Cigar Review: Carlos Torano Noventa

The other day I was out with a friend of mine at Sushi Samba in the city and we began to talk about of all things, fireflies aka lightening bugs. While I am more than 10 years older then her we both remember there being an abundance of them around when we were little. We reminisced about how we would catch them in cups or in our hands and watch them light up. We also commented on how you never see these bugs anymore. I think of all the bugs one has to deal with in their backyard these were the most welcomed. They were an essential part of the summer, and are nowhere to be found anymore. I found it ironic that Fox News had a story about this on their website last night, if you want to read it you can do so here.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Carlos Torano Noventa
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Habano Nicaragua
Binder: Habano Nicaragua
Filler: Pueblo Nuevo, Esteli, Jalapa and Condega (Nicaraguan Regions)

Pre-Smoke: I actually smoked this cigar 24 hours before posting the review. It was an overcast morning, and the beach on this Labor Day weekend was desolate. There was a strong breeze coming in off the water and it made it very comfortable to smoke. The scent of the wrapper was a very feint caramel while the foot revealed some notes of raisins and vanilla. The wrapper itself was very oily and virtually without veins. This was one classy looking cigar. On the pre-light draw I got notes of cedar and vanilla.

Smoke: Upon lighting this cigar the first drops of rain began to fall and I had to move inside my car to smoke. Luckily the rain was a drizzle so I was able to keep the windows open. The first third of the cigar had notes of cedar and caramel. As the second third began I picked up a few citrus notes that were very quick, a hit and run so to speak. The notes of caramel remained and we joined by some spice in the final third of the cigar.

Overall: I had a very hard time putting it down and smoked it til I burned my lips and fingers. The cigar was very enjoyable, and the best Carlos Torano I ever had. It has some similarities to that of a Padron 1964 but at the same time it’s identity was its own. This was truly a wonderful smoke, albeit a bit pricey.

Rating: 90
Price: 13.00

Cigar Review: VigilantE

Well the teams have been set in the political arena for the upcoming presidential elections and according to the polls it will be a race down to the wire. While Sen. Biden was the obvious choice for Obama, the choice made by McCain was one that caught a lot of people off guard. In my eyes it was a brilliant move if he is able to capitalize with on the fence voters who wanted Hillary. However with “Troopergate” looming in Alaska one has to wonder why McCain chose someone who might have some controversy attached to her name. Especially when impeachment can be a word used in the very near future in regards to Vice Presidential Nominee Palin. But enough about politics, as I do not know enough about it to intellectually discuss it at length. I will say this, may the better man (McCain) win.

The Skinny:

Cigar: ViglanteE Sun Grown
Origin: Honduras
Size: 6.25 x 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Nicaragua / Honduran Sun Grown

Pre-Smoke: Today’s smoke comes to me by way of a cigar bomb delivered from a cigarlive.com user. The VigilantE is a cigar I would not normally smoke as it is primarily a mail order smoke. I tend to do very little ordering via the web as I prefer to support my local B&Ms. I am also tired of the poor quality of smokes that are made solely for the distribution by internet tobacconists. The VigilantE is blended by Rocky Patel and is aged 5 years. The pre-light scent of the wrapper was virtually non-existent while the scent of the foot was very sweet, similar to that of honey with some notes of pepper.  The sun grown wrapper was very dark, bordering on black. At first look it appeared to be more of a maduro then that of a sun grown. The cigar was well packed with tobacco and with minimal veins. The pre-light draw was very free and easy and offered notes of honey.

Smoke: I read online that these cigars need to be aged about 3 months prior to smoking and if that holds true this cigar that made its way to my humidor was very well aged. The burn line was true all the way through, and the notes offered were honey (1st third, before fading), pepper (throughout), earth (2nd third on), and leather (final third). The finish of the smoke was a bit earthy, but not overpowering.

Overall: I am sad to see these are on closeout and will soon cease to exist. You can pick up a few at cigar international as they have some left. The smoke was very enjoyable. I will be honest and state, that I did not look forward to this cigar as I am not a fan of sun grown smokes. But the sun grown features of this smoke were very subtle.

Rating: 89
Price: 30.00 a Box of 25 on closeout at Cigars International

Cigar Review: Tatuaje Cojonu 2003

Can you believe that summer is over? Granted there are still 25 days or so at the time of this posting, but with Labor Day a few days away the end is here. All in all it hasn’t been a horrible summer, although with Hurricane Gustav threatening New Orleans it could get bad again in terms of gasoline prices if another catastrophe hits. To all my readers from the Bayou I wish you and your family safe passage during the coming days.

As I arrived at the beach this morning, it had a different feel to it from the look of the sand, to the appearance of the water. There is a cold look to it, emptiness. The people going to and from have been reduced as well making the area appear desolate.

My cigar this morning was gifted to me a few months ago, and since I was told it was among the better Tatuaje branded cigars I decided to hold off on it specifically until this weekend.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Tatuaje Cojonu 2003
Origin: Miami
Size: 6.5 x 52 (Toro)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-smoke: Like most cigars from Tatuaje they are exquisitely rolled right down to the triple cap. The double band of today’s stick gave the cigar a Cuban appearance. The cigar itself had a few too many veins, but it was glistening with oils. The wrapper of the cigar revealed some cedar notes, while the foot offered similar wood notes. I cut the cigar with my idiot proof hippotech cutter was shocked to see some very red tobacco up near the cap. It actually had the appearance of paprika which was very strange. The pre-light draw offered notes of wood and spices.

Smoke: The cigar was medium to full bodied and the initial third of the cigar offered notes of pepper, earth and leather. As I approached the second third of the cigar pepper was the dominant note with some subtle coffee and earth notes in the background. The final third was earth and pepper. Despite the gorgeous looking roll, the cigar had some major burn issues that needed to be touched up numerous times.

Overall: Maybe I just have some Pete Johnson overload going on, but I was less than impressed with the Tatuaje Cojonu. While the notes were typical of his smokes it lacked a lot of depth and I was rather bored smoking it about two thirds of the way through.

Rating: 87
Price: $15.00

Cigar News: CAO IPCPR

This video comes direct from CAO and features behind the scenes footage of CAO at the IPCPR which was previously known as the RTDA.

Cigar Review: Padilla Miami

I was first introduced to a Padilla cigar from The World According to Stew who sent me one for a joint review we did on his site a while ago. It was a good cigar, but none of my local B&Ms carried Padilla. That is until now. As I walked into Barrister Cigars the other day I was informed there was some new stuff in the humidor so I picked up a handful and I am glad I did.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Padilla Miami
Origin: Miami
Size: 6.25  x 52 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo Cuban Seed
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: This is one beautiful cigar. Exquisitely hand crafted with minimal veins. The scent of the wrapper was that of some faint spices while the foot offered notes of nuts. What got me on this cigar was the pre-light draw which was both buttery and nutty. A very unusual combination that works well.

Smoke: If you want to see a cigar that burns really well, this is the cigar to smoke. The burn line was clean and crisp all the way to the end. The body was medium, and the draw on this torpedo was perfect. The 1st and 2nd third of this cigar was identical for me, which was a slight pepper, nuts and well defined buttery notes. The final 3rd of the smoke, the buttery notes moved to the background while the pepper became the dominant note.

Overall: The first time I smoked this cigar I was very impressed, but I said to myself I can’t smoke these too often. The buttery notes were so rich, and so well defined that I could see it becomming annoying. I guess my initial thoughts were a little off as I have smoked this cigar often since my first. This is one unique cigar!

Rating: 91
Price: $9.00

Cigar Review: Los Blancos Maduro

I recently took part in a cigar pass on one of my favorite websites, cigarlive.com. A cigar pass is when a group of people get together and pass around some sticks. The pass starts with someone sending out a batch, and the next person takes what he wants and puts in others at equal or greater value and the USPS delivers our smokes to the next person.

The last cigar pass that I took part in I took a couple of cigars including this one. I had never heard of the Los Blancos and the label attracted me to the cigar. The bright yellow on the dark maduro cigar offers a wonderful contrast.

The Los Blancos website has this to offer, “Our family grows premium Habana 2000 wrapper in Esteli, Nicaragua, and allows it to age through the traditional and time honored Cuban process. The result is this beautiful maduro wrapper. These cigars are blended with tobacco from our fields in Esteli (Nicaragua)and the Jalapa (Nicaragua) and Jamastran (Honduras) valleys. The result is a Maduro cigar that has all the elements and taste of a great Maduro without the heavy smoke of a full-bodied cigar. Habana 2000…simply exquisite!”

The Skinny:

Cigar: Los Blancos Maduro
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 5 x 52 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: As I stated before the eye catcher on this cigar is the bright yellow band which is on the foot and the body of the smoke. It offers a wonderful eye catching contrast. This maduro is dark, toothy and full of oils. The scent of the wrapper was an extremely strong cocoa bean with a touch of Jamaican spice. I wanted to go have some jerk chicken after smelling this stick. The foot offered notes of wood and pepper, while the pre-light draw offered the same but not as strong. I was really looking forward to smoking this beauty.

Smoke: As I smoked this stick the similarities to the Partagas Black Label caught my eye. The stick looks a lot like that cigar and the smoke has a few similar qualities. The notes I picked up off of this cigar were cocoa and pepper to start. Around the half way point of the stick, some notes of wood were introduced which created a well balanced cigar with absolutely no burn issues.

Overall: Whenever I come across a cigar that is new to me, and the results are this good I am more than ecstatic. I would hope that Los Blancos would do a little better job of marketing these in the future as it is a very enjoyable smoke and I plan to keep a couple in my humidor

Rating: 88
Price: $6.00

Cigar Review: Cuvee Blanc

When it comes to doing reviews I am not your typical cigar reviewer. I smoke on average 2 cigars on a good day. So while I was not smoking for reviews I was smoking for the relaxation aspect after work. Last night while smoking I noticed my taste was back and for the most part my allergies have become a thing of the past until the fall actually begins.

Not wanting to smoke a cigar I was looking forward to review I chose today’s smoke just in case I got nothing as I would not care if I wasted this cigar. The Cuvee is made by the same people who produce Cusano cigars which are among my least favorite smokes. For the life of me, I never understand how they get such high rankings.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Cuvee Blanc
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 6 x 54 (Toro Gordo)
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic / Nicaragua

Pre-Light: Like many Cusano cigars the construction of the cigar is near flawless with the exception of a few veins. This paper bag colored wrapper was firm to the touch with no soft spots. The one drawback of the Connecticut wrapper is how fragile it looks and I worry that testing for soft spots will cause it to tear. The scent of the wrapper was non-existent while the foot offered strong molasses notes. I snipped my cigar with my idiot proof hippotech cutter. While the draw was perfect the notes it offered were not. The notes were a faint cedar and a strong musky note, like wet wool.

Smoke: Despite my pre-light draw issues I decided to smoke this and I will explain more in the overall section. The cigar was very mild and had no burn issues whatsoever. However, the cigar was pretty one dimensional with notes of cedar and the musky wet wool. Despite this I made it to the band of the cigar before I chucked it feeling pretty pissed off.

Overall: The musky notes of wet wool seem to be prevalent in almost every DomRey cigar I have ever smoked. From the M1 to the Cuvee and everything in between. This is a quality control issue that is killing their smokes in my eyes. It is as if the cigars are not aged properly or stored properly. I believe DomRey is at fault as I have tried their cigars at different b&m’s in different states, and todays cigar was my final attempt with them.

Rating: 65
Price: $8.00

Greetings New Viewers!

I just wanted to take the time to welcome everyone from stogiereview.com and tomscigars.com both of whom were nice enough to promote my website. Unfortunately the promotion came from 2 of my favorite sites when I am in the midst of some allergies and have not been able to taste anything. So please, take the time to bookmark my site and check back in a few days when the reviews will start again.

For now I will leave you with a couple of photos I took the other day on the way to Barrister Cigars. They depict some downed power lines on route 22 after a powerful storm rumbled through the area….

Cigar Store Review: The Cigar Vault

I am dealing with some allergies this morning so with my taste buds not being up to speed I decided to write a review for my favorite place to purchase cigars in my neighborhood.

The Cigar Vault is located in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, NY on Avenue Z between East 17th and East 18th Street. Despite having some nice size to it this B&M lacks a smoking room to enjoy your stogies and even with that drawback The Cigar Vault is hands down the best stocked location in Brooklyn.

The owner Joe is a very friendly guy who will go the extra mile to make sure his customers are happy. You get no bullshit from him as he is a straight shooter unlike many other retail establishments. He also has one of the best Fuente selections in the city of New York just make sure you ask for what you want because it is not always on the shelf. He does this to make sure those who really enjoy the Opus, Untold Story, and WOAM get them.

Finally, the prices can’t be beat. Easily they are cheaper than a lot of other local B&Ms by 20%.. At first you ask how does he do it, but with prices that low and an inventory so amazing many times I go in for 2 smokes and walk out with well over $100 in merchandise.

The next time you are in Brooklyn, be sure to pay him a visit and let him know “Big Barry” sent you… I am sure you will not be disappointed!

Pros: Walk in Humidor, Selection, Prices
Cons: No place to sit & smoke.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Review: Cubao #6

I noticed an early buzz about Cubao on the cigarlive.com website and I had to get my hands on them to see if the smoke matched the buzz.  For those who do not know Cubao Cigars are made by EO Bands which is behind the 601 line of cigar. , These cigars come from Don Pepin Garcia’s Nicaraguan factory.

I actually smoked this cigar yesterday afternoon, but did not get to write my review til this morning. It was my second Cubao in 2 days. The first was at the outside tiki bar at the Elks. When I review a cigar I keep notes and translate them into the reviews you read. So continuing my repetitive nature I drove over to the beach and got ready to smoke!

The Skinny:

Cigar: Cubao
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 5.5 x 52 (#6)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Oscuro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: I was really attracted to this candy colored wrapper that reminded me of a Sugar Daddy in color. The roll while not sloppy, it was not seamless which gave the cigar character and definition. There were almost no veins to speak off and this cigar was begging to be smoked. The scent off the wrapper was a well defined chocolate while at the foot there were notes of caramel and some faint molasses. After giving the cigar a straight cut with my idiot proof hippotech cutter the pre-light draw was of caramel. Touching the cut end to my tongue I was hit with some serious hot pepper… So far so good..

Smoke: After lighting this smoke I was hit with what I will call the trademark of Pepin Garcia. That quick hit of in your face pepper that it seems like all his cigars start off with. This does not make it a bad thing, as the pepper always seems to subside and this was no different with the Cubao. As I closed out the 1st third of the cigar I was treated to notes of caramel with an underlying sweetness.

As the second third began I noticed my burn line was a bit jagged, but nothing to be concerned about. The ash was a very light gray and flaky so to prevent myself from wearing my ash I tapped the cigar and dove into the second third which the notes of caramel continued but were joined by some chocolate and coffee.

I reached my final third about 50 minutes into the smoke and the cigar maintained notes of coffee and some bitter chocolate. I smoked the cigar to the nub and the total smoke time was about 70 minutes.

Overall: I was very apprehensive to try this cigar as I had one 601 and did not like it. I was temped to go back and get another 601 at my local B&M where it was discovered the boxes they had were infested with the Lasioderma serricorne otherwise known as the tobacco beetle and the boxes were discarded. But I broke down and am glad I gave this wonderful cigar a try.

Rating: 90
Price: $7.00