I'll have to remember to send a surprise pack of some of the oldest trinis I have in my box so you can get a remix review this summer. I get the total let down with price, but stock them away for a few years and try them. My earliest box was my treat once a week this horrid winter in pa.
I'll have to remember to send a surprise pack of some of the oldest trinis I have in my box so you can get a remix review this summer. I get the total let down with price, but stock them away for a few years and try them. My earliest box was my treat once a week this horrid winter in pa.
in the end it's hard for me to discount something with youth really, as aging causes dramatic turns really. However, it takes a decade of buying to really develop aged rotations, or some luck in scoring boxes. I do want to try some aged trini stuff, as well as a fundy.
Well, come of you know I love me some AJ No really, he makes several stick I enjoy even though most are a bit heavy for me now. Being a newer convert to pipe, I was stoked this year when I heard about the KFC and it was a huge letdown. Needless to say, the Spectre fulfilled what I had hoped the KFC would do in creating a Latakia type cigar. I really enjoyed it.Click here for the review
That was interesting. When I read of Latakia being blended in a cigar, I had my doubts. Memories of SWAG, which seemed to be trying to incorporate pipe tobacco influences into a cigar, and the failure which resulted from that experiment have prevented me from trying this one as of yet. Seems I'll have to take the plunge sometime, because that review sounded like something I'd enjoy.
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"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
That was interesting. When I read of Latakia being blended in a cigar, I had my doubts. Memories of SWAG, which seemed to be trying to incorporate pipe tobacco influences into a cigar, and the failure which resulted from that experiment have prevented me from trying this one as of yet. Seems I'll have to take the plunge sometime, because that review sounded like something I'd enjoy.
What's weird, is it finishes like you are smoking lat from a pipe to man. When I smoke lat form a pipe, all the flavor is in the retro to me and rarely does it settle on the tongue like a normal cigar does. This cigar did the same thing.
Talk about one helluva a BDay Gift. Old John Gibson sent me this a year from last may, so almost two years ago, for my birthday. I had been sitting on it in an aging box for quite some time and figured it was time to fire it up. Thanks for the amazing smoke brother.Click Here for the Review
Great review! I am always surprised at just how complex such a small cigar can be. Even the newer ones have so much going on in each puff. These really are great. Im halfway through one box
Its AJ Fernandez day on Cigar.com woohoo! So in response to this wonderful event I was asked to review an AJ Fernandez blend. Unfortunately, the only AJ blend that I have in my humi is the Crucible, which I have reviewed before, and love dearly. For the most part, my humis are very specific to my tastes, and normally full-bodied Nicaraguan cigars are not my cup of tea. However, as a budding cigar smoker, I enjoyed many of AJs blends, and while I do not smoke many of them now, I still tend to gravitate towards his maduros when I want a fuller experience. Enter my man DDubridge, Drew, whom blasted my mailbox with an Oval Maduro to review for this fine occasion. Now the setting is far from my normal reviewing experience, since I received it yesterday, and had a Tatuaje event to attend. For that reason, I smoked the Oval Maduro second in my rotation while sitting in the B&M and conversing with friends. I did grab a coffee porter halfway through as well, as my local shop has a local microbrewing association that shows up to all the events. So my expectations for a detailed review were a bit muted given the situation, but I had to smoke it and get the review done for AJ Day damnit!
First Third: Right off the bat the Oval smacked me around with cocoa flavors through the nose and draw. The type of flavor is very distinct, and I may look to revisit as the setting of this review did not allow me to concentrate. Brown sugar notes swirled around my palate, along with nutty flavors that I found rather enjoyable. The spices were distant, with an ever so slight tail on the retro.
Second Third: The spice was hitting the retro at this time, and never really overpowered me. The cocoa flavors turned more to coffee at that point, along the lines of a smooth espresso. Sugar continued to settle on my lips, and the Oval Maduro began to shine with a coffee porter I had grabbed form a micro brewer at the event.
Final Third: Retrohale has wonderful depth at this point, and due to the reviewing situation, I cannot describe it in detail. I did detect some greener peppers from it at times, along with cocoa flavors. The espresso dominated the final third, and the sugary finish hit all cylinders of the smoking experience. I never got the berries I experienced on the dry draw, but my guess is my palate was a bit tired.
Construction: Damn ash fell on me twice since I smoked it ROTT
Final Thoughts: I will smoke this again, and I am not a big fan of maduro. For me, this is a second or third smoke of the night if I am on a cigar binge really. Oddly enough, while I rarely smoke maduro, and am not a fan of most AJ blends due to the power, for some reason I love his maduros on occasion, and the Oval Maduro kills it. I would welcome a fiver in my humi, and will revisit again to see if I can detect the complexity that is there. Given the reviewing situation, I feel like I left a ton of complexity on the table, and was not able to fully grasp what the Oval Maduro has to offer. I would highly recommend this cigar to maduro fans, fans of AJ Fernandez cigars, and pretty much any cigar smoker other then the mild smokers or Cuban fanatics.
Talk about one helluva a BDay Gift. Old John Gibson sent me this a year from last may, so almost two years ago, for my birthday. I had been sitting on it in an aging box for quite some time and figured it was time to fire it up. Thanks for the amazing smoke brother.Click Here for the Review
Liked the review on this. Do you know if this came from the first release? I've really enjoyed this line from the get go. If you get a chance to try one fresh they're pretty good as well.
Talk about one helluva a BDay Gift. Old John Gibson sent me this a year from last may, so almost two years ago, for my birthday. I had been sitting on it in an aging box for quite some time and figured it was time to fire it up. Thanks for the amazing smoke brother.Click Here for the Review
Liked the review on this. Do you know if this came from the first release? I've really enjoyed this line from the get go. If you get a chance to try one fresh they're pretty good as well.
No idea, I got it as a gift my friend. I look forward to smoking another though, as this one really kicked me in the nads.
I've really enjoyed the lost city. I've got a box every year since release and though i like the regular opus the lost city i keep going back too. I've never had the padron 40th cuz i keep getting the 80th. One of these days.....
I've really enjoyed the lost city. I've got a box every year since release and though i like the regular opus the lost city i keep going back too. I've never had the padron 40th cuz i keep getting the 80th. One of these days.....
Same here, the natural 40th never crossed my mind, always bought 80th and 85th in maduro. It was fantastic man.
This is one of the brands, if not the brand, that got Halfwheel all riled up last year during their consensus awards. These guys have an incredibly STRONG social media presence, and the release of the blend was a huge buzz. I waited a long while after to review, as they brought up the CFed connection at some point. Funny thing was, we didn't even get them until after the 1st of the year, and we all bought them lol. Very unique smoke, and something I think a ton of people will enjoy for that reason. Serious, licorice and friggin coconut...weird smoke, and I had a couple before I posted this.Click Here
Total Flame is my breakout brand for this year. These guys are making cigars at Plasencia and La Aurora that are excellent. Soem may not be overly complex, but all are tasty as hell. This was no different, and a very budget friendly stick when it is all said and done.Click Here for the Review
Wonderful review Dustin! I knew that you would enjoyed it though you are a Padron Maduro fan. I am really happy with my investment of the humidor purchase of 40 cigars. I sincerely appreciate for dedicating the review in my name. Thanks brother. It interesting to see over the years how you developed your fine palate.
catfishbluezz:
For the money, make no mistake, the 40th delivers an amazing experience. I highly recommend this cigar... Click Here for the Review
Comments
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
Click here for the review!
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras
Dry Draw: berries and spice
First Third: Right off the bat the Oval smacked me around with cocoa flavors through the nose and draw. The type of flavor is very distinct, and I may look to revisit as the setting of this review did not allow me to concentrate. Brown sugar notes swirled around my palate, along with nutty flavors that I found rather enjoyable. The spices were distant, with an ever so slight tail on the retro.
Second Third: The spice was hitting the retro at this time, and never really overpowered me. The cocoa flavors turned more to coffee at that point, along the lines of a smooth espresso. Sugar continued to settle on my lips, and the Oval Maduro began to shine with a coffee porter I had grabbed form a micro brewer at the event.
Final Third: Retrohale has wonderful depth at this point, and due to the reviewing situation, I cannot describe it in detail. I did detect some greener peppers from it at times, along with cocoa flavors. The espresso dominated the final third, and the sugary finish hit all cylinders of the smoking experience. I never got the berries I experienced on the dry draw, but my guess is my palate was a bit tired.
Construction: Damn ash fell on me twice since I smoked it ROTT
Final Thoughts: I will smoke this again, and I am not a big fan of maduro. For me, this is a second or third smoke of the night if I am on a cigar binge really. Oddly enough, while I rarely smoke maduro, and am not a fan of most AJ blends due to the power, for some reason I love his maduros on occasion, and the Oval Maduro kills it. I would welcome a fiver in my humi, and will revisit again to see if I can detect the complexity that is there. Given the reviewing situation, I feel like I left a ton of complexity on the table, and was not able to fully grasp what the Oval Maduro has to offer. I would highly recommend this cigar to maduro fans, fans of AJ Fernandez cigars, and pretty much any cigar smoker other then the mild smokers or Cuban fanatics.