Archive for the ‘famous’ Category

La Floridita Limited Edition

Friday, November 26th, 2010

Up for review today is a boutique cigar blended by Nestor Plasencia for the Famous Smoke Shop. The folks at Famous were kind enough to send me a couple to try out and review. Famous’ website touts this as a hearty, flavorful premium cigar. With that in mind, I got my usual glass of water and took some notes.

 

Wrapper: Mata Fina-Brazil

Binder: Indonesian

Filler: Nicaraguan, Mexican

Size: Magnum 5 x 60

Price: $5.75

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The darn Brazilian wrapper was virtually flawless, with small veins and no bumps visible. Sniffing the wrapper gave me hints of sweet tobacco, slight earthiness, and perhaps a tinge of wood. The foot smelled similar, but had a mild spicy pepper component. The cigar was solidly and evenly packed, offering no give when squeezed. The pre-light draw was a little snug, but was within my tolerances of being good. The flavor from the pre-light draw was basically a simple dark natural earthy tobacco.

The burn required a few minor corrections, and the ash held for about 1.5 inches.

1La_Floridita_Limited_Edition

Flavor:

The first third started off with simple earthy, almost grassy flavors. After about a half of an inch, a smooth peppery spice was noticed when passing smoke through the nose. While it wasn’t bad, things just didn’t seem to meld together as good as they could have.

2La_Floridita_Limited_Edition

During the second third, things seemed to come together. The grassy flavors diminished, and the earthiness was a prominent flavor. The woody notes remained in the background. The smoke feel became thicker and had a tinge of sweetness. Otherwise, there really wasn’t any groundbreaking changes. Like I said, things just seemed to come together and blended well. This was much more enjoyable then the first third.

3La_Floridita_Limited_Edition

The last third basically remained the same as the second third. The only real difference was in the smoke feel. It became creamier and sweeter. Otherwise, copy my comments from the second third, and paste it here.

4La_Floridita_Limited_Edition

Conclusion:

This was a decent medium bodied, slow burning cigar. First, the good – The flavors were good, and overall I found it to be a relaxing experience. The price isn’t bad either. The bad – Nothing unique was brought to the table. As my pal Ed would say, it was just another cigar.

Thanks again to Famous Smoke Shop for giving me a chance to try this cigar. If it sounds like something that would appeal to you, look them up at the Famous Smoke Shop website.

Olor Fuerte

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

After a short hiatus from what turned out to be a sinus infection/cold, I finally got over it. I figured I’d get my feet wet with reviewing a cigar with more of a simple flavor profile. Also, stay tuned as I re-work a Xikar contest!

The Olor Fuerte is a blended for the Famous Smoke Shop. They were kind enough to send me a couple to review. After letting them sit in the humidor for a little while, I got to smoking. Paired with a glass of water, I offer you my thoughts.

 

Wrapper: Talanga Cubano

Binder: Mexican San Andreas

Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Brazilian

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: 5.60

 

Pre-Smoke and construction:

The dark natural wrapper had a nice sheen, with slight discolorations that gave it a blotchy appearance. The odor coming off of the wrapper and foot was a sweet natural tobacco. The cigar was firmly packed and had a hard spot here and there. The draw was a little snug, and had a sweet earthy natural tobacco taste.

The burn didn’t require any corrections, and the ash held for an inch.

1OlorFuerte

Flavor:

The first third had a dominant smooth earthy flavor mixed with a natural tobacco core. When passing smoke through the nose, there was a very very mild spice. It was easy to miss if you didn’t pay attention.

2OlorFuerte

The second third took on more of a creamy feel with notes of sweetness. Smoke volume increased as I got past the tight spot and the draw loosened up a bit. That sweetness coated the inside of the mouth and lingered in the aftertaste. Like before, the core flavor was earthy natural tobacco. When passing smoke though the nose, the sweet peppery spice was very mild, but slightly increased in strength.

3OlorFuerte

The last third really didn’t have any changes. It kept the pace of the second third.

4OlorFuerte

Conclusion:

This was an OK medium bodied cigar. The flavors were one dimensional and simple. I could see some of you picky smokers becoming bored with the flavor profile. If an easy, smooth cigar is up your alley, maybe this is for you. As for me… I thought it was OK. You can find these at Famous Smoke Shop for a decent price.

Rocky Patel American Market Selection

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

The Rocky Patel American Market Selection is an exclusive blend at the Famous Smoke Shop. The fine people there sent me a few samples to try. This cigar is aimed at those of you who enjoy a milder cigar. I tend to prefer fuller bodied stuff, but I’m always searching for a cheap and good mild cigar for the morning. For the sake of the review, I paired this cigar with water.

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan & Honduran

Size:  Robusto 5.5 x 50

Price: Around $5.00 if you buy a box

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The light colored wrapper looked nice, with only a few bumps and small veins. The wrapper had a nice mild odor of cedar, while the foot had a natural tobacco smell. The cigar was firmly and evenly packed with tobacco. The pre-light draw was free, and had a mild earthy and woody taste.

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

1RPAMS

Flavor:

The first third had mild earthy and woody flavors. When I passed smoke through the nose, I didn’t get that common spice or pepper. Instead it was smooth cedar. A bit further in, a mild creamy sweetness wrapped around that cedary, earthy core flavor.

2RPAMS

The second third was very much like the first. It kept that core earthy and woody flavors. The smoke volume was thick and a little creamy. A very very slight spice developed and I noticed it if I passed a lot of smoke through the nose.

3RPAMS

The last third kept pace with the 2nd. Nothing really chanced. It stayed consistent with no bad flavors or harshness.

4RPAMS

Conclusion:

This was a good slow burning mild cigar. I couldn’t imagine smoking these later in the day. But for a morning cigar, these would fit the bill. I will probably try more of these and pair them with coffee. Thanks again to Famous Smoke Shop for letting me try these. If mild cigars are your thing, I’d have to recommend these for sure.

Famous Dominican 4000 Maduro-First Impression

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Today’s review was a donation from Mike AKA KnightRid. This cigar is exclusive to Famous Smoke Shop, and was blended by Juan Rodriguez. I know nothing about this cigar, or any of the bundle sticks over at Famous. For the sake of the review, as I paired this cigar with water.

 

Wrapper: Connecticut Maduro

Binder & Filler: Dominican

Size: Toro 5 3/4 x 52

Price: $38.99 bundle of 25

 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

Squeezing the length of the cigar, I found it to be slightly soft, but bounced back when pinched. The wrapper was toothy looking, with a few medium to large veins. Sniffing the wrapper and foot revealed a sweet woody odor. The pre-light draw was almost perfect, and had the same sweet woody notes along with a slight earth.

The burn required no corrections, and I ashed at around an inch. Construction overall wasn’t bad at all.

1FamousDominican4000Maduro

Flavor:

The first third had a very smooth smoke feel. Smooth earthy notes combined with a ever so slight peppery spice. The pepper was very slight and hard to detect. As this third came to a close, a smooth sweetness appeared.

2FamousDominican4000Maduro

The second third had an interesting combination of earthy/grassy flavors combined with sweet notes. I had a hard time pinning them down. At times it was almost mocha, and as I typed “Mocha” into this review, I would realize it wasn’t. What was it? The smoke feel remained thick and smooth, and every now and then I could detect subtle pepper.

3FamousDominican4000Maduro

The last third didn’t really offer anything new. In fact, if you re-read the second third summary, that’s exactly how the last third went. Really, nothing changed.

4FamousDominican4000Maduro

Conclusion:

Obviously this wasn’t a “Wow” cigar. But for around $1.55 a stick, its hard to be picky. Price aside, this was an OK medium bodied cigar. The value factor adds to the appeal despite its one dimensional flavor profile. I think I’ll look further into other Famous Smoke Shop lines, since this one wasn’t bad.

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