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Martel's Marvelous Musings on Magnificent Miasmas of Merit

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  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    Lee.mcglynn:
    Camacho Havana it's a great smoke IMO
    Jim thought it might be the Havana. I thought it was great, 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.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    Martel:
    Lee.mcglynn:
    Camacho Havana it's a great smoke IMO
    Jim thought it might be the Havana. I thought it was great, too.
    that was one of my early favorites. that size too. bought a box of them in 2006. i have one left from that box.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    kuzi16:
    Martel:
    Lee.mcglynn:
    Camacho Havana it's a great smoke IMO
    Jim thought it might be the Havana. I thought it was great, too.
    that was one of my early favorites. that size too. bought a box of them in 2006. i have one left from that box.
    Wow, I feel like I just got the Kuzi seal of approval.
    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.
  • kaspera79kaspera79 Posts: 7,257 ✭✭✭
    The Havana happens to be my favorite Camacho.. I could smoke those every day. I haven't tried the latest version of the Camacho line...I sure hope they measure up.
  • pelirrojopelirrojo Posts: 1,757 ✭✭✭
    I actually smoked that exact cigar, also from Jim, on Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it myself. I believe they can be had for a reasonable price still.
  • Lee.mcglynnLee.mcglynn Posts: 5,960 ✭✭✭✭
    kaspera79:
    The Havana happens to be my favorite Camacho.. I could smoke those every day. I haven't tried the latest version of the Camacho line...I sure hope they measure up.
    they don't I've been buying up the old line
    Money can't buy taste
  • Lee.mcglynnLee.mcglynn Posts: 5,960 ✭✭✭✭
    Martel:
    kuzi16:
    Martel:
    Lee.mcglynn:
    Camacho Havana it's a great smoke IMO
    Jim thought it might be the Havana. I thought it was great, too.
    that was one of my early favorites. that size too. bought a box of them in 2006. i have one left from that box.
    Wow, I feel like I just got the Kuzi seal of approval.
    you want a tissue too wipe off your nose lol
    Money can't buy taste
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    kaspera79:
    The Havana happens to be my favorite Camacho.. I could smoke those every day. I haven't tried the latest version of the Camacho line...I sure hope they measure up.
    i smoked an old blend today in the torpedo size.

    i have a few of the new blend. ill do a review when i get around to it.
  • jsnakejsnake Posts: 5,979 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Haven't tried the Havana but I do enjoy the Corojo. Going to add this to my list. I haven't had a Camacho I didn't like.
  • KingoftheCoveKingoftheCove Posts: 937 ✭✭✭
    Lee.mcglynn:
    Camacho Havana it's a great smoke IMO
    +1
    The Petites, once they get a year or so on them...........really really good
  • webmostwebmost Posts: 7,713 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Martel:
    Great smoke.

    Wait, that's two positive reviews in a row! What is wrong with me?
    I'll send a Gurkha someone sent me, if that will help.
    “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)


  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    webmost:
    Martel:
    Great smoke.

    Wait, that's two positive reviews in a row! What is wrong with me?
    I'll send a Gurkha someone sent me, if that will help.
    Almost smoked one yesterday, it being the smallest cigar I have currently.
    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.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    Below is my original review of the DL chiselito. Much better vitola than the Digger, which is just too big at 8.5x60. Flavors were muddied compared to the chiselito and all you really got from it was a feeling of strength-kick butt strength. I did smoke this early in the morning, and it should have been a later in the day smoke. I knew it, but it was when I had the hours. Sort of. This is an all-day cigar and should have been smoked indoors or on a warmer day. As it was, my wife called me in to make lunch after 3 hours, and I still had a robusto left...(I promised my daughter I'd make homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese, so I had to put it down.) I had to sit down while the soup simmered because I got kicked in the gut, and good, for about 20 minutes a quarter of an hour after I stopped smoking. I guess I'm just not man enough.
    Martel:
    I'm loving "Litto Gomez Style"! I smoked this while chillin' alone one afternoon while drinking some ice water. I received this little baby from the wife for V-day. She gave me two, and I've since received one from Jim "Bigshizza" as a contest prize. These won't be enough...

    Pre-light this is a good looking little cigar. The reddish-brown color of the Sumatran wrapper, the oily look, the small chisel tip. The aroma of the cigar is mostly earthy. A lick of the cap reveals sweetness along with the earth. The chisel tip "popped" right open. No cutter needed. I know there are different opinions about how to open a chisel. The chiselito is so small, I don't think I could take a punch to both sides without taking off the end, so squeezing it open seemed the way to go. I might try a cut on the next one though, because it did seem to have some draw issues if my mouth moistened the opening too much.

    The cigar puts off a nice, steady amount of smoke with a small but constantly visible white plume from the foot. I initially have trouble identifying the flavor profile, but I really like it. There is pepper in this cigar, but it's not the predominant flavor and isn't overwhelming. The burn is a little erratic, but not annoyingly so even though this cigar did need one major touch-up.

    Throughout the first third, the strength on this cigar steadily increases and does so into the second third as well. Despite this increase, the smoke is smooth. A lot of malty/grainy flavors become noticeable. I remember a line from Costner's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves; Friar Tuck says, "This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption. Let us give praise to our maker and glory to his bounty by learning about... BEER." And cigars with good grain flavor.

    The ash falls somewhere in the 2nd third. In this middle third I notice some general fruit flavors and some green bell pepper. A little leather also comes into play, but none of these ever overwhelm the other flavors in the profile. At the end of this third and moving into the final third some cedar and pine also get noticed. The cigar is nice and balanced and rich in flavor and feel throughout. Me likey! I want some scotch with my next one!



    Clearly into the final third, the earth, clay, and peat flavors become the most noticeable, but everything else just gets stronger, with perhaps, the green pepper and leather playing second fiddle to the earthy tones, but the leather comes and goes. At the end, there is a slight flavor of cocoa as well.

    The smoke time on this fairly small 5x44 was almost exactly one hour and fifteen minutes from light to nub. I only had three problems with this cigar: 1. It required one major touch-up. 2. The wrapper began to split/peel near the end. 3. It didn't last long enough! This is one of my favorite smokes to date, if not my favorite, ranking right up there with the LP#9. I'm still having some difficulty determining exactly what I tasted in parts of this cigar partly because the flavors were both complex and smooth.

    I give construction an 8/10-it gets docked more for the wrapper splitting than the touch-up. It would have been a 9 otherwise.
    Flavor gets an 9.5/10. I moved this up at the end from my initial 8.5 because of its increasing complexity throughout and because, despite it being fairly strong, it is never harsh.
    Strength is on the low end of "full" but is clearly beyond any simple "medium" cigar in my so far limited experience. It would have seemed much stronger if the flavors hadn't been as smooth.

    If you have not smoked one of these cigars, you need to do so. I might consider buying more of these, probably in a larger vitola, and make them my first aging experiment.
    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.
  • SleevePlzSleevePlz Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭✭
    I was recently gifted a Digger. Obviously, I will smoke it at some point. Might have to wait until summer for a day that I'm doing an all day bonfire or something. I love DL's, but I'm not sure how many hours of the same thing I can take!
    LLA - Lancero Lovers of America
  • Lee.mcglynnLee.mcglynn Posts: 5,960 ✭✭✭✭
    Yup it's a tad too big for my blood...it would take me a couple days too get through one of them!
    Money can't buy taste
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    SleevePlz:
    I was recently gifted a Digger. Obviously, I will smoke it at some point. Might have to wait until summer for a day that I'm doing an all day bonfire or something. I love DL's, but I'm not sure how many hours of the same thing I can take!


    Lee.mcglynn:
    Yup it's a tad too big for my blood...it would take me a couple days too get through one of them!


    I had to stop at the B&M today and buy a chisel to make up for this one!
    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.
  • bbass2bbass2 Posts: 1,059 ✭✭
    I'm really looking forward to firing up the DL Maduro chiselito you sent me for the trivia.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    Don't have much time to write this review, but I wanted to get it up.

    Great smoke; strong, hints of pepper, lots of roasted nuts, and earthy flavors. The draw on mine was really hard through the whole smoke, though.

    My second favorite perfecto so far after the AF Hemingway short story, but I'd rather go for a short story at the Oliva prices; it's that much better. Don't get me wrong, this is a great cigar, and I don't like the other Hemingway's as much as the SS (especially in maduro), I'm just comparing.

    I would probably rate this higher if, in smoking more the draw were regularly easier and if the flavors are consistent. I have had some flavor-discrepancies in the Hemingways.
    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.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    Great cigar in many ways. Looks great and smells great before you even light it up. This thing looks like a sports car ready to jump off the line...well, the cigar version of that anyway.

    Then I have my first problem with the cigar. When I clip the head, the cap just falls off. These things happen, so I do my best to lick the wrapper and stick it down on the corner. It works.

    The cigar starts off very smooth. The flavors linger for a really long time. Leather, earth, cream, nutmeg, vanilla, a slight pine flavor, later on some black pepper. The cigar never rests; its complexity is an attractive quality for me.

    The draw is easy and even, for the most part. I did need a touch-up once but I was smoking it slow at one point and that's what happens.

    The strength on this is near-full; in fact, it might be full, but it's so smooth that you don't notice the strength except in the back of the throat. Especially at the midway point, when the black pepper comes into the flavor profile, my throat starts to pinch with the smoke in my mouth. Once I exhale and sip some water, the pinch would go away until my next draw leaving only a nice mix of flavors. The pinch got progressively worse as I got farther along, to the point that it was quite uncomfortable. Retro made it worse, so I pretty much stopped any of that in the final third.

    I want more. If only to not have to battle the wrapper. Also, I'd like to see if the throat pinch was something environmental/occasional. If not for that, I would have put this near the top of my list. As it is, it's a great cigar, just not in my top 10 after this one trial.
    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.
  • Lee.mcglynnLee.mcglynn Posts: 5,960 ✭✭✭✭
    This is one of my favorite smokes!! Sorry you had some issues with it but for me the strength and flavors are perfect. They get nice and earthy with some age on them and will always be a staple in my humis
    Money can't buy taste
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    Lee.mcglynn:
    This is one of my favorite smokes!! Sorry you had some issues with it but for me the strength and flavors are perfect. They get nice and earthy with some age on them and will always be a staple in my humis
    I'd had a really long day with lots of loud talking which may explain the throat thing. The cap thing happens sometimes; a shame it had to happen with this smoke. I was kind of celebrating some good results at work. There's enough good to it that I'd definitely purchase one to try again. It may very well be in my top 25 for now...definitely in the field but not a top seed.
    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.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    My return to Perdomo was far more successful than any forays into the Lot 23. The Reserve 10th Champagne Robusto was a beautiful golden stick...or was that just the cello? Well, the cello is tinted, which I don't really care for because it hides the cigar from a good inspection. But once I pulled this stick out, it was still a smooth golden wrapper. The aroma was good, but I didn't get much flavor from the cap.

    After a long toast, this lights right up. The roll is loose and the cigar smokes pretty quickly because of that, but not too quickly. Easy draw with that, of course. The flavors are toast, cream, and nutmeg. On the retro, I got some black pepper, but not much in the mouth.

    The combination of flavors is what I expect from a good CT, with the addition of extra pepper in the retro. There wasn't a lot of evolution of flavor through the smoke, but it was pleasurable. Some hints of cedar came and went, and there was some sweetness; however, the construction and ease of smoke are what really stands out on this cigar. The first ash held solid over 2 inches. So did the second. After that I nubbed it. Nothing offensive to this smoke at all in terms of flavors, strength, feel, or construction.

    I paired this with a Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan brown ale, and they went great together. I suspect the cigar would also go well with coffee. Because it is not super-complex, it begs for a pairing. I'll definitely return to this cigar if it proves to be consistent with this particular sitting.
    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.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    My wife started sending some mad emails back and forth with Kelly G. about one of her deals I liked. She ended up purchasing me two samplers and asked what beverages would pair nicely with each of the four smokes she was hooking me up with. The end result was a bouquet unlike any you've seen...

    Bouquet for Men photo IMG_20140224_180337222_zpsbjdmiyic.jpg

    So after she presented me with these gifts, I had to smoke one, even though they were really fresh and had no rest. So I grabbed one of the little bottles and an E.P. Carrillo.

    The smoke started great; the draw was on the tight side of acceptable, but still acceptable pre-light. Flavors weren't super strong, but I noted earth. The first third starts off well with balanced flavors of earth, leather, and some cedar. Not my usual favorite flavor profile, but it was good. Mostly this was because of the feel and long finish to all these flavors.

    The second third was the weakest part of the smoke. I got a lot of vegetable flavors. Grass. Lettuce. I'm going to attribute this to the cigar being so fresh. I can handle fresh-cut grass or hay, but lettuce is a turn-off. This flavor increased throughout the second third. In the middle of the cigar, the draw started to get tighter, as well. This never caused any issues, but it was approaching the uncomfortable.

    When the last third started, the lettuce went, and there was an interesting combination of flavors happening, again. Leather and spice. Some nuts. But then the lettuce returned. It came and went through the remainder of the cigar.

    This was a really solid stick for the most part. Construction is high quality. The appearance is good, if not great. Flavors are mostly good. Conditions were not great, and I don't expect that this is one I should have smoked ROTT. But, I had to smoke one of the gifts from my wife, y'know? She wanted me to be soooo excited, like a kid on Christmas, that I couldn't wait to light one of these babies. In a sense I was that excited, but the Carrillo was victim to humoring that desire. I'll smoke another one in a month or two for comparison.
    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.
  • Darktower007Darktower007 Posts: 2,580 ✭✭✭✭
    Martel:
    My wife started sending some mad emails back and forth with Kelly G. about one of her deals I liked. She ended up purchasing me two samplers and asked what beverages would pair nicely with each of the four smokes she was hooking me up with. The end result was a bouquet unlike any you've seen...

    Bouquet for Men photo IMG_20140224_180337222_zpsbjdmiyic.jpg

    So after she presented me with these gifts, I had to smoke one, even though they were really fresh and had no rest. So I grabbed one of the little bottles and an E.P. Carrillo.

    The smoke started great; the draw was on the tight side of acceptable, but still acceptable pre-light. Flavors weren't super strong, but I noted earth. The first third starts off well with balanced flavors of earth, leather, and some cedar. Not my usual favorite flavor profile, but it was good. Mostly this was because of the feel and long finish to all these flavors.

    The second third was the weakest part of the smoke. I got a lot of vegetable flavors. Grass. Lettuce. I'm going to attribute this to the cigar being so fresh. I can handle fresh-cut grass or hay, but lettuce is a turn-off. This flavor increased throughout the second third. In the middle of the cigar, the draw started to get tighter, as well. This never caused any issues, but it was approaching the uncomfortable.

    When the last third started, the lettuce went, and there was an interesting combination of flavors happening, again. Leather and spice. Some nuts. But then the lettuce returned. It came and went through the remainder of the cigar.

    This was a really solid stick for the most part. Construction is high quality. The appearance is good, if not great. Flavors are mostly good. Conditions were not great, and I don't expect that this is one I should have smoked ROTT. But, I had to smoke one of the gifts from my wife, y'know? She wanted me to be soooo excited, like a kid on Christmas, that I couldn't wait to light one of these babies. In a sense I was that excited, but the Carrillo was victim to humoring that desire. I'll smoke another one in a month or two for comparison.
    If my wife bought me that I'd have a heart attack! Awesomeness!
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    Darktower007:
    If my wife bought me that I'd have a heart attack! Awesomeness!


    It was awesome. I have high hopes for the cigars, but I know my wife is already a super premiprempremium.
    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.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    The BNM had a deal on these so I picked them up. They continued my string of >54 rg smokes gone bad. Rain almost convinced me not to do the review after he pointed out my streak of good smokes I'd reviewed. However, I figured I should put up some thoughts.

    Not a super expensive cigar at $6.60/stick current ccom price, but more than I'd want to pay. But this was a good value from the store at a little less than that+ a B2G1. The store didn't have any smaller vitola than the 6x60 so I went with it. It looks good and smells good. The feel shows a few lumps and bumps in the cigar, but I'm not talking about tooth. These are rolled unevenly or something.

    I took two fireplace matches to toast and light this thing. One side still didn't light. I had continual burn problems on that side...I knew which it was from one of the uneven bits I could feel on the cigar. Draw was good throughout, but one side never stayed lit.

    As far as flavors go, before the light, it smelled like sweet tobacco. The cap was as peppery as any lick I've ever taken, though. I've never had a pvnisher, but I thought this was dipped in habanero sauce or something. Then I cut it. I didn't feel the pepper or taste it much on the draw. Once lit, this was a surprisingly mild cigar without much complexity. Light pepper. Lots of ash/dust flavor. Not super appealing, but not so strong to turn me off completely. Otherwise it was an innocuous smoke.

    I also have a couple of the Connecticuts to try in this same size. I'm kind of dreading it now.
    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.
  • blutattooblutattoo Posts: 1,294 ✭✭✭
    I had similar impressions. Not impressed at all, and my B&M just got almost the whole line in. I wonder if it would be any good in a 46 or 50 rg.
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,013 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Martel:
    My return to Perdomo was far more successful than any forays into the Lot 23. The Reserve 10th Champagne Robusto was a beautiful golden stick...or was that just the cello? Well, the cello is tinted, which I don't really care for because it hides the cigar from a good inspection. But once I pulled this stick out, it was still a smooth golden wrapper. The aroma was good, but I didn't get much flavor from the cap.

    After a long toast, this lights right up. The roll is loose and the cigar smokes pretty quickly because of that, but not too quickly. Easy draw with that, of course. The flavors are toast, cream, and nutmeg. On the retro, I got some black pepper, but not much in the mouth.

    The combination of flavors is what I expect from a good CT, with the addition of extra pepper in the retro. There wasn't a lot of evolution of flavor through the smoke, but it was pleasurable. Some hints of cedar came and went, and there was some sweetness; however, the construction and ease of smoke are what really stands out on this cigar. The first ash held solid over 2 inches. So did the second. After that I nubbed it. Nothing offensive to this smoke at all in terms of flavors, strength, feel, or construction.

    I paired this with a Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan brown ale, and they went great together. I suspect the cigar would also go well with coffee. Because it is not super-complex, it begs for a pairing. I'll definitely return to this cigar if it proves to be consistent with this particular sitting.
    I've had some Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan brown ale before. Been so long I can't recall much about it except I'm pretty sure I liked it. I looked them up online and there's supposedly some local merchants that carry it. I'll get some more. Thanks for reminding me of this brew.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    Bob Luken:
    Martel:
    My return to Perdomo was far more successful than any forays into the Lot 23. The Reserve 10th Champagne Robusto was a beautiful golden stick...or was that just the cello? Well, the cello is tinted, which I don't really care for because it hides the cigar from a good inspection. But once I pulled this stick out, it was still a smooth golden wrapper. The aroma was good, but I didn't get much flavor from the cap.

    After a long toast, this lights right up. The roll is loose and the cigar smokes pretty quickly because of that, but not too quickly. Easy draw with that, of course. The flavors are toast, cream, and nutmeg. On the retro, I got some black pepper, but not much in the mouth.

    The combination of flavors is what I expect from a good CT, with the addition of extra pepper in the retro. There wasn't a lot of evolution of flavor through the smoke, but it was pleasurable. Some hints of cedar came and went, and there was some sweetness; however, the construction and ease of smoke are what really stands out on this cigar. The first ash held solid over 2 inches. So did the second. After that I nubbed it. Nothing offensive to this smoke at all in terms of flavors, strength, feel, or construction.

    I paired this with a Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan brown ale, and they went great together. I suspect the cigar would also go well with coffee. Because it is not super-complex, it begs for a pairing. I'll definitely return to this cigar if it proves to be consistent with this particular sitting.
    I've had some Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan brown ale before. Been so long I can't recall much about it except I'm pretty sure I liked it. I looked them up online and there's supposedly some local merchants that carry it. I'll get some more. Thanks for reminding me of this brew.

    Why, you're welcome! I also like their Jeff Stout Sweet Potato. Yummers. The Pecan is better, but they're both great.
    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.
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    blutattoo:
    I had similar impressions. Not impressed at all, and my B&M just got almost the whole line in. I wonder if it would be any good in a 46 or 50 rg.
    I've got better cigars to buy at that price point, but rg can change a lot, so might be worth a try.
    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.
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