Nub cigars are part of the Studio Tabac studio under the Oliva company umbrella, pioneered by Sam Leccia who eventually broke away and started his own cigar line. This specific Nub, the Maduro 464T is a 4” x 64rg short torpedo with a Brazilian Maduro wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers and binder. I received this in a bomb from Rodger and had this with my morning coffee some french press Piñon coffee from New Mexico.
Construction: 9/10 This is a beefy and solidly rolled short torpedo, and the burn is not razor sharp but doesn't need touching up either. Good draw with plentiful smoke, overall good construction.
Taste: 7/10 Started off very spicy especially on the retohale making my nose itch a bit, red and black pepper with leather and oak. Very big profile and fairly strong cigar, starts at medium and builds in strength throughout the smoke so far. Notes of acidic coffee and some bittersweet dark chocolate flit in and out midway through. Around the halfway point it starts to calm down some thankfully, and leads into chewy and meaty tones with an undercurrent of earthy clay notes. The finish overall is very enjoyable and the main players from earlier are all present but the spice and pepper take a backseat to the newer sweet chocolate flavors with chewy meaty flavors mixing with leather and oak.
Overall: 7.5/10 This was a solid cigar, nothing “wow” but very solid all the same with good flavor and great construction. In the final third it did pick up some sweeter chocolate notes with chewy meaty tones backed by spice, pepper, leather and oak. Overall a good cigar and strength ended medium+ to full-.
Thanks for doing this Brett. Look forward to seeing more reviews. From the choices you gave us to vote on, ive tried them all (and love them) except the hammer and sickle so I'll also cast a vote that way if you're still tallying.
How do you like my profile pic Taborski? @matkn293
Thanks Darrin @skydiverD, while the journaling is for me to be able to reference (as well as others if they ask), me posting it here is for everyone else. So to get some comments on it is encouraging and very rewarding, thanks for the kind words and I appreciate it greatly!
Since that is now two votes for the Hammer and Sickle I will burn that one first tonight and post up a review on it.
Question, does this length of review and detail appeal or do the longer ones that I used to do appeal to everyone more? I know I am a long winded bastid' and was trying to cut down on the rambling and shorten it up, thoughts?
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Hammer and Sickle Tradición Serie - Toro 6” x 50rg
Gifted to me by Nathan @Onestrangeone last year for my birthday on 3/13/15
Hammer and Sickle cigars have some of the most unique and beautiful packaging that I have seen, this one in particular comes from a glass box that weighs enough to bludgeon a bull moose with. Made in the Tabadom cigar factory and blended by Hendrik “Henke” Kelner, these are right in my wheelhouse as I am a serious Kelner fan, loving the mushroom funky muskiness that I find with most all of his blends (a turnoff to many but something that I definitely dig). The wrapper is an Ecuadorian “Cloud Grown” 5 year aged Connecticut shade leaf. I say cloud grown as due to the topography of Ecuador the base of the mountains where much of the tobacco is grown is cloaked in clouds more often than not and leads to a very beautiful cigar leaf with minimal veins and often a velvety feel. The binder and filler tobacco is three year old Dominican leaf and rolled, as mentioned earlier, at the Tabadom factory in the Dominican Republic as well. Founded in 2010 by Eric Hanson, I have had the pleasure of having several of the robusto sized vitola many times before and have very much fallen in love with this cigar and am eager to see what this change in size brings to the table. A mildly interesting side note is that the Churchill vitola won the No. 11 spot in 2015 on Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of the Year list. Lastly the Hammer and Sickle branding is not a representation of the USSR as it is missing a star, this is in fact referring to the industry of the north of Russia and the agriculture of the south of Russia, as sourced from a brief excerpt from Cigar Aficionado’s write up on this cigar (http://top25.cigaraficionado.com/2015/hammer-sickle-tradicion-serie-churchill/).
Construction: 10/10 This is a beautifully constructed cigar with a satiny feel and a perfect draw with good handfeel. Ash holds strong to 2” or more and the burn is stellar. Couldn't ask for a better constructed cigar, awesome!
Taste: 9.5/10 The creamy pepper and spice just explodes on the tongue upon initial light. Surprisingly big, with a dry spice on the retrohale and vanilla cream on the tip of my tongue with white pepper at the back of my throat. By 1” in the pepper and spice calms way down and ratchets back to a mild tingle and a classic Kelner “musk” shows up on the scene big as life and I am loving it. I will say that I have noticed that most people either love the Kelner musk/mushroom or hate it, there is rarely an in-between but luckily I am a guy in love with that profile. Almond and caramel weave in and out seamlessly with the heavy whipping cream, musk, mild mushroom and leather spice creating a very well balanced and surprisingly strong cigar for being a Connecticut Shade wrapper. Mushroom and cedar play the “bass” note in this mix bringing up the bottom and carrying the brighter and richer flavors that are dancing across my palate and lighting up the retro, with highlights of a mild citrus and a very sweet and spicy anise that is like icing on the cake finishing up exactly what I was looking for and feeling like this cigar was tailor made and blended to my palate and tastes… the mark of a truly magnificent cigar in my humble opinion, pure enjoyment!
Overall: 9.5/10 This really was an outstanding cigar, highly complex with terrific balance and a surprising strength that I did not see coming and hadn't really experienced to this degree in the robusto vitola before. Cream, vanilla, musk, mushroom, anise, and caramel with citrus and cedar spicy highlights were the dominate flavors that stuck out to me and carried most all the way through the smoke, a very good mix and very well executed. The construction and burn was spot on and the ash held consistently to over 2” each time before dropping. Overall a truly outstanding cigar that hit me almost perfectly, the only knock against it is that I wasn't really looking or expecting this much strength and spice on this and wish it was just a bit creamier and not quite as spicy and peppery, but honestly that is a very minor complaint and just personal taste.
Thanks for reading any and all feedback is always appreciated!
Thanks Johnny, several years back about 1 year after I had joined Ccom I became determined to advance my palate and really work on it and build it up. It took a lot of work and a lot of practice. I looked at what are the most common "flavors" that show up in cigars and whiskey. So thinks like leather, oiled leather or new leather or old leather. So what I would do for old or oiled leather is I would put my face in an old baseball glove and memorize what that smell/taste is. For wood flavors I would go to a lumber yard and memorize what cedar smelled/taste like, what regular oak was like, red oak, or even white oak.
Hope that helps give you some ideas on how to develop your palate should you want to. I will say the way I did it worked very very well, but it really was work and not just a passing fancy lol.
Thanks for the kind words though Johnny and I am glad you enjoyed the read!
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Gifted to me by Charlie @Charlieheis last year for my birthday on 3/12/15
The Viaje Super Shot is not a new smoke to me, it is however a new smoke for me to put into my journal so on that front I decided to put together a little review today. When André Farkas created the Super Shot this was the reasoning behind it: “I recently took up clay shooting and I noticed something… The cigars I brought weren’t short enough to enjoy between rounds. I’d start smoking and before it was finished it was my time to shoot again, so the smoke kept going out… But it isn’t just for a day out shooting clay. It’s designed to be smoked when time is a factor or while doing any sort of work.” This was taken from a Halfwheel review that can be located here of a similar but different Super Shot (http://halfwheel.com/?p=25401). In that spirit today on my 1 hr lunch break I decided to break into this after having it in my hand today trying to identify a mystery stick sent to me that I lost track of like a dolt, doh! That being said, I have really enjoyed every Super Shot I have had before having tried both the criollo wrapper and the corojo with the corojo being my favorite due to the sweet and chewy tones I typically get from them. In this case the 12 gauge is rolled at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras where many of the Viaje cigars are made, and the wrapper, binder and filler are all Nicaraguan to my knowledge. Well with all of that out of the way lets get down to the review…
Construction: 8/10 This is a very toothy wrapper with some “grit” to the feel when running your fingers along the wrapper coming off with a very minor amount of oil. I am not surprised as this does have nearly 1.5 years of rest on it and isn't quite as oily as when I initially received it. Their are some moderate veins running along the short length of the cigar and is rolled tight with a closed foot that is very appealing. The cigar lights quickly with a triple torch and produces from the get go a voluminous amount of smoke. The ash holds well to over 1.5” without issue though I choose to ash at that point so I don't end up wearing it. The only slight downside is that the burn is a bit wavy and wonky and needs minor touching up here and there, though by no means does it detract from the enjoyment of smoking this tasty stick.
Taste: 9.5/10 Upon lighting there is a bit of spice and some mild pepper but it is well balanced by a sweet and chewy combination of leather, meaty notes, cocoa and some woody caramel flavors that work well together. So far it is really hitting my palate quite well! The sweetness of the corojo wrapper is very evident and does a remarkably good job balancing the pepper and spice along wit hate heavy undercurrent of the chewy and meaty wood and death tones that carry the profile and are always present underneath everything else. Further in and the pepper has all but disappeared and the profile is dominated by the sweet and chewy caramel and meat flavor with a balance of cocoa and earthy wood and mild spice on the retrohale that keeps things interesting, so very good! By the end down near the very nub of it the spice comes back with a bit of heat due to how close I nubbed this but helps to offset the sweetness and I enjoy the balance.
Overall: 9/10 Ive had these several times before and always enjoyed them, but with nearly 1.5 years of rest on this I have to say I enjoy it even more and the spice and pepper calmed down and are now in better harmony with the rest of the chewy sweet flavors, and the corojo wrapper is definitely my favorite of the bunch! Sweet and chewy with rich and meaty flavors and a surprisingly good balance between sweet, chewy and spicy with a touch of pepper. I love these and this was just another great example of why, thanks Charlie!
Thanks for reading and as always love comments so please say something!
What a cool name, Angel’s Anvil, provocative and conjuring images of biblical scenes and Old Testament vengeance. For this year, the third year of the TAA Crowned Heads release of the same name, we find a incredibly dark and tantalizing Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. Looking about as close to a snickers bar as possible I immediately started dreaming of lighting this up when my buddy Brad first sent this to me. Curious where the name Angel’s Anvil came from I did some research and found this on a Halfwheel article about it (http://halfwheel.com/crowned-heads-announces-2016-version-of-the-angels-anvil), apparently a story made up by Crowned Heads co-owner Jon Huber and his journey from CAO to Crowned Heads.
“Legend has it that there was one fallen angel, in particular, who fell to Earth from the heavens, finding himself alone and lost. Unlike other fallen angels who were content to wander the earth in a soulless state of purgatory, this angel became bound and determined to find his way back to Heaven.
The angel soon realized that his only way back would be for him to forge a new set of wings by which he could ascend back to the heavenly skies. He walked the countryside for days and days, until he came upon a blacksmith. The blacksmith gave the angel a hammer and an anvil, and said to him, “With these tools you will forge your new wings. With these wings, you will announce the words, ‘Ascend Word He,‘ and you will find your way home.”
Made at the famed Dominican factory, Ernesto Perez-Carillo Jr.’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. this is a truly beautiful cigar and the presentation is outstanding. Now enough gabbing, time to light this bad boy up and get to smoking!
Construction: 10/10 If there was ever a cigar that looked like a chocolate bar this is it. An oily and seamless wrapper with a heavy box press and a prefect draw with just a bit of resistance resulting in voluminous smoke production and utter joy. The burn is fairly neat though a few very minor touch ups are needed, mostly for my own preference though and not surprising for such a new cigar with so little rest and such an oily and velvety handfeel. The ash holds steady to well over an inch, approaching an inch and a half and is fairly dense without being too flaky. Overall a impeccably made cigar and joy to smoke construction wise.
Taste: 10/10 This Anvil started out with a spicy pepper blast, like a kick to the teeth, but within the first quarter inch clams down and nearly disappears resulting in a deep milk chocolate and caramel peanut, but the finish… oh man the finish is just remarkable! Long and extremely unique showing a very slight minty character that flits like smoke you cant hold in your hand, tantalizing you just in and out of the profile. By an inch in the pepper is nonexistent and the chocolate is dominating with caramel, peanut, anise, and the mint flavor has grown to show up clearly in the profile not just on the finish, much more distinct and mixing in perfect harmony with the chocolate and anise like a mint infused candy bar, its incredible! Into the second 1/4 and the minty anise comes on big and is fighting for the top spot, blanked out perfectly with the milk chocolate and peanut/caramel mix with highlights of a bright and crisp citrus zest that is subtle but there right on the finish with the retrohale. As the Anvil comes to a close the dominant profile was a perfect harmony between the minty zesty anise and chocolate caramel and peanut with some spice through the nose, it is incredible and an absolute joy of a smoking experience!
Overall: 10/10 This was such a ream of a cigar to smoke, the construction, draw and flavor profile were just perfect and hit my palate like it was made just for me, truly a remarkable and perfect for me smoke!
Thanks for reading and as always comments are welcome and appreciated!
Glad you enjoyed it Brett. It is definitely looking like this is going to be one that needs to be buried in the cooler so I dont go through them too quickly.
Team O'Donnell FTW!
"I've got a great cigar collection - it's actually not a collection, because that would imply I wasn't going to smoke ever last one of 'em." - Ron White
Thanks or that review! I look forward to the Angels Anvil 2016. I loved the 2015
Keep up the good work, and youre to blame for my wallet's demise!
Thanks Darrin @skydiverD, glad you enjoyed the read and hahaha happy to help burn through the wallet these are definitely box worthy and I would pick up a box if it were in the cards right now. Another time for sure, but if you can I encourage you to do so these are naughty good!
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Glad you enjoyed it Brett! I think it's one of the best smokes on the market at the moment and can't get any worse with age! I did like the citrus notes...the were not acrid but yet sweet and fruity. To me that's a very enjoyable not to have in any cigar. IMHO one of the best limited releases to date
Glad you enjoyed it Brett! I think it's one of the best smokes on the market at the moment and can't get any worse with age! I did like the citrus notes...the were not acrid but yet sweet and fruity. To me that's a very enjoyable not to have in any cigar. IMHO one of the best limited releases to date
Thanks a lot Lee, I grabbed one of the two I had one of which was from you and I just happened to grab the one that Brad had sent me, so grateful to you that I have another to smoke because these were absolutely brilliant and certainly box worthy, when I have some spare funds maybe they will still be available! Did you get that minty anise note that I got, that was one of my favorite parts as well as the citrus notes.
Thanks for commenting and glad you enjoyed the read brother, several more I posted up recently as well hope you enjoy those too
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Satori translated from Japanese means roughly “Sudden spiritual enlightenment” and inside of most boxes is a small note that says the following from André Farkas as found on Halfwheel (http://halfwheel.com/viaje-satori-zen): “Satori is the Japanese word for enlightenment, used to refer to a deep or lasting realization of the nature of existence. Experience has shown there are many paths to enlightenment: some may meditate, while others may practice Yoga. For me, cigars have often been the catalyst for achieving heightened awareness and a greater understanding of our complex and changing world. I have had the good fortune to meet many interesting people with whom I have spent countless hours deep in conversation with a fine cigar in hand. The experiences they shared with me, while we enjoyed our fine cigars, have truly enriched my life. This Cigar is a tribute to the enlightenment one can achieve while indulging in one of life’s great luxuries.” With a lead of like this I have to say I am very very excited for what is to come and hope that the experience lives up to the legend, because I have heard almost nothing but rave reports on these cigars. A little known fact is that the boxes were made outside of the USA due to the process of depositing the gold on the boxes being illegal in the United States. Released originally in 2010 these have been around for over 6 years now, but oddly enough I have not ever smoked one until tonight, now that its about to change and I type this out ahead of time (having a toddler makes anything interesting and me doing my research is much easier at naptime lol) I find myself extremely anxious as I have been but few times for such a cigar. Now lets get down to brass tacts and find out what makes up this cigar. The wrapper is, as you would expect with nearly a midnight black wrapper, a Nicaraguan Oscuro wrapper with Nicaraguan fillers and binder coming out of the Raíces Cubanas factory in Honduras where many award winning cigars have been produced over the last 5 years. With the details out of the way and my bit of rambling done, its time to put fire and find enlightenment with this beauty!!!
Construction: 9/10 The Oscuro leaf on this cigar is just a beauty, black as night and oily like few other sticks I come across. There is very minor damage to the foot and a small crack near the head, but this is due to the cigar traveling with me during a move and being very minorly damaged in transit. Overall the construction is very good with few visible seams and very minor veins leaving this visually quite enticing. The draw after punching with my Xikar 009 punch is dead nuts on generating plentiful smoke that is lush and white, and the burn is mostly straight with a little wave and ash holds well to over an inch and is dense. Overall a well constructed gem!
Taste: 10/10 From the very first light it is already a flavor bomb, pouring out delicious notes of rich milk chocolate with roasted peanut and charred red meat with leather and oak. Rich and decadent is the name of the game here and is already outstanding! In the retrohale there is a faint hint of spic with some mineral, leather, caramel and a touch of anise… so good! A bit further in and the charred red meat flavor becomes more pronounced alongside the oak and oily leather which is making my mouth water and producing a grin a mile wide! The chocolate is very much still there but carrying the profile from the bottom. Balancing out the nutty chewy sweetness is a touch of red pepper spice with a mineral rich earth note. The further in this gets and the richer and more luxurious it gets as well, staying extremely balanced with a mild spice and charred meat flavor, absolute nirvana! The spice and anise come one much bigger towards the end, and it is a great counterpart to the decadent chocolate, peanut, caramel, leather and oak. Towards the end a buttery note shows up next to and intermingling with the mildly spicy anise and is a surprise but very welcome and tastes outstanding and puts a bow on top of this present, a terrific smoke all around!
Overall: 9/10 This was such a rich cigar, it was overflowing with flavor and chewiness and sweetness from the very first puff which was surprising enough on its own, this was one of the most flavor rich and palate heavy cigars I have had for a while. The strength was a medium to medium full and complimented the heavy flavors well, keeping itself well balanced which is something I look for and is important to me in a great cigar. Overall this really was a gem and something that without question is box worthy and worth tracking down!
Thanks for reading and as always comments are welcome and encouraged!
Thanks again Brett for another great review. I think you are spot on,I've smoked one of these and have one more in the humi. Probably the best cigar I have smoked,so far
Thanks again Brett for another great review. I think you are spot on,I've smoked one of these and have one more in the humi. Probably the best cigar I have smoked,so far
Thanks Johnny that means a lot and I appreciate it I agree it is a truly remarkable gem of a cigar and rates up in the top 10 I've smoked this year though I've b fortunate to have a number of truly amazing cigars this year so that's hard lol! Thanks for the reply and the kind words I always like hearing comments back!
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
thanks, Brett, I'm learning a lot from your reviews, keep it up. Only problem is now I want/need to acquire more cigars and I already have more than enough. I was looking at the Satori and the Hammer & Sickle just the other day.
thanks, Brett, I'm learning a lot from your reviews, keep it up. Only problem is now I want/need to acquire more cigars and I already have more than enough. I was looking at the Satori and the Hammer & Sickle just the other day.
Thanks Edward I really appreciate the encouragement and kind words. I do know what you mean as I read reviews too especially the Leaf and Libations ones and a lot of theirs made me want to find some too, in fact that's why I picked up the Cote Lat today, so I get it. Especially for a morning or early afternoon blend that Hammer and Sickle is excellent and I believe can be had fairly reasonably with some searching. There is enough strength and spice to keep you interested but the creamy and rich notes keep you coming back for more. As for the Satori, it is such a good cigar I could easily smoke those daily if I had boxes of them lol, both I would say are box worthy in my mind at least. Thanks again and always love comments
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Soon to be published AVO XO robusto, morning smoke paired with my coffee so not as detailed since the coffee is definitely influencing my palate but a small write up coming all the same.
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
As many know AVO cigars are named after famous Armenian-American jazz pianist and musician Avo Uvezian, who this year is 90 years old. The Intermezzo size refers to a musical term who's definition is a short connecting instrumental movement in an opera or other musical work, For a robusto size this is a perfect little comparison as these are generally shorter time period smokes. The XO line is marked as the cream of the crop for his regular production lines and as per the AVO website (http://www.avo.com) every leaf in the cigar is aged at least 6 years and says the following: “Avo’s legacy captured in every format, with tobacco aged for at least six years, artistically woven into each cigar. A masterpiece meant for special occasions. A remarkably smooth, yet richly complex, medium-bodied composition balanced with notes of wood, spice, and dry sweet fruit.” As I woke up surprisingly early this morning I decided that a mild and rich cigar would pair well with my french press coffee and picked out this beauty to sacrifice on the alter of ash. So with that lead in, lets get down to the review…
Construction: 9/10 The draw starts out a little tight but by 1” in it opens tip and is no longer a problem. The wrapper is seamless and velvety to the touch with minimal veins and is very attractive. The burn though is something special, this may very well be the straightest and sharpest burn I have ever had on a cigar wit the ash holding tightly to well over 2” before it finally drops… in my lap naturally lol. Overall wonderful construction and if it wasn't tight at the beginning would have earned a perfect score, as it is it was perfect once the draw loosened up!
Taste: 9/10 Pairing this XO with my morning coffee and cream, this cigars fits the bill perfectly as a morning companion. A very mild smoke, though loaded with subtle and rich flavors. Cream and rich notes of heavy cream, vanilla, subtle caramel, almond, hay and a little acidic coffee like a veranda roast with a touch of sandalwood. The flavors are very well balanced together with no one note domineering over another but rather working seamlessly together to deliver a flowing symphony of flavors that blend from one note to the next like liquid, leading to a perfect morning companion as I watch the sky light up. There are very minor undercurrents of aged leather partnered next to the sandalwood mentioned earlier, but they are very subtle and need to be focused on to really pick out though they do show up with some mild spice in the retrohale a bit clearer and offer a nice contrast to the sweetness of the other flavors. As the cigar starts nearing the end and getting into the final third, the coffee and sandalwood flavors show up much more prominently and the classic Kelner musk (this is another Henrik Kelner blend, woot!) starts to rear its face which works so well for my palate alongside the creamy and woody and leathery flavors that it currently has going. There is also a surprising yet refined note of a mild spiced anise that balances the more medium strength and flavor profile well, and leads to a truly memorable end to a great cigar!
Overall: 9/10 This started out a bit tight and just slightly harsh due to the tightness which led to some heat. However, by one inch in it had transformed into a terrific cigar with rich and creamy flavors and a perfect morning companion to my cup of french press coffee and watching to sky light up. By the end of the XO the flavors and even to some degree the strength ramped up and finished perfectly, everything I was looking for and wanting and a perfect start to the day!
Thanks for reading, I hope that everyone got something useful from it and enjoyed the little journey that I tried to take you on. As always comments are encouraged and appreciated so please feel free to leave some, good or bad anything helps me to improve!
Thanks again Brett. I agreed word for word on the Satori. I love that stick. I'll check on which versions of AVO I have. A few miscellaneous that I haven't tried yet. Been trying to give them some rest before smoking.
So, what's next? Give us some vote opportunities
How do you like my profile pic Taborski? @matkn293
Thanks Darrin, appreciate that and I am a big AVO fan so hope you enjoy the ones you have as I have as well!
As for voting, I like that idea a lot, here is what I am considering reviewing next:
1. Lat La Mission 1989 2. Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Limitada 3. Matilde Renacer 4. Crowned Heads La Imperiosa 5. AVO Synchro Nicaragua 6. Tatuaje TAA 2016 7. Smoking Jacket - Hendrik Kelner Jr's first cigar blend on his own (Henke's son)
Brett
"When walking in open territory bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask them to stop. If they do not stop, destroy them."
Comments
I bet that could be used as a neat makeshift ashtray too though, some expensive packaging!
Brett
"I ain't got no Opus's"
LLA - Lancero Lovers of America
2016 Gang War (South)
May I assss u a ?
Brett
Nub Maduro - 464 T 4” x 64rg Torpedo
Gifted by Rodger @First_Warrior 2/15
Nub cigars are part of the Studio Tabac studio under the Oliva company umbrella, pioneered by Sam Leccia who eventually broke away and started his own cigar line. This specific Nub, the Maduro 464T is a 4” x 64rg short torpedo with a Brazilian Maduro wrapper and Nicaraguan fillers and binder. I received this in a bomb from Rodger and had this with my morning coffee some french press Piñon coffee from New Mexico.
Construction: 9/10 This is a beefy and solidly rolled short torpedo, and the burn is not razor sharp but doesn't need touching up either. Good draw with plentiful smoke, overall good construction.
Taste: 7/10 Started off very spicy especially on the retohale making my nose itch a bit, red and black pepper with leather and oak. Very big profile and fairly strong cigar, starts at medium and builds in strength throughout the smoke so far. Notes of acidic coffee and some bittersweet dark chocolate flit in and out midway through. Around the halfway point it starts to calm down some thankfully, and leads into chewy and meaty tones with an undercurrent of earthy clay notes. The finish overall is very enjoyable and the main players from earlier are all present but the spice and pepper take a backseat to the newer sweet chocolate flavors with chewy meaty flavors mixing with leather and oak.
Overall: 7.5/10 This was a solid cigar, nothing “wow” but very solid all the same with good flavor and great construction. In the final third it did pick up some sweeter chocolate notes with chewy meaty tones backed by spice, pepper, leather and oak. Overall a good cigar and strength ended medium+ to full-.
Brett
Since that is now two votes for the Hammer and Sickle I will burn that one first tonight and post up a review on it.
Question, does this length of review and detail appeal or do the longer ones that I used to do appeal to everyone more? I know I am a long winded bastid' and was trying to cut down on the rambling and shorten it up, thoughts?
Brett
Hammer and Sickle Tradición Serie - Toro 6” x 50rg
Gifted to me by Nathan @Onestrangeone last year for my birthday on 3/13/15
Hammer and Sickle cigars have some of the most unique and beautiful packaging that I have seen, this one in particular comes from a glass box that weighs enough to bludgeon a bull moose with. Made in the Tabadom cigar factory and blended by Hendrik “Henke” Kelner, these are right in my wheelhouse as I am a serious Kelner fan, loving the mushroom funky muskiness that I find with most all of his blends (a turnoff to many but something that I definitely dig). The wrapper is an Ecuadorian “Cloud Grown” 5 year aged Connecticut shade leaf. I say cloud grown as due to the topography of Ecuador the base of the mountains where much of the tobacco is grown is cloaked in clouds more often than not and leads to a very beautiful cigar leaf with minimal veins and often a velvety feel. The binder and filler tobacco is three year old Dominican leaf and rolled, as mentioned earlier, at the Tabadom factory in the Dominican Republic as well. Founded in 2010 by Eric Hanson, I have had the pleasure of having several of the robusto sized vitola many times before and have very much fallen in love with this cigar and am eager to see what this change in size brings to the table. A mildly interesting side note is that the Churchill vitola won the No. 11 spot in 2015 on Cigar Aficionado’s Top 25 Cigars of the Year list. Lastly the Hammer and Sickle branding is not a representation of the USSR as it is missing a star, this is in fact referring to the industry of the north of Russia and the agriculture of the south of Russia, as sourced from a brief excerpt from Cigar Aficionado’s write up on this cigar (http://top25.cigaraficionado.com/2015/hammer-sickle-tradicion-serie-churchill/).
Construction: 10/10 This is a beautifully constructed cigar with a satiny feel and a perfect draw with good handfeel. Ash holds strong to 2” or more and the burn is stellar. Couldn't ask for a better constructed cigar, awesome!
Taste: 9.5/10 The creamy pepper and spice just explodes on the tongue upon initial light. Surprisingly big, with a dry spice on the retrohale and vanilla cream on the tip of my tongue with white pepper at the back of my throat. By 1” in the pepper and spice calms way down and ratchets back to a mild tingle and a classic Kelner “musk” shows up on the scene big as life and I am loving it. I will say that I have noticed that most people either love the Kelner musk/mushroom or hate it, there is rarely an in-between but luckily I am a guy in love with that profile. Almond and caramel weave in and out seamlessly with the heavy whipping cream, musk, mild mushroom and leather spice creating a very well balanced and surprisingly strong cigar for being a Connecticut Shade wrapper. Mushroom and cedar play the “bass” note in this mix bringing up the bottom and carrying the brighter and richer flavors that are dancing across my palate and lighting up the retro, with highlights of a mild citrus and a very sweet and spicy anise that is like icing on the cake finishing up exactly what I was looking for and feeling like this cigar was tailor made and blended to my palate and tastes… the mark of a truly magnificent cigar in my humble opinion, pure enjoyment!
Overall: 9.5/10 This really was an outstanding cigar, highly complex with terrific balance and a surprising strength that I did not see coming and hadn't really experienced to this degree in the robusto vitola before. Cream, vanilla, musk, mushroom, anise, and caramel with citrus and cedar spicy highlights were the dominate flavors that stuck out to me and carried most all the way through the smoke, a very good mix and very well executed. The construction and burn was spot on and the ash held consistently to over 2” each time before dropping. Overall a truly outstanding cigar that hit me almost perfectly, the only knock against it is that I wasn't really looking or expecting this much strength and spice on this and wish it was just a bit creamier and not quite as spicy and peppery, but honestly that is a very minor complaint and just personal taste.
Thanks for reading any and all feedback is always appreciated!
Brett
Hope that helps give you some ideas on how to develop your palate should you want to. I will say the way I did it worked very very well, but it really was work and not just a passing fancy lol.
Thanks for the kind words though Johnny and I am glad you enjoyed the read!
Brett
Brett
Viaje Super Shot 12 Gauge - Nub 31/4” x 52rg
Gifted to me by Charlie @Charlieheis last year for my birthday on 3/12/15
The Viaje Super Shot is not a new smoke to me, it is however a new smoke for me to put into my journal so on that front I decided to put together a little review today. When André Farkas created the Super Shot this was the reasoning behind it: “I recently took up clay shooting and I noticed something… The cigars I brought weren’t short enough to enjoy between rounds. I’d start smoking and before it was finished it was my time to shoot again, so the smoke kept going out… But it isn’t just for a day out shooting clay. It’s designed to be smoked when time is a factor or while doing any sort of work.” This was taken from a Halfwheel review that can be located here of a similar but different Super Shot (http://halfwheel.com/?p=25401). In that spirit today on my 1 hr lunch break I decided to break into this after having it in my hand today trying to identify a mystery stick sent to me that I lost track of like a dolt, doh! That being said, I have really enjoyed every Super Shot I have had before having tried both the criollo wrapper and the corojo with the corojo being my favorite due to the sweet and chewy tones I typically get from them. In this case the 12 gauge is rolled at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras where many of the Viaje cigars are made, and the wrapper, binder and filler are all Nicaraguan to my knowledge. Well with all of that out of the way lets get down to the review…
Construction: 8/10 This is a very toothy wrapper with some “grit” to the feel when running your fingers along the wrapper coming off with a very minor amount of oil. I am not surprised as this does have nearly 1.5 years of rest on it and isn't quite as oily as when I initially received it. Their are some moderate veins running along the short length of the cigar and is rolled tight with a closed foot that is very appealing. The cigar lights quickly with a triple torch and produces from the get go a voluminous amount of smoke. The ash holds well to over 1.5” without issue though I choose to ash at that point so I don't end up wearing it. The only slight downside is that the burn is a bit wavy and wonky and needs minor touching up here and there, though by no means does it detract from the enjoyment of smoking this tasty stick.
Taste: 9.5/10 Upon lighting there is a bit of spice and some mild pepper but it is well balanced by a sweet and chewy combination of leather, meaty notes, cocoa and some woody caramel flavors that work well together. So far it is really hitting my palate quite well! The sweetness of the corojo wrapper is very evident and does a remarkably good job balancing the pepper and spice along wit hate heavy undercurrent of the chewy and meaty wood and death tones that carry the profile and are always present underneath everything else. Further in and the pepper has all but disappeared and the profile is dominated by the sweet and chewy caramel and meat flavor with a balance of cocoa and earthy wood and mild spice on the retrohale that keeps things interesting, so very good! By the end down near the very nub of it the spice comes back with a bit of heat due to how close I nubbed this but helps to offset the sweetness and I enjoy the balance.
Overall: 9/10 Ive had these several times before and always enjoyed them, but with nearly 1.5 years of rest on this I have to say I enjoy it even more and the spice and pepper calmed down and are now in better harmony with the rest of the chewy sweet flavors, and the corojo wrapper is definitely my favorite of the bunch! Sweet and chewy with rich and meaty flavors and a surprisingly good balance between sweet, chewy and spicy with a touch of pepper. I love these and this was just another great example of why, thanks Charlie!
Thanks for reading and as always love comments so please say something!
Brett
Crowned Heads Angel’s Anvil TAA 2016 - 51/2” x 54rg box pressed
Gifted to me by Brad @Avengethis 7/16
What a cool name, Angel’s Anvil, provocative and conjuring images of biblical scenes and Old Testament vengeance. For this year, the third year of the TAA Crowned Heads release of the same name, we find a incredibly dark and tantalizing Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper with Nicaraguan binder and fillers. Looking about as close to a snickers bar as possible I immediately started dreaming of lighting this up when my buddy Brad first sent this to me. Curious where the name Angel’s Anvil came from I did some research and found this on a Halfwheel article about it (http://halfwheel.com/crowned-heads-announces-2016-version-of-the-angels-anvil), apparently a story made up by Crowned Heads co-owner Jon Huber and his journey from CAO to Crowned Heads.
“Legend has it that there was one fallen angel, in particular, who fell to Earth from the heavens, finding himself alone and lost. Unlike other fallen angels who were content to wander the earth in a soulless state of purgatory, this angel became bound and determined to find his way back to Heaven.
The angel soon realized that his only way back would be for him to forge a new set of wings by which he could ascend back to the heavenly skies. He walked the countryside for days and days, until he came upon a blacksmith. The blacksmith gave the angel a hammer and an anvil, and said to him, “With these tools you will forge your new wings. With these wings, you will announce the words, ‘Ascend Word He,‘ and you will find your way home.”
Made at the famed Dominican factory, Ernesto Perez-Carillo Jr.’s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. this is a truly beautiful cigar and the presentation is outstanding. Now enough gabbing, time to light this bad boy up and get to smoking!
Construction: 10/10 If there was ever a cigar that looked like a chocolate bar this is it. An oily and seamless wrapper with a heavy box press and a prefect draw with just a bit of resistance resulting in voluminous smoke production and utter joy. The burn is fairly neat though a few very minor touch ups are needed, mostly for my own preference though and not surprising for such a new cigar with so little rest and such an oily and velvety handfeel. The ash holds steady to well over an inch, approaching an inch and a half and is fairly dense without being too flaky. Overall a impeccably made cigar and joy to smoke construction wise.
Taste: 10/10 This Anvil started out with a spicy pepper blast, like a kick to the teeth, but within the first quarter inch clams down and nearly disappears resulting in a deep milk chocolate and caramel peanut, but the finish… oh man the finish is just remarkable! Long and extremely unique showing a very slight minty character that flits like smoke you cant hold in your hand, tantalizing you just in and out of the profile. By an inch in the pepper is nonexistent and the chocolate is dominating with caramel, peanut, anise, and the mint flavor has grown to show up clearly in the profile not just on the finish, much more distinct and mixing in perfect harmony with the chocolate and anise like a mint infused candy bar, its incredible! Into the second 1/4 and the minty anise comes on big and is fighting for the top spot, blanked out perfectly with the milk chocolate and peanut/caramel mix with highlights of a bright and crisp citrus zest that is subtle but there right on the finish with the retrohale. As the Anvil comes to a close the dominant profile was a perfect harmony between the minty zesty anise and chocolate caramel and peanut with some spice through the nose, it is incredible and an absolute joy of a smoking experience!
Overall: 10/10 This was such a ream of a cigar to smoke, the construction, draw and flavor profile were just perfect and hit my palate like it was made just for me, truly a remarkable and perfect for me smoke!
Thanks for reading and as always comments are welcome and appreciated!
Brett
"I've got a great cigar collection - it's actually not a collection, because that would imply I wasn't going to smoke ever last one of 'em." - Ron White
Brett
Keep up the good work, and youre to blame for my wallet's demise!
Brett
Thanks for commenting and glad you enjoyed the read brother, several more I posted up recently as well hope you enjoy those too
Brett
Viaje Satori Nirvana - 6” x 50rg
Gifted to me by Roman @Trident dated 5/3/11
Satori translated from Japanese means roughly “Sudden spiritual enlightenment” and inside of most boxes is a small note that says the following from André Farkas as found on Halfwheel (http://halfwheel.com/viaje-satori-zen): “Satori is the Japanese word for enlightenment, used to refer to a deep or lasting realization of the nature of existence. Experience has shown there are many paths to enlightenment: some may meditate, while others may practice Yoga. For me, cigars have often been the catalyst for achieving heightened awareness and a greater understanding of our complex and changing world. I have had the good fortune to meet many interesting people with whom I have spent countless hours deep in conversation with a fine cigar in hand. The experiences they shared with me, while we enjoyed our fine cigars, have truly enriched my life. This Cigar is a tribute to the enlightenment one can achieve while indulging in one of life’s great luxuries.” With a lead of like this I have to say I am very very excited for what is to come and hope that the experience lives up to the legend, because I have heard almost nothing but rave reports on these cigars. A little known fact is that the boxes were made outside of the USA due to the process of depositing the gold on the boxes being illegal in the United States. Released originally in 2010 these have been around for over 6 years now, but oddly enough I have not ever smoked one until tonight, now that its about to change and I type this out ahead of time (having a toddler makes anything interesting and me doing my research is much easier at naptime lol) I find myself extremely anxious as I have been but few times for such a cigar. Now lets get down to brass tacts and find out what makes up this cigar. The wrapper is, as you would expect with nearly a midnight black wrapper, a Nicaraguan Oscuro wrapper with Nicaraguan fillers and binder coming out of the Raíces Cubanas factory in Honduras where many award winning cigars have been produced over the last 5 years. With the details out of the way and my bit of rambling done, its time to put fire and find enlightenment with this beauty!!!
Construction: 9/10 The Oscuro leaf on this cigar is just a beauty, black as night and oily like few other sticks I come across. There is very minor damage to the foot and a small crack near the head, but this is due to the cigar traveling with me during a move and being very minorly damaged in transit. Overall the construction is very good with few visible seams and very minor veins leaving this visually quite enticing. The draw after punching with my Xikar 009 punch is dead nuts on generating plentiful smoke that is lush and white, and the burn is mostly straight with a little wave and ash holds well to over an inch and is dense. Overall a well constructed gem!
Taste: 10/10 From the very first light it is already a flavor bomb, pouring out delicious notes of rich milk chocolate with roasted peanut and charred red meat with leather and oak. Rich and decadent is the name of the game here and is already outstanding! In the retrohale there is a faint hint of spic with some mineral, leather, caramel and a touch of anise… so good! A bit further in and the charred red meat flavor becomes more pronounced alongside the oak and oily leather which is making my mouth water and producing a grin a mile wide! The chocolate is very much still there but carrying the profile from the bottom. Balancing out the nutty chewy sweetness is a touch of red pepper spice with a mineral rich earth note. The further in this gets and the richer and more luxurious it gets as well, staying extremely balanced with a mild spice and charred meat flavor, absolute nirvana! The spice and anise come one much bigger towards the end, and it is a great counterpart to the decadent chocolate, peanut, caramel, leather and oak. Towards the end a buttery note shows up next to and intermingling with the mildly spicy anise and is a surprise but very welcome and tastes outstanding and puts a bow on top of this present, a terrific smoke all around!
Overall: 9/10 This was such a rich cigar, it was overflowing with flavor and chewiness and sweetness from the very first puff which was surprising enough on its own, this was one of the most flavor rich and palate heavy cigars I have had for a while. The strength was a medium to medium full and complimented the heavy flavors well, keeping itself well balanced which is something I look for and is important to me in a great cigar. Overall this really was a gem and something that without question is box worthy and worth tracking down!
Thanks for reading and as always comments are welcome and encouraged!
Brett
Brett
Brett
Brett
AVO XO - Robusto “Intermezzo” 5” x 50rg
Gifted to me by Nathan @Onestrangeone 3/15 dated 9/13
As many know AVO cigars are named after famous Armenian-American jazz pianist and musician Avo Uvezian, who this year is 90 years old. The Intermezzo size refers to a musical term who's definition is a short connecting instrumental movement in an opera or other musical work, For a robusto size this is a perfect little comparison as these are generally shorter time period smokes. The XO line is marked as the cream of the crop for his regular production lines and as per the AVO website (http://www.avo.com) every leaf in the cigar is aged at least 6 years and says the following: “Avo’s legacy captured in every format, with tobacco aged for at least six years, artistically woven into each cigar. A masterpiece meant for special occasions. A remarkably smooth, yet richly complex, medium-bodied composition balanced with notes of wood, spice, and dry sweet fruit.” As I woke up surprisingly early this morning I decided that a mild and rich cigar would pair well with my french press coffee and picked out this beauty to sacrifice on the alter of ash. So with that lead in, lets get down to the review…
Construction: 9/10 The draw starts out a little tight but by 1” in it opens tip and is no longer a problem. The wrapper is seamless and velvety to the touch with minimal veins and is very attractive. The burn though is something special, this may very well be the straightest and sharpest burn I have ever had on a cigar wit the ash holding tightly to well over 2” before it finally drops… in my lap naturally lol. Overall wonderful construction and if it wasn't tight at the beginning would have earned a perfect score, as it is it was perfect once the draw loosened up!
Taste: 9/10 Pairing this XO with my morning coffee and cream, this cigars fits the bill perfectly as a morning companion. A very mild smoke, though loaded with subtle and rich flavors. Cream and rich notes of heavy cream, vanilla, subtle caramel, almond, hay and a little acidic coffee like a veranda roast with a touch of sandalwood. The flavors are very well balanced together with no one note domineering over another but rather working seamlessly together to deliver a flowing symphony of flavors that blend from one note to the next like liquid, leading to a perfect morning companion as I watch the sky light up. There are very minor undercurrents of aged leather partnered next to the sandalwood mentioned earlier, but they are very subtle and need to be focused on to really pick out though they do show up with some mild spice in the retrohale a bit clearer and offer a nice contrast to the sweetness of the other flavors. As the cigar starts nearing the end and getting into the final third, the coffee and sandalwood flavors show up much more prominently and the classic Kelner musk (this is another Henrik Kelner blend, woot!) starts to rear its face which works so well for my palate alongside the creamy and woody and leathery flavors that it currently has going. There is also a surprising yet refined note of a mild spiced anise that balances the more medium strength and flavor profile well, and leads to a truly memorable end to a great cigar!
Overall: 9/10 This started out a bit tight and just slightly harsh due to the tightness which led to some heat. However, by one inch in it had transformed into a terrific cigar with rich and creamy flavors and a perfect morning companion to my cup of french press coffee and watching to sky light up. By the end of the XO the flavors and even to some degree the strength ramped up and finished perfectly, everything I was looking for and wanting and a perfect start to the day!
Thanks for reading, I hope that everyone got something useful from it and enjoyed the little journey that I tried to take you on. As always comments are encouraged and appreciated so please feel free to leave some, good or bad anything helps me to improve!
Thank you,
Brett
So, what's next? Give us some vote opportunities
As for voting, I like that idea a lot, here is what I am considering reviewing next:
1. Lat La Mission 1989
2. Casa Magna Domus Magnus II Limitada
3. Matilde Renacer
4. Crowned Heads La Imperiosa
5. AVO Synchro Nicaragua
6. Tatuaje TAA 2016
7. Smoking Jacket - Hendrik Kelner Jr's first cigar blend on his own (Henke's son)
Brett