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

[IggytheBorg]

On the way into court yesterday, I smoked an Alec Bradley Connecticut. As the name implies, this was a mild, mellow cigar. Pleasant, cedary flavors/aromas on the palate & thru the nose. I didn't detect a wj=hole lot of nuamce, to be honest. I'm not sure if that's because it didn;t have any, or because I tore the damned wrapper taking the label off. The glue just didn't want to give, and thei was an extremely thin & delicate wrapper. That may have inhibited the draw a bit, but it was booming out huge clouds of smoke, so I tend to doubt it. Alec Bradley is known for full flavored Nicaraguan blends, & many of those have garnered 90+ ratings (the Prensado got a 96; I've never heard of a higher rating). I get the feeling they don't do mellow as well, because it's outside their usual blending wheelhouse. I also think this id the only mellow smoke in their extensive lineup.

Last night as I prepared for the trial I started this morning, I smoked a Black Crown. The 1st thing you notice, and which stays present very strongly throughout the smoke, is the notes of black pepper, both on the palate & thru the nose. It had an earthy core, but little else going for it. Black pepper, if it's subdued & complimented by some other nuances, like sweetness or other spices, can add an additional dimension to a cigar. A little savory along with the sweet. But I'm not overly fond of smokes where it's a front & center dominant note. It comes off as harsh. Which is what this one did, pretty much start to finish. There was a note of sweetness on the lips from the wrapper itself, if not from the smoke. But for that reason, this didn't add to the smoking experience all that much. Not something I'd like to try again.

[IggytheBorg]

I smoked a Cigarfest freebie from a few years ago Friday afternoon. It was a Joya de Nicaragua blend, but I can't find it in CI's website, so I am not sure what it's called. It should be easily recognizable, however, because it had a unique wrapper set up. It was a light Connecticut for the 1st 2/3, & a darker maduro for the last 1/3. The CT portion was, not surprisingly delicate & mild, with some cedary sweetness & subdued notes of black cherries going on. The maduro portion was a bit more full flavored, with some leather & maybe a faint hint of pepper. The cherry notes weres till evident, though less so, making the CT portion my favorite part of the experience. A pretty radical departure for JdN, which is famous for extremely strong Nicaraguan blends. It reminded me a bit of the JdN Celebracion, but was probably better because the blck cherry was more reserved. The Celebracion almost tasted like a flavored cigar rather than a nuanced one. This JdN hybrid was the exact opposite.

I also smoked a very small San Lotano Oval Maduro petite corona (one of this year's 'fest freebies) I didn't love this, but it was definitely better than the full sized habano version in last year's haul, which I found overly harsh & full w/ few redeeming qualities. The maduro was strong for its size,but I guess because the narrow ring gague prevented an overwhelming amount of ligero to get stuffed in there. It was much more nuanced and pleasant. Some sugary sweetness was failntly evident on the finish. The core was mainly woodsmoke & leather, not necessarily in that order. It burned pretty slowly for such a small cigar, but still fit into my narrow window of smoking time quite nicely.

[IggytheBorg]

Couple nights ago, I smoked a Cargo by Rocky Patel. This was a great smoke. Flavor notes of earth & cocoa were most notable, with some very mild spice on the finish. Mild to medium in body/flavor, these reminded me a bit of a PuebloDoinicano (good company to be in indeed), but was much Smoother and milder. Highly recommended.

Also smoked a Black Ops Maduro last night. These are made by K. Hansotia, the same guy responsible for my beloved Gurkhas. This was an excellent cigar. A core of oak and earth, there were VERY faint notes of coffee present, particularly on the opening. Subtle cocoa flavors started in shortly thereafter, with an odd, pleasurable sweetness on the exhale. I would have described it as thick or syrupy; cheating & reading the CI blurb, the describe the sweet note as "honey". That's perfect. A very complex medium bodied smoke, these are even MORE highly recommended.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked another Cigarfest freebie the other day, an Alec Bradley American Sun Grown series. Had high hopes for this one, as all the sun growns I've smoked today but one by Rocky Patel have been extremely good. I was a bit disappointed. Sun grown wrappers tend to impart a spicy, but not overly hearty, and slightly sweet flavor/aroma. This one was more of a bold, black peppery spice, with a VERY faint & subdued sweetness on the finish. Too faint & subdued, IMO, to add much to this cigar. Nice compliments of earth & leather, but they were strongly overshadowed by the pepper, which as I've noted many times, is not a favorite flavor of mine in a cigar. Alec Bradley has much better offerings I'd recommend w/o reservation; this one not so much.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Drew Estate liga Privada Undercrown this AM on the way into work. Wasn't too enthused about this. Heavy notes of coffee & leather, it had the faintest trace of sweetness on the finish intermitently present throughout the burn. Very full bodied, w/ notes of black pepper and hearty spice. A little too full for my taste. Too bad, I had high hopes for this.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a Perdomo 20th Anniversary last night. Didn't really excite me. It was redolent of wood smoke & charcoal, maybe with a little bit of leather behind it. It had strong notes of hearty spice. It actually started out so spicy it was harsh, but this gradually subsided.

[IggytheBorg]

Last night I smoked a 5 Vegas Limitada 2013. These have been somewhat hit or miss over the years, butbthere have been more hits than misses. This one was a definite hit. It wasn't very complex, but it had a nice woodsy core, and a very heavy body offset delightfully by a cocoa like sweetmess. It literally seemed to dust the palate with a fine coating of cocoa powder you could actually feel. The wrapper itself had a nice sweetness to it, apart from the smoke's flavor & aroma. Even if you don;t normally go in for fuller bodied cigars, I wouldn't shy away from this one, as it was just so damned tasty, Recommended.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a CAO Concert last night. I had really high hopes for this one, & was somewhat disappointed. It was OK, make no mistake. A nice toasty, slightly woodsy core w/ a cedary sweetness present throughout the burn. If the former had been just a teeny bit less intense and the latter a tinly bit more so, this could have been on par w/ CAO's best. Not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but not truly exceptional either. Doubtful I'd buy another, but for a Cigarfest freebie, it worked.

[IggytheBorg]

As I type this, I am finishing up an Obsidian. If I could describe this cigar in one word, it would be "thick". It's a nice 54 ring gague, the wrapper is thick & chewy, it booms out thick clouds of smoke, and has a very full, heavvy body & flavor. The flavor is redolent of woodsmoke and coffee. Not unpleasantly so, but it isn't exactly my idea of a pleasurable smoke, either, as it's lacking in nuance or pleasant flavors/aromas. Doubt I'd buy one, it was one of this year's Cigarfest freebies.

[IggytheBorg]

Yesterday, smoked a Pinolero by AJ Fernandez. This was quite good. It reminded me a bit of his Sol Cubano Cuban Cabinet blend, but it was much more mellow, pleasant & refined. It had an earthy, leathery core with some spiciness & a touch of sweetness (particularly notable on the finish). Smooth from start to finish, with a medium to full body. The draw was effortless as well. I kind of didn't think I'd like this, as ads I've seen tout how full flavored/bodied it is, but I was most pleasantly surprised. I'd definitely buy more.

Today I smoked something from a local shop called a "Para Ti". It was given to me by an atty buddy I am often passing free smokes off to. It was a big, 6" x 56 toro. Heavy in the hand & densely packed, it smoked very slowly. The draw was also a bit tight. Some earth, tobacco & leather at the core. And on the finish, for that matter. Not a bad smoke, I suppose, but nothing about it really stands out, IMO. I've had worse freebies, but don't see myself buying any of these.

[IggytheBorg]

Currently enjoying a Ramon Bueso OdysseyA nice medium/full body, this one has a hint of peppery sweetness from the wrapper, and same is also evident through the nose on the finish. Liking this much more than his Genesis line.

[IggytheBorg]

Last night I smoked a Felipe Gregorio Fusion. This was one amazong smoke. Nice mellow, medium body, with faint notes of toast & leather, very mellow spice, and a caramel sweetness predominating for most of the smoke. It was most noticeable on the opening. Burn was near perfect as well, even & slow. The caramel notes reminded me a bit of the CAO L'Annniversaire Cameroon, but the caramel was a little more subtle w/ the FG. It more than made up for that, however, by having much more depth and a broader range of flavors going on. Probably a better smoke overall. It'd pair nicely, I think, with a Cragganmore.

[IggytheBorg]

The atty I tried that big case with last week brought me 2 RyJ Cuban Churchills. I smoked one on the ride to MA on Saturday, and it was magnificent. One of the best cigars I have ever somked. Mellow, w/ hints of sweet vanilla & toast. It was like smoking a glass of high quality root beer. NOW I understand the mystique behind Cuban cigars. Soooo glad I have another one.

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked a CAO Sopranos edition the other night. Kicking myself for not trying these sooner. It was delicious, with a syrupy sweetness on the aftertaste. Woody & earthy core, it was full bodied, with thick smoke booming out the whole time. They've apparently been discontinued, so if you've a mind, get 'em now while you still can. On Sale at CI, & cehap, as always, on 'Bid. But maybe not for long. . .

[IggytheBorg]

Smoked something called a "Macronix" last night. I presume from the Aztec mosaic inspired artwork & font on the label this cigar has at least some part of its makeup hailing from mexico. But I have never heard of or seen this brand before. It was a 2013 Cigarfest freebie. It was also utterly forgettable. Nothing bad about it, mind. Just nothing truly memorble. mellow & mild to medium in body, it had some hints of cedar & sweetness that, had they been just a little bit stronger, would have made it a pleasant, if not special, cigar.