Today was my first earnest effort at smoking down my humidor. Until I can get the amount of loose cigars down to a reasonable number, no picking from boxes/bundles. So that means smoking some cigars I've been avoiding for one reason or another. Much to my surprise, I found that maybe I should have smoked some of these sooner as they turned out OK.
First up was a ccom Corojo label churchill, a pleasant tasting, medium strength cigar. Up next was a Punch Gran Puro that had been sitting in the corner all by itself, well I fired that one up and found it to be a tasty cigar but it needed too much attention as the burn line never stayed true and some parts refused to burn at all, not bad in the flavor department though. And last up was a Bolivar Cofradia Suntuoso churchill...I don't know anything about this cigar, but it was a pretty decent cigar, got bitter in the last few inches, but was a good performing medium bodied smoke for the most part.
went with the 5 Vegas Cask Strenght II; first one pratically right off the truck was harsh but this was nice and leathery with hints of earth, chocolate, and maybe peat(not sure a little musty maybe earthy is better description whatever)regardless I enjoyed it. Didn't find it overpowering even though it's definitely full bodied.
Don't know whether I'll have one at work tonight or not...smoked one last night and the night before, and I think my throat is a little smoked out.
Last night was my first perfecto: a Gurkha Centurian. I was hoping to notice some of the complexity I've heard about from this vitola, but I have to say I missed it. Now, I wAs involved in conversation with a buddy and didn't pay as much attention as I otherwise would have, were I smoking alone...but it also may be due to my under-developed palate.
Night before that was a Padilla Habano. Thought I'd give these another try...still not really in my faves list, but it's an ok stick.
Last night was my first perfecto: a Gurkha Centurian. I was hoping to notice some of the complexity I've heard about from this vitola, but I have to say I missed it. Now, I wAs involved in conversation with a buddy and didn't pay as much attention as I otherwise would have, were I smoking alone...but it also may be due to my under-developed palate.
I've found the Centurian to be a very subtle cigar. You have to really devote yourself to picking out the subtleties and complexities of it. When I did a thorough tasting of it, the cigar took me over 2 hours to smoke and I filled 1 1/2 pages in my notebook. I'm not going ti try and kid myself that I'm good at reviewing cigars, but given the time and dedication, I surprised myself with this one.
I had my first of 5 of the stubbies that Mike and I split. I was highly surprised by this cigar and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's exactly the same size and shape as the RP Vintage Petit Corona or Sungrown Petit Corona in the figurado shape. Excellent short smoke with tons of mocha, coffee, and leather flavors. Wonderfully smooth smoke, easy on the nostrils when I blew through my nose, and even burn all the way through. Only set back I can think of is the initial light with the figurado shape. I always have a problem getting these things started with the little nipple shape at the end. Same problem with the Arturo Fuente Hemmingway Short Story and the RP Vintage 1990 & 1992 & RP Sungrown Petit Coronas.
Today was another Gurkha Beauty Maduro.. once again a very solid performer. This time I really noticed the coffee bean/cocoa profile. The burn was a little off on this, but never an annoyance. Still have a few left, that I will let age.
Had two today... Something called a Calle Ocho... really mild taste but I ashed the entire cigar!!!!! And on my way home from work I had a Rocky Patel Renaissance. The flavor to strength profile on this one are kinda off... but I really liked it wish I had some Jim Beam to go with it... but we know drinking and driving don't mix... or do they?
Tonight I enjoyed a Padilla 1932 robusto. Haven't had one in a while, these have been in the humi quite a while. It had a sweetness that I didn't remember from before, these have aged very well.
I got my pipe a few days ago and won't get my tobacco until Monday (I'd go to a tobacconist but all the ones near me suck). Anxious to smoke it, I took apart a CAO Gold Karat and smoked it in the pipe. I really wished I smoked it in its cigar form =/.
I started tonight with a Gurkha Empire IV. It was kinda tasty but not great. It was pretty mild and overall not bad. Then, I moved to the Huge A$$ Anejo. This sucker is big. Took me forever to smoke it. It was good but I like the torpedo better.
FINALLY broke my dry streak tonight and did it in grand fashion! Started out with a good reliable favorite Don Pepin Blue toro. As always an awesome smoke!!! Next up was one that has been talked about a lot lately due to them being released for the holidays, the Fuente Anejo! Damn I love that smoke and almost forgot how much. These are always such a treat and soooo good. My local shop has them pretty cheap this year too. They have the Churchill sized ones for around $10. Good deal at twice the price for this cigar if you ask me.
Got in a few today. First up was a La Cuna 1720 churchill, made it about 1.5 inches before tossing it as something tasted off and it was not enjoyable. Now for the rant.
To make up for that earlier failure, I decided to try one of my newly acquired Tatuaje Black torpedo tubos, for as much hype as there was surrounding the original Black, and as much as there was around this one as well, I just didn't think it was that incredible....don't get me wrong here, it was a good cigar, but it was no better than some of the regular Tatuaje lines that you can buy all day and night almost every day. And quite frankly, all this super limited release stuff is ridiculous, if the cigar is good and can stand on its own two legs, then make it a damn regular release, don't intentionally create scarcity in the market by only making several thousand if you have the ability and capacity to make more. All this does is make it harder for true cigar lovers to get some because all the people with dollar signs in their eyes see a way to make a quick turn around selling them for 2-5 times what they paid. Now that the Black tubos and Verocu tubos have been released (and sold out), I'm done with Tatuaje's "sell out in 5 minutes" specials. It's not worth the time, the trouble/disappointment or the money, not at $10-$14 each. So someone else can waste their time tracking the super limited releases, I'll kick back and smoke a brown label or a Cabaiguan and enjoy it as much as you enjoy your stupid monster release, or whatever limited release is going on next month. Rant over.
Once again, the best cigar of the day was a La Flor Dominicana DL oscuro lancero. While not as good, in my opinion, as the cameroon or ESCU, the oscuro is a flavorful and powerful cigar, in fact I think this one had the worst balance of the three, as the strength seemed to overpower the taste. Great flavor, great cigar. And hey, I can go buy some right now if I want, Litto knows how to do cigars, if it's good make enough to go around.
I hate ltd releases, I mean they are friggin cigars already. It's worse than my star wars collecting.... ::::sigh::::
I had a liga privada t52 yesterday and though I really enjoy the #9, I wasn't very impressed with this cigar. It was like smoking an LX2 from CAO but with really no flavor. The spice was way overpowering. And while I like strong cigars, I like flavor too. And for 11 bucks I could have picked up a Anejo or Opus.... Though the opus22's my shop got in were tickling my wallet... Though for 99 bucks I wasn't going to pick 1 cigar up.
I had my first of 5 of the stubbies that Mike and I split. I was highly surprised by this cigar and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's exactly the same size and shape as the RP Vintage Petit Corona or Sungrown Petit Corona in the figurado shape. Excellent short smoke with tons of mocha, coffee, and leather flavors. Wonderfully smooth smoke, easy on the nostrils when I blew through my nose, and even burn all the way through. Only set back I can think of is the initial light with the figurado shape. I always have a problem getting these things started with the little nipple shape at the end. Same problem with the Arturo Fuente Hemmingway Short Story and the RP Vintage 1990 & 1992 & RP Sungrown Petit Coronas.
Yes. I'm quoting myself. Only cause it's a related topic.
So, yesterday I smoked the Famous Stubby Maduro and I really enjoyed it. Today, I smoked the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 in the exact same size and shape and, frankly, I wasn't impressed. This is the second RP 90 that I've smoked and while this one was much much better than the first, (first was a bad stick.... tasted like mold) there just weren't any flavors that jumped out at me. It was a good smoke, it was a smooth smoke, it had an even burn and good construction. If someone hands me one, I'll smoke it and I'll enjoy it, but when I'm looking for a great, short smoke, I'll be reaching for the Stubby Maduro before the RPV 90 Petit Corona from now on. Tomorrow, I'll try the RPV 92 Petit Corona and compare it to both of these.
I hate ltd releases, I mean they are friggin cigars already. It's worse than my star wars collecting.... ::::sigh::::
I had a liga privada t52 yesterday and though I really enjoy the #9, I wasn't very impressed with this cigar. It was like smoking an LX2 from CAO but with really no flavor. The spice was way overpowering. And while I like strong cigars, I like flavor too. And for 11 bucks I could have picked up a Anejo or Opus.... Though the opus22's my shop got in were tickling my wallet... Though for 99 bucks I wasn't going to pick 1 cigar up.
Ouch! $99 is a bit much for one smoke. My shop has the Gurkha Triad for $100 a stick... For some people, not for me. They have the Anejo's and you won't pay over $15 for any size, most around $10. Also they have a ton of Opus and they are priced in the $12-$18 range... I couldn't justify the price for something like that.
It's been cold and rainy for the past couple days, but not cold enough to keep me inside. Today was a Tatuaje Verocu tubo...without repeating my rant from yesterday regarding the Black tubo, well suffice to say this one is a good cigar but not really exceptional...maybe I was expecting too much from a super limited cigar. Later was an Oliva Serie V Double Robusto that came my way via our cat loving buddy up north, always one I enjoy, thanks Doug.
Just finished a 5 Vegas Miami. It was actually my first 5 Vegas period and I loved it. Super peppery blast to start, mellowed a bit with a little sugary-sweetness near the middle, and picked up some of the spice again towards the last third. I will definitely revisit this one and will look forward to trying some other of the 5 Vegas's. Any recommendations and/or comparisons with the Miami vs some of the other 5 Vegas's?
Also, I just had the pettit corona -- picked up a handful of these for some quick smokes to get me through the cold months. Probably will go ahead and pick up some larger sizes of the Miami's and put 'em away for warmer days to come, as this one was right up my alley.
Having a San Cristobal Sungrown (I think). I just got back from the B&M, and they had these there. The wrapper is a bit lighter than the normal San Cristobals and they have a foot band that says "Seleccion del Sol", so I am assuming these are using a sun-grown wrapper. Anyone else heard of/seen/had these? So far, it is pretty good, a bit more spicy than the regular San Cristobal (another reason I'm pretty sure its a sun-grown wrapper), but not too overpowering.
That's apparently a new one Tony. I noticed it when browsing another online shop. You're right about the Sun Grown wrapper. That's one I'm wanting to try.
Having a San Cristobal Sungrown (I think). I just got back from the B&M, and they had these there. The wrapper is a bit lighter than the normal San Cristobals and they have a foot band that says "Seleccion del Sol", so I am assuming these are using a sun-grown wrapper. Anyone else heard of/seen/had these? So far, it is pretty good, a bit more spicy than the regular San Cristobal (another reason I'm pretty sure its a sun-grown wrapper), but not too overpowering.
I had one of these a while back and was dissapointed. It wasn't a bad cigar, but just didn't seem to have as much flavor as the regular San Cristobal. I'm a big fan of the origional blend and these just didn't live up to it. The one I've had the new blend of lately that I really like was the La Aroma de Cuba. The new Pepin blend with the red band on the foot is awesome!!!
Comments
First up was a ccom Corojo label churchill, a pleasant tasting, medium strength cigar. Up next was a Punch Gran Puro that had been sitting in the corner all by itself, well I fired that one up and found it to be a tasty cigar but it needed too much attention as the burn line never stayed true and some parts refused to burn at all, not bad in the flavor department though. And last up was a Bolivar Cofradia Suntuoso churchill...I don't know anything about this cigar, but it was a pretty decent cigar, got bitter in the last few inches, but was a good performing medium bodied smoke for the most part.
Last night was my first perfecto: a Gurkha Centurian. I was hoping to notice some of the complexity I've heard about from this vitola, but I have to say I missed it. Now, I wAs involved in conversation with a buddy and didn't pay as much attention as I otherwise would have, were I smoking alone...but it also may be due to my under-developed palate.
Night before that was a Padilla Habano. Thought I'd give these another try...still not really in my faves list, but it's an ok stick.
And on my way home from work I had a Rocky Patel Renaissance. The flavor to strength profile on this one are kinda off... but I really liked it wish I had some Jim Beam to go with it... but we know drinking and driving don't mix... or do they?
To make up for that earlier failure, I decided to try one of my newly acquired Tatuaje Black torpedo tubos, for as much hype as there was surrounding the original Black, and as much as there was around this one as well, I just didn't think it was that incredible....don't get me wrong here, it was a good cigar, but it was no better than some of the regular Tatuaje lines that you can buy all day and night almost every day. And quite frankly, all this super limited release stuff is ridiculous, if the cigar is good and can stand on its own two legs, then make it a damn regular release, don't intentionally create scarcity in the market by only making several thousand if you have the ability and capacity to make more. All this does is make it harder for true cigar lovers to get some because all the people with dollar signs in their eyes see a way to make a quick turn around selling them for 2-5 times what they paid. Now that the Black tubos and Verocu tubos have been released (and sold out), I'm done with Tatuaje's "sell out in 5 minutes" specials. It's not worth the time, the trouble/disappointment or the money, not at $10-$14 each. So someone else can waste their time tracking the super limited releases, I'll kick back and smoke a brown label or a Cabaiguan and enjoy it as much as you enjoy your stupid monster release, or whatever limited release is going on next month. Rant over.
Once again, the best cigar of the day was a La Flor Dominicana DL oscuro lancero. While not as good, in my opinion, as the cameroon or ESCU, the oscuro is a flavorful and powerful cigar, in fact I think this one had the worst balance of the three, as the strength seemed to overpower the taste. Great flavor, great cigar. And hey, I can go buy some right now if I want, Litto knows how to do cigars, if it's good make enough to go around.
I had a liga privada t52 yesterday and though I really enjoy the #9, I wasn't very impressed with this cigar. It was like smoking an LX2 from CAO but with really no flavor. The spice was way overpowering. And while I like strong cigars, I like flavor too. And for 11 bucks I could have picked up a Anejo or Opus.... Though the opus22's my shop got in were tickling my wallet... Though for 99 bucks I wasn't going to pick 1 cigar up.
So, yesterday I smoked the Famous Stubby Maduro and I really enjoyed it. Today, I smoked the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 in the exact same size and shape and, frankly, I wasn't impressed. This is the second RP 90 that I've smoked and while this one was much much better than the first, (first was a bad stick.... tasted like mold) there just weren't any flavors that jumped out at me. It was a good smoke, it was a smooth smoke, it had an even burn and good construction. If someone hands me one, I'll smoke it and I'll enjoy it, but when I'm looking for a great, short smoke, I'll be reaching for the Stubby Maduro before the RPV 90 Petit Corona from now on. Tomorrow, I'll try the RPV 92 Petit Corona and compare it to both of these.
Also, I just had the pettit corona -- picked up a handful of these for some quick smokes to get me through the cold months. Probably will go ahead and pick up some larger sizes of the Miami's and put 'em away for warmer days to come, as this one was right up my alley.