Fish Nuggets....aka Catfish's reviews
catfishbluezz
Posts: 7,000 ✭✭✭
After doing a couple reviews and getting some compliments from some of the vets around here, I figured I'd start my own review thread...aka Fish Nuggets. I am not compelled to review cigars often, but when I am it is due to an excellent smoke that surprised me in a way that most do not. Currently I am smoking 2-3 a day...thanks to my employment status woohoo! So....after seeing Justin post an Avo in the morning thread, I decided to fire up an Avo 787 this morning. Avo is one of my favorite brands and hands down a company that is pure class when it comes to cigar construction. So....without further adieu...
Avo 787 in robusto size, total smoking time 1.5 hours. It should be noted that the cigar had construction issues as the wrapper was bent back a bit and had come up....which was a letdown....more to follow.
First third I was met with the Avo musk, which to me is their signature, and reminds me of hearing SRV play. When you hear Stevie fire up the strat....you know it's him. The musk subsided quickly and I was met with mild cream, nuts, and what I would describe as powdered cocoa.
Second third I caught a dry spice running with the nuts that was very dry with a hint of leather that I find in most Avo smokes. Earth was starting to creep in towards the end with a wood flavor I would attribute to oak that reminded me of my time gigging in Santa Maria and consuming large amounts of oak smoked tri tip and hog. Cocoa and cream still alive and well and I am loving this....
Final third saw the spice pick up a bit, the oak was very present, cocoa still there and what I would describe as pure butter on the lips. It was as if I had paired this smoke with a box of popcorn from the movie theater with that oily butter they goop on for your enjoyment. The musk returned, but as opposed to the rest of the Avo line the musk, leather, and earth that normally picks up steam here was very mild and the butter and spice were dominant.
The cigar was constructed so well...that even the wrapper issue burned right through with no issues whatsoever. I highly recommend a cigar like this on a fresh palate to experience the complexity. This is what I look for in a medium body cigar full of flavor and complexity. Smoke this cigar slowly and enjoy every minute. Avo is worth every penny....and I might just fire up the maduro I've had resting tonight. Big thanks to Airborneollie for gifting me this cigar as it was on my to try list. Now it is on my....buy more list lol. Here are some pics....
Avo 787 in robusto size, total smoking time 1.5 hours. It should be noted that the cigar had construction issues as the wrapper was bent back a bit and had come up....which was a letdown....more to follow.
First third I was met with the Avo musk, which to me is their signature, and reminds me of hearing SRV play. When you hear Stevie fire up the strat....you know it's him. The musk subsided quickly and I was met with mild cream, nuts, and what I would describe as powdered cocoa.
Second third I caught a dry spice running with the nuts that was very dry with a hint of leather that I find in most Avo smokes. Earth was starting to creep in towards the end with a wood flavor I would attribute to oak that reminded me of my time gigging in Santa Maria and consuming large amounts of oak smoked tri tip and hog. Cocoa and cream still alive and well and I am loving this....
Final third saw the spice pick up a bit, the oak was very present, cocoa still there and what I would describe as pure butter on the lips. It was as if I had paired this smoke with a box of popcorn from the movie theater with that oily butter they goop on for your enjoyment. The musk returned, but as opposed to the rest of the Avo line the musk, leather, and earth that normally picks up steam here was very mild and the butter and spice were dominant.
The cigar was constructed so well...that even the wrapper issue burned right through with no issues whatsoever. I highly recommend a cigar like this on a fresh palate to experience the complexity. This is what I look for in a medium body cigar full of flavor and complexity. Smoke this cigar slowly and enjoy every minute. Avo is worth every penny....and I might just fire up the maduro I've had resting tonight. Big thanks to Airborneollie for gifting me this cigar as it was on my to try list. Now it is on my....buy more list lol. Here are some pics....
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As an aside: The 787 I had was one I bought for BigT for our newb trade, but didn't throw it in the package at the last moment because it smelled too damn nice. Sorry, Todd!
and Sporus, I may not forgive you for that. LOL
Fast forward to tonight, allergies killing my nose, dry and nasty, and I'm at Vinny's house and the cat is driving my nose crazy. For some reason I grabbed it instead of the Monte 2 I planned on smoking. Unfortunately, I do not have great pics as it was low light in his garage....and I honestly was enjoying it too much after smoked tri tip.
From the first puff, I got that floral taste that reminded me of Cuba. It's kind of like Mom's cooking...you know it when you taste it. Put the monte band on, could've fooled me honestly. What followed was a floral type perfume flavor, with a sweetness that reminded me of Mango, and a hint of roasted coffee or toffee for that matter. Oddly enough, when I looked it up on their website, as I had no clue what line this was, it mentioned berries....and I would tend to agree. First third is nothing short of amazing....with perfect burn and construction.
Second third the roasted flavors started picking up, nuts and coffee with little sweetness. This cigar is very consistent here and the sweet spot stayed true to the flora, nuts, and roasted flavors. Still...amazing...ask Vinny I would not shut up about the damn thing and was amazed.
Final third...nuts and wood are coming on strong, no not a ****, but something more like oak paired with a musk that reminded me of Avo, but much less prominent. The finish is perfect, no heat, no bitterness, and the retrohale was fantastic even with the burnt out allergy meds nose. Cinnamon, nuts, and the roasted coffee were alive and well to the nub... This is a fantastic cigar, and I will be buying more...Monday.
I would be intersted to see if the floral note was just me. I sent one of these to Bandy, and Jason has one too. To me, this reminded me of a Cuban cigar moreso then many Cubans I have had. the price point is excellent too at about $85 for a box of ten. I'd easily pay that for a box, and will. I have another that was gifted to me from Stowggie that is a different blend. That one will go up the second my nose is back to normal. I wish I had better pics, but I was busy enjoying one of the finer smokes I've had in a while.
I felt compelled to review this tonight based on some of the feedback I had seen recently in the forums. I had my first a month ago, and it had only rested 3 weeks or so. After seeing some positive feedback, I had pulled one from an aging box and figured Id give it a try. For those of you that do not know, I am semi trained chef and believe in food pairing making a huge difference with cigars. I never went to school, but got trained by French and Italian chefs for years and am taking a position in a fusion Mexican restaurant at months end. My suggestion with this, a Rib Eye and a heavy rich meal .Dark beer, a good pinot noir, or bourbon comes to mind for libations.
Construction is flawless with this cigar and the wrapper is nothing short of a dark oily Connecticut broadleaf maduro wrapper with Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers.
The first third impressed me, as it did the first go around. Espresso is very present and heavy with every puff and I liken it to a strong cup of French Roast. Dark chocolate appears, but with no sweetness or bitterness to it. I am searching for a nut to link to the flavors and earth becomes present towards the end of the first third with the cigar staying in the medium range and definitely reminds me of Nicaraguan tobacco. An oil ring around the end is present, something that I see in cigars with excellent wrappers and typically means I am in for a treat
The second third picked up steam, so much so that this seemed to become a full bodied cigar within a very short time frame in my opinion and I was expecting the bitterness. The earth was overpowering, with a small bit of sweetness I figured was the Honduran tobacco kicking in. The sweetness sits on the lips, while cocoa and earth start building on the back of the tongue. I put it down for a second and grabbed a shot of Zacapa 23 to toss in the freezer a bit as I knew I might need something to recharge my palette as the assault was fierce. As I got through this part, a marked richness that was very appealing was picking up steam. This reminded me of a custard, or German chocolate custard similar to say a Marie Calendars pie. I grabbed the Zacapa towards the end and made a point to sip very little, chase with water, and wait to revisit the cigar so as not to taint the review.
With the final third the body is mellowing, but my head was definitely getting a little lighter. The back of my tongue is still covered in a rich coat of Bueso goodness with a marked nutmeg spice arriving. A very small amount of bitterness arrived, but nothing to bad and it reminded me of my first experience that I think will subside with age. The custard flavor mixed with dark chocolate and espresso are the notes most present as I finished The Genesis toro after about 1.5 hours. My guess is morning mouth will be horrid!
Final thoughts I will consider a box of these, as my gut is telling me they will get better with age and that the Honduran tobacco will arrive with a marked sweetness as the cigar ages. To me it felt like a Nicaraguan cigar for the most part, but a bit more complex than most maduros in this price range. Given the current sale price of $69.95 a box of toros, Id be buying one if I did not have storage issues. Either way, I look forward to revisiting this cigar in a month or so. I had Italian food tonight and I think the acidity of the marinara and onions might not have set the proper stage. This is a steakhouse gem.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.
6.5X50 Gran Robusto-Domincan Tobacco, supposedly Ecuadorian Shade Conny wrapper
I got this smoke from the owner of my favorite B&M and there is not much info on them, other then they got released in 20ct humis and were probably around $15 a stick. Upon researching the company a bit, it seems like their profile is suited to the European market as these were mainly released there, with some coming to the US, and it shows in the type of cigar that follows.
In starting to do reviews, I have not yet come up with a scoring system, but after some conversations with the guys, I figured out a few things that I will judge. They include the sweet spot, combustion, puff draw, and nub worthy. More to come on these
The first third was full of cinnamon and nutmeg off the top with a marked citrus note. The retrohale is amazing and I can see where the comparisons to Cuban flavor profile for the European market comes into play. Towards the end of the first third, the citrus disappears and the cigar tends to mellow a bit with the spice lingering on the tongue. At this point, I felt like a hint of sweetness was there, but nothing too prominent as it only stuck for a minute or so. At this point, the cigar is a two puff smoke. Combustion is spot on, not too much resting smoke, and the burn is straight as an arrow. Replace an Avo band, you would have had me fooled.
Second third the nuts are the most prominent with hints of cedar and the cigar tends to mellow. This is where the sweet spot should be, and it is not. Really it mellows to the point of disappearing on me and I really wanted it to take over with the complexity I found in the first third. The aroma is pleasant, and the spice and cedar pick up towards the end with the draw seeing a significant change. This is becoming a one puff smoke, with ample smoke on the draw, yet the finish is minimal at best and does not linger. The retrohale is still amazing.
Final third the cigar finally hits the sweet spot I was waiting for and comes alive. The spice is very promiment and the most dominating flavor. Citrus comes back paired with what I would call a butter cream type flavor with a very faint hint of vanilla. The draw is excellent, one puff leads to excellence but the finish is still lacking in my opinion. The flavor here is on the draw and retrohale, not on the finish, so the palate is left wanting more.
That being said, here are my thoughts. In regard to puff, this is a 1-2 puff cigar for the most part, I would say 1.5. Why is this important? How many times have you had an amazing cigar you are smoking slowly go out .only to toast it and it turns bitter, and then you just have to keep relighting and ruining the cigar with every toast. I had this problem with a La Aurora 2004 last night, and it was amazing but the last third was marred by two relights. Meanwhile, Cigar Ninja had the exact opposite experience with an ESG and we talked about how annoying that is with a good cigar. The best smokes need to be lit only once, and each pull on the draw results in a fantastic smoking experience. At most, 1-2 puffs should be the max when you start getting into 3-4 to get a good draw for tasting purposes, I feel the tobacco turns to over tarred crap. So .this is a 1-2 puff smoke, meaning, I found it very easy and pleasant to get a solid draw, with no relight necessary whatsoever. How this plays into the overall rating? Havent figured that out yet.
Combustion in my opinion will attest to four parts: aroma, resting smoke, heat, and burn. Aroma is a big factor in getting your senses pumped for a good smoke, this one had it. Just as we eat with our eyes, a great smelling cigar helps in the mind getting ready for a masterpiece. Resting smoke was average at best, I will judge this by the Liga experience because honestly...it adds a nice touch. No heat whatsoever, awesome in that regard. Burn was near perfect, with only one third losing the razor edge but it corrected itself and needed no touch ups.
Sweet spot: This cigar lacked the traditional sweet spot, it went into hiding until the last third, so overall the cigar was only enjoyable for two thirds of the experience. To me, the sweet spot is where a cigar says .buy a fin box right now and screw what your old lady says damnit. Either that or, a 5 pack would be nice for a good deal, or maybe I'll grab a single again. The sweet spot to me is the reason we like a certain brand or smoke really.
Nub worthy: yup check the pic. Ever notice how sometimes you toss the smoke in the final third as it tarrs, gets hot, and sucks...even if you liked the smoke? Then others...you need the Rudy toothpick special to keep going. Some....you jsut wish would never end. For the nub rating, we have: Nope, yup, and toothpic aka daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn.....I wish it was a churchill brosephus.
Final thoughts: I would gladly take one in a trade, might buy a fiver if I saw it on a good deal, or grab a single if I saw a box in a B&M. If I had money to spend for no reason, I would say its a good afternoon breakfast smoke, but for the money .no way. Id buy a box of 787 any day. I will buy a fiver of the regular 1888 line though, as the price point in the $6-$8 range seems reasonable for the profile if I like it and the construction was good enough to warrant checking into the brand. I would pair this with seafood drenched in a French sauce with heavy cream and citrus.
I know this is kind of long, and I do not want my reviews to be this long, but I am trying to come up with things I find enjoyable in a cigar and other smokers do to, so as to point out things that might not get in a normal review scoring section. As I progress, I will make them shorter and more concise and determine a scoring structure of sorts. Any input would be great, thanks guys.
In conversing with the Don, it became apparent that the secret to the blend is the Medio Tempo filler which is not used regularly and gives the cigar a unique profile. As the conversation progressed, Mr. Fonseca is a cigar fanatic and deep rooted in his tobacco knowledge and the culture of the industry, which I value knowing the owner is as passionate about cigars as I am. The tobacco is a very high grade according to Fonseca, even though the Medio Tempo is considered a throw away leaf amongst growers due to the smaller size of the leaf. I cannot comment on Medio Tempo in that regard, but the cigar will tell the tale. According to Alan, the mission of Ezra Zion is to create consistent flavor profiles using the best tobacco they can find and compete in the premium and super premium market.
First third: Draw is excellent and upon lighting the cigar you are immediately met with full flavors of light roasted coffee. I pictured lightly roasted beans of a caramel type color in my head as I got into the first third, something of a breakfast blend. A dark heavy nut flavor was introduced quickly, with light cream, and a strong spice on the retrohale, but not pepper. In my opinion I would liken the spice to nutmeg or cinnamon. The finish is incredibly smooth being light on the tip of the tongue, and leaving the back of the tongue salivating on the tasting notes. I would say the body is medium in profile at this point with the majority of the finish on the back of the tongue. The Don specifically stated he wanted a cigar that came out with plenty of flavor up front and the Inception delivers.
Second third: I found the cigar to smooth out in the second third with a very light finish. The flavor profile stayed the same, but less pronounced and the finish is what I enjoyed. Nothing was over powering, and I began to notice a marked sweetness similar to a dark honey. The spice at this point became a pronounced cinnamon note on the tongue. Honestly, I was enjoying the smoke at this point and very impressed so I was more concerned with enjoying the smooth creamy finish instead of identifying flavors.
Final Third: The flavor profile was retained through the final third, but the cigar took an odd turn in my book. As most Nicaraguan cigars pick up steam, this one mellowed and the signature flavors took over in a very smooth format. The cream and cinnamon stood out, yet the cigar never got stronger, never got bitter, no tar, and I was surprised at how creamy it became. To me, the smoothness of the final third was the opposite of what Ive experienced with most cigars and I cannot think of many that do this off the top of my head. I burned my fingers on the nub ..
While I have not yet determined my scoring yet, here is what I judge on:
Combustion: Heat was a non factor down to the nub. The cigar never got hot, never got tar, never got bitter, and shined in that regard. I would imagine this is due to the quality of the tobacco and everyone in the room smoked these to the nub. So without bullshiting the owner, you know its good. I liken this to a meal at the In-Laws . You have to eat the meatloaf so you dont piss off anyone, but really you want a cheeseburger. In this case, the plates were cleaned as every smoker in the room was burning finger tips off!
Puffs: Only 1-2 puffs needed to keep this puppy billowing smoke down to the nub. A++++
Burn: Mine had a slight uneven burn that corrected itself without need for touch up. I was able to put it down, and it continued to bellow smoke until I could not hold it anymore. I needed a toothpick damnit A- simply because I know these came out of a truck and burned near perfect so I was surprised it burned so well.
Resting smoke: The resting smoke was excellent and production was excellent on every draw. While it was not a smoke bomb, it was good enough to justify the price tag.
Sweet Spot: This is where a cigar tells you, buy a box, buy a fiver, or buy another cigar because this pile of dog crap needs to go in the ash tray. Given the price range of $15 or so, I would buy a fiver and judge a box buy on how it aged. I was not in love, but cigars are subjective. What I can tell you, is I was very impressed. For the price range, they will have stiff competition to go up against and I think the owner and vision of the company is on the right track. For me, the sweet spot was in the final third and the overall smoking experience. This is a consistent cigar from start to finish.
Nub worthy: Hell yeah .this was a burn your damn finger tips off cigar. Watching a room full of other smokers tasting that ranged from hobbyists to fanatics, everyone nubbed it. I cannot wait to try the box press honestly, as I feel the filler is what will make this cigar shine over time.
Final Thoughts: I would have bought a fiver on the spot. I think the blend has potential to break into the market they have chosen. This is a cigar for both the enthusiast, and the fanatic. The filler provides a unique experience and embodied fine Nicaraguan tobacco; thus, I feel aging will bring the unique blend together and pronounce the flavors. These were only a few months old, so I look forward to tasting one again after a year or two or proper aging. This is a cigar for the smoking experience, in that you do not want to think about this cigar, just sit back and enjoy it. From start to finish you will find an exquisite smoke. My only recommendation, ask your stoner friends for a roach clip or grab some toothpicks you will need it.