Archive for the ‘especial’ Category

Falto Gran Reserva Especial Prominente(Perfecto)

Monday, December 27th, 2010

I am back with another line from Falto Cigars. Luis Juan Falto (founder and CEO) was kind enough to send me some samples after we met awhile back at the Bonita Smoker Shop. Falto Cigars is a very small boutique company with limited distribution. This allows Luis to be directly involved in every aspect of his product.

This perfecto shaped cigar is manufactured using a wooden mold from 1923. When you buy a box, it includes a card that indicates when it began its cedar aging, when it was packaged, and when it left the factory. Luis signs each card as verification.

I am always willing to try new blends or brands. So with a glass of water, I started to pick this thing apart. Let’s see how it went.

 

Wrapper: Cameroon

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

Size: 4.5 x 42/47

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a rugged look, with a few medium veins and an overall rustic appearance. The odor off of the wrapper was cedar. The cigar was evenly and very well packed. The pre-light draw had a slight resistance, and had a sweet woody flavor.

Despite being a small cigar, the smoke volume was plentiful and the burn was cool. The ash held for an inch, and I did no burn corrections.

1FaltoGranReservaEspecialProminente

Flavor:

The first few puffs of the first third were prominently earthy. As the cigar burned past the small perfecto opening, the flavors opened up a bit. A toasty, woody flavor seemed to meld with coffee notes. A slight peppery spice was noticed when passing smoke though the nose. As this third came to a close, the flavors started to have a sweet tinge to them.

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The second third continued with those sweet toasty notes. The peppery spice was easy with just enough kick when passing smoke through the nose. A nice sweet coffee was dominant, and the woody/earthy flavors became hard to detect at times. As time went on, the smoke feel went from a toasty feel to more of a creamy sensation that coated the mouth and lips.

3FaltoGranReservaEspecialProminente

The last third became very creamy. The dominant flavor was sweet and almost mocha. The woody and earthy components would rear their heads from time to time. The sweet spice remained consistent with the second third, with a nice sweet cinnamony zing.

4FaltoGranReservaEspecialProminente

 

Conclusion:

This was a very nice medium bodied, slow burning cigar. The flavors switched up and evolved as time went on. For such a small cigar, it didn’t lack in flavors. I could see this being a good after lunch smoke. Definitely worth a try. Thanks to Luis for letting me try them!

Falto Reserva Especial Tres Luises-Petit Belicoso

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Once again I am reviewing a cigar provided to me by Luis Falto, President & CEO of Falto Cigars. This cigar comes in two sizes, the Ballibo, which is 6 3/4 x 35, and is named after the grandfather of the founder. The other is what I am reviewing today.  The Ballibo basically has the same flavors as this one, but it’s small ring gage seems to focus the flavors a bit more. As always, I paired this cigar with water.

 

Wrapper: Cameroon

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

Size: 5 x 52

Price: $8.00 @ Bonita Smoke Shop

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The delicate Cameroon wrapper had small to medium sized veins and some bumps here and there. Overall there were only minor cosmetic flaws. The wrapper had an odor of hay and earth, while the foot had a mild natural tobacco smell. The pre-light draw was free, and had a mild sweet earthy taste. Overall the cigar was a little soft to the touch, and bounced back when squeezed.

The burn required a few small corrections, and the ash held for an inch.

1FaltoReservaEspecialTresLuises_Petit Belicoso 

Flavor:

The first third began with a mild and smooth woodiness. A very mild and somewhat creamy spice was detected when passing smoke through the sinus. Earthiness lingered in the background.

2FaltoReservaEspecialTresLuises_Petit Belicoso 

The second third developed a nice sweetness that resembled mocha and caramel. The woody flavor was there and resembled cedar. Notes of nuttiness replaced the earthiness I mentioned before. The sweet spice remained and became even creamier. The smoke was thick and coated the inside of the mouth. The aftertaste was of sweet caramel.

3FaltoReservaEspecialTresLuises_Petit Belicoso 

The last third didn’t have a lot of change. The flavor profile remained sweet with mocha and hints of caramel-ish flavors. The smoke kept it’s creamy feel with hints of sweet spice through the nose. Basically the last third was the same as the second, which wasn’t a bad thing.

4FaltoReservaEspecialTresLuises_Petit Belicoso 

Conclusion:

This was a good cigar that started with a mild body, and crept into the medium range. I’m not a big Cameroon wrapper guy, but I could see this being enjoyable as a morning or after lunch cigar. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, by all means give it a try. It had good flavors. Thanks again to Luis for sending me these cigars to review!

Padilla Obsidian Edicion Especial 2006

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

I found today’s review at the bottom of the humidor. I don’t know when I picked it up or from who. I suspect the low price and overall appearance prompted me to buy it. All I know is that this is a bundle cigar, and I’ve seen them on the Internet for very low prices. Like always, this cigar was paired with water, and here are my thoughts.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan

Binder: Honduran

Filler: Nicaraguan & Honduran

Size: 6 x 54

Price: Around $3.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The dark wrapper was rugged looking, with a few medium to large veins and a toothy appearance. The wrapper had an earthy barnyard-ish odor, while the foot had more of a spice to it. The pre-light draw had slight resistance with a sweet earthy and woody taste. When I pinched the cigar from head to foot, I found it to be densely packed with a minor soft spot or two.

At first the burn required a few major corrections. It mellowed out in the last third. The ash held for about 3/4 inch before falling off.

1PadillaEspecial2006 

Flavor:

The first third had a mild earthiness with a spicy pepper. The smoke feel was a bit dry but overall pleasant.

2PadillaEspecial2006 

The second third remained simple but good. Those earthy notes lingered pretty far in the background, while a sweet spicy pepper took over. I picked up a secondary dry moch-ish flavor that was aight. A slight bitterness came in as this third ended. This particular bitterness I didn’t care for, but it was very slight and didn’t bother me too much.

3PadillaEspecial2006 

The last third did not change at all in terms of flavor. It may have crept into the upper medium body range, but that’s about it. The bitterness fell even further into the background and was difficult to detect. As for flavors, copy and paste the second third here.

4PadillaEspecial2006 

Conclusion:

This was an OK medium to upper medium bodied cigar. It basically fit the price point. In terms of bundle cigars, I would prefer this cigar. But that’s just my .02. I think this is worth trying for yourself.

Saint Luis Rey Reserva Especial No.5

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

In my quest for a quick smoke for when time is short, I came across today’s review. These come in a nice metal tin of 5 for an overall attractive presentation. I paired up with water for this review, but for you seasoned smokers,  found this cigar goes well with coffee for a nice added kick.

 

Wrapper: Natural-Nicaraguan

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Peruvian

Size: 4.5 x 38

Price: 5 pack $17.00

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The reddish looking wrapper was a bit bumpy but had no major flaws. Sniffing the wrapper and foot revealed a hay-ish barnyard aroma. Squeezing the cigar from head to foot, I found it was a little spongy but wasn’t extreme. The pre-light draw was free, and had an earthy rich soil taste.

The burn required quite a few corrections, and the ash held for about a half of an inch. I think this was unique to this cigar, since the others I smoked didn’t need so many burn corrections.

2SLR5No5 

 

Flavor:

The first third consisted mainly of pepper. It had a bite, but wasn’t harsh of irritating. Next up was a smooth earthy flavor that resembled a rich soil.

3SLR5No5 

As I progressed into the second third, the bite of the pepper mellowed out a little but kept its “Zing.” The earthy flavors continued with an addition of rich woody notes. Every now and then the pepper would become a sweet spice, but for the most part it was pepper.

4SLR5No5 

The last third didn’t offer a lot of change. The peppery punch went down another notch, but again kept a nice zing. An unidentified sweet flavor appeared more often then the second third, but never developed into a definite flavor. And finally… The earthy notes became more of a background flavor. Overall very enjoyable.

5SLR5No5 

Conclusion:

This was a pretty good medium bodied cigar. The bad aspects were the burn corrections but I can let the cigar going out once slide. Despite the flavor profile being a bit one dimensional, I enjoyed this cigar.

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.

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