Georges Reserve

This is another that I received from the "Filthy Hooligan-buyin" friend that needed to make room....thanks Jared!

Georges Reserve 5"x50 Robusto

Construction:

This stick is made by the Oliva Family and it shows in the flavor pallet. With that said, I think this is the Oliva value line, as the wrapper had semi-visible seams, very visible veins, and was spongy in places. Even though the construction was iffy, the tobaccos smelled like aged tobaccos.

Smoke:

 Once I opened this stick I was greeted by a mild spice and raisin flavor of the aged tobacco. I was also surprised by a slight grass flavor. Once lit, the flavors continued and were accompanied by a slight white pepper flavor on the finish. This cigar was surprisingly flavorful and solid on the tastes; I didn't expect this from the look of the cigar. That should teach me to judge a cigar too soon.

Overall, I enjoyed this smoke as it stayed cool through to the finger-burn line. The burn was even and stayed that way. I would smoke this one again (and will, Jarod gave me four total), but the flavors didn't knock me over. I say this is probably a good daily smoke but not a showcase cigar.

Keep Smokin'!

Mick

Chateau Real

Here's another cigar that I received from a friend, but this one was taken care of. I was given this one because my friend had to make room for the AB Filthy Hooligan box he purchased (I did the same, I just bought a bigger humidor!).

Chateau Real 5.25"x54 Noble Habana Maduro 

Construction:

This is a good looking smoke with invisible seams, and a dark, slightly oily and toothy wrapper. This cigar is the brain-child of Drew Estates as they attempt to recreate pre-embargo Havana blends. Since I have no idea what those taste like, then I can assume that Drew Estates got it right.....I guess.

Smoke:

I opened this cigar and noticed a nice spice and raisin flavor on the cold draw. I also noticed a sweetened cap which is standard of Cuban cigars of old. Once lit I was greeted by a nice pepper and spice flavor. I also noticed a hint of warm earth and leather on the finish. This cigar burned even and stayed nice and cool throughout the stick. The only problem I encountered was that the nub started to get a little spongy toward the end. I did like that the flavors stayed constant through to end, but there were no new flavors introduced.

Overall, I enjoyed this smoke. I paired this cigar with a cup of coffee and I felt that brought out the nuances of the flavors. It was a good smoke, but not one that jumps at me to buy up in quantity. If I received this in a sampler or as a gift, I wouldn't be upset.

Keep Smokin'!

Mick

Maroma Dulce

This cigar is one that I received as a "gift"....meaning that a friend was cleaning out his "crap" cigars and asked if I wanted them. Since I'm an equal opportunity smoker, I'll take any cigar that is given and give them a fair shake.

Maroma Dulce 5"x50 Robusto

Construction:

Maroma is known for making value cigars....which to me means using second-string tobaccos from second-string houses. With that said, sometimes the second-string guys perform the same if not better than the first-string guys....just look at Pierre Thomas....nuff said. Anyway, this stick had fairly invisible seams, but some very visible veins, and was spongy in some places. This particular stick also had seen some abuse at the hands of its previous owner....cigar abuse is a major party foul, just sayin'.

This cigar is wrapped in a Connecticut Shade wrapper, around a Cuban Sandwich blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran tobaccos that gave off a solid aged tobacco aroma. For those wondering, as I was, Cuban Sandwich means the roller sandwiches short-filler (shred) among the long-filler tobaccos.

Smoke:

I opened the cigar and gave it a cold draw and immediately noticed that this one has a sweetened cap, which is typical of old-school Cuban cigars. That spice and raisin flavor of aged tobaccos wasn't very prominent, but was still there. Once lit, there was a nice solid mild tobacco flavor followed by a slight grassy note on the finish. The blemishes on the wrapper caused the cigar to burn a little wonky, but once past those the burn evened out. The one thing I noticed was that this cigar burned fairly quickly; this is something I'm attributing to the short-filler.

Overall this cigar is not a bad stick. It's not great and is rightly placed in the value section, but not something I would call a "crap" cigar. This isn't something I would look to buy, but I will definitely tell my friend that I'll take all his "crap" cigars if they're like this one.

Keep Smokin'!

Mick

Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary

We are home from our vacation to the beach and I already want to be back there. Now that we're back, I figured I should get caught up on my cigar reviews.....so here's another one that I got from my CI CotM club; this is why I love CI.

Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary 6.5"x52 Toro

Construction:

I have to say that Rocky knows how to build a tasty and attractive cigar. From the elegant band to the seamless, oily and slightly toothy Ecuador Habano wrapper that conceals long-filler and binder tobaccos from Nicaragua, this stick tastes as good as it looks.

Smoke:

 I opened this cigar with my trusty cutter and was greeted by a nice spice from aged tobaccos combined with a nice raisin flavor on the cold draw. Once lit, flavors like raisin, earth, tobacco, and warm leather were the first things I noticed followed by a sense of warm cooking bread on the finish. This smoke has a long finish, so make sure not to rush into the next draw. The burn was straight and even, and produced a decent amount of smoke that was thick and creamy. This smoke is definitely a finger burner, but never actually got hot enough to burn the lips or the fingers.

Overall, this is definitely a keeper. Alec Bradley is probably my favorite cigar house so far, but Rocky is right up there in the running for one of the best smokes I've tasted. CI has a sampler that is the top 10 ABs and RPs head-to-head. As soon as I have room in my humidor (since Sheri won't let me convert the walk-in closet into a walk-in humidor), that sampler will be my first purchase.

Keep Smokin!

Mick

CLE Corojo "Sixty"

Here is another one that I received in my CI CotM club and it was my first experience with a 60-gauge cigar.....this thing was a beast!

CLE Corojo 6.0"x60 "Sixty" Double Toro/Gordo

Construction:

First, this cigar is a massive collection of tobacco. With a toothy finish and nearly invisible seams, CLE has a good looking cigar. Inside is Cuban-seed, Honduran-grown long-fillers, and the wrapper is a Corojo wrapper from Honduras. The cigar had nice aromas of wood and grass and had a nice oily sheen to it. Wrapped in a simple, yet elegant band, this cigar has a nice presentation.

Smoke:

Once opened, I was surprised at the intensity of the aged tobacco and raisin flavors. Once lit, the flavors of warm earth, leather, and some baking spice similar to nutmeg or allspice were noted. During the draw, there was a slight aroma of baking bread which was very nice. This cigar burned straight and even, and stayed cool all the way through the nub.

All in all it was a good smoke. The only issue I had was the ring gauge; at 60-gauge, it is hard to get a solid draw. I would buy this cigar again, but I would probably go with the Churchill length and gauge. Good smoke and good flavor.

Keep Smokin!

Mick

San Cristobal Elegancia

I picked up two of these from my CI CotM club and had them both within about 4 days of each other. To me, these cigars differ in taste drastically based on what you pear with them. This makes them, in essence, a gambled for cigars.

San Cristobal Elegancia 5.0"x54 Robusto

Construction:

This cigar was well put together with a semi-smooth wrapper and nearly invisible seams. Inside is Nicaraguan long-fillers contained by a light Connecticut wrapper leaf from Ecuador. There were no soft spots and had a nice warm, earthy aroma when smelled. This cigar has probably one of the most decorative cigar bands next to Gurkha that I've seen so far.

Smoke:

Once opened, the cold draw showed notes of aged tobacco and raisins, but not as strong as you'd expect from Nicaraguan tobaccos. Once lit, the cigar presented strong peppery flavors. This smoke was dry, not as in falling apart dry, but more like a white wine dry. I found the dryness to been very abrupt and in-your-face, but not bad. This cigar, I found out, pairs better with a darker beer or a porter. The first stick I paired with an IPA and it wasn't very good. The second I paired with a Maple Pecan Porter and it was very good.

Overall it wasn't a bad smoke. I probably wouldn't buy them out right but would smoke them if gifted or received in a sampler. The problem for me is this: sticks should carry their own flavor profile and be enhanced by a specific drink. I'm not a fan of cigars that have drastically different characteristics based on beer, scotch, or coffee selection....it's too much of a gamble, and if you get the combination wrong, you could end up with a bad experience from a potentially tasty cigar.

Keep Smokin!

Mick

Xikar HC Maduro

I'm writing this from Atlantic Beach, NC while on vacation with my family. I'm telling ya, I could get addicted to this lifestyle of waking up, walking on the beach all day, and closing my day with a cigar and a beer (or two).

I got this stick from my CotM club and it was pretty good.

Xikar HC Series 6.0"x54 Maduro Belicioso

Construction:

First off, this is a nice oily wrapper that was free from any blemishes or imperfections. Seams were invisible and the wrapper was semi-toothy, with a rich earth and tobacco smell. On the cold draw, there was a rich spice and raisin taste that is common with aged tobacco. In this stick, the Nicaraguan and Dominican long-fillers are wrapped in a Havana Oscuro wrapper actually grown in Connecticut instead of Connecticut seed grown elsewhere.

Smoke:

I was impressed by this smoke. I had heard that these were along the lines of the "cheap" smokes....but I should know by now that the "cheap" smokes are the better ones. I'm not necessarily a fan of the Belicioso shape, mainly because it tends to get squishy toward the end of the smoke...I think it's the taper that does that. Anyway, once lit, I got a rich peppery flavor that is common with the oscuro wrappers, and a warmth that is hard to describe. The smoke continued with the spice, pepper, and warm earth flavors for the entirety of the stick. 

All in all, I enjoyed this cigar. The burn was excellent, the taste was solid, and the flavors were enjoyable. For a "cheap" smoke, this definitely had a rich profile. I would smoke these again.

Keep Smokin!

Mick

Quick Update:

I had another one of these with a nice cup of coffee and it really brought out the flavors even more than before. Hmmm, I'm thinking I have a coffee-base pallet....if you know me that isn't a surprise....

Keep Smokin'!

Mick

Alec Bradley Black Market

I picked this one up from a local cigar shop called Top Shelf Cigars....I'm glad I did.

Alec Bradley Black Market 7"x50 Churchill

Construction:

This is one of Alan Rubin of Alec Bradley's newer blends and it is awesome! The four-country blend of Jamastran, Honduran, and Panamanian long-fillers strapped together in a Sumatran binder and finished off with a Nicaraguan wrapper has a nice scent of earth and leather. With invisible seams and a slightly oily and slightly toothy appearance, it screams well-made.

Smoke:

Just the aroma and look gets your mouth watering for a taste of this good looking cigar. Once opened, the cold draw greeted with that aged tobacco-raisin flavor with a hint of leather. Once lit, the cigar had a nice full flavor with hints of leather, earth, and spice. The burn was spot-on and the cigar never got out of control. I didn't want to put this cigar down and smoked it until I was almost burning my fingers!

Overall, this is easily my favorite smoke so far. I'm so glad I got a box of the Filthy Hooligans. I can't wait until they are ready!

Keep Smokin!

Mick

Gurkha Spec Ops

This is a smoke I received from a friend who is really into Gurkhas. I'm finding more and more that Gurkhas are not my most favorite and are rough on the maduro.

Gurkha Special Operations 7"x54 Churchhill Maduro

Construction:

This was a good sized stick with a dark, semi-oily appearance with a solid tobacco smell. For a maduro, this one was slightly lacking in the aroma and presence. It was put together well with invisible seams and no notable imperfections. The band is just what you would expect for Gurkha.

Smoke:

Once I opened the head with my cutter, I wasn't hit with those aged tobacco flavors on the cold draw. I was slightly disappointed but decided to light it and see how it went. The spec ops was a decent smoke that was lacking in complexity. It is a consistent smoke that didn't change in the pallet and had a solid burn.

Overall, this is a decent smoke that would make a good daily smoke, but this thing retails from $13 to $20 a stick. At that price, I'm not impressed at all and wouldn't buy one. I'm not saying I wouldn't smoke it if gifted to me, just that I wouldn't pay that much for it. I've had $2 sticks that had more character.

Keep Smokin!

Mick

Puros Indios Viejo

I"m a little behind on my cigar reviews....so here are a couple that I had last weekend. First is the Puros.

Puros Indios Viejo 6.5"x56 Bronco Natural

Construction:

I got this one from one of the CotM clubs. This stick is had a solid construction with invisible seams and a slight toothiness on the wrapper. The wrapper is a top-grade Sumatra with Jamastran long-leaf fillers. Once constructed, the cigar was aged in Rolando Reyes' aging room for "no less than 6 years". The blend and the aging made this stick a nice treat.


Smoking:

 This wrapper had a nice aged tobacco smell and once I opened the head, had a nice warm spice and raisin taste that is common for aged tobacco. Once lit, this smoke was very mellow and smooth, with a decent amount of smoke that carried a hint of grass and a barnyard-like taste. The burn was good and didn't need any touch-ups. The flavors didn't change much as I worked my way through this one, but I was very pleased with the taste and performance.


Overall, I was very happy with this cigar. This is one of those that don't come in boxes, but comes in bundles, so at roughly $2 per stick this is a solid daily smoke and a good stand-by. If I see a good deal (more than normal) I think I want to pick up a mazo and just enjoy.

Keep Smokin!

Mick