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

[IggytheBorg]

smoked a CAO Flavours Earth Nectar last night. Very, very nice. The flavoring was nice & subtle. More subtle than you get with ACID's, which is good & bad. With ACID's, the flavoring is kind of the point, so you want it kind of front & center. And sometimes it plays very well off the tobaccos they choose to marry them with. But strong as they are, they're usually in good taste, so they add to & don't detract from the overall smoking experience. With the CAO's, by contrast, I get the feeling that if the flavors were very strong, they'd overwhelm the smoke. So subtle works for them here. I didn't really pick up on any of the tobacco's nuances, but didn't really mind that. Despite the fact that all I could really taste was the flavoring agents, these were so understated & well presented it was a most pleasant, change of pace cigar. I never once felt like I was smoking one of those cheesy, paper wrapped, plastic-tiparillo sportin' POS's you'd get ina cardboard box at a CVS. I doubt I'd make this an everyday rotation member, but like I said, great change of pace. Better then the Moontrance, I think, but was it better than an Eileen's Dream? Probably not. That was a much more complex & layered cigar, IMO. It's probably my favorite flavored CAO, w/ Earth Nectar coming in a decently close second.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Macanudo Robust on the way to work the other day. As the name implies, this was a full bodied, powerful smoke. It wasn't overwhelming, and even though very full bodied isn't usually my cup of tea, I liked this. It was hearty tobacco and spices at the core, & a hint of leather on the finish. Definitely not your father's Macanudo. having all but written those off as flavorless airballs, the Robust was a pleasant surprise. Particularly since this was a corona/lonsdale size (about 6" & mid-40 ring gauge, I'd estimate). I usually don't go in for cigars that small, but it was the perfect length for a drive in to work, and powerful as it was, a heavier ring gague could very well have been overpowering. All thae above having been said, I'm not sure I'd make this a regular part of the rotation. This was a Cigarfest freebie.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Felipe Gregorio Icon over the weekend. It was medium & toasty, but distictly lacking in nuance. I'm not sure if that's because it just isn't very tasty, or b/c it had a seriously tough draw. It didn't open up until past the 3/4 point, & even then, it was still pretty tight. Overall, a disappointment. A Cigarfest Freebie.

Smoked a Casa Fuego last night. Not awful, but not something I'd be breaking down doors to get the last specimens of, either. Hearty & full its aroma was a little better than its flavor, with a sweet note present. Leather & wood were evident on the palate. Also a Cigarfest freebie (from 09!).

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Puros Indios Original yesterday while prepping a case for trial (it ended up getting adjourned because they ran out of judges). A most pleasant, mild-mrdium bodied smoke. A crisp, mellow spice (CI says "nutmeg"; that'll work) was the primary nuance. I don't know if I liked this enough to add it to the regular rotation ahead of such outstanding milds as the Rocky Patel Connecticut, Leon Jiminez or Victor Sinclair Connecticut, but it wasn't bad a'tall. And they're generally very cheap & widely available. I might never have given this a shot on my own, but since this was a (09) Cigarfest freebie, I'm very glad they threw it in there.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Perdomo Grand Cru maduro last night. Better than the Connecticut version, it was still far from the best Perdomo makes, IMO. It was hearty & medium/full, perhaps even a little harsh to start. But it mellowed after the 1st 2", and took on an earthy, charcoal character. It actually got mellower the farther toward the nub you got, which is usually the opposite of how cigar flavors evolve. One problem I did have with it was that it burned very unevenly. The draw was effortless, as is usually the case w/ Perdomo cigars, but there was a stem running thru the center of the smoke that burned more slowly than the rest of the filler, and it canoed quite a bit, going out several times.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked an Erin Go Bragh Irish whiskey infused yesterday morning before work (got to go in late). It had a pre-light aroma, & tasted for the 1st 1" or so, like Cocoa Puffs. I chalk that up to the sweetened tip. Believe it or not, this wasn't as sickly sweet as it sounds, and after it lightened up even more, this settled in to a mellow, slightly sweet smoke. I think the whiskey had a more prominent place here than it did as far as flavoring the smoke than it does in the SDlainte Scotch infused brand. I doubt I'd make this a regular smoke, but I definitely liked this better than the Slaintes (which, considering how much I adore Scotch, really surprises me). Fans of flavored or mild, mellow cigars will like these. Good for beginners, too.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Padilla Series 1948 last night. This was a nice mild-medium smoke (which is, from what I understand, somewhat rare for Padilla). It had a subdued woody core, with nice overtones of mellow spice. It did burn poorly, though. I could see two cylinders of leaf twisted inside the burning end, which seemed to inhibit the draw a bit, and one side kept going out & needing to be relit. That was a bit of a distraction, and while I enjoyed this smoke, I sense it could be much better if you get a better sepcimen. I presume this was a problem with this individual representative & not endemic to the brand, since in my 2 previous forays into Padilla country I encountered no such problems. Looking forward to trying another.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Rocky Patel Renaissance Sumatra last night. Didn't care for this at all. Very strong in body & flavor, but it had no nuance to speak of. All wood, with perhaps the FAINTEST hint of overly hearty spice. Reminded me a lot of the 5 Vegas Relic, which I don't like. I was interrupted & didn't get to finish it, and somehow can't find it in me to care. A Cigarfest Freebie.

[V]

All wood

heh heh...

[Ed Hocken]

*snickers*....wood.

[IggytheBorg]

[Shakes head sadly]

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Padilla Obsidian last night. This was a great tasting cigar, but I had a serious problem keeping it lit. It seemed like if I set it down for any length of time to pour a beer or something, it'd go out. Having to relight it as often as I did was a real pain in the ass. But flavor wise, it was top notch. Some dark chocolate & very subdued coffee notes (normally, coffe turns me off, but they were so subtle here I didn't mind). Nice spice thru the nose. Med-full in strength. And went PERFECTLY with the Stone Smoked Porter I selected last night. Quite possibly the best cigar/beer pairing I've ever done. Finishing Jack Ketchum's "Ladies Night" while pairing them was just the icing on a hedonism cake.

Not a Cigarfest freebie.

[IggytheBorg]

Went to NYC Saturday w/ my bro & a cousin. Stopped in at Nat Sherman and bought 8 cigars. I won't be doing that again. Why? I love Nat products, but those 8 smokes cost me $111.00. That NYC tobacco tax is fucking ridiculous. I wanted to tell the guy to forget it, but I didn't want to look like a shlub.

Anyway, while we were walking to the restaurant where we had dinner, I smoked a Suave I had just bought. The clerk tried to tslk me out of it because it is one of Nat's mellower offerings, & he could tell from my other selections I'd probably find it a flavorless airball. He was pretty much right. Not much flavor or nuance at all to speak of. I have nothing against melow smokes to be sure (I love Nat's Host selection, for instance), but this was REALLY light. NOt the best example of what the brand is capable of, for sure. Nothing BAD about it, mind, just. . . not enough, y'know? Beginners would probably like it, and you could do a whole lot worse than Nat.

Smoked a Casa Magna yesterday afternoon while prepping for my trial, and I didn't much care for that, either, for exactly the opposite reason. I had read that these were rated well over 90 by CA, so I figured it'd probably be good. But it was too over the top full for my taste. About as subtle as a sledgehammer, and as nuanced as a G'WAR song. Flavors of burnt wood and charcoal. I'm sure that would appeal to some, but I ain't one of 'em. An 09 Cigarfest freebie.

As I type this I'm smoking a Cain Series F. These are supposed to be Cain kicked into overdrive. That about sums it up. It started out really harsh, and I didn't think from the opening I'd like it at all, but bythe 3d inch (it's a massive 6x60 toro) it mellowed considerably. It has some of the creaminess & subtle sweetness that nakes Cain's standard blend great, which scores it some points, but these notes are definitely playing second fiddle to the increased full flavored oomph of the increased ligero in the blend. Good, but not great. Not a Cigarfest freebie.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Padilla Achilles Friday night. This was really, really good. Nice medium/full profile, with an earthy quality, some cedary sweetness, mellow spice and, toward the end, some leathery notes to give it a little kick. Ernesto Padilla really knows his shit. Recommended, and at CI, reasonably priced.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Nat Sherman Gotham West Side the other night. These are the same filler blend as the Gotham East Sides, but they are wrapped in maduro rather than Connecticut wrappers. I have always loved the snappy, firecracker like spiciness of the East Siders. They may be a little full for some, however. NOt so, the West Side! A nice level of tasty spice, yes, but the fullness is bluntd and sweetened a bit by the maduro wrapper. Truly great smokes! Kind of like the relationship between Gurkha 1887 Connecticuts & maduros, but both Nat's are far more refined. Much as I love Gurkha, including the 1887 in all its forms, Nat wins this contest hands down. I may blow that X-mas ca$h my mom always gives me as a present ordering a box of these this year.