Mar 3
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Gispert Churchill Cigar Review
Posted on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 in Cigar Reviews
Gispert Churchill Cigar Review
This 7×54 stick offered a medium tan smooth oily wrapper with a slightly spongy feel. Mild in aroma, body and strength, it presents a fairly consistent experience, transitioning once between flavors over the long 2+ hour smoke. Although this particular sample had a wrapper flaw that cut it short at the 1:45 mark, it would easily push past 2 hours under normal circumstances. First half flavors were sweet and smooth with mild flavors of grass, moving to a mild sweet leather at the mid point. Smoke output was minimal, and the finish was unremarkable short of a mild pepper zing for most of the stick. The draw and burn were both very good, up to the band point where tears and holes opened up. Removing the band exposed a patch and large crack, ending the smoke. Thank you very much to Jeremie Plouffe for sending this in for review! Photography by BG Pictures.
Mar 1
Ashton VSG Eclipse Tubos Cigar Review
Posted on Monday, March 1, 2010 in Cigar Reviews
Ashton VSG Eclipse Tubos Cigar Review
This 6×52 dark chocolate stick comes wrapped in a cedar sleeve, inside a black aluminum tube for easy transport and storage. Offering a robust, slightly veiny irregular roll it presents slight tooth, a firm pack and beautiful chocolate tobacco aroma. Starting on the mild-medium body side of things, it opens with a oily, smooth tobacco and black pepper flavor without any of the spice and heat, adding a hint of a bitter chocolate in to the long pepper finish. Strength wise it’s definitely got a punch, medium-full by the first inch in. By the half way point flavors had changed to a creamy sweet chocolate and coffee, with a smooth pepper finish, getting richer as it burns down. By the end of the 2nd third flavors had dropped the pepper in exchange for more cream and butter, especially on the finish, leaving an oily creamy slick on the palate. The last third brought the coffee flavor to the forefront and the pepper back but at a milder point, with just a hint of the chocolate. Overall still rich, creamy, oily and slightly sweet, it finished long and smooth. Burn and draw were both excellent all the way down without issue. Total burn time to the last inch was 1:15 where it started getting hot. Thank you very much to Ashton for generously supplying this sample for review! Photography by BG Pictures.
Feb 17
La Aurora Belicoso Maduro Cigar Review
Posted on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 in Cigar Reviews
La Aurora Belicoso Maduro Cigar Review
This 6.25×52 stick offers a dark brown wrapper showing minimal veins, clean seams and a very firm pack. 3/4″ had to be clipped off the tip for a decent draw, producing just an average amount of smoke on the draw. First third flavors were of caramel and licorice sweetness, a mild earth, slight woodiness and small pepper and spice kick on the long finish. At the half way point flavors changed to a smooth oily, creamy leather with a mild pepper that kicks up on the finish. In the final third flavors remained the same while the draw improved along with smoke production, reaching a very good volume pushing chewy. Thank you very much to viewer Jeremie Plouffe for generously sending this in for review! Photography by BG Pictures.
Feb 12
Rocky Patel Vintage 1999 Connecticut Robusto Cigar Review
Posted on Friday, February 12, 2010 in Cigar Reviews
Rocky Patel Vintage 1999 Connecticut Robusto Cigar Review
This 5.5×50 medium tan stick offers a firm, dense pack under smooth wrapper with minimal veins and a triple cap. Starting off very bitter, the first third was a dry, slightly bitter almond, fading quickly to a finish of an oily oak with hints of pepper zing. By the 2nd third flavors transitioned to a mild-medium roasted nut and oily toast with a longer finish. At the half way point it became a typical connecticut with dry toasty, nutty, woody flavors and a long dry finish. Body was medium, smoke output was fantastic, as was the burn and draw all the way down, typical of a Rocky Patel. Thank you very much to Michael Yamashita for sending this sample in for review! Photography by BG Pictures.
Feb 8
Padilla Signature 1932 Limitada Oscuro Salomon Cigar Review
Posted on Monday, February 8, 2010 in Cigar Reviews
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.
Jan 22
Thank You Donors!
Posted on Friday, January 22, 2010 in World of CO
I have had the good fortune of receiving several generous donations as of late from fans of the site for me to review! Thank you to Shuckins, David Morgan and Chaz! And thank you to Ken Glass who just sent in this fine stash! Thank you all for viewing and being fans of the site, without you there’s no point!
Jan 7
Your Thoughts on Price and Awards
Posted on Thursday, January 7, 2010 in Polls
Tell me your thoughts on how you think price, if at all, should effect the Cigar of the Year award? Do you feel that value is part of what makes a cigar great? Should the award go to simply the best performing stick? If a mediocre stick is given an award simply because it’s cheap, is that fair to a stick that clearly out performs it at a higher price point? Does quality simply cost more?
Loading ...Nov 13
Old Henry Maduro Robusto Cigar Review
Posted on Friday, November 13, 2009 in Cigar Reviews
Old Henry Maduro Robusto Cigar Review
This 5×50 stick offered a dark chocolate, VERY thick and toothy wrapper with excellent construction. Burn was almost razor sharp all the way down, with the ash holding to the 1/2 way point and a perfect draw. Flavors in the first half were of a medium bodied light leather and smooth earth, with a bit of sweetness and a pepper & spice kick. The 2nd half transitioned to a deep earth and bit of licorice, losing the sweetness and pepper zing. The finish grew longer and the body went down to a mild-medium. Thank you to Shuckins for trading me for this stick! Photography by BG Pictures.
Nov 2
Piano Fuerte Bravo Toro Cigar Review
Posted on Monday, November 2, 2009 in Cigar Reviews
Piano Fuerte Bravo Toro Cigar Review
This 6×52 stick offered a dark, toothy, oily wrapper with a firm satin feel and sweet tobacco aroma. Overall body was medium, with the first half being a little lighter. Smoke was a bit light till the 1/2 way point at which it became much more ich and plentiful. Burn and draw were both very good, with no construction issues. Draw was on the loose side on par with just about any Rocky Patel, with just enough resistance. Flavors presented themselves with several nice transitions, offering combinations of smooth creamy wood, leather, a light earthiness, a touch of sweetness at points and a bit of pepper on most of the finish, growing a little stronger in the last third. Thank you very much to Piano Fuerte Cigars for donating this for review! Photography by BG Pictures.
Oct 21
Tatuaje Havana VI Nobles Cigar Review
Posted on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 in Cigar Reviews
Tatuaje Havana VI Nobles Cigar Review
This 5×50 medium chocolate wrapped stick offered an excellent burn and perfect draw, lasting just under 1 hour to the band point. Flavors started a little on the mild side but woke up by the 1/2 way point to produce a nice medium body experience. Several transitions led to flavors including leather, sweetness, mild earthiness, pepper washes, cocoa and a warm mild coffee. A great anytime stick! Thank you to Shuckins for trading me for this stick, I always like to try new blends! Photography by BG Pictures.
Oct 19
Ashton Classic 898 Cigar Review
Posted on Monday, October 19, 2009 in Cigar Reviews
Ashton Classic 898 Cigar Review
This 6.5×44 stick offers a light tan wrapper with small veins and a thin slightly soft wrapper. The flavor profile was very complex with changes happening every few minutes to the band point. Total burn time tot he band was 1:15 where it got a little warm for my taste but still had a good inch left. Flavors included earth, leather, cinnamon, spice, pepper, cocoa, coffee, mocha and creme in various combinations as the stick burned down. Overall the body was medium, with touches on either side growing as it burned. Draw also changed significantly, from very firm to just on the loose side with the perfect resistance by the 1/2 way point. Thank you very much to Ashton Cigars for generously sending this sample for review! Photography by BG Pictures.
Oct 16
Marco V Brazilian Grand Reserve Cigar Review
Posted on Friday, October 16, 2009 in Cigar Reviews
Marco V Brazilian Grand Reserve Cigar Review
This 5×60 dark chocolate stick sports a soft, satin slightly toothy wrapper, with a very good burn all the way down, holding the ash past the 1/2 way point. Draw was excellent with the perfect amount of resistance for a smooth easy draw giving lots of rich cool, medium-full bodied smoke. Flavors were very consistent from the start to the band point, giving a slightly sweet, oily coffee flavor, and a mild pepper & spice kick on the clean finish. At the band point the smoke temp went up a bit and the pepper mostly gave way to a creaminess. Smoke time to the last inch was 1:20. Thank you very much to Marco V Cigars for generously donating this stick for review! Photography by BG Pictures.
Oct 9
Berger & Argenti Clasico Belicoso Cigar Review
Posted on Friday, October 9, 2009 in Cigar Reviews
Berger & Argenti Clasico Belicoso Cigar Review
This 5.75×50 stick offered a tan, textured but firm wrapper, with a nice tobacco aroma. Total burn time was 1:45 just past the band point, and it was almost razor sharp all the way down. The ash was light grey and white, holding on 1 1/2″ at a time. The draw was VERY loose but produced huge amounts of rich smoke with no effort at all. It was very surprising to get that much smoke and flavor for so long with such a free draw! The flavors were very consistent, dominated by a smooth creamy cocoa, medium-full in body. The first two thirds offered a nice pepper and spice zing on the finish, giving way to just a long creamy finish at the end. Thank you very much to Berger & Argenti for donating this sample for review! Photography by BG Pictures.
Sep 28
Ashton VSG Robusto Cigar Review
Posted on Monday, September 28, 2009 in Cigar Reviews
Ashton VSG Robusto Cigar Review
This 5.5 x 50 offered a notably smooth medium-full experience with a mix of several prominent flavors. The first 1/2 brought a bit of sweet tobacco and leather with the last bringing cocoa and leather with a touch of oil. The finish was very consistent with a long pepper zing over the tongue lasting well until the next draw. Total time to the band point at which it became a little warm and nutty was 1:15. The burn was very good all the way down never needing any attention, and the draw was perfect – on the loose side with just a touch of resistance. It billowed easy thick, rich smoke at every draw. Thank you very much to Ashton Cigars for generously donating this for review! Photography by BG Pictures.
Sep 24
The Football Cigar Review
Posted on Thursday, September 24, 2009 in Cigar Reviews
The Football Cigar Review
This stick, about 4 1/2″ long and 60 or so around in the widest section, proved to be a novelty item. I didn’t know what to expect from it, simply because it was obviously a novelty cigar. On one had it might just be produced for fun and appearances, on the other – it is just a regular cigar with an odd shape and strips of darker leaf here and there. Unfortunately the construction proved to be very poor, with a weird burn at times, and offering little or no smoke until you got well over 1″ in to it. Flavors were very, very mild to mild, with just extremely bitter grass tastes and a bitter lingering finish. At the 1/2 way point the whole stick turned to soggy mush and got hot at which point I punted it. This $30 stick is good for appearances only. I still want to thank Football Cigar for donating it for review, I do appreciate the effort. Photography by BG Pictures.
Sep 16
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos #3 Cigar Review
Posted on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 in Cigar Reviews
Arturo Fuente Don Carlos #3 Cigar Review
This 5.5×44 stick offered a medium body but medium-full strength experience. Burn was excellent, draw was on the firm side and excellent all the way down. Flavors were simple, offering one major flavor at a time, changing near the half way point from slightly sweet earthy to a little woody. Finish was short and clean with a bit of a pepper kick to enjoy only on the finish. Burn time to just past the band was 1:30 where it started getting a little warm. Thank you very much to Cigarsdirect.com for generously donating this stick for review! Photography by BG Pictures.
For Premium Cigars go to Cigarsdirect.com. This Don Carlos #3 can be found here.
Mar 24
‘Black Band Project’
Posted on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 in Informational
There is a new ‘viral’ marketing campaign going on, revolving around a cigar company. Word is, it’s a well known manufacturer hyping an upcoming line of cigars. The premise is, you sign up with them at this site:
http://www.blackbandproject.com/
…watch 4 installments of videos, one released each week from this week forward – and you’ll receive 4 free sticks. If you are worried about spam, create a new gmail account or whatever you like.
So far, the vids have poor acting, but have a couple funny lines at least – and they are short. Plus, I actually think they pose a 100% valid point regarding the ‘ratings’ system used by many. Sign up, watch, and think for yourself. It happens to be exactly what I’m doing with my site!