Smoked an AAA tonight after this review put it in my head. When this was initially released, I wasn't so crazy about it, but time has smoothed out some of the rough spots and I'm really finding I enjoy this cigar a lot.
I was surprised by the AAA. I wasn't too impressed by the A. I haven't had the AAA with some rest on it yet but I enjoyed it when I first got one.
They should have given it a different name, it has nothing in common with the A at all.
+1. I wasn't a fan of the A so I didn't bother with the AAA. Now its one of my top three that I want to try because now I know its an AJ blend and has a pennsylvania broadleaf maduro and all the rave reviews.
4-26-11 been in humidor since 12-17-10 (another cigar from the still (very) secret Santa '11)
La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte Robusto (5.5 x 54)
(should be Large robuso IMHO)
Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan tobaccos grown in Esteli, Condega and Jalapa
Blender: AJ Fernandez
The Wrapper is listed as Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro even though the cigar is called Oscuro. there is quite a bit of debate on what those terms mean. In my mind, the name of this cigar is a bit of a misnomer. Unless there is some information about it out there that I just dont know, I cannot find where the oscuro comes from in the name. This may be a case of name by color that we have seen in the past. In my opinion maduro and oscuro are very different things and neither of them have much to do with color. My case for my opinion can be found in my Blending 101 thread. Maybe the name has to do with how it tastes. It may be blended to taste like an oscuro. This wouldnt be the first time that a cigar gets its name from how it tastes rather than what leaves are in it (punch rare corojo has no corojo in it). I guess we are about to find out.
The day today has a looming quality to it. It has been raining all night but it is dry and breezy now. Its still early in the day (11:20am) so there is a very fresh quality to the air. I know that in a few hours there will be storms.
The cigar is dark with a bit of a dull shine to it the way a brushed metal is both dull and has shine. The red and green bands make a decent presentation. When I lick the cap I can feel oils on my lips and tongue. There is a bit of a light spice to it. The draw is a bit firm and has a roasted taste to it. There is a coco undertone as well. The light will be difficult due to the wind.
The first few puffs bring on a familiar taste of bitter and harsh from lighting in a wind storm but as the cigar starts to settle down a coffee flavor develops. It is still a bit on the bitter side. There is a spice-like note on the finish. Its not actually spice at this point but it feels like it wants to be.... whatever that means.
The burn is not what I want it to be. This is of course because of the wind and the difficult light. The good news is that the ash is holding on for dear life even in the stronger gusts. I know the construction is good. My problems come from operator error rather problems in the factory or humidor.
To keep from ashing on the computer and myself I forced the ash at a bit over an inch. (11:50) the flavor at this point is now mostly spice with a bit of a coffee undertone. The Nicaraguan wood/pulp texture is there as well. It is very spicy through the nose. The finish is short and maybe leathery and it drys the mouth a bit. The finish is so short that it is hard to pinpoint the flavor that it carries with it; leather is my best guess.
The half way point has no major changes in the flavor. The same profile is there. It is now just mostly coffee.
Based off of how this tastes, this cigar is blended to taste like an oscuro would. If that is actually the case, then AJ did a good job. This does remind me of many oscuros out there. The only thing that this cigar is missing is the complexity that many of AJ's blends have. I also find that this wrapper does better on the 5 Vegas AAA. Of course, this cigar is part of another line. This means that the blending had to conform a bit with the original blend. This makes this cigar a bit more difficult to blend. It must be a part of the original lineup while still striking out on its own.
It seems that the most eventful thing this afternoon is the windstorm and incoming thunderstorms. This is a cigar that I would gladly keep on hand to have by the fire with friends. If I was paying less attention to every single puff, then I would like it more because I would be less aware of its lack of complexity. Lets also keep in mind that this is more or less a budget stick. When you put it into this perspective, it is a darn good cigar. The blending process would have been interesting to witness; how do you make one wrapper taste like another? Conceptually this cigar is intriguing. As far as flavor goes, it is an average cigar. For those who dont pay any attention to blends, blenders, country of origin, etc, it may strike them as nothing special. But the deeper I look into it the more the concept becomes interesting.
I really like this in the Belicoso vitola. I keep this stick on hand for an everyday smoke. I find the Robustos aren't the best vitola for the blend. I can't wait to try the corona that I have aging in the humi. Nice review as always, I was surprised you didn't get more cocoa from it. For a budget stick it is a rather reliable and solid smoke IMHO. I agree that the finish is very dry.
Nice review as always. You hit all the major flavors I get from these sticks and also hit upon what this cigar is great for: smoking while not paying attention to the flavor of every puff and a great budget stick. I agree totally, this pretty much sums up my smoking most of the time.
I rarely get the opportunity to sit and do nothing but enjoy a smoke, I get them in while doing projects that need doing, fixing things outside or in the garage, etc. I also don't have much of a budget to smoke expensive cigars so this cigar fits the bill for me a lot of the time.
It's well constructed so I don't have to baby it, I can set it and forget it and it does just fine. It does lack in complexity but what flavors it does have I really enjoy while puttering about. It's one of my favorite cigars.
IIRC, Alex said this stick was the same as the original LHC but with the PA Broadleaf wrapper. this would lend truth to your statement about the blend conforming with the line that it's in more than being comparable to the AAA.
I like this stick a lot. I find the body and experience similar to the AAA and UHC. Obciously the wrapper is what does that in my case. I would like to see a revisit to the stick on your behalf without the windstorm to see what changes you may notice.
I love this stick as well and it was what caused me to seek out other sticks with the PA broadleaf wrapper. Cocoa and coffee with a light touch of spice are the dominant flavors I pickup in these.
Two PA broadleaf cigar reviews in a row. I personally enjoy the PA broadleaf, but it seems I'm not nearly as big of an AJ fan as the majority of the regulars on the boards here. The 5 Vegas AAA I liked alot. The LHCOF, not so much. I am really stoked about the AAA's now though, I only had one or two when they first came out, the rest have been sitting in my humidor since December '09, I might have to pull one out and give it a go in the next couple of days.
I am unsure of the above information. Usually I go online and hunt this down, but it seems that there are only two sites that have ever mentioned this cigar ever. Those sites are the website from Sandusky Bay Cigar Co. and Cigar.com forums. Neither has any more info beyond that this cigar exists and a flavor profile.
I got this cigar from Bacon.jay when surprised me with a visit to my hometown B&M. We discussed this cigar quite a bit, including the blend. I just have not had time to sit down and do a review and so I promptly forgot what the blend was. Jay, if you can, please post what it is if you know. I will edit it in.
this cigar is a nice rich brown that may have a hint of red if you catch it in the right light. There are a few prominent veins running down the sides of this cigar. There appears to be a triple cap with a short pigtail on it. Its a rough looking cigar. Its not smooth at all and looks, for lack of better terms, antiquated. There is a very hay-like smell to it. It really reminds me of some of the Ohio Dairy farms that I have been on.
When the cap is tasted before the cut, the oily nature of the cigar is revealed. As I hold the cigar in my lips to type I can feel the oils combining with the weight of the cigar pulling the cigar out of my mouth slowly. Cut with my Xikar Xi2.
Drawing on the cigar before the lite shows its earthy nature again.
A quick light (10:35) and instantly a ton of smoke is produced. The first few puffs have a round nutty taste to it with a bit of spice on the finish. The spice itself is sweet. There is no way to explain it, but I will try anyway. My initial thought is cinnamon like in an atomic fireball (the candy from when I was a kid) but less intense. This flavor then transitions to an intense black pepper taste. The nutty flavor is only in the beginning. The finish is long. The middle flavor is a bit woody. I am guessing there is a fair amount of Nicaraguan tobacco in this cigar given the texture of the smoke. I can tell early that this is a full bodied cigar. This may get rough.
Quickly, the burn goes uneven. I am fairly sure that this us user error. The flavors have settled a bit but the profile is still there. It is intense through the nose, more so than most. There is a taste in there that I cannot explain other than clean in quality. The main flavors are spice related.
Nearing the half way point I see that I am wrong about the burn issues. It is probably a rolling issue or a humidity issue. One side is consistently burning faster than the other. Corrective actions are required often. This only detracts from the feel but not the flavor.
The last third has the same profile and I seem to be past rough burning section. The finish seems to be getting shorter and shorter. This is quite the opposite of what I would expect out of most cigars. The cigar doesn't change much on flavor but since the finish gets shorter as it goes along it does not get boring. Its not boring because the same flavor is a new flavor every time. The finish is over. There is no flavor. Then you puff and the flavor is there again. There is no remnant flavor to muddy the initial draw on each puff.
The last few puffs do not change much. The flavors are good if you like spice. The real high point is that the flavor does not linger too long causing a burn out on the palate. This causes every puff to be fresh and makes a cigar that is not that complex interesting for the entire smoke.
The Lake Erie Monster with the straight pigtail is the Triple Ligero, the Cuban curly pigtail is the Habano Rosada. And sorry to hear about your burn issues brother, usually those burn pretty dang well. Maybe the others will be better?
its all good. i still found it to be very enjoyable and interesting in the fact that the finish was so short. sometimes that is a bad quality. this time it was a very good quality.
5-18-11 been in humidor since 11-4-10
Nestor Miranda Art Deco
Robusto Grande (5.5 x 54)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo '06
Binder: dual Dominican Criollo '98/Nicaraguan Habano '00
Filler: 60 percent Nicaraguan Corojo 99 and 40 percent Dominican San Vicente
Blender: Don Pepin Garcia
This cigar was sent to me just before I started keeping track of where I got cigars. To be honest, I have no idea who sent me this one. I have smoked this cigar a few times before. It was one of the cigars that was in our free gift when I took the trip to Nicaragua. I have never sat down and smoked this cigar with the intent of really thinking about. I dont remember being mad at it. However, that trip was pretty much nothing but 3-4 full bodied Nicaraguan cigars a day. At some point my palate was burned out and all I could taste was Nicaraguan.
Today I have a fresh palate. I have a good lunch under my belt. I have good music on and I have a good book to fill the time between flavor changes. This will be a good afternoon.
This cigar is blended by one of my favorite blenders: Don Pepin Garcia. It is rumored that when Nestor Miranda was getting DPG to blend this cigar he was trying to get Pepin out of his comfort zone of Nicaraguan Puros by requiring the use of Dominican tobacco.
The band is classic art deco. It easily fits in with the classic 50s Cuban style paintings. The colors work very well in the theme.
Out of the cellophane, the cigar has an oily feel to it. And the triple cap is very easy to see. The wrapper is not smooth but I would not go so far to call it rough because only a small number of veins are visible and fewer are sticking out. It has a light smell to it. There is a hint of sweetness in the bouquet. The taste on the cap has a vegetable-like quality to it, and the oils are not as noticeable.
I snipped with a double guillotine. The draw is earthy but mild. The draw is firm. After a quick light, the first draws are round with a sweet earth tone to it. There is a light spice to the flavor. The finish is woody.
As the cigar settles, the spice becomes light and defined in the middle flavor. The initial flavor is still a sweeter earth and the finish is also earthy but with a increasingly nut tone. This cigar is way better than I remember it in the Nicaraguan sun after several other Nicaraguan cigars.
At just over an inch I forced the ash. Surprisingly, it was still clinging on with some ferocity. The burn is even at this point. All signs point to a very well constructed cigar.
The flavor is about the same with hints of clove showing up from time to time. It is very mild, but most welcomed.
Nearing the half way point, the spice seems to stand on its own. It is not a strong spice, just a well defined one. The sweet earth is there. The wood on the finish lingers. The cigar is very flavorful, medium in power, and full in body. The balance of this cigar is very good. Nothing feels out of place.
In the final third the wood flavors get stronger and the spice moves more to the finish. The texture of the smoke is becoming more Nicaraguan in character. The clove taste becomes more frequent. Each puff has its complexities. The length of the cigar has a similar profile but each puff seems slightly different. A coffee flavor seems to sneak in on the finish.
The cigar winds down with the same warmth and roundness that is present through the entire cigar.
Burn to the burn
this has been one of the most satisfying cigars I have had in quite some time.
the art deco really wanted me to never smoke anything from him ever again....i was so unimpressed BUUUTTTT...i will say this, i did smoke a few cigars right before hand so my palate may have been shot to hell lol.
the art deco really wanted me to never smoke anything from him ever again....i was so unimpressed BUUUTTTT...i will say this, i did smoke a few cigars right before hand so my palate may have been shot to hell lol.
i was not impressed when i smoked this on a "used" palate as well. give it 6 months rest. smoke it fresh. maybe you will like it this time.
6-3-11
La Flor Dominicana Airbender Chisel (6.5 x 54)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Ligero
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican grown Piloto Cubano, Sumatra, and Corojo
Blender: Litto Gomez
I have no idea how long this cigar has been in the humidor. Somehow it missed getting a date. Usually all of my cigars get a date on them before I put them to rest. I suspect that I have had it for about 4 months or so. Of course, that could be off by 4 months in either direction. I just know its under a year and I got it more than two weeks ago.
The presentation of this cigar has always been one of my favorites. The interesting shape (invented by Litto), the color of the banding, even the font used on the band. I just love the way this cigar looks. I always have.
This is not the first time I have ever smoked an Airbender. This is heavy in my rotation, the chisel shape in particular. This vitola is a very different animal, but for more reasons than just a different wrapper to binder ratio and all the other standard changes cigar lines have between vitolas. The Airbender chisel actually has a modified blend. The wrapper is actually a higher priming than on other Airbenders. If you look at a normal Airbender and at a chisel Airbender you will see the chisel is actually darker. Beyond the aesthetics of the wrapper, it brings a richer and more powerful smoke.
There are not many veins that standout on the cigar and the seems are difficult to find. It feels oily to the touch. A lick on the cap also feels oily and has a bit of spice to it. I do not cut this cigar. I pinch it open. I have always done this for all chisels. The cold draw is good with a classic tobacco taste. Its on the earthy coco side of things. The draw is a bit firm.
Lit with a single flame torch lighter. The first few puffs are round flavor that coats the mouth including mild sweet coffee with a hint of wood. The middle taste has a nutty taste that boarders on meaty. There is a mild spice on the finish.
One of the things that I have always enjoyed the Airbender (and all LFDs) is the huge amounts of smoke that billow from this cigar. Many cigars will only have a tiny bit of smoke out of the foot between puffs. This one is non-stop. The smoke on the draw is rich and full in the mouth and even the smallest puff will coat the entire mouth. The release of smoke out of the mouth always produces more smoke than is expected. The room note on this cigar is unlike any other I have had. I can walk into a room of cigar smokers and know if there is someone smoking an Airbender. Few other cigars have this quality. The three that come to mind are the OpusX, the Davidoff Anniverario, and the LG by Litto Gomez.
Once the cigar settles, the flavors meld a bit more and a licorice flavor comes out. When I say licorice, I dont mean that red sweet crap that twizzlers puts out. I'm talking about that rustic back-woods-black-tar-like stuff that our great great grandfathers called licorice. The coffee is almost gone and has moved to the middle taste with the cedar. The meaty taste is all in the finish now and the spice is only a light note at the very end, unless the smoke goes through the nose. In that case it is in your face. The longer the smoke swirls in the mouth the more spice is given off. The smoker decides how much spice this cigar has. This trait is also uncommon in cigars.
The fist ash comes at about an inch and a half in. The burn is not perfect but it always seems to correct itself. The flavors are the same but the body and mouth feel have built up a bit. The flavor is full, the body is full and the strength is medium to full. It is very easy to take very easy draws on this smoke. The shape is very inviting and easy to deal with an many levels.
Entering the middle third, the spice builds and is now present on the initial flavor and the finish. A coffee note replaces the meaty flavor on the finish. The very minor burn issues have corrected themselves and I have yet to ash for a second time. It is burning slowly and deliberately now and is still putting out huge plumes of smoke. Every now and again I get coco notes in the mix. Its just enough to make me stop and think about the flavor and bring my attention back to where it should be.
This cigar is so relaxing that I almost forgot for a moment to do the review.
In the last third the spice has turned to a warm cinnamon feel. The wood is making a comeback with a lingering licorice on the finish.
This cigar is burning incredibly slow. It only gives me more time to enjoy it.
I set the cigar down for a moment to get a drink of water and when I came back it was out. My only gripe with LFD in general is that if you smoke as slow as I do they tend to go out easily. They need to be babied a bit. Good thing it picked up where it left off. It lost nothing.
The final third is a bit more spicy. I would still hesitate to call this a spice bomb but there clearly some spice. The spice is almost like fennel and the flavor is almost like a mildly spicy smoked breakfast sausage. This is a very unique flavor that I only find in this cigar. It coats the mouth and has a spicy-sweet finish.
Thanks for the reiview Kuzi, as usual, I learned something new, like the Chisel uses a higher priming for the wrapper, thats good to know. I haven't explored LFD too much, but one when I do this one will be in the group that I try.
for that I'll overlook the fact that you called twizzlers "that red sweet crap" hahaha. twizzlers remind me of being a kid, loved that stuff when I was little. Although I do agree that black licorice is way better.
6-15-11 been in humidor since 1-5-10
Camacho Pre-Embargo
(6 x 48)
Wrapper: Vintage 1999 Jamastran, Honduras Corojo
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Cuban
This cigar was a gift from bacon.jay. He handed me this cigar one cold January when a bunch of us got together for a herf at my local B&M.
The Cuban tobacco in this cigar comes from one of four bales of pre embargo tobacco left in the world. This is also the tobacco that goes into the famed Liberty series.
However, the real flavor and hype around this cigar is (or should be) about the 1999 Jamastran Corojo. This, from all accounts, was a very good year.
The presentation of this cigar is simple. The band is the same as the Camacho 1962. the only difference is the secondary band on the foot of the cigar that has a large PE on it.
This originally was supposed to be the flagship of the 1962 line and was released at the same time. A few concepts in that cigar were deviant for the Camacho line. The 1962 was packed a bit on the light side for a quicker smoke and was medium in body. These two concepts were done to attract the more novice smoker to Camacho who usually has long slow burning ultra full bodied cigars that can easily put down a new guy. Being that the Pre-Embargo is retailing for $25 at this moment on Cigar.com, I hope that this isnt the case. I dont want to burn through it quickly. Camacho is a long time favorite brand of mine. I have high expectations for this cigar.
Once the cigar is out of the cellophane (that feels very thin BTW), the wrapper feels a tiny bit dry, but with a bit of inspection, a light coating of crystals is seen on the wrapper. The plume is a pleasant surprise. There is a Cuban style pigtail on the head and the foot is slightly unfinsihed, the wrapper that extends beyond the filler is folded down over the foot. The bouquet is light and sweet. Licking the cap brings on an oily feel to the tongue and has a classic tobacco taste to it. Cut with a double guillotine. The cold draw is very flavorful. It is woody and delicious.
1:10pm
After lighting, the flavors are sweeter and woody. There is a vanilla undertone and through the nose there is a hint of spice. It reminds me of Earl Grey tea with a hint of vanilla to it. The cigar is very smooth and is very clean on the finish that is very short.
The sweet and vanilla is on the initial flavor. The wood is mostly on the middle flavor and the finish/through the nose is where most of the tea comes though and the vanilla makes a return with a hint of spice.
The first ash fell at about one inch and about 20 minutes in. the good news is that it is burning slowly. There is no bad news yet.
The flavors at this point are a bit more defined. The Vanilla Earl Grey flavor seems to be the dominant one. The wood is hit or miss but when it is there it is very pulpy. The sweet tones have mellowed. The spice is building but is not oppressive to the other flavors but it is also creeping its way into the finish.
The cigar in the middle third has a more toasty flavor overall but in general the profile is about the same. The fuller body does show up about here. I wouldnt say that this is the strongest Camacho out there but there is some power there to keep the Camacho feel to it.
It is quite relaxing and also relaxing. The relaxation aspect of it almost makes it difficult to focus on the flavors. The cigar makes me want to slide down in my chair and watch the world go by. This is not why I am trying to do with the review.
The only issue I am having is that the middle third has some ash problems, as in, the ash falls a bit too early for my liking.
The final third is a bit sweeter overall and a slight anise note shows up on the initial flavor.
The flavor that I usually associate with Cuban tobacco is not there. This may be due to the fact that the tobacco is so well aged or that it is blended with other tobaccos so much. I just dont see this as a Cuban-esque cigar. It is good and complex, but not reminiscent of the Cuban cigars I have had.
The last third is really stepping up. The journey to this cigar is a good one and it seems to be finishing on a great note. The spice is becoming more intense, the flavor coats the mouth more. The flavors become stronger. The finish is longer, but just as clean.
2:42pm
The cigar finishes the same way. It never got hot.
This just reenforces my love of Camacho.
Great review kuzi! Of the few "super premiums" (GoF, Opus, etc) this one, with the possible exception of the Anejo if it actually falls in this category, is far and away my favorite. Had the exact same reaction you did - SUPER RELAXING! Great cigar for quiet moments of reflections I think.
those are bales in the Drew Estates factory. im not sure if the bale is considered the single packs or the stacks of 4. all of the stacks are bound in 4 packs.
Ironically enough I smoked the same thing on the same day, and picked up some of what you mentioned. All in all though, I'm still not sure how I feel about the cigar. It was weird, I didn't have many expectations of the cigar beforehand, because I've never smoked anything like that before, but I still don't know how to feel about it. Maybe it was a combination of the short finish (which i'm not used to), the dry mouthfeel to the smoke (not usually what I go for), and the mild flavors (which made the above two points confusing for me because the flavors we're very nice). It was also my first camacho, which is something I intend to fix ASAP.
I was actually also gifted this cigar from a forum BOTL, who doens't post much, but we've been friends for the better part of a decade, Suneet21.
That is good info about the other tobaccos in this cigar, Kuzi, so thanks for posting that. I heard some mention of the wrapper being the highlight of this cigar but I didn't know what it was, or what made it special. That interesting that it is also 12 years old at this stage, becuase the cigar had a super delicate feel to it, and that makes some more sense now.
I had the same thoughts that it was packed very lightly, however mine did turn out to be a quick smoke (45 min). Although to be fair, I tend smoke quicker than most, and there was some user error in the middle third. One side started burning too fast and I let it go hoping it was going to correct itself, but it got worse instead, to the point where there was about 3/4" difference from one side to the other, before I finally touched it up. At that point, I think I just scorched the unburnt side to catch up, which wasn't the right thing to do (keep in mind I was a zippo guy for about 6 or 7 years before this forum convinced me to switch to butane, and butane is WAY hotter). I think because of me letting it go too long and then being too heavy with my lighter I ruined the sweet spot of the cigar, when I think the flavors we're just about to transition from VERY mild to more of a medium character. Because after that it just tasted a little harsh.
I really enjoyed the initial flavors in the first 1/3 and definitely picked up the woody notes that you mentioned, and I think the vanilla earl grey you noted I equated to some sort of nutty flavor. Really a good combination, when you add in the general musty tobacco taste that I got, becuase of the age, i'm assuming. This particular one also had another year in my humi. I really agree with the impressive smoothness to it and found that my favorite puffs we're the first few when I was only smoking the curly unfinished wrapper at the foot of the cigar. I guess that is a tribute to the quality of the wrapper as you talked about. It was very different smoke for me and I have a fellow BOTL to thank for that. If it wasn't $25 a pop, i'd revisit, but because it is, I'll leave it as an awesome experience that was unlike anything I had smoked before, even though I would personally rate it a bit lower.
Comments
(should be Large robuso IMHO)
Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan tobaccos grown in Esteli, Condega and Jalapa
Blender: AJ Fernandez
The Wrapper is listed as Pennsylvania Broadleaf Maduro even though the cigar is called Oscuro. there is quite a bit of debate on what those terms mean. In my mind, the name of this cigar is a bit of a misnomer. Unless there is some information about it out there that I just dont know, I cannot find where the oscuro comes from in the name. This may be a case of name by color that we have seen in the past. In my opinion maduro and oscuro are very different things and neither of them have much to do with color. My case for my opinion can be found in my Blending 101 thread. Maybe the name has to do with how it tastes. It may be blended to taste like an oscuro. This wouldnt be the first time that a cigar gets its name from how it tastes rather than what leaves are in it (punch rare corojo has no corojo in it). I guess we are about to find out.
The day today has a looming quality to it. It has been raining all night but it is dry and breezy now. Its still early in the day (11:20am) so there is a very fresh quality to the air. I know that in a few hours there will be storms.
The cigar is dark with a bit of a dull shine to it the way a brushed metal is both dull and has shine. The red and green bands make a decent presentation. When I lick the cap I can feel oils on my lips and tongue. There is a bit of a light spice to it. The draw is a bit firm and has a roasted taste to it. There is a coco undertone as well. The light will be difficult due to the wind.
The first few puffs bring on a familiar taste of bitter and harsh from lighting in a wind storm but as the cigar starts to settle down a coffee flavor develops. It is still a bit on the bitter side. There is a spice-like note on the finish. Its not actually spice at this point but it feels like it wants to be.... whatever that means.
The burn is not what I want it to be. This is of course because of the wind and the difficult light. The good news is that the ash is holding on for dear life even in the stronger gusts. I know the construction is good. My problems come from operator error rather problems in the factory or humidor.
To keep from ashing on the computer and myself I forced the ash at a bit over an inch. (11:50) the flavor at this point is now mostly spice with a bit of a coffee undertone. The Nicaraguan wood/pulp texture is there as well. It is very spicy through the nose. The finish is short and maybe leathery and it drys the mouth a bit. The finish is so short that it is hard to pinpoint the flavor that it carries with it; leather is my best guess.
The half way point has no major changes in the flavor. The same profile is there. It is now just mostly coffee.
Based off of how this tastes, this cigar is blended to taste like an oscuro would. If that is actually the case, then AJ did a good job. This does remind me of many oscuros out there. The only thing that this cigar is missing is the complexity that many of AJ's blends have. I also find that this wrapper does better on the 5 Vegas AAA. Of course, this cigar is part of another line. This means that the blending had to conform a bit with the original blend. This makes this cigar a bit more difficult to blend. It must be a part of the original lineup while still striking out on its own.
It seems that the most eventful thing this afternoon is the windstorm and incoming thunderstorms. This is a cigar that I would gladly keep on hand to have by the fire with friends. If I was paying less attention to every single puff, then I would like it more because I would be less aware of its lack of complexity. Lets also keep in mind that this is more or less a budget stick. When you put it into this perspective, it is a darn good cigar. The blending process would have been interesting to witness; how do you make one wrapper taste like another? Conceptually this cigar is intriguing. As far as flavor goes, it is an average cigar. For those who dont pay any attention to blends, blenders, country of origin, etc, it may strike them as nothing special. But the deeper I look into it the more the concept becomes interesting.
Burn time 1hour 45 minutes
Burn: 8
Draw: 8
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 7
Construction: 9
Balance: 8
Feel: 8
For a budget stick it is a rather reliable and solid smoke IMHO. I agree that the finish is very dry.
I rarely get the opportunity to sit and do nothing but enjoy a smoke, I get them in while doing projects that need doing, fixing things outside or in the garage, etc. I also don't have much of a budget to smoke expensive cigars so this cigar fits the bill for me a lot of the time.
It's well constructed so I don't have to baby it, I can set it and forget it and it does just fine. It does lack in complexity but what flavors it does have I really enjoy while puttering about. It's one of my favorite cigars.
I like this stick a lot. I find the body and experience similar to the AAA and UHC. Obciously the wrapper is what does that in my case. I would like to see a revisit to the stick on your behalf without the windstorm to see what changes you may notice.
Lake Erie Monster by Sandusky Bay Cigar Co.
5.5 x 50 (approximate size)
wrapper:
Binder:
Filler:
I am unsure of the above information. Usually I go online and hunt this down, but it seems that there are only two sites that have ever mentioned this cigar ever. Those sites are the website from Sandusky Bay Cigar Co. and Cigar.com forums. Neither has any more info beyond that this cigar exists and a flavor profile.
I got this cigar from Bacon.jay when surprised me with a visit to my hometown B&M. We discussed this cigar quite a bit, including the blend. I just have not had time to sit down and do a review and so I promptly forgot what the blend was. Jay, if you can, please post what it is if you know. I will edit it in.
this cigar is a nice rich brown that may have a hint of red if you catch it in the right light. There are a few prominent veins running down the sides of this cigar. There appears to be a triple cap with a short pigtail on it. Its a rough looking cigar. Its not smooth at all and looks, for lack of better terms, antiquated. There is a very hay-like smell to it. It really reminds me of some of the Ohio Dairy farms that I have been on.
When the cap is tasted before the cut, the oily nature of the cigar is revealed. As I hold the cigar in my lips to type I can feel the oils combining with the weight of the cigar pulling the cigar out of my mouth slowly. Cut with my Xikar Xi2.
Drawing on the cigar before the lite shows its earthy nature again.
A quick light (10:35) and instantly a ton of smoke is produced. The first few puffs have a round nutty taste to it with a bit of spice on the finish. The spice itself is sweet. There is no way to explain it, but I will try anyway. My initial thought is cinnamon like in an atomic fireball (the candy from when I was a kid) but less intense. This flavor then transitions to an intense black pepper taste. The nutty flavor is only in the beginning. The finish is long. The middle flavor is a bit woody. I am guessing there is a fair amount of Nicaraguan tobacco in this cigar given the texture of the smoke. I can tell early that this is a full bodied cigar. This may get rough.
Quickly, the burn goes uneven. I am fairly sure that this us user error. The flavors have settled a bit but the profile is still there. It is intense through the nose, more so than most. There is a taste in there that I cannot explain other than clean in quality. The main flavors are spice related.
Nearing the half way point I see that I am wrong about the burn issues. It is probably a rolling issue or a humidity issue. One side is consistently burning faster than the other. Corrective actions are required often. This only detracts from the feel but not the flavor.
The last third has the same profile and I seem to be past rough burning section. The finish seems to be getting shorter and shorter. This is quite the opposite of what I would expect out of most cigars. The cigar doesn't change much on flavor but since the finish gets shorter as it goes along it does not get boring. Its not boring because the same flavor is a new flavor every time. The finish is over. There is no flavor. Then you puff and the flavor is there again. There is no remnant flavor to muddy the initial draw on each puff.
The last few puffs do not change much. The flavors are good if you like spice. The real high point is that the flavor does not linger too long causing a burn out on the palate. This causes every puff to be fresh and makes a cigar that is not that complex interesting for the entire smoke.
Burn: 8
Draw: 9
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 7
Balance: 8
Feel: 8
5-18-11 been in humidor since 11-4-10
Nestor Miranda Art Deco
Robusto Grande (5.5 x 54)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo '06
Binder: dual Dominican Criollo '98/Nicaraguan Habano '00
Filler: 60 percent Nicaraguan Corojo 99 and 40 percent Dominican San Vicente
Blender: Don Pepin Garcia
This cigar was sent to me just before I started keeping track of where I got cigars. To be honest, I have no idea who sent me this one. I have smoked this cigar a few times before. It was one of the cigars that was in our free gift when I took the trip to Nicaragua. I have never sat down and smoked this cigar with the intent of really thinking about. I dont remember being mad at it. However, that trip was pretty much nothing but 3-4 full bodied Nicaraguan cigars a day. At some point my palate was burned out and all I could taste was Nicaraguan.
Today I have a fresh palate. I have a good lunch under my belt. I have good music on and I have a good book to fill the time between flavor changes. This will be a good afternoon.
This cigar is blended by one of my favorite blenders: Don Pepin Garcia. It is rumored that when Nestor Miranda was getting DPG to blend this cigar he was trying to get Pepin out of his comfort zone of Nicaraguan Puros by requiring the use of Dominican tobacco.
The band is classic art deco. It easily fits in with the classic 50s Cuban style paintings. The colors work very well in the theme.
Out of the cellophane, the cigar has an oily feel to it. And the triple cap is very easy to see. The wrapper is not smooth but I would not go so far to call it rough because only a small number of veins are visible and fewer are sticking out. It has a light smell to it. There is a hint of sweetness in the bouquet. The taste on the cap has a vegetable-like quality to it, and the oils are not as noticeable.
I snipped with a double guillotine. The draw is earthy but mild. The draw is firm. After a quick light, the first draws are round with a sweet earth tone to it. There is a light spice to the flavor. The finish is woody.
As the cigar settles, the spice becomes light and defined in the middle flavor. The initial flavor is still a sweeter earth and the finish is also earthy but with a increasingly nut tone. This cigar is way better than I remember it in the Nicaraguan sun after several other Nicaraguan cigars.
At just over an inch I forced the ash. Surprisingly, it was still clinging on with some ferocity. The burn is even at this point. All signs point to a very well constructed cigar.
The flavor is about the same with hints of clove showing up from time to time. It is very mild, but most welcomed.
Nearing the half way point, the spice seems to stand on its own. It is not a strong spice, just a well defined one. The sweet earth is there. The wood on the finish lingers. The cigar is very flavorful, medium in power, and full in body. The balance of this cigar is very good. Nothing feels out of place.
In the final third the wood flavors get stronger and the spice moves more to the finish. The texture of the smoke is becoming more Nicaraguan in character. The clove taste becomes more frequent. Each puff has its complexities. The length of the cigar has a similar profile but each puff seems slightly different. A coffee flavor seems to sneak in on the finish.
The cigar winds down with the same warmth and roundness that is present through the entire cigar.
Burn to the burn
this has been one of the most satisfying cigars I have had in quite some time.
Burn: 10
Draw: 8
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 9
Balance: 10
Feel: 9.5
6-3-11
La Flor Dominicana Airbender Chisel (6.5 x 54)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Ligero
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican grown Piloto Cubano, Sumatra, and Corojo
Blender: Litto Gomez
I have no idea how long this cigar has been in the humidor. Somehow it missed getting a date. Usually all of my cigars get a date on them before I put them to rest. I suspect that I have had it for about 4 months or so. Of course, that could be off by 4 months in either direction. I just know its under a year and I got it more than two weeks ago.
The presentation of this cigar has always been one of my favorites. The interesting shape (invented by Litto), the color of the banding, even the font used on the band. I just love the way this cigar looks. I always have.
This is not the first time I have ever smoked an Airbender. This is heavy in my rotation, the chisel shape in particular. This vitola is a very different animal, but for more reasons than just a different wrapper to binder ratio and all the other standard changes cigar lines have between vitolas. The Airbender chisel actually has a modified blend. The wrapper is actually a higher priming than on other Airbenders. If you look at a normal Airbender and at a chisel Airbender you will see the chisel is actually darker. Beyond the aesthetics of the wrapper, it brings a richer and more powerful smoke.
There are not many veins that standout on the cigar and the seems are difficult to find. It feels oily to the touch. A lick on the cap also feels oily and has a bit of spice to it. I do not cut this cigar. I pinch it open. I have always done this for all chisels. The cold draw is good with a classic tobacco taste. Its on the earthy coco side of things. The draw is a bit firm.
Lit with a single flame torch lighter. The first few puffs are round flavor that coats the mouth including mild sweet coffee with a hint of wood. The middle taste has a nutty taste that boarders on meaty. There is a mild spice on the finish.
One of the things that I have always enjoyed the Airbender (and all LFDs) is the huge amounts of smoke that billow from this cigar. Many cigars will only have a tiny bit of smoke out of the foot between puffs. This one is non-stop. The smoke on the draw is rich and full in the mouth and even the smallest puff will coat the entire mouth. The release of smoke out of the mouth always produces more smoke than is expected. The room note on this cigar is unlike any other I have had. I can walk into a room of cigar smokers and know if there is someone smoking an Airbender. Few other cigars have this quality. The three that come to mind are the OpusX, the Davidoff Anniverario, and the LG by Litto Gomez.
Once the cigar settles, the flavors meld a bit more and a licorice flavor comes out. When I say licorice, I dont mean that red sweet crap that twizzlers puts out. I'm talking about that rustic back-woods-black-tar-like stuff that our great great grandfathers called licorice. The coffee is almost gone and has moved to the middle taste with the cedar. The meaty taste is all in the finish now and the spice is only a light note at the very end, unless the smoke goes through the nose. In that case it is in your face. The longer the smoke swirls in the mouth the more spice is given off. The smoker decides how much spice this cigar has. This trait is also uncommon in cigars.
The fist ash comes at about an inch and a half in. The burn is not perfect but it always seems to correct itself. The flavors are the same but the body and mouth feel have built up a bit. The flavor is full, the body is full and the strength is medium to full. It is very easy to take very easy draws on this smoke. The shape is very inviting and easy to deal with an many levels.
Entering the middle third, the spice builds and is now present on the initial flavor and the finish. A coffee note replaces the meaty flavor on the finish. The very minor burn issues have corrected themselves and I have yet to ash for a second time. It is burning slowly and deliberately now and is still putting out huge plumes of smoke. Every now and again I get coco notes in the mix. Its just enough to make me stop and think about the flavor and bring my attention back to where it should be.
This cigar is so relaxing that I almost forgot for a moment to do the review.
In the last third the spice has turned to a warm cinnamon feel. The wood is making a comeback with a lingering licorice on the finish.
This cigar is burning incredibly slow. It only gives me more time to enjoy it.
I set the cigar down for a moment to get a drink of water and when I came back it was out. My only gripe with LFD in general is that if you smoke as slow as I do they tend to go out easily. They need to be babied a bit. Good thing it picked up where it left off. It lost nothing.
The final third is a bit more spicy. I would still hesitate to call this a spice bomb but there clearly some spice. The spice is almost like fennel and the flavor is almost like a mildly spicy smoked breakfast sausage. This is a very unique flavor that I only find in this cigar. It coats the mouth and has a spicy-sweet finish.
burn to the nub
Burn: 9
Draw: 8.5
Taste: 10
Aftertaste: 10
Construction: 10
Balance: 10
Feel: 9.5
if you are keeping track thats a 9.6
one of the highest ratings ive ever given.
for that I'll overlook the fact that you called twizzlers "that red sweet crap" hahaha. twizzlers remind me of being a kid, loved that stuff when I was little. Although I do agree that black licorice is way better.
Camacho Pre-Embargo
(6 x 48)
Wrapper: Vintage 1999 Jamastran, Honduras Corojo
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Cuban
This cigar was a gift from bacon.jay. He handed me this cigar one cold January when a bunch of us got together for a herf at my local B&M.
The Cuban tobacco in this cigar comes from one of four bales of pre embargo tobacco left in the world. This is also the tobacco that goes into the famed Liberty series.
However, the real flavor and hype around this cigar is (or should be) about the 1999 Jamastran Corojo. This, from all accounts, was a very good year.
The presentation of this cigar is simple. The band is the same as the Camacho 1962. the only difference is the secondary band on the foot of the cigar that has a large PE on it.
This originally was supposed to be the flagship of the 1962 line and was released at the same time. A few concepts in that cigar were deviant for the Camacho line. The 1962 was packed a bit on the light side for a quicker smoke and was medium in body. These two concepts were done to attract the more novice smoker to Camacho who usually has long slow burning ultra full bodied cigars that can easily put down a new guy. Being that the Pre-Embargo is retailing for $25 at this moment on Cigar.com, I hope that this isnt the case. I dont want to burn through it quickly. Camacho is a long time favorite brand of mine. I have high expectations for this cigar.
Once the cigar is out of the cellophane (that feels very thin BTW), the wrapper feels a tiny bit dry, but with a bit of inspection, a light coating of crystals is seen on the wrapper. The plume is a pleasant surprise. There is a Cuban style pigtail on the head and the foot is slightly unfinsihed, the wrapper that extends beyond the filler is folded down over the foot. The bouquet is light and sweet. Licking the cap brings on an oily feel to the tongue and has a classic tobacco taste to it. Cut with a double guillotine. The cold draw is very flavorful. It is woody and delicious.
1:10pm
After lighting, the flavors are sweeter and woody. There is a vanilla undertone and through the nose there is a hint of spice. It reminds me of Earl Grey tea with a hint of vanilla to it. The cigar is very smooth and is very clean on the finish that is very short.
The sweet and vanilla is on the initial flavor. The wood is mostly on the middle flavor and the finish/through the nose is where most of the tea comes though and the vanilla makes a return with a hint of spice.
The first ash fell at about one inch and about 20 minutes in. the good news is that it is burning slowly. There is no bad news yet.
The flavors at this point are a bit more defined. The Vanilla Earl Grey flavor seems to be the dominant one. The wood is hit or miss but when it is there it is very pulpy. The sweet tones have mellowed. The spice is building but is not oppressive to the other flavors but it is also creeping its way into the finish.
The cigar in the middle third has a more toasty flavor overall but in general the profile is about the same. The fuller body does show up about here. I wouldnt say that this is the strongest Camacho out there but there is some power there to keep the Camacho feel to it.
It is quite relaxing and also relaxing. The relaxation aspect of it almost makes it difficult to focus on the flavors. The cigar makes me want to slide down in my chair and watch the world go by. This is not why I am trying to do with the review.
The only issue I am having is that the middle third has some ash problems, as in, the ash falls a bit too early for my liking.
The final third is a bit sweeter overall and a slight anise note shows up on the initial flavor.
The flavor that I usually associate with Cuban tobacco is not there. This may be due to the fact that the tobacco is so well aged or that it is blended with other tobaccos so much. I just dont see this as a Cuban-esque cigar. It is good and complex, but not reminiscent of the Cuban cigars I have had.
The last third is really stepping up. The journey to this cigar is a good one and it seems to be finishing on a great note. The spice is becoming more intense, the flavor coats the mouth more. The flavors become stronger. The finish is longer, but just as clean.
2:42pm
The cigar finishes the same way. It never got hot.
This just reenforces my love of Camacho.
Burn: 9
Draw: 10
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 10
Construction: 9
Balance: 10
Feel: 9
Now that's funny, lol.
Nice review Kuzi, you know I love that brand, period.
ill smoke something from the "crap cigar pass" next. it could be an adventure.
Just curious, how large is one bale? Is it an entire harvest from one field?
those are bales in the Drew Estates factory.
im not sure if the bale is considered the single packs or the stacks of 4. all of the stacks are bound in 4 packs.
Ironically enough I smoked the same thing on the same day, and picked up some of what you mentioned. All in all though, I'm still not sure how I feel about the cigar. It was weird, I didn't have many expectations of the cigar beforehand, because I've never smoked anything like that before, but I still don't know how to feel about it. Maybe it was a combination of the short finish (which i'm not used to), the dry mouthfeel to the smoke (not usually what I go for), and the mild flavors (which made the above two points confusing for me because the flavors we're very nice). It was also my first camacho, which is something I intend to fix ASAP.
I was actually also gifted this cigar from a forum BOTL, who doens't post much, but we've been friends for the better part of a decade, Suneet21.
That is good info about the other tobaccos in this cigar, Kuzi, so thanks for posting that. I heard some mention of the wrapper being the highlight of this cigar but I didn't know what it was, or what made it special. That interesting that it is also 12 years old at this stage, becuase the cigar had a super delicate feel to it, and that makes some more sense now.
I had the same thoughts that it was packed very lightly, however mine did turn out to be a quick smoke (45 min). Although to be fair, I tend smoke quicker than most, and there was some user error in the middle third. One side started burning too fast and I let it go hoping it was going to correct itself, but it got worse instead, to the point where there was about 3/4" difference from one side to the other, before I finally touched it up. At that point, I think I just scorched the unburnt side to catch up, which wasn't the right thing to do (keep in mind I was a zippo guy for about 6 or 7 years before this forum convinced me to switch to butane, and butane is WAY hotter). I think because of me letting it go too long and then being too heavy with my lighter I ruined the sweet spot of the cigar, when I think the flavors we're just about to transition from VERY mild to more of a medium character. Because after that it just tasted a little harsh.
I really enjoyed the initial flavors in the first 1/3 and definitely picked up the woody notes that you mentioned, and I think the vanilla earl grey you noted I equated to some sort of nutty flavor. Really a good combination, when you add in the general musty tobacco taste that I got, becuase of the age, i'm assuming. This particular one also had another year in my humi. I really agree with the impressive smoothness to it and found that my favorite puffs we're the first few when I was only smoking the curly unfinished wrapper at the foot of the cigar. I guess that is a tribute to the quality of the wrapper as you talked about. It was very different smoke for me and I have a fellow BOTL to thank for that. If it wasn't $25 a pop, i'd revisit, but because it is, I'll leave it as an awesome experience that was unlike anything I had smoked before, even though I would personally rate it a bit lower.