Archive for the ‘reserve’ Category

Macanudo Heritage Cigars – A top-quality JR Exclusive!

Tuesday, July 10th, 2018

For many decades our JR Exclusive line has been bringing our customers some of the best blends from the biggest names in premium handmade cigars, all made just for yours truly.  Legendary brands like Maria Mancini, Special Jamaicans, Black Abyss, Mayorga,  Casa Blanca, and more, fill our portfolio, and, with iconic cigar makers like AJ Fernandez, Ernesto Carrillo, Rocky Patel, Gurkha, Pete Johnson, Manuel Quesada, and Davidoff on board, our Exclusives line continues to grow and get even better.

The Macanudo Heritage Reserve, one of our latest JR only offerings, brings America’s best-selling line of premium handmade cigars to the world’s largest cigar company! Expertly handcrafted by General Cigar for over 40 years, the famous Macanudo brand needs no formal introduction, as its one of the smoothest, creamiest, best constructed line of premium cigars ever made!  Macanudo Heritage Reserve cigars continue this proud tradition of excellence with a blend of rare vintage Dominican tobaccos covered by a seamless, silky, mocha colored EMS Connecticut wrapper. After rolling, these handmade gems go through rigorous quality control inspections, then, they are set to age an additional two years so that you are assured the top-quality construction, unwavering consistency, and the fabulous tastes and aromas that you have come to expect from this legendary brand.

Macanudo Heritage Reserve cigars are available in five popular size vitolas that come handsomely appointed to dress boxes of 18. From the moment you light up, you will experience a smooth, delightfully fragrant mellow to medium body smoke oozing with lush, well balanced flavors of cocoa, cedar, leather, wood, caramel, and soft hints of spice.

Saving the best part for last, since Macanudo Heritage Reserve cigars are made for us, you can enjoy a genuine luxury-class Macanudo cigar for our everyday low JR Exclusive cigar price! Order yours today!

Padron Family Reserve 45 Years

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

To finish up the new years weekend, I dug out today’s review. I believe this is available in a natural or maduro wrapper. Ed had the maduro version, so that is what I bought a couple months ago. Just like the other high end Padron cigars, this one is definitely priced out of my daily smoke rotation. With the high price comes high expectations. Let’s see how this Padron rates.

 

Wrapper: Nicaraguan

Binder & Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: 6 x 52

Price: $26.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The dark maduro wrapper almost looked like dark chocolate. It had a few wrinkles and small veins here and there, but overall looked great. The wrapper and foot had a very slight sweet odor. When squeezing the cigar from head to foot, it was very firm and consistent. Despite this, the draw was perfect and had a slight sweet earthy taste.

The burn required a couple corrections in the first and second third. The ash held for about an inch.

1Padron45Years

Flavor:

The first third greeted me with a smooth sweetness. Despite the smoothness, I could feel that Nicaraguan bite just as well. An espresso/coffee type of flavor joined in with a sweet spice. Under it all were very slight earthy notes. As I dug further into this third, the sweetness revealed itself as a cocoa flavor. The smoke feel became a little thicker and took on a slightly creamy feel. Very nice…

2Padron45Years

The second third maintained a very similar flavor profile to the first third. A cocoa flavor mixed with espresso or coffee were in the front. A smooth peppery spice was detected when passing the smoke though the nose. The earthy undertones almost went away. Every now and then I picked up on them though.

3Padron45Years

The last third changed up a little bit. Espresso dominated the flavor profile, with the cocoa following behind. The body and strength increased and packed a small punch. The Nicaraguan spice was in full effect, but it was very smooth.

4Padron45Years

Conclusion:

First the good: This was a very good full bodied cigar. Overall the flavors were very refined and enjoyable. The bad: The initial burn corrections were a little annoying, and not characteristic of Padron. My other complaint is the price. At $26.00 a stick, I simply don’t think it’s worth it.

In the end, this was a really good refined cigar. Price aside, I think this is worth trying.

Don Kiki Limited Reserve (Green Label)

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Today’s review was given to me awhile ago by my pal Ed over at St.Pete Pipe & Cigars. I think he eventually opted to not carry this line, although I could be wrong. Being a beta tester for a cigar shop is a great gig. Every now and then Ed brings me into the fold to help out. I grabbed my usual cup of water and pounded out this review of the Don Kiki Green label.

 

Wrapper: Brazilian Mata Fina

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Size: 6 x 48

Price: Bundle of 25 – $43.00

1DonKikiGreenLabel 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

As I inspected the wrapper, I found it looked great with small veins. There were a few soft spots, and the wrapper had a smell of wood and hay. The foot had a similar smell, with an addition of pepper and earth. The pre-light draw was perfect, with a simple taste of wood and earth. I did no burn corrections, and the ash held for an inch before tapping into the ashtray. Great construction.

 

Flavor:

The first third took a little while to get started. After about an inch, I detected woody flavors. Behind that were very slight sweet notes. There were hay-ish earthy flavors mixed in as well. Very mild, simple, and smooth. My only complaint was the smoke and overall flavor profile seemed thin.

2DonKikiGreenLabel

The second third filled out a little bit. The woodiness increased slightly in body and strength. The sweet notes became thicker and took on a mild caramel feel and flavor. The smoke feel became creamy. Earthy flavors were there, but they would fade and come back.

3DonKikiGreenLabel

The last third was the most satisfying. The earthy and woody flavors were dominant. The smoke took on a more creamy feel and was a little toasty. The mild flavor of caramel would come and go. Every now and then I’d get a mild fruity taste.

4DonKikiGreenLabel

Conclusion:

This was a decent mild bodied cigar. The flavor profile was nice, but overall it felt thin and unrefined. If I factor in the price of under $2.00 a stick, I can’t complain. I could see myself smoking this in the morning with coffee. This isn’t a bad value smoke.

Siglo Limited Reserve

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

Up for review tonight is the Siglo Limited Reserve.

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Cubano

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan

Size: 6 x 54 Torpedo

Price: Around $5.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

Giving the cigar a once over, I found it was visually appealing. The wrapper was a bit bumpy and had a couple large veins, but I don’t worry too much about that stuff. I found a couple hard and soft spots when squeezing the length of the cigar, but nothing I would be concerned about. Sniffing the wrapper, I detected a woody and earthy aroma. The foot simply smelled like tobacco. The pre-light draw offered slight resistance, and had a very unique taste. I can’t describe it other then a deep woody and earthy taste. There was much more depth to the pre-light draw taste, I am just at a loss of words to describe it well.

1SigloLimitedReserve 

 

Flavor:

The first third opened up with a simple, smooth flavor profile. It was mainly a natural tobacco taste, with a small bite of pepper. I could detect earthy notes in the background.

2SigloLimitedReserve 

During the second third, the cigar tried to come to life. A base flavor of natural tobacco remained, but I started to detect a tinge of sweetness. It took awhile, but finally it developed into a mild mocha flavor. When passing through the sinus, I still detected a nice peppery spice. To be honest, I found myself getting bored.

3SigloLimitedReserve 

The last third developed a little more. I would get definite mocha flavors, but they weren’t consistent. The only thing consistent was a natural tobacco taste. A woody flavor entered the picture, and the pepper increased a notch. With around 1.5 inches left, the cigar started to loose flavor. It became more of a chemical taste. It was then that I decided to put the cigar down.

4SigloLimitedReserve 

Conclusion:

This was an OK medium bodied cigar, but in the end, its “Just another cigar.” The first one I smoked just didn’t agree with me. I didn’t like the flavors at all. The second one was pretty damn good. This review was the third. I don’t know if there are consistency issues or I just had bad luck. Maybe I’ll try another one day, but I won’t be going out of my way.

Occidental Reserve Natural (First Impression)

Friday, September 4th, 2009

First things first… This is the first time I’ve tried this cigar, hence the “First Impression” in the title. I believe my pal Ed handed this to me awhile ago. Chances are a manufacturer sent him some and he wanted my opinion. Sorry Ed, I forgot about this one. To make up for it, I offer you a first impression review! As always, I am pairing with water.

 

Wrapper: Connecticut

Binder: Connecticut

filler: Dominican Piloto, Olor, San Vincente

Size: Robusto 4.7 x 50

Price: Bundle of 25 for around $45.00

1OccidentalReserve 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

This was a nice looking cigar overall. The wrapper had a couple mid sized veins, but overall looked smooth. Squeezing the cigar, I found no inconsistencies. The wrapper smelled of buttery and woody notes, while the foot had a sweet woody smell. The pre-light draw had slight resistance, and tasted of sweet earthiness.

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

 

Flavor:

The first third opened up with a smooth earthy flavor. A buttery sensation and flavor appeared after about an inch into the cigar. As this third came to an end, the smoke took on a creamy sensation.

2OccidentalReserve 

The second third kept the pace with buttery and earthy notes. They traded places in terms of strength. The smoke remained creamy and smooth. A very slight toasty feel came about, but it wasn’t consistent.

3OccidentalReserve 

The last third really didn’t offer anything the previous two third gave. The earthy and buttery flavors continued to trade places, and the creamy smoothness remained.

4OccidentalReserve 

Conclusion:

This was a decent mild bodied cigar. I hate to sound snobbish, but this left me saying “Just another Connecticut wrapped cigar.” With some coffee, I think I would have enjoyed this experience a lot more. Add to that the cost of under $2.00 a stick, and you may have a good thing going here. I may check this cigar out again as an easy morning smoke.

Alec Bradley SCR

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

The Alec Bradley Cigar Company was nice enough to give Ed and I a sneak peek at their latest cigar, the SCR, or Select Cabinet Reserve. This review is featured at our other home, The Stogie Review, as well as St. Pete Pipe and Cigars. Make sure you pay them a visit! In the mean time, see what Ed and I thought of the SCR.

Sorry about the audio hum in the first section. Sounds like we had a small ground loop going for a little while, or I had the microphones too hot. Luckily it wasnt too bad.

Oliva Connecticut Reserve

Monday, May 25th, 2009

Mornings are usually when I’ll spark up a Connecticut wrapped cigar. This was one of those mornings, so I sat down with some coffee and the Oliva Connecticut Reserve. I switched it up a bit and paired up with coffee.

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Binder: Nicaraguan

Filler: Nicaraguan

Size: Churchill 7 x 50

Price: Around $7.00

1OliveConn 

Pre-smoke & Construction:

The tan wrapper had a few mid sized veins and a couple blemishes, but overall looked decent. There were no soft spots on this firmly packed cigar. Sniffing the wrapper and foot gave off a woody scent, while the pre-light draw had a sweet, slightly earthy taste. Speaking of the draw, it was great, with a slight resistance. I didn’t have to do any burn corrections, and the ash held strong for over an inch. It took effort to tap it off into the ashtray. Construction overall was good.

 

Flavor:

The first third was simple enough… I got buttery notes combined with a toast. When passing through the sinus I noticed a faint pepper that was quite nice. As things progressed, the smoke became really thick and creamy.

2OliveConn 

The second third carried on with a simple flavor profile. Toasty, buttery flavors dominated, and the pepper decreased a bit. The creamy, thick smoke continued and overall everything went well.

3OliveConn

On to the last third… The creaminess took over. Mixed with buttery, toasty notes, combined with a slight nutty flavor to round thing up. The smoke remained thick and plentiful right up to the end.

4OliveConn

Conclusion:

Although many aspects of this cigar screamed “Another Connecticut wrapped cigar,” this was a good light to medium bodied smoke. It was a very refined, smooth and easy smoke. I could easily put this into my morning cigar rotation, and I probably will.

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