Mar 9

Xikar HC Series Habano Colorado Toro Cigar Review

Posted on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 in Cigar Reviews

This 6.5×52 stick offers a dark chocolate wrapper with a firm pack and satin feel. Minimal veins, invisible seams and a peppery cocoa aroma present with a fairly dense heft. The first third starts off on the smooth side, with a touch of aged tobacco taste and richness. The smoke is rich and plentiful with a medium body and soft flavors of slightly sweet earthy tobacco with a big pepper kick. The finish is very long with the black pepper flavors building adding a zing over the tongue. Half way in at the 60 min mark, flavors had mellowed out a bit with the pepper coming and going at points. The sweetness had begun to change to a caramel, and the core flavor turned to a soft leather. By the last third, the pepper came back but not quite as strong, and the caramel died down a touch. Total burn time to the nub was 1:50. Thank you very much to Xikar for sending this sample for review! Photography by BG Pictures.

Tags: Aroma, black pepper, Body, building, caramel, chocolate, chocolate wrapper, cigar, cocoa, Colorado, dark chocolate, finish, flavors, Habano, heft, invisible seams, medium, medium body, Minimal, nggallery, Nub, pack, pepper, peppery, Review, richness, satin, Series, side, smoke, smooth side, soft leather, sweetness, taste, tobacco, tobacco taste, tongue, Toro, touch, veins, wrapper, Xikar, zing

Feb 8

Padilla Signature 1932 Limitada Oscuro Salomon Cigar Review

Posted on Monday, February 8, 2010 in Cigar Reviews

[View with PicLens]

Padilla Signature 1932 Limitada Oscuro Salomon Cigar Review

This 7.2×59 figurado features a dark chocolate, oily, slightly toothy wrapper with minimal veins and invisible seams. Draw was perfect with just the right amount of resistance for effortless control. Body was medium-full giving rich, smooth smoke. Strength was also medium-full, giving a buzz by the 1:30 point. After the video I felt kind of sick for 30 min. Actual smoke output was light, but flavors were prominent until the short clean finish. First third flavors were dominated by an oily creamy tobacco and big black pepper notes with minimal spice and zing, contrasted by hints of chocolate. An inch down flavors changed to quick hits of coffee, chocolate and leather, settling down to a peppery, oily earth on the finish. Near the 1/2 way point, flavors changed to a predominant coffee with a creamy tobacco finish, and the coffee continued to increase to the end, at the 2:10 mark. Thank you very much to Ken Glass for sending this in for review! Photography by BG Pictures.