Archive for September, 2011

Gurkha Cellar Reserve

Friday, September 30th, 2011

As you all know by now, this review is posted here for archive purposes.

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It’s that time again. Ed and I visited Stogie Review for our guest spot. This time we tackled the new Gurkha Cellar Reserve.

This cigar boasts having tobacco that is aged for 15 years. While I’m not a big Gurkha smoker, past reviews we’ve done have turned out well. We did enjoy the Cellar Reserve, but it took us on a weird journey. It started off kind of ho-hum, picked up the pace in the middle, then tapered back in to the ho-hum routine in the last third. Personally, I can’t justify the $12 price tag. But I bet there are a lot of Gurkha fans that will disagree, and that’s Ok.

So sit back as Ed and I pick apart the Gurkha Cellar Reserve. We ran a little long with some off topic banter, but that’s how we roll. This video runs about 24 minutes. Do yourself a favor and click the little HD button on the video player. Blip.tv has had sub-par video conversions as of late.

MP3 Audio Only <-Right click, Save as

Gran Habano–Habano #3

Monday, September 26th, 2011

You know the story by now… I was walking around the local humidor looking for something to review. This is gradually getting more difficult. Look at the cigar review index, I’ve reviewed a shit load of cigars over the years.

I eventually ran across this somewhat value priced cigar, and figured why not. I paired up with water and took some notes.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Binder: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaragua, Mexico, Costa Rica

Size: Robusto 5 x 52

Price: $3.61

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a couple medium sized veins and minimal flaws. The smell of the wrapper was mild cedar. and the foot was more of a sweet earthiness. The cigar was evenly and solidly packed. The pre-light draw had slight resistance, and had a cedary, earthy flavor.

The ash was a bit flakey and held for about an inch. The burn required no corrections.

1 Gran_Habano_#3 cigars

Flavor:

The first third started off with sweet cedar. Through the nose I picked up a smooth peppery spice along with a tad of earthiness. An interesting and hard to describe flavor came about towards the end of this third. I’d almost call it leather, but I’m not certain.

2 Gran_Habano_#3 cigars

The second third: It turns out that fruity flavor was more of a sweetness combined with leather. The cedar mixed with those flavors, and most of the time was dominant. When passing smoke through the nose, the woody, peppery spice increased in strength but wasn’t an ass kicker. The smoke feel became smooth with a lingering aftertaste.

3 Gran_Habano_#3 cigars

The last third changed up a bit. The leather, wood, and cedar all became equal in strength. There was a significant increase in creamy sweetness. It stuck to the palate for a nice aftertaste. The spice pretty much remained the same as in the second third.

4 Gran_Habano_#3 cigars

Conclusion:

This was a good medium bodied cigar that met it’s price point. I was expecting a completely one dimensional flavor profile. It changed up just enough to make this somewhat value cigar a pleasure to smoke. Some of you picky aficionado’s may find it lackluster, and I can understand that. But for the price, I say this is worth trying.

The Infamous Cigar Moocher… A Royal Pain in the Ash

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Last week I spoke of the wedding I attended in Upstate New York where I went prepared… not only with many a fine smoke for me to enjoy on the long, three-day weekend, but I was also equipped with a gaggle of bundled cigars as well. The reason: The Moochers.

MoocherCigar Moochers are a rare breed, particularly because they don’t know that they are pains in the ass, they just think, “Hey, that guy’s got a lot of cigars, I don’t think he’ll mind if I ask for one.” They think they’re hip and suave because they’re joining in on the smoke fest. But in reality, they ARE pains in the ash because A: Cigars cost me good money, B: It’s obvious that the guy is a neophyte jack-wagon and wouldn’t know a good cigar if it bit him on the ash, and C: Half the time these tobacco-tards take three puffs and put the cigar down for good. (That last one causes me agita like nothing else.)

Now, sometimes at a party or a bbq, you’ll run into a BOTL who honestly just forgot to bring his stash, his wife doesn’t want him to smoke, or he was just plain old unprepared. I don’t think any of us mind giving a dude like that one of our primo sticks, right? I mean, you know he appreciates the hell out of the gesture and he’s gonna enjoy that baby right down to the nub. But it’s those tobacco-tards I spoke of earlier, the guys who only smoke during golf or poker and they don’t really have a decent humidor, or any humidor at all, most times. Those are the guys that boil my onions, the raging douche bags that know zilch about cigar protocol and etiquette. And like I said before, there’s always that one dillweed who asks you with all his boneheaded zeal, “Are those Cubans?!” Wow, I hate that guy and I want to physically hurt him.

JRAlt_BAND FINALYou know, I used to really despise the moochers with great disdain, but over the years I’ve grown accustomed to their ignorant ways. One can almost say that I’ve learned to embrace their short-comings, (you can thank years of counseling for that.) I’ve learned that sharing is caring and even tobacco-tards need to be treated with a modicum of respect. And even though I now bring an inexpensive bundle to any event, it’s still a bit hard to unconditionally hand over my precious hand rolled happy sticks. Even though I’m not totally convinced that it’s better to give than receive, I have found that meditation and positive affirmations have helped me become a better person to these friggin ingrates.

I’m telling you, I opened up my bundle of JR Alternatives at the wedding and these leaf grubbing creatures appeared out of thin air. “Mind if I have one? Care if I join in? Hey, got one for me?” ‘Not really ya mooching ho’s’, was the first thing that rattled through my smoke encrusted brain, but then I took a few deep breaths, said my mantras, then handed out those luscious sticks as I gritted my teeth and smiled. I kid you not, 20 cigars gone in a matter of three minutes. It was like feeding time at the alligator pit, cuz as you well know, when something is free, people will go bananas.

My very worst moocher experience was at our annual block party just three years ago. I brought a box of Montecristo Whites for my buddies who appreciate a real cigar, as they will always bring some top-shelf booze in return. And of course, I brought a bundle of stoags for the ungrateful goons who want to be tres chic, just like me. Well, about half way through the shindig, I go to grab a stick from the good pile and there’s like three cigars left! WTF is right, my friends in JR Blogland!!! I was pissed beyond belief but tried to contain myself in order to find out what the hell was going on. Finally, my buddy Rob from next door pulls me aside and tells me that the brother in law of my neighbor who was invited, scoffed handfuls of my smokes and wrapped a t-shirt around them and put them in the back of his car. I was livid and ready to beat the snot outta this lowlife, but suddenly I had a better plan.

baked beans photo RexAt the end of the night, we always shoot off some fireworks for the kids, and that was the perfect diversion for my Mission Impossible style plan. As the bottle rockets were being lit, Rob diverted the thief’s attention as I snuck into the back of his car and retrieved my stolen sticks… but not without filling his t-shirt back up with close to 2 pounds of baked beans, scorched chicken legs, and a gallon of mustard. This bastid went as far as to put bathing towels and magazines over the top of the shirt, you know, just in case somebody would steal his new found treasure while filling his 1978 Foreigner t-shirt with 2 pounds of baked beans, scorched chicken legs, and a gallon of mustard. How sweet would it have been to see this thieving dirtbag’s reaction later that night? I’ll tell you one thing, guys, I am such a devious and revengeful stogie-sucking Polack when the mood calls for it.

Well, I’m not sure what the lesson was here, probably more of a cathartic attempt on my part at dealing with the cigar moochers who plague this world. Oh, they are out there people, don’t kid yourself, and they want your stogies… they just don’t know it yet. Yes, beware, my friends, but most of all, beware of the guy in the Foreigner t-shirt.

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Rocky Patel–The Edge Corojo

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

I’ve had the other Edge cigars from Rocky Patel, so I figured why not try the Corojo. I picked this up at a local cigar shop and let them rest for a month or so. Anyhow, no big buildup on this review. Let’s get to it…

 

Wrapper: Corojo

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Secret

Size: Battalion 6 x 60

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was chocolaty brown and shiny with small to medium sized veins. No flaws could be found. The wrapper had a cedary smell. The foot was similar with an added pepper. The cigar was solidly packed. I mean real packed, hence the pre-light draw was very tight and far out of my tolerances. The flavor of the pre-light draw was cedar and earth.

After about an inch of smoking, the draw opened up. The ash held for anywhere from one to two inches. The burn required no corrections.

1 Rocly_Patel_The_Edge_Corojo Cigars

Flavor:

Initially the first third lacked almost all flavor due to the tight draw. After about an inch in, the draw opened up a little. This revealed earthiness and cedar. The smoke feel was dry and crisp.

2 Rocly_Patel_The_Edge_Corojo Cigars

The second third had a dominant woody flavor. It wasn’t cedar, that’s about as detailed that I can get. There were earthy notes in the background. When passing smoke through the nose, there was a sweet spice and a little pepper. The smoke feel thickened up a little and became less dry and crisp, and as I approached the last third, it bordered on creaminess.

3 Rocly_Patel_The_Edge_Corojo Cigars

The last third changed a little. The smoke feel became thicker and a little creamy. The dominant flavor was still wood, but it also was creamy and sweet. There may have been hints of coffee here and there. Through the nose, the sweet spice remained and was pleasant.

4 Rocly_Patel_The_Edge_Corojo Cigars

Conclusion:

This was an OK medium to full bodied cigar. The flavors were good, but just seemed scattered if that makes sense. I guess I would have preferred a more refined delivery. Instead this slow burner offered a 1.5 hour ho-hum experience. I’m pretty sure I’ll pass on smoking any more of these.

Esteban Carreras 187

Monday, September 19th, 2011

I figured since I reviewed the 5150, I might as well do the 187. Does the name come from the California Penal Code section 187, meaning murder? Who knows, there is no real insight out there on the Internet. Anyway who cares… I picked up the 187 at a cigar event Ed had recently. I paired this review with water as always.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: 6 x 60

Price: $6.95

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

As you can see from the picture, the wrapper had a bunch of tiny water spots all over it. Or at least they looked like tiny water spots. The flash photography exaggerates the spots. In person, they don’t stand out that much. Basically the wrapper looks rugged. The smell off of the wrapper was hay and barnyard. The foot has more of a sweet smell to it. The cigar was well packed, and had some hard and soft spots here and there. The pre-light draw had some resistance, but was within my tolerances. The cold draw had a sweet earthy flavor.

The ash held for 1.5 inches, and the burn required no corrections.

1 Esteban_Carreras_187 Cigars

Flavor:

The first third started with a dominant coffee flavor and an earthy background. There was a slight spice when passing smoke through the sinus. After about an inch, I started to pick up on some sweetness that is typical of a maduro wrapper. I can only think to compare it with chocolate. Not the Hershey candy bar kind. More like the kind of chocolate you’d use to cook with.

2 Esteban_Carreras_187 Cigars

The second had a dominant bitter chocolate. It was the same that I described in the first third. Coffee was mixed in there as well. Every now and then I detected cedar. The smoke feel became a little thicker with a slight creaminess. The earthiness faded into a background note. The spice took on an easy peppery feel.

3 Esteban_Carreras_187 Cigars

The last third kept pace with the second third. The only difference was the chocolate became very rich. This was probably the most enjoyable part of the cigar for me. Not to say it was bad before. The spice went from pepper to more of a sweet spice that left a tingle on the lips.

4 Esteban_Carreras_187 Cigars

Conclusion:

This was a good, solid medium to lower full bodied cigar. It wasn’t anything special, but it was good and I think it met it’s price point. For whatever reason, I enjoy the 5150 more. There isn’t really anything more, good or bad, that I can say. It’s worth trying at least.

Tommy ZMan’s Ode to the Celebratory Cigar

Monday, September 19th, 2011

This past weekend the wife and I took a three and a half hour trek to spend several days in upstate New York for her cousin’s kid’s wedding. Now, packing for a two and a half day excursion is an adventure for any woman, but it’s especially challenging for my bride. Four weeks worth of clothes and vital supplies are jammed into several monolithic steamer trunks, complete with stickers from mystical places like Cairo, Venice, Morocco, and Newark. She starts prepping several days in advance with a cavalcade of items strewn across the bedroom floor, which makes getting up to take a whiz in the middle of the night like maneuvering through a mine field. “Geez Tommy, why are you having knee surgery?”… “Curling iron.”

wedding_rolled_cigarsIt goes without saying that men are pretty simple minded when it comes to the fashion department, and packing can be accomplished during the course of half an episode of Pawn Stars. Okay, so I had my wedding stuff – shirt, jacket, slacks, tie, and shoes – but after that, shaving kit, underwear, socks, jeans, sneakers, several heavy metal band t-shirts, one presentable shirt for dinner, and that’s it. Okay, I lied – I brought enough cigars to make it thru several Armageddons, including a bundle of inexpensive sticks for the moochers, who don’t have the brain capacity to remember that this is a wedding. It is inevitable that I’ll always be bugged by every stogie–grubbing joker at a wedding, including several dumb-asses who will undoubtedly ask, “Are those Cubans?”

49460d1263612134-wedding-celebration-cigar-site2The wedding was, well… it was a wedding, I mean, I’m a freakin’ Cromag, what do you want me to say? There’s no doubt that gathering with a group of knuckle-draggers outside to celebrate with some fine cigars was the highlight of the evening for me. (Hard to even remember there was a time when you could smoke inside during a wedding.) Of course I had to listen to the wife tell me how bad I stunk the rest of the evening, but it was nothing that a few tankards of Macallan’s 12 couldn’t drown out. I enjoyed two luscious and tasty sticks, first a medium bodied Ashton Cabinet, followed by a rich, full bodied Camacho Corojo. Of course the mooches were totally grooving on the JR Alternative Montecristo #2’s (and why wouldn’t they?) as we enjoyed the camaraderie and a plethora of bulls@!tting.

Guys, I can tell you with most certainty that there is no greater pleasure in this world than celebrating an event with a good cigar. Many a wedding, bachelor party, birth, job promotion, and sporting championship has been christened with a premium aged, hand rolled cigar throughout the ages, a ritual that is no doubt becoming endangered by the Anti-smoking zealots of this world. And while many of us enjoy a nice smoke on a daily basis, there is something extra rewarding about crowning a special occasion by firing up tobacco from a Latin American country.

Unfortunately, I was not yet a cigar smoker at my own wedding, some 230 years ago (well, it seems that way), but I do remember a bunch guys lighting up after the dinner and I had the distinct feeling that I was indeed missing out on something special. Only a few years later at my brother in-law’s wedding, did I finally pop my tobacco cherry with a big ol’ Partagas #10. I swear that it took just one puff of heavenly blue smoke to realize that THIS was something pretty amazing, as I toked the baseball bat sized son of a bitch to the fingernail. From that day forward I was hooked like a bluegill on an earthworm, and some seventeen years later, I sit with a laptop at the edge of my garage, writing this JR Blog just for you (while nubbing a tasty Dominican Troya.)

Life itself is always something worth celebrating, and as you all know, a good cigar just makes it all the more special. We don’t need the joining of man and wife or the birth or a youngin’ to break out our favorite sticks to say cheers to all that we have. All we need is a hand rolled treat, a source of fire, and a place to rest our weary culos. Damn, people, I’ll raise my ash to that.

TZ.Sig.2

Tommy Z . JR Cigars Blog With the Zman

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Esteban Carreras 5150

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

It’s been a busy week. So I resigned myself to missing todays review. You see, I often schedule reviews a week or two ahead of time. Basically the reviews you read are often written a week or two ahead of time. Not today. Here I sit on a Thursday night, determined to meet my self imposed deadline. While I’m at it, a quick Ed & Tom update… We will most likely get together on the 24th. The review will follow about a week after that.

On the menu today was a cigar I first tried at an event Ed had recently. I liked the sample that I smoked, and found one in the humidor that I bought awhile back at the Habana Cigar Factory. As for the name 5150, are they talking about Van Halen’s first album with Sammy Hagar? Maybe they are referring to the California Welfare and Institutions Code that basically means you are nuts. “Joe got 5150’d last night.” Who knows. Who cares. I paired this cigar with water as always…

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Toro 6 x 50

Price: Around $5.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The chocolaty brown wrapper had a nice oily look to it, and had minimal veins and flaws. The wrapper had a dark sweet smell. The foot had more of a spiciness. The cigar was solidly packed, with barely a hard or soft spot. The draw had some resistance, but feel within my tolerances. The pre-light flavor was sweet earthy tobacco.

The ash held for around an inch, and the burn required no corrections.

1 Esteban_Carreras_5150 cigars

Flavor:

The first third opened up with a simple earthiness. After about 1/4 of an inch, an interesting woody flavor joined in. The smoke took on a thick feel with a tinge of sweetness. After about an inch in, a nice spice joined along with a little pepper. Passing smoke through the nose there was cedar, sweetness, and spice.

2 Esteban_Carreras_5150 cigars

The second third developed into a nice sweet mocha. Mixed with it was a tingly spice that clung to the inside of the mouth and sinus. Woodiness and earthy notes fell into the background. Occasionally they would stand out, and then fade into the background again. At the mid way point I picked up black coffee and the associated bitterness. I don’t mean a strong, bad kind of bitterness. The smoke feel was sweet and creamy.

3 Esteban_Carreras_5150 cigars

The last third kept that sweet mocha-ish flavor, with a bitter sweet aftertaste. Coffee was up next. The woody and earthy flavors were still in the background. Basically the flavors stayed the same, but the delivery switched up a little, much like in the second third.

4 Esteban_Carreras_5150 cigars

Conclusion:

This was a good, solid medium to upper medium bodied cigar. The flavors were smooth and refined. The complexities in the flavor profile were nice as well. Basically it hit the spot for me. As I often say, it wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but this cigar delivered. Considering the price point, I’d say it met or even exceeded it. This cigar is worth a try.

Quesada Oktoberfest

Monday, September 12th, 2011

Quesada – The makers of the Tributo, which was my favorite cigar of 2010. About the Tributo…  I don’t know what happened, but it has seemed to have gone to shit. Many, like 7 out of 10, have tight draws. With some work I’ve been able to repair most of them to smokeable condition. I’ve tried various storage conditions, even dry boxing. But no, the issue is simply a cigar that is too tightly rolled. Quality control has gone to shit with the Tributo lately. What a shame for such a great cigar. Pisses me off.  Anyway…

When Ed got some of these in stock, I had to pick some up. It’s namesake is obvious. If you don’t know about Oktoberfest, do a quick Google search. This cigar is of limited quantities, and is obviously meant to be smoked with beer. Since I can’t stand beer, I went with water.

 

Wrapper: Dominican

Binder & Filler: Dominican

Size: Bavarian 5.5 x 52

Price: Around $7.95

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The dark oily wrapper looked great, with no visible flaws. The smell off of the wrapper and foot was a rich tobacco, cedar, and sweet spice. The pre-light draw was perfect, and had a rich flavor much like the smell of the cigar.

The burn required one minor correction, and the ash held for over an inch.

1 Quesada_Oktoberfest cigars

Flavor:

The first third started off with an interesting burnt wood flavor. It didn’t take long before black coffee joined in. Wood and pepper were up there and made you take notice. When retrohaling, the peppery spice had a nice zing. Next up was dark chocolate. It had that unmistakable bitter sweetness on the aftertaste. This third basically punched me in the face with flavor, but it was good flavor.

2 Quesada_Oktoberfest cigars

The second third became sweeter. That rich dark chocolate dominated the flavor profile. Wood was up next, but it wasn’t your standard cedar. Through the nose, the peppery spice kept that nice zing. Be careful when passing smoke through the nose on this one. The lingering aftertaste was dark and sweet, with a tinge of bitterness. Not a bad bitterness mind you.

3 Quesada_Oktoberfest cigars

The last third settled into a nice dark, heavy dark chocolate much like in the second third. It just seemed more dominant that before. Black coffee was behind it, and wood behind that. Basically it kept the same core flavors throughout, but the delivery changed up from third to third.

4 Quesada_Oktoberfest cigars

Conclusion:

This was a damn good full bodied cigar. The flavors were great, the strength was great, the body was great, and the burn was great. This cigar hit the spot for me. I also tried the larger 6 x 65 version and found it equally enjoyable. Too bad the Oktoberfest is in limited quantities. I could easily see this as a frequently smoked cigar. I say get these while you can.

For the Love of MY Cigar

Monday, September 12th, 2011

The mail lady just came, delivering the brandy-new issue of the famed JR CIGARS catalog, something I’ve looked forward to for years on end! The cool thing about the catalog is that it has gone through a transformation, becoming kind of a hybrid catalog/cigar magazine. Not only loaded with an endless array of tasty tobacco treats for your purchasing pleasure, it’s now filled with articles from some of the wonderful writers who penned for Cigar Magazine. Okay, that would also include me, as I do consider myself most wonderful, indeed (um, you really don’t need to ask my wife’s opinion, honest, I think she’s actually busy right now.)

jr_catalogThe good execs at JR had enough faith in me to give me my own column that appears in every new issue, entitled: What Really Roasts My Robusto! It’s my own personal space to rant, rave, holler and blow smoke at the people, places, and things in the cigar world that I either love or loathe. Now, I generally write the articles several months in advance, and sometimes when I finally see them in print, I can’t even believe I’m able to string cohesive thoughts together, let alone remember what I actually wrote. But in this latest issue, I write about the cigar being my best friend in the whole world, and man is that ever so incredibly true!

Sometimes I step back and take a look at how much I love cigars and I think I freak myself out a little. How can a human being have such a passionate love affair with an inanimate object… one that you actually destroy by fire, no less? And I can almost guarantee that just about every person reading this feels the same – and you know it! Did you ever really think about why we love cigars so much, and dedicate so much of the time we spend around their brown and leafy existence? Why the hell are we so intoxicated by the sight and smell? What in the name of God makes us crave its brown and oily complexion, where smoking one to the fingernail is all we can possibly think of at any given moment?

Now it’s no secret that my wife loathes cigars – despising the odor along with its possible health drawbacks. (Just waking up every morning is stockpiled with its possible health drawbacks, but that doesn’t seem to phase her.) When I started smoking cigars some 17 years ago, she thought it was a fad and I’d be onto something else in a few months like I did with comic books, baseball cards, shrunken heads, and Danny Bonaduce action figures. But almost two decades later, what she thinks is a habit, has turned into a romance, one like I have never known and certainly never expected.

God dayum, I friggin love cigars.

Now if any of us Brothers and Sisters of the Leaf had actually saved the receipts for the amount of hard-earned cash that we have actually spent over the years on cigars, humidors, cutters, lighters, and goofy shirts with prints of cockatoos drinking single-malt on them, I think the Ah-Ha moment would just about kill each and every one of us.

Now that I think about it, the purpose of this here blog post isn’t really to come up with an answer to why you or I love our premium aged treats so much. It’s really more of a cathartic exercise of self realization, one that allows us to admit that our fixation (not a habit, a fixation) is an important part of our existence, and all we can really do is continue to go with the flow while enjoying the living hell out of our MONTECRISTO RESERVA NEGRA, CASA BLANCA RESERVE, HENRY CLAY HONDURAN, SANCHO PANZA EXTRA FUERTE, and CONSUEGRA DOMINICAN bundles!

Hopefully I’ve helped some of you with your stogie love affair conundrum, letting you know that you’re all right… you’re not going mental or becoming a housebound introvert with Nicaraguan and Honduran tendencies. You’re a cigar smoker… a lover of ligero, the patriot of puros, and a magistrate of maduro. I can tell you with absolute certainty that the cigar IS your best pal in the whole wide world, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Smoke “em Cuz Ya Gottem’,

TZ.Sig.2

Tommy Z . JR Cigars Blog With the Zman

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Cuvee Rouge

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

The Cuvee line of cigars is from Cusano. I found the Cuvee Rouge at a local shop. Since I haven’t reviewed it before, as always I picked  a couple up. While I don’t have a big back story of this cigar, a google search brings up plenty of stuff if you are interested. My cigars had a foot band that said Cusano Signature on it. I don’t know if that means anything, since most of the pictures I found on the Internet did not show this foot band. Anyway… As always, I paired with water and here are my thoughts.

 

Wrapper: Dominican Sungrown

Binder & Filler: Dominican

Size: Churchill 7 x 50

Price: Around $8.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The brown wrapper looked nice with no flaws and minimal discoloration. The odor coming off of the wrapper was cedary, and the foot was earthy with a little spice. The cigar was pretty evenly packed with a slight give when squeezed. The pre-light draw has slight resistance, and had an earthy, sweet flavor.

The burn required one major burn correction in the first third, but non after that. The ash held for about 1.5 inches.

1 Cuvee_Rouge cigars

Flavor:

The first third began with a grassy earthiness. After about 1.5 inches, the earthiness was joined by cedar. When passing smoke through the nose, there was a slight pepper. The smoke feel was dry, and the flavors seemed thin and simply OK.

2 Cuvee_Rouge cigars

The second third improved a little. The grassy earthy flavor was still there, but it wasn’t quite as grassy as before. It was a little more pleasant and woody. The pepper through the nose calmed down as well. The smoke feel became a less dry, and took on a slightly more thicker feel. As I approached the end of this third, it became creamy with a tinge of sweetness.

3 Cuvee_Rouge cigars

The last third kept that earthiness with a tinge of grass. Woody notes were in the background. Through the nose, the same as it was in the second third. There was a peppery tingle in the mouth and on the lips. The creamy smoke feel was still there with a tingle of sweetness.

4 Cuvee_Rouge cigars

Conclusion:

To me this was a pretty boring medium bodied cigar. The Churchill size is just too much blandness for me. I’m not really a big fan of grassy flavors either. It did improve in the second and last third, but just a little. There was nothing blatantly bad, it just isn’t for me…

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