Review: Black Pearl Morado

Today’s cigar was turned on to me by someone from the country club I visit in South Jersey from time to time. While I am not a member I sometimes attend with friends who are and sit on the deck while smoking stogies overlooking the golf course. It makes for a nice relaxing day. About 6 months ago these cigars had a tremendous buzz about them because Cigar Aficionado gave them a rating in the 90s. Recently the cigars have taken a hit and now only achieves a score in the upper 80s. While the cigar never was a 90s smoke for me, it was enjoyable and the price is right.

Cigar: Black Pearl Morado
Origin: Honduras
Size: 4.75 x 52 Robusto
Wrapper: African Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan Grown Habano
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: The purple band on the bottom of these cedar wrapped cigars really grab your eye. They look nice in the box, and once removing the cedar the scent on the wrapper is none other then, yes you guessed it cedar. The cigar itself has some veins and the wrapper is a bit thin. The pre-light draw and the scent of the foot was a little spicy. I used a V-Cut on this cigar for no reason other then the cutter was closest to my reach.

Smoke: There were subtle notes of nuts (cashew?) and a soft spice throughout as well as a creaminess. The notes remained in the background and were pretty hard to distinguish but they were there. The burn on this cigar was clean and crisp. The ash a very light gray and it held on for a good while.

Overall: The Morado is a pretty relaxing medium body simple cigar. Nothing in your face, just a clean simple cigar. The best part is the price which is definitely right.  I know this does not sound great, but it is a plain Jane and sometimes those are the best flings…

My Local Price: 4.75
Rating: 87 (Out of 100)

Review: CAO LX2

It’s been too long between reviews and for that I apologize. The last few days I have had to start work early, do car repairs and one day I just didn’t want to wake up. Unless I smoke in the AM or early evening in seclusion I won’t do a review so I had to neglect the blog for a few days.

I had a family BBQ today and took a cigar gifted to me by someone at the cigar show in Las Vegas. I made my way through the woods and sat by the lake with today’s stick. The CAO LX 2 is probably one of the most anticipated cigars of the year. The LX2 stand for Ligero x 2. Ligero comes from the top half of the tobacco plant and receives the most sunlight of the plant. The direct sunlight enhances the strength of the tobacco and results in a higher level of nicotine. So if you are prone to that light headed queasy feeling have something sweet before you smoke one of these.

The Skinny:

Cigar: CAO LX2
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 5 x 48 Robusto
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua & Dominican Republic

Pre-Light: A few people have reviewed these cigars and they all pretty much suggested the cigar needed some aging time, so I let it age a week. I wanted to go longer, but really wanted to try this stick. At first appearance it doesn’t look all that. The cap is slightly sloppy, the wrapper has more veins visible then any cigar I can think of and there is so much bumpiness to the cigar that a blind man might think he is reading moby dick. The scent at the foot was nutty with some slight pepper, while the wrapper had something I couldn’t really define and was very oily. The pre-light draw revealed some earth. One note about the band, when I first saw the ad campaign I was very impressed with the design. With the cigar in hand the band is even more impressive and it’s a nice piece of art.

Smoke: Cigar Jack was the first person to review this cigar and one thing he stated was the cigar had notes of jalapeño peppers which made me wonder what he smoked prior to the LX2 but right away on the first third of the smoke I picked up some really hot pepper. However, I wouldn’t call it jalapeño I would say it was closer to cayenne pepper. The other notes of the cigar were a sweet creamy chocolate, and some nuttiness. The cayenne pepper came and went and was most noticeable in the first and last third of the stick. Despite the questionable appearance of the cigar it smoked really well, needing no touch ups, and while the burn line was slightly jagged it was extremely acceptable.

Overall: I used a punch cut on this cigar to limit the smoke intake because of how strong everyone said these cigars are. I believe due to the fact I used to hole punch the cigar appeared to be more medium bodied to me. As I said in my preface this cigar is highly anticipated and should live up to the hype for most people. It is to date the best CAO I have ever smoked, and I consider myself a big fan of their smokes. If the appearance was better it would of scored 2-3 points higher.

My Local Price: TBD (Not yet available)
Rating: 91 (Out of 100)

Review: RoxoR deluxe

Today’s smoke was gifted to me by someone who was at the trade show in Las Vegas. Whit it is a cigar that I have never smoked before, it was still a gift. Since he had two of these and since I have been trying to teach my buddy Sonny how to identify and taste the subtleties of notes that cigars we both decided to go live with his abilities and do a joint review of this cigar.

I was pretty surprised how far my student has come. We took our notes separately and did not compare them until the smoke was over. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Roxio Deluxe
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 5 x 54 Robusto
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua

The Pre-Light Ritual
Barry	Sonny
I used a straight cut on this cigar and on the wrapper I picked up notes of molasses, cherry, and cocoa. At the foot I got Hay and Straw. The pre-light draw gave me some molasses. The cigar it self was nicely rolled and nice in color, despite being unheard of this cigar looked really nice. While some veins were visible, it did have a nice amount of oils.	For me on the wrapper I picked up mostly cherry, while at the foot there was a sweetness I could not quite place. The pre-light draw was smooth I picked up notes of cocoa and some molasses. The cigar looked well rolled and was packed with tobacco.

The Smoke
Barry	Sonny
This cigar definitely had some changes while I smoked it. After lighting it with a cedar strip I picked up notes of pepper, sweet spices and nutmeg on the first 1/3rd. The second 1/3rd for me the cigar went a little flat but there were subtle notes of coffee and nutmeg. While the final third for me became a little bitter with notes of bitter coffee. The most amazing thing about this smoke was the ash and burn line. Both were perfect.	First off let me state I have been smoking for almost 30 years. Until Barry took the time to teach me how to taste cigars I never knew about thirds. But sure enough the cigar does change over the smoke in thirds. The first third for me had a strong notes of pepper and some nuttiness as well. The second third for me went flat in terms of taste, but was still enjoyable The final third became very bitter with burnt bitter coffee and some nutty notes.

Overall
Barry	Sonny
For a cigar I never heard of this was not a bad smoke that reminded me a lot of an Oliva. It was also enjoyable to smoke with my student who actually introduced me to smoking cigars 10 years ago. I would give it an 87.	Very nice cigar and despite it going dead on me in terms of picking up notes in the middle part I still give this cigar a fairly high rating of an 89.

My Local Price: Gift
Rating: 88 (Out of 100)

Review: Gurkha Centurian

[I managed to get my hands on a CAO LX 2 today and once it sits in my humidor for a few days I will smoke it and post the review. One of my most eagerly awaited smokes]

One drawback of writing this blog is that my monthly cigar budget has gone through the roof. So it is nice when my brothers and sisters of the leaf gift me cigars. This particular cigar was gifted to me from an Elk in Toms River. So Dennis I thank you for your generosity it is always appreciated and your suggestions for the website, such as the Cigar FAQ are always welcome.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Gurkha Centurain
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 6 x 60 Double Perfecto
Wrapper: Connecticut (USA/Maduro)
Binder: Dominican Republic

Pre-Light: For a change I was able to smoke in relative comfort for the first time in 9 days. The heatwave broke and by the beach today it was overcast, breezy, and quiet. Ideal conditions to enjoy a cigar, or so I thought.  The color of this cigar is very chocolaty. It has some prominent veins although the roll was nice, and the cigar itself was packed with tobacco leaving it firm to the touch with no soft spots. The notes of the wrapper were not very friendly as the scent was that of low tide despite that not being the case by the water. I felt as if I was passing a fish store. The pre-light draw was difficult so I opened the pre-cut end by another 1/8th of an inch which increased the draw dramatically.  This perfecto was easy to light and opened up beautifully.

Smoke: Thankfully when I smoked this cigar the pre-light scent of the wrapper was non-existent in the smoke. The smoke it self has notes of leather throughout. Mixed intermittently throughout the smoke were notes of spice, nutmeg, and coffee grinds.

Overall: Despite the scent off the wrapper the cigar was not horrible, but it was not enjoyable for me. I tend not to like cigars that have a strong leather notes to them which was the case here.

My Local Price: Gift
Rating: 84 (Out of 100)

Review: Padron 1926 Serie #35

The heat in New York City has been unbearable as of late with afternoon temperatures hovering in the mid to upper 90s even by the water where it is supposed to be cooler. This excessive heat has cut into my review time as I will not review a cigar unless I am in seclusion from other cigar smokers. Smoking in a B&M I feel seriously effects the outcome of a review as you are surround by others smoking. These aromas can alter your taste perceptions and it is unfair to the cigar manufactures to review in a dirty environment.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Padron 1926 Serie
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: #35 4x 47
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Light: I chose this small size smoke today to beat the heat. At 9am it it was already 86 degrees and the humidity was an oppressive 100%. I can’t wait for the fall. The 1926 was created in 2002 to celebrate the 75th birthday of Jose O. Padron. The tobacco is aged 5 years, This box pressed cigar is limited to a production of 100,000 per year. Surprisingly I did not pick up any aroma off the wrapper however, the foot gave me some spices while the pre-light draw was some hints of cedar and pepper.

Smoke: This cigar was small enough where I will not break it down into thirds, my overall smoking time was about 50 minutes. As with most Padron cigars the draw was flawless and the cigar it self burned well never once coming close to needing a touch up. The notes were cedar, nuts, and some chocolate toward the end.

Overall: While I prefer the 1964 to the 1926, this smoke was completely enjoyable despite the oppressive smoking conditions. This complex smoke was full bodied and something I keep in my humidor at all times.

My Local Price: $10.50
Rating: 94 (Out of 100)

Newman & Fuente Families

The reviews will continue in the next 18 hours with a Padron Serie 1926 but in keeping with the theme of patting myself on the back, I just wanted to share that I was recognized by the Fuente and Newman family so I tip my cap to them and say thank you…..

Barry,

I am writing on behalf of the Fuente and Newman families to ask if we can
add your e-mail address to our company’s Internet cigar media distribution
list.  We send out a general newsletter each month and press releases an
average of once a month.  We think that you, as a cigar blogger, might be
interested in receiving this cigar industry news.  However, because we
respect your privacy, we want to get your permission first.

Also, would you consider adding a link on your page to CigarFamily.com,
which is the Official Site of the Arturo Fuente and J.C. Newman Cigar Family
(http://www.cigarfamily.com)?

Finally, I invite you to visit and join our CigarFamily.com Cigar Lounge
Online Forum at http://lounge.cigarfamily.com.  With 3.5 million messages
posted and 17,000 members, the Cigar Lounge is the largest online cigar
community.  It is full of informative and vibrant discussions about cigars
and life.

So until tmrw, keep on smoking my brothers and sisters of the leaf…

Smoke Off!

The World According to Stew and I have developed a nice on-line friendship over our love of cigars. He recently suggested we do a Smoke Off review of a cigar of his choosing. While our tastes differed on the cigar, our conclusion was the same…

Check out the review on his blog by going here.

The review proves on thing though… while it may be Red Sox Nation, it will forever be a Yankees Universe!

Review: Illusione 68 (Bombone)

Yesterday I was hanging out with some friends at the Elks in NJ smoking some cigars, slamming back a few drinks when someone brought up I watch the Tour De France. Well I got a lot of abuse for watching the “Tour De Fag”. Say what you want about the French, but the countryside is beautiful and it’s just an interesting event to watch. I try to watch it on a regular basis when I can. It’s no worse then people watching Track & Field events in my eyes..

Anyway today’s cigar the Illusione is another cigar with tremendous buzz. At the IPCPR (Formerly the RTDA) the lines at the booth for this cigar company on Monday and Tuesday were so crazy, that come Wednesday they had signs up stating, “SOLD OUT”. Rumor has it that all the cigars they have are now spoken about for the rest of the year. So if your looking to buy them, get them when you see them because there won’t be any more orders filled the remainder of the year unless they were gotten at the trade show.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Illusione
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: Bombone 4×44 (Petit Corona)
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Cafe Colorado wrapper)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (Ligero)

Pre-Light: This beautiful Colorado wrapper was full of oil with virtually no veins in sight. Yet another cigar that looks like a cuban right down to its triple cap. The cigar was tightly packed, well balanced and felt great. The scent off the wrapper was a sweet combination of caramel and chocolate. While the foot offered some hints of cherry. The draw was a combination of both.

Smoke: Due to the size of this cigar I won’t break it down in thirds, this was one rich cigar that was full of flavor. After an initial burst of pepper is settled down to notes of chocolate in the foreground with subtleties of cherry and caramel in the background. A truly unique taste that left me salivating. The burn, perfect. I could of kept the ash if I chose for the whole cigar, but at the half way point I ashed as well as just before I put it down I ashed a second time. An amazingly well constructed cigar.

Overall: This was one cigar I wish was an “A” size. The cigar is very full bodied, but even on an empty stomach I was able to enjoy it. As I smoked it at 10:30am I was left craving a steak. The next Illusione that comes out of my humidor will follow a nice juicy medium rare steak. I wish I could find a local B & M that had these in stock or let alone heard of them. A totally incredible smoke.

My Local Price: (Online: $5.40)
Rating: 92 (Out of 100)

Altadis USA

This afternoon I got an email from the marketing department over at Altadis USA the people behind brands such as Romeo Y Julieta, Por Larranga, Don Diego, Gispert, Trinidad and Montecristo. To quote the email,

My name is (removed for privacy) and I work with Altadis USA (makers of Montecristo and other great cigars) on a program where selected consumers are designated as Altadis Cigar VIPs.  These smokers receive our newsletter and a monthly mailing where we provide a sampler of our premium cigars.  Cigar VIPs can also order free premium cigars when they throw a herf.

I was recently given your name by the marketing department at Altadis and they thought you might make a great addition to this program.  If you are interested please complete and email back to me the attached questionnaire.  I look forward to hearing from you.

So I completed the form and was approved and welcomed into the program. Sometimes it’s nice to be recognized. So my fellow brothers and sisters of the leaf, I thank you for your readership and your support.

-Barry

Review: Asthon ESG (Estate Sun Grown)

Having stayed up late last night to watch the All-Star game it was with amazing that I woke up at 5am today. With just a little bit of sleep after one of the better games in memory of the mid-summer classic in the final year of the greatest baseball venue I decided to go out and watch the sun rise and smoke a cigar. Since I started this blog I have not only learned to truly enjoy my cigars but life as well.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Ashton Estate Sun Grown (ESG)
Size: Robusto 5 x 52 (21 Year Salute)
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic

Pre-Light: The aesthetics of this cigar are flawless. From cap to foot, it is the definition of a perfectly rolled cigar. The label is one of best in the industry, and it is an eye catcher on the shelf. The wrapper scent was sweet with a touch of earth, while at the foot it was peppery causing me to sneeze relentlessly. I used a straight cut on the cigar and the pre-light draw was a combination of cinamon and a touch of cocoa.

Smoke: The burn was perfect on this. From the light, to the burn line, to the white ash. It never once needed to be touched up. It never risked going out on me. The notes were a little hard to identify but regardless it was a smooth, creamy smoke. In the background there were notes of leather which served as the canvas for  cocoa, cinnamon, and some pepper.

Overall: The Ashton ESG is a puro cigar from the domincan republic. It comes from the fuente plantation, and it has led me to refer to this cigar as Ashtons answer to the Opus X. Wether that is accurate or not I don’t know. But I have smoked a few of these, and I believe it is a fair comparison. This cigar is so enjoyable, so defined, and a totally classic smoke. Each year until 2010 Ashton will add a new size leading up to its 25th Anniversary.

My Local Price: $20.00 (NY Tobacco Tax is 39%)
Rating: 93(Out of 100)