Archive for the ‘sag_imports’ Category

Top Cigars of 2012

Tuesday, December 25th, 2012

2012 was a good year. Site wise, traffic reached all time highs, readers have been positive, and a few haters really made it all worth while.

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You know the routine… All the cigar blogs are posting their top cigars of 2012. Like previous years, I’m far too lazy for that. Below are a few cigars that stood out to me in 2012. Most weren’t even released this year. There are plenty of good cigars that I had the pleasure to smoke, but these just stick out in my mind, at this very moment.

In no particular order:

 

Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9 – Due to limited availability in my area, these are a rare treat. It took a cigar bomb from good friends reminded me that the No. 9 is a must try. The T52 is great as well.

1 Liga_Privada_no9 cigars Drew Estate

 

Ortega Serie D – Again, a hard smoke for me to find locally. Thanks to the generosity of a kind person, I was able to smoke quite a few of these. A nice treat.

1 Ortega_Serie_D cigars

 

Room 101 One Shot One Kill – This may be my favorite Room 101 blend. Flashy packaging made me want to hate it. But, the end product squashed the angry Asian hate.

1 Room_101_One_Shot_One_Kill cigars

 

Emilio AF1 – I described this cigar as “Damn good,” and I stand by that opinion. Don’t be fooled by the no frills band. This thing is complex, and packed with flavor. It’s all there.

1 Emilio_AF1 cigars

 

My Father Le Bijou – This is something I smoke at least once a week. Chances are, if it’s a Friday night at Ed’s shop, this is what you’ll see me with. It’s just a great cigar.

1MyFatherLaBijou

 

Quesada Oktoberfest – For the second year, this has been a go to cigar. It doesn’t have the most complex flavor profile, but flavor delivery is excellent.

1 Quesad_Oktoberfest cigars

 

Casa Magna Domus Magnus – Another favorite of mine for two years. This cigar packs in flavor and complexities. I have yet to grow tired of it.

1 Casa_Magna_Domus_Magns_Limitada cigar

 

And there you have it. Here’s to another year.

Quesada Q D’Etat Daga

Friday, October 12th, 2012

The Q D’Etat line comes in three different sizes, the Molotov, Howitzer, and the cigar up for review today. What separates the Daga from the other two is the size and blend. When I saw a box of these at a local cigar shop, I had to grab a few sticks.

 

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Arapiraca

Binder: Cuban Seed & Criollo 98

Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan

Size: Daga 7 x 44/50/54

Price: Around $9.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper was pretty oily, with some medium sized veins, and a nice toothy appearance. Sniffing the wrapper revealed a rich, woody and earthy smell. The cigar had some lumpy spots, but it was nothing extreme. Despite the small opening at the foot, the draw was perfect, and it had a smooth earthy, grassy flavor.

The ash held for about two inches, and the burn required quite a few minor corrections. This may have been a result of a Criollo binder. Not a big deal.

1 Quesada_Q_D’Etat cigars

Flavor:

The first third was a mixture of pepper, wood, a touch of earthiness, and a tinge of coffee. The smoke feel was dry, and left me craving water. The aftertaste had a slight bitterness.

2 Quesada_Q_D’Etat cigars

The flavors didn’t change a lot in the second third, but they did come into focus. Each flavor stood out on it’s own, as opposed to just a mixture. The flavor profile felt more refined. A slight floral note was noticed in the background. Like before, the smoke feel remained dry, and I continued to chug water.

3 Quesada_Q_D’Etat cigars

The last third ticked up into the full bodied, full strength range. The pepper became smooth, and had a slight sweetness. Coffee was the dominant flavor, and the others fell behind it. The smoke feel remained dry, and I craved less water.

4 Quesada_Q_D’Etat cigars

Conclusion:

This was a very good medium to full bodied cigar. It’s been so long since I smoked the other two sizes, I can’t decide which of the three I like the best. Judging from my own words, this is the only one I called “Very good” out of the three. I guess that means I liked this one the most. I think it is definitely worth a try.

Quesada Oktoberfest 2012

Tuesday, August 28th, 2012

Where have I been?! I took a week off of blogging. Not to worry, this site won’t suffer the same fate as my Twitter account. One thing worth mentioning is, winners for the cigar giveaway will be drawn soon, and I’ll post the winners. Otherwise, things will be business as usual. On to the review!

The Quesada Oktoberfest was one of my favorite cigars of 2011. Being limited in production, I still managed to keep some in my humidor for most of the year. The 2012 release has some new sizes, one of them being the Das Boot. When Ed got his shipment from Sag Imports, I immediately stocked up. So, with water, not beer, let’s see how the 2012 Oktoberfest treated me.

 

Wrapper: Dominican

Binder & Filler: Dominican

Size: Das Boot 6 x 52

Price: Around $8.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper glistened with oil, and simply looked great. I can only describe the scent of the wrapper as cedar, some sweet spices, and a hint of barnyard. The foot basically had an earthy, woody odor. The cigar was solidly packed, with some minor soft spots here and there. The pre-light draw had some resistance, but fell within my comfort zone. The cold draw tasted woody and earthy, with a hint of sweet spice.

1 Quesad_Oktoberfest cigars

Flavor:

The first started off with a dominant woody flavor. Retrohaling revealed a fairly easy pepper. It wasn’t the burn your face kind, and reminded me of cayenne pepper. Up next was a mild bitterness that you’d associate with black coffee. Again, it was nothing I’d call “In your face,” but there were no subtleties either.

2 Quesad_Oktoberfest cigars

The second third didn’t have any significant changes in flavor. Spice may have developed a little more zing, but everything pretty much remained status quo. One thing worth noting is the smoke feel. It was dry and crisp.

3 Quesad_Oktoberfest cigars

The last third had a slight reduction in peppery spice. In addition to wood, pepper, and coffee notes, there was a sweet component. I can only compare it a tingly cinnamon. Simple, but good.

4 Quesad_Oktoberfest cigars

Conclusion:

This was a damn good full bodied cigar. The Oktoberfest proves that flavor delivery is really what counts, not necessarily complexities. While many people insist that this cigar must be smoked with Oktoberfest beer, I have yet to try the combination. So if you are like me and don’t drink, I have seen no reduction in enjoyment as a result. Try these while you can!

PS – I reviewed the Bavarian last year, which was similar to this size. See how they compare.

Quesada Q D’Etat Molotov

Friday, June 22nd, 2012

Thanks to Matt for sending me a couple of these cigars to smoke and review. The Quesada Q D’Etat is a limited line, with three available sizes. They will be released at different times. More information can be found here.

I reviewed the Howitzer not too long ago, and though it was good. Not great, but not bad. Regardless, I looked forward to trying this size. Let’s see how it went.

 

Wrapper: Dominican

Binder/Filler: Dominican

Size: 5 x 38

Price: Around $8.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper glistened with oil, and had no flaws to speak of. The appearance was a little toothy, but it was consistent and looked nice. The smell of the wrapper was cedar and a touch of barnyard. Overall, the cigar was evenly packed, with no hard or soft spots. The draw had some resistance, but nothing extreme. The pre-light draw tasted of cedar, with a tangy note.

The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for about 1.5 inches.

1 Quesada_Q_DEtat_Molotov cigars

Flavor:

The first third had a quick ramp up of flavors. Don’t get the wrong idea, it wasn’t anything terribly complex, but it was good. Wood was up first, followed by a peppery spice. I picked up earthy notes in the background. As burned in to the larger ring gage portion of the cigar, a mild floral flavor was noticed.

2 Quesada_Q_DEtat_Molotov cigars

The second third had a dominant spicy tingle, with a tingly sweetness. It was easy to smoke, yet had a decent zing. Woodiness was up next. As I progressed part the large ring gage, and back into the smaller part, the floral flavor decreased. A combination of everything clung to the mouth and lips for some time.

3 Quesada_Q_DEtat_Molotov cigars

The last third took on a thick smoke feel, and bordered on creaminess. The peppery, sweet spice was present. Like before, woody flavors remained throughout. From time to time, that elusive floral note would appear. Far in the background, I picked up earthiness. A sweet cocoa was noticed as I approached the end of the cigar.

4 Quesada_Q_DEtat_Molotov cigars

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. If you are wondering, yes, I liked it more than the Howitzer. The smaller ring gage of this cigar seemed to have more focused flavors. Construction was good, as were the flavors. Does it meet the price point? I’m on the fence, but I think it is at least worth trying.

Quesada Q d’etat Howitzer

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

I picked up the Howitzer at St. Pete Cigar a couple of weeks ago. I am a fan of most Sag Imports products, so I had to try this one.

The Howitzer is the second installment of the Quesada Q d’etat line. These cigars are limited to 1,000 ten count boxes. This line is intended to create awareness of increased government regulation and taxation on cigars. Tobacco regulations are especially appealing to the lazy parent. Such regulations are often aimed at this demographic. It’s easier to let the government do parenting for them.

Anyway… Each box comes with a CRA registration form. They claim to fight against such regulation.

 

Wrapper: Dominican

Binder & Filler: Dominican

Size: 6 x 60

Price: $9.50

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had a toothy, rugged appearance, with some good sized veins here and there. It had a nice smell of cedar, earthiness, and barnyard. The smell of the foot was hard to pin down, but I did detect a little tingly spice. The cigar was pretty evenly packed, and bounced back when squeezed. The draw was perfect, with only slight resistance. The pre-light flavor was mild and cedary.

The burn required a few minor corrections, and the ash held for almost two inches.

1 Quesada_Q_d_etat_Howitzer cigars

Flavor:

The first third had a dominant woody flavor, followed by a floral and earthy notes. Retrohaling revealed a smooth, mild spice. The smoke feel was dry, but didn’t leave me parched.

2 Quesada_Q_d_etat_Howitzer cigars

During the second third, the floral flavor increased in strength. Like before, when passing smoke through the nose, there was a smooth spice. A bitter sweet note was noticed in the background.

3 Quesada_Q_d_etat_Howitzer cigars

The last third had an even combination of wood and coffee. Next up was an easy, tingly spice mixed with floral notes. It was good, but saying more would be redundant.

4 Quesada_Q_d_etat_Howitzer cigars

Conclusion:

This was a good medium to full bodied cigar. The flavors were pretty straight forward, and construction was almost flawless. Flavor delivery was refined and enjoyable, but this was no wow cigar. I could see myself smoking this from time to time, but I wouldn’t put a lot of effort in seeking it out. If you run across the Howitzer, I think it is worth trying.

Quesada Seleccion Espana

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

I’m paraphrasing what is on the Sag Imports website. The Quesada Seleccion Espana a blend aimed at customers in Spain. High unemployment, and high cost of Cuban cigars has apparently led the Spanish to seek other alternatives. Quesada has responded with this blend. That’s about as elaborate as I can get. Thanks to Jackie for sending this to me!

 

Wrapper: Arapiraca Ecuador

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Connecticut, Dominican, Nicaraguan

Size: Robusto 5 x 52

Price: Around $7.00

 

Pre-Smoke & Construction:

The wrapper had no visible flaws, only a few small to medium sized veins. The wrapper had a cedary smell, while the foot was just a simple earthy tobacco. The cigar was rock solidly packed, with no soft or hard spots. Luckily the draw was free, with only slight resistance. The pre-light draw was earthy with natural tobacco flavor.

The burn required no corrections, and the ash held for just over an inch before falling off into my lap.

1 Quesada_Seleccion_Espana cigars

Flavor:

The first third had a peppery start, but it didn’t punch you in the face. A smooth cedar slowly took over and evened things out. I picked up notes of light coffee from time to time. After about an inch, the smoke feel became even smoother, with a tinge of sweetness.

2 Quesada_Seleccion_Espana cigars

The second third continued smoothing out and basically became creamy. The pepper from the first third became a smooth cedar with something similar to sweet tea mixed in. An easy earthiness lingered for awhile on the aftertaste.

3 Quesada_Seleccion_Espana cigars

The last third increased in strength and body, and fell in the upper medium to full range. The creaminess developed a sweet spice that left a nice tingle. I reluctantly say “Tea” but that’s what I think I was picking up. The earthy aftertaste remained unchanged, and had a spicy feel.

4 Quesada_Seleccion_Espana cigars

Conclusion:

This was a nice, complex little cigar. At times picking up on flavors was a challenge. The slow transitions made it that much more enjoyable. Lastly, construction was top notch on this slow burner. It just hit the spot for me. If you get the opportunity, try this cigar!

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