Pancho's Reserve Toro

I smoked this cigar on the while keeping warm on the deck with the space heater. I straight cut it and paired it with Wild Turkey. It was pretty peppery on the cold draw and very spicy and peppery after lighting.

Half way through and it started to burn unevenly and it was hard to keep it lit. It also started to get a bit bitter.

Just past halfway and it mellowed out a bit and I had a bit of a buzz kicking in. I started to think that this may turn out to be a 1/2 way decent cigar. There had been lots of smoke from beginning to end.

I put this one out with about 2 inches left. The buzz started to kick in and, after the bad experience I had with this cigar last time, I was a little leery. And it just was not a great cigar.

I don't think I'd buy or smoke one of these again.

From Holt's Cigars:

Pancho's Reserve is an old-time brand that's all about value. Handmade in the Dominican Republic, these cigars sport Mexican wrappers and a simple, medium-bodied blend of Dominican tobaccos.

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Mexican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

TE-AMO World Selection Series (Cuba)

I picked this one up at our local Low Bob's smoke shop. I was looking to try a new cigar. This one set me back $5.19. I lit it up on the patio. It was a warm Saturday night. I paired it with a nice little fire and a Bud Light.

After cutting it with my V cutter I gave it a per-light draw. The draw was tight and no real taste. The first few puffs offered a little bit of pepper but not much else. The rest of the cigar was not great for me. Tight draw. Not much smoke. 1/3 of the way through I thought that this may be a nice morning smoke but that did not pan out. This cigar was pretty much a non-cigar for me. Boring. I would not buy it again. I think that if I do try a Te-Amo again that I will try one of their standard puros.

Wrapper: Criollo
Binder: San Andres
Filler: Criollo
Size: Robusto 5 x 54

Nicaraguan Gold Toro

Another smoked that I lit up at the EHT Marriott courtyard.

This one had what I would call a "blonde wrapper." Interesting looing. Pretty mellow at first. Mushy from start and got mushier. Picked up a bit as I got into it but it also started to taste a little grassy. Over humidified? Needs more time to age? Who knows? I do know that I did not like it much and that it fell appart at the end. I Would not buy this one again, didn't like the taste. Maybe some more time in the humidor will help this one. At that's where it will be for quite some time. :)

From Holt's Cigars:

Here is a brand new value bundle hailing from Nicaragua. These cigars don golden Connecticut-Ecuador wrappers and a blissful blend of aged Nicaraguan long-fillers. The strength is medium-bodied and the flavors are earthy, creamy, nutty and very smooth. At just $1.25 per cigar, this deal is as good as gold!

Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Connecticut-Ecuador
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

El Mejor Emerald (second 1/2)

I smoked the second 1/2 of the El Mejor from the night before. Not a cigar that I really enjoyed. Too full and harsh for me.

From Cigars International:

The Emerald is composed of a deep, dense mixture of Nicaraguan long-fillers including a core of rich, searing Ligero tobaccos. These tobaccos are in turn cloaked by a tawny, lustrous Honduran-grown Corojo wrapper and together, after 6 months of box-aging, this formulation delivers a copious dose of rich, oaky flavors which swathes the palate before finishing with a feisty touch of spice. Medium to full-bodied throughout with a rich tobacco taste, it smokes gracefully smooth from start to finish. El Mejor Emerald is terrific right out of the box without a doubt, but also shows all the signs of incredible aging potential. Individually draped in cedar sleeves and finished with a ‘shaggy’ foot in true ‘old world’ fashion.

El Mejor Emerald

This cigar had a medium to full flavor. I believe that I still have over humidified my humidor and it made this cigar tough to draw. Not a bad smoke, although I found it a tad harsh. I only smoked 1/2 of it and placed the second 1/2 in the garage.


From Cigars International:

The Emerald is composed of a deep, dense mixture of Nicaraguan long-fillers including a core of rich, searing Ligero tobaccos. These tobaccos are in turn cloaked by a tawny, lustrous Honduran-grown Corojo wrapper and together, after 6 months of box-aging, this formulation delivers a copious dose of rich, oaky flavors which swathes the palate before finishing with a feisty touch of spice. Medium to full-bodied throughout with a rich tobacco taste, it smokes gracefully smooth from start to finish. El Mejor Emerald is terrific right out of the box without a doubt, but also shows all the signs of incredible aging potential. Individually draped in cedar sleeves and finished with a ‘shaggy’ foot in true ‘old world’ fashion.