No cigar thread? seriously I love cigars! anyone had toscanello?

I enjoy a brand from Italy, Toscani is what the box says. I enjoy them as cigars, and also sliced into discs and smoked in a pipe. I also enjoy Parodi & DeNobli.

I enjoy a brand from Italy, Toscani is what the box says. I enjoy them as cigars, and also sliced into discs and smoked in a pipe. I also enjoy Parodi & DeNobli.

I meant Toscani

More of a H. Upmann fellow myself - Any decent perfecto or torpedo cut cigar is alright my me! Though to be fair I don’t smoke them often; I’d rather break-out the pipe. I did buy some cheapy Mehari’s a few weeks back on a whim, but they aren’t the best.

Being from Italy, I smoke atleast one Toscano (usually Classico) per day. As someone who knows a thing or two about tobacco once said: “The flavour of the Toscano cigar is wonderfully rich and intense” -GL Pease

I smoked them occasionally in the past and I just ordered a bunch of different ones and a humidor to figure out what I like. I’m starting to find that all cigars are not created equal. Robusto is my favorite size.

I’m hooked on cigars myself. It’s taken over a year to find respectable smokes for less than $2 a piece! Don’t get me wrong, the more you spend the better they are, but us working class have to compromise. Snuff and cigars seem to complement one another quite nicely.

mmm, i love torpedos. i quite like monte no.2 at the moment, though i more often use the pipes.

mmm, i love torpedos. i quite like monte no.2 at the moment, though i more often use the pipes.

Yeah, although Monte’s aren’t my favourite they are good, #2 is a particullar pleasing shape to me. @perique has put the idea of dark flake [though I think he posted plug] in a nice clay… Guess what I’ll being doing shortly

@MisterPaul A clay is ideal for plugs and flakes. I can usually get a half hour smoke out of my little clay. Enjoy !!!

Go havana or go home! Montecristo no.3 are my cigar of choice, the no.2 is nice too when I have the time for a longer smoke.

I dont wanna smoke Toscano I just smell them!

I love Cohiba Maduro 5. World would be a happier place if habanos were budget friendly.

Anyone ever make snuff from a dried-out (unsmoked) cigar? How was it?

Have smoked cigars for decades and have several thousand personally in humidors. No, they are NOT all created equal. Yes Cuba makes some very good cigars, but really, there are an incredible array of stupendous smokes being made in the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras. LOVE a good full bodied smoke and a good peaty scotch of an evening!!!

@Ivan no, but I’ve read here it seems to work out better than grinding pipe tobacco. Also some cigars come packed in a box with loose tobacco leaves which can be used. Ask your local tobacconist if he has some (he might ask for a small cost though, as they also sometimes sell empty cigar boxes).

I like a cigar now and then, and keep a hundred or so around in the humidor. I tend to prefer medium to full hondurans with a maduro wrapper. My favorite smoke is probably a double maduro (oscuro) Punch rothschild. Currently smoking a CAO VR torpedo.

@stogie which whiskys have the most peat and what should I smoke with it?

Well, I like Laphroaig whiskey with say… a Camacho Triple Maduro or Diesel Shorty or maybe a Cain FF. Any number of options, all with nuances.

i agree with stogie here … i havent had a scotch with more peat than laphroig. i think you would want a medium to full bodied stick to go.with it. i might go with rocky patel edge sumatra myself.

Being in the US cubans are hard to get. Had a few, but with all the fakes sold, it is likely none were real. Wasn’t impressed, the best one that was the most likely real one was only fair. I tend to prefer Nicaraguan cigars. Especially Tatuaje black label and the little red label puro they came out with recently, Veracu or something like that. Can’t afford them as often as I like, but I’d rather have good pipe tobacco than a fair cigar so I’ll spend the money for good cigars when I can and smoke my pipe more regular. Illusion used to be good, but the last 2 I had really sucked. Went mushy at the end, soft and spongy and had an uneven burn. Only tasted right for the first inch or so. Won’t be buying them again.

I used to smoke Indonesian cigars, mostly the non-premium brands, before I got back into smoking a pipe. Even the non-premium brands are hand-rolled, labor is cheap here. I’ve occasionally splashed out on good Cubans, just to find out what the fuss is about, but I really believe the market for cigars is like the market for diamonds: it’s an artificially created luxury good, with supply strictly limited so that demand pushes the price up. I just don’t see any rational reason why a pound of good Cornell and Diehl pipe tobacco costs the same price as a cigar butt from Havana. Sorry, I’d keep my mouth shut on a pipe-and-cigar forum, but on snuffhouse, that’s what I really think.

@stogie and @dasr The peatiest scotch I’ve found was a Lagavulin 15 year. Been a while though so Laphorig may have increased or Lagavulin may have gone down. I’ve been dry for 4 years and it was a few years before that when I had money to spend on single malts.

@stapf, Thanks for the heads up… I have never tried Lagavulin. Will definitely keep my eyes open… CHEERS…

@stogie and @dasr The peatiest scotch I’ve found was a Lagavulin 15 year. Been a while though so Laphorig may have increased or Lagavulin may have gone down. I’ve been dry for 4 years and it was a few years before that when I had money to spend on single malts.

So true! Too peaty for me sadly, headache ahoy! Most of the ‘island’ single malts have a strong peaty vibe… I can’t drink whiskey any more… sad really, I really used to enjoy them. Oddly cognac seems fine with me - Go figure eh

i agree with stogie here … i havent had a scotch with more peat than laphroig…

Try Lagavulin it has a stronger peat flavour than Laphroid IMO. The two distillaries are virtually next door neighbours so use the same water but Lagavulin must be produced in a different way to give the smokey peaty flavour.

Ardbeg is more peaty than Lagavulin and Laphroid, in fact Ardbeg 10, is a hairy wild man

Caol Ila and Talisker are also nice. My favorite is Laphroaig 10 year though. Highland Park is also a good scotch. It has a nice balance between smoke and sweetness.

@Jakartaboy I totally agree with your statement about the expensive cigars . It’s been my main reason to start smoking pipe tobacco as well…cigar smoking is nice and really tastefull don’t get me wrong ! but it’s become a little bit hyped up.And as with all things ‘fashionable’ they become over-priced eventually … I’d rather try several nice well balanced pipe-tobacco’s than pay a day’s wages on two fine cigars… but that’s just my humble opinion. As for the indonesian cigars; did you ever smoke a brand called 'adipati '?? They’re available overhere and I allways keep a box or two (for the difference in sizes) in stock …they may not be the best in quality but they do taste very fine !? Greetings from holland, Dutch

@Dutch, yes, Adipati are pretty readily available here. Pretty cheap, must be about 20 cents each. I’ve smoked them, they are okay, but I like some of the other cheap brands better. One of middle sized Panther cigars is my favourite. These days you also get a few premium local brands, up to and beyond five bucks each. One such is Tambo, which is fantastic. They are really going for the export market, they only sell locally through a handful of shops in Jakarta and Bali. They also do a pipe tobacco called Tambolaka, which must be the strongest pipe tobacco I’ve ever tried, including some of the ropes. Bit too strong and pungent for me, and I usually think I like that kind of tobacco.

Tambolaka is very strong ? I heard of the brand before-think 4noggins had it… Tambo I never heard of before-thanks for the info

Tambolaka had a bit of a cult following on some of the pipe forums. Frankly, I think it was partly because it was quite difficult to get hold of, before 4noggins started stocking it. Rarity gave it value. Still, it’s worth trying. It really is quite different from any other genre of pipe tobacco that I’ve tried. I’m happy to see Indonesia produce an interesting pipe tobacco, but it wouldn’t be a daily smoke for me.

Same happened with the B.Sobrani I guess nowhere to be found leeds to a cult like status. Am reading all I can find about Tambo - both in cigars as in pipe-Tobacco. It makes for quite a difficult read ; Tambo , Tambolaka , “Vooroogst” are all used in different revieuws… I’m not to complain though:a good cigar and a good read make a perfect day to me ! thanks for the info @JakartaBoy By the way is it easy to come by most tobacco’s there where you live then ? I find that Holland is not the easiest of places when one wants to broaden ones tastes …

By the way is it easy to come by most tobacco’s there where you live then ? I find that Holland is not the easiest of places when one wants to broaden ones tastes …

No, it’s a pretty terrible place to buy tobacco. Mostly, I have to have it shipped in. Even then, the customs can be very erratic about how they apply the rules: I’ve had a kilo of tobacco shipped in without anyone raising any questions or even applying any duty, but other times I’ve had the lot confiscated. I’ve formed an alliance with a guy who has an importers licence, for a reasonable fee, he’ll import bulk tobacco for me, anything listed on 4noggins. Unfortunately, he’s not interested in broadening his supplier base, so I can’t get snuff through him. Most shipments have gone through without trouble, but the last time, I had an official looking letter asking me to “present a chemical analysis” for the substance I was importing. The customs officer was a nice, mother-like lady, so I went and played oriental deference with her for half an hour (“Of course, I respect your right to make a determination on this issue, and I will have to accept it. However …”). In the end, she released the shipment with no further questions, 6 x 25gm of Toque Quit in the bag.

Well …I can not offcourse offer you whole kilograms of Tobacco but if you’re in need of some typical dutch stuff -be it pipe Tobacco or cigars or snuff (which oeverhere is no problem to purchase) please let me know, I’ll be more than happy to send to you whatever you are looking for. I’ll be happy to trade as well, for some indonsian brand of Tobacco In the past I have had more succes with importing Tobacco when it was coming from a civilian adress instead of a companies '. Right about now a baseball coach overhere sends me Red Man as it is outlawed in my country - hurray for chewing basealplayers! (we even sell,as I recently discovered bringing a visit to a nearby tobacconist, snuff inside a little porcelain… windmill …Please I beg you, do not make me buy that ??

@jakartaboy Nice storie about the motherly customs lady btw !! Loved the confucian-like discussion technique

nope guys cigars are more expensive to make then pipe tobaccos.

@bob, you may be right, but hundreds of times more expensive? I’m sorry, but all the evidence I’ve seen is that for most luxury goods, actual production costs contribute only very slightly to retail sales prices. The rest is marketing and controlled supply and demand dynamics. So, tell me, why does it cost 500 hundred times more to produce a hand-rolled Cuban cigar than a hand-rolled Indonesian cigar? The real weakness of the cheap Indonesian cigars is that they generally get stored badly. I’ve seen them in cardboard boxes in local markets where the temperature is 30 celsius and the humidity is 80%. A guy I know in Surabaya, a city in East Java and a total tobacco enthusiast (actually, he established one of the oldest snuff forums on the internet, one of the Yahoo groups, but it’s pretty inactive these days) has cigars made especially for him, to his own specs, to avoid the issue of bad storage. They still only cost a dollar or less each.

The wrapper leafs alone are one of the most expensive and labor intensive types of tobacco. The higher end the cigars that price goes even further up. Then of course the hand made part is big. Also a Cuban there is only so much room in cuba to grow cigar tobacco which means the people selling the leaf have to make a profit on less product. Then finally the one everyone forgets. Every single product you sell is another product you don’t. Same with shipping. So a cigar that will sit in valuable retail space for a longer time is going to have a higher percentage of overhead then one that is cheap and sells quickly. Why do you think that snuff so much more in American brick and mortar store then from mister snuff? The turn over. Every box of snuff is how many cigarettes not on display that will move rapidly over something that will sit there for a while.

I agree with @bob but we also need to include the cost of taxes… In my state the taxes are a full 50% of wholesale per stick, that is state tax on top of federal. Then think, that is per cigar. one cigar is one 'smoking experience;. tax on a time of pipe tobacco is also 50% but then there are ‘multiple’ smoking experiences… Just a part of the situation, but definitely plays a role…

I am a huge fan of cigars, tend to prefer Nicaraguan and Dominican cigars the most. While I understand that pipe smoking is much more economical, I have always favored cigars. I have notice that have always been much better at picking up the subtle nuances in the flavors of the smoke than in pipe tobacco. However, a pipe now and then is always a most. My stogies of choice being AVO Puritos (D.R.), Ashton VSG (D.R.), La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero (D.R. & vitamin N to the nines), Joyo De Nicaragua Antano (Nicaragua), & Brickhouse (Nicaragua).

Love cigars. Liga Privadas are a favorite along with JdN’s and LFD’s (The Chapter One is amazing!). Just tried an Opus Angels Share to celebrate NYE and I was NOT impressed!

Sure, don’t mind if I do

I smoke the occassional cigar but only one that would make me consider really making it a more frequent indulgence and that is the (time to laugh at the n00b) Drew Estate Natural Dirt. These cigars are absolutely delicious to me and if I had the money I would happily buy a few dozen and a humidor just for them.

Just tried an Opus Angels Share to celebrate NYE and I was NOT impressed!

I would not give up on the Opus line just yet. One thing that I have noticed about these cigars is that they vary greatly by size and blend. I personally believe that the Opus X robustos are actually worth it because they are the only ones out of the line that seem to deliver in terms of strength and flavor (they are also the cheapest as well). I know that I was disappointed with the first one I tried, however, after doing some research online and listening to several cigar commentators on youtube and other sources and found out that they size of the cigar significantly altered the smoking experience. I would suggest that if you can get a deal on the regular opus x line robustos to give them another shot. It is good to know that the Angel’s Share expression is a let down.

Cigars annoy me because they are the only form of smoked tobacco I still get cravings for after 4 years of not smoking tobacco. The thought of cigarettes disgusts me. I couldn’t care less about pipe tobacco. But a nice big fat Cuban cigar does tickle my fancy and I hate to admit it. Not smoked in 4 years but I’m sure if I relapse, it’ll be with a cigar.

Well @SnuffySnuff I am trying to do my part to take up the slack. Generally go for average of 1 per day, and with several thousand sticks I have in my many humidors…I can go for quite awhile…

Cigars annoy me because they are the only form of smoked tobacco I still get cravings for after 4 years of not smoking tobacco. The thought of cigarettes disgusts me. I couldn’t care less about pipe tobacco. But a nice big fat Cuban cigar does tickle my fancy and I hate to admit it. Not smoked in 4 years but I’m sure if I relapse, it’ll be with a cigar.

not saying it will be the same for you. But after picking up snuff and snus as a habit. I’ve not touched nearly a cigarette. And I smoke a pipe rarely and a cigar even more rarely. And it hasn’t given me any more urge to smoke then I have at the moment. I also don’t feel that the occasionally smoke of a pipe or cigar is bad for a persons health in anyway (unless they have some unusual sensitivity to smoke.

Just tried an Opus Angels Share to celebrate NYE and I was NOT impressed!

I would not give up on the Opus line just yet. One thing that I have noticed about these cigars is that they vary greatly by size and blend. I personally believe that the Opus X robustos are actually worth it because they are the only ones out of the line that seem to deliver in terms of strength and flavor (they are also the cheapest as well). I know that I was disappointed with the first one I tried, however, after doing some research online and listening to several cigar commentators on youtube and other sources and found out that they size of the cigar significantly altered the smoking experience. I would suggest that if you can get a deal on the regular opus x line robustos to give them another shot. It is good to know that the Angel’s Share expression is a let down.

Well, I wouldn’t call it a let down as much as just very young. I had a similar experience with a fresh Opus xXx power ranger. Lot’s of good Opus flavors but they are over come by a nasty fresh asphalt taste. I’m betting in 5 years they will be amazing. I just figured the Angels Share’s would already have those aged Opus nuances to them. As far as my favorite Opus viola goes I don’t think you can beat the pedestrian super belicoso but the word on the street (my street anyways) is that the tinned versions (robusto included) are some of the best! Having said that… I just finished a H. Upmann half corona and that little cigar is one of the finest I have ever had the pleasure of smoking.

@nikonNUT I have heard from a lot of people if you give Opus Xs some about what you said five years it makes a world of difference. I would agree that the tinned robustos are excellent and perhaps the best of the line. Because I have bought the robustos as singles and the tinned, both where excellent. I feel that the opus x in the shorter sizes give you a more spicy and pungent experience. I would have to attribute that to being a shorter cigar, which makes it burn hotter and brings out substantially more spice and pepper notes, which are some of my favorite cigar flavors. I will have to give the opus x viola a shot.

I like any robusto in a maduro wrapper! Although I have a CAO churchill maduro that I’m anticipating and a Macanudo '97 Vintage Maduro that I’m saving for a special occasion!

Old ish thread but hey probably better to post than start a new one. Had a great cigar last night a Opus X Belicoso XXX, one of the most complex NCs I’ve had in a long time and I was beginning to think NCs where one trick pony’s. But hey nothing beats a Tosc and a espresso in the morning.

Currently enjoying a Room 101 Serie HN. Excellent pre-light aroma and great draw on the punch. Very nice, slow burning, low side of medium strength. Required no touch ups burning evenly. Somewhat flaky medium gray ash. Very pleasant mouthfeel and retrohale. No harshness even toward the end where so many do. Not their best but not a bad value for the $$$.

@R25 Personally, I love the Opus X robustos. When you get the right size there are few cigars that I have had that can compare. However, be careful, experience you get with these cigars varies greatly by the different sizes and blends. Eg.) The Lost City and Angel’s Envy Blend, does not seem to be the same as regular Opus X blend. While I have only had the standard Opus X blend, that observation is based on hearsay. What I can tell you from experience is that there is a world of a difference between the Robustos and the Double Coronas. I personally found the Double Coronas to a milder and less complex which was a real let down.

Just finished a Cain Daytona corona (6x46) Dark smooth habano wrapper and lots of ligero in the filler - with just a bit of veining and a light oily sheen. Very solid construction with a light almost grassy prelight aroma. Rather tight draw on the punch that gradually opened ad was very nice within first 1/2 inch. Easy light and required no touch ups. Razor sharp burn line start to finish. Light gray solid ash (2 inch). A very pleasant peppery spiciness on tongue and palate and a lingering flavor on the retrohale. An excellent cigar all around.

@R25 Personally, I love the Opus X robustos. When you get the right size there are few cigars that I have had that can compare. However, be careful, experience you get with these cigars varies greatly by the different sizes and blends. Eg.) The Lost City and Angel’s Envy Blend, does not seem to be the same as regular Opus X blend. While I have only had the standard Opus X blend, that observation is based on hearsay. What I can tell you from experience is that there is a world of a difference between the Robustos and the Double Coronas. I personally found the Double Coronas to a milder and less complex which was a real let down.

Lucky I don’t need to worry too much about that dude the only other one I have is another one of the ones I had and the Opus X in England are ludicrously expensive A Belicoso XXX costs upwards of $32. And I’m having a beautiful 99 Cohiba Siglo 4 today, great burn and flavours and none of the wishy washy nonsense flavour.

the Opus X in England are ludicrously expensive A Belicoso XXX costs upwards of $32.

Yeah, I remember hearing in the past that Opus Xs are absurdly pricey in the Europe. They are by no means cheap State side, however, we can usually get a better price on them at the B&M (if it is one of those rare stores that does in fact stock them) versus online retailers. I suppose that a lot of these Ultra-premium Dominican and Nicaraguan cigars (e.g. Padron 1926:80th anniversary, Perfecto) are merely our alternative to high-end Cubans.

i agree with stogie here … i havent had a scotch with more peat than laphroig. i think you would want a medium to full bodied stick to go.with it. i might go with rocky patel edge sumatra myself.

Try any Ardbeg; they all have more peat than Laphroaig. Just doesn’t taste like it. Much more well-rounded and flavorful.

My favorite has always been La Gloria Cubana out of Florida. They were amazing. Short story: I would smoke them regularly when I was still in the Corps. They were easy to get. Just pop down to my local shoppe (in North Carolina) and there they were. I was happy that I’d found an inexpensive cigar that tasted so good. Then a fledgling magazine called Cigar Aficionado did an article on them in their third or fourth issue (or so). Said they were Cuban quality out of Florida and the biggest steal in the community. Guess what dried up? Yep. Couldn’t get them at the store for an incredible period of time because all of the stock was being diverted to the big stores (NONE in NC) and being marked up outrageously. Finally, after almost a year, a box or two would trickle down to my shoppe, but by then, I was so disgusted by the industry (not the company) that I had stopped. I had started chewing. Never a problem getting Red Man, Beech Nut, or Mail Pouch. When I got divorced two years ago, I started back up, but not nearly the frequency. But I have a great humidor and the new (to me) PG humidification systems are outstanding.

Got to agree with @number_seven‌, Ardbeg is an absolute powerhouse of peat but they always manage to balance it so that it doesn’t overpower other flavours. Uigeadail is my personal favourite, which I really need to get myself another bottle of…

I had a punch grand cru Saturday night and for a 3 dollar cigar I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Last night enjoyed a Siglo Maduro. Dark, oily with an intoxicating prelight aroma. perfect draw and easy light. great even burn requiring no touch ups. Medium strength with lots of flavor that had a nice staying quality. No real spice and no harsh bitterness noted right down to the finger burning nub. Fairly solid near white ash. All in all a very good smoke. To my tastes was much more enjoyable than the Siglo original.

No real spice and no harsh bitterness noted right down to the finger burning nub. Fairly solid near white ash. All in all a very good smoke.

That’s how I figure I’ve had a good smoke and a good cigar: If I go all the way down and it still tastes great and I just don’t want it to end. That’s and I feel it nearly burn my lips when I take those last few puffs.

I tend to have that problem with the Oliva Serie G Special Maduro which stays in the gob for as long as I dare. I fell in love with the things when I had a short break in London and every night I would end up passing 3-4 hours in the sampling room at J. J. Fox and had gone through 5 of them by the end of my stay.

Having a May 11 Party Aristocrat that’s dog ugly but smoking like a champ, a damn fine smoke for such a cheap price of about $80 a box. Oh how I do love you grey market.

Vega Fina Half Corona and a pint of scrumpy in the sun.

@R25 not a bad combination!!! I am going to go out in the yard now with an Aliados original to do a bit o yard work… CHEERS!!!

Vega Fina Half Corona and a pint of scrumpy in the sun.

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very nice

A.Fuente Rosado Gran Reserva for tonight. Nice complex flavour but a little too much pepper for my liking like most Non Cubans I’ve tried.

My first proper cigar in a while, having a delicious Rodrigo Lancero that’s been sitting in my humi for years.

@R25. Looks like a tasty smoke, enjoy !

Just enjoyed a Nub Habano, slow smoking goodness that went terrific with a locally brewed lager - heavy on hops.

There’s a local cigar store/cigar manufacturer here in San Antonio called Finck’s. Some of their cigars are made here and some are made in the DR/Honduras by well known cigar makers. Fincks has a cigaer called 1893 that is perfect and it costs 3 dolars.

Yes @saucy_jack I have tried many from Fink’s. Pretty good people. There really are not many actual American cigar manufactures out there. They tend to have good value. Not all are great, but then they are not priced like a ‘great’ cigar.

Indeed, you are quite right @stogie‌ . I’d even go so far as to say most of are not great. Lol

A A.Fuente Grand Reserva tonight, quite delicious.

Just finished an Ave Maria Immaculata. Wonderful. Connecticut wrapper, medium body but with interesting complexity. especially when smoked slowly with a nice shot of Montana Rye from Roughstock distilling.

I just finished a La Flor Dominicano Chapter 1. DIVINE!

La Flor Dominicano Chisel. A little unusual shape but a ‘good’ flavor bomb with great clouds of aromatic smoke - with good presence.

@stogie LFD’s have always been one of my favorites. That and some others in the full bodied spectrum. Who can forget the Joya de Nicaragua 1970 or the El Rico Habano (I’ve 6 boxes of them from 2008).

No cigar thread? seriously I love cigars! anyone had toscanello?

Being an American I have to go with any Cuban cigar. Full bodied

Just ordered myself some NC samplers for myself on the cheap as I’m not paying $17 for a single Fuente Short Story in England. Got myself some Kinky Fredmans and some Gurkha’s to try even though my experience with them has been less than stella in the past. Still had myself a Hoyo Epicure Especial today.

^ I’ve got a couple of those Epicures in my humidor, still haven’t tried one yet.

^ I’ve got a couple of those Epicures in my humidor, still haven’t tried one yet.

It’s the weekend there’s no better time to try one, they are bloody great.

CAO Black box pressed. Tasty but had a difficult time getting it to burn evenly, needing several relights.

A Gurkha Centurion, it was okay for a Gurkha but half of it refused to stay lit.

Diesel Unlimited with a good strong IPA. great for a summer evening.

@R25 $17 for a short story, damn!!

Had a Hoyo 2007 EL after dinner, for a expensive EL with 7 years down time it was very “green” tasting.

So many good cigars, so little time!

CAO Italia - Firm and tasty goodness.

and how about some Martinique vieux to go with it?

My little haul from my holiday, a few too many to post pics but link. And then on the way back I get lost at Terminal 5 and end up catching Ebola.

Gurkha Widow Maker, fitting name as I would rather die than smoke much more.

Coming “soon”; _ Dominicana _ from OM. Cigar lovers’ snuff. 100% Cibao Valley, Dominican Republic filler leaf: Ligero, Seco, Volado and Viso all grown on the same farm, crop year 2005 from Criollo“98” Cubano seed. Pressure aged between toasted Spanish cedar planks after a thorough soaking in Fundador Spanish brandy, aged 7 years in Sherry casks. Lightly toasted, milled to a medium fine grind. Still resting peacefully in the caskets. Will advise when the time comes. It’s looking damn good.

Sounds wonderful!

Raf G Perla, best smoke for what 2 euros, beats Jose or Quintero by a mile.

Punch 2000 pyramid 6x54

Just finished a La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age. One of my favorites.

I just took a nice big pinch of Puro Dominicana , phase one; Ligero. WOW! That’s some powerful sh*t. The brandy and cedar are making nice bass notes to a great foundation of toasted filler leaf. Dry, finely milled and sieved at 200 microns, it’s going back into its cedar casket for a few days while the next phase, Seco, get its turn in the mill. Next up will be Volado then Viso in their turn. Final blending will most likely be shortly after Christmas. Once blended the snuff will spend a week in cedar and off it goes. Too good for tins so amber jars, large and small will be the packaging. I’ll update on gram weights when all’s finished. Nothing in there but tobacco, great brandy and sea salt. Damn.

Hey chef, very interested in this as a cigar smoker. Also very new to snuff is 200 microns considered very fine? Sounds like this will end up as a fine dry snuff? Probably not something I can do just yet?

A very tasty Leccia Black paired with a strong plain iced tea and a snoot of Old Mill Pure Virginia Toast… Very Nice!!!

It will be fine, but not too dry. The cedar box has been toasted and dampened with brandy, so as the finished snuffs age they will pick up some moisture and some natural cedar oil from the wood. There’s a cocoa note in the toasted Ligero even though there’s nothing in there other than brandy and salt. Nice, but odd. I do think I’ll wrap the finished snuff is some un-dyed cowhide for a little while so it gets a chance to pick up some of that scent too. So far, shaping up nicely. Time will tell.

Just acquired from local circle k. Not a huge fan of General Cigar products but it worth ago. Especially considering I have never had the Honduran Hoyo before.

Hard to beat Oliva Tobacco’s offerings (including Nub). Lately I’ve puffed on a few relatively cheap little cigars by Shrapnel. Not bad, but not stellar. I find myself drifting toward short smokes these days.

Drew Estate MUWAT Kentucky Fire Cured Kyoto - a wonderful smoke

Best cigar I’ve had since the old Tatuaje black lable in the petite lancero version is the CAO Amazonian limited edition. My store got a batch and I got to smoke 5. They then got the last box they could find and somone else bought the whole box as soon as it came in. Keep an eye out for shops that may still have it. Great smoke. Of course i always fall in love with limited releases.

Got the name wrong, Amazon Basin. CAO’s best-seller gets a wild new spin off.  CAO Amazon Basin is a very limited new extension to CAO’s ultra-popular Brazilia blend. Just don’t expect more of the same, because this unique small-batch blend is like nothing ever before.  The special sauce used to create Amazon Basin is a tobacco called ’Braganca,’ a rare tobacco harvested from a remote region in the Amazonian rainforest. It’s really crazy, actually. Everything from its taste to the way it’s cultivated. Grown in a virgin, tropical land in the rainforest and harvested only once every 3 years, Braganca may be one of the most elusive tobaccos in the world. After the tobacco is harvested, it’s rolled by hand into tubes and fermented for 6 months. Then, it must be transported by canoe back to the mainland. Wild in every sense. To create CAO Amazon Basin, this Braganca tobacco was blended with tobaccos from 5 different countries and finished with a dark, Ecuadorian Sumatra ligero wrapper. But despite the breadth of tobaccos contained within, you can still taste and smell the unique Amazonian tobacco almost instantly. An exotic, distinctive taste that’s bold and very unique…unlike anything you’ve ever had before. Additionally, each cigar is finished with a rustic, 100% twisted tobacco ‘band’ that adds another unique touch. 

Got the name wrong, Amazon Basin. CAO’s best-seller gets a wild new spin off.  CAO Amazon Basin is a very limited new extension to CAO’s ultra-popular Brazilia blend. Just don’t expect more of the same, because this unique small-batch blend is like nothing ever before.  The special sauce used to create Amazon Basin is a tobacco called ’Braganca,’ a rare tobacco harvested from a remote region in the Amazonian rainforest. It’s really crazy, actually. Everything from its taste to the way it’s cultivated. Grown in a virgin, tropical land in the rainforest and harvested only once every 3 years, Braganca may be one of the most elusive tobaccos in the world. After the tobacco is harvested, it’s rolled by hand into tubes and fermented for 6 months. Then, it must be transported by canoe back to the mainland. Wild in every sense. To create CAO Amazon Basin, this Braganca tobacco was blended with tobaccos from 5 different countries and finished with a dark, Ecuadorian Sumatra ligero wrapper. But despite the breadth of tobaccos contained within, you can still taste and smell the unique Amazonian tobacco almost instantly. An exotic, distinctive taste that’s bold and very unique…unlike anything you’ve ever had before. Additionally, each cigar is finished with a rustic, 100% twisted tobacco ‘band’ that adds another unique touch. 

By an honest-to-God canoe. That… Wow.

Just picked up some gran habanos #3 first time smoking cigars pretty good

Had an Oliva Serie V last night. Delicious!

Got a gift from my Father in-law a while back- a box of Montecristo’s. I have probably gone through half. Very nice cigar to relax on the patio as the evenings gets cooler.

cohiba black during my lunch break. Very nice, I don’t smoke cigars much its mostly pipe but very nice cigar.

Marsh Wheeling Virginia Dark. I usually smoke premiums, but picked these up on a hunch, and was well rewarded with a good flavor, good draw, all natural tobacco wrapper and filler (unlike most in the “machine made” category). Very smooth but not bland. Excellent yard 'gar but not at all a stinker – the room note is pleasant enough for indoor smoking.

Muwat fired cured amazing

Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 robusto

Diesel Wicked… Very tasty…

Rocky Patel vintage 1990 some one gave me

Bought three cigars today, all hand rolled puros habanos: -A very classic H. Upmann Coronas Major. -A limited edition of Ramón Allones Capricho, made just for Spain. -A Trinidad Fundador cigar. One hell of a long, tight cigar. The first two are gifts for friends, the last one you can bet is is all mine!

Hey guys, I just picked up a Camacho Ecuador and an affinity (don’t remember the specific name) but if anyone has tried either let me know if they’re any good.

A Camacho Triple Maduro. I’ve had this one (and about 49 of his brothers) in my humidor for ~5 1/2 years now and it was terrific…

a walk on the beach with my honey and a Partagas Spanish Rosado Rojito

Avo Classic earlier.

Man O War Ruination - Very nice. Easy to Like. Nice even burn with great body/flavor.

Tried to smoke a Gurkha the other day, as usual with Gurkhas it was such a piece of crap it was a wind tunnel but refused to produce any smoke, after 15 mins and less then 2mm down I ripped it in half and slung it out the window.

@R25 Gurkha never fails to deliver poor quality. How they stay in business is beyond me.

Presently smoking a DE Liga Undercrown corona doble, aged about 3 years.

Ordered 3 more box’s of Quentero Brevas from Singapore as I’m down to my last few. Hope they are as good and “rustic” as the last lot. Just bloody hope the fascist HMRC don’t get hold of them.

After an hour or so out shoveling snow I warmed up with a Marsh Wheeling Virginia Dark. Not a “stinker” like other cheap cigars, it leaves a room note more like a straight Virginia pipe tobacco.

Holland has a marvelous cigar industry history. There are some big exporting companies with production in the poor countries, but 5 small factories remain. These make excellent craftman’s cigars. I don’t think you can get them outside this country, over here in only a few shops. I use these cigars to mash my own snuff like they used to do with unused leaf particles in the old days. This way I can have 200gr of natural snuff for under €30,- Sometimes I chew on a piece. The typical Dutch cigar is very dry, no humidor necessary. Composed of Dutch East Indies tobacco, Brazil and Havannah in different proportions which recipes are big secrets. Here are the 5 websites in Dutch. Each factory has average 3 employees! http://vanderdonksigaren.nl http://www.hertoghsigaren.nl http://www.sigarenfabriekhovens.com/index.php http://www.olifant.com http://www.sigarenfabriekvantveen.nl None of them sell online! But who knows when you send them an email. It’s possible to visit the factories on appointment.

Smoked an Ashton VSG last Friday. It was the Spellbound variety of this cigar. Love these cigars. Glorious example of a cigar boasting an Ecadorian wrapper.

Here is a pic.

La duena in rubusto on of my top 5

A Cuba Libre cigar with a snoot of Cuba Libre snuff from Old Mill. Of the two - the snuff was by far the better!!!

Rocky Patel 1990

Padron 1926 Anniversary No. 6. Seems fitting after such a wonderful evening.

@J_S your spouse sounds wonderful does she have an older sister that available? Lamb shoulder & homemade pie, I didn’t think woman like that existed anymore.

@basement_shaman 1 older sister but she too is married. Yes, she can be a sweetheart and it made for a wonderful evening. When she does things like that it makes me really appreciate how lucky I am.

xikar HC series habano2 rubusto box press

Had a really good 07 Hoyo Regalos last night.

enjoyed quite a nice Cohiba Secreto maduro the other day. It was a good smoke, a little flat to me and probably too short if it hadn’t been so long since my last cigar, but its a good price and a good stick. Not for those looking to get the taste of the main cohiba lines though.

Just had my first proper cigar tonight, it was a Romeo y Julieta 1875. Cheapest one at the cigar shop but was recommended to me by an employee as a good starting point. I really enjoyed it.

@md363 glad you liked it. I still enjoy the 1875 once in a while. The Sumatra wrapper really stands out in the blend.

Hoyo De Monterrey Excalibur use to smoke these weekly while drinking, now not so often could trigger my allergy.

I have a Dunhill 1907 Rothschild on the way with a couple other things from P&C.com. Should be a good one if the description is at all accurate which I’m sure it is.

Black Abyss , full bodies, spicy maduro with just a hint of harshness toward the end…

Went to a friends house yesterday for a morning herf. He gave me something called a Meaner Digger that looked like a tobaccoy barbers pole and said it was a nice light smoke. He lied.

Swisher Cigarillos - Not a REAL cigar, I know $-)

Pardon 3000 Maduro

Nica Libre Contra, perfect little cigar to chew on while shoveling snow

I’ve not smoked a lot of cigars, mostly cheap ones for new years eve and stuff, but when I tried a couple of Cohiba siglo III(?) I reeally started to get the whole deal with cigarsmoking. They were fantastic. But not cheap though.

This is a gorgeous medium cigar I prefer full body but these are great!

Ave Maria. Tasty

Maria Mancini Magic Mountain while moving snow around.

Earlier I had the chance to smoke an El Triunfador # 5. One of my favor mild smokes and the petite size is good in the cooler temps. Sat. it was in the 80’s. Today the high was 35. I suppose those of you in the north would think 35 is warm right now though!

Straight jacket rubusto

Hoyo de Monterrey Petit corona. Love Sumatra wrappers and a small ring gauge.

CAO Gold. Well constructed, tasty but a bit too tame for my jaundiced tastes…

yesterday, a cheap JR something-or-other that’s been sitting in my humidor for about 10 years, surprisingly not-bad.

Had a Gurkha Beauty a few days ago, for a Gurkha it wasn’t bad.

got a cheap Arturo Fuente Double Chateau last night and is it very good surprisingly…

Sunday morning smoke, a Rocky Patel Connecticut

Perdomo Habano Connecticut robusto

Four Kicks. Not at all bad…

Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic (1950).

Gran Habano Lunch Break Corojo #5

Excellent choice @Mouse… I think I will join you!!!

Arturo Fuente Anejo #77 for after Lunch

Just had a Spirit of Cuba by Alec Bradley. Inexpensive, easy burn. Ok but not one to write home about…

Ezra Zion Tantrum. I really love what Ezra Zion is doing. As far as boutique’s go, he is really doing some great things!

Maria Mancini Magic Mountain maduro

@Mouse Damn nice cigar. I kinda forgot about them. I’ll have to check inventory, I should have some (I hope)

agree, perique, though the first one I fired up from this box burned unevenly; for the price I don’t mind too much losing one…~$60/box of 20.

Hoyo de Menterrey Churchill.

Stradivarius. Grossly overpriced. Mild, decent burn, but to me way to bland… just shows that just because it costs more does not mean it is better…

By the way, I’m finding folks’ comments useful. I used to smoke cheap cigars when I worked at the farm and when surfcasting, mostly ‘Backwoods’ or Parodi. So my knowledge of what’s out there in the cigar world is mostly from JR’s advertising or from cigar review web sites. Mostly I find the latter a bit puffed up and snobby. Not so much on this list, so, thanks!

@Mouse I used to look a sites like that, I used to read Cigar Mag. too. I have been smoking premiums for 22 years now, off and on, eventually you know a blender and if you like the style of cigar, etc. Taste is subjective so reviews don’t really help unless you know the reviewer and know that you have a similar palate. The only thing that I would recommend reviews for is if you are trying to develop your palate, then if you read reviews and everyone is noticing notes that you may find hard to pick up or distinguish between something similar (e.g., oak instead of cedar) you can be fairly certain that cigar would be good to pick up to see the difference.

Is it safe to store cigars in Mason Jars or do they need some air exchange? I ran out of room in my humidor.

I love cigars but dont have the budget to constantly burn 10 or 20 pounds so Im not ashamed to say that I really enjoy a bog standard Hamlet once a day along with my Odens snus and Hedges snuff habit. Ive tried a Monte Cristo…nice and sweet but other than that its ok.

@Mouse. I often use Tupperware to create a ‘Tupperdore’. Many people have also been known to use Styrofoam coolers. if you do either though I would suggest you use a portion of Spanish Cedar to help retain aroma. A portion of appropriate cigar box that you might not use otherwise works fine. because more airtight than standard humidor you have to be a little careful when ‘augmenting’ humidity as you would in standard humidor - ie, it is possible to overhydrate cigars if moisture added. Hope this helps. ENJOY the noble weed!!!

Yesterday I had a asylum straight jacket those are great sticks

@Mouse stogie has the right idea it would be better to use Tupperware, or a cooler, you can buy large coolers to store permanently as long as you make sure no plastic smell remains in it. I understand about running out of room. I used to run 3 humis one of which is just a 20 count for daily use so I don’t have to open the other 2. I now have added a mini frig that I am lining with used boxes. It works fine and there is a ton of storage space if utilized but you do need to open it once in a while as air exchange is important for maintaining the humidity.

Had an Alec Bradley Connecticut with my coffee early this morning.

La Gloria Cubana Series R Pequeno - Hints of Spring in the air, and soon I’ll be able to sit comfortably on the porch puffing cigars. I usually limit my indoor smoking to pipes, though I can sometimes get away with small cigars.

thanks stogie and J_S, picked up a couple of tupperware containers this evening.

Tupperdors and Coolidors are way better for preserving cigars. I have 4 or 5 Spanish cedar humidors sitting empty because they suck (You had ONE JOB, humidor, ONE JOB, and…). But the coolers and tupperdors are keeping the cigars in a fine state through an extremely low humidity Winter. Twice a month recharge a jar of heartfelt beads and some Boveda packs, and all is well. Some folks will even fit their coolidors with small fans to circulate air, but I think just rotating top to bottom and refreshing humidity does the trick.

Victor Sinclair ‘Factory Overrun’

Edgar Hoill-Prensado Cabroncito. Very good smoke, full body. A little early in the day for this one but the wife and kids were out and I really wanted to try this one. Need to pick up a 5 pack.

Don Kiki Brown, to my tastes likely the best of his line…

Oliva series v last night

What are folk’s opinions of Drew Estate cigars, I note they are described as flavored, is the flavoring predominant or just a subtle background to the tobacco?

I have never enjoyed the flavored cigars, other than an occasional cognac infused one back in the 90’s so I would be the wrong person to really help here. I will say that if you pick some up to make sure you keep them separated from the rest of your cigars as the flavor from the oils they use on the tobacco will bleed into them. I have never smoked there ACID line, which is very popular. I have smelled it in the B&M, where I politely left.

Lurking lurking lurking :(|) I may get an education.

Drew estate probably makes the BEST ‘flavored’ cigars. However, unlike most other manufacturers, rather than just flavoring (spraying on , dunking in, etc.) they infuse the tobacco itself in aging rooms where the tobacco is exposed to the volatile/aromatic oils for some time, allowing the flavors to ‘become one’ with the tobacco itself. this in and of itself is unique, but then the blends are also pretty cool. I have quite a few of his creations and enjoy most. Am I a flavored cigar sort of guy? no… but the folks at Drew Estates know tobacco. It should be pointed out that although his flavored cigars are what really put them on the map so to speak, they make some tremendous ‘standard’ cigars that will stand up to the very best made by others. you owe it to yourself to check them out!!!

thanks, @stogie, just ordered a box of Corona Viva Undercrown which qualifies for the free 14 cigar sampler; a bit conservative but the sampler will give me an idea of the line…(2 Joya Red Robusto • E, 5.25 x 50, 2 Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Robusto Grande • E, 5.50 x 52, 2 Kentucky Fire Cured Fat Molly • E, 5.00 x 56, 2 Kentucky Fire Cured Just a Friend • E, 6.00 x 52, 2 MUWAT by Drew Estate +11 • E, 5.50 x 52, 2 Nica Rustica El Brujito • M, 6.00 x 52, and 2 Undercrown Robusto • M, 5.00 x 54.) What fun!

@Mouse you have a good selection there. You should enjoy Undercrown and KFC. Joya de Nic. is a little deceptive, unless I have wrong information. DE is now responsible for distribution in the US but has nothing to do with the blending. I know for sure that Alejandro Martinez Cuenca is the blender for the recent Cabinetta series which is very good too. Anyway, that aside Joya is a great line and I think you will enjoy that too.

Thanks, J_S, looking forward to them. Right now it’s a JR “90+ rated Nicaraguan 2nd”. To my novice palate it tastes pretty good.

@Mouse You will develop your palate fairly quickly but it will always be changing. One way to help is as you read reviews about the cigar and you see the nuances that others have noted, try finding them in the smoke too. Best way to do that is to get the food, etc. of what is being described and eat a little as you smoke. So if someone says nuts, simple enough but maybe several say cashews and almonds or macadamia nuts, etc. Tasting what you know before the smoke can help. Also don’t take the reviews too seriously everyone is different and you will not pick up on all the nuances that other do. I find that I am always changing but I am at the point where I know the various elements that I like/don’t like and can find cigars to fit that. For example, when I first started smoking I was a med. full to full bodied guy right away, I really could not pick out anything in the milder cigars. Learned to appreciate them years later but really did not start enjoying them until about 5 yrs ago. Now I smoke as many mild to med. bodied cigars as I do med. and full. Things change over time and just because you will not like one thing now does not mean you will not like it 5 yrs from now.

Just to clarify @Mouse, none of the cigars you listed will be of the ‘flavored’ variety but I echo @J_S in stating that this is an excellent way to be introduced to a number of their other options. I am a believer in samplers. if you watch offerings you can not only try new things, but often they are actually cheaper than boxes. So just watch and wait. And in the meantime enjoy from that excellent selection you have already made.

Sunday morning smoke–JR alternative to Cuban:Cohiba Behike Laguito No. 5. OK I find this to be a full-bodied decent smoke, burns well, decent draw, tasty. Before anyone says the usual ‘smoke what you like, like what you smoke’ I’m wondering what others think about this and the other JR ‘alternative’ cigars; just curious. I expect it can’t really be as good as what it resembles, but for the price…

@Mouse - Sorry, but to me they are somewhat hit and miss. I do however have a high regard for their JR Alternative Cabinet Series. A little higher price, but to me a lot higher quality. Of course individual tastes will dictate… and funds are just reality…

Toscano Classico

DE Herrera Esteli – great cigar. @Mouse the Undercrown, KFC and Joya Antaño are among my favorite cigars. Brilliant stuff.

Henry Clay Honduran 6x50 from a Honduran sampler.

CAO Brazil a decent, fairly priced smoke…

Yesterday an Undercrown Robusto, now I know the difference between a ‘good’ cigar and a ‘cheap’ cigar.

Joya de Nicaragua Antano Robusto Grande

A good 'ol Rocky Patel The Edge

Finally have a morning to myself so I started with an El Triunfador. Great smoke, one of my favorite morning cigars.

El Rey Del Mundo Reynita, 5x38, going to be a good lunch break smoke I think.

Just getting into Cigars here. I got a nice glass-top humidor from ebay that should hold around 20 or so and I also purchased a 10 Cigar sampler from Cigars International that came with a larger capacity glass-top humidor which I intend to list on ebay to get my money back. I haven’t smoked one yet but I do enjoy looking at them through the glass. As soon as I can get my telescope out and do some moon watching I’ll be lighting one up and I’ll let you guys know what I think about it. In the meantime, I don’t have a Cigar cutter and was wondering what would be the best method/tool to use until I do?

Whatever you do, don’t bite it, you will tear the wrapper more than likely. There are several ways it can be done. I would either use a very sharp knife or a small pair of scissors. I would also try to just take off the very tip with them. This might leave too firm of a draw but you can play with that a little or make a poker (e.g., a metal close hanger or something similar or smaller diameter if possible and push through any firmness. It is far from idea but it will work.

Toscano 1492 Anno Domini

@J_S Thanks for the advice. Sounds good. I think that will work perfectly for me until I can get a proper cutter.

Smoking a San Lotano Connecticut. Its been setting in the humi for almost 9 months. I like the Habano but this is lack luster. I love Connecticut wrappers and this is really close to a med. bodied smoke still really a mild-med. but at the upper end of it. It could be good I do get some creamy notes, bitter citrus (think of the rind of an orange) nuts, some light tangy sweetness and a little peppery spice. However, the ceder quickly takes over and by about the end of the first 1/3 I get nothing but ceder notes. Not something I will pick up again as others are simply better but I like a lot of what A. J. does and this was good to finally get around to trying.

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Cigarillo Easy to light, Good draw, Great flavor, Well constructed. Yea it’s a small cigar but what do I know. :-"

@Grant, I like the ability to see through the lid. very aesthetic. BUT, just be aware of a couple things. Still keep out of direct sunlight as it will negatively affect cigar quality over time, also, the glass unfortunately allows for more evaporation over time as it is difficult to have good seals around the edge of the glass. Easy to rectify by just monitoring and adding extra moisture as needed. Enjoy your ‘cigar Furniture’!!!

@basement_shaman small cigars can be great. I am a big fan of small ring gauges myself. It showcases the wrapper more IMO.

@stogie Thanks for the advice. I agree. I will definitely keep a check on the humidifier. I do enjoy the ability to see the cigars I have without opening the humidor. It’s a nice looking little box. : )

Drew Estates Kentucky Fire Cured

Drew Estates Naturals, Green Machine (out of production for like 8 years now) Has aged nicely.

AVO Classic. Mild but not boring. I just happen to like cigars that are more robust in nature. These are refined and probably would be liked by most.

an inexpensive but decent Nicaraguan 90+ rated 2nd from pipesandcigars while pruning the blueberries. Burned evenly, drew well.

An Avo Uvezian Domaine #20 Figurado. It’s the first Avo I’ve had outside of the Classic line. Their #9 is my all time favorite (with the exception of the Montecristo Robusto A, but those were simpler times, in a simpler country) cigar, but hard to find now unless I want to order a whole box.

Rocky Patel Connecticut. Milder than most of the cigars I have been trying recently.

Quesada Tribute - Well made, solid grey ash, medium body with a pleasing finish. Good taste on the retrohale. No touch ups needed.

Mancini Magic Mountain

Drew Estate Nica Rustica El Brujito ****

Oliva Serie V

La Gloria Cubana Serie R No.4. Good full bodied smoke, nice for after dinner.

Joya Red

Antano Robusto - Dark, solid, very good beginning to end.

Avo Uvezian Heritage (Maduro). Semi oily wrapper, solid ash for a slow, cool smoke. Some minor runs, but nothing catastrophic. Predominant notes are cedar, figs/raisins, and hops (strangely enough). Very nice smoke, albeit a bit pricey for what it is

The Angels Anvil - 7 1/8 x 49 Churchill. Made by the folks at Crowned Heads. A very well made, even burning cigar. Slow burning, scrumptious and just crying to be accompanied by a great bourbon…

La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age robusto

Nestor Miranda Connecticut - excellent construction but unfortunately burned too fast resulting a harsh ‘bite’. Willing to try again and adjust pace, but first impression is not so good.

Garo Double Maduro

Vega Fina Toro Solid, even slow burn, didn’t start tasting good till the second half and even at that not much flavor.

@Mouse sounds like you might want to move from the mild-med. body toward a med-full, at least for now. Come back to this one one in a year or more and see if you pick up anything. It is not my favorite but there are some nuances here and there. If you are looking to stay in that price range you might try a punch rare corojo, which is a little sweet and quite tasty. If you are looking for the Ecuadorian Conn. wrapper, you might try the Man O’ War Virtue, it is a little pricey but it shows off the Conn. wrapper and while mild-med. still has enough ligero in it to give it some noticeable flavor.

Montecristo Platinum

Thanks for the suggestions, J_S. At this point I simply don’t really know much about cigars. I trust posts like yours over the hyperbole in the JR catalog :-}

Nub Maduro. Mighty fine smokes. Last remarkably long for a ‘short’ smoke. Very tasty and slow burning. Fairly full bodied.

Ghurka Beauty Churchill, I’ve read some rather negative comments about this brand but don’t understand, it burned evenly, good draw; I can’t comment on the taste since I still don’t have the experience, or developed sense of taste, but I enjoyed it.

Nestor Miranda Maduro. I read alot of negative reviews on this one (whereas the Habano wrapper made some CA top whatever list), but I really enjoyed it. Easy light, easy draw, some runs but they were easily corrected. Earth, coffee, and a touch of spice. Smoked it while grilling burgers last night. @Mouse I would submit this one for you to try. Just don’t let it get too hot. I started getting a little aggressive with it toward the end, which did result in bitterness.

chewing on a Nicaraguan 2nd while tilling and chainsawing this morning; just perfect, hints of gasoline fumes, dirt, and green sawdust, lol.

My Father El Centrurion Toro.

Partagas Spanish Rosada

Toscano Classico

P.D.R. (Pinar del Rio) 1878 Cubano Especial Capa Madura with a pigtail cap. Very well constructed, lovely pre-light aroma. Perfectly even burn. Very solid. Recommended

La Palina El Diario KBII.

Man O’ War Side Project Little Devil >:)

Benchmade Churchill. Well made, even burn. Tasty without being in your face.

Davidoff Classic No. 2, earlier this morning.

El Rey del Mundo Corona, solid, good draw, even burn, mellow but flavorful, inexpensive.

JR Jamaica. Fairly solid construction, medium gray somewhat flaky ash. needed several touchups to even out burn. Decent, but not a favorite.

Perdomo Champagne 10th Anniversary robusto

Punch - Hey, can’t go to far wrong… Old, trusty, reliable…

Got an El Rey del Mundo Corona lined up for after breakfast.

Macorix Robusto, strong and spicy box pressed, uneven burn at first but evened out quickly.

Perdomo 20th Anniversary Maduro, to match the lady I’ll be taking a walk with… kinda sweet, kinda spicy

Asylum 13 Ogre. Fairly mild, visually appealing, well constructed.

Undercrown Corona Viva 143mm X 46

Perdomo Gran Cruz

Alec Bradley Tempus–Creo; a nice earthy, peppery, and notes of coffee/espresso. A good solid stick.

Padilla La Terraza Capa-Habano Serie 2010… Solid, oily, dark and tasty. excellent flavor, even burn and a great lingering flavor on the palate.

yesterday a Te Amo, a bit uneven burn at first, maybe my lighting techinque. Flavor seemed a bit rough around the edges and one-dimensional but in my wandering through some inexpensive cigars it was better than some I’ve run across recently. Today I am planning to smoke a Cuesta-Rey “Centro Fino sun grown Pyramid No. 9” and looking forward to it.

@Mouse Man how I wish someone out here carried Te Amos. When I lived in Ensenada, one of their rolling stations was a half hour away. I smoked the Robusto Classicos and Cabinets all day (they usually ran around 200 Pesos there in town). A decent cigar that gets a bad rap in my opinion. If they were made in Nicaragua instead of Mexico, they would be considered mid range premium instead of economy, despite the fact that the Revolution scored a 92 or 93 by CIs scale last year. Mexico has a good number of hidden gems out there. Just have to take the chance to try them if you want to find them

Perdomo Corojo Habano. Interesting stick. Starts with bitter chocolate and white pepper, with a mellowing out to creams around the 2nd third. Ends on straight leather and cream. Kind of like a Montecristo in reverse

My Father-Flor de las Antillas-Toro. A very good stick med-full.

Time for an old favorite this evening. Tatuaje Miami-Tainos

Late reporting it, but started my day with a Plasencia La Floridita robusto. Nestor P’s cigars have been steadily improving over the years.

Had a La Finca, puro Nicaraguan ‘ammo box’ 6x50 while spreading wood chips yesterday. It was a perfect yardwork cigar and at $1/each I didn’t mind just smokin’ it while working. It burned evenly, stayed lit, drew well. Earlier in the day a Vindicator that was gifted to me, which I smoked during a time when I could pay much more attention to it. Medium strength, leather, wood, I had to put it down for about 5 minutes and it was still burning when I picked it up again. A couple of steps up from the La Finca, but I was pleased with both.

Perdomo Exhibición Sun Grown

about to fire up a gifted Dona Lydia corona, I hope I don’t like it as it appears to no longer be available.

@Mouse, Not sure if they are still making these or not but what this tells me (if you like it) is that you most likely enjoy Sumatra wrappers general and Olivia makes this line. So you might try the Olivia V Melanio although to be honest it is not outstanding in its price range but a good cigar none the less. Olivia makes a solid stick so you might try a sampler from them too. Sumatra wrappers are one of my favorites you could try RyJ 1875 original line for the Sumatra too at a much lower price and for its range simply great.

Ah, I _did_ like it, a lot. Thanks for the suggestion J_S, I have a RyJ 1875 but I think it has a maduro wrapper. Just got another humidor so will be moving some of the cigars gifted to me out of the tupperware and into it as soon as it is seasoned. Life is good and I am grateful.

I smoke several cigars a day, but I forget this thread, so a lot goes unreported. Usually a bunch of minis and cigarillos from Camacho, Perdomo, Plasencia and Hoyo de Monterey. Sometimes Drew Estate Tabak Especials. Most recently I had an excellent and well-aged My Father toro that really hit the spot. That is a damned good brand, and highly recommended.

Nestor Miranda Habano. Pretty disappointing, but my guess is it had more to do with my B&M than the cigar itself. Their Maduro in the same vitola is one of my favorites currently. Problems with the stick could all be explained by over humidifying. Tobacco swelled, causing the ring to dig into the wrapper, the wrapper coming loose a the head as i smoked it, the ridiculouly bad run on one side… almost definitely the B&M, not the stick. It happened before with an Avo I got there. Got out to where I was going to smoke it (way out in the middle if nowhere on my favorite walking path), got it toasted perfectly, lit it, and the whole the whole thing unwrapped on me. I called them and asked what their humidity was at. He told me 80%, and was confused when I told him that was too high. Anyways, lesson learned twice now. We are blessed with many B&Ms out here, and most of them are much better. Like I said, I loved the Maduro of the same line, so I still want to try the Habano (again). I also want to try it in a Connecticut. Next up to try is the Esteban Carreras Covenant. Anyone had one?

Chateau Fuente Natural Rothschild. Beautiful stick. Walnut, cream, and just enough pepper to make the tongue tingle. They’re a popular stick for a reason

yesterday afternoon an Alec Bradley 1997, just a great smoke. In today’s lineup, a Gran Habano Corojo #5

Esteban Carreras Chupa Cabra Figurado. Pretty delicious! Started off as solid leather and cocoa, turning to coffee and cream by the 2nd third, then ending on straight cream with a touch of wood. Not huge transitions, but complicated in that simple way… if that makes any sense. Anyways, great stick! P.S. I couldnt figure out how that nub foot was supposed to be lit, so I just clipped it off. Didn’t notice any problems

@Hitsuzen cutting it is okay. You can just light it like normal, however. Tapering actually makes it easier to light.

Casa Torano

A Drew Estate Undercrown Corona Viva! Tasty, beautiful slow burning high test smoke.

Another Chateau Fuente Natural Rothschild tonight. Enjoying it next to a bonfire with my best man, relaxibg before the wedding tomorrow

Dunno if any of y’all smoke Backwoods, but if you do, I highly recommend the Ugly Coyotes brand sold by Famous Smoke Shop. They are rustic like the Backwoods, but superior in quality/flavor (all CT Broadleaf, apparently) and cheaper if you buy a 10-pack. The Chocolate is my favorite, though the natural is quite good, for those who like a strictly tobacco flavor. Now that it’s warming up and there’s a lot of mowing and landscape cleanup to do, nothing like a good basic yard 'gar.

E.P. Carrilo La Historia-Dona Elena. First go with this line, very good first impressions. Well worth picking up a 5 pack of them.

Another Chateau Fuente Natural Rothschild tonight. Enjoying it next to a bonfire with my best man, relaxibg before the wedding tomorrow

A cigar later today in your honor, @Hitsuzen. Have a great time and a peaceful life!

Placencia Reserva Organica Edition Limitada 2001. A little too tight but tasty, medium bodied, burned evenly and slowly. Still working on descriptives other than ‘spicy’ but just don’t taste the ‘leather’ ‘chocolate’ etc. Maybe in time…

Just had a Padron Delicias Maduro. Started out not too interesting, but about halfway the flavors kicked in and it was very enjoyable.

El Rey del Mundo Corona- Smoked it slow, very tasty. thanks mouse

@Mouse - Organicas are such nice cigars. A unique, high quality flavor. I like the cigar boxes they come in too. I must have at least a dozen empties which I hope eventually to re-purpose (possibly make pipe stands), and 5 or 6 full ones still aging in one of my Coolidors. The Plasencia Nesticos are terrific as well, fine short smokes.

Victor Sinclair ‘Factory Overrun’ toro, a decent cheap cigar at ~$20 for 15. This one burned even, lasted about an hour, medium body, 1 1/2" ash, mild to medium strength.

This evening I had a Plasencia Pai Gow lonsdale. Aged about a year. Mild, with a very nice flavor.

@Mouse Thank you! Sorry, with the wedding and the two day getaway, I’ve intentionally stayed offline. Wanted to thank you for your well-wishes though! Also… Finally had the Esteban Carerras Covenant. Really delicious stick! Aesthetically interesting too. Super thick dark oily wrapper, almost rustic looking, but not toothy per se. The wrapper actually cracked on me a couple times, but it never caused any problems functionally. The wrapper is actually folded a good 1/2 back over the foot, which in my young age I have never experienced before, but it was actually pretty cool because it gave me a chance to taste the wrapper in the first few puffs before it got lost in the filler. First 1/3rd was dark chocolate and pepper. Not much to add. Just dark chocolate and pepper. Second 1/3rd brought in some creaminess, turning the dark chocolate to milk chocolate, which created an interesting new contrast to the same pepper, which stood at the same intensity as the first 1/3rd, not picking up or fading out. The final 1/3rd started mellowing out considerably, eventually leaving me with flavors I can’t really put a name to, but would put in the “earth” spectrum of the flavor wheel. This is one of my new favorites for sure. I’m not a fan of spicy cigars any more than I am a fan of medicated snuff, but the balance here made it possible to have pepper without spice. Absolutely delicious!

Ashton VSG great flavors. It is really like a roller coaster, the complex tastes going up and down, but in all a great smoke.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/05/04/americas-oldest-vet-is-turning-109-he-celebrated-with-cigars-and-burgers/?tid=sm\\_fb

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/05/04/americas-oldest-vet-is-turning-109-he-celebrated-with-cigars-and-burgers/?tid=sm\\_fb

Awesome !

Ever saw these Dutch Bolknak (torpedo shape) cigars? Like them so much that I won’t grind them but smoke outside in nice weather. They were launched in 1954 for the then 50 years of existence of the factory Agio. I Wonder if you can get them outside Holland. Over here, bolknaks are an old fashioned thing for grandpa to accompany his Jenever drink.

This afternoon I had a Plasencia La Floridita Fuerte robusto. Been a struggle to keep the humidors, coolidors and other 'dors within the Goldilocks range. Sweltering, over-humid weather and a house with meager climate control possibilities.

Ever saw these Dutch Bolknak (torpedo shape) cigars? Like them so much that I won’t grind them but smoke outside in nice weather. They were launched in 1954 for the then 50 years of existence of the factory Agio. I Wonder if you can get them outside Holland. Over here, bolknaks are an old fashioned thing for grandpa to accompany his Jenever drink.

The only Agios I’ve seen in the US are the Meharis, which are great cigarillos, but I’ve not seen Bolknaks before.

These bolknaks are matted and atomized with tobacco powder. They’re sold under the name Gouden Oogst

La Gloria Cubana Serie R Esteli. Buttery, creamy, touch of spice. Nothing that will knock you upside the head, but went GREAT with casual conversation with my wife by the riverside

Another very small bolknak by De Hertogh sigaren. Very soft.

A classic MonteCristo that I have had in one of my many humidors for ~ 4.5 years. VERY mellow but still tasty. Mild but burned evenly without any need for touch ups.

Had a Vindicator robusto earlier this afternoon. Aged about a year, and smoother while still full-bodied.

Earlier today, has some kind of Partagas petit corona that had too firm a draw to be really enjoyed. Then an Aurora Escogidos Maduro robusto that was quite tasty. Good draw, even burn, medium strength and mild-medium body.

La Flor Dominicana Double Legero–Churchill. Very nice stick full bodied but not one to age for an extend period of time, for those of you starting your aging process. Legero does not age well.

About to fire up an after-work Alec Bradley American Classic Blend robusto. a bit later… Smoked it and enjoyed it, a bit uneven burn, very mild, firm, good long ash.

La Gloria Cubana Serie R

American Label by Cigar.com. Not bad but did have a bit o trouble keeping lit toward the end. very mild.

Macanudo - was a nice mild smoke. Very consistent throughout. Enjoyed.

Alec Bradley Prensado Robusto. Nice to have something spicy every once in a while. Had some upkeep issues, but totally worth the effort. Might do the Churchill next @Grant the Estelli is in my top 5

A guy I work for gave me 3 Cohiba Habana Cuba labeled cigars that were roughed up, the outer layer was cracked and broken, so I couldn’t smoke them. I ground one up in my coffee mill and made some very nice snuff. Not nearly as good as smoking probably would have been, but nice nevertheless. I don’t regularly smoke cigars, but when I did, I like La Carolina, a brand I used to get from Cuban Crafters out of Miami. They make a really nice torpito, a smallish torpedo, with a sweet cap.

@mrmanos too bad about the wrappers, however, there are a lot of fakes out there especially in the US, could be that is the case here. Not saying that, only the band and box number could tell you for sure and even then there are some top notched faked bands that are hard to tell from a photo. In any case, I am glad you were able to enjoy them!

Cohiba

Question for the Cigar thread- have any of you tried Nick’s Sticks? I’vs seen them around, finally got to reading about them and apparently they’re made by Perdomo, which has me wanting to try them, but I’m having trouble finding any reviews.

Earlier this morning I had an Avo classic No. 3. IMO you can never have too many Avo’s.

Hoyo de Monterrey. I don’t know which one; 5.25x54 with a gold and brown band and ‘Jose Gener’ around a crown-topped shield. Dark mahogany wrapper, it burned somewhat diagonally and touchups didn’t really solve that. Medium body, spicy, nice draw, firm, but a bit bitter.

Herrera Esteli robusto - great draw, even burn, and a very pleasing flavor.

Romeo and Juliet Maduro tasty as expected. @Hitsuzen Nicks Sticks as a very good, modestly priced cigar. Have smoked a dozen or so and can honestly state that they are an excellent value. There are several verities so try them all…

Punch

Earlier today opened a fresh tin of Aurora miniatures. Great quickie smokes, though not as full-bodied as the Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur minis.

Romeo and Juliette classic.

Hoyo de Monterrey - I concur with @Mouse. Mine smoked pretty good with a few touchups. Was spicy and bitter. Not quite my cup of tea, but ok. Of the few I’ve had thus far I enjoyed the Macanudo the best. Of the various cigars I’ve smoked my most pleasurable experiences have been with Maduros. Could you suggest some for me to try?

CAO Black Bengal - Smoked really well. Good draw and even burn throughout.

Chillin Moose - pretty decent for the price.

DE Isla del Sol robusto

Flor de Oliva - a perfectly decent ‘yard gar’, but won’t be my go to for a relaxing evening…

@Grant I’m not a big maduro fan, but some I’d recommend would be 5 Vegas Gold, Ashton Aged, Oliva Serie G, Padron 1964, Perdomo 10th Anniv, Ramon Bueso Genesis. These all have good rounded flavors, not too strong and smoke well. The Padron and Ashton are more expensive, but you can find occasional deals. The others are easily found for $5 or less online.

Earlier this morning I had an El Triunfador No. 6. One of my favorite at the mild-med. end.

Montechristo robusto 4.5x50 or thereabouts; don’t know the version since it was gifted. A very nice, well behaved, mild after-a-too-busy-day smoke.

Picked up another pack of Marsh Wheeling Virginians Dark yesterday. It’s been a while, but I do enjoy those. A good happy medium between the 10-minute cigarillos and the 45-minutes+ premiums.

Chores done, now time for a Sunday morning smoke, Saint Luis Rey Gen2 Titan 6x60. Firm, slow and even burn, mild to medium, but not a particularly tasty smoke, a bit of spice is all I get, seems a little expensive for what it is.

Last night I had a NUB Connecticut. Had no idea they were made by Oliva. Very full flavor, and surprisingly burned for 45 minutes. I was expecting maybe 20, tops! Still not sold on the enormous ring gauges, but in this case made the burn time perfect.

Spent the afternoon today smoking 2 Joya de Nicaragua Antanos, aged a couple years. Mellowed with a couple years age, but I kind of prefer the in-your-face robustness of the new cigars.

Dark Shark - Well… I didn’t spend a lot of money on it…

I’ve been pondering cigar smoking again for the last few day’s. I used to smoke some Cubans and Hondurans back in the day; H Upman, Punch and Bolivars mostly, the odd Monte. However, I just fell out of the habit, as at the time it was an expensive pass time in comparison to those little paper cigars I’m thinking of getting back into it a bit though: My local [ish] tobacconist is rather old fashioned and correspondingly pricey. Can you cigar smoking SnuffHouse chaps offer any advice on a reputable and reliable on-line cigar merchant in the UK? Ideally I’m thinking of smoke or store numbers for between £5 (or less) to £10 range per stick, Don’t have to be Cuban [obviously at that money!] but a merchant with a wide selection would help my search I guess… Thanks guys

JR alternative to Cohiba Behike Laguito No. 5, strong, spice, decent burn, all one could ask for in a $2.50 cigar.

@MisterPaul I don’t know one cigar from another but I order snuff from mysmokingshop often and they have a large variety of cigars. Great service too.

@cullers - Many thanks for the assistance; Simon from MySmokingShop is on my list for pipe tobacco, I’ll check out the cigar selection. Thanks again

La Boheme… tremendous draw, easy light, started rather fast but smoothed out. taken slowly turned out to be decent, if not great.

@MisterPaul Believe it or not it is possible to purchase Cubans in the price range you mentioned. There is a Cuban brand called Jose L Piedra that comes from a region of Cuba that - by coincidence - was historically known for snuff production. MySmokingShop does stock them so I am sure they can give you more info. I discovered them when I was in Cairo a few years ago where they were sold at the airport for the equivalent of about £1 each. Needless to say I was extremely dubious about Cubans at that price but bought a couple of packets and thoroughly enjoyed them and then stocked up as I was returning. I have since found them in many places in Europe at remarkably low prices. They cost more in the UK but are still exceptional value for a Cuban cigar. I have put in the link to the MySmokingShop page below. If you try them then do let us know what you think of them. http://www.mysmokingshop.co.uk/index2.php?mod=category&nm=Jose%20L.%20Piedra%20Cigars&nc=cuban%20cigars%20best%20discount%20prices%20biggest%20range%20uk&man=50&cat=77

@chris - Thanks very much for the advice, good of you to offer it ; I haven’t smoked cigar with any degree of regularity for years, so am hopelessly out of touch. I have found quite a few [seeming] nice cigars on the web for £4-£10 per cigar; I’ll take a punt on some of these next time I place an order with MySmokingShop and will certainly let you know my thoughts - Cheers

@MisterPaul Glad to be of help. Like you it has been a while since I regularly smoked other Cuban cigars and I only smoke the Piedras on the rare occassion when I have the time to sit back and enjoy them. As a result I can only compare the Piedras to other brands from memory but to my mind they can hold their own. Not as good as a Davidoff back in the days when Davidoff produced Cubans but certainly as good as some - massively more expensive - cigars that I have smoked. As always these things are a matter of personal taste and there are some Cubans that I really dislike but, hopefully. I am not leading you astray.

@Chris - Much appreciated! I did enjoy a fine cigar back in the day, and conveniently they used to sell a good selection at the restaurant I worked in whilst I was a student in the 80’s; the restaurant manager was cigar smoker and had an ‘agreement’ with the owners that he and his staff could have them at cost price (a lot cheaper than now… Inflation eh! To be fair we didn’t always cough up the cash for them either ). If you worked a ‘finish’ shift on a Saturday we’d fairly often have a nice H Upman or Romeo corona and sit and have a drink, once all the work was done, and while away the early morning hours - Nice times I brought them from the specialist tobacconists in town for occasions after I left that job for a while into my 20’s but haven’t smoked them for maybe 15-20 years or so, as I took up snuff and pipe smoking in my early 30’s. I do sometimes fancy a nice cigar, but as I don’t keep them in, I tend to just have a pipe instead. My plan is to buy a medium sized humidor and build a collection of maybe 75 or so that I’ll be able to keep and slowly age over the next decade and a half or so. I’m guessing I’ll only smoke one occasionally, so a little shrewd purchasing in the first instance should last me a good while

@MisterPaul I always recommend that you buy a bigger humidor than you think you will need. If you think you want to age 75 at least go with a humidor that will hold 150. Otherwise, you will more than likely find that you need more room. I started with a 100 count (now long gone) I have a 300 count for aging, a 250 count for others, a 20 count for what I will smoke each month, and just a few years ago added a mini fridge which is now lined with Spanish ceder and filling quickly. Do I have enough? Yes, for present needs, but you can never have enough!

Man O’ War Little Devil, strong!

@J_S - Many thanks for the advice I had kinda considered that actually. I ruled out all the starter humidor (25’s and 50/60’s) as I thought this would be filled up pretty quickly. I’m guessing if I find some cigars I really like, then my TAD will kick in and I’ll end up buying ten or something, just so I know that I have them when needed for the future At this stage I’m thinking of an ‘Adorini Humidor Chianti medium - Deluxe’ this is a 100 but I’m thinking that I’ll aim to keep it 3/4 to 4/5ths stocked so that they have plenty of air flow and I can rotate them occasionally. I chose this one because I was told that Adorini are a good make [?]. However, I can get a Ca 200 humidor from ‘Humidoro’ [whom I’ve not heard of before] for about half the money + it has a rather attractive burl construction - You’ve got me thinking now!!! :-/

@MisterPaul I don’t have any experience with Humidoro but I believe they are German made. So I would take that as a positive. Check reviews and how their customer service is and their return policy. Nothing like having a broken seal or other shipping damage with a difficult return policy.

Just finished an Oliva Serie O Perfecto.

Been very busy with some landscaping projects. Mostly smoking Camacho minis during my rehydration breaks. Not exactly leisure, but a steady intake of nicotine makes working for hours resemble something that looks more like fun when stretched over a long hot excessively muggy day.

Just finished an Oliva Serie O Perfecto.

@J_S - Thanks again for the advice; I’ll check those points, I’m still more inclined towards the Adorini one to be fair, they seem to have some nice innovative features and very good reviews There is a larger one but it significantly more expensive and the layout isn’t a good [for me], I decided early on that enclosed shelves and an external hydrometer were essentials. What do you make of the Oliva Serie O Perfecto? I have a couple of those in the ‘basket’ seemed to be good value. I’ve already got a good collection of ‘starter selection’ cigars ready to buy already…

@MisterPaul The O Serie is a very good stick. This is one of the last few I have as the cedar note is a little more than I personally like but that aside it is a complex Nicaraguan puro that is very enjoyable.

Hoyo de Monterrey- Petit.

A gifted (thank you!) Black Pearl robusto, mild, even burn, good draw–not as firm as some I’ve smoked recently; a nice after-work cigar to unwind with after a hectic day.

Padron 1926 No. 6.

Chateaux Fuente Rothschild, my favorite anytime stick!

Marsh Wheeling Virginians Dark.

About to fire up a Mr. B that was gifted to me. Smells great out of the wrapper. 7x 4? maduro. I see JR is selling these for about $1. The cellophane is yellowed so maybe it will be great now instead of ‘good for the price’. edit: not bad, mild, earthy, just a little bit spicy, a little uneven burn half-way but it evened itself out and might have been because I was smoking it outside and it is windy today. For the price it was 5-star, best cigar for a buck yet.

Feeling decadent so time for I guess what is my first ‘proper’ cigar in over 15 years: Chinchalero Novillo Maduro Torpedo. The lure of big ring gauge has got me I think! I’ve cut the head fairly wide, to avoid a ‘bitter end’; no one likes that do they;-) Nice robust and spicy, with an undertone of sweet, yet smooth flavours - Excellent value for the price of this stick at under £5. To me this has the taste and feel of a more expensive smoke than it is

A cohiba petite corona. Always a tight draw on those.

Eden Gran Toro Maduro Cigars Dark Sun-Grown Wrapper 6 X 54, strong but surprisingly smooth and tasty, even burn, great draw, slow burning. Nice $3 cigar, glad i bought a box.

Marsh Wheeling Virginian Dark

Patel Bros. Next Generation Robusto, feels a little soft except up by the cap, smokes OK though. medium-strong, spice and leather, even burn.

Ugly Coyote chocolate

Sunday morning cigar, Cohiba Cuban Esplendidos 7 x 47 that has been languishing in my humidor for 5 years. I’ve been really looking forward to this one.

Earlier this morning a Davidoff 2000.

Perdomo Habano robusto

Had a little Obsidian yesterday while whackin the weeds. 

Victor Sinclair factory overrun. Don’t know if my cigar palate is becoming more educated but this smoke doesn’t taste as good as previous Sinclairs, kind of barnyard, green, and musty.

This morning had a King Edward vanilla and a couple Panter vanillas.

after work smoke, Gran Habano Corojo #5 Honduran,mild and quite pleasant.

This evening’s cigar was a Perdomo Lot 23 robusto, rested about a year in my humidor - quite nice

Agio Mehari Sweet Oriental while unwinding before dinner

Cuban Crafters Eden Maduro

Thanks TBoyer. I’m going to have to try Ardberg. Never have. Laphroig and Lagavulin are my drinks for the peat.

Rustica on the mind now. Does anyone know if there is a cigar in existence that uses rustica leaves? I’ve smoked a lot of different cigars and never came across anything. Just curious.

Also love tambolaka for the pipe. The 4Noggins offerning is good but I prefer my rope. I guess I like my flavors extra strong and pungent.

@haemony - Rustica is devilishly strong when smoked!!! It also doesn’t taste the best, I can’t imagine any cigar manufacture would use it

Yes, I think it would be harsh. I reading in a tobacco history book that cigars used to made with rustica way way back in the day. I thought someone somewhere might still make them because well…people are crazy. I first got into tobacco when I worked in the horticulture dept of Plimoth Plantation. We grew the tobacco for the Wompanog Village. I am pretty sure it was rustica. They smoke it for ceremony but they powder it and mix it with other things, herbs and powdered barks of various kinds. They also use a long pipe. It was quite fascinating to me. Tim (their director) gave me some plants. he told me not to smoke the leaves but that the plants would kill mosquitoes for me in the garden…which was true. The mosquitoes stick to the leaves and die.

^^^ @haemony - I’m pushing the virtual ‘insightful’ button   I smoked a little  thuoc lao, which I believe is Asian rustica, in Vietnam last Christmas; I’m not ashamed to say I needed a seat, and did feel a little dicey for a short time, extremely strong! To see what I mean you could dress a pipe with a little Toque I guess, but do be prepared, it’s punchy when smoked!!!   

I’m adventurous. I might try that. I’m off my feet anyway with a stress fracture. Might be a good time.

^^^ @haemony - From your previously mentioned fall down the stairs? It would have hurt less if you had been drunk! I had a fall a few months back now and fractured a bone in my hand; not good… Fine again now thankfully. I guess if your sat down anyways you’ll be safe

@haemony, did you know Annawan Weeden when you worked at Plimouth Plantation?

@mouse  I saw him around the area but I did not really know him personally. I don’t think we were at PP at the same time. He is very striking. Hard to miss!

@MisterPaul  I believe that. I was not drunk but I was half asleep and had taken anti-histamines. I am surprisingly not that badly injured for such a fall. I think my body was very relaxed. Then again, I probably would not have walked out into the stairwell instead of the hall if I was fully awake so…there ya go. Hah.

Parodi toscano

Edge Sumatra

Marsh Wheeling Mountaineer

Carlos Toranos Exodus 1959, 50 Year

Don Pepin Garcia Series JJ Maduro 5 x 50. Peppery, spice.  Settled down to a medium-full creamy smoke. Like.

This evening it’s been a variety of cheap cigarillos, finishing off some packs I bought recently out of curiosity.

Also earlier in the afternoon had a Drew estate Tabak Especial cafecita, which are very consistently good tasting and drawing. Very high quality quickie smokes. On the other hand, had a Partagas something-or-other petite corona which I tossed. Bad draw and poorly glued.

Gispert Robusto tonight. @Mouse I am so jealous! Five B&Ms out here and not ONE of them carries any DPGs :((

Sunday morning smoke–Bolivar 6.18x48 or 50, maduro I think. Slow, even, tasty burn, nice, nice, nice. One of the good ones!

Black Crown torpedo, 's OK.

Upmann Vintage Cameroon toro with a second cup of coffee.

Cuban Crafters Eden Maduro Toro 6x54. solid.

Hoya de Monterey Excalibur mini

A Perdomo Milenario Cameroon Torpedo (6.5"x55) medium-full body, spicy, even slow burn. 

Rocky Patel Edge Sumatra to see out the sunset behind the Rockies

Continuing an exploration of Cameroon-wrapped stogies with a box-pressed CAO Cameroon l’anniversaire robusto. Well behaved and delicious though the draw was a little tight at first (it opened up about 1" in).

Earlier today, a Dutch Masters Cognac. The quality end of the lowbrow spectrum (though admittedly the DM chocolates are better). Fair odds that tomorrow I’ll light up a pricier premium.

Tonight it’s an Alec Bradley Family Blend robusto. Mild-medium, good burn, good draw, not a ton of flavor, probably be just great with a morning cup of coffee.

Been doing alot of experimenting with new sticks lately (or at least new for me), particularly the Carlos Toranos and Esteban Carerras lines, but tonight for my walk along the river with my wife I went with an old favorite. Perdomo Corojo Habano. Interesting stick. First third is all pepper and spice, second third is straight espresso and cocoa, and final third (my favorite part with this one) is MILD wood and grass with residual traces trickling around from the previous two thirds. Trick to enjoying this one (or any cigar, really) is to smoke it real slow, while doing something you like, with someone you love.

Cu*Avana maduro robusto. Mild Dominican, better than I expected. A big thank you to my stogie-smoking benefactor for the sampler.

Muwat subculture Thanks to a great Snuffhouse member.

Cuban Montecristo #2. Used to smoke these 30 years ago and think they were a little better. Something has changed…not quite as floral or peppery. Could be my tasting abilities, but believe that is not the case. Still pretty damn good though. Would rank mid 90s on Cigar Afficanado scale.

continuing the Cameroon exploration with an Ashton Heritage Puro Sol.

La Aurora Maduro Preferido #1

El Rey Del Mundo Flor de Llaneza Maduro

La Finca toro, a pretty good $1 cigar.

This afternoon, enjoyed a La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age robusto

a JR promo Cedar Room Habana Ecuadorian

Parodi toscano

CAO Columbian robusto

Bahia Insignia robusto

Padron 1964 Anniversary Principe

Parodi Amezzatti and Plasencia Organica Nestico

De Nobili Popular

De Nobili Popular 

Perdomo Milinario Cameroon torpedo

Earlier today, a Plasencia Pai Gow, which unraveled, so I discarded it halfway, and switched to a Parodi Ammezzati, which was more enjoyable anyway.

CAO Brazilia torpedo

Olivia series v rubusto

Marsh Wheeling Mountaineers Dark and a Parodi Ammezzati this afternoon

Alec Bradley Tempus Maduro

Agio Mehari’s Sweet Orient

Undercrown Maduro robusto

Olivia serie V last night to cap off a long work week.

The last day of our season, shop’s closed 'til mid November, so now it’s just work without the chaos :-) 

Celebrating with an El Rey del Mundo corona, mild and easy-going.

@Mouse Good times, congrats! La Gloria Cubana Trunk Show 2014 Liga YG-23! I can’t believe I got my hands on it, what a magnificent stick! Easily the most complex medium bodied cigar I’ve ever smoked, and it lasted almost two hours.

Sunday morning chores finished, time to settle in with another cup of coffee and a Hoyo de Monterrey Excaliber No. V that was gifted to me by a generous snuffhouse member. Thank you!

Judging from the yellowed cellophane this one has been aging for a while. 

Had a chance to get a late morning cigar in . . .L’Atelier LAT.

Drew Estates Natural Mixed Elements 6x54, Cameroon wrapper, well behaved in all respects, medium strength, great aroma.

CAO Columbia robusto

Genuine Counterfeit Cuban robusto

here’s a review:

http://cigars.about.com/od/drmitchfad2/fr/counterfeitcuban.htm

JR has 'em

Toscano Antico is the best!

My Father Florde las Antillas belicoso

Had a CAO Flavours Eileen’s Dream this afternoon, as well as an Ugly Coyote chocolate.

Just discovered I have an unopened pack of Trader Jack’s (a larger machine-made with a light rum flavor) which might make for some good yard 'gars.

Te-Amo Maduro robusto. My first venture into a Mexican cigar. Solid, well-constructed, mild, sweet, earthy. Even burn with just a bit of scalloping, easy draw. At $30/box a pretty good mild cigar

Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Robusto

Parodi Ammezatti

Rocky Patel The Edge Fuma maduro, made from clippings of the long leaf version, tasty, burned just fine.

Buena Vista Prominente, mild-medium, wonderful taste, quite a bit of resistance to the draw, flaky ash, glad I picked up on the special from JR–box of 10 for ~$20. Beautiful box by the way. Again, the draw on this one was tight, hoping the next one is a tad looser.

https://www.jrcigars.com/brand/buena-vista

bunch of very positive reviews here:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=www.buenavistacigars.com%2F

just smoked another Buena Vista, this time a Corona Larga, and think it may be my favorite cigar. JR just increased the price to $25/box, but still a great deal considering they originally sold for over $10/stick. The corona larga did not have the tight draw…

Fuente Rothschild

Espinosa Madero robusto

Diesel Hair of the Dog

another Buena Vista Sublime; this one is drawing perfectly and very nice.

Rocky Patel Edge Toro Corojo

When I get home im going to have a Tatuaje Black Label lancero 

@trackerdex I love the Rocky Patel Edge line.

Casa Blanca Deluxe Madero Robusto

CAO Flavours Eileen’s Dream

De Nobili Popular

Man o war Figueroa

Buena Vista Prominente. CI is having a ‘clearance sale’. I see, with some amusement that this cigar is listed there, but they raised the price from $19.99/box to $60/box. Some sale…

@Mouse:  That’s the rule of a “sale” … Jack up the price 400% and then offer a 50% off Clearance Sale!

BTW, JR Cigars has most sizes at $20-$30 per box of 10.

thanks, @spyder. I mis-spoke about CI selling them for @$20, it was JR. I ordered 7 boxes yesterday from JR. Need to get a tupperdore for them now. My wife thinks the boxes are worth $20… Really like them. 

Alec Bradley American Classic

Cuban Crafters Eden Toro

smoked an Ether cigar this afternoon, a bit too full strength for my liking. 

Esteban Carreras Covenant. This is a special cigar for me. I smoked one on my honeymoon, and I’m smoking one today to mark finally moving my wife and kids from an apartment on the violent part of a violent city to a house in the suburbs. To think, three years ago I was homeless. Yes, I will sip this cigar.

Congrats @Hitsuzen.   Some of the best things in life are earned through hard work and for those we love.

@Hitsuzen  Enjoy that cigar - it sounds like you have earnt it. And congratulations to you and your family on the move.

congratulations, @Hitsuzen. May you continue always to be blessed with gratitude for a life well lived. Smoking a JR/Altadis Anthology Variant 6x54 in your honor. Decent medium-full, even burning and flavorful smoke.

@Hitsuzen: Congratulations on moving to a new house. I wish it will bring you all the things you hoped for.

Enjoy that cigar!

Jaap Bes.

Principes (By La Aurora) Robusto Maduro. A fairly mild, slow and even burning smoke, reasonably firm, good draw, sweet and earthy.

Parodi Ammezzati

Cheers @Hitsuzen

@spyder @chris @snuffmiller @Mynheer Thanks guys! I like to think of my Snuffhouse peeps as my motley, eccentric extended family, you know? And @Mouse I love the way you worded that, praying that we continue to be BLESSED with GRATTITUDE. That really is the key to everything, isn’t it? I hope you don’t mind I shared that with my wife.

5 Vegas Cask Strength Toro, not as strong as I expected, definitely more to my liking than the Ether of two days ago, that thing was brutal.

La Aurora, Maduro Preferido #2.  Always a “nubber”.

Buena Vista Piramide

Maya Selva Robusto Madruo and Drew Estate Kentucky Fire Cured has been sittin’ quite nice lately.  

Avo Classico no2

Te Amo Robusto

Montecristo White Series Bellicoso. A well-made, mild, creamy smoke, not much flavor though.

@Mouse:  Was this Monte White a recent purchase?   I haven’t had one of these in awhile, but loved them in the past because they were on the milder side + had lots of good flavor.    This made 'em a good morning smoke for me. 

@spyder – yeah, just arrived a couple of days ago, probably could use a spell in the humidor to develop. I’m new to this part of the tobacco world and have a lot to learn, this is my first Montecristo and my expectations were a little high due to the price. My palate is very newbie-ish still and subtleties aren’t part of the experience yet, so I have a preference for the medium strong at this point. 

@mouse:  Plenty of cigar choices around - far more than the snuff world.   I find most are much better after several months of humidor time.   Take your time and shop around; there are often wide variations in price from vendor to vendor.   Also auction-type sites like Cigarbid and daily/weekly special offer sites like Cigarmonster can help provide great values.  (As long as you know your prices and don’t get caught up in the action.)

Ventura Project 805 Robusto. Sweet Mother, you need to try these.

Marsh Wheeling Stogie. Didn’t like the first one I tried, but this morning tried a second one and it was perfect while doing yard work.

Had a Punch Signature last night. Definitely exceeded my expectations.

Carlos Torano Vault A-0008 Blend. Fuller bodied than the Exodus, running cedar and pepper to cinnamon and coffee to coffee and cream. No bitterness at all, even at the nubby nub, and an impressive 90 minute smoke. Only complaints were some burn issues (burn line a bit wavy, had to relight once), but totally outbalanced by the exceptional smoke. I’ll be getting more of these in the future, as well as anything new that comes out in the Vault line.

Cohiba Black Robusto

RyJ Reserve Maduro toro, sweet and mild

Herrera Esteli robusto, aged about a year.

back from a sunset walk on the beach with my sweetheart and an Ashton Heritage Puro Sol Robusto, all four were beautiful.

Perdomo Lot 23 Robusto. Simple, mild. A classic Perdomo profile, which happens to be just the perfect way to unwind after work. Following it up with a pinch of OM PVT? Brilliance.

Undercrown Robusto and a Lagavulin with postseason baseball. 

a Baccarat The Game with my morning coffee. Didn’t like the sweetened end all that much. Mild, a little pepper, tobacco, not much else. Burned even, a bit soft in the middle. 

Don Lino Colorado robusto

Gurkha East India Classic Havana. This is the first Gurkha I’ve liked. Nutty, pepper building then fading again, and in the last third a strange dried fruit and kitchen spice combo that I still can’t quite pin down. Unusually interesting for this brand. I’ll end up picking up a few more. Still not sold on box pressing, though.

@cpmcdill I miss Don Linos. Used to be my fall back all day stick when I lived east of here, but nobody in my area has ever heard of them!

@Hitsuzen - got these by mail order from Famous Smoke Shop. I’ve never seen them at any of my (relatively) local tobacconists. Got a few bundles of them back in '13 to rest in my coolidors and trickle out when I’m in the mood. Linos age pretty well, but I think 2 years is probably the threshold of improvement, as they’re on the mild side of medium bodied.

Principes Maduro robusto with my morning coffee

A couple of Agio Mehari’s Sweet Orients before breakfast

Oliva The Reckoning robusto

after work a tatuaje black label petite lancero. only 3 left so I will hoard the other 2… 

a Brick and Mortar Dominican toro. I’ve had better and worse. Solid, firm draw, mild, even burn. I’m not great at describing nuances in taste but find it to be a good morning cigar with a cup of dark roast coffee.

Buena Vista Sublime 

This afternoon, enjoyed a La Gloria Cubana Wavell, aged about 2.5 years. Had a bolder flavor when new, but has turned into a smooth, flavorful smoke on the mild side of medium.

Te Amo Classico Robusto

^like

this morning a La Caya Cameroon Churchill, burned evenly, 1 1/2" ash before dropping, mild to medium, lighter in the hand than some but no soft spots. Very flavorful for a mild cigar.

This afternoon, I had a Nestor Plasencia Reserva Organica robusto. Two years in the humidor, and quite a terrific flavor. immediately followed by a Dolce Vita short perfecto. 1.5 years, still retaining a nice coffee/cocoa flavor.

Earlier oliva Cain f straight ligero

Parodi cigar in the afternoon. I like these little guys, better even that some pricey premiums.

Patel Edge Fumas Maduro

Magna Carta Robusto, perfect draw and even burn. I put this thing down for 5 minutes and it didn’t need a relight. Sweet, flavorful, a little pepper at the last half. 

Had a couple Baccarat cigarillos before breakfast today. Often like to relax with a mug of coffee and a smoke or two before getting on with the day.

CAO Columbian for breakfast

Xikar HC Series Habano Squared

Alec Bradley Black Market Vandal

Marsh Wheeling Stogie this morning while hanging laundry. They’re growing on me.

Earlier, a La Gloria Cubana Series R pequeno

Arturo fuente short story

This afternoon, a Cohiba petite corona

CAO Flathead 554, rich.

Started the day with an Alta Gracia Naturals Senorita

Trinidad Toro

La Caya Cameroon Churchill

A Parodi cigar with my morning coffee.

Te Amo Robusto

Alta Gracia Natural Senorita

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Robusto. Great stick, and the first Robusto I’ve ever had burn for two hours. Just filmed a review of it for my channel. I’ll put it up as soon as I finish the Schmalzler series.

Over the course of today, smoked two Alta Gracia Natural Senoritas. Working to empty the box I guess.

Hey guys, you’ve probably heard me mention my review channel, but I wanted to announce here that I’m also doing cigar and pipe videos. Just uploaded my first (video) cigar review. Let me know what you think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3HWFyoXS68

nice review, Hitsuzen, a little long but enjoyable.

This morning a CAO Cameroon box pressed Toro…

If any of you are able, look up and try out the “Leaf by Oscar” line out there.  Small maker, great sticks.  I’ve been obsessed with all of them lately.   Such a pleasant departure from the boring and middle-of-the-road flavors from the reputed, expensive and well-advertised sticks out there. 

thanks for the recommendation @KyleWeiss, just ordered a Toro Sampler 4 count - 1 Toro each of Sumatra, Maduro, Corojo, Connecticut. Looking forward to it.

Tag me in your impressions of it, @Mouse .  My favorites are the Corojo and the Maduro.   The Connecticut is really good, as well.   Sumatra leaf and I have odd dealings, and while I liked it, I can’t casually pick up anything Sumatra and just smoke, I have to both be in the mood and not have had anything that would steer my palate wrong.   The toro, if you ask me, is the best size, too.   The “Sixty,” like a lot of larger ring-gauge cigars get a little too mellow.  

It’s really fun to unwrap those full leafs to reveal a great cigar.  Gimmicky, but cool.  

Enjoy, Mouse.  

Torano Dominican Selection Torpedo this afternoon. Got a call today that the Leaf by Oscar Maduro is out of stock so I’m getting an extra Corojo instead.

@Mouse Let us know what you think of the Leaf sticks. I’ve seen them around, but like @KyleWeiss said, I took them to be a gimmick. Also, I love Carlos Toranos, especially the Exodus. For me tonight, another Xicar Habano Squared.

La Aurora Cameroon while harvesting leaves for the garden, a great cigar for such activity, maybe too nice for yard 'gar actually.

Principes Robusto Maduro

Earlier this afternoon, a Parodi cigar. Pairs nicely with coffee.

Hemingway Classic.  Well made, well named.

Romeo y Julieta 1875 Reserve Toro.

I’ve yet to try a Hemingway; been calling to me.

Fuente Hemingway Short Story Maduro, was going to have a pipe, but you guys planted the seed so to speak… @chefdaniel @mouse

CAO l’anniversaire Cameroon toro

Romeo y Julieta Petite Bully 4x38

5 Vegas AAA

@KyleWeiss, @Hitsuzen reporting back on the Leaf by Oscar. They were out of the Maduro so I ordered a couple of Corojo in its place but they sent 2 Connecticut instead. After a week or so in the humidor I couldn’t wait any longer and fired up one of the Connecticuts. It was very very good, even burn, solid ash, lots of smoke, although it was firm the draw was easy. No veins that I could detect. Hay and a hint of leather with pepper gradually moving in about half-way. The wrapper was simply beautiful as was the aroma. I’ll be getting some more of these for now and later.

@Mouse That’s all the testimony I needed to try it. Next time I’m at my local B&M. They have the Maduro, BTW, so if you can’t get them quick enough, let me know and I’ll mail you out one. Tonight, I had an Asylum Straight Jacket. I was intimidated by it, so it sat for a while, but MAN it was good! Gonna order a few more so I can review it on my channel.

thanks for the offer, @Hitsuzen, but i have a humidor unexplored that’s calling to me. “Asylum Straight Jacket” does sound intimidating…

Don Diego 7x54 Anniversario, mild 'n creamy, bit of spice building up 2nd half

A Cohiba petite corona. A bit tight, even after a week of dry boxing

Fuente Chateau Fuente Maduro Robusto

The Griffin’s Robusto

@Mouse …they sent you two Connecticut rather than the Corojo?  Hrm.   Well, to be honest, the Connecticut was damn fine in my opinion, it’s a shame you didn’t get what you ordered.   I would keep trying to find the other three (Sumatra, Corojo and Maduro) because they’re just as high-quality of a smoke–and it makes me think others are finding it’s a “sleeper” cigar, because even my shop is having a tough time getting their sticks.  

Great notes and thoughts–thank you!  

@KyleWeiss, I received the Sumatra and Maduro in addition to the Connecticuts, haven’t smoked them yet but after the Connecticut I am definitely looking forward to them. (letting them rest for a while in the humidor.) Thanks again for pointing them out.

Today’s stogie was a Bahia 10th anniversary Signature robusto. 

La Caya Cameroon Churchill

Perdomo 10th Anniv Champagne robusto

Te-Amo Maduro Robusto

El Rey del Mundo. Flor de Llaneza Maduro

La Aurora 1495 series corona

Torano Dominican Selection Torpedo, decent cheap smoke

a Parodi cigar with coffee this morning

La Aurora 1495 series belicoso - same medium flavour profile as the corona, but not a very good burn. Still enjoyable.

Monte Cristo White Series Toro Grande, for my birthday <:-P

Drew Estate Tabak Especial cafecita

a Punch, corona-sized disappointment, tight draw that wouldn’t let go. 

Bolivar Belicosos Finos

• Finally a day off, so smoking a Buena Vista Reserva Sublime Toro Cigar 54 X 6 1/2

@Mouse that’s huge!! Haha :))

Yesterday, after shoveling the driveway, I lit up a Tatuaje Black Label Petite Lancero to puff on while watching the snow keep falling.  So interesting.  I was telling another member here that the body kept rolling from mild to medium to full, and back down, much like a kid playing with the volume knob on a car radio.  Something I’ve never experienced before.  I have no idea how they did it.  I won’t even try to describe the flavors, as they changed with almost every pull.  I would compare it in the pipe world to MacBaren’s Scottish Mixture, in that every time you approach it, it becomes something different.  If you can get your hands on one (I was blessed to come across one in a trade), you really gotta try it.

Cuban Crafters ‘Fresh from the Roller’s Bench’ robusto. Slow even burn, smooth, fragrant, mild to medium body.

Diesel double perfecto

Had a HC Habano2 yesterday, thanks to a trade with Hitsuzen. Good.

Cuba Libre box pressed robusto

Ashton had an event at my shop recently, and we bought four in the line of the “La Aroma de Cuba.”   Not much a San Cristobal or Ashton fan, I find them a little boring, but the La Aromas were a real delight.   Bready, honey-like in the background, and typical of the San Cristobal type cigars, billows of smoke. 

It’s always great to be surprised, going to show there’s probably a cigar for everyone by nearly every maker–ya just gotta find the right product.  

@Mouse …enjoy your Leafs, man!  We finally got our Toro and Sixty sticks in the store–took long enough!  

Olivia Serie O robusto this afternoon while helping my wife set up the wood lathe.

Te Amo Robusto Maduro. Thanks @Mouse

I hope you liked it, @Hitsuzen

Cohiba Black corona

Romeo y Julieta 1875 Bully 5 x 50; this morning a CAO Italia Ciao 5 x 56

Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970 Consul

My Fathers No3 Crema. It was my Birthday stick.

Griffin’s Classic Toro

Happy Birthday, Hitsuzen.

Plasencia Cariños Maduro robusto

JR alternative to Cohiba Behike Laguito No. 5

Cohiba Black corona and later a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur mini

Drew Estate Tabak Especial cafécita

Acid Kuba Kuba, technically well made but I couldn’t get past the non-sugar sweetener the end was dipped in (perhaps stevia?). Tossed it at the half-way point. 

Principes robusto maduro

Tampa Sweets cheroot

Gurkha ninja perfecto - not sure what I think about it. Burned well an decent rich tobacco taste, wish there was a bit of spice… But that’s not what got me. It had a funny strong musky sweet smell before it was lit. I have had it for over a month in the humidor, anyone else have a similar experience?

Partagas Mille Fleurs

Cuba Libre robusto, this is one chunky box pressed smoke.

H Upmann Original Lonsdale

Cohiba Black corona

CAO Extreme robusto

Oliva Reckoning, very tasty!

earlier, a Drew Estate Tabak Especial cafecita

La Gloria Cubana Medaille d’Or No. 2 - nice mild growing to medium stick. Nice pepper on the 2nd third. Draw was a bit tight. Gotta love the hit or miss Cuban construction…

Cedar Room Connecticut Ecuadorian Robusto (EMS)

Sunday morning smoke, Frank Llaneza 1961 Magnum, earthy, well constructed, medium-full.

La Aurora 1495 corona

La Aurora Perfidios Corojo - celebrating it is the middle in December an still warm out! (Well 10 degrees C)

Torano Circa 1995 Dominican Selection Torpedo

Toscano Antico

CAO Columbia

Cohiba Black corona

so many cigars, so little time. 

Oliva O serie robusto

Celebrating the start of Christmas vacation with a Ramon Allones Specially Selected

Joya de Nicaragua Antaño

PLASENCIA RESERVA ORGANICA Robusto 

Ramon Allones Specially Selected

Pipes and cigars are my main tobaccos. I’m really digging the Liga Pravada line from Drew Estates. Just picked up a ratzilla. Going to try it soon.

La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age robusto

Macorix Corojo Toro

CAO Cameroon L’anniversaire in Toro. Thanks @Mouse

Plasencia La Floridita robusto, and Plasencia Organica robusto

5 Vegas Limitada Twenty Fifteen, definitely not one to smoke on an empty stomach.

Spanish Galleon Corojo Toro

Davidoff Classic first thing this morning. I really miss morning smokes. It used to be a daily thing but now just a rare treat.

Juan Lopez corona

Alec Bradley Post Embargo

Joua De Nicaragua 1970 Antano in Robusto. Today is a day for celebration.

Trinidad y Cia, not a great cigar

Cuba Libre The Brute 6x4.5 box pressed 

Joya de Nicaragua 1970 Antaño robusto and a Herrera Esteli robusto in the early afternoon, enjoying the t-shirt weather outside.

  Limitada alternative to Cohiba Behike Laguito No.5

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Plasencia Organica Nestico

[

Montecristo Reserva Negra Robusto 

](https://www.jrcigars.com/item/montecristo-cigars/montecristo/churchill/mxch5)

Oliva Serie O robusto 

Madrigal Habana (Mexican I think) 7.75x50 maduro. I much prefer Te Amo, this stick has little going for it other than size, bitter metalic taste, tight draw.

Principes maduro robusto

Muwat baitfish this afternoon, followed by an Alec Bradley Tempus this evening

not so ill that I couldn’t enjoy a Hoyo de Monterray Excalibur robusto this afternoon between naps

Joya Red robusto

Finally, after several weeks of crazy, I’m relaxing with a huge mug of coffee and a Montecristo #3 Corona given to me by a good friend in Florida.  The wrapper is somewhere between EMS and Maduro, the filler is mostly Dominican and I’m getting some signature spice/woody/leathery notes that might be from some Ecuador in the filler or perhaps the binder.  I’ll dissect what little is left to see what’s what.  It’s a perfect smoke for a cool, sunny southern Sunday.

Tatuaje 10th anniversary Miami, nice medium smoke with very strong leather and nutty taste love anything tatuaje. Pete Johnson makes a great cigar.

Eden Gran Toro 6x54 maduro. I bought a box of these from Cuban Crafters, excellent mild-medium stick,firm, good draw, a few did canoe but most are quite well behaved no bitterness, light grey ash held for about 1".

Cuesta-Rey Cabinet #95 Cameroon corolla, potent little bugger, great taste.

Hoyo Excaliber Cameroon, a bit tight but delicious, spicy, medium smoke. Firm and slow burning, solid ash.

A couple of Hoyo Excalibur cigarillos before breakfast today

Alec Bradley Black Market Torpedo, started off light side of medium, ended rather full bodied for me. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

I had an Indonesian Tambo Super Robusto as a change of pace from my pipe and to celebrate finishing a work assignment. I don’t know enough about cigars to give a meaningful review, except to say that I enjoyed it immensely and that my Indonesian cigar smoking friends say Tambo is the only so-called “premium” Indonesian cigar worthy of the name, although a few give grudging nods to Sultan and Dos Hermanos. About five bucks per, if you buy online and avoid the silly expensive shops.

an El Rey del Mundo Reynitas, tasty well-behaved 5x38, my favorite short smoke.

Marsh Wheeling Deluxe Maduro

I gotta say, I’m rather taken with this cigar thing at the moment. I’m going to experiment with some of the other Indonesian premium cigars, but I notice that my dealer has a few Cubans available, and the price differential is not that great. While I’m all for local products if they are good, I’d like to try something else, too. These are what he has at under ten bucks: Can I ask fellow members if there’s anything there that sticks out as particularly worth a try – for an experience pipe smoker with a tolerance for strong pipe tobacco and a curiosity about spicy, interesting, challenging flavours?

BOLIVAR PETIT CORONA
ROMEO Y JULIETA CEDROS  DELUXE NO.3
JUAN LOPEZ PETIT CORONAS
POR LARRANAGA PETIT CORONA
Dunhill 1907 Robusto

I would help if I could @JakartaBoy but I’m fairly new to cigars and have the attention span of a

lol

but here are a couple of sites, I’m sure there are others, that I turn to for informed opinion:

http://forum.cigar.com/categories/cigar-101

http://cigargeeks.com/reviews/default.asp?action=showsearch

BOLIVAR PETIT CORONA Would be the fullest bodied of the lot, I’d give that one a go

Been sticking mostly to Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur cigarillos lately, as they are small and don’t stink up the house as much when the weather’s too freezing to have windows open.

@JakartaBoy - do the Tambo cigars contain Tambolaka tobacco?

@Mouse, @canadiansnuffer, thanks! Yes, Bolivar sounds interesting.

La Aurora Cameroon toro

Marsh Wheeling Stogie

Partagas Series D No 4

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No 2

Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970 Consul

JdN Rosalones robusto

My Father La Reloba robusto

Started the day with a Plasencia Organica nestico.

La Perla Habana Black Pearl Morado bellicoso

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur mini

Cuesta-Rey Cabinet No. 95 Cameroon (Corona)

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial robusto

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur cigarillo

Arista by Lucas Oliver perfecto

Black Pearl Morado

Alta Gracia Señorita

H Upmann Original lonsdale

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur mini

La Riqueza Hermoso box press 5x48 maduro

Pearla del mar - I think it was a gordo, either way I enjoyed it

sounds interesting, canadiansnuffer, going to put one in on my next cigar order.

Got a blizzard going on here, so starting the day out in the unheated barn with an El Rey del Mundo Reynitas 5x38

Murcias Especial robusto

Alec Bradley Tempus Terra Novo robusto, tasty but a bit of tunneling in the 1st third.

Ninfamaniac Dark 6x38

Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970

Laranja Reserva corona gorda

Alec Badley Filthy Hooligan

Punch,Diesel,Alec Bradley,Rocky Patel,CAO,Romeo’s,Oliva,Drew estate,LFD and Aging Room would round out my top 10 I think as far as brands go. That is of course open to change at any time. I’ll try any premium cigar(that I can afford anyway)always looking for that next great one.

Oliva Serie O robusto

Graycliff G2 turbo 2010 in toro, nice stick

Plasencia Organica Nestico

La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age 

Flor de Ybor City robusto, earlier Viaje Holiday Blend robusto

Hoyo de Monterrey

de

Jose Gener

 Excalibur 

Cigarillos 

Alta Gracia Señorita

Had my first stick of the year last night. A Gurkha Ghost Shadow that spent the long winter cozied up in my humi.

AKA Nth Degree

La Gloria Cubana Gilded Age robusto

A Tatuaje something-or-other.

Rocky Patel Nicaraguan toro

a My Father Robusto

La Aurora 100 Anos. Started out almost flavorless, with a really wonky burn line and tight draw. Like someone pushed a magic button though, at the end of the first third the burn line straightened out, it developed the flavors of toast and butter, and while the draw remained tight, smoke production amped up to the point of being almost chewy! Towards the nub, I started getting cinnamon on the retrohale. I wish I remember who I traded for this, but it was last year and I trade alot.

Brick House robusto

CAO Pilon Robusto

Ave Maria Immaculata

Cohiba Robusto and a Montecristo #4 today- the first was great, but the monte wasn’t made very well, lower end Cubans are always hit or miss.

CAO Brazilia

Drew Estate Undercrown Corona Doble Thank You @cpmcdill

@basement_shaman - so glad you enjoyed that. I’m inclined to think the Undercrowns are among the top 10 of currently available cigars. Jonathan Drew’s been kicking the pants off most of the other cigar companies, except maybe My Father which finds top place on my list, alongside Joya de Nicaragua.

RoMa Craft Intemperance BA XXI Intrigue

Thank I liked it ,It didn’t know it was a corona doble so I got a razor blade and made two nubs. I thought a 7 inch 54 ring would burn 2 or more hours this half smoked quite fast , And man it packed a punch I snuffed out at 1 1/2 inch, ground it for the pipe and it still tasty. 
I am going to try the Natural Irish Hops the 17th in honor or the British snake chaser Maewyn Succat

Drew Estate Undercrown Corona Doble

Alec Bradley Nica Puro

  Drew Estates Natural Irish Hops It’s quite a sweet treat! Happy Scottish born, Roman parents, Maewyn Succat Day 

There are some very interesting cigars in the DE Naturals line. Jonathan Drew insists that they are not flavored or infused. Though some of them are sweetened, the unusual flavors of the cigars comes from using very atypical varieties of tobacco, including perique among others.

Fallen Angel

Varina Farms Connie Churchill, better than I expected.

this afternoon an Ezra Zion Blending Sessions robusto

Avo Synchro robusto

AJ Fernandez Man O’ War Armada corona

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Miniatures .I normally get the cigarillos but opted for the mini.They were $5 cheaper.  I like the cigarillos better. That extra inch makes a world of difference.  ~X(

Nomad Therapy Habano robusto

Plasencia Pai Gow lonsdale

Romeo y Julieta Cigarros

Alta Gracia Señorita

Joya de Nicaragua Antan~o 

H Upmann Vintage Cameroon toro

Ugly Coyote cherry

Oliva The Reckoning robusto

Alec Bradley Connecticut robusto

AJ Fernandes Witchdoktor from https://www.jrcigars.com/brand/witchdoktor

Good.

L’Atelier ER15 Extension de la racine 2015 lancero

Alta Gracia Señorita

Joya de Nicaragua Antano 1970 Machito, a little powerhouse.

Vegas Robinia Unicos, Perdomo 18th anniversary gordo-esque size, and ended with a bolivar corona junior.

La Gloria Cubana Serie R for breakfast, coffee on the side.

Undwrcrown shade toro

Drew Estates Dirty Rat

Ave Maria Gordo

Rocky Patel The Edge Madero Fumas

El rey del mundo    

Rectangulare

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Maduro

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A Fuente Exquisito maduro, a wonderful short smoke; Sleepytime tea in the mug.

Cuesta Rey Cabinet No. 95 Cameroon, mild but delicious smoke, 0dark30 blend coffee in the Hello Kitty mug

Crux Du Connoisseur 6.5x38

La Aurora 1495 belicosos

L’Atelier Selectione Speciale

Kristoff maduro earlier, now an undercrown robusto to end the day

Upmann Vintage Cameroon toro

Vudu Dark no. 7

Camacho ecuador bold (gordo)

CAO LX2 lancero

Patel Xen robusto

Ezra Zion All my Ex’s Maduro lancero

Crowned Heads Four Kicks toro

Don Pepin Original Exclusivo

CAO flathead 660

BLTC Last Rites

Verdadero Organic Sun Grown gordo

Liga Privada No 9

Nub Cameroon

Ventura Cigar PsyKo Seven Toro

I haven’t had a nice cigar for ages. For me they are too cost prohibitive, even the cheaper more commercial offerings. For the price of a pack of five King Ted Invincibles, I can get a 250g drum of SG snuff and still have change left over. I might grab the occasional treat from duty free if travelling (which happens very rarely), but that’s it.

Omar Maduro Robusto Grande

Tatuaje Skinny Monsters

Backwoods Grape just now… Cheaper than most cigars I’ve smoked, but pleasantly devoid of the car exhaust quality of same.

Mark Twain Memoir No1 great budget cigar

Plasencia Organica Nestico

Alta Gracia panatela, later a Kristoff Corojo toro

Partagas D4

Rocky Patel Decade Cameroon

AF Best Seller

PDR Liga Cubana No. 5 Sun Grown

click this link to add your voice to oppose regulation of premium cigars. It’s quick and easy:

http://capwiz.com/cigarrights/issues/alert/?alertid=62606471

Ugly Coyote chocolate

Tatueje Skinny Monster

Smoked a nice A Fuente Gran Reserva last night. Tasty little stick.

Dirty Rat

My Father no. 5

I rolled a few nice ones for a BBQ today, Nicaraguan habano puro.

Norteno Herrera Esteli

Viaje Oro Churchill

ACID Deep Dish (not a fan)
Padron 2000

Angel’s Anvil

Camacho Ecuador toro

This afternoon, Ugly Coyote chocolate,  while waiting out a spell of rain, then back into the fray of taming my landscape.

@basement_shaman the Hoyo Excalibur Minis are a staple here. The best of the mini and cigarillo category. Smoked one just a short while ago today; in my household they are practically so like cigarettes that it would skew the thread to report every usage.
But they truly rock, and I say to all who read this, buy enough to fill an entire room-size humidor, because the FDA ruling is part of a plan to take nearly all of the good cigars away. Things are moving faster than any of us could have ever imagined, even the most glass-half-full of us. Minis and cigarillos could disappear pretty damn fast if the PTB have their way.

Oliva/Cain Habano 550 “straight ligero”

The Edge Fumas Maduro, tasty, even burn, solid, good draw, cheap @ $2/stick. What’s not to like?

I had time for a Cohiba Lancero after work yesterday.  It was seven years old and sublime.

Illusione Rothchildes

Last Call by AJ Fernandez, well made, full bodied.

Brick house might might maduro

Cain Straight Ligero Maduro this morning

Mark Twain No 3

Padilla 1948 robusto

AKA RPM petite corona, glad it isn’t larger, damned strong 

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature, thanks to a great friend here on Snuffhouse. 

Perfection on this warm summer afternoon with a tall, cool Brugal Silver Mojito

I had time for a CAO America yesterday after work.

It was pretty good, but nada special.

Ezra Zion All My Exes maduro

Fuente Queen B

Padron Churchill maduro on this lovely afternoon

Panacea Azul Cameroon Robusto

Panacea Red Maduro Torpedo, nice smoke, from Flatbed Cigars.

Yesterday (whilst camping with my wife) I had an Obsidian toro.  It was good flavor, but a bit one dimensional.  I also had a four year old Brick House.  It, also, was a bit one dimensional, but the flavor was incredible!

Bolivar coronas junior

2004 H Upmann Vintage Cameroon Belicoso, a few dozen pinches of HDT and a nice glass of Cruzan Blackstrap Rum.

When I started smoking cigars in the seventies, I was taught to use a few kitchen matches for toasting the foot and final ignition; the key word was “gently”.  If you had the foresight and boy scout philosophy of being prepared, you might have a few cedar spills kicking about.

Then, in the early nineties with the cigar boom, torches and other incendiary devices became de rigeur.  I tried it a few times, but being a dinosaur I quickly went back to my old methods.

This morning I found my old alcohol lamp that I used in food labs for gentle heating of various and sundry compounds.  It was dry as a bone, so I filled it with 151 rum and used it to gently and slowly toast the foot of the Upmann.  DAMN!!  No scorched finger tips, no sulphur stench and a nice little ritual was born.  I didn’t get much rum scent, which was sad, but it sure beats immolating a perfectly good vitola with a weapons grade gas powered flame thrower.  

It also had the added benefit of causing Kathryn to laugh out loud for the first time in months

Black Label Trading Company Green Go robusto

La Palina lancero

JR Ultimate, Double Corona Oscuro, 6.75" x 48.
Wrapper/Binder:  Connecticut Broadleaf

Filler:  Honduras

This is the lightest shade of Oscuro I’ve ever seen, but it is very nice; slightly acidic on the lips, but not unpleasant.  I’m used to Maduro/Oscuro wrappers throwing off a hint of sweetness that is missing here.  

Construction is outstanding.  Not under or overfilled.  Draw is perfect.  Burn is even and nicely paced, smoke is cool.  Big cedar on the palate with typical earthy Honduran flavor, a bit of leather but pretty straight forward tobacco flavor and scent overall.

A bargain at $5.00; not one to get all excited about, but a good summer afternoon smoke when Dominican cigars don’t deliver the goods…(in the parlance of our times).

Frank Correnti Churchill

Finally opened a pack of Trader Jack’s lonsdales that has been sitting around for a few years. I had some of these when I first started with cigars, before quickly moving on up the premium scale.

Despite being a machine-made short filler cigar (made by JC Newman), the tobacco inside is pretty good, and the construction and draw are also consistent. When new, they have a rather strong rum flavoring, but after a few years of “aging” the flavoring is lighter and the tobacco comes through (medium side of mild).

This is a good yard 'gar or something to keep on hand for bbqs/deck parties when you’ve got some friends who’d like a cigar but lack the experience to appreciate one of the more premium ones.

La Caya Cameroon Churchill, for a cheap cigar it’s pretty good.

CAO Acid Toast

H Upmann.  Anniversary Series Belicoso.  Cameroon wrapper, Honduran filler, Ecuadorian binder.

The wrapper gets lost under the filler because of the 52 ring gauge, but is nice on the lips. Some nuts and hints of cedar and leather, but overall a pretty direct representation of Honduran filler, low on the the ligero and higher on seco and viso for hints of honey and brown sugar, without being too sweet.  A bit tight on the construction, so the draw can be a bit of a challenge, but slow sipping cures that.  I might dry box a few to see if that helps.

These have been aging in my coolerador since 2004.  I don’t know if they will benefit too much from additional aging.  The cooler maintains a constant 68 relative humidity and 70 degrees F.

Massive pinches of HDT betwixt and between puffs make for a nice afternoon, with Chloe on my lap chasing smoke rings

@chefdaniel how do I follow that post? Drew Estate Undercrown Toro

A Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro.  This SOB is so over filled it is barely recognizable. I’ve never experienced this before with any Fuente cigar.  It’s been in my “dry box” with a single Boveda 65%/60 gram unit along with about 30 other cigars for about 2 weeks.  It doesn’t feel, smell or smoke like it’s over humidified; it doesn’t have any of those “steamy” characteristics.  

It’s just so tight it’s damn near impossible to get a good draw short of a hernia.

The massive and frequent pinches of GH Kendal Brown seem to be helping.

L’Atelier La Mission 1955. I smoked the nub while prepping a woodchuck for the stew pot. The lettuce patch gets to live another day.

A mouse prepping a woodchuck for the stew pot.  Am I missing something here?  It sounds like pretty good eats.  I’m a fan of limb chicken, aka squirrel…a 48 hour soak in salty buttermilk and all’s well with the world.  Scraps go to the feline-americans in the vicinity.

I’m getting a bad case of “frog lip” from too many cigars, but I can’t help myself.  It happens every summer when it gets hot and humid.  The cigars cry out to me to be slowly destroyed by fire.  Far be it from me to deny them their last request.  Chapstick, vaseline, carmex and the usual OTC curatives are pretty much useless.  Any suggestions?

Frog lip? I’m assuming chapped and dry? 1) Don’t lick them! 2) Try sucking a slice of cucumber instead 3) Increased fluids during the day 4) Aloe gel? 5) Chapstick or similar at night while you sleep, and drink at least half a pint of water before bed too

@50ft_trad  Many thanks.  I think there’s some Aloe around here, and a few cucumbers too.  I’ll start increasing my water intake too.

Thanks again!

You’re more than welcome, Chef. Hope it helps speed up the repair

man O’ War Ruination 

Montecristo Jambo Jambo, 6 x 50 Toro.  An exotic blend, strong and flavorful.  A bit too much for summer.

A nice rainy day here. I’m about to enjoy a liga pravada undercrown Corona viva.

Torano Exodus 50 Years with occasional pinches of Toque Spanish Gem

5 Vegas limitada 2015

I’m smoking a pardon delicias.

@chefdaniel - I’ve had one or two Fuente Hemingways that were way too tight, and it can sure be frustrating. Since I don’t have a proper drawpoker, I’ve found that running a thin kebab skewer through works just as well.

Some brands are very consistently well rolled it seems, and others have a lot of problems. I’ve had a lot of trouble with Cohibas, and decided to just give up on them.

CAO Brazilia Gol (5x56) this morning.

after work, Tatuaje Cabaiguan Lancero

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur mini

2002 H. Upmann Sir Winston.  Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee.

This is a cigar so good and long lasting you need to make an appointment with it.

Panacea Azul Cameroon robusto 

Plasencia Organica Nestico

Guayacan Sabor de Esteli Robusto Habano box press

Partagas Serie D #4.  Very disappointing.  Initial impression is wet cardboard through the first third.

Middle settles into some leather and nuts.   The only thing missing is tobacco; the filler strikes me as a “mish mash” of ligero, volado and seco leaf.  Almost seems like leftover filler leaf from larger vitolas.  Bland.  Unbalanced.  Off center.

At the final inch this cigar finally starts speaking Cuban, but only briefly and in hushed tones.

Construction is perfect, burn is even and smokes very slowly and cool.

IMHO not worth the time, effort or money to seek out.  Generally I think Cubans in the Petite Corona/Corona/Lonsdale range are their strength.  Not this time; too many missing parts and too many better options available.

Kentucky Cheroot … cut in half for better draw and a shorter smoke.  Perfect while pinching some scotch snuff.

Jose L Piedra Conservas A good Cuban smoke at a very reasonable price

Chef:

The PSD4 (robusto) could have been “sick”. Havanas go through a sick period, especially while still young. Sometimes this can occur even if the cigar has a few years of age on them. If you have more, I would just put them aside in your humidor and forget about them for a few years.

Personally, I will not smoke a Havana unless it has at least five years of age on it, but that is just my personal preference.

@BCT  I don’t know if it was sick or just not feeling well or particularly patriotic.  I’ve put them in a separate humidor with a 60 gram, 65% Boveda humidifier, dated them and, should I live long enough, I’ll give one another try circa 2020.

In the interim I’ll continue burning up the inventory, one at a time.

Rolled a half dozen cigars today using Dominican Piloto Cubano Viso, Seco and Ligero in an Indonesian Bezuki wrapper.  This turned out to be a really nice cigar.  Creamy and full yet spicy and plenty of kick.  I love it when a plan comes together. 

J. Fuego Sangre de Toro Original, excellent upscale version of a Backwoods, great flavor.

La Gloria Cubana Series R

Ezra Zion Blending Session. Luck of the draw–this one is excellent.

1999 Partagas No.1 from my Y2K box.  I think of this as a Lonsdale with ambition.  It’s a nice medium strength smoke that if nursed lasts about an hour.  

The Cameroon wrapper is flawless.  There are light hints of cocoa from the Mexican leaf and a solid core of Dominican (Ligero?) tobacco flavor with a bit of black pepper, leather and wet earth on the finish.

Damned if I can remember what I paid for these so very long ago, but If I pace myself I might make the rest of this box make it to next year…or next week if I get greedy.

Lucas Oliver Arista Sumatra torpedo

An Ugly Coyote chocolate while doing some yard work. They are several years old, and the chocolate infusion has worn off, so it’s mostly a rustic looking tobacco flavored smoke, and pretty good at that.

Montecristo No. 5, 2009, 4 x 40 uber petit corona.  At first light there is some grassy floral thing going on, but half an inch into the smoke those qualities evolve into some creamy, coffee, caramel notes on a core of good tobacco.  Draw is perfect.

Sailing into the halfway point, no differences in smoke, and I am glad I chose a dark Costa Rican coffee, black, as a sipper.  This cigar has a Napoleonic Complex; small, but with big attitude.  The grassy notes are coming back 'round.

Some espresso-like bitterness is forming, but not unpleasant.  Hints of cedar and leather popping up.  The usual Monty “tang” is now making itself known.  Yummy.

Backstretch is relaxing into classic Monty cruise control.  Absolutely wonderful smoke.

Five Stars!!

working through my collection of JR specials that are taking up valuable space in the coolador. I was/am such a sucker for deceptively exaggerated ad copy

@Mouse  Thoughts on JR Ultimates?

I was smoking a JR Edicion Limitada Cohiba Behike Laguito No. 5. It was alright for the first half but turned bitter. Needed a touch-up, quality is a bit uneven from one to the next. Good “yard gar”. You get what you pay for.

Torano 1916 Cameroon corona

The other day I had one of my Tatuaje Black Label petite lancero. I only have 2 left so im holding on to those as long as I can.  

Flor de A Allones Lonsdale from JR back in the early days of the 21st century as part of their “Barrister” collection.  Sold in boxes made to look like books.  Long gone.

A Dunhill offering now.  Full bodied with a high % of Honduran and Nicaraguan Ligero with a bit of Seco in there to tame things a wee bit.  

Very peppery, thick smoke, straight “in your face” tobacco flavor and room note.  Not subtle or loaded with notes of this or that, just a great strong cigar, not for the faint of heart.

J Fuego Original American small box pressed perfecto

Crux Guild robusto

Commodore Connecticut Toro from Atlantic cigar, quite nice.

La Gloria Cubana Serie R with my morning coffee

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur cigarillo