Archive for June, 2014

Arandoza White Label

Sunday, June 15th, 2014

I’ll be digging into the stuff sent to me soon, but for now, I’m trying to get through cigars I’ve bought locally. The Arandoza White Label is something I stumbled upon at Ed’s shop recently. There isn’t a lot of information out there on this brand, but no matter, what counts is the experience. Let’s get to it.

 

Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder & Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 x 52

Price: 6 to $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

This was a nicely constructed cigar. It was evenly rolled and packed. The wrapper glistened in the light, and had a woody and earthy smell. The draw had slight resistance, and the pre-light flavor was woody and earthy.

There was plenty of smoke volume. The burn line got wacky from time to time, but I never had to correct it. The ash was flowery, and held for about an inch.

1 Arandoze_White_Label cigars

 

Flavor:

The first third opened up with pepper. It wasn’t over the top, but it had that undeniable Nicaraguan zing. Up next was wood, sweetness, and an associated sweet bitterness.

2 Arandoze_White_Label cigars

Pepper calmed down in the second third, but it didn’t go away by any means. It was matched with wood and bitter sweetness. Earthiness and coffee lingered in the background. The smoke feel became crisp.

3 Arandoze_White_Label cigars

The last third kept the same basic flavors, they just differed in degrees of strength. Sometimes wood was the dominant flavor, and other times, bitter sweetness was at the front. A few times, that strong pepper was the only flavor.

4 Arandoze_White_Label cigars

Conclusion:

This was a good, eventful, medium to full bodied cigar. The cigar snob in me liked the fancy double bands and pretty wrapper. The price wasn’t bad either. If you’re a mild smoker, use caution on passing too much smoke through the nose. That pepper could get you.

La Flor Dominicana N.A.S.

Sunday, June 8th, 2014

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a review, and as you’d expect, I’m very backlogged. I couldn’t decide what to smoke, until I ran across the N.A.S. by La Flor Dominicana. It is a cheroot, which means it was hand rolled, but not pressed in a mold. This results in one ugly looking cigar. The blend is all Ligero tobacco, but, you’re probably wondering what the name means. Nasty Ass Shit. Let’s see if this thing lives up to it’s name.

 

Wrapper: Dominican

Binder & Filler: Dominican

Size: 5.5 x 42

Price: Around $8.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

Did I mention how ugly the cigar was? Otherwise, it was well constructed. I could feel knots when squeezing, but, I would expect this from a cheroot. The wrapper had almost no odor at all. The draw was a little snug, but a small clip opened it right up. I picked up woody and earthy notes on the pre-light draw.

The ash held for about a half of an inch, and there was plenty of smoke volume.

1 LFD_NAS cigars

 

Flavor:

I was expecting a blast of pepper in the first third. Instead, I was greeted with a dark, smooth, woody flavor. Earthy notes lingered behind it, but it was subtle. After about a half of an inch, I started to get hints of pepper. It was a warm, flavorful pepper, maybe cayenne.

2 LFD_NAS cigars

The second third kept the same woody core. The pepper increased in strength, and had a sweet, almost cinnamony tingle. Yes, we make up our own words at tomscigars.com. Earthy notes fell far in the background.

3 LFD_NAS cigars

The pepper increased in strength in the last third. It kept the tingle I mentioned before, but took on a black peppery feel. Wood remained the main flavor, and earth was more noticeable.

4 LFD_NAS cigars

Conclusion:

This was a good full bodied cigar. It burned better than I expected, and tasted good. Anyone who knows me can predict my complaints. The price is a bit high for a smaller cigar. If I were to be extremely critical, it would be the name. N.A.S. just makes me say “Nasty Ass Shit” in my head. Print the name on the label, it’s ok, they are only words. Seriously though, price and appearance aside, this was a nice little smoke.

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