One of my old favorites in a vitola I've never tried has just become one of my favorites, again.
Everything I've said before. Golden-green wrapper. Farm smell. Mild but complex.
During the smoke, some hints of cream, wood, pepper, and nuts. Smooth, but with just enough pepper to keep you awake. Rich and complex, if a little on the subtle side at times.
This vitola shined in consistency. While it developed by changing proportions of flavors, it didn't hit a harsh spot like the Double Toro and Robusto have for me.
My wife wants me to go on a buying freeze until all our budget is settled after the move is finalized. I only got three of these, and if the next two smoke as fine as this one did, it's going to be hard not to buy a box in order to keep them around.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Smoked three recently and hope to upload pics soon, but for now want to have a placeholder.
Webmost gave me those machine mades from pre-embargo leaf. Those were quite excellent. They smoke slower than I expected and had some development. Not a typical machine made cigar at all.
My Father Connecticut corona. This may beat Oliva for my favorite connecticut. Well, Not the Oliva Lonsdale. But it was fantastic. Would have like a little more development of flavors, but it was good from start to finish.
Joya Red. Held ash longer than I think I ever have with this cigar. Strong and tight. Everyone I was hanging out with thought it smelled fantastic. It tasted okay, but I'd love for them to discontinue this if they brought back the Celebracion. It wasn't anywhere near as good as that. In fact, it was kind of just better than okay. Nothing bad, but seriously one-note from start to finish. Well, maybe better than that. It struck a chord, but the chord never changed. There was some complexity but it never varied. Kind of boring.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
ccom has to go and make things difficult for me by getting rid of all the titles on the new forums. I sometimes didn't mention the name of a reviewed cigar except in the heading of the post. Now how can I search for an old review? The hammer might have to come down on this one.
At any rate, after the recent San Cristobal thread, I decided to smoke a Revelation corona I got from Kelly a while back.
This is another fantastic Pepin stick. There are some similarities to the Elegancia in feel, but the Revolution is a much stronger cigar. It has great flavors and never hits a harsh note. It burned well even in the drizzle of the aftermath of a tornado producing thunderstorm.
I haven't smoked for a formal review in a while, and this was more to get a feel for a cigar that I'd not had. CA has given this a 92. I'm not into numbers, but I'd agree it's a great example of a Nic cigar. It's got hints of it's EcSum wrapper, enough Nic Lig to remind a bit of the Oliva V. Well balanced and a great feel on the mouth. I wouldn't smoke one every day because of the fullness, but I would say it's a cigar more people might appreciate for it's boldness than they would the subtlety of the Elegancia.
If you're a fan of Nicaraguan profiles, Ecuadorian Sumatra wrappers, or just well-made, flavorful, strong cigars, then you need to smoke this.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Wow, no posts since June and down on the second page. I need to get it together.
In my defense, I did post three reviews in the mystery stick game.
Still, I wanted to do some quick hitters.
First, DPG Blue. I've smoked these before to mixed results. But I sat on these. And sat. And sat. Then one night at Rick's. Wait, just got transported to Casablanca for a second. At Eric's back porch, I lit one with a year. Everyone told me these were even better with age. Since I didn't like one or two notes at all without age, I was skeptical. I shouldn't have been. Those notes were gone or mellowed completely. Now I know I should listen to you guys. Might just need to keep these on hand.
Room 101 Big Payback was not my introduction to this brand, but it's the first that's been really budget friendly. I'd smoke the Daruma all day, especially the Lancero. This one isn't quite as good as that, but it might be the best cigar under $5 (single price) I've smoked in a long time. Construction was a bit off and draw was loose so it had a tendency to burn hot. It was a tad stronger than I typically like, but I could still see myself ordering these, too.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Wow, no posts since June and down on the second page. I need to get it together.
In my defense, I did post three reviews in the mystery stick game.
Still, I wanted to do some quick hitters.
First, DPG Blue. I've smoked these before to mixed results. But I sat on these. And sat. And sat. Then one night at Rick's. Wait, just got transported to Casablanca for a second. At Eric's back porch, I lit one with a year. Everyone told me these were even better with age. Since I didn't like one or two notes at all without age, I was skeptical. I shouldn't have been. Those notes were gone or mellowed completely. Now I know I should listen to you guys. Might just need to keep these on hand.
Room 101 Big Payback was not my introduction to this brand, but it's the first that's been really budget friendly. I'd smoke the Daruma all day, especially the Lancero. This one isn't quite as good as that, but it might be the best cigar under $5 (single price) I've smoked in a long time. Construction was a bit off and draw was loose so it had a tendency to burn hot. It was a tad stronger than I typically like, but I could still see myself ordering these, too.
If you can do it, put a DPG blue down for 5 years.... just glorious.
The payback is best in th 6x60 size. That's saying a lot coming from a small ring wh0re.
Oh, BTW, Kuzi, I plan on putting some Blues back for a very long time. The payback I tried was a robusto, but I might be convinced to try the 6x60. Someday. When I have more time.
Now, going for some more smokes I've been sitting on for a while--easier to do when you're not smoking as much, by the way--and this one more of a premium.
Arturo Fuente Opus X Lost City Robusto
The Lost City was something I smoked on a whim. I've been smoking pretty fresh cigars all my smoking career up until this point, where I've set back enough smokes to let them rest in the cooler, smoking younger and less desirable cousins of theirs until at least a year has passed. This particular cigar has about 16 months in my collection.
I knew I should have started this earlier in the evening. It was quite strong and I waited too long after dinner. Make sure you smoke this on a full stomach, because the strength really hit me hard. I did like it a lot. There was a lot of fecal aroma, but in a good way. And I'm thinking more from human than bovine origination, too. Strange to think that was a good aroma. The smoke itself was a blunted spice, like a toasted butter cream sauce with lots of white pepper and some flavorless but peppers adding a bit more heat.
At about the halfway point, I got the impression of expertly blended and brewed tea. I'm not much of a tea drinker, but I've had some good tea on occasion and this gave me that impression. Floral and earthy with only the feeling of strength.
Like other Fuente's I've smoked, the cigar seems to be quite densely rolled. While it seemed to be a firm draw pre-light, the draw was perfect throughout the entire smoke, and I was able to smoke it quite slowly with a razor line and no touch-ups needed. Even though I was over an hour and a half in and barely into the final third, it suddenly heated up on me. I did not nub this cigar. The fingers were near scorching. Still, an amazing experience, even if out of my typical strength preference.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Earthy, sweet and yummy. The one I smoked was a little fresh, still, so I plan on letting the others rest. Burn was fantastic and ash was strong. I even did a nubstand. I'll revisit this one later and in more detail.
Kristoff Maduro
This cigar was fantastic. Not as pretty as the Nub Dub, even though I really like the tight pigtail cap. It gave off all kinds of aroma. I think my cooler is going to be missing the rich smells this was putting off. Earth, chocolate, decay. The shaggy foot lit well.
Yum, yum, yum. Burn was never sharp, but it never caused worry, either. Draw was just right pre-light and throughout. Flavors were of chocolate and earth with pepper when it heated up at the end. I was just trying to enjoy while I smoked this so I didn't take notes, but I did enjoy. There was a slight sweetness to the cigar and even a hint of salty at times, without either of these feeling like a distinctive flavor other than the base tastes. Really interesting, complex, but fairly consistent from start to finish.
The may be the best maduro I've smoked. It was fantastic.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Good but not great cigar. Lots of depth and richness. Hits with a big nic kick. A little rough around the edges on little things. Flavor in and out. Burn wonky at times, and even though I never needed a relight, I probably puffed too hard to keep it going a couple of times, perhaps causing the flavor issues. Lots of smoke output. Cap was loose, but it wound up not being a distraction during the smoke. Wrapper looked thin, so take care if that's the case. Pretty cigar, but only for those who like "Full" in power cigars. Even then, I've had some I liked better.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Earthy, sweet and yummy. The one I smoked was a little fresh, still, so I plan on letting the others rest. Burn was fantastic and ash was strong. I even did a nubstand. I'll revisit this one later and in more detail.
Kristoff Maduro
This cigar was fantastic. Not as pretty as the Nub Dub, even though I really like the tight pigtail cap. It gave off all kinds of aroma. I think my cooler is going to be missing the rich smells this was putting off. Earth, chocolate, decay. The shaggy foot lit well.
Yum, yum, yum. Burn was never sharp, but it never caused worry, either. Draw was just right pre-light and throughout. Flavors were of chocolate and earth with pepper when it heated up at the end. I was just trying to enjoy while I smoked this so I didn't take notes, but I did enjoy. There was a slight sweetness to the cigar and even a hint of salty at times, without either of these feeling like a distinctive flavor other than the base tastes. Really interesting, complex, but fairly consistent from start to finish.
The may be the best maduro I've smoked. It was fantastic.
Love the Kristoff Maduro... It's fantastic
"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
Viaje Holiday Blend. Not sure what year this was but it wasn't good. Seemed much larger than 54 rg. It felt like trying to drink water using a garden hose as your straw. Airy, dusty flavor with some spice. Way too easy draw.
Victor Sinclair Series 55 Maduro Robusto. Not bad compared to what I was expecting. Lit it figuring I might have to throw it down since the wife was at a meeting not knowing how long it would take. As it was, I got to smoke about half of it. Had some decent maduro qualities. Rich sweetness and chocolate on the wrapper and first third. Slightly metallic taste turning into lettuce/vegetable taste (my least favorite in a profile) especially when puffing too hard/fast. Problem was that the burn was not great on the wrapper and it needed lots of puffing to stay lit and burn evenly. Pretty much great for a yard gar, but too finicky to worry about while working. Decent giveaway.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
It was a windy day and it carried into the evening with a constant wind around 15-17 mph out of the NE. Gusts were stronger. The maple tree in my back yard, already devoid of leaves was now dropping small branches. The temperature was dropping, but slowly. None ofthese indications made me think it was great cigar smoking weather, but my wife was gone for a couple hours and I had nothing to do. Not wanting to sacrifice a super premium to windy conditions, I looked for a cheapo that I wouldn't mind throwing out if it got too uncomfortable or if the burn went wonky from the wind. I've received a couple of "grab bag" type promos and some other inexpensive cigars along the way. Not knowing what to try, I grab a Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo. The VS Series 55 Maduro (above) was a pleasant surprise in some ways, so I thought I'd give his brother a shot.
The wrapper was dry and a little uneven in color. The cap wasn't the prettiest, but tasted pretty good. Some dry spice rub flavors came through. The wind was threatening my torch lighter so I did a little scorch on the foot. Not ideal, but cheap cigars and windy days call for it. I did my best. Once I got the thing going and got a few puffs in, the scorched nastiness was gone. I stepped a little farther out on my porch and looked up at the sky. Surprisingly, some scattered clouds were almost stationary up above, blocking Polaris from view, but I did get a good look at the Pleiades and Vega. It was a beautiful night, even with the wind. In fact, the wind made it almost surreal, as I expected the clouds to be scudding across the sky and they weren't.
At any rate, I got my son, who was just chilling reading a book and watching Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, to turn out some lights so I could see the stars even better. He came out and joined me, using Google Sky Map to identify some stars I couldn't identify through the cloud cover. The cigar was smoking quickly, somewhat due to my puffing to keep it burning evenly in the wind, but mostly from construction. I really didn't have any burn issues after the initial light. Flavors will still spice rub, but nothing that kicked me back in strength. This was a solid medium stick with some tendencies toward full. Pepper was more cayenne than black, but not quite that hot. I got some cumin and other spice flavors as well. There's also some leather and wood, but they faded from the first third to the second. In the second third, there's a hint of cream and stone fruit, but this is very slight. In the final third, the wood returns and the cream disappears. The fruit remains and reminds me perhaps of a black cherry, but it begins to get overwhelmed shortly into the third.
I'm finally starting to feel a little miserable and windchapped, so I lay this surprise aside and head in to the warmth of my house. Maybe I wasn't expecting much so this seemed better than it actually was, but I don't think it was the greatest cigar I've ever smoked. I don't think I'd really want to seek out the maduro I smoked before, but I'd certainly try this one again. The Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo Robusto was a solid, if not great, cigar.
I'm not into number ratings since most cigars seem to be in the 80s from everyone who reviews them, unless they think they're really good, then they creep into the 90s. I want to be more realistic. It all seems so arbitrary, and I try to take each cigar as an individual experience. Frankly, I'd put some cigars (DE Natural Root?) in the twenties or thirties, and they'd only get that high for appearance and construction. Some machine mades might score higher because of flavor and burn. The best cigar I've had? Hard to say because I've liked several, but I had a perfect experience with a DC Julius Ceasar once, so it would be in the 90s for sure if I were in to such. This one from VS? With a quick thought about my scale, where anything under 50 would be pretty much unsmokeable to me and under 60 would be something I wouldn't seek out again and might even turn down if offered, this is clearly better than that. It's also better than some cigars I have smoked multiple times. It has some flaws-ugly, quck burn-but the flavors hit most of the time what I'd expect from corojo. This thing is a solid high 70's low 80's stick (my scale). I'd rank it above anything I've had from 5V, except the Cask Strength. It's as good as several AJ cigars and even could hold its own with some DPG blends. Whatever it was, it was perfect for this night. I might change my mind if I were to ever smoke it again, and I'm trying to be realistic with this final paragraph, but this was definitely the best $2 cigar I've ever smoked.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Thank you Martel for the words of wisdom. I never judge a cigar by its price, rather by its burn and flavor... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I as a cigar lover who has not sampled many... appreciate your reviews of the not so frequently smoked cigars
Thanks for the kind words. I do struggle with this, though. A really good cigar is a fantastic thing, but I can't enjoy something over $10 every day. But does a $2 cigar give more enjoyment than an only slightly better cigar at $8? I suspect that what I pay/what it's listed at plays a part. I try not to let it influence the review, but there's usually a reason a cigar costs less so my expectations are less. This one surprised me.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
I agree brutha. I tend to stick to the 6-12 smokes in the evening and search endlessly for those 2-3 gems all day long. I smoke too many to have champagne taste with a beer budget
Oh and that's domestic beer not craft
"Come party with me in Tennessee for my birthday July we can smoke in the Smokey's."
So, my wife surprised me with a gift last month...a note saying I was going to be receiving CCOM's COTM for a while. I still like to try a variety of cigars, even though I tend to buy and sit on multiples of what I know I like, now (AF Hemingway Maduro Short Story, Oliva CT Reserve, DPG CT, San Cristobal Elegancia, AVO, Oliva V and V Melanio, Tat Miami, DPG Blue, Ashton VSG and LFD Airbenders and DLs.)
At any rate, there are other cigars I love but can't continually purchase if I won't smoke them amidst all the others I already have, especially at higher cost.So, now I can focus on aging some of my backlog more while I try these new ones each month. I couldn't wait on the first shipment, so I lit up the Padilla Habano. I understand this is a resurrected blend. I don't know how it compares with the original, but this was a fine cigar. It was very peppery with some chocolate. I got a lot of chocolate from aroma and the cap before I lit it, so I wonder how much of that was just sitting on my mouth and not actually coming from the smoke? I had some burn issues with this, requiring a couple of touch-ups along the way, but the draw seemed about right. Not sure what was going on with it.
In the end, I really liked this cigar and might have to consider a fiver to see how it does with some rest on it. It'll be something that sits nicely under the V Melanio in strength on my list of cigars to keep on hand if it eventually makes the cut.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Fairly attractive box press torpedo with some interesting hints of spice and musk.
Lit easily, but burned inconsistently throughout the cigar. It required retouches and extra puffing, affecting the taste.
Flavors had a nice ligero spice, but this was an undertone to the dominant flavors of cardboard, lettuce, and cleaning supplies. I think I might have gotten a cigar in its sick period, because I don't think anyone could like what I'm smoking. Made it through 2/3 of the cigar as it got progressively worse. Don't think I'd drop $11 to try again.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
It's been one of those mornings. I use a Keurig to brew coffee a lot of the time. This morning, I used the re-useable doohickie that allows you to use your own coffee. That sentence used a lot of the word "use". Anyway, I have several friends that roast coffee, some professionally; but one of the amateurs gave me some Ethiopian Yerg a bit ago. I got out the grinder and had it perfect for the Keurig. I put it in and push run. 30 seconds later, I realize that my mug is sitting on the kitchen table. Bye bye, expensive Yerg. Should have used the French Press.
One of the reasons for it being "MORNING" is that I was up later than usual. My wife worked late, so I went outside to fiddle with some Christmas lights. I wasn't sure when she'd get home since she was at a meeting expected to go long so I pulled out the CAO Pilon. It smelled of rich soil and chocolate with some hints of sweetness and spice. The lick tasted of strong tobacco. Appearance for this particular stick was nice. The wrapper is a little rough looking, but it's covered by a large band that hid most of the blemishes, which were minor anyway. The cap was applied perfectly. I'm coming to appreciate that more and more, the longer I smoke. After a snip with the perfect cutter, I'm ready to go.
It's a still evening, but not too cold. It is, however, misting and foggy. I keep seeing idiots driving by my house with their brights on. Makes it worse to drive in these conditions. I'm worried how this will affect the burn, but the Pilon takes to fire like it was made for it. Errr. Ummm. Well, it toasted nicely. Burn was even and slow throughout. I did have to touch it up once or twice, but it wasn't an annoyance, I just puffed too slow, which worked for this stick. Even had I puffed more, it was a slow smoke, taking me over 2 hours for a Robusto and keeping me up past my bedtime.
Flavors were spot on, too. I never did taste much chocolate, but it was rich, spicy, balanced, and woody throughout with just a touch of sweetness. On the high end of Medium or the low end of Full in strength, this cigar had a long finish that I tasted well into the later hours of the evening. I also got a very slight nic kick, but it was a delayed effect which didn't hit until about 45 minutes after I set down the smoke partway through the final third when it got squishy.
Too bad I didn't smoke this last week, because they had these on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday at a decent price. I wasn't going to jump without trying them, but I wish I had.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
I have one resting in my humi i will have to fire it up. Thanks for the review
"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
I have really enjoyed reading through these. I'm glad you started titling these, as some of the earlier ones read as very mouthwatering, but I couldn't figure out what the stick actually was.
"Cooking isn't about struggling; It's about pleasure. It's like sǝx, with a wider variety of sauces."
At any given time the urge to sing "In The Jungle" is just a whim away... A whim away... A whim away...
I have really enjoyed reading through these. I'm glad you started titling these, as some of the earlier ones read as very mouthwatering, but I couldn't figure out what the stick actually was.
The old forum software allowed for a title on each post instead of just the whole thread and when the software changed about a year ago, all those titles went away.
@Martel ... havent had a review in a while, looking forward to the next one
"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
Wait, what is this doing 2/3 of the way down on the second page?
I needed a hiatus, gents, so I took one. The ups and downs of life and all happened (and both have happened in this period) but mostly just being busy and distracted. Wow, that may be the most poorly constructed sentence I've ever written.
Some smoking has still happened. I just want to throw out one for the moment.
Pinolero by AJ Fernandez Toro
I received this in a bomb, so thanks to whomever I didn't look up!This stick has right at 4 years of age on it. I found it while digging through the cooler in a pile of random singles. There are lots of cigars out there, but a single here or there makes it difficult to know whether you want to slip something into your rotation, at least for me. I need to smoke a few. That's probably why this sat so long. That, and it is bigger than what I normally smoke so I had to wait for the right time since I didn't want to treat it like a yard gar.
I'm not sure what to expect after the time on this. Being an AJ blend, I expect Ligero heavy flavor, but with the age I suspect it might be mellowed in strength, some. With no fresh baseline of comparison, I've just got to smoke it as-is.
As-is was fantastic.
The pigtail cap is always nice. I did have to clip quite a bit to open the draw, but the cigar held together. Lots of cream and slight red pepper flake flavor on the lick. Toast took some time, but once it got a rose glow, the cigar just burned and burned to the end.
Just to give a general impression, there was a surprising amount of smoothness in this smoke. Flavors blended together, and while there were some distinct transitions, the baseline remained much the same. Wood--cedar and maybe even some mesquite. Cream. Spice--black and red pepper flakes.
If this has mellowed in 4 years, it made it perfect. I don't like when the spice overwhelms the rest of the profile. This was a nice balance. Well done, AJ.
Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Welcome back Martel, good to see you again and your reviews.
"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
“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
Comments
Everything I've said before. Golden-green wrapper. Farm smell. Mild but complex.
During the smoke, some hints of cream, wood, pepper, and nuts. Smooth, but with just enough pepper to keep you awake. Rich and complex, if a little on the subtle side at times.
This vitola shined in consistency. While it developed by changing proportions of flavors, it didn't hit a harsh spot like the Double Toro and Robusto have for me.
My wife wants me to go on a buying freeze until all our budget is settled after the move is finalized. I only got three of these, and if the next two smoke as fine as this one did, it's going to be hard not to buy a box in order to keep them around.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Webmost gave me those machine mades from pre-embargo leaf. Those were quite excellent. They smoke slower than I expected and had some development. Not a typical machine made cigar at all.
My Father Connecticut corona. This may beat Oliva for my favorite connecticut. Well, Not the Oliva Lonsdale. But it was fantastic. Would have like a little more development of flavors, but it was good from start to finish.
Joya Red. Held ash longer than I think I ever have with this cigar. Strong and tight. Everyone I was hanging out with thought it smelled fantastic. It tasted okay, but I'd love for them to discontinue this if they brought back the Celebracion. It wasn't anywhere near as good as that. In fact, it was kind of just better than okay. Nothing bad, but seriously one-note from start to finish. Well, maybe better than that. It struck a chord, but the chord never changed. There was some complexity but it never varied. Kind of boring.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
At any rate, after the recent San Cristobal thread, I decided to smoke a Revelation corona I got from Kelly a while back.
San Cristobal Revelation Mystic (Corona 5.6x48)
#SanCristobal #Revelation
This is another fantastic Pepin stick. There are some similarities to the Elegancia in feel, but the Revolution is a much stronger cigar. It has great flavors and never hits a harsh note. It burned well even in the drizzle of the aftermath of a tornado producing thunderstorm.
I haven't smoked for a formal review in a while, and this was more to get a feel for a cigar that I'd not had. CA has given this a 92. I'm not into numbers, but I'd agree it's a great example of a Nic cigar. It's got hints of it's EcSum wrapper, enough Nic Lig to remind a bit of the Oliva V. Well balanced and a great feel on the mouth. I wouldn't smoke one every day because of the fullness, but I would say it's a cigar more people might appreciate for it's boldness than they would the subtlety of the Elegancia.
If you're a fan of Nicaraguan profiles, Ecuadorian Sumatra wrappers, or just well-made, flavorful, strong cigars, then you need to smoke this.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
And the cigar...
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
In my defense, I did post three reviews in the mystery stick game.
Still, I wanted to do some quick hitters.
First, DPG Blue. I've smoked these before to mixed results. But I sat on these. And sat. And sat. Then one night at Rick's. Wait, just got transported to Casablanca for a second. At Eric's back porch, I lit one with a year. Everyone told me these were even better with age. Since I didn't like one or two notes at all without age, I was skeptical. I shouldn't have been. Those notes were gone or mellowed completely. Now I know I should listen to you guys. Might just need to keep these on hand.
Room 101 Big Payback was not my introduction to this brand, but it's the first that's been really budget friendly. I'd smoke the Daruma all day, especially the Lancero. This one isn't quite as good as that, but it might be the best cigar under $5 (single price) I've smoked in a long time. Construction was a bit off and draw was loose so it had a tendency to burn hot. It was a tad stronger than I typically like, but I could still see myself ordering these, too.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
The payback is best in th 6x60 size. That's saying a lot coming from a small ring wh0re.
Now, going for some more smokes I've been sitting on for a while--easier to do when you're not smoking as much, by the way--and this one more of a premium.
Arturo Fuente Opus X Lost City Robusto
The Lost City was something I smoked on a whim. I've been smoking pretty fresh cigars all my smoking career up until this point, where I've set back enough smokes to let them rest in the cooler, smoking younger and less desirable cousins of theirs until at least a year has passed. This particular cigar has about 16 months in my collection.
I knew I should have started this earlier in the evening. It was quite strong and I waited too long after dinner. Make sure you smoke this on a full stomach, because the strength really hit me hard. I did like it a lot. There was a lot of fecal aroma, but in a good way. And I'm thinking more from human than bovine origination, too. Strange to think that was a good aroma. The smoke itself was a blunted spice, like a toasted butter cream sauce with lots of white pepper and some flavorless but peppers adding a bit more heat.
At about the halfway point, I got the impression of expertly blended and brewed tea. I'm not much of a tea drinker, but I've had some good tea on occasion and this gave me that impression. Floral and earthy with only the feeling of strength.
Like other Fuente's I've smoked, the cigar seems to be quite densely rolled. While it seemed to be a firm draw pre-light, the draw was perfect throughout the entire smoke, and I was able to smoke it quite slowly with a razor line and no touch-ups needed. Even though I was over an hour and a half in and barely into the final third, it suddenly heated up on me. I did not nub this cigar. The fingers were near scorching. Still, an amazing experience, even if out of my typical strength preference.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Earthy, sweet and yummy. The one I smoked was a little fresh, still, so I plan on letting the others rest. Burn was fantastic and ash was strong. I even did a nubstand. I'll revisit this one later and in more detail.
Kristoff Maduro
This cigar was fantastic. Not as pretty as the Nub Dub, even though I really like the tight pigtail cap. It gave off all kinds of aroma. I think my cooler is going to be missing the rich smells this was putting off. Earth, chocolate, decay. The shaggy foot lit well.
Yum, yum, yum. Burn was never sharp, but it never caused worry, either. Draw was just right pre-light and throughout. Flavors were of chocolate and earth with pepper when it heated up at the end. I was just trying to enjoy while I smoked this so I didn't take notes, but I did enjoy. There was a slight sweetness to the cigar and even a hint of salty at times, without either of these feeling like a distinctive flavor other than the base tastes. Really interesting, complex, but fairly consistent from start to finish.
The may be the best maduro I've smoked. It was fantastic.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Good but not great cigar. Lots of depth and richness. Hits with a big nic kick. A little rough around the edges on little things. Flavor in and out. Burn wonky at times, and even though I never needed a relight, I probably puffed too hard to keep it going a couple of times, perhaps causing the flavor issues. Lots of smoke output. Cap was loose, but it wound up not being a distraction during the smoke. Wrapper looked thin, so take care if that's the case. Pretty cigar, but only for those who like "Full" in power cigars. Even then, I've had some I liked better.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
-- Winston Churchill
"LET'S GO FRANCIS" Peter
Viaje Holiday Blend. Not sure what year this was but it wasn't good. Seemed much larger than 54 rg. It felt like trying to drink water using a garden hose as your straw. Airy, dusty flavor with some spice. Way too easy draw.
Victor Sinclair Series 55 Maduro Robusto. Not bad compared to what I was expecting. Lit it figuring I might have to throw it down since the wife was at a meeting not knowing how long it would take. As it was, I got to smoke about half of it. Had some decent maduro qualities. Rich sweetness and chocolate on the wrapper and first third. Slightly metallic taste turning into lettuce/vegetable taste (my least favorite in a profile) especially when puffing too hard/fast. Problem was that the burn was not great on the wrapper and it needed lots of puffing to stay lit and burn evenly. Pretty much great for a yard gar, but too finicky to worry about while working. Decent giveaway.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
It was a windy day and it carried into the evening with a constant wind around 15-17 mph out of the NE. Gusts were stronger. The maple tree in my back yard, already devoid of leaves was now dropping small branches. The temperature was dropping, but slowly. None of these indications made me think it was great cigar smoking weather, but my wife was gone for a couple hours and I had nothing to do. Not wanting to sacrifice a super premium to windy conditions, I looked for a cheapo that I wouldn't mind throwing out if it got too uncomfortable or if the burn went wonky from the wind. I've received a couple of "grab bag" type promos and some other inexpensive cigars along the way. Not knowing what to try, I grab a Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo. The VS Series 55 Maduro (above) was a pleasant surprise in some ways, so I thought I'd give his brother a shot.
The wrapper was dry and a little uneven in color. The cap wasn't the prettiest, but tasted pretty good. Some dry spice rub flavors came through. The wind was threatening my torch lighter so I did a little scorch on the foot. Not ideal, but cheap cigars and windy days call for it. I did my best. Once I got the thing going and got a few puffs in, the scorched nastiness was gone. I stepped a little farther out on my porch and looked up at the sky. Surprisingly, some scattered clouds were almost stationary up above, blocking Polaris from view, but I did get a good look at the Pleiades and Vega. It was a beautiful night, even with the wind. In fact, the wind made it almost surreal, as I expected the clouds to be scudding across the sky and they weren't.
At any rate, I got my son, who was just chilling reading a book and watching Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, to turn out some lights so I could see the stars even better. He came out and joined me, using Google Sky Map to identify some stars I couldn't identify through the cloud cover. The cigar was smoking quickly, somewhat due to my puffing to keep it burning evenly in the wind, but mostly from construction. I really didn't have any burn issues after the initial light. Flavors will still spice rub, but nothing that kicked me back in strength. This was a solid medium stick with some tendencies toward full. Pepper was more cayenne than black, but not quite that hot. I got some cumin and other spice flavors as well. There's also some leather and wood, but they faded from the first third to the second. In the second third, there's a hint of cream and stone fruit, but this is very slight. In the final third, the wood returns and the cream disappears. The fruit remains and reminds me perhaps of a black cherry, but it begins to get overwhelmed shortly into the third.
I'm finally starting to feel a little miserable and windchapped, so I lay this surprise aside and head in to the warmth of my house. Maybe I wasn't expecting much so this seemed better than it actually was, but I don't think it was the greatest cigar I've ever smoked. I don't think I'd really want to seek out the maduro I smoked before, but I'd certainly try this one again. The Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo Robusto was a solid, if not great, cigar.
I'm not into number ratings since most cigars seem to be in the 80s from everyone who reviews them, unless they think they're really good, then they creep into the 90s. I want to be more realistic. It all seems so arbitrary, and I try to take each cigar as an individual experience. Frankly, I'd put some cigars (DE Natural Root?) in the twenties or thirties, and they'd only get that high for appearance and construction. Some machine mades might score higher because of flavor and burn. The best cigar I've had? Hard to say because I've liked several, but I had a perfect experience with a DC Julius Ceasar once, so it would be in the 90s for sure if I were in to such. This one from VS? With a quick thought about my scale, where anything under 50 would be pretty much unsmokeable to me and under 60 would be something I wouldn't seek out again and might even turn down if offered, this is clearly better than that. It's also better than some cigars I have smoked multiple times. It has some flaws-ugly, quck burn-but the flavors hit most of the time what I'd expect from corojo. This thing is a solid high 70's low 80's stick (my scale). I'd rank it above anything I've had from 5V, except the Cask Strength. It's as good as several AJ cigars and even could hold its own with some DPG blends. Whatever it was, it was perfect for this night. I might change my mind if I were to ever smoke it again, and I'm trying to be realistic with this final paragraph, but this was definitely the best $2 cigar I've ever smoked.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
I as a cigar lover who has not sampled many... appreciate your reviews of the not so frequently smoked cigars
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Oh and that's domestic beer not craft
So, my wife surprised me with a gift last month...a note saying I was going to be receiving CCOM's COTM for a while. I still like to try a variety of cigars, even though I tend to buy and sit on multiples of what I know I like, now (AF Hemingway Maduro Short Story, Oliva CT Reserve, DPG CT, San Cristobal Elegancia, AVO, Oliva V and V Melanio, Tat Miami, DPG Blue, Ashton VSG and LFD Airbenders and DLs.)
At any rate, there are other cigars I love but can't continually purchase if I won't smoke them amidst all the others I already have, especially at higher cost. So, now I can focus on aging some of my backlog more while I try these new ones each month. I couldn't wait on the first shipment, so I lit up the Padilla Habano. I understand this is a resurrected blend. I don't know how it compares with the original, but this was a fine cigar. It was very peppery with some chocolate. I got a lot of chocolate from aroma and the cap before I lit it, so I wonder how much of that was just sitting on my mouth and not actually coming from the smoke? I had some burn issues with this, requiring a couple of touch-ups along the way, but the draw seemed about right. Not sure what was going on with it.
In the end, I really liked this cigar and might have to consider a fiver to see how it does with some rest on it. It'll be something that sits nicely under the V Melanio in strength on my list of cigars to keep on hand if it eventually makes the cut.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
Fairly attractive box press torpedo with some interesting hints of spice and musk.
Lit easily, but burned inconsistently throughout the cigar. It required retouches and extra puffing, affecting the taste.
Flavors had a nice ligero spice, but this was an undertone to the dominant flavors of cardboard, lettuce, and cleaning supplies. I think I might have gotten a cigar in its sick period, because I don't think anyone could like what I'm smoking. Made it through 2/3 of the cigar as it got progressively worse. Don't think I'd drop $11 to try again.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
MOW badge received.
It's been one of those mornings. I use a Keurig to brew coffee a lot of the time. This morning, I used the re-useable doohickie that allows you to use your own coffee. That sentence used a lot of the word "use". Anyway, I have several friends that roast coffee, some professionally; but one of the amateurs gave me some Ethiopian Yerg a bit ago. I got out the grinder and had it perfect for the Keurig. I put it in and push run. 30 seconds later, I realize that my mug is sitting on the kitchen table. Bye bye, expensive Yerg. Should have used the French Press.
One of the reasons for it being "MORNING" is that I was up later than usual. My wife worked late, so I went outside to fiddle with some Christmas lights. I wasn't sure when she'd get home since she was at a meeting expected to go long so I pulled out the CAO Pilon. It smelled of rich soil and chocolate with some hints of sweetness and spice. The lick tasted of strong tobacco. Appearance for this particular stick was nice. The wrapper is a little rough looking, but it's covered by a large band that hid most of the blemishes, which were minor anyway. The cap was applied perfectly. I'm coming to appreciate that more and more, the longer I smoke. After a snip with the perfect cutter, I'm ready to go.
It's a still evening, but not too cold. It is, however, misting and foggy. I keep seeing idiots driving by my house with their brights on. Makes it worse to drive in these conditions. I'm worried how this will affect the burn, but the Pilon takes to fire like it was made for it. Errr. Ummm. Well, it toasted nicely. Burn was even and slow throughout. I did have to touch it up once or twice, but it wasn't an annoyance, I just puffed too slow, which worked for this stick. Even had I puffed more, it was a slow smoke, taking me over 2 hours for a Robusto and keeping me up past my bedtime.
Flavors were spot on, too. I never did taste much chocolate, but it was rich, spicy, balanced, and woody throughout with just a touch of sweetness. On the high end of Medium or the low end of Full in strength, this cigar had a long finish that I tasted well into the later hours of the evening. I also got a very slight nic kick, but it was a delayed effect which didn't hit until about 45 minutes after I set down the smoke partway through the final third when it got squishy.
Too bad I didn't smoke this last week, because they had these on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday at a decent price. I wasn't going to jump without trying them, but I wish I had.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
-- Winston Churchill
"LET'S GO FRANCIS" Peter
At any given time the urge to sing "In The Jungle" is just a whim away... A whim away... A whim away...
The old forum software allowed for a title on each post instead of just the whole thread and when the software changed about a year ago, all those titles went away.
-- Winston Churchill
"LET'S GO FRANCIS" Peter
Any updates @Martel?
At any given time the urge to sing "In The Jungle" is just a whim away... A whim away... A whim away...
I needed a hiatus, gents, so I took one. The ups and downs of life and all happened (and both have happened in this period) but mostly just being busy and distracted. Wow, that may be the most poorly constructed sentence I've ever written.
Some smoking has still happened. I just want to throw out one for the moment.
Pinolero by AJ Fernandez Toro
I received this in a bomb, so thanks to whomever I didn't look up! This stick has right at 4 years of age on it. I found it while digging through the cooler in a pile of random singles. There are lots of cigars out there, but a single here or there makes it difficult to know whether you want to slip something into your rotation, at least for me. I need to smoke a few. That's probably why this sat so long. That, and it is bigger than what I normally smoke so I had to wait for the right time since I didn't want to treat it like a yard gar.
I'm not sure what to expect after the time on this. Being an AJ blend, I expect Ligero heavy flavor, but with the age I suspect it might be mellowed in strength, some. With no fresh baseline of comparison, I've just got to smoke it as-is.
As-is was fantastic.
The pigtail cap is always nice. I did have to clip quite a bit to open the draw, but the cigar held together. Lots of cream and slight red pepper flake flavor on the lick. Toast took some time, but once it got a rose glow, the cigar just burned and burned to the end.
Just to give a general impression, there was a surprising amount of smoothness in this smoke. Flavors blended together, and while there were some distinct transitions, the baseline remained much the same. Wood--cedar and maybe even some mesquite. Cream. Spice--black and red pepper flakes.
If this has mellowed in 4 years, it made it perfect. I don't like when the spice overwhelms the rest of the profile. This was a nice balance. Well done, AJ.
I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot. I will smoke anything, though.
-- Winston Churchill
"LET'S GO FRANCIS" Peter