No (Smoking) Jacket Required: Iggy's Cigar Thread

[IggytheBorg]

last night I smoked a GAR. I didn't think much of this when I got it in the Cigarfest swag bag. It's 6 x 64 (which means it's a full inch in diameter), but since I had never heard of the brand, I expected it to be crap. CI started carrying it in the catalogs this month, however, and promised it had notes of cocoa as a flavor component. Intrigued, I decided to give this a whirl. Flavor wise, it was pretty good. Had a toasty core, with the promised notes of cocoa very evident through most of the smoke until the end. Where it loses points is its construction. The wrapper was very thin and flimsy. If it had a binder - and I assume it must - it was pretty thin, too. It started to get really loose where I was chewing on it at the end. To its credit, it didn't unravel farther down, which would have made it hard to smoke. But it did go out a lot, and it burned very unevenly. I had to keep relighting it. Also, as the end REALLY started to come apart for the final inch, big chunks of what appeared to be short filler tobacco (long filler is the good stuff) started falling off it into my mouth as I was puffing on it. If I wanted a chaw, I would've bought some Kodiak. There was another in the humidor, and I imagine I'll enjoy it for the cocoa notes. But the flavor profile is somewhat lacking in depth; that, coupled with the aforementioned construction issues keep this from being a cigar I'd ever pay for.

[IggytheBorg]

I smoked a Pinar Del Rio Small Batch Corojo the other night. Not bad, but far from great. Medium bodied and woodsy, with some muted spice and sweet balsa wood faintly detectable. It burned somewhat unevenly. While there was nothing overtly unpleasant about this stick, it wasn't particularly complex or pleasant, either.

Also smoked a La Zona robusto on the way to a dep yesterday. This was marginally better than the PDR, but wasn't exactly a classic, either. It was mainly earthy, but had some sweet, toasty notes going on as well. MIld to medium on body, one thing it had in spades was the draw. It was effortless, and boomed out big clouds of smoke. This no doubt enhanced the enjoyment of this cigar.

[IggytheBorg]

Last night I smoked a PDR AFR 75 Edicion Limitada. This was really good. It had a hearty tobacco core with top notes of chocolaty sweetness. It burned nice and slow and took a long time to finish, too. My only complaint was that the draw was a wee bit tight, but not so much that it seriously interfered with the enjoyment of the smoke. Easily the best PDR product I have enjoyed thus far, and one of this year's Cigarfest freebies.

[teledork]

My middle daughter and her boyfriend moved into my house this week. They have a two year old son. This weekend was the weekend they got the boyfriend's two kids for visitation. I came back from a week-long business trip to Ohio yesterday. And my oldest daughter has just dropped off my other grandson for the evening....she has a high-school reunion.

I say that to say this: I smoked a pack of Marlboro Special Blend Light 100s this afternoon. They had a slight afternote of ass, with a primary taste of suck. But the tendrils flow softly in front of me with each smoke to remind me that they're bringing me gently and lovingly to an early grave. So I opened another pack.

[Timothy225]

Damn, teledork. Made me laugh so fuckin' hard with that post. Hope things get better, but... damn... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[IggytheBorg]

I, on the other hand, smoked a Sam Leccia cigar the other night. He is the blendmaster from Oliva responsible for the Nub and Cain lines. This was a bit more full than I generally go in for. Mainly hearty tobacco and espresso notes, with a roasted quality to them. Not truly unpleasant, and somewhat enjoyable, even for me. Full flavored/bodied fans should like it. But not really my cup of tea.

I also smoked a Brick House Maduro the night after that (in the "Mighty Mighty" 6x60 size). Also very strong and full, I liked this one a bit more because it had notes of bittersweet dark chocolate to go along with the oaky, hearty tobacco core. Not a favorite, but I could see myself buying more of these.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked an HC Habano earlier. A nice medium bodied smoke, it had a core of leather and toasty tobacco, with some sweet spice top notes. very pleasant start to finish.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Perla del Mar yesterday. Meh. A typical mild bodied cigar. Pleasant, to be sure, but nothing really exciting to make it stand out from every other mild bodied cigar out there. A Cigarfest freebie, I've never heard of this brand before. I doubt I'd ever buy one.

Speaking of brands I've never heard of, smoked something during the recent cold snap called a "Straight Jacket". Very full bodied, with a flavor profile of hearty wood. I suppose the fact it was cold as fuck and my hands were freezing, causing me to kind of rush through it may have prevented me from truly picking up on its subtler nuances, but I doubt I would have liked it even so. Reminded me of a JdN, and I'm not fond of those. Another Cigarfest freebie I definitely won't be buying more of.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Proxy the other day. Not bad. Mild to medium, with a toasty tobacco and mild wood (perhaps cedar) core, it picked up some almost citrusy notes n the middle which I found intriguing. I've never seen this for sale anywhere (it was a Cigarfest freebie), but I don't think I liked it enough to buy any if I did.

Also smoked a Drew Estate Liga Privada No. 9. Mainly leathery and earthy, I was pleasantly surprised by its medium body and occasional notes of crisp, medium tobacco and spice. A gift from a soon to marry into the family relative, I had low expectations that were surpassed in a most welcome manner. This I would buy again.

[IggytheBorg]

I burned a Man O' War Orange County Choppers Limited Edition yesterday. Not half bad. The word that describes it best is "hearty". Leathery core with some chewy, hearty spices, citrus notes poked their heads in from time to time. Not overpowering, but also not nuanced enough that I'd find myself craving one. The draw was a weeeeee bit too tight, but didn't seriously detract from the smoke. Worth a look for full bodied smokers.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked an Ave Maria Reconquista last night. These are generally very expensive, even from CI. Scored one at a discount from Cigarbid, and it was still a little pricey for a single cigar. Worth it, though. It was full bodied but exceptionally smooth. Earth and leather predominated, maybe some espresso like notes as well, and faint sweetness present from time to time as well. It was a very big torpedo, and burned slow and, until the last 2", very evenly with a good draw. Lasted about two hours, Maybe for special occasions, I'd see myself buying more of these, but the price is a bit prohibitive for me to make these a favorite.

[IggytheBorg]

So CIgarfest was last Friday, and I've started smoking the new stuff. First to fall was a Nat Sherman Host Maduro. I liked this a lot. It was mellow, with just a hint of sweet spice; in other words, all the stuff I love about the regular Host Connecticut series. But it also had some chocolate/cocoa notes going on throughout most of its length that added considerable depth to its flavor profile. Just sensational.

A bit more disappointing was the La Perla Habana 2015. Hearty and full, it had no pleasant nuances to it at all that I could detect. The only La Perla product other than the Wide that I haven't liked.

There was quite a haul this year. More reviews will follow. . . .

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a 5 Vegas Limitada Twenty Fifteen last night. Sensational, as most of the Limitadas have been. Opened strongly with cocoa and sweet spice, which faded a bit as the smoke went on, but never went completely away. Toasty tobacco joined them and became the core, eventually. They call it medium to full in strength, but I found it to be more of a pleasant medium body. Really too bad they never add any of these to the regular rotation.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a MUWAT (My Uzi Weighs a Ton) KFC (Kentucky Fire Cured) the other night. Had a smoky, sweet, slightly spicy flavor to it. The tobaccos, instead of just being air cured, are cured in barns w/ low temperature smoky fires burning. A very different smoke from Drew Estate. I liked this a lot.

Also smoked a CAO Colombia in the car the other day. This was a mellow and pleasant cigar, with sweet cedary nuances that put me in mind of mellow classics like the Rocky Patel Connecticut, or the Don Diego. The blurb said it had a salty component to it, but it was so faint you barely noticed it. Which is a good thing. I dislike Fonsecas because they have a salty flavor component to them. I don't think this was unique enough to seek out in lieu of my more favored mellow blends, but it was quite enjoyable.

[IggytheBorg]

Been remiss in my duties! Several new smokes to review.

First: American Legion. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these stoges goes to the organization for which it was named. It was a mellow, mild to medium bodied cigar. Mild cedar was the dominant flavor note, with some sweet earth and perhaps a slight floral flavor as well. The most interesting mellow smoke I've enjoyed in some time. I'd definitely buy more of these.

Also smoked a Bahia Vintage 2004. Very dark in color and full in body, with some sweetness evident, probably from the maduro wrapper. Also redolent of hearty tobacco and spice, with a toasty core. As full as it was, it was very well balanced. I enjoyed it ore than I thought I would, but doubt I'd ever buy another.

San Lotano The Bull: fuller and mere hearty than the Bahia, its primary - hell, only - flavor nuances were hearty tobacco and woodsmoke. To me, not at all interesting. I've smoked lots of full bodied cigars that tasted a lot like this, and nothing stands out enough to differentiate it from any of the others. I've been pretty disappointed with the San Lotano products I've tried so far, in all honesty.

Daniel Marshall Red Label: Oh, yeah. THAT'S the stuff. Before the review proper, a bit of background. I had never heard of this manufacturer before. Apparently (according to the article in the last Cigar.com catalog) he makes high priced cigar humidors for Hollywood stars (like Brad Pitt and Sly Stallone). He also makes high end cigars. His signature product is a cigar covered with gold leaf. Which is meant to be smoked (that's gotta be good for you). Cigar.com sells them for $250.00 each. Even I'm not that crazy. But he also makes a more mainstream (albeit a LITTLE pricey) cigar, the red label. Enter: Cigarfest. This was an extraordinary smoke. It had strong notes of cocoa, earth and sweet spice as its main flavor components. The cocoa was most noticeable on the opening, but was present throughout the smoke. But whatever the waning of the cocoa lost this cigar as it burned, the increase in the spice notes made up for, as these intensified until reaching a crescendo at the midpoint. Best Cigarfest newcomer so far. I will DEFINITELY buy more of these. highly recommended.