice
and strength slows the pace of smoking.
The middle
third has a more nutty feel to it up front. The spice is the same as in
the first third. The finish becomes a classic tobacco like earth with a
hint at chocolate that lingers on after the smoke is pushed out of the
mouth. The retrohale sports more of the earthy chocolate and a bit of
the spice that is edging to red pepper. Many cigars do not poses a
notable “room note” but this one does. It leans to dark spicy chocolate
and is distinct and unique. The spice is strong but it is not harsh.
This spice actually causes the mouth to water. The burn is not perfect
and does require a corrective light.
The final third
of this cigar rounds out with the spice taking on a softer feel and
shorter presence, mainly at the beginning of each puff. The wood notes
explode and still maintain a subtle sweetness. The chocolate is heavy in
the sense that it feels like that flavor is where the body comes from,
however as a flavor it is mostly light and in the finish. There is a
creamy quality to it all.
The last few puffs are much of the same and the cigar goes out on its own with just a nub left.
Welcome back kuzi, thanks for the great write up as always
"I drink a great deal. I sleep a little, and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred-percent form." -- Winston Churchill "LET'S GO FRANCIS" Peter
Thanks for the great review. I have one in this size waiting to smoke. I really enjoyed them in the broken sword size. I'm interested to see how it compares. Caldwell mentioned that each size is not blended to taste uniform but to showcase the size and bring out different aspects of the blend.
I do not know if these or the easterns are my favorite of the core lines. I really liked the woody sweetness and chocolate, just like you described it. It's a very interesting cigar to me.
Comments
Tierra Volc
Caldwell Selecci
Nat Sherman Timeless Collection Nicaragua #452 (4 x 52)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Blender: Plasencia, Herklots
The Nat Sherman Brand has two distinct blends in the Timeless Collection. One is a multi-country blend constructed in the Dominican Republic (at the MATASA factory) that took the number 10 spot for CA's best 25 of the year. This is that cigars partner in crime. Made at the Plasencia Factory, this Nicaraguan puro debuted in 2012. The blend is supposed to retain the feel of the original Timeless Collection but take on qualities that both market trends and research show people want, namely a Nicaraguan profile. The bands of this cigar and the MATASA version are the same and one must rely on wrapper leaf color to determine what blend the cigar is.
The concept of this blend started well over a year before their initial offering, during the 2011 IPCPR. The story goes that brand owner Michael Herklots was handing out cigars at the 2011 IPCPR with little cards so people would beable to give notes on what they thought of the blends. The concept of a Nicaraguan Timeless were always a part of the plan, but the focus was to get the Dominican version out first.
The Nicaraguan timeless has a dark brown wrapper with veins that have been smoothed into submission. They seem to shine in the light more than the rest of the wrapper. There is a decent press to this cigar. It seems to be done more in the style of a traditional press that creates soft corners rather than a heavy press creating sharp edges. The cream and gold band is designed to look like a watch with the hands pointing up to twelve, but instead of numbers around the dial, there are the words Nat Sherman. It is a very simple, yet good looking band.
the wrapper has a slightly fuzzy feel to it, but somehow maintains an oily quality. There is a light earth smell to this cigar that does not really throw out many dominant notes. It is over all lighter than expected given that this is a dark colored Nicaraguan puro. The lick on the cap has somewhat of a citrus note to it with the slightest hint of spice if held too long. Clip with a double guillotine. The cold draw is full of various chocolate notes that lean slightly to the dark chocolate side. The resistance on the draw is very good, leaning to the firm side.
light with a soft flame.
The first draw once lit has more spice than expected given the relatively mild cold draw. Beyond that, the opening flavors are a slight coffee, a decent chocolate, and the classic Nicaraguan woody spice. The Nicaraguan woody spice seems to be the dominant flavor early on. As the cigar settles in and evens out from the light, a slightly rounder earthy note comes into play. The other flavors are there still as well but they all seem to stem from the umami middle. The spice levels off and maintains. Its a nice level of spice if you enjoy spicy cigars, and if you dont then it is not enough to get in your way. The retrohale brings more spice with a slight burn, and a wood undertone.
The middle third brings more smokey chocolate to the table. The spice has declined to more of a pulpy feel than a flavor. Some peppercorn flavors accompany that pulpy feel. The cigar has smoothed out and homogenized to the point where flavors melt together but are not lost. None of the flavors have been a wow moment but all of them are solid and make sense. This cigar is a very good example of a Nicaraguan Puro.
The final third amps up the Classic nicaraguan flavors but there is a little surprise in the form of a light sweetness. This sweetness is shot and mild and only on the initial moment the smoke reaches the palate, but it adds a level of complexity that the cigar was lacking through the rest of the journey. The smoke warms ever so slightly as the end nears.
Burn to the burn
time 1 hour 35 minutes
Burn: 9
Draw: 9
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 8
Construction:
Balance: 9
Feel: 8
Overall: 8.7
if you like my reviews please see my blog. If you want to see what im up to between reviews and get micro reviews of cigars and beer then follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook
Ezra Zion FHK Honor Series Truth (7 x 44)
Wrapper: San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Brazilian, Nicaraguan
Blender: Placencia, Hoover, Kelly
The Honor Series came about when owners Chris Kelly and Kyle Hoover were researching their family trees. They discovered honorable men who served in the military, were statesmen, and men who started businesses. The letters FHK stand for Fathers of Hoover and Kelly to pay respect to the men in their families who helped shape them into who they are.
This was the very first cigar released in 2014 (of any brand). Its official date and time of release was 12:00am on January 1, 2014. Though it was a first that year for the industry, there is also a first within the company with this release. This is the first true multi-country blend featuring tobacco from four countries. In the past the brand has been very Nicaraguan based with at best one leaf that is from another country.
The Honor Series was blended and designed for the specific vitola that became Truth. That makes this specific cigar being reviewed, arguably, the most accurate representation of the goals of the blenders. The 7 x 44 size is not a standard size and has no official name, but it is being called a Lancero Gordo, though a cazadores is probably a more accurate name for the size.
The presentation of this cigar is a familiar styling used in previous Ezra Zion releases, but this time the colors are gold and black. There is a footband on the cigar with the letters FHK in large print and the words honor series in script below. The wrapper is dark and fairly even in color. It looks thick at the seems and has a few dominant veins that have been flattened to the point where they can be seen but not felt.
In the hand, the cigar feels solid with no soft spots anywhere. There is a slight oily feel to it but it feels to be tempered by a tooth that is only perceptible by touch. The scent of the FHK before the light has a heavy barnyard quality to it. This Barnyard scent leans to a damp wood impression. A lick on the cap is oily and slightly sour. Some mild spice on the lips. After a clip with the Xi2, there is a very firm draw with milder than expected flavors of sweet cedar and a hint at mushroom. The difficulty of the draw is not cigar-ending. It is, however, distracting.
Light with a soft flame
The first few draws are a bit woody. There is a subtle sweet undertone that is reminiscent of a brewhouse in the process of mashing and boiling. Through the nose there is a mild coffee and a bit of a mild pepper. The wood notes that are there on the initial flavors pull through the other flavors and remain on the palate into the finish. As the cigar settles in and hits its stride the malted grain flavors seem to take over but they are not overly sweet. The wood continues through the nose and on the finish. The sweet and the wood balance each other very well.
The middle third maintains a high level of balance. The wood notes are becoming more of an oak flavor than a generic wood. The pepper starts to show up in the initial flavors and stays through the middle flavors but does not make it to the finish. It is a mild pepper, adding only enough to keep things interesting. The finish does pick up a hint at coffee, but it is not the main flavor of the finish. The burn is very slow and very even. This may be partially because the draw is so firm. The good news is that the draw keeps the burn cool, but the bad news is that is it distracting to have to draw so hard.
The final third lets the coffee out to play. The wood notes have faded back to the generic undertone much like the beginning of the cigar. The malty notes have all but faded as well. Some of the classic Nicaraguan pulpy texture starts to come out near the end of the cigar but it is not distracting. The retrohale is now more earth and wood than every before. At this point the real complexity is all in the retrohale. The spice continuously picks up at the very end to the point where it is out of balance, signaling the end of the cigar.
Burn to the nub.
Burn time: 1 hour 55 minutes.
Burn: 10
Draw: 7
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 8
Balance: 9
Feel: 8
Overall: 8.6
If the construction issue had not caused a tight draw this would have been a 9.0 or better cigar.
if you like my reviews please see my blog. If you want to see what im up to between reviews and get micro reviews of cigars and beer then follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook
E.P. Carillo Perez-Carrillo La Historia Do
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
Amen! Just last night I had the one that came in the Ccom COTM a short while back, and thoroughly enjoyed it, which is fortunate because I bought a couple boxes of 10, based on Kuzi's review and what I've been reading around the web... we'll have a few more during the summer, and then see how they do in a couple years.
5-8-15 been in humidor s ince 6-12-14
Room101 Master Collection One Mutante (7x38)
Wrapper: Mexican San Andrés Ligero Rosado
Binder: Honduran Corojo Corte #5
Filler: Honduran Corojo, Nicaraguan Habano Ligero and Mexican San Andrés Ligero.
Blender: Matt Booth
The Room101 Master Collection One is the first of (currently) three blends that are the Master Collection. The Master Collection blends bear the new Room101 logo of the cherry blossom. This is a significant symbol. The cherry blossom has a short yet beautiful life. There are holes in the outer regions of the blossom to indicate the metaphorical storms in life that cause damage. The intact and solid center of the blossom in the logo represent the nucleus and strong core of the Room101 family. This symbol of the cherry blossom will be on the highest quality Room101 products.
The Master Collection was released after Camacho decided to re-brand with the Bold Standard campaign. Part of this re-brand was to rename the Camacho factory from “Tabacos Rancho Jamastran" to "Agroindustrias Laepe, S.A." it is still the same exact factory, just with a new name. This cigar is made in that factory, but unlike the slogan of the new Camacho line, this cigar is not intended to be one that delivers a heavy dose of nicotine.
At the time of this review, this is only the second cigar from Room101 that has a San Andres wrapper, the other being the Room101 SA. This is the eleventh cigar released by Room101
This cigar is a very rich chocolate brown and with a bit of a stretch, the rosado can be seen. The wrapper looks thick and slightly weathered, but never rough or sloppy. A slight color variation can be seen at the seems. This probably indicates the natural fermentation process. The band of silver and black dons the Room101 Cherry blossom logo. The only other hint to what this cigar is would be the word “one” on the edge of the band on the back. The cap is a classic Cuban style pigtail.
In the hand the cigar feels consistently firm from head to foot. There is a slight fuzz to it. The smell mild but has the classic maduro barnyard quality that leans to sweet. A lick on the cap is oily on the lips and has light earth flavors. A quick and easy cut with the Xi2 reveals a draw that is earthy-autumn and a light spice-drop. This spice-drop flavor lingers.
Light with a soft flame.
The light is quick and easy. Initial impressions are a mild leather with oak and a slight musk. It is incredibly smooth, having zero hint at any form of spice even with an entire puff expelled through the nose.
As the cigar settles in, a very slight citrus and cedar develop on the “high end” with the slightest hint of white pepper. Most of the pepper shows up in the finish and retrohaole. It is a very nuanced cigar with mild complexities. They are there but they are not in your face.
The middle third of this cigar has a more intense wood flavor and the pepper spreads its way into the initial flavor. The underlying leather oak and musk has lost a good deal of the musk, though it is there. A quick burst of sweet shows up in the transition from the initial flavor to the middle flavor. The finish is non-oppressive in any way, even though there is a slight spice. It is mostly leather and a light wood.
The final third has a bit more of a pulpy texture. The sweetness is still there but less of a burst and more of a fade in and out. The underlying flavors that have been present throughout are most of the flavor at this point. It is warm smoke in flavor not in actual temperature. This gives a strange impression of the sweet element. It is almost a baked fruit style sweetness. As the cigar approaches the end, it does not heat any more. It does, however, flatten out. The flavors dull and mute and muddy together. The spice comes out a bit more especially on the finish.
Burn to the burn
time 1hour 40 minutes.
Burn: 9
Draw: 10
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 10
Balance: 10
Feel: 9
Overall: 9.4
if you like my reviews please see my blog. If you want to see what im up to between reviews and get micro reviews of cigars and beer then follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook
5-28-15 been in humidor since 11-17-14
Punch Punch (5.6 x 46)
Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban
Box code: BMS FEB 14
This brand, and vitola, are a Cuban cigar staple. It is a classic. The brand itself has been around since 1840 when the name was first registered. Punch was named after a 17th century British wife-beating puppet named “Mr Punch” who is most often depicted in a traditional Jesters outfit. The Modern Punch Punch cigar box still has the image of this puppet lounging with a cigar and a pet dog wearing a multi-colored collar. That image is surrounded by four illustrations of the cigar making process.
The name “Manuel Lopez” appears on the box as well. This is not the name of the original owner of the cigar brand. It is estimated that he is the third owner. He is, however, the one who made the brand an icon of Cuban cigars. His full name is “Manuel Lopez Fernandez,” who is the brother Fernando Lopez Fernandez, operator of Juan Valle y Cia. cigar company. This is why the other name on the modern box is “J. Valle.” This name combo on the box can be dated back to the 1920's.
The Punch Punch is a pre-revolution release and is still being sold. This is the Stereotypical Punch cigar. This is the vitola that is most commonly associated with the brand. Until the 1980s the Punch Punch had a slightly different name of “Punch Punch de Luxe.”
The band of this cigar is in a red, white and gold color scheme with typical Cuban cigar band styling. It is a classic look. The wrapper is a touch darker than a brown paper bag and has very few large veins. What veins are there, are well dispersed. There is a slight natural box press, almost unnoticeable unless looking for it, but realized when attempting to take the first cigar from the box. The wrapper and cap look applied flawlessly. There is an nice sheen on this cigar that is mirrored in the oily feel of it in the hand.
The Band comes off very easily, keeping the wrapper fully in tact, a touch that is always appreciated. When gently squeezed there is a very evenly distributed slight give. The scent unlit is a very mild barnyard with the slightest push to wood. A lick on the cap is much woodier in a balsa wood sort of way. Once clipped with the above pictured double guillotine there is a firm draw that has a dried stone fruit quality to it. This is on the sour side almost like the style of sour found in the Gose style of beer. This is a very unique quality.
Light with a soft flame.
The first few puffs are slightly sweet, woody and incredibly smooth. Through the nose there is a very mild version of the typical Cuban sharp earth. The finish is long and has a light oak to it and a slight desiccant feel. The sweetness is fruity, but in an extremely mild way, and is focused on the initial part of the draw. It is extremely balanced in this first quarter inch.
As the cigar settles in, the dried stone fruit style sweetness picks up a tick. This fades into an oak and white pepper taste on the palate. Through the nose the Cuban sharp earth flavors pick up.
The middle third has a much more umami flavor with a black tea impression that truly makes the mouth water. The spice on the middle and finishing flavors pick up while the fruity flavors fade to next to nothing. The cigar is still incredibly smooth, even through the nose. On this retrohale, the flavors are the same as the first third, nothing but the beautiful sharp earth with a slight oak. Through the middle third the wood notes increase. The body builds to a solid medium, making it very relaxing.
Though the burn is not a razors edge, it is quite good and corrects itself before any issues call for a corrective light.
By the final third the spice has turned on quite a bit. This is noticed heavily in the retrohale. It does not reach the level of being harsh, but it does throw the cigar ever so slightly out of balance. This should age out in 2-3 years. The oak flavor on the finish becomes more of a generic wood and it lengthens quite a bit. The initial flavors are not sweet anymore but have some of the wood that is found in the middle and finishing flavors while still retaining some of the tea flavor. This tea flavor dies out quickly after the draw on the cigar stops, when the smoke is held in the mouth. The body builds to the fuller side of medium in the non-Cuban sense but is full bodied for a Cuban cigar.
The very end of the cigar heats up and becomes spicy in a cinnamon way. It is very different than the rest of the cigar and enjoyable, but not as much as the rest of the cigar.
This cigar burns slowly. This is probably promoted by the slightly tight draw. The downside is that if it is let to sit for a moment it tries to go out. Either some heavy puffing is required or a very quick relight is needed.
Burn to the nub
time: 1 hour 50minutes
Burn: 9.5
Draw: 8
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 10
Balance: 8
Feel: 9
Overall: 8.9
Age will put this over 9 within a few short years.
if you like my reviews please see my blog. If you want to see what im up to between reviews and get micro reviews of cigars and beer then follow me on twitter (@KuzisCigar) or Facebook
Been almost two months.
Sorry guys. Life is getting in the way of the important stuff...
8-2-2015 Fresh from the shop.
Caldwell Cigar Co. The King Is Dead, Diamond Girl (6.5 x 42)
Wrapper: Negrito Dominicano 2008
Binder: Dominican Corojo 2006
Filler: Habana Vuelta Abaja 2010, Dominican Corojo Ligero 2006, Negrito Dominicano Viso 2008
Blenders: Robert Caldwell, William and Henderson Ventura
The King is Dead is part of the Caldwell collection. This collection of cigars has a theme of using rare tobaccos that often are notoriously hard to blend and use in cigars. In the King is Dead the wrapper is a once popular verity of tobacco for a wrapper that lost popularity in the 1950s once the Castro took over in the Cuban revolution. Originally the tobacco was grown in Cuba then the seeds were harvested and planted in the Dominican Republic. In the early 2000s Caldwell's growers started to plant these seeds again in an attempt to make a unique cigar tobacco.
This actually proved harder to be harder to do than expected. The blending process took seven years to complete because, according to Caldwell himself, “it wouldn't burn and it wouldn't blend.” After the tobacco had plenty of time to rest and age it mellowed and became more pliable. This made blending a possibility. The King is Dead should have qualities that many modern cigars do not poses, simply because it uses a tobacco that has not been used since the 1950s.
The original release of The King Is Dead had four sizes:
Broken Sword: 5 x 40
Premier: 5 x 50
The Last Payday 6 x 52 (Torpedo)
Supreme: 7 1/2 x 52
The size that is under review here, called Diamond Girl is 6.5 x 42 was officially released at the 2015 IPCPR. However, this size, along with other new vitolas for Caldwell's other lines, were released to the “first 49” initially. These are the 49 retail locations that were the first to support the brand. They subsequently became available to all Caldwell Cigar Co. retailers shortly after the trade show
The King is Dead has a lighter brown color to the wrapper, a bit lighter than a classic chocolate color, much closer to a brown paper bag in hue. There are some visible veins but none of them seem to be very large. The cap is a classic pigtail style that is twisted tightly. The Band is a cream and gold with an image of a split throne in the center. This throne divides the words “The King” and “Is Dead” written in black.
In the hand the cigar has a bit of a fuzzy/rough texture, however this is not visible to the eye. The scent of the cigar is light and has a touch of barnyard to it. There is a bit more to it than that, almost like a root beer scent, just extremely mild. A lick on the cap is a bit sour and a bit spicy. The clip with a double guillotine is easy and reveals a cold draw that has perfect resistance and leans heavy to a licorice with a floral undertone.
light with a soft flame.
The first few puffs have a wood note to them and each puff fades quickly black pepper spice that is intense but not harsh in any way. There is a sweet undertone that is almost caramel like. This spice at the beginning does not last very far into the cigar. A half inch in it fades to a more gentile spice and the wood comes to the front some along with a white bread quality. Through the nose there is more spice and some wood that leans to a sweet side. The body is on the medium side of full. It is definitively the wood that is sweet, not the spice. The two flavors are distinct and separate yet they work together. The spice is still on the heavy side at times making it feel a bit out of balanced. The spice and strength slows the pace of smoking.
The middle third has a more nutty feel to it up front. The spice is the same as in the first third. The finish becomes a classic tobacco like earth with a hint at chocolate that lingers on after the smoke is pushed out of the mouth. The retrohale sports more of the earthy chocolate and a bit of the spice that is edging to red pepper. Many cigars do not poses a notable “room note” but this one does. It leans to dark spicy chocolate and is distinct and unique. The spice is strong but it is not harsh. This spice actually causes the mouth to water. The burn is not perfect and does require a corrective light.
The final third of this cigar rounds out with the spice taking on a softer feel and shorter presence, mainly at the beginning of each puff. The wood notes explode and still maintain a subtle sweetness. The chocolate is heavy in the sense that it feels like that flavor is where the body comes from, however as a flavor it is mostly light and in the finish. There is a creamy quality to it all.
The last few puffs are much of the same and the cigar goes out on its own with just a nub left.
Burn to the nub
time: 2 hours.
Burn: 8.5
Draw: 10
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 10
Construction: 10
Balance: 8
Feel: 8.5
Overall: 9.1
-- Winston Churchill
"LET'S GO FRANCIS" Peter
I do not know if these or the easterns are my favorite of the core lines. I really liked the woody sweetness and chocolate, just like you described it. It's a very interesting cigar to me.