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

[IggytheBorg]

Don't know how I forgot this, but last week I smoked a Nub maduro. I had high hopes for this one, as the descriptions promised notes of espresso laced with sugar. It was something of a disappointment, in that the sugar wasn't as strong as I had hoped it would be (but it was definitely there). On the other hand, lemonade is made herebecause the espresso is also somewhat subdued. All told, a harmonius blending of those 2 elements & some earth. Nothing stood out & overpowered the other elements, but they all played nicely together.

I also smoked a Padilla Miami Burberry the other night. This is one of the most visually interesting cigars ever. It has 3 wrappers, but they're not wrapped in a typical Barber pole fashion. They're cross hatched to form a couple of "x"s. It was almost too pretty to smoke. And it smoked nice & slow. Lasted damn near 2 1/2 hrs, and there was still more usable length to go. But it was 1 in the damn morning, so I had to give up on it. The draw was a bit too tight, but not so much so that it ruined the smoke. A nice mix of earth & nuts predominantly. A low end medium in body. Very pleasant and enjoyable. ANother winner from Padilla. hard to find & expensive, but CI is running a deal where you can 5 of these & 5 Sol Cubano Artisans (which are also 3 wrapper sportin', exceptionally tasty smokes) for something like $49.95. Considering the Sol Cubanos alone typically retail for $25.00 each, it's not a bad deal. If you're curious, act now (or seek it out on Cigarbid if you can).

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Gran Habano Corojo last night. This was an 09 Cigarfest freebie, and I've avoided smoking it this long because I figured I wouldn't like it. My mistake. This thing was goddam delicious! Started out really, really full, and I was sure I wouldn't like it. Almost overwhelming flavors of burnt wood. But it mellowed nicely very soon after that, and maintained a full flavored but pleasantly spicy flavor all the way down to the nub. It didn't change or evolve much after that, but it was so good as it was, I didn't care. It also burned well; nice & slow & even. Damned glad we got a larger one at this year's fest!

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a la Perla Habana Classic last night. I had smoked a blend by La Perla years ago, and really liked it. I believed at the time they only made one blend (well, maybe two; I thought they had a maduro in addition to the habano). So Ididn't really take note of exactly what the wrapper looked like. Turns out there are now 5 (that I know of). If the Black Pearl and this are any indication, they're all gonna be GOOD. This is wrapped in a sumatra leaf, which generally indicates spiciness in the flavor profile. It did not disappoint. Very tasty, right down to the nub. COnsistent flavor from start to finish, and not a bad part (eg., a harsh opening, etc.) to be had. Burned nice and even as well. Cigar.com was selling 5 pack samplers of the 5 blends for I think $19.95 a little while ago, which is how I got these. If they're still running that promotion, I highly recommend acting on it. It's definitely worth it. Also, Cigarsintl is selling the classics for $29.95 for a box of robustos. THAT is a fire-breathing, building-smashing, people-eating monster of a deal. If you want to try something spicy but far from overwhelming, you could not go wrong with these.

[IggytheBorg]

Thanksgiving night, my wife went out at midnight to do a little X-mas shopping. My son's spending the weekend at Mom's, so what was a lone 'Borg to do? Light up a La Perla Habana Cobre and drink some Old Scratch Amber Lager, that's what. The Cobre was a nice mellow cigar. Smooth, mildly spicy and creamy. The other La Perla blends I've tried so far (classic & Morado) overshadow it significantly, however. They're much more flavorful.

As an aside: I noted in the Happiness management thread that I received a box of Gurkha Black Dragons from a friend for my birthday. I believed this was a box of 10. But as I retrieved the box from its spot on my workbench to give to my brother later today, I felt something shift inside it, and realized for the 1st time there was a lift out tray in this box, and it is in fact a box of TWENTY. I can't imagine what this cost my friend. He's fucking crazy (but in the best way).

[IggytheBorg]

On the way into work the other day, I smoked a Gran Habano Habano #2, At 1st, I thought this was going to be a bad smoke. It started off very strong; even harsh. BUt after the 1st 1/2" it took on a much more subdues quality. Still full flavored, to be sure, but the harsh elements calmed down into notes of toasty wood & a pleasant charcoal like flavor. The wrapper itself had a sort of sweet taste (very faint) where I was chewing it. Didn't really detect any sweetness in the smoke, though. This was almost what I was afraid the Gran Habano Corojo was going to be. It was somewhat enjoyable once the initial harshness was out of the way, but not something I like enough to ever purchase again.

[IggytheBorg]

The other day, I took my son out for a ride on the bike he got for Christmas and smked a La Lerla Habana Black Pearl. Pretty good, but not the best of the bunch, as far as that brand is concerned. Mainly a nutty & leathery component, and medium bodied. The classic and MOrado blends are far more interesting, IMO. Last night, in below freezing winds, I smoked a Padilla Miami. This was quite good. Ernesto Padilla continues his streak. This smoke was somewhat reminiscent of the Commerative 1932, in that there were some notes of red & white pepper present (the latter much more noticeable than the former), but at moderate, fairly subdues levels. Also present was a note of slight sweetness on the finish. A medium-full body. This was much more pleasant & accessible than the 1932, and would probably edge the 1932 out in a head to head contest. Recommended.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Torano Dominico the other night. This was really good. A pleasant but flavorful mild smoke. It had a mild, earthy core and strong notes of cedar with a slight sweetness. Kind of reminded me of a Don Diego Playboy, although the latter may be a bit more flavorful. However, it's also more expensive. For a more than serviceable, economical mild smoke, the Dominico fills the bill nicely.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked an Alec Bradley Family Blend last night. This was a fat rothschild, 4.5" x 58, and it took almost 2 hours to smoke (lengthened, I'm sure, because it went out twice). This was quite good. I was a little hesitant, because the last Alec Bradley product I tried (the Tempus) was pretty lame. But my fears were ultimately unfounded. A nice medium body, primarily toasty with nice earthy, mildly sweet notes present on the finish. A pleasant, mellow smoke. A Cigarfest '10 freebie.

[IggytheBorg]

Both myself and Potch (my smoking buddy from Ye Olde Other Site) were unsuccessful at scoring tickets to this year's Cigarfest. No freebies and scantily clad women for us this year. Considering how little I get to do with my friends these days, everyone's time being at such a premium, this is most disappointing.

[V]

Ig,

Recommend a good quality smoke for a fellow on a fixed income. Something bold, mind you...

[IggytheBorg]

Sorry for the delay in response, Vin. I'm gonna be burning one tonight. I'll peruse the CI catalog and see what strikes me, and post it, along with a review of tonight's sacrifice, a Puros Indios Reserva Maxima.

I popped back in, however, to note that I smoked an Oliva Serie O last week. I had smoked a Serie O Maduro last year, and was less than enthused. It wasn't bad, but it was a littel heavier than I'd like. It was, and God forgive me for using this hackneyed analogy, like a Serie G on steroids. The Serie G has subtle flavors of nuts, leather and earth, and was delicately layered and pleasant. The Serie O had pretty much the same array of flavors, but lacked the subtlety of the Serie G. The Serie O habano wrapped specimens are pretty much the same thing. The flavors are GOOD, but a little too strong to be pleasant; it's almost like there's sometining. . . off . . . about them. Like a note of bitterness behind the nuts and earth. far from the worst, but nowhere near the best.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Gurkha Evil last night. I fucking love the names they give their smokes; Ancient Warrior, Avenger, Centurian, Blue Steel. . . and now the "Evil". How can you NOT at least try a cigar swith a name like that? It was quite good, having hints of nuts and a very pleasant cedary sweetness on the finish. Some essence of wood smoke and maybe leather, particularly for the 1st 1". Enjoyable, sure. But isn't in the same league as the best Gurkha has to offer; it's no Legend or Regent, that's for sure. Still, worth it for the name alone.

[IggytheBorg]

Ig,

Recommend a good quality smoke for a fellow on a fixed income. Something bold, mind you...

Sorry this took so long, but as I perused the catalog I mentioned above, I noted that most of the fuller flavored blends CI sells are what passes for pricey for them ($100+ per box). My conclusion is this: The La Perla Rojo. You can get a bundle of 20 robustos for $39.95. All La Perla blends are top notch, and this is the fulles (as well as the cheapest). NOte the above only applies to CI. Go to Cigarsintl.com to purchase.

CI sells singles and 5 packs of most of the stuff they have on the site, so if you don't need a whole box or bundle of something, you can give almost anything on the site/catalog a whirl. The per stick price will be higher, but the overall cost lower. If you buy 5 sticks, you get the 6th free if you're buying singles. Ci's descriptions of flavor profiles is also incomparably detailed, the delivery speed incredibly fast, and their customer service unbeatable. Alternatively, you could go over to cigarbid.com, their sister company, and bid on lots of something that looks interesting. If you're patient enough, you can score some real bargains on almost anything you might be looking for.

Hope that helps, and if you do end up buying anything, let me know what you picked.

[V]

Sorry this took so long, but as I perused the catalog I mentioned above, I noted that most of the fuller flavored blends CI sells are what passes for pricey for them ($100+ per box). My conclusion is this: The La Perla Rojo. You can get a bundle of 20 robustos for $39.95. All La Perla blends are top notch, and this is the fulles (as well as the cheapest). NOte the above only applies to CI. Go to Cigarsintl.com to purchase.

CI sells singles and 5 packs of most of the stuff they have on the site, so if you don't need a whole box or bundle of something, you can give almost anything on the site/catalog a whirl. The per stick price will be higher, but the overall cost lower. If you buy 5 sticks, you get the 6th free if you're buying singles. Ci's descriptions of flavor profiles is also incomparably detailed, the delivery speed incredibly fast, and their customer service unbeatable. Alternatively, you could go over to cigarbid.com, their sister company, and bid on lots of something that looks interesting. If you're patient enough, you can score some real bargains on almost anything you might be looking for.

Hope that helps, and if you do end up buying anything, let me know what you picked.

Sweet!

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Camacho cigar on the way to a dep today. Sometimes those long drives spent partly in city traffic are so worth it, because it affords me the opportunity to enjoy a smoke. The fact I had an ice cold soda by my side and was cranking "Wish You Were Here", in sunny mid 60-s weather (following our record breaking cold snap & season of blizzards) made it just so much better. I am not sure of the series this cigar hails from, because I don't see a corresponding representative on the CI site for sale (this was a Cigarfest '10 freebie). It had a white band a light connecticut wrapper. As I kind of expected, it was mild-medium in body (probably closer to medium). It had a nice toasty flavor, with some cedar & coffee notes (but the latter so subdued it didn't ruin it for me). A decdent smoke, but nothing to write home about, and nothing I'd seek out (not that I could find it anyway). From what I understand, this is a departure from Camacho's usual tendency toward very strong, full flavored cigars, and was certainly more pleasant than any other Camacho blend I've tried thus far (aside from the CI Legends series white label).