Archive for the ‘General_Cigars’ Category

Hoyo De Monterrey Excalibur Legend

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Back for another random cigar review. I spotted this cigar at a local shop, picked some up, and here we are. This cigar is said to have been “Designed to appeal to those tenured smokers demanding a full flavored smoke.” This is simply quoting General Cigar’s website. I paired this cigar with water. Let’s see how it went.

 

Wrapper: Honduran Claro

Binder: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican

Filler: Connecticut Broadleaf

Size: Crusader 5.75 x 45

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The shiny wrapper had no real flaws. It had a somewhat veiny and rugged look to it though. The wrapper had a cedary and earthy smell, and the foot was more of a plain natural tobacco. The cigar was well packed to a rock solid feel. There were some harder spots here and there, which raised concern about the draw. Luckily the draw was decent. It had some resistance but fell within my tolerances. The pre-light flavor was earthy and woody.

The ash held for under an inch, and the burn required several minor corrections.

1 Hoyo_De_Monterrey_Excalibur_Legend cigars

Flavor:

The most noticeable thing about the first third was the peppery zing when passing smoke through the nose. Next up was an earthiness with a sweet creaminess. The flavors were simple, but they were well refined.

2 Hoyo_De_Monterrey_Excalibur_Legend cigars

The second third calmed down a bit in terms of peppery spice. The smoke was sweet and creamy, yet it had a dry crisp finish. The earthiness fell way in to the background. At about the half way point, cedar joined in. This crisp dry feel left me craving water.

3 Hoyo_De_Monterrey_Excalibur_Legend cigars

The last third didn’t really offer anything new. The creaminess diminished, which left a spicy sweetness with a dry cedar flavor.  Otherwise, there wasn’t a lot of change to mention.

4 Hoyo_De_Monterrey_Excalibur_Legend cigars

Conclusion:

As you probably gathered, I liked this cigar. It had some negative aspects, like the dry feel that left me with some cotton mouth. But the flavors were good, and construction was decent. It didn’t wow me, but it didn’t disappoint.

La Gloria Cubana Artesanos Retro Especiale

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Not too long ago General Cigars send me a fiver of the cigar up for review today. I appreciate it, as I have yet to find any in the area to try. I know what your thinking, this is a Connecticut wrapped cigar so it should be a pretty mild, boring experience. I’ve noticed a small trend of re-inventing the Connecticut wrapped cigar by a few companies, which is a good thing. As always, I paired with water.

 

Wrapper: Connecticut seed grown in Honduras

Binder: Mexican

Filer: Dominican, Nicaraguan

Size: 5.75 x 47

Price: $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a velvety brown appearance, with a couple medium sized veins. The smell of the wrapper was similar to compost. The cigar was well packed, but had a few minor soft spots here and there. The pre-light draw had some resistance, but fell within my tolerances. The pre-light flavor was earthy and natural tobacco.

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

1 La_Gloria_Cubana_Artesanos_Especiale cigars

Flavor:

The first third started with a smooth earthiness, natural tobacco, and mild pepper. That pepper didn’t have any burning sensation like you’d get in black pepper. You could basically pass an entire draw through the nose with no problem. The smoke became somewhat creamy as I got further into this third. At the same time, the pepper developed a slight zing. There was some woodiness mixed in as well.

2 La_Gloria_Cubana_Artesanos_Especiale cigars.

The second third became more creamy and had a tinge of sweetness. A nice spice appeared at about the half way point. It wasn’t strong but it left a tingly coating in the mouth. Like before, there was woodiness and some earth.

3 La_Gloria_Cubana_Artesanos_Especiale cigars.

There isn’t a lot to say about the last third in terms of change. It was basically like the second third. The body and strength picked up a little, but that’s about it. It may sound boring, but it was quite good.

4 La_Gloria_Cubana_Artesanos_Especiale cigars.

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. I know I said this recently in another review, but this is a Connecticut wrapped cigar with a twist. It had some of the typical flavors I’d expect, but with an added strength in flavors and body. For many, this wouldn’t be a good morning cigar. For the seasoned smoker, this could fit almost any time of the day. I say give these a try.

CAO–OSA Sol

Monday, August 29th, 2011

This is the first blend from CAO since it’s move to General Cigars. A part of me is disappointed in CAO for “selling out.” Another part understands mentality behind taking the money and running. General Cigars has good brands and bad. So it is only fair to give CAO a chance.

The name OSA stands for Olancha San Augustin. This is the region of Honduras that the wrapper is from. Sol refers to the fact that the wrapper is sun grown.

General Cigars sent me a five pack along with a press release. I appreciate the chance to try this new blend. So let’s see how the CAO OSA Sol treated me.

 

Wrapper: Honduras

Binder: Connecticut

Filler: Nicaraguan & Honduran

Size: 6 x 54

Price: $6.25

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a nice look to it, with no visible flaws. The odor coming off of the wrapper was a mild earthiness. The foot smelled the same with an added spiciness. The cigar was evenly and solidly packed, and the pre-light draw had slight resistance. The pre-light flavor was earthy with perhaps a note of wood.

The burn required one correction, and the ash held for around one inch.

1 CAO_OSA_Sol Cigars

Flavor:

The first third had a core flavor of earthiness. Accompanying it was wood. When passing smoke through the nose, I picked up an easy spice with earthy and woody notes. As I progressed through this third, the smoke feel improved from a dryness to smoother feel with a tinge of sweetness.

2 CAO_OSA_Sol Cigars

The second third kept the same earthy and woody flavors. The earthiness was different, almost grassy or a little musty. The spice through the nose basically remained the same. The smoke feel became thicker feeling at times, with a lingering sweetness.

3 CAO_OSA_Sol Cigars

The last third had an increase in that earthy, musty flavor. I can’t decide if I liked it or not. It was just there. Like before, woodiness was next in the flavor profile. The spice through the nose increased slightly in strength. A spicy tingle was left on the lips and tongue, but the flavor was that earthiness I mentioned earlier.

4 CAO_OSA_Sol Cigars

Conclusion:

I’m on the fence about this cigar… It wasn’t outright bad, but something about the earthy flavor seemed off. Nothing stood out as being bad, or particularly good. The flavors were just there. Maybe some age on these cigars would mellow the weird earthiness a bit, who knows. In the end, the CAO OSA Sol was just OK. Thanks again to General Cigars for letting me try it out.

El Perrito–War of Flavors

Monday, June 6th, 2011

Not long ago General Cigars sent me a sample of 5 El Perrito’s. When I took them out of the box, my first reaction was “These are some ugly cigars!” And with good reason… These cigars are hand made from start to finish. No cigar molds are used, hence the rugged bumpy look. After smoking a few I realized that the goal here isn’t looks or presentation. It’s about a quick smoke that has good flavors for a reasonable price. So with a glass of water, I bring to you my thoughts.

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Connecticut broadleaf

Filler: 2 leaves, Nicaraguan and Dominican

Size: 5.5 x 38

Price: $2.50

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

As you would expect, the wrapper is very bumpy and rugged looking, but didn’t have any construction flaws. The wrapper and foot had a mild cedar odor. Overall, the cigar was tightly packed with a lump here and here. The pre-light draw had slight resistance, and had a mild woody flavor.

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

1 El_Purrito_War_of_Flavors cigar

Flavor:

The first third kicked off with a rich woodiness and a thick smoke feel. Through the nose I picked up a nice peppery spice that had some zing to it. A tingle was left on the tongue and lips for the aftertaste. Overall the flavor profile was rich and satisfying.

2 El_Purrito_War_of_Flavors cigar

As I hit the second third, I started to understand what some of the other guys who have reviewed this cigar were talking about. No new flavors were introduced. It basically kept the same core flavors as the first third. Some draws were creamy, others were crisp and woody. The pepper remained throughout. It basically flip flopped between thick and creamy or crisp and woody.

3 El_Purrito_War_of_Flavors cigar

The last third didn’t change in terms of flavors. The body and strength kicked up a notch, but that was the only noticeable change. It may sound uninteresting, but it was quite enjoyable.

4 El_Purrito_War_of_Flavors cigar

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. The flavor profile was simple but interesting and rich. Everything just seems to fit together – the flavors and size of the cigar made sense for a quick 30 minute smoke. For such a small cigar, it burned cool, and the price is hard to argue with. Thanks again to General Cigars for letting me try the El Purrito War of Flavors. I give it a thumbs up.

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