I often smoke Arturo Fuente Hemingways, usually Signatures or Classics. It’s a really great, smooth smoke which you should try if you haven’t already. Like my buddy Miguel, I don’t smoke many cigars longer than 6” anymore because I’m getting less patient as I age. The small ring gauge on the Hemingways is deceptive since this is still a really big (and great) smoke.
Filtering by Tag: cigars
Cigar Report -- H. Upmann The Banker: Currency
H. Upmann has a series of cigars they call "The Banker," which I thought was kind of a cynical marketing ploy -- an attempt to appeal to idiots who work in finance. They have different names for the different sizes: Arbitrage (7 x 56), Basis Point (6 1/8 X 54), Annuity (6 x 52), and Currency (5 1/2 x 48). I got the Robusto since that's the size smoke I prefer.
Smelled like honey, which was promising! Lit it in a lot of wind with a dying lighter but it was very forgiving. The draw was good and burn even. It took about an inch to mellow which is typical of good-but-not-great cigars, and I spent 50 minutes on it start to finish, which is exactly the amount of time I like to spend. So despite the gimmicky name, it's not a bad cigar at all, it was quite pleasant, I'd smoke it again, unlike the Juan Lopez, which I am slowly but steadily giving away to the lawn guys.
Cigar Report -- CAO Flathead V660 Carb
This is a bigger boy (6 x 60), "Gordo," box pressed though less aggressively box pressed than this AVO -- the 60 ring gauge makes the rectangle feel less funny in the mouth (the AVO is only 54). Harder draw than I'm used to with these super premium cigars, but it had an even burn and very quickly mellowed. It took me 75 minutes to smoke it and was very pleasant, despite the hard draw.
Cigar Report -- AVO Syncro Nicaragua Toro
AVO is a Davidoff brand, I guess, and the filler is some unusual combination of things inside an Ecuadoran Connecticut wrapper, but it was a mellow smoke, with a good draw and even burn (until the very very end where the burn went raggy). Took just under 60 minutes to smoke this Toro (6 x 54). A word about the shape: this thing is box pressed, I mean seriously box pressed, it's like smoking and holding a rectangle. I didn't like that aesthetically. It's a fine cigar, don't get me wrong, I just didn't like the feel of it.
Cigar Report -- Laranja Reserva Toro
This is a Toro (6 x 52) which is larger than I usually like to smoke ... I lost track of the time it took since I was called away in the middle of the smoke and had to come back to it later, but it had to be over an hour. Laranja is the name of the Brazilian wrapper (and means 'orange' in Portuguese). It had a pretty orange cloth band at the tip and a fairly ornate band. Nicaraguan binder/filler. I have no "palate" but I did pick up some citrus notes.
Good draw, even burn, quickly became very mellow, very pleasant. All these top drawer cigars share these characteristics. With cheap cigars it can take a third to a half of the smoke before it starts to mellow, but that's not true of these. Wish it came in Robusto size. A box of 20 of these Toros costs just under $200, but they're worth every centavo.
Cigar Report -- Juan Lopez Seleccion No. 1
I got a box of these for Father's Day. I used to smoke a lot of Juan Lopez in the old days, but they were real Cuban cigars, not made in Nicaragua like these. The draw was hard to start and the burn was raggy, but eventually the burn went even and the draw improved around mid-smoke. Burn went uneven again toward the end.
It wasn't an unpleasant smoke all things considered, took just under 60 minutes, which I expect from a Robusto (5 x 54), but I've been so spoiled lately with "super premium" cigars that when I have an average "decent" cigar, it's a disappointment. I will end up giving away most of these, no doubt.
Take 2: Draw still hard, burn still uneven. Took 60 minutes to finish because of the hard draw. "Sweet spot" finally appeared about 2/3rds of the way through the smoke. I wouldn't rate these below 70 ("Don't waste your money"), but they're right on the line. Putting these out under the revered Juan Lopez name is kind of shameless.
Cigar Report -- Rocky Patel Edge Habano
Torpedo-shaped with a single blue band tastefully at the tip ... dark (maduro) Nicaraguan Habano wrapper, with Nicaraguan binder/filler. Good draw, even burn ... took a little longer to mellow but I've been spoiled of late by these cigars. Very pleasant, though at 70 minutes to smoke (6 x 52) a bit longer than I like to spend. I think I prefer a torpedo-shape, feels a bit more natural in the mouth. I haven't had one bum cigar in this bunch (except for the flukey Alec Bradley Sanctum trouble).
Cigar Report -- My Father Le Bijou 1922 Torpedo Box Press
Torpedo shaped and dark wrapper (Oscuro) ... box pressed, 6 1/8 X 52, not one but two fancy bands and a pretty orange wrapper at the tip. Nicaraguan everything (wrapper, binder, filler), I believe ... smelled nice, spicy, looked good. Easy draw, perfect burn ... only harsh for the briefest moment before mellowing and becoming very nice.
It took me 90! minutes to smoke this and once again a too-long ash caused it to go out and I needed to re-light it. This is a special cigar, Don Pepin Garcia knows what he's doing. If you can find a box, get it, but as a Robusto guy I really hate to spend over an hour on a single cigar ... it's just too decadent.
Cigar Report -- La Boheme Pittore by Boutique Blends
Didn't light it particularly well despite the still night, but it was forgiving. 5 1/8 x 52 -- Robusto, this is the size and shape I prefer to smoke. Good draw, even burn. Bit harsh at first but quickly became mellow, very nice, very pleasant.
Then about two-thirds of the way through an odd thing happened. The ash grew so long that it actually put the cigar out and I had to relight it! This has never happened to me before.
Took me 75 minutes to finish it, which is much longer than I usually take for a cigar of this size. It has an Ecuadoran Habano wrapper with the binder/filler from the Dominican Republic. Never heard of "Boutique Blends" before, but this is a special cigar.
Cigar Report -- Nub Cameroon 358
I had trouble lighting this one too (very windy, user error), but once it got going all was well. Good draw, nice even burn. Bit harsh to start but *quickly* mellowed and became very nice. I've never smoked a stubby (3¾ x 58) cigar like this one, but it took me 53! minutes to finish it. The wrapper is from Cameroon and the binder/filler is Nicaraguan.
As I've said before, I don't have any "palate," but I did taste some leather in this one. It was a really pleasant surprise! A good smoke and unexpected, which made it even better.
