Archive for the ‘601’ Category

Cubao Maduro

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

I am a big fan of the original Cubao. When I heard that a maduro wrapped version was out, I had to try it. I found these in Tampa and naturally picked a few up for review. The quick story on this cigar is… Don Pepin Garcia blended and makes this cigar for United Tobacco. Chances are, if Pepin has his hands in it, I’ll like it. Let’s see if this holds true for the Cubao Maduro.

 

Wrapper: Ecuador

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto Extra 6 1/8 x 50

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The dark brown maduro wrapper looked great, with only a few small to medium veins and no major flaws. The wrapper had almost no odor at all. I could only detect a slight sweet smell. The foot had more of a sweet spicy smell to it. Overall the cigar was evenly packed and had a good draw. The pre-smoke draw was a dark sweet flavor, similar to dark chocolate bitterness.

1CubaoMaduro

Flavor:

The first few puffs of the first third were smooth earthiness. It didn’t take long for a nice sweet peppery spice to kick in. The earthiness took a back seat, and allowed the sweetness to stand out. As I progressed further along, a coffee or espresso type of flavor joined in. The sweetness took on more of a cocoa tinge.  Meanwhile, the smoke feel became thick and creamy.

2CubaoMaduro

As I dug into the second third, the pepper calmed down a bit but kept a lot of bite. The smoke feel remained thick and somewhat creamy. The cocoa sweetness dominated the flavor profile. Coffee was next, along with a slight woodiness.

3CubaoMaduro

The last third increased in strength. The spicy pepper remained smooth but kept that familiar zing. At times the coffee was stronger then the cocoa, and at other times it was the opposite. Woody notes were still in the distant background. The smoke was dense, but lost a lot of it’s creaminess.

4CubaoMaduro

Conclusion:

This was a damn good full bodied cigar. There really isn’t anything more I can say. I will be smoking more of these. Give the Cubao Maduro a try!

601 Serie black

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

Those of you who follow this site probably read my reviews of other 601 cigars. So far I’ve enjoyed them. They are blended by Don Pepin Garcia for United Tobacco. For me, a typical Pepin blend punches you in the face to start, and then calms to what the cigar will become. As always, I smoked a couple of these with water and wrote my thoughts on the 601 black label.

 

Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $6.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The wrapper didn’t quite look like a typical Connecticut, and had a strange hue to the color. It was a little bumpy with medium veins. I picked up woody, earthy, and spicy notes when sniffing the wrapper. The cigar was consistently packed, and a little on the soft side. The draw was perfect, and had an interesting taste of spice, wood, and possibly leather or earth. It was a dark and dense flavor if that makes sense.

I didn’t do any burn corrections, and the ash held on for just over an inch.

1601Black

Flavor:

The first third… Just as I suspected, I was greeted with a nice blast of pepper. It wasn’t a harsh or intense pepper, just a smooth and somewhat strong. Enough to grab your attention. Next in line was a woody flavor that was undeniable.

2601Black

As I got into the second third, that full peppery sensation turned into more of a sweet spice. The smoke feel became thick and creamy. This led to a slight earthy and cedary aftertaste. The combination of these basic flavors were somehow unique and interesting.

3601Black

The last third didn’t offer too much change. Most notably was an interesting earthy flavor that bordered on leather. The sweet spice remained along with the thick, creamy smoke feel. The woody component remained as well. Like I said, not a lot of change, but still enjoyable.

4601Black

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. I could see some people being turned off if they were expecting a mild cigar which is common to most Connecticut wrapped cigars. For me that wasn’t the case, and I really enjoyed the experience. Pick some up!

601 Green Label

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

I don’t consider myself a Don Pepin Garcia fan boy, but you’d probably think different after reading some reviews on this site. After enjoying the 601 Red Label recently, I had to try some of the other Pepin blended 601 cigars. The green label seemed to be the next logical choice. I wonder if this will live up to my expectations. Let’s see what happened when I grabbed my usual glass of water and sat down with the 601 Green Label.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Tronco 5×52

Price: 5 – $6.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

Inspecting the wrapper, I found it visually appealing. The dark wrapper had a few veins and I could see glimmering specks of oil. This thing was well on it’s way to having plume. Squeezing the cigar, I found a couple tight spots, but otherwise was consistently packed with tobacco. Sniffing the wrapper revealed a grassy, earthy, sweet natural tobacco scent. The foot had minimal smell, with slight sweet earthy notes. Clipping the cap, I found the draw was a bit too snug, but I could live with it. The pre-light draw had a rich earthy taste with hints of pepper.

The ash was solid, taking effort to knock off after letting it get to a couple inches in length. The burn required no corrections, and the tight draw loosened up a bit to a more acceptable level.

1601_Green 

Flavor:

The first third… Right after I lit up, I was hit with pepper. Note I wasn’t “Blasted” with pepper. It was rather smooth and easy to smoke. Shortly afterwards, dry mocha notes came into the flavor profile. To rap things up, a sweet cinnamon-ish spice rounded everything out.

2601_Green.

The second third went well. That familiar pepper combined with that spicy sweet cinnamon and had a bit of a bite. Don’t get me wrong, there was no harshness, but this definitely isn’t a beginner cigar. The mocha remained fairly strong as well, while hints of nuttiness lingered. Full bodied and nice…

3601_Green.

The last third did a similar thing that the red label did. Instead of intensifying, the strength actually calmed down a bit. All the while, the body picked up the pace a little if that makes sense. I guess what I mean is the nicotine punch calmed a little, while the flavors stood out more. About the flavors… Dry mocha remained with a sweet spice and pepper. The pepper helped retain a little punch but not over the top. Nutty flavors increased as well and rounded out the flavor profile.

4601_Green.

Conclusion:

This was a good cigar that went into the full bodied range. I wouldn’t give this to a beginner or occasional smoker though. But for those who enjoy medium and full bodied cigars, I’d recommend this without hesitation. Pepin – You’ve done it again!

First Impression – 601 “Red Label”

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

The title says it all. I’ve never had this cigar before this review was written. I generally like to smoke at least two cigars before doing a review. If I simply don’t have that 2nd or 3rd cigar, I try to make a note in the review. As always, I rummaged through the small humidor and dug this out. After asking around, it turns out my pal Matt gave this to me awhile ago. You remember him, we did this review awhile back. I’m pairing up with water and a touch of Glenfiddich 18 year scotch. The scotch really helps cleanse the palate. Since this is a first impression review, I’ll need all the help I can get. On to the review…

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Natural

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $7.00

1 601 RedLabel

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The smooth, tan wrapper looked nice and refined. There were no noticeable soft spots in the cigar either. I could only detect a woody smell when sniffing the wrapper. I got a combination of wood and pepper when sniffing the foot. The pre-light draw was free, and had notes of hay and grass. The burn only required a few touch up’s, and the ash was flaky, only lasting about a half of an inch.

Flavor:

Smooth peppery notes kicked off the first third. Next up was cedar, a decent amount of it. Cocoa and earthy flavors kicked in as I progressed through this third. Simple, full bodied, and good.

2 601 RedLabel

The second third started off with a reduction in pepper. Earthy flavors increased slightly at times, as did the mocha. As I reached the end of the 2nd third, the pepper transformed into a sweet somewhat spicy flavor.

3 601 RedLabel

The last third went well in to the full bodied spectrum. Mocha and woody flavors were in the front of the flavor profile. A sweet smoothness combined with earthiness to fill up the remaining space. The smoke became thick and coated the mouth. Very full bodied and creamy.

4 601 RedLabel

Conclusion:

Now a bad full bodied cigar! This isn’t a WOW cigar by any means, but it definitely was not bad at all. Considering this was the first time I’ve tried the 601 Red label, it went well and I will try this again.

Cigar Blog: Xtra Special!

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
As reported by Rich Perelman (from CigarCyclopedia.com), Thompson Cigar Store is hosting a week of cigar manufacturers from Monday to Saturday prior to the Super Bowl in Thompson Cigar’s home city- Tampa, Florida. January 26th-31st: Monday thru Saturday 11am to 5pm Free Admission Everyday! Monday- Gurkha, La Perla Habana, and Xikar Tuesday- Don Pepin Garcia, 601, La Aurora, and Xikar...

Cigar Blog: Xtra Special!

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
As reported by Rich Perelman (from CigarCyclopedia.com), Thompson Cigar Store is hosting a week of cigar manufacturers from Monday to Saturday prior to the Super Bowl in Thompson Cigar’s home city- Tampa, Florida. January 26th-31st: Monday thru Saturday 11am to 5pm Free Admission Everyday! Monday- Gurkha, La Perla Habana, and Xikar Tuesday- Don Pepin Garcia, 601, La Aurora, and Xikar...

Cigar Blog: Xtra Special!

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
As reported by Rich Perelman (from CigarCyclopedia.com), Thompson Cigar Store is hosting a week of cigar manufacturers from Monday to Saturday prior to the Super Bowl in Thompson Cigar’s home city- Tampa, Florida. January 26th-31st: Monday thru Saturday 11am to 5pm Free Admission Everyday! Monday- Gurkha, La Perla Habana, and Xikar Tuesday- Don Pepin Garcia, 601, La Aurora, and Xikar...

Cigar Blog: Xtra Special!

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
As reported by Rich Perelman (from CigarCyclopedia.com), Thompson Cigar Store is hosting a week of cigar manufacturers from Monday to Saturday prior to the Super Bowl in Thompson Cigar’s home city- Tampa, Florida. January 26th-31st: Monday thru Saturday 11am to 5pm Free Admission Everyday! Monday- Gurkha, La Perla Habana, and Xikar Tuesday- Don Pepin Garcia, 601, La Aurora, and Xikar...

Cigar Blog: Xtra Special!

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
As reported by Rich Perelman (from CigarCyclopedia.com), Thompson Cigar Store is hosting a week of cigar manufacturers from Monday to Saturday prior to the Super Bowl in Thompson Cigar’s home city- Tampa, Florida. January 26th-31st: Monday thru Saturday 11am to 5pm Free Admission Everyday! Monday- Gurkha, La Perla Habana, and Xikar Tuesday- Don Pepin Garcia, 601, La Aurora, and Xikar...

Cigar Blog: Xtra Special!

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
As reported by Rich Perelman (from CigarCyclopedia.com), Thompson Cigar Store is hosting a week of cigar manufacturers from Monday to Saturday prior to the Super Bowl in Thompson Cigar’s home city- Tampa, Florida. January 26th-31st: Monday thru Saturday 11am to 5pm Free Admission Everyday! Monday- Gurkha, La Perla Habana, and Xikar Tuesday- Don Pepin Garcia, 601, La Aurora, and Xikar...

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