Archive for the ‘colorado’ Category

What Are Wrapper Shade Colors?

Tuesday, February 18th, 2020
We’ve put together a list of various wrapper shade colors along with an example of each, hoping you'll be able to point out these terms down the road.

Xikar HC Series Habano Colorado Grande

Sunday, October 3rd, 2010

Matt and I reviewed this cigar awhile back, but in a different size. Xikar recently expanded the size of the cigar to the new Grande 6 x 60. Before you ask… Yes size sometimes does matter. You can take the same cigar blend, and the Churchill will be different from the Lancero or Robusto.

That is why I was happy when Jerry, Bob and David from Xikar offered to send me some samples of the new Grande size. I was curious to see if the size would effect the flavors of this line. I still have to review the HC Series Criollo and Connecticut in the new size, so stay tuned for that.

For more info on Xikar, and their HC Series cigars, check out their informative website. As always, I paired this cigar with water.

 

Wrapper: Habano Colorado

Binder: Esteli

Filler: Costa Rica, Jalapa Honduras

Size: Grande 6 x 60

Price: $9.50

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The dark wrapper looked nice, with an oily sheen and minimal veins. The smell coming off of the wrapper was sweet with mild spice. The foot had a mild barnyard-ish odor, which isn’t a bad thing. Overall the cigar was very firm and evenly packed. The draw was ever so slightly snug, but fell within my tolerances of being good. The pre-light draw was a sweet natural tobacco.

The ash held for about 1.5 inches, and the burn requires a few minor touch-up’s.

1Xikar_HC_Series_Habano_Colorado_Grande

Flavor:

The first third had an easy woody flavor that diminished in strength as time went on. Through the nose, I was detecting a pepper that wasn’t too strong, but it did have a nice zing to it. The aftertaste was a smooth earthy natural tobacco.

2Xikar_HC_Series_Habano_Colorado_Grande 

During the second third, the overall flavor profile really seemed to come together and smooth out. The smoke volume increased quite a bit. A nice sweetness entered the flavor profile and at times it resembled mocha. Woodiness lingered in the background, and coffee notes would come and go. When passing through the nose, that easy pepper was still there. It had a nice kick to it that wasn’t over the top. Later it took on a sweet, almost cinnamony feel. The aftertaste became sweet and a bit creamy.

3Xikar_HC_Series_Habano_Colorado_Grande

The last third had some differences when compared to the 2nd third. The overall flavor profile was dominated by mocha-ish flavors at times. On other draws there was a mixture of woody notes, coffee and pepper. Some draws had a creamy feel, others had a dry, crisp feel. The smoke coated the mouth and tongue with a sweet spice. Blowing smoke through the nose had that familiar sweet peppery spice as well.

4Xikar_HC_Series_Habano_Colorado_Grande

 

Conclusion:

Let’s get this out of the way first… You haters may think I’m pandering to Xikar because I got these cigars for free. While Xikar has been good to me for a long time, they know I only give honest opinions. After all, that’s all this site is, a place to give my opinion on cigars. I’m pretty sure they would want nothing to do with me if I were to lie.

Obviously the Grande was similar to the smaller size Matt and I reviewed last year. There were some subtle differences though (you’ll have to watch the other review to compare). The Grande seemed to have more of a ramp up period, if that makes sense.

What it boils down to is if you like cigars in this ring gauge. I thought it was a damn good upper medium to full bodied smoke. The flavors were good, and there was no harshness or anything bad. This slow burner is worth a try, and I give it a thumbs up. Thanks again to Jerry, David and everyone from Xikar for sending these cigars out to me!

Xikar Contest Winners!

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Thanks to everyone who entered the Xikar contest! Let’s not forget to thank Xikar for donating the prizes. Hopefully the great turnout brings them back in the future.

The first prize winner is Rafe. You get a Xikar Xi MTX Multi-Tool and a 3 pack of HC Series cigars. You get to choose which color Multi-Tool you want from the choices below.

MTX

The second place winner is Agent 86 from The Cigar Spy. You will be getting a 4 pack of HC Series Habano Colorado cigars. This is the cigar Matt and I reviewed here.

I have already emailed both of you for your contact information so you can get your free stuff! Again I can’t thank Xikar enough for sponsoring this great raffle.

Stay tuned, because my November raffle will be posted very soon. This is another contest you won’t want to miss! Trust me, this one is big!

Xikar Contest-Time is running out!

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

For those of you who already entered the Xikar contest, ignore this post. For the rest of you, WHY haven’t you entered the contest yet? It’s easy enough. Just go HERE and leave a comment. You may want to check out our review of the Xikar HC Series Habano Colorado while you are there. Soon the contest will be over and I’ll pick two random winners.

HC Logo

I don’t know how long these raffles will continue, so take advantage while you can! Speaking of raffles… I am already working on the next giveaway. I’ll reveal the details in the near future. Just trust me when I say, it will be a great prize. Stay tuned!

Xikar HC Series Habano Colorado + CONTEST!

Monday, October 12th, 2009

You’ve seen me using the Xikar MTX Multi-Tool for well over a year now on every review I do. I also use it on every cigar I smoke. Although intimidating at first, I can’t imagine being without it now.

Awhile back I posted a quick video on how to use the MTX Multi-Tool. You can view it HERE. At the end of this cigar review, Matt shows his method, which differs from mine. You didn’t come here to read my ramblings… So let’s get to the part where you get free stuff.

This contest will run for a couple weeks, and have two winners. The first place winner will receive a Xikar MTX Multi-Tool, and a sampler of HC Series cigars. You will be able to pick whatever color Multi-tool you like, shown below.

MTX

The second place winner will receive a 4 pack of the cigar being reviewed, the HC Series Habano Colorado. One contest, two winners. You can thank Xikar for donating both prizes, and my pal Matt for helping me put it together.

Now for the important part… How do you enter? Well, the first rule is that you must be 18 or older. The second rule is that you can only enter once. Then you simply watch the 20 minute review below, where we explain how to enter. Easy! Click HERE and enter now!

Casa Magna Colorado

Monday, September 21st, 2009

I was out of town for awhile this month, so Ed and I filmed this installment of The Ed & Tom show early. We originally wanted to review this cigar with Stew, but time and scheduling force us to postpone that for another day (soon).

In the mean time, see what we thought of the Casa Magna Colorado. And don’t forget to visit the ultimate cigar review site, The Stogie Review!

This video runs for around 22 minutes.

MP3 audio only

Xikar HC Series Habano Colorado

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

Not too long ago, Andy and Jerry from Xikar contacted me about the new HC Series cigars. They simply wanted my opinion on Xikar’s new cigar blends. Next thing I knew, two sampler packs arrived and it was time for me start reviewing. To the people at Xikar – Thanks for letting me try these smokes! Hopefully I enjoy them like I do the Defiance line. Stay tuned, still have the Connecticut Shade and Criollo to review.

On to the cigar… Jesus Fuego was once again tasked to blend Xikar a new line of cigars known as the HC Series. I tend to enjoy his blends, so lets see if that trend continues. As always, I’m paired up with PUR filtered tap water.

HC Logo

Wrapper: Habano Colorado-Jalapa Valley

Binder: Esteli

Filler: Costa Rida Jalapa Honduras

Size: Robusto 5×50

Price: Around $8.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

Overall the cigar was well constructed. The shiny wrapper had no visible flaws, with medium sized veins. When sniffing the wrapper, I was reminded of a barn. The foot also smelled of a barn, with a touch of pepper. The entire cigar was firmly packed, yet offered a decent draw with a bit of resistance. The pre-light draw had a dark, earthy taste.

The burn was almost perfect and I never had to touch it up. The ash was strong, requiring a firm tap on the ashtray at around an inch.

1Xikar_HCSeries_Habano_Colorado

Flavor:

Right out of the gate, the first third began with strength and said “PAY ATTENTION TO ME!” When retrohaling, I could easily detect pepper and sweet notes. A hint of earthiness hung around but it was very subtle. As I wrapped up the first third, mocha or chocolaty flavors reared it’s head. Very nice…

2Xikar_HCSeries_Habano_Colorado

The second third began with the pepper mellowing out quite a bit. The sweetness remained, as did the mocha. Like the first third, earthy notes lingered but were subtle. The main change was mocha became the dominant flavor.

3Xikar_HCSeries_Habano_Colorado

The last third was great. The flavors really came together and melded nicely. All of the flavors mentioned before were there, but none stood out over the other. It was like they were equal in strength and the recipe was complete. A touch of peppery spice, mocha, earthiness, and strength all in one. As my fingers started to burn, I realized it was time to reluctantly put this cigar down.

4Xikar_HCSeries_Habano_Colorado

Conclusion:

I’m sure you gathered that this is a full bodied cigar, no question. Although it wasn’t the most complex flavor profile I’ve had, I can’t penalize it for that. Overall it was a full, rich tasting cigar that I really enjoyed. Even on an empty stomach, I had barely a nicotine buzz and no queasiness. My only complaint is the price. $8.00 for a robusto is a little steep for me. I will admit you get a good bang for your buck. This is a cigar I think most full bodied smokers will enjoy. Even some of you light to medium guys could probably enjoy this. Jerry over at The Stogie Review loved it. See what he had to say HERE.

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