La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor

This is the second one of these that I have bought. I loved them both. Like the first, I also bought this one at W. Curtis Draper Tobacconist in D.C..

I smoked it at Shelly's Backroom in D.C. after eating, what is becoming my favorite sandwich of theirs, the Roast Beef dip.

It is a great looking cigar with a very dark rapper. Construction was perfect. I straight cut it as paired it with Bud Light. After lighting it was a little peppery at first. The draw was awesome. Even though there was one hell of a breeze from the air conditioning, it burned perfectly.

I love this cigar.Shortly after lighting the peppery bite went away. It was a perfect medium strength cigar for me. And a very nice medium flavor.

From Cigar.com:

Handcrafted under the supervision of Don Pepin Garcia in Nicaragua, La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor is an excellent cigar, blended to create a complex experience that completely satisfies your entire palate.

La Aroma de Cuba is an old-time brand with a unique and dedicated following. The blends under this line all maintain light complexities while remaining medium-bodied to create a balanced experience between strength and flavor. Now made in Nicaragua at Don Pepin Garcia's new factory, the La Aroma de Cuba brand remains consistent from start to finish and features some of the best tobaccos money can buy.

Mi Amor is simply an excellent addition to the La Aroma line. The blend brings a full-flavored but medium-bodied maduro to the mix and creates a hearty finish. Outside, you'll find a dark Cuban-seed Mexican maduro wrapper that conceals a flavorful concoction of Nicaraguan long leaves from Nicaragua's top growing regions. As the blend burns, you'll find espresso and coffee-like flavors throughout, all masked by earthy undertones and notes of black pepper. With a smooth, creamy smoke and long-lasting finish, expect Mi Amor to increase in strength from head to foot while still producing a well-balanced finish that you'll want to experience again and again.

Romeo Y Julieta Maduro

I V cut this cigar and paired it with Bud Light and smoked it on the patio with a fire pit on a very cold night.

It had a pretty tight draw and a mild taste throughout. The draw got better but not great and the strength picked up as I went and was perfect overall. The construction was great, no burn issues down to the nub. The flavor was nice and pretty mellow. The mellowness kinda surprised me for this dark cigar.

From the packaging:

A dark, chewy broad-leaf smoke that will delight the true Maduro lover. Blended with Nicaraguan an Peruvian long-leaf filler, these cigars offer a charred, earthy flavor that is appealing in both taste and aroma.

Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo

I smoked this one at the Club La Salle cigar bar. Kathy joined me and complained about the smoke, but hey, at least she went.

I smoked this cigar for my neighbor Pete. He passed away today and we are all in shock. He was a great guy. Always positive. He really enjoyed smoking cigars. He worked out in his quite a bit and always had a cigar in his mouth while doing so. Mowing or shoveling, always a cigar. I'll miss you Pete.

I straight cut this one and paired it with a Goose Island and then a Great Lakes.

I love this cigar and it didn't let me down this time. Zero burn issues, great full flavor, strength was perfect, smoked it down to the nub. No complaints. I had a great evening although we were thinking about Pete quite a bit.

From Cigars International:

Whether you’re a fan of Corojo tobaccos or just looking for a flavorful, satisfying cigar, I advise securing an order of these handmades pronto. Called Triple Corojo because it’s 100% Corojo - wrapper, binder, and fillers. The result is a firecracker of a smoke booming with chewy, rich, hearty flavors. A smooth, feisty bouquet of earthy flavors and ample spice. Full-bodied.

Montecristo Afrique

This cigar has a nice dark oily, shiny wraper. The veins are small and it is very well made like all Monte's. I love the Cameroon smell of the wrapper.

This was my second Thanksgiving day cigar. I held it in my mouth while trying to light the propane heater on the deck and I slobber up the head a little bit more than usual. This may have made the draw a little tough. It had a good taste that was mild to medium.

A little over halfway done and the draw got much easier. Still a mild taste with a short finish and lots of smoke. I would call this low to medium strength.

Overall I really enjoyed this cigar and smoked it down to the finger burning nub. The strength picked up near the end and was perfect.

From the packaging:

The most unique traditional cigar on the market today. Expertly handcrafted with African tobaccos from Cameroon and Tanzania, it has a wonderfully distinct, entrancing flavor with an exotic, spicy core. Indescribably rich and creamy.

Victor Sinclair Vintage Select - Lonsdale

I really like these little box pressed cigars. This one was my pre-Thanksgiving day dinner cigar. I cut it with the V cutter and paired with Bud Light. It was a cold, drizzly day and I smoked on the patio under the umbrella in front of the propane heater. It started out with a little bit of a pepper kick. These cigars are constructed very well and produce lots of smoke. A nice little bit of a buzz. Love these cigars especially when I need to smoke one in under an hour.

From Cigars International:

Milk-chocolatey goodness from Victor Sinclair.

Victor Sinclair Vintage offers a dark, delicious Brazilian maduro wrapper and supremely aged mix of all Cuban-seed Dominican long-leaf tobaccos. Light one up and you’ll see it’s chock full o’ soothingly rich, milky-smooth flavors but also fairly light in strength. Crisply box-pressed and meticulously constructed with a pleasant aroma and slight sweetness, VS Vintage is a bargain that’s priced well enough to be your ’everyday’ handmade.

Room 101

This cigar has a bit of a barnyard smell but not as much as the Nub Habano. I V cut it and paired it with Bud Light. The construction was good and this one was not as spongy as the last one. I think that the a bit of time in the Humidor helped. It had a good amount of smoke and a good burn during the first half.

Halfway through and I was really enjoying the cigar. It was burning well and had a great medium taste. Mild strength to the half way point.

Overall this was an awesome cigar that I smoked down to the nub. In the last half it turned into medium strength. No burn issues at all.

From FireUpThatCigar.com:

Room 101 by Camacho Cigars
Wrapper: Semilla 101 (Honduran)
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran
Made In: Honduras
Size: 702 (11/18) – 6.5×56 Figarado
Price: $9.95 per single

Ambassador Private Stock

I won this cigar from a contest held by CigarRants.com. It had been in my humidor for awhile and I decided to smoke it tonight while watching UFC 123 on my deck.

I straight cut it and paired it with Bud Light. The cigar had, what I would call, a barnyard smell with a hint of woodiness. It was very well made and the wrapper had a smooth waxy feel to it.

It had a medium draw at first with a medium finish and a woody taste. Maybe cedar? The strength is medium to full for me.

Draw became easier as I got to the half way point and stayed easy to the end. I smoked it down to a very short nub.

No burn issues at all, which was pretty impressive considering that I smoked this on a windy evening. I attribute this to the great construction of this cigar.

Overall it was a great smoke and definitely full strength for me.

From http://cigarrants.com:

Ring Gauge: 6 x 52
Tobacco: Wrapper from Ecuador, binder and filler from Costa Rica

Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo

This was my second cigar of the day. I smoked this one after dinner and returning to the patio for my raging fire pit. I straight cut it and paired it with Bud Light.

It had a nice mellow start, no bite. I usually get a little bite from this cigar but maybe because this was the second cigar of the day, and after a full meal, it was a little mellower.

I have loved this cigar every time I have smoked one and would call it one of my favorites.

From Cigars International:

Whether you’re a fan of Corojo tobaccos or just looking for a flavorful, satisfying cigar, I advise securing an order of these handmades pronto. Called Triple Corojo because it’s 100% Corojo - wrapper, binder, and fillers. The result is a firecracker of a smoke booming with chewy, rich, hearty flavors. A smooth, feisty bouquet of earthy flavors and ample spice. Full-bodied.

La Caya Vintage

Late afternoon cigar, straight cut, paired with Bud Light. Enjoyed this while burning some brush in the patio fire pit.

This cigar had been in the humidor for a while now. I think it was the last of a Cigars International sampler.

It had a nice mellow flavor and smoked pretty quick. It was a great looking cigar, wrapped in a cedar sleeve.

I lit it with the cedar. It was a great smoking cigar with no burn issues. Very mellow and medium finish and low strength. The ash was pretty light and fell off easily. The burn did slow down a bit in the last third.

Smoked down to the finger burning nub. Medium strength.

From LaCayaCigars.com:

Size: 44x6
WRAPPER: Mata Fina
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Piloto Cubano, Dominican

Room 101

I won two of these cigars in a contest from www.Stogied.com, this was the first out of the two.

The cigar smelled a bit like cedar at first sniff. I straight cut it and paired it with Bud Light while smoking on the deck in front of my new propane heater. I took the first patio heater back because it was not warm enough and bought a different style. This one clamps to the top of a propane tank and is quite warm.

This cigar had a nice bold double band with lots of nice detail. I noticed that it had a very spongy, moist feeling. I wondered if it was over humidified. The pre-light draw was a little peppery but nice.

The cigar had a very open draw with a lot of smoke and just a little bit of a spice bite.

Overall this was a great smoke with a medium finish, medium flavor and medium strength. I only corrected burn once. I smoked it down to the finger burning nub.

From FireUpThatCigar.com:

Room 101 by Camacho Cigars
Wrapper: Semilla 101 (Honduran)
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran
Made In: Honduras
Size: 702 (11/18) – 6.5×56 Figarado
Price: $9.95 per single

Romeo Y Julieta Vintage

I straight cut this cigar and paired with Bud Light on the patio. It was cold so I used my new patio heater but ut was not warm enough so I had to use the space heater as well.

The cigar was nice and mild. A mellow cigar that was obviously well made. It smoked well without any burn issues. It had a pleasant flavor with no bite, although it smoked a little fast at first.

I liked the short finish, and it was a perfect medium strength cigar for me. I smoked it down to the finger burning nub. Great cigar.

From the packaging:

A silky-smooth, golden shade wrapper and a select blend of aged tobaccos impart a taste of honey and cream with light notes of cocoa in every puff. Meticulously crafted and blended, this is one of the finest mild cigars available anywhere.

Victor Sinclair Primeros

Smoked on the patio in front of the space heater. The nights are getting very cold and I feel that my outside smoking days are about over.

This cigar was straight cut and paired with Bud Light and Bud Light Golden Wheat. It had a mild taste with a little bit of pepper aftertaste at first. I was having to puff a few times to get some smoke. I had burn issues throughout.

In the last third the wrapper started to explode. I had to correct the burn quite a few times.

Overall I enjoyed it and smoked down to the nub. I enjoyed the last couple inches a lot and it gave off a lot more smoke as it neared the end.

From Cigars International:

An eye-catching, mild-bodied gem from the Dominican.

For these seeking a mild-bodied cigar but with ample flavor, one that is priced right and consistent time after time, Primeros answers the bell. Loaded with smooth, creamy flavors, this pleasantly mellow smoke features a golden brown Connecticut wrapper and an aged filler blend of Dominican Seco tobaccos with a sliver of Ligero. A handmade light enough for rookie palates yet enough finesse and flavor to satisfy you grizzled veterans too.

Nub Cameroon 460

This was the last of these Nubs that I bought in this bunch. It had a tight draw throughout and wrapper issues middle to end. Good strength over all enjoyed it

From http://www.milantobacco.com:

The idea for the Nubs came from the theory that a cigar finds its “sweet spot” at the 3 ½- 4 inch point. All “nub” cigars must exist within this window. No “nub” is longer than 4 inches. Further adding to this complex theory, the ring gauges range from 56-66. The result is a range of smokes that have the same amount of tobacco as any Churchill or even Presidente. Unbelievably, they also smoke as long.
The Nub Cameroon Wrapper Cigar: Grown in Cameroon, Africa, this wrapper has a distinct flavor and character. The Cameroon wrapper is thin and toothy, yet it delivers rich notes of cedar and coffee. This Nub medium-bodied cigar is available in 358 and 464T formats.

Victor Sinclair Connecticut Yankee

I straight cut this and paired with Bud Light and smoked it on the deck. It had a slightly peppery taste at first and not a very open draw. At first not a lot of smoke.

Halfway through and it started smoking easier with more smoke and an easier draw. A great taste with no pepper and no bite with a medium strength.

It was a great cigar down to fimger burning nub. Perfect strength for me.

From Cigars International:

A genuinely unique cigar.

Victor Sinclair’s Connecticut Yankee features a Connecticut-grown Havana-seed leaf. Genuine Connecticut-grown, Havana-seed leaf is not common, as it is neither broadleaf nor shade-grown. However, 4 years ago Victor Sinclair purchased a small, experimental cache of this rare wrapper tobacco....and the results are nothing short of delicious.

Indeed, the wrapper delivers a distinctively smooth, rich flavor. And combined with its premium blend of aged Nicaraguan and Dominican long-fillers, Connecticut Yankee offers a medium-bodied smoke with a unique, mature bouquet of flavor including some rich, toasty and chocolatey notes

Victor Sinclair Legacy Box Press

A nice looking dark cigar with a beautiful band and foot band. Paired with Bud Light, straight cut and smoked on the deck in front of the space heater.

A very nice mellow taste at first not peppery at all and no bite.

All in all it was a fantastic cigar. Smoked down to a pretty short nub. Awesome mild to medium flavor with no bite and no burn issues. A lot of smoke, easy draw, nice little buzz.

From VictorSinclair.com:

"The Original Legacy" What is the difference between the smoke and our Double Maduro? First the feel is different, since Legacy is box pressed. A milky smooth flavor is considerably lighter in taste due to a 5 year old Brazilian Maduro Wrapper. Although the Double Maduro share a dark and moist appearance, the Original Legacy is subtle, yet satisfying.

Wrapper: Connecticut BroadLeaf USA
Binder: Olor Dom Rep
Filler: Nicaragua Viso, Olor and Criollo 98 Dom Rep
Strength: Mild Bodied Smoke

Victor Sinclair Primeros

I paired this with a fairly cheap Pinot Noir while smoking on the deck. I straight cut it and right after lighting I accidentally took an inhale. Never fun.

The cigar gave off a ton of smoke and had a nice mild to medium taste.

Almost halfway through the cigar and it was still a great mild to medium taste and I was starting to get a little bit of a buzz. Possibly from the early inhale.

I smoked this cigar down to the finger burning nub. It did get a little at at the nub but nothing that took away from me enjoying it.

Victor Sinclair is becoming my favorite "go to" brand.

From Cigars International:

An eye-catching, mild-bodied gem from the Dominican.

For these seeking a mild-bodied cigar but with ample flavor, one that is priced right and consistent time after time, Primeros answers the bell. Loaded with smooth, creamy flavors, this pleasantly mellow smoke features a golden brown Connecticut wrapper and an aged filler blend of Dominican Seco tobaccos with a sliver of Ligero. A handmade light enough for rookie palates yet enough finesse and flavor to satisfy you grizzled veterans too.

Victor Sinclair 10th Aniversario

I V cut this one, for a change of pace more than anything else, and paired it with Bud Light. It was a warm evening on the deck.





This was a very nice looking cigar. The cello had "Victor Sinclair 10th Aniversario" printed on it, the cigar was wrapped in cedar, and it had two attractive bands. I toasted it and then finished lighting it with the cedar that it was wrapped in.

I noticed a slight nutty taste after lighting. It was very mellow to start and a good burn right away.

The first third burned very quickly and produced a lot of nice smoke with a nice mild flavor and a fairly short finish.

Nearing the last third and I had a very, very difficult time removing the band. I peeled some of the wrapper back while fighting with the band. Despite the band issue, it has been a great smoke with lots of smoke. The flavor seemed to change as this cigar progresses and the burn slowed. There was a nice little uptick in the last third and it became more of a medium strength cigar.

During the last third I did encounter a couple burn issues and it was burning a bit hotter but nothing bad. Still an enjoyable mild taste with a medium finish and medium strength.

I smoked it down to the finger burning nub. An awesome cigar that left me wanting more.

From CigarsInternational.com:

A lovely and well-aged Dominican puro.

Meticulously handmade, this Dominican beauty has turned heads, featuring all Dominican tobaccos, including a lovely, triple-fermented Corojo wrapper. The new crown jewel of the Victor Sinclair family of brands. The smoke is toasty and layered with balanced, pleasant flavors, finished by a peppery-sweet aftertaste and wonderful aromas. 

From Cigar.com:

This exceptionally complex blend is one of the only Dominican cigars on the market rolled with a coveted Dominican wrapper, which is packed with flavor.

To celebrate their 10th Anniversary, the blenders at Victor Sinclair spent several years perfecting a dynamic mix of Dominican tobaccos to make an exceptional cigar that sells at a reasonable price. The resulting blend has been one of the best ever created by Victor Sinclair and is only sold to a small handful of special accounts, which include Cigar.com!

Victor Sinclair 10th Aniversario is full-bodied and full-flavored utilizing tobacco that creates robust notes of spice, which carry into a very long finish. Over the course of the smoke, the flavor undergoes several changes keeping you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Very complex and definitely note worthy, this cigar is a must buy, not only for fans of Victory Sinclair but also for aficionados worldwide.

La Gloria Cubana Serie R

This is the second cigar that Daryl gave me for my last birthday. It is a great looking, pretty big ring gauge cigar with a very easy draw. I got a little pepper on the lips from the wrapper while doing a pre-light draw.

I straight cut it and paired it with Bud Light and enjoyed smoking it on the deck on an unseasonably warm November evening.

The cigar had a nice mellow flavor with a little bit of peppery spice and a ton of thick smoke.

The first third had a pleasant, mild taste with a short finish. It was easy to smoke and the strength was fairly low during this third.

The first third and most of the second third burned pretty fast but it really slowed down during the last part of the second third.

It took a long time to get through this smoke because it really slowed down in the last half. The taste was a bit more complex and the finish a tad longer during the second half as well. I noticed no significant burn issues this time. The first of these cigars that I smoked burned a bit unevenly but I think that was because I was on the boat and it was fairly windy.

All in all this was a very nice cigar. I smoked it down to a point where I was burning my fingers and hated to put it down. And it had a nice kick to it too.

From Tinderbox.com:

Packed in dark mahogany, cabinet-style boxes, La Gloria Cubana Serie R cigars deliver their extra-bold bouquet as soon as the box is opened. Their full-bodied flavor comes from a special blend of long Dominican and Nicaraguan filler, superb Nicaraguan binder and a wonderfully aged and extra flavorful Ecuadorian wrapper. The result is a rich, full-flavored smoke unmatched by any other cigar. Designed for seasoned cigar lovers looking for the ultimate in bold flavor, Serie R cigars come in four full-bodied sizes, each one guaranteed to please even the most discerning seeker of rich, robust cigars.

Montecristo '93 Club Cabinet

I smoked this on the deck on a warm night, no space heater needed. I V cut it and paired it with Bud Light. It had a mild taste with thin smoke and just an okay draw.

The first third was a lot of work to smoke. It took many puffs each draw to get smoke. The flavor stayed mellow with no bite.

The middle third stayed mild and still just thin smoke and still lots of work to smoke.

The last third was the best third. The amount of smoke picked up and the flavor was more full. No real burn issues and it burned cool.

The strength was perfect. Not to strong and not too weak.

Not my favorite from this sampler but still enjoyable.

From the packaging:

Composed of select 1993 Dominican and Brazilian tobaccos rolled in a chocolate-brown 1996 Connecticut Valley wrapper. A rich, round, luxurious, and satisfying cigar if ere there was one.

Victor Sinclair Vintage Select - Lonsdale

This cigar was purchased in a 5 pack from CigarBid.com. It is a great looking cigar with a very nice band and gold foot band. The foot band was hard to remove.

I had to drive into South Bend Air Traffic Control tower to do some work and I smoked this on the way home. It was a gorgeous, warm early November day.

It was a great min-day cigar. Not too strong, mild to medium flavor. Took just under an hour to smoke. I finished it up on the patio when I got home. It was paired with a McDonald's Coke and was straight cut.

Very enjoyable.

From Cigars International:

Milk-chocolatey goodness from Victor Sinclair.

Victor Sinclair Vintage offers a dark, delicious Brazilian maduro wrapper and supremely aged mix of all Cuban-seed Dominican long-leaf tobaccos. Light one up and you’ll see it’s chock full o’ soothingly rich, milky-smooth flavors but also fairly light in strength. Crisply box-pressed and meticulously constructed with a pleasant aroma and slight sweetness, VS Vintage is a bargain that’s priced well enough to be your ’everyday’ handmade.

Herfdog

I smoked this one on the patio on a sunny Sunday afternoon while burning leaves in the firepit. I straight cut it and paired it with Bud Light.

This is the last of my Misers's Collection sampler from Holt's. Actuall, I do have one more left but I don't plan on smoking it. It was a cigar that I did not like at all.

This was a fairly well made, very long, cigar and just a tad spongy. The draw was just OK, and not as nice and open as the first one I smoked months ago. After lighting, the cigar had a slight spice taste, and was mellow with a good amount of smoke.

During the last third the flavor picked up a bit more spice and got a little mushy.

The nub was fairly mushy and got a little hot and spicy and bit the the back of my throat a little. Up until that point it was a cool burning cigar.

A ton of smoke all the way down to the nub.

It had a short finish through the first 2 thirds and a medium finished the last third.

Took about 1 and 1 half hours to smoke.

I put it out with a fairly long nub. It was a good yard cigar.

From Holt's Cigars:

These mixed-filled mutts come courtesy of some friends of ours down in Nicaragua. Composed of bits of high quality Nicaraguan and Honduran wrapper clippings wrapped in a smooth Sumatra leaf, Herfdog has a consistently smooth draw and a rich taste that is devoid of the typical short-filler bite. An easy no-brainer at less than a dollar per cigar.

Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran

Perdomo Limited Edition 2008 (Natural wrapper)

This was the second of the two Perdomo cigars that I bought at the Smoke Shop across from the Muckelshoot casino while on a trip to the Seattle, WA area. This was a flat box pressed cigar. Dark and good looking but a little veiny wrapper.

I straight cut it, paired with bud light and smoked it on my deck with the space heater blowing on me. It was medium to mild. Nice mild flavors.

It did have a bit of a raggedy burn but it did not run down one side or anything like that. I have since heard that Perdomo's are kinda know for slight burn issues.

It had a very nice double band but the band was very, very hard to remove.

Overall it was nice mild to medium smoke with a medium strength.

From www.famous-smoke.com:

Perdomo2 Limited Edition cigars have been reintroduced by Tabacalera Perdomo. The cigars' Nicaraguan filler and binder tobaccos are expertly box-pressed in your choice of genuine Cameroon or Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper leaves. The smoke is medium to full in body, with well-balanced flavors that continue throughout the finish.

Perdomo Grand Cru - Maduro

While on a trip to the Seattle, WA area I stopped at a Smoke Shop across from the Muckleshoot casino to check out the cigar selection. The selection was not huge but they did have some nice cigars there. I bought one Punch London club (cause I like to always have one of those on hand) and two Perdomo cigars. This one was the Grand Cru. I smoked it at the Cabana bar at the Muckleshoot casino.

I straight cut it and paired it with one bud light and then water. I am not too sure if if was the cigar or the meal that I just ate, but my stomach felt uncomfortably full and I could not even think about drinking a second beer so I went to water.

It was a good looking cigar with a nice dark oily wrapper. At first it had a medium to full flavor with a bite at back of the throat. The draw seemed OK but it took 2 to 3 puffs to get any decent smoke out of it.

By the end of the first third it started to smoke easier and was putting out more smoke.

It was a very strong cigar, the strongest I have had in awhile, or ever. It was really too much for me and I put it out with about a third to go.

I think that Maduos are too much for me.

From CigarsInternational.com:

Perdomo Grand Cru is a unique Nicaraguan puro made with 100% Cuban-seed tobaccos from the same 2004 crop. Each leaf has been hand-selected and well-aged prior to rolling, then sorted again to ensure the very best yield from this exquisite crop. Grand Cru comes in three flavorful formats – a silky Connecticut, bold Corojo, and an oily Maduro – each of which are supremely well balanced and elegant from start to finish. The bold long-fillers within exemplify the rich, hearty qualities of Nicaragua’s soils, producing a robust, earthy profile layered by dark tobacco flavors, roasted espresso bean, and a slight touch of sweet black pepper. Sit back and enjoy this full-flavored, medium to full-bodied treat from Tabacalera Perdomo.

Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real

I brought this cigar with me on a trip to Seattle, WA and smoked it at the Cabana bar in the Muckleshoot casino. This was one of the cigars that was in the sampler that I bought from JR Cigars in D.C.

It had a great, but mellow, taste The draw was perfect. I paired with a double of "The Glenlivet" with a water on the side.

I really enjoyed this cigar and would definitely buy it again.

From the packaging:

A carefully balanced recipe of Dominican leaf spiced with Nicaraguan ligeros and finished in a hand selected Connecticut shade wrapper grown in Ecuador. Slightly swet in flavor, it is an expertyly crafted cigar with a woodsy flavor and a tender aroma.

Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva

This was a lonsdale size, and I am not too sure what the ring gauge was but it was about a 50 I am guessing. I bought this one from the Cabana bar at the Muckleshoot casino while on a business trip to the Seattle, WA area. My friend and I stopped here after work and I was looking for a smoke that would be on the quicker side and not hurt my wallet to much. I decided to try this A. Fuente from their humidor, it was $9.00, one of their least expensive cigars.

I straight cut it, toasted the foot with a match and then lit it with a cedar spill. I paired it with a Bud Light and then a Hefeweizen. Right away I noticed tons of nice smoke and an enjoyable mellow taste.

It was on the mild side of medium in the taste department and a strong medium in the strength category.

Overall I really liked this cigar and would definitely buy it again.

From InternetCigarSales.com:

Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva is more that just the finest smoking enjoyment a cigar lover can experience, it represents Four Generations of family tradition, that include love, pride, and personal sacrifices. Every Arturo Fuente cigar carries the personal family touch that makes it one of the world's finest.
Arturo Fuente cigars use the highest quality vintage tobaccos on the market. Each cigar is a blend of art and craftsmanship. All leaves are carefully selected from a private reserve and set aside for making these cigars.
Hand Made - Medium to Full Bodied
Filler: Dominican - Binder: Dominican - Wrapper: Dominican
Rated 83 to 91 by Cigar Aficionado

Montecristo White

I smoked this one out on the deck in front of the space heater. Straight cut it and paired with a Golden Pheasant Slovak beer.

It had a nice mellow pre light smell. The foot was a bit soft and spongy. Other wise construction was good.

The first 3rd had a very dark, almost black, ash medium draw but okay. Lots of great smoke with a smooth taste.

End of the first third and the burn started to get uneven and did start to have a very tight draw that made it tough to smoke.

The last two thirds was work to smoke. The draw was very tight. Again I wonder if it was over humidified.

Overall I liked the cigar. It had a pleasant taste and the strength was medium. If it were not for the draw it would have been perfect. I'd like to try another.

From the packaging:

Wrapped in a golder Ecuadorian Connecticut shade leaf and blended with select Dominican and Nicaraguan long leaf fillers. These medium to full bodied Whites are the current rage of cigar smokers everywhere.

Nub Cameroon 460

I smoked this one on the deck in front of the space heater while paring with a Bud Light. I started with the Nub punch but the draw was extremely tight so I went to the straight cut. It didn't help. The majority of this cigar was not a good experience. The draw was way to tight and I got almost no smoke from it.

When I got to the nub it started to open up a bit and the draw became easier but overall it was too much work. I think this was either over humidified or plugged.

Win some, lose some.

From http://www.milantobacco.com:

The idea for the Nubs came from the theory that a cigar finds its “sweet spot” at the 3 ½- 4 inch point. All “nub” cigars must exist within this window. No “nub” is longer than 4 inches. Further adding to this complex theory, the ring gauges range from 56-66. The result is a range of smokes that have the same amount of tobacco as any Churchill or even Presidente. Unbelievably, they also smoke as long.

The Nub Cameroon Wrapper Cigar: Grown in Cameroon, Africa, this wrapper has a distinct flavor and character. The Cameroon wrapper is thin and toothy, yet it delivers rich notes of cedar and coffee. This Nub medium-bodied cigar is available in 358 and 464T formats.