Archive for the ‘2009’ Category

Casa Fernandez – Arsenio 2009

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

The Casa Fernandez Arsenio 2009 is named after Arsenio Ramos, who blends cigars for Tabacalera Tropical. What compelled me to pick some of these up was the price, and the fact that this is a nice looking cigar. As always, I paired this cigar with water and offer you my thoughts.

 

Wrapper: Nicaragua Cuban seed 2006

Binder/Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 1/4 x 54

Price: Around $5.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The wrapper looked good, with no major flaws and small to medium veins here and there. When I sniffed the wrapper and foot, I got a mild cedar. Squeezing the cigars length, I found it to be tightly and evenly packed. The pre-light draw was a little stiff, and had a woody/earthy flavor.

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

1CasaFernandezArsenio2009 

Flavor:

The first third immediately hit me with pepper and espresso. Slight sweet notes were in the background, but I couldn’t pin a flavor to it.

2CasaFernandezArsenio2009 

The second third kept that nice spicy peppery zing. Espresso or coffee remained the dominant flavor, while a slight dry cocoa appeared from time to time.

3CasaFernandezArsenio2009 

Like before, espresso kept it’s lead position in the flavor profile. Right up there with it was a creamy cocoa taste. The pepper kept it’s zing but mellowed out significantly.

4CasaFernandezArsenio2009 

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed this medium to upper medium bodied cigar. Sure, the flavor profile was simple. Where it lacked in complexity it made up for in being refined and smooth. The snug draw became less of an issue as I progressed, so I am not faulting it. In the end, this was a very good cigar.

First Impression – 5 Vegas Limitada 2009

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

To be fair, I should mention that this is a first impression review. I try to smoke at least 2 to 3 cigars before doing a review. Unfortunately I couldn’t get my hands on more. Anyway…It was time to reach into the Cigars Direct goody bag again. What I pulled out was tonight’s review, the 5 vegas Limitada 2009. This is a small yearly production and I have never had any previous releases.

 

Wrapper: Dominican Corojo (2002)

Binder: Piloto Cubano (2003)

Filler: Piloto Cubano 2003 and Criollo Ligero 2004

Size: Belicoso 6.2 x 52

Price: Around $8.00 to $10.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

This was a rugged, oily, yet attractive looking cigar. The wrapper had one large vein and a few medium to small ones. Overall the cigar was packed evenly except towards the cap, where it became a little spongy. When I sniffed the wrapper and foot, I picked up a fairly strong natural earthy tobacco odor, along with a sweet spice. The pre-light draw was perfect, and had a earthy, sweet, and simple natural tobacco taste.

Construction was good, requiring only a couple touch up’s on the burn. The ash held firm for over an inch.

1_5VegasLimitada2009

Flavor:

The first third began with very simple and subtle peppery notes. As long we we are talking about subtle flavors, next up was a slight earthiness. The smoke feel was toasty and the finish (aftertaste) had an interesting flavor that I lack words to describe. As I progressed more, woody notes combined with sweetness came about. Strange but decent.

2_5VegasLimitada2009

The second third wasn’t a lot to talk about… The sweet pepper remained, along with the toasty finish. Woody notes lingered just like before, along with the sweet woody flavors I mentioned before. Basically a carbon copy of the first third.

3_5VegasLimitada2009

The last third, like the previous ones, didn’t offer too much. One subtle change was all the flavors I mentioned before remained but took on a sweet tinge. Other then that, copy and paste my previous comments and that sums up the last third.

4_5VegasLimitada2009

Conclusion:

The cigar wasn’t  bad, but didn’t wow me in any way. I’d say it fell in the medium body range. The flavors seemed one dimensional and flat, but were never bad. I guess for such a hyped cigar, I expected more complexities and body. Considering this is the only time I’ve tried this cigar, I’ll try another one if I run across them. If your experience was the same or different, I’d appreciate your opinions. Is this review accurate or am I way off base here? Be brutal, I can take it.

Rocky Patel Autumn Collection 2009

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

The latest addition to Rocky’s seasonal blends is the Autumn Collection. So far I’ve enjoyed them all, except for the Summer Collection from 2008. I think overall, the seasonal blends are a success. Considering I’m such a Rocky Patel fanboi, I had to pick up a few of these to review. You know my routine by now… Glass of water and a cigar. On to the review!

 

Wrapper: Colorado Maduro

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: 6 x 52

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

Construction on this cigar looked great. There were only a few smaller veins and one larger size. The tobacco was firmly packed, giving the cigar a hard feel. The wrapper and foot had a sweet, earthy, spicy smell. The pre-light draw was a little stiff, and had sweet tastes of earth and wood.

1RPAutumn09

Flavor:

The first third – I was greeted with an earthy, rich soil type of flavor. There was a slight peppery spice when exhaling through the nose. It had a heating effect in the nose, if that makes sense. I started to detect a slight woodiness as the first third came to a close.

2RPAutumn09

The second third saw a reduction in the earthy flavors, and that seemed to allowed woody flavors to become more noticeable. The pepper went down a notch as well, and became more of a sweet spice. The heating effect in the sinus remained. Hints of mocha would come and go, and made things a bit more enjoyable.

3RPAutumn09

The last third continued with the sweet spice, and it left a tingle on the lips. It was similar to cinnamon on the aftertaste. The earthy notes would come and the woody flavors varied in strength. Subtle mocha flavors came and went as well. With about an inch to go, I had to put this cigar down. It wasn’t due to it being bad, I was just pressed for time. I can assure you this cigar is worth nubbing.

4RPAutumn09

Conclusion:

This was a very nice medium to full bodied cigar. The change in flavors kept my attention to this slow burner. It was enough to distract me from the draw, which was a tad too tight. I have to give the Autumn Collection 2009 a thumbs up. Try them while you can.

Rocky Patel Summer Collection 2009

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

I wasn’t a big fan of the Rocky Patel Summer Collection from 2008. It’s not that it was bad, I guess I simply wasn’t impressed with it. When I saw the 2009 edition of this cigar, I had to try it. Guys like Jerry from The Stogie Review, and Barry from A Cigar Smoker gave it glowing reviews. Everyone’s palate is different, but these two endorsements were enough for me to pick up a couple sticks for review. As usual, I paired this cigar with water. Let’s get to the review…

 

Stats –

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Cameroon

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The oily wrapper looked good, with minimal veins or flaws. It had a simple earthy smell, while the foot had a similar earthy odor with an added spicy sweet component. The pre-light draw was perfect, and had an earthy/hay and natural tobacco taste.

The burn required a few corrections in the first two thirds, and the ash held firm for over an inch.

1RPSummer09

Flavor:

The first third started off with a peppery bite when exhaled through the nose. It demanded my attention, but remained smooth. About an inch into this third, the pepper became much more mellow. This allowed a mocha/co-co flavor to come out. It wasn’t in your face strong, but wasn’t too subtle either. The mocha packed a spicy punch and remained smooth. Things went well.

2RPSummer09

As I rounded the second third, the mocha increased in strength. The sweet, peppery notes were easily noticeable, but became easier and smoother.  Very subtle earthy flavors lurked behind everything allowing for an overall enjoyable, relaxing smoke. The the smoke feel left a tingle on the lips, and was plentiful. My smoking room quickly filled with up.

3RPSummer09

The last third increased in body. Mocha was without a doubt the dominant flavor. The sweet peppery spice remained and bordered on cinnamon. The earthy undertones remained and were drowned out at times. I had to pay attention or I would miss them completely. An additional flavor crept in that I never identified. Barry described it as fruity, but I didn’t detect that. Whatever it was, it had a sweet tinge and was very enjoyable.

4RPSummer09

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. I am torn between this and the Winter Collection as far as which is my favorite Rocky Patel seasonal blend. No matter, I strongly suggest you at least give this cigar a chance. Very nice… Rocky – You’ve done it again!

Tatuaje Cojonu 2009

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Back for our monthly visit to The Stogie Review, Ed & I review the Tatuaje Cojonu 2009. Make sure you pay them a visit. It’s practically our second home, and it is the premier site for anything cigar related.

Back to the review… Pete Johnson and Don Pepin Garcia have a winner here. I can’t think of any Tatuaje cigar that has let me down. Do yourself a favor and pick up any of the lines offered.

MP3 version

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