Archive for the ‘Cuban’ Category

Two Affordable Vintage Fumas From Rocky Patel

Tuesday, November 27th, 2018
In an industry flooded with big name premium cigar manufacturers, none stand out more than Rocky Patel cigars. Patel has survived his competition.

Romeo y Julieta Cuban Review

Wednesday, July 11th, 2018

When it comes to the history of Cuban cigars, the name of Romeo & Juliet carries with it notions of quality, craftsmanship, and tradition.  It is regarded among Habanos cigar smokers worldwide as one of the finest cigars in production.  While the Cuban cigar version has always been in high demand due to its quality and status, its Dominican cigar version is amongst the most purchased cigars in the United States, available at cigar stores across the country.

The brand formerly began in Cuba in 1875 by two men, Inocencio Alvarez and Manin Garcia.  Even in its early years, this Cuban Cigar brand became highly respected and quite popular.  It was entered in tasting contests around the world and was awarded several gold medals for the best Cuban cigar.  They pay homage to the Dominican cigar today, with the medals present on the cigar band.

Since the turn of the century, the Romeo y Julieta brand is still seen as the first choice for a true Cuban cigar aficionado.  They were the favored cigars of the great Winston Churchill.  His endorsement of the cigar did so well for the brand, they eventually named a signature size after him, a size that is still their front mark – the Churchill.  This was a Cuban cigar for the boutique smoker, the luxury smoker, and the elegant smoker.

All seemed to be going well for the brand until, like many cigar manufacturers, political unrest forever changed its history.  Following the Cuban revolution and the nationalization of the cigar industry, the brand was moved to its current location in La Romana, Dominican Republic.  There, at the famed Tabacalera de Garcia factory, the ever-so-popular Dominican Romeo is produced.  It is without a doubt one of the most popular cigars on the American market and can be found in every brick and mortar store.  Cuba still maintains the rights to the Cuban cigar lines and continues to produce them to this day.  It still maintains its very established reputation with the Habanos cigar smokers around the world.

The difference between the Cuban and Dominican cigars that carry the Romeo name is simply location.  They are both high quality premium cigars that are popular amongst their respected demographics.  While the Cuban Cigar stores are not allowed in the US just yet, the Dominican Romeo Y Julieta can be purchased right here at JR Cigars.

Hear from our cigar aficionado and his break down the differences of the two types origins:

Browse a great range of Romeo y Julieta Cigars.

Cuban Cohiba Review

Wednesday, July 11th, 2018

When thinking of Cuban cigars, there is one name that pops into the head of all seasoned Habanos cigar smokers. That name is Cohiba Cigars.  For half a century they have been among the highest rated and most revered Cuban cigar brands on the market.  For being the most popular and well-known Cuban cigar in the world, Cohiba has a quite unique past.

Unlike other Cuban cigar brands such as Romeo y Julieta or Partagas, the start of the Cohiba brand was relatively late.  In fact, it is one of the first Cuban cigars created after the Cuban revolution.  A local cigar roller was crafting hand-rolled Cuban cigars in his house and selling them to Fidel Castro’s bodyguard.  One day he gave one of these premium Cuban cigars to Fidel, who instantly fell in love with the blend.  He turned this man’s house into the El Laguito Factory, where Cohiba Cuban Cigars are still made today.  For many years the Cohiba Cuban was made only for Fidel Castro and a few close friends who were also Habanos aficionados.

In 1968, the state sponsored Cubatobaco formerly launched the brand onto the world cigar market.   Cohiba comes from the ancient Taino word for tobacco.  These cigars were to be produced on a limited scale and to be of higher quality than any other Cuban cigar.  In the early 1980s, Cuba really made a push to make Cohiba a full production line, making it more readily available in the world’s Cuban cigar stores.

With Cohiba being completely under Cuban control with no immediate copyright or trademark problems, in 1978, the name was taken by General Cigar and registered for distribution in the United States.  Calling them the Red Dot Cohibas and using exclusively Dominican tobacco,  The Dominican Cohiba brand became immensely popular during the boom of the 1990s and remains a top of the line Dominican cigar even to this day.

The only real difference between the Cuban and Dominican Cohiba cigar is just where the tobacco is rolled.  They are both high quality, premium cigars.  If you live in the US, there are no Cuban Cigars near you, however, you can go to JR Cigars right now to enjoy the Dominican version of the legendary Cohiba Cigar.

Hear from our cigar aficionado and his break down the differences of the two types origins:

Browse a great range of Cohiba Cigars.

Camacho Liberty 2007–Five Years Later

Friday, August 3rd, 2012

Back in August, 2007, I started a blog, and bought a box of Camacho Liberty 2007’s. My original thought was to save some, and review them in five years. I totally forgot about that idea, until I was reminded while doing another review recently.

Aging cigars is something I don’t focus on anymore. After digging out the cigar up for review today, I found some other stuff I’ve been keeping. We may be seeing more of these “Aged Cigar” reviews. Anyway… Let’s see how five years of age treated the Camacho Liberty 2007.

 

Wrapper: Barber Pole – Maduro and Corojo Shade

Binder: Honduras

Filler: Honduras & Pre Embargo Cuban

Size: 6 x 56

Price: Around $15.00

1 Camacho_Liberty_2007 cigars

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

Naturally, the first thing that grabbed my attention was the beautiful barber pole wrapper. It was pretty and rugged looking at the same time. The smell of the wrapper and foot was sweet cedar. The draw was a little snug, and barely fell within my tolerance. As for the pre-light flavor, you guessed it, cedar, and lots of it. From head to foot, the cigar was rock solid, and evenly packed.

The draw loosened up a bit in the first third, and became a non issue. The burn required one minor touch up, and the ash held for about one inch.

2 Camacho_Liberty_2007 cigars

Flavor:

The first third was smooth, real smooth. For the most part, all I could pick up was sweet cedar. After an inch and a half, an easy pepper developed, and it was mostly noticeable when retrohaling. In the background were notes of tea.

3 Camacho_Liberty_2007 cigars

Things came together in the second third. The dominant flavor was a steady cedar. Dry cocoa joined in, and the more I smoked, the more it developed, in terms of richness. Retrohaling revealed more peppery zing, along with a sweet spice. An easy, black coffee joined in at the half way point.

4 Camacho_Liberty_2007 cigars

The last third had a more even mixture of flavors. Between cedar, cocoa, and coffee, nothing really stood out over the other. The spicy sweetness developed a tingle that was felt on the lips. Like before, everything was smooth.

5 Camacho_Liberty_2007 cigars

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to lower full bodied cigar. I don’t think age hurt, or helped. I can say with certainty that five years did smooth things out. Some of the complexities were subtle, and demanded my attention. If I were distracted, I could see some of them slipping by unnoticed. Luckily, this wasn’t the case. I had a nice, relaxing experience. Some shops have horded this limited release. If you happen to run across them, I’d pick a couple up.

H. Upmann 2010 Edicion Limitada

Friday, December 10th, 2010

I could only get my hands on one of these cigars for this review. And that was only because it was Rick’s last one. So thanks for the donation! I had a hard time finding out any information on this particular cigar. Gus Mantas chimed in before this review and said he liked the 2009 better. I literally had to measure the length and use a ring gauge guide, and I couldn’t tell you what the price is. But from what I could gather, this appears to be a real Cuban and not a knock-off, which makes it review worthy in my opinion. As always, I paired this cigar with water and offer you my thoughts.

 

Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Cuba

Size: 6 1/4 X 50

Price: ???

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a toothy appearance with no real flaws. The odor coming off of the wrapper and foot was a mild wood. When squeezing the cigar, there was a slight give, but it wasn’t spongy. The pre-light draw was perfect, and had earthy/woody notes.

The burn required several corrections in the first half. One of those corrections was major. The ash held for about an inch.

1H_Upmann_2010_Edicion_Limitada

Flavor:

The first third started off with an interesting smoke feel and flavor that was almost buttery. There was also a woody and earthy component. Smoke volume was plentiful. Simple but not bad at all.

2H_Upmann_2010_Edicion_Limitada

The second third picked up in body a little, but remained in the medium to upper medium bodied range. There was a nice spice when passing smoke though the nose. It was peppery and had a nice punch, but didn’t burn. The woodiness remained and became less earthy. A coffee-ish flavor kicked in, and everything just blended well together. There was also an unidentified flavor that I notice is unique to Cuban tobacco. I can’t really find anything to compare it with, but it is nice.

3H_Upmann_2010_Edicion_Limitada

The last third may have crept into the full bodied range. The pepper seemed to become more smoother, and boarded on being sweet. The woody and coffee flavors melded together along with that natural tobacco flavor I mentioned in the second third. The smoke feel became thick and creamy. A coating was left in the mouth and lips after exhaling. This was easily my favorite third of the cigar.

4H_Upmann_2010_Edicion_Limitada

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. I don’t get a lot of chances to smoke Cuban cigars. Like their “Legal” counterparts, I get mixed results. Some are great, some are not. I still enjoy the Partagas Serie P and think it is better than this one. But I’m not saying this was was not good. If you get the chance to try this cigar, I think it is worth it. Very nice…

Perdomo Cuban Bullet Version 2.0

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

John, the local Perdomo rep was at Ed’s shop to help celebrate the 5th anniversary of St. Pete Cigars. He was nice enough to hand out a lot of cigars, including what I am reviewing today. The Cuban Bullet was cancelled in 2007. It is now back, hence the “Version 2.0” written on the band. The cigar comes in 3 different wrapper variations and four sizes. As always, I paired this cigar with water. Here’s what I found…

 

Wrapper: Cuban seed

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $3.50

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The tan wrapper had a nice appearance with small to medium sized veins. The odor of the wrapper was earthy/soily, and the foot had earth with a mild pepper. The pre-light draw was good, with some resistance. The pre-light taste was earthy and dark tasting natural tobacco. Overall the cigar was evenly and solidly packed with tobacco, with barely a soft or hard spot.

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

1PerdomoCubanBulletV2 

Flavor:

First third: Earthiness was the dominant flavor. When passing smoke through the nose, there were smooth peppery notes. As time went on the smoke became smoother and maybe a little creamy.

2PerdomoCubanBulletV2

There were no major changes in flavor during the second third. The smoke feel may have become a little thicker and creamier, and there was a woody component added to the earthiness. I can appreciate a simple flavor profile as long as it’s good, so let’s see how the last third went.

3PerdomoCubanBulletV2

The last third had a dominant woody flavor. The earthiness was there but fell back in strength. The pepper kept a little punch, but had a sweet tinge to it. Life before, the smoke feel was somewhat thick and creamy.

4PerdomoCubanBulletV2

Conclusion:

This was a decent medium bodied cigar. You picky bastards may not care for it’s simple flavor profile. Factor in the price and I think it’s easily is worth it. For the budget minded, I could see adding this to your daily rotation. Give it a try.

Trinidad Fundadores – Guest Review

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

Good ole Timm is back for another guest review. If you aren’t familiar with him, he did this review awhile back. The writing on the box is in German, and says “The EU Health Ministers – Smoking harms you and the people in your environment.” Most of us share Timm’s view, and I quote
“I think NOT smoking a cigar stresses you out and stress shortens your life Faster.” I agree Timm! I am not saying cigar smoking is good for you, but I can think of worse things to do. One way or another, we all gotta go. Might as well relax while we are here. Anyway… Let’s see what Timm has to say about this cigar. I always enjoy his reviews, so let’s get to it!1TrinidadFundadores

Wrapper/Binder/Filler: Cuban

Size: 7 1/2" x 40 Laguito Especial, a lonsdale

Price: ???

2TrinidadFundadores

 

Appearance

The wrapper had virtually no flaws. It seemed to be a little out of balance for me due to its length – I tend to prefer Toros.  The cap had a cute little pigtail while the body and foot was nice and tight with no signs of cracking. The aroma coming from the wrapper/foot seemed to have a slightly sweet smell, reminding me of nuts and Rum.

4TrinidadFundadores 

Pre-light

The pre-light draw was easy, almost too easy, and had a flavor that reminded me again of nuts and a light rum. When I squeezed the cigar’s entire length, it wasn’t firm, but not spongy either. A few soft spots were noticed, but nothing I would see as a concern.  The sweet nutty aroma seemed to demand I make the cut and find a torch.

5TrinidadFundadores 

Lighting

Lighting the cigar, I was met with a bold nutty taste and a slight hint of rum. The Trinidad lit easily but started to have a burn issue about ten minutes in.  I would later have a difficult time with the correction of this issue.  In hindsight the side of the cigar that was sitting in the box is the side that had the trouble.

6TrinidadFundadores  

Smoking

Even with the burn being so “off,” the cigar smoked wonderfully.  The taste was amazing, bringing to mind images of old Havana and Morro Castle. Puff after puff, I could just picture Fidel enjoying one of these along with a rum and a tropical sea breeze.  I was forced to return to my own reality and correct the burn as it continued to be a problem.  About midway into the cigar, I was forced to re-cut the cigar below the lowest burn point and relight it.

7TrinidadFundadores 

The dreaded Re-cut and Last 1/3

After re-cutting the cigar I was quite pleased to find the great taste remained, as did the burn issue.  I was forced into a routine of several puffs followed by an ashtray adjustment to the ash.  Even with the trouble this cigar had become, it still had a wonderful aroma and great taste, perhaps one of the most consistent from start to finish as I have ever smoked.

Cuban Crafters Cabinet Selection

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

This cigar has been in my humidor for over 6 months. I don’t even remember where I bought it. I have little information on this cigar, so let’s get right to the review. With a glass of water, I sparked up a Cuban Crafters Cabinet Selection.

 

Wrapper: Cuban seed from Ecuador

Binder: Habano 2000

Filler: Sun grown Cuban seed Habano

Size: Torpedo 6 x 54

Price: Around $5.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The dark brown wrapper and pigtail cap looked nice. There were a few medium sized veins and bumps here and there. When I squeezed the cigar, I found it to have a little sponginess, but it wasn’t extreme. The wrapper and foot had a simple earthy, hay-ish odor. The pre-light draw was free, and had notes of pepper and natural earthy tobacco.

The burn required a few minor corrections, and the ash held for just under an inch.

1CCcabinetSelection

Flavor:

The first third had very easy earthy flavors. I got a mild spice when passing the smoke through the nose. The finish (aftertaste) had a mild woodiness and lingered for a few seconds after each puff.

2CCcabinetSelection

The second third increased in strength a little, but remained in the medium range. The spice took on a slightly sweetness with a bitter aftertaste. The earthy flavors remained, as did a slight woody finish.

3CCcabinetSelection

A bitter chocolate type of flavor mixed with earthiness dominated the last third. The mild spice remained unchanged. The finish was still woody and earthy. Not a lot to talk about really.

4CCcabinetSelection

Conclusion:

It’s not that the flavors were outright bad, but in the end I didn’t care too much for this cigar. I think it was a little too bitter for my taste. The overall flavor profile seemed unrefined and plain. I’ll have to pass on this cigar…

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