Archive for the ‘Cameroon’ Category

Rocky Patel Vintage 2003 Cameroon

Monday, October 31st, 2011

The cigar up for review today is touted as medium bodied, with aged Cameroon wrapper and 8 year old binder and filler. From Rocky’s website, they claim it is rich with complex flavors of white pepper, dark chocolate, espresso and sweet spice. It sounded like they were worth a try, so I picked a few up. As always I paired this cigar with water. Let’s see how my experience with the Vintage 2003 Cameroon compares to Rocky’s claims.

 

Wrapper: Cameroon

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Dominican and Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5.5 x 50

Price: $6.65

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper glistened with oils and had minimal veins. There was some discoloration but it didn’t take away from the overall appearance. The odor of the wrapper and foot reminded me of a barnyard. The cigar was rock solid to the touch and evenly packed. This resulted in a draw that was a bit snug. The pre-light draw had an interesting sweet flavor and I couldn’t find anything to compare it to.

In the last third, the fragile Cameroon wrapper started to split pretty badly, but I smoked through it with no problem. The ash held for around an inch, and I did one burn correction.

1 Rocky_Patel_Vistage_2001_Cameroon cigars

Flavor:

The first third began with an easy pepper, but not your traditional hot black pepper. There was a definite bitterness associated with black coffee or espresso. There was a slight earthiness and wood way in the background. The easy spice lingered on the aftertaste with black coffee.

2 Rocky_Patel_Vistage_2001_Cameroon cigars

The second third did not have a lot of change. Through the nose, the pepper remained like in the first third. Black coffee with a tinge of sweetness dominated the flavor profile. At about the half way point the sweetness increased and resembled chocolate. Not the standard chocolate, but more of a dark chocolate or cooking chocolate.

3 Rocky_Patel_Vistage_2001_Cameroon cigars

The last third picked up on body a little, but remained in the medium range. Core flavors were coffee, bitter chocolate, and a spicy pepper. The pepper was still present but the smoke remained easy to pass through the sinus. A slight tingle was left in the mouth and on the lips on the aftertaste.

4 Rocky_Patel_Vistage_2001_Cameroon cigars

Conclusion:

This was a solid medium bodied, easy to smoke cigar. The flavors were interesting enough to not get bored. I could see some of you full bodied smokers getting bored with this one though. As for me, I enjoyed it. It wasn’t really anything special, but it did the job. I would prefer to pair this cigar with coffee. I think the Rocky Patel Vintage 2003 Cameroon is worth a try at the very least.

Christmas Giveaway!

Monday, December 13th, 2010

The contest is now over. Thanks again to Bonita Smoke Shop for hosting such a great Christmas giveaway!

Bonita Smoke Shop is hosting a great Christmas giveaway here at TomsCigars. So before we get into it, I’d like to thank them for supporting the site and offering this great prize to you. Make sure you check out their online store. If you are in the Bonita Springs, FL area, do yourself a favor and visit this great cigar store. I drove over two hours to visit, and it was well worth the trip (check it out here).

bonita198

Now, on to the contest!

One lucky winner will receive a CAO ‘O’ red ashtray, and a box of CAO L’Anniversaire Cigars in the Churchill size.

The ashtray design is inspired by the letter O in the CAO logo, which is the founding name Ozgener. The ceramic body holds three cigars and has a nice deep bowl to hold plenty of ashes.

The CAO Cameroon L’Anniversaire features only the finest Grade One Cameroon wrapper and is paired with sublime Nicaraguan binder and filler. The uniqueness of this cigar is the difficult balance it achieves between the sweetness of the Cameroon wrapper and the earthy, richness of the Nicaraguan fillers. The CAO L’Anniversaire Cameroon possesses flavors of sweet spice, coffee, and caramel.

Prizes have a combined value of over $140.00!

DSC05900

DSC05902

So you are asking, how do I enter to win? Easy… Simply leave a comment here. Any comment will do. Only one entry per person.

Make sure to leave a valid email address in the email section. All contact info given to me will be treated as if it were my own. I will not give any information to anybody, period.

There are only a few simple rules. You must be:

18 years or older.

Live in the United States of America.

Enter the contest only once by leaving any comment on this post.

Enter a valid email address in the email section.

And that is it. Simply leave a comment here to enter. I will randomly draw a winner in a week or two, and before you know it, these two prizes will be in your hands!

Enter now!

Christmas Giveaway!

Monday, December 13th, 2010

This post will be stuck at the top of the site until the contest is over.

Bonita Smoke Shop is hosting a great Christmas giveaway here at TomsCigars. So before we get into it, I’d like to thank them for supporting the site and offering this great prize to you. Make sure you check out their online store. If you are in the Bonita Springs, FL area, do yourself a favor and visit this great cigar store. I drove over two hours to visit, and it was well worth the trip (check it out here).

bonita198

Now, on to the contest!

One lucky winner will receive a CAO ‘O’ red ashtray, and a box of CAO L’Anniversaire Cigars in the Churchill size.

The ashtray design is inspired by the letter O in the CAO logo, which is the founding name Ozgener. The ceramic body holds three cigars and has a nice deep bowl to hold plenty of ashes.

The CAO Cameroon L’Anniversaire features only the finest Grade One Cameroon wrapper and is paired with sublime Nicaraguan binder and filler. The uniqueness of this cigar is the difficult balance it achieves between the sweetness of the Cameroon wrapper and the earthy, richness of the Nicaraguan fillers. The CAO L’Anniversaire Cameroon possesses flavors of sweet spice, coffee, and caramel.

Prizes have a combined value of over $140.00!

DSC05900

DSC05902

So you are asking, how do I enter to win? Easy… Simply leave a comment here. Any comment will do. Only one entry per person.

Make sure to leave a valid email address in the email section. All contact info given to me will be treated as if it were my own. I will not give any information to anybody, period.

There are only a few simple rules. You must be:

18 years or older.

Live in the United States of America.

Enter the contest only once by leaving any comment on this post.

Enter a valid email address in the email section.

And that is it. Simply leave a comment here to enter. I will randomly draw a winner in a week or two, and before you know it, these two prizes will be in your hands!

Enter now!

H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon

Monday, May 10th, 2010

I picked up this cigar from a local shop not too long ago. What attracted me to it was the lack of H. Upmann reviews on this site. As always, I paired this cigar with water and jotted down my thoughts.

 

Wrapper: Cameroon

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Peruvian

Size: Churchill 50 x 7

Price: Around $6.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The wrapper looked a little rough with a few medium sized veins and bumps here and there. The foot and wrapper had almost no odor at all, maybe a slight sweet cedar. The pre-light draw was a little stiff, and had a sweet woody taste. When I squeezed the cigar from head to foot, I found the head of the cigar was densely packed and rock solid. This probably accounts for the stiff draw.

1HUpmannVintageCameroon

The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for just about one inch. In the last third, I had some wrapper splitting. A touch of vegetable glue remedied it quickly. Perhaps high humidity conditions caused filler/binder expansion.

2HUpmannVintageCameroon 

Flavor:

The first third began with a very mild smoothness that had virtually no flavor. Mild woody notes with a barely noticeable spice kicked in.

3HUpmannVintageCameroon

The second third kept this prominent woody flavor. The slight spice remained, and I picked up a slight sweetness that I couldn’t identify. Earthy notes were way in the background.

4HUpmannVintageCameroon

The woody flavors increased and became more cedary. Those slight earthy flavors would come and go, although a natural tobacco taste remained throughout. The finish (aftertaste) was a little toasty, and had a slight sweetness.

5HUpmannVintageCameroon

Conclusion:

This was an OK light bodied cigar. There were no bad or harsh flavors, just a decent smoke. I have to admit, overall I got very bored smoke this in a Churchill size. A smaller size with a cup of coffee would have probably been more fitting for such a mild, simple cigar. If you are into mild cigars, maybe this one is for you.

Rocky Patel Cameroon Especial

Sunday, March 21st, 2010

I was introduced to this cigar by Mike from The Stogie Review. His review didn’t go so well, but he basically had a bum stick in the construction department. What intrigued me about this cigar was the price and what sounded like decent flavor. I am always looking for something to have in the morning with coffee, and this sounded promising. Supporter of the site, Bonita Smoke Shop, has these at a good price. If this sounds like it is for you, it may be worth checking out. As always, I paired today’s review with water. See what I thought below…

 

Wrapper: Cameroon

Binder: Honduras

Filler: Dominican

Size: Toro 6 x 52

Price: Around $48.00 for bundle of 20

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

A quick glance at the wrapper shows a few blemishes, some medium sized veins, and an overall rugged appearance. The foot and wrapper both had a slight earthy, barnyard odor. There were a few hard and soft spots in the cigar, but overall it seemed to have decent construction. The pre-light draw was good with slight resistance, and had sweet earthy notes.

I did no burn corrections, and the ash held for just under an inch before falling off in my lap or ashtray.

1RPCameroonEspecial

Flavor:

The first third began with mild mellow notes that were typical to Cameroon wrapped cigars. By that I mean a smooth, somewhat earthy and nutty flavor. A tinge of sweetness sort of wrapped around the core flavors.

2RPCameroonEspecial

The second third kept the same flavors, but overall things became sweeter. I picked up a very slight spice when passing the smoke through the nose. The smoke feel became a little smoother with a slight creaminess.

3RPCameroonEspecial

And on to the last third. The creamy smoke feel went away but was very smooth. There was an addition of a mild sweet spice on the lips and through the sinus. The body increased a little higher into the upper mild or lower medium range. That same nutty flavors with whisps of earthy notes were there like before.

4RPCameroonEspecial

Conclusion:

This was a pretty good mild to medium bodied cigar. For a bundle cigar, I can’t complain. There were no harsh sensations or bad flavors. My only complaint is that you may get a stick or two in a bundle that have a tight draw. But for a bundle cigar, this lives up to the price range.

Perdomo Cameroon Remainders

Friday, January 8th, 2010

I can’t recall where I purchased this ultra-cheap cigar, and I have virtually no information about it. The only thing I can tell you is that I was probably intrigued by the ultra cheap price when I picked up a couple of these cigars. At around a buck a stick, I wasn’t expecting much. I grabbed my usual cup of water and wrote my thoughts…

 

Wrapper: Cameroon

Binder: ???

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Robusto 5.5 X 52

Price: Aprox. $20.00 for a bundle of 20

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

When squeezing the length of the cigar, it was overall spongy with a few hard spots. The wrapper looked good, with a little roughness and small to medium veins. Sniffing the wrapper reminded me of soil. The pre-light draw was very loose, and tasted like wood and sweet natural tobacco.

The ash was a little flaky, and held for about an inch. The burn required no corrections.

1PasdomoRemaindersCameroon 

Flavor:

The first third started with subtle sweet spice. Beneath that, earthy notes. The amount of smoke was plentiful and had a smooth feel.

2PasdomoRemaindersCameroon 

The second third, although not great, wasn’t bad. The sweet spice lost some of its bite and was replaced with smooth, almost creamy earthiness. I think I detected hints of nutty notes as well. The smoke feel was thick and creamy as well.

3PasdomoRemaindersCameroon 

The last third… Copy and paste my comments of the second third, and paste it here. The only change was that the body crept into the upper mild to lower medium range.

4PasdomoRemaindersCameroon 

Conclusion:

This was pretty much what I expected. A cheap mild to medium bodied value cigar. If it were any more expensive I would give it a bad review due to being one dimensional. But for the price, I have to say it was decent. You get what you pay for basically. With coffee I could see this doing the job as an easy morning smoke.

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