Pick Joe's Smoke
dutyje
Posts: 2,263 ✭
OK.. I don't smoke that often, and am getting back into it after a 10-year (or so) layoff (aside from a few a year in between). I've acquired a few samplers of cigars to get started, just to see what I like. As experts, I'd love it if you all can help me find something I will enjoy. Let me kick it off by listing everything I've smoked since Father's Day, and how I felt about it.
1. Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Toro
I didn't really care for this. The flavor was essentially of second-hand smoke. I wanted to smoke this cigar for myself, not taste the product of somebody nearby. It had a very mild body, but burned well with very little maintenance. I enjoyed it with some nice rum, but by itself it did nothing for me.
2. Montecristo Classic Toro
I pulled this out because I remember the Montecristo being an excellent smoke. I immediately remembered why I thought it was so great -- a perfect, tight white ash (I said ASH). No maintenance on the burn, and easy to take all the way through. I also remembered why I was reluctant to fork out the $8-10 for one. The taste just isn't there. Thanks for the papery flavor and notes of sucking on my dirty belt, but I'm not inspired here. Fine for a casual smoke, but not a value.
3. Royal Jamaica Gold Toro
This cigar was part of a sampler my wife bought me for Father's Day. I know nothing about the cigar, and couldn't find much about it on the web except that it's cheap. I pulled it out this weekend to smoke at a neighborhood party we were hosting, figuring it'd be a fine way to have something in my mouth but not be consumed by dissecting its quality/flavor. I was very surprised to find that this smoke had a smooth, creamy texture and flavor. The burn required quite a bit of maintenance (a little finger-licking, some torching to remove the canoeing, etc). The roll quality obviously was sub-par. But the tobacco tasted great. There was no body to this, but it turned out to be a perfect choice to complement a long day of drinking and socialization. I was pleasantly surprised by this.
4. Camacho 1962 Robusto
This is the whole reason I'm writing all this tonight. I just came inside after smoking this cigar. I selected it because I needed a short smoke to at least preserve my outside chance of scoring some nookie from the Mrs. later. Also, I wasn't particularly excited about this cigar, and wanted to make way for some of the better stuff in my box. The scent of this cigar was full of flavor as I pulled it out of the cellophane. I can discern tastes at about the depth of 3 levels mentioned in another recent thread, so I was stunned to immediately identify the taste of chocolate on the first draw.
Early into this experience, I already found myself regretting I had only 5 inches of tobacco in front of me. I loved the flavor of this cigar so much I found myself preferring to suffocate rather than expel the smoke from my mouth. I compromised and let it go in a chain of very small breaths extended so long as to deprive my brain of much needed oxygen. By the time I had burnt my fingertips down to bloody, exposed bone, I knew I had to let go of this cigar, but I just couldn't bear to part with it. I contemplated dumping the remaining scraps into a dish, lighting them on fire, and draping a towel over my head like I was trying to relieve a massive sinus infection. Instead, I resigned myself to coming in here, sitting down, and writing this in hopes that somebody has had this cigar, and can recommend another like it for me to try. This wasn't particularly full-bodied, but with as much time as I spent holding this smoke, I wonder if something fuller would have me on the floor or in the hospital.
So there you have it. My personal reviews have a scoring system, but I won't bore you with the details. If you feel so inclined, recommend something I may like based on what I've said so far. And golly, if you haven't tried that Camacho, and are into a milder smoke, give it a go and let me know what you think.
Duty
1. Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Toro
I didn't really care for this. The flavor was essentially of second-hand smoke. I wanted to smoke this cigar for myself, not taste the product of somebody nearby. It had a very mild body, but burned well with very little maintenance. I enjoyed it with some nice rum, but by itself it did nothing for me.
2. Montecristo Classic Toro
I pulled this out because I remember the Montecristo being an excellent smoke. I immediately remembered why I thought it was so great -- a perfect, tight white ash (I said ASH). No maintenance on the burn, and easy to take all the way through. I also remembered why I was reluctant to fork out the $8-10 for one. The taste just isn't there. Thanks for the papery flavor and notes of sucking on my dirty belt, but I'm not inspired here. Fine for a casual smoke, but not a value.
3. Royal Jamaica Gold Toro
This cigar was part of a sampler my wife bought me for Father's Day. I know nothing about the cigar, and couldn't find much about it on the web except that it's cheap. I pulled it out this weekend to smoke at a neighborhood party we were hosting, figuring it'd be a fine way to have something in my mouth but not be consumed by dissecting its quality/flavor. I was very surprised to find that this smoke had a smooth, creamy texture and flavor. The burn required quite a bit of maintenance (a little finger-licking, some torching to remove the canoeing, etc). The roll quality obviously was sub-par. But the tobacco tasted great. There was no body to this, but it turned out to be a perfect choice to complement a long day of drinking and socialization. I was pleasantly surprised by this.
4. Camacho 1962 Robusto
This is the whole reason I'm writing all this tonight. I just came inside after smoking this cigar. I selected it because I needed a short smoke to at least preserve my outside chance of scoring some nookie from the Mrs. later. Also, I wasn't particularly excited about this cigar, and wanted to make way for some of the better stuff in my box. The scent of this cigar was full of flavor as I pulled it out of the cellophane. I can discern tastes at about the depth of 3 levels mentioned in another recent thread, so I was stunned to immediately identify the taste of chocolate on the first draw.
Early into this experience, I already found myself regretting I had only 5 inches of tobacco in front of me. I loved the flavor of this cigar so much I found myself preferring to suffocate rather than expel the smoke from my mouth. I compromised and let it go in a chain of very small breaths extended so long as to deprive my brain of much needed oxygen. By the time I had burnt my fingertips down to bloody, exposed bone, I knew I had to let go of this cigar, but I just couldn't bear to part with it. I contemplated dumping the remaining scraps into a dish, lighting them on fire, and draping a towel over my head like I was trying to relieve a massive sinus infection. Instead, I resigned myself to coming in here, sitting down, and writing this in hopes that somebody has had this cigar, and can recommend another like it for me to try. This wasn't particularly full-bodied, but with as much time as I spent holding this smoke, I wonder if something fuller would have me on the floor or in the hospital.
So there you have it. My personal reviews have a scoring system, but I won't bore you with the details. If you feel so inclined, recommend something I may like based on what I've said so far. And golly, if you haven't tried that Camacho, and are into a milder smoke, give it a go and let me know what you think.
Duty
0
Comments
On the R&J Reserva, I enjoyed heck out of the first one I had; the second one, not so much. I'll have another in a couple weeks and see which direction it leans.
All this talk about the Graycliff Legend, well actually the whole Legend line, really has me wanting to try it out... I look at the page for it and feel my will begin to crumble, especially when I see the entire Legends line sampler packed in a Legends humidor. *drools*
Joe #1
chocolatey eh? for about half the price of the camacho have you tried the victor sinclair series 55 maduro? i found it to have a very chocolate cream taste. It isnt quite on the same level as the camacho (the 55 had issues with the burn and it wasnt as complex) but for the price it isnt a bad smoke. ... i mean i nubed it.
if you want the coffee side of chocolate try the onyx reserve. I should smoke more of those.
Kuz, I smoke the onyx reserve very regularly and I am a huge fan of it. I was just wondering if you had any other cigars that are similar that I might enjoy... My next smoke is going to be a CAO Mx2 this weekend on the golf course. I would be thankful for any help! Thanks.
and as far as price goes the cusano P1 is hard to beat.
I can't wait to try to Mx2! I don't know if I'm more excited about the cigar or getting to play golf! Throw in a nice glass of Crown and life will be PERFECT!!! haha
I fond that the Mx2 burned a bit uneven, but it coulda just been me or that cigar.
I've been looking to dump this one early. The reviews have been luke-warm at best, and I didn't think it would flourish much with age. I wanted a mild, relatively short smoke, and that is certainly what I got. There wasn't much in the way of a discernable flavor for the most part, but there was something I'm too inexperienced to identify. The burn was almost perfect, although perhaps a bit quick and loose. I hung onto the smoke to try to capture some flavor, but little was to be found.
Interestingly, the cigar put itself out about 3/4 of the way in, as if to say, "Mr. Duty, your time with me is now finished." I had literally just drawn on it not more than 5 seconds earlier. Not to be deterred, I plugged another quarter in the machine and rode that baby out to the end. This came to be a decision I would regret, as the rest of the burn turned unpleasantly fiery. The flavor was still almost non-existent, although I could detect a touch of spice I'm not even going to attempt to categorize. This light peppery finish was its saving grace, as it piqued my curiousity and motivated me to see what else I could find. Sadly, there was nothing.
For the price, I would probably pick up some of these to share with non-smoker friends who are looking for something quick and mild to say we'd smoked a cigar. I wouldn't feel bad about about not burning it to the nub, and would savor the fact that an hour later my mouth wouldn't have that lingering chalky cigar-residue taste. Still, this is nowhere near flavorful enough for me as a solo evening smoke.
I want a nice mild cigar to keep around for a casual smoke, afternoon smoke, or something to share with friends. This is the best I've found so far, but it is nowhere near what I was hoping to find. Super-mild stuff isn't really my favorite anyway.
Despite the fact that it has been 10+ years since we graduated, and most of us have 2+ children, some of the reunion participants decided it would be a good idea to smoke something a little more "collegiate." The rest of us decided to go out and grab cigars. Surprisingly, there are virtually no cigars to be found in Breckenridge. We were directed to a liquor store which had a (very) limited supply of about 5-6 brands of cigar (a couple Macanudos, a Romeo y Julieta, an H Upmann... La Aurora, and something else). Not exactly what I was hoping for, but it would do as a casual social smoke with some non-smokers.
I smoked an H Upmann in a size called "After Dinner" -- somewhere around 5.5-6 inches in a high-40's ring. Anyway, I noticed three subtle personalities to this cigar as it burned down. It started out extremely mild, and very smooth. The middle section became harsh and papery, and I thought I'd run into a total dud. I was surprised to see this cigar change personalities toward the end. While it never ran anything but a mild body, the flavor picked up quite a bit and became quite enjoyable.
Would I buy this again? Probably not ... Would I smoke it again? Absolutely -- especially if the selection were as limited as I ran into in Colorado. The burn was very good from beginning to end. It was a bit mild for me, and the flavor was a little light. But as a mild cigar in a social setting it worked out pretty well.
I know I've been smoking some lousy cigars of late. As I turn over my current inventory I'll look to get some better stuff based on everyone's recommendations and what I've learned about my tastes. I'll burn half of my inventory over the next couple weeks, and should develop a clearer picture about what it is that I like.
The inventory has mostly stuff I've never smoked before... I'd rather try it myself before trading it away. The only repeats are another H Upmann that I bought for somebody who didn't smoke it, a 5 Vegas Classic which I'd rather just smoke myself, and a couple Onyx Reserve that I'm keeping on hand for when my Father-in-Law visits in the fall. My box only fits about 15-20 cigars, so to smoke through half in 2 weeks (really the next 10 days) is really nothing. Although I normally will only have 1 or 2 a week, my wife is headed out of town and I plan to smoke at least one a day while she's gone.