Diesel Grind

This is the second Diesel I've tried and I'm beginning to like this label, not quite to the level of Alec Bradley, but still a good one.

Diesel Grind 6.0" x 60 Double Perfecto

Construction:

Made with Nicaraguan and Dominican long-leaf fillers, a Nicaraguan binder, and finished with a toothy Habano Oscuro wrapper, this stick has a good look, a good feel, and a warm earthy flavor and smell. The only flaw I could see was a gap in the wrapper which did cause an uneven burn that needed to be touched up a couple of times.



Smoke:

 Very smooth, fresh flavors with tons and tons of creamy smoke. This stick was enjoyable from start to finish. I was really surprised at the amount of flavor from a 60 ring gauge, and this one also stayed nice and cool on the draw. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will probably pick up more of these in the future!

Keep Smokin!

Mick

5 Vegas Series 'A' Animal

Here is another that I picked up from my CotM Club.

5 Vegas Series 'A' Animal  4.5" x 60 Figurado

Construction:

This thing is crazy. It's 4.5 inches and a 60 ring gauge....that's insane! This thing looks like a bowling pin but packs a decent punch of nicotine and dark earthy flavors. The cigar is made up of aged Honduran long-leaf tobaccos surrounded by a dark Costa Rican maduro wrapper.


Smoke:

I opened this cigar with my double-guillotine cutter and gave it a couple cold draws. I wasn't hit by the expected spice and raisin taste that I was expecting, in fact there wasn't much to the cold draw except the taste of cold tobacco (which isn't bad at all!). Once lit, I was greeted to flavors of warm earth and a grassy taste. This cigar was full bodied with an even burn, but not very complex on the flavors. I was really expecting a lot more from this smoke and was left wanting. I have another in my humidor, so I'm hoping age and humidity will make that one a little better. As it stands, this is going down as one I wouldn't buy, but would accept if someone gave me one.

Keep Smokin!

Mick

Macanudo Vintage Maduro 1997

Macanudo Vintage Maduro 1997 5.5"x 50 Robusto

This is one that I picked up in my Cigar of the Month (CotM) Club from Cigar International. Overall I liked this one.

Construction:

This stick was well put together with a nice dark, toothy, and oily Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper grown in 1997. This wrapper covers a combination of Nicaraguan, Brazillian, and Dominican long-fillers. The cigar is dressed up with foot band and a really cool metal cigar band/ring. I'm told this helps control the humidity in the humidor, but that's above my head. I opened the head with my double-guillotine cutter and was greeted by some nice raisin and spice flavors on the cold draw.

Smoke:

I made the mistake of expecting something close to the Cohiba from the last couple posts, but this thing was on the completely opposite end of the flavor spectrum. Where the Cohiba was smooth and leathery, this one was bold, full-flavored, and full of a cracked white pepper flavor that hung around a long time on the pallet. I liked the way this one tasted, and the level of nicotine was pretty high; I had a decent buzz almost from the first draw.

I applaud Macanudo for making a solid, well burning, and tasty cigar. This one is not something that I would run out and buy a box of, but I definitely wouldn't turn my nose up at picking up one or two here or there.

Keep Smokin!

Mick

Gurkha Grand Reserve Maduro

Good morning! Here's one that was given to me by a friend.

Gurkha Grand Reserve Maduro 5.0"x50 Robusto

Construction:
These cigars must be factory rejects because this one was ugly. The wrapper was uneven with wrinkles, the seams were visible, there were a couple minor holes, and even the band wasn't put on evenly. Gurkha is always tight-lipped about what goes into their cigars, and this is no exception. All I know is that the filler is made up of long leaf grown from Cuban seed throughout Central America....nothing like being vague right? These "special" fillers are all wrapped up in an extra-fermented Broadleaf maduro wrapper.....how about a bunch of vague wrapped up in more vague....:)

Good smoke....rough look

Pre-light:
You know the old adage "don't judge a book by its cover"? Cigars are the epitome of this. This stick looked like it was wrapped by handicapped blind man with no fingers. This thing was u-g-l-y. Once I got past the outer appearance (took me about 0.5 nanoseconds), I got on to the enjoying part. The cigar had warm tobacco hints with a slight earthiness. There were no soft spots so that means the internals were better than the outside.

Smoking:
I opened this stick with my double-guillotine cutter and the cold draw brought nice spice and raisin flavors from the aged tobacco. Once lit, the draw was good and solid. The cigar had a solid burn that didn't require any touch-ups, and the draw stayed nice and cool all the way into the nub....think half-inch mark. The flavors were fairly basic, nothing too complex. Solid tobacco and warm earth throughout. All in all a good smoke. I will end up trying almost any cigar now, because I was pleasantly surprised by the taste of this ugly-Betty.

Keep Smokin!

Mick

New to Blogging

So here is my first attempt at blogging...the wave of the future (at least that's what I've been told). I wanted a place to begin posting reviews of cigars that I have smoked and my future hobby of restoring and rebuilding classic cars. I'm still fairly new to the cigar hobby but I'm beginning to find specific cigars that pique my interest. I've finally purchased my first full box of cigars and I have them all laid out in my new humidor. My first box is Alec Bradley's Black Market Filthy Hooligans...it's pretty cool considering the cigars and the box are bright green in honor of St. Patty's Day. I'm still figuring out how to post pictures, so that will have to happen later :)

As for cars, I don't have any projects yet, but I finally have my muscle car...a 2011 Dodge Challenger Rally-E Redline. She is an amazing car; she has just the right balance of style and attitude. Because of this, I have named her Roxy....kinda fits, doesn't it. Once again, I will post pics once I've figured that out. Until next time.....

Mick