Archive for the ‘jose’ Category

Jose Seijas – Mi Dominicana

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Thanks to the guys at Tex Cigars for sending me the cigar up for review today. From what I understand, this is the first Dominican puro from cigar giant Altadis. There was a little hype about the release of this cigar last year, so let’s see how it sizes up today. As usual, I paired this cigar with PUR filtered fine Florida tap water. Mmm…

 

Wrapper: Dominican

Binder/Filler: Dominican

Size: Robusto 5 x 54

Price: Around $8.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

This was a very rugged looking wrapper. There were discolorations and some medium veins throughout. The smell of the wrapper was earthy bard yard, while the foot had notes of poo (this isn’t always a bad thing by the way). The cigar was densely packed, with small soft spots here and there. The pre-light draw was good, with just a little resistance. The pre-light taste was sweet and earthy.

The burn required a couple corrections, and the ash held for one inch.

1JoseSeijasMiDominicana

Flavor:

The first third opened up with earthy flavors and a mild leathery aftertaste. It didn’t take long for that to change. The smoke became dry with a toasty feel that gave me some cotton mouth. The dry mouth left me craving water, but it wasn’t to the point of being annoying. When retro-haling, I detected a mild pepper that would quickly dissipate.

2JoseSeijasMiDominicana

The second third kept that nice mild pepper, and like before, it would dissipate from the palate quickly. A very interesting sweetness enveloped with sweetness entered the picture. I really had a hard time pinning it to a common flavor. At the half way point I started to notice notes of nuttiness. That dry smoke feel remained but started to take on a thicker texture.

3JoseSeijasMiDominicana

Last Third: The pepper remained, but became very very smooth with almost no bite. That sweet unique spice combined with nuttiness and was the dominant flavor. A mild leathery aftertaste returned and did not linger for very long. That toasty smoke feel remained, yet at the same time took on a creamy sensation. The aftertaste was nice and coated the inside of the mouth.

4JoseSeijasMiDominicana

Conclusion:

This was a very good low medium to medium bodied cigar. While it started like any common cigar, it brought some interesting unique flavors to the table. My palate was not advanced enough to pin down all of the flavor. If I were to complain, the price is a little high. But this is a slow burner and took me about 1.5 hours to smoke. My verdict is… Give this a try!

Benchmade by Ashton

Friday, December 18th, 2009

Once again, I found myself checking out another cheap cigar while browsing a local shop. The Benchmade is a brand of Ashton, and is blended by Jose Pepin Garcia. What drew me to it was the price, and the fact that it is a Nicaraguan puro from Ashton. I figured for two bucks, grabbing a couple to review couldn’t hurt. I filled up my glass of water and bring you my thoughts…

 

Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder & Filler: Nicaragua

Size: Robusto 5 x 50

Price: Around $2.50

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

Giving the cigar the old once over, I found it to be visually appealing. The dark brown wrapper had some small veins, but otherwise no mentionable flaws. Pinching the cigar revealed a soft spot or two, but nothing of concern. The wrapper had an earthy. grassy odor. The foot almost had no smell at all, other then a very slight pepper. The pre-light draw was free, and had a sweet natural tobacco taste.

The burn required no corrections, and the flakey ash held for about a half of an inch.

1Benchmade

Flavor:

Peppery spice greeted me in the first third. Beneath the spice were woody and earthy notes. I couldn’t pull any other flavors at this point.

2Benchmade

The second third increased in strength slightly. The woody flavors took on a sweet tinge, while the earthy flavors fell further into the background. That peppery zing remained.

3Benchmade

The smoke feel in the last third became thick and a little creamy. When passing through the nose, the pepper was still present. If anything, the pepper was the dominant flavor. It mingled with the woody flavor for an overall enjoyable smoke.

4Benchmade

Conclusion:

The Benchmade is a decent medium bodied cigar. As I often say about bundle or value cigars, a cheaper price often means a less complex flavor profile. This is the case with the Benchmade. It wasn’t bad by any means. You easily get what you pay for. I say give it a try, and see if it is for you.

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