Cigar Review: My Father Lancero

My Father

I decided to do a little impromptu review tonight while chatting with some cigar bloggers on stickam. It’s amazing how the love of a good smoke can bring people from across the USA together. Joining me tonight was Justin from lasvegASHtv.com, Tom from TomsCigars, Stew from The World According to Stew, Mike aka Agent 6 from TheCigarSpy as well as some StogieReview regulars. We chatted about cigars, music, and general nonsense as I smoked my My Father Lancero.

Cigar: My Father #4
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 7.5 x 38 (Lancero)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Appearance & Construction (20/20): The one thing that struck me odd about this cigar is no matter how hard I looked I could not find the roll lines. There were no seams on this cigar other than at the triple cap. I actually spent 15 minutes looking for the seams and I was totally dumbfounded. The cigar had some veins but nothing out of the ordinary and the oils were plentiful. The cigar had a small pigtail at the cap as well which was a nice touch, and for those that care about the band when these first came out the pink left me undecided but the smaller size on the lancero it looked pleasing to the eye.

Flavor & Notes (23/30): Compared to the #2 which I reviewed earlier in the year, this cigar was short on flavor. The smoke was very mild and despite offering mocha on the pre-light it was almost non existent for the duration of the smoke. The 1st third offered some slight notes of sweet spice. In the 2nd third it was more defined but still short. The notes of caramel were joined by some pepper, and we closed out the cigar with some pepper with a trace of mocha and cinnamon that disappeared rather quickly.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): I rarely smoke in the house, so I had the fan on exhaust in my room. The burn line was slightly jagged but I will attribute that to the fan. It was never out of hand, but it was noticeable enough to be slightly annoying. The ash was full of ridges and a tad flaky but it held on rather well considering the gauge of the smoke. The burn was a bit too lose which shocked me considering it was 7.5 inches long.

Overall (18/25): I was really disappointed from this smoke as I expected more in terms of flavor and strength. I am very glad this was not my first venture into the stick as it could of been a huge turnoff to the brand. Add into the equation I am not a huge fan of lancero smokes. Thankfully I had some good company while smoking this cigar and some great tunes from knac.com

Rating: 84
Price: 9.00

Cigar Review: God Of Fire ’05

God Of Fire

Well it is that time of year where you reach into your humidor and pull out a special smoke. I had this beauty given to me by a sponsor of this website, Cigars Direct. I smoked it while attending a holiday party at my local B&M Barrister Cigars.

The God of Fire cigars were first introduced in November 2004 in limited edition humidors produced by Prometheus. Since then, they have been sold through an exclusive group of authorized God of Fire dealers in 10 countries, and cigar connoisseurs all over the world have given the God of Fire cigars raving reviews.

Cigar: God Of Fire 2005 (Carlito)
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 7 x 48 (Churchill)
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic

Appearance & Construction (19/20): The cigar was nicely coated in oils with some veins. The label has colors of red and gold which gives it a very Roman feel about it. At the foot the cigar looked a little loosely packed, but it had a nice weight to it. The roll was perfect right down to its well placed cap.

Flavor & Notes (28/30): The notes on this cigar prior to lighting was a musky oak and a slight molasses. I notice a lot of my aged cigars have a sweetness to them that fit into this molasses category and I enjoy that. On the draw the cigar offered notes of cinnamon and caramel. I was having second thoughts on smoking this cigar because it is so rare! The 1st third of the cigar offered notes of  nuts and a a peaty oak that was reminiscent of some single malt scotches. The second third peaty oak notes remained but slowly began to fade before giving way to notes of caramel, and cinnamon with a touch of oats. As I finished the smoke, notes of nuts and oats were joined by a hint of leather.

Burn/Ash/Draw (25/25): The cigar had an exquisite burn line that was straight until the end. The draw was flawless and the ash held very well with just a touch of flake. I was able to hold on to the ash for the first half of the cigar before it fell as I went to flick it into the ashtray.

Overall (23/25): I am still undecided about the peaty notes I had with this smoke. It worked well because I was drinking some Glenfiddich 15 year old while smoking, and although the scotch is not peaty it paired well. Despite some great notes, and a terrific burn line something was missing and I can’t quite place it. So rather then a perfect score here, I will deduct 2 points for that something I can’t put my finger on. I also reviewed this cigar live and on the fly while on Twitter. Feel free to add me if you are a twitter user, my name on there is nyisles which I also go by on cigarlive.com and cigaroutcast.com

Rating: 95
Price: $24.95 at Cigars Direct

Note: If I smoked this cigar prior to my Top 10 list being written it would of been placed around the # 5 slot.

Reviews: Top 10 List!

Well it is that time of the year where all the cigar bloggers of the world put out a top 10 list. The best cigars of 2008, the worst  cigars of 2008, so and so forth. In 2008 there were some great new cigars to come out, and some cigars that were new to me that I smoked for the first time.

My list is a mixture of old and new. It is the list of top 10 cigars I smoked during the year. This list might confuse you some so allow me to explain. The reviews I do throughout the  year get ratings based upon the smoke.  However my top rated cigar will not get the #1 position on my review. The reason being is I can get them any time I want, while the #1 cigar on my list I have a hard time finding in my part of the world.

So without futher adieu my top 10 list.

#10 Don Pepin Garcia Series JJ Maduro

#09 CAO LX 2

#08 Arturo Fuente Work Of Art Maduro

#07 Carlos Torano Tribute 2008

#06 La Riqueza

#05 Tatuaje Frank

#04 Padron 1964 Principe

#03 Cruzado

#02 Tatuaje Verocu No. 1

and the #1 cigar of 2008 and for me is….

#01 Liga Privada No. 9 which can be purchased through TS Direct

Side Note: I did not include the Casa Fuente in this list since it was a cigar that was aged from 2005.

Honorable mentions are: The entire Pete Johnson Catalog, Man O’War, Dunhill Signed Range, Xikar Defiance, La Arome De Cuba Edicion Especial.

Cigar Review: Old School Stixx

Old School Stixx

First I want to take the time to welcome the readers who were pointed in this direction by The Stogie Review. Once TSR gives you some link love, you know you made it in the cigar review world.

Last night my local B&M, Barrister Cigars in Union, NJ hosted an event for Old School Cigars. The Old School brand is carried in approximately 20 stores, so it is not a well known brand but as a favor to the owner I agreed to do a review of their latest creation called “Stixx“.

Cigar: Stixx
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 5 x 60 (Super Robusto)
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic

Appearance & Construction (17/20): Danny from Old School informed me the wrapper was a Brazilian Maduro but yet the web site refers to it as Dominican. To the naked eye it looks like a Colorado wrapper, so who knows. The cigar for a 60 ring gauge is very light in weight and had some veins on the wrapper. The cigar features a pigtail cap and the band screams bundle cigar even though the MSRP says otherwise.  All in all though, this cigar is one well constructed cigar.

Flavor & Notes (27/30): The pre-light on this cigar is cedar and it is very easily identifiable. Once lit the cigar is a delight to smoke with notes of cedar and nuts with a very enjoyable sweetness from the wrapper. The second third the cigar begins to pick up in strength and the smoke begins to have notes of leather, some sweet spices, and nuts. As I nubbed this cigar the nuts, cedar and leather left a great finish that had me impressed.

Burn/Ash/Draw (24/25): This cigar was near perfect when it came to this category. The burn was nice and slow,  with a great tight white ash that held on for each third before I tapped it. The draw was pleasant, and if one wanted to nitpick it might of been a tad loose, but that depends on your preference.

Overall (21/25): This cigar while not on the level of a lot of the boutique brands I prefer it  is definitely not a bundle cigar though I think they should consider changing the band on this to give it more of a high end feel. The cigar has a MSRP of 8.50 and that is a bit high for a cigar with no recognition or reputation. In fact the Casa Magna which I reviewed a week prior has a much less price point and to me is just as good as this smoke if not better. Had this cigar had a MSRP of 6.50 or so I would be comfortable recommending it.

Rating: 89
Price: $8.50 (before local taxes)

Ramblings: The 50 Cent Tax….

A few people have asked me my views on Twitter and it is a topic of conversation on the cigar boards. In case you did not hear, the unqualified Governor of New York David Patterson rambled out some crazy tax increases including a 50 cent tax on each cigar sold. While this is not yet a law the whole proposal is a concern to the freedoms I thought I was entitled to as an American.

Some of the taxes that have been proposed are ridiculous, such as an IPOD tax that would charge New Yorkers a tax for downloading music. Other taxes include movie tickets, massages, non-diet soda, and fruit juices that contain less than 70% juice. Also to be taxed will be my cable bill which is already over 100.00 (and to think I use DSL!). Basically the Governor is telling all New Yorkers to move out. I know this, if gasoline did not drop to 1.40 or so a gallon I would be in some serious trouble.

But the working man is always attacked and our ways of finding inner peace are always being challenged. If this tax proposal passes my 5.00 cigar will go up 10%  to a total of $5.50. This means I am paying roughly a combined 47% in taxes.  When SCHIP passes in the spring that tax will be anywhere from $.0.40 cents to $5.00 per cigar depending on who you ask.

We live in changing times, and the freedoms that my grandparents were blessed with has been taken away from me. I am a proud American, but this is not my grandparents America anymore and for that I am sad.

Thankfully, the chances of all these taxes passing are very slim as the lawsuits that will be launched at New York state to try and stop these taxes will be numerous for sure. Unfortunately, this will cost the state more money and somewhere down the line cause more taxes to pay for it.

Cigar Review: Devil’s Weed

Devil's Weed

Last week I approached the in house resident aficionado of Barrister Cigars to be a guest reviewer here at acigarsmoker.com and he jumped at the chance. So welcome aboard to Andre/Toastie/Tiger Woo. The man with many nicknames, some of which are not fit for reprint is a welcomed adition to the site.

So without further adieu on to the review…

Cigar: Devil’s Weed
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 5.58 x 46 (Corona Gorda)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic (4 leaves)

Appearance & Construction (19/20): Enveloped in white paper printed all over with “Devil’s Weed”, this cigar was an intriguing option, if not for its name alone. Its cartooned embossed band was reminiscent of comic book art, displaying a devilish head hiding behind stylized text. Disrobed, its greenish colorado wrapper gave me an optimism for the experience to come, revealing impeccable construction and a velvety hand.

Flavor & Notes (15/30): Pre-light, the stogie exhibited subtly sweet notes of sandalwood and classic tobacco. However, upon lighting there was an immediate turn: the classic notes were replaced by what can only be described as a muddy, algae-like flavor. To my dismay this continued throughout the smoke, later becoming a pronounced chalkiness; imagine bitter flour. I was certainly surprised by this experience as I’d heard this cigar was quite popular, but, to say the least, I did not enjoy it one bit. I would only recommend this cigar to an avid cigarette smoker, as it showed a very similar profile.

Burn/Ash/Draw (20/25): Though I had issues with the flavor profile of this smoke, there were very little faults otherwise. While the long-lived, light grey ash would have hinted to some degree of creaminess for me, there was none to be found. The burn was even up until the middle when there was a slight boating and the cigar extinguished itself. Upon relight, it burned evenly but remained unchanged in character.

Overall (15/25): Overall, this was a quite miserable experience for me. While the stogie had the appearance of a great smoke, alas it was not to be. The flavors were uncannily off-putting, causing me to grimace puff after puff.

Rating: 69
Price: 4.75

Cigar Review: Winston Churchill No. 10

Winston Churchill No. 10

I found it so much easier to do cigar reviews in the summer. With the cold weather the places to smoke are limited, and my schedule has been so hectic lately that I have had to neglect the site. Excuses, excuses but it is true. Hopefully once Ashes is open I will be able to devote an hour every other day to smoking a cigar for review.

Today’s cigar comes from Davidoff of which I am a fan. However, at an AVO event the other night at Barrister cigars I was told that Davidoff likes to toy with their blends from time to time and not make the changes public. For instance the Davidoff line no longer utilizes Connecticut wrappers because they do not like to deal with General Cigar’s ownership of the tobacco plantations that supply that leaf. So they moved to an Ecuadorian wrapper instead but did not bother to inform their customers. Instead they slowly made the transition until all the lines that utilized that wrapper were changed.

Cigar: Winston Churchill No. 10
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 5.25 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Strength: Mild

Appearance & Construction (17/20): I will admit I am not a fan of the Ecuadorian tobacco leaf. In general I find them to be thin and frail and that was evident in this cigar. There was a small split at the foot, and when I clipped the cap the cigar split some more. I know it was not user error as I keep my cigars in the best conditions possible. The cigar had some veins, but nothing major to question the quality of the leaf other than the general weakness the region offers. The cigar had a nice balanced weight, and the band was a classy red and gold.

Flavor & Notes (29/30): I find that generally speaking most Davidoff products (Avo, Winston, Davidoff, Etc) all have similar qualities in terms of the pre-light. They seem to all share a barnyard like scent of dry grass and hay. There was some cedar as well, but I will attribute that to it being without the cello in my humidor for about a year. The notes of the cigar were consistent throughout and were very pleasant to the palate. The first third of the cigar was wood with a touch of brown sugar. During the second third the notes changes places with brown sugar taking the lead and wood taking a backseat. The final third of the cigar was wood, with some spice and sweetness to it.

Burn/Ash/Draw (25/25): Despite the split at the foot, the cigar burned even throughout. The cigar offered a nice light gray ash that held very strong which was nice since wearing ash is not something I enjoy. The draw like most Davidoff products was free and easy. There was no effort required here to enjoy this smoke.

Overall (21/25): The biggest problem I have with all cigars from Davidoff is the price. They are over-priced because of the name that is known worldwide. At 15.00 American there are so many more smokes at a lower price that are equally enjoyable, but they do not carry the prestige this brand carries. I guess that is why I choose to visit this stick from time to time.

Rating: 92
Price: 15.00

Cigar Review: La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami

La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami

The La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami managed to slip by under the radar. A few weeks ago, my friend “jitzy” asked me if I tried one and I referred to the original. He quickly pointed out to me there was a new blend and he gifted me one to review. While the La Gloria has a loyal following it is a cigar that I never really embraced.  Let’s see how this one is…

Cigar: La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami
Origin: Miami, Fl
Size: 5 1/2 x 52 (Sabrosos)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Mild/Medium

Appearance & Construction (18/20): The band for some reason stuck out to me, the gorgeous red colors with gold accents was a really nice look. The cigar has a triple cap which seams to be  more common these days and I welcome it. It was a little bit loosely packed at the foot, and the cigar lacked weight to it but the wrapper itself was flawless and glistening with oils.

Flavor & Notes (27/30): There was a sweetness to the cigar on the pre-light that I likened to raisins. I got these notes on both the foot and the draw. The cigar seemed to have a couple of months age on it. I point this out because a cigar with age on it is easier to review as the notes become more defined over time. The cigar started out with some hot pepper notes that were very strong for a bit, and some wood. Thankfully, as we reached the halfway point, the hot pepper faded and notes of wood and cinnamon remained. The cigar finished with some wood and coffee notes. Other than the pepper in the beginning, none of the notes were in your face, but were a nice subtle background to the relaxation the cigar provided.

Burn/Ash/Draw (21/25): The cigar had a burn line that was wavy although it was never in danger of becoming an issue. The draw was a bit too loose for my liking. The ash was flaky and a medium gray color. The flakiness made it difficult to keep the ash for long periods of time.

Overall (21/25): If the 2nd half of this cigar was the whole cigar it would have scored better for me. I might revisit this one again though in the future as it was not a bad smoke. The price point of 8.00 a smoke however is a bit high for this cigar that is very subtle and lacks anything memorable good or bad.

Rating: 87
Price: 8.00

Cigar Review: Tatuaje RC 184

Tatuaje RC 184

Today’s review is a guest review by a friend we refer to by many nicknames. His first nickname is toastie because of the 5 minutes or more he takes to toast a cigar using cedar strips as he rotates the cigar over the flame. But recently he has been nicknamed Tiger Woo due to the fact he can pass as a Tiger Wood with some Asian decent. To see what I mean click to see his picture.

On to the review:

Cigar: Tatuaje RC 184
Origin: Little Havana Miami, Fl
Size: 7.25 x 57
Wrapper: Nicaragua Criollo ’99
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Appearance & Construction (19/20): This Diadema vitola was beautifully executed. The wrapper was velvety and devoid of any toothiness while showing negligible veins. My only aesthetic qualm was with the foil wrap which covered the upper half of the cigar, giving it an appearance reminiscent of a hot dog rather than a fine cigar. This choice of package was puzzling, though eye-catching.

Flavor & Notes (24/30): After removing the foil, I was able to appraise the sweet, cedar-driven aromatics of the wrapper. Upon cutting, pre-light, the taste was an enticing medley of molasses and peppery spice, with a leafy sweetness that echoed the wrapper scent. Upon lighting, subtle notes of soy and edamame were prevalent on the palate, accompanied by a slight creaminess and mellow spiciness. Soon, hints of mocha and a black coffee bitterness shone through. Getting into the body of the smoke, I found an increase in acidity along with a notably creamier profile once ashed. Here, the stogie’s character was defined by classic notes of tobacco and cafe au lait, which remained constant through the end of the smoke. It was at this point that I became disillusioned in the cigar. I had expected an in-your-face, robustly flavored smoke, worthy of its price. Instead I found it to be a very subtle, yet complex cigar. While I found no off-flavors, the smoke lacked the expected richness of palate, aroma, and smoke.

Burn/Ash/Draw (24/25): While the cigar had a facile draw and burned well–despite a slight boating which was easily corrected by rotating– it lacked the profile to warrant its price. The medium gray ash with blots of white was indicative of its subtly creamy character and elegant complexity.

Overall (21/25): Overall, it was a good smoke. But, for the price, good is not nearly enough; there are a great many other smokes, even other Tatuajes, that are more economically priced and provide a similar if not better smoking experience.

Rating: 88
Price: 23.95 (Manhattan, NY Price)

Cigar Review: Cruzado

Cruzado

For me my world changed when i was introduced to cigars that were not common place in many cigar ships. Cigars by Dion Giolito fit that bill. The creator of Illusione cigars is at it again with the Cruzado cigar. This cigar was introduced at the IPCPR trade show earlier in 2008. The sizes are in the forties (ring gauges) which complement the complex flavor:

I picked up a couple of these beauties from Silo Cigars which is one of my favorite sites to order “boutique” cigars from on the Internet.

Cigar: Cruzado
Origin: Honduras
Size: 5 5/6 x 46 (Marelas Perfecto)
Wrapper: Nicaragua Criollo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua & Honduras
Strength: Medium

Appearance & Construction (20/20): At times I feel a little repetitive in this section due to the types of cigars I smoke, but this cigar was flawless. The wrapper was perfect and glistening with oils. For a small ring gauge the cigar had a nice balance and weight to it. Even the band was stunning with majestic medieval look to it of black silver & gold.  The cigar was brilliantly rolled and I felt like I was committing a crime cutting it.

Flavor & Notes (29/30): OK, this is where I question my sanity. When I clipped my cigar and began the prelight ritual I had notes of rye which caused many looks of bewilderment with the people I was with. It even prompted the question, “What did you have for breakfast”. The answer to that is an English Muffin. Anyway, the note of rye was so defined and so wow, I thought I might of been delusional. So after a few minutes of sitting there questioning myself I lit my cigar and sure enought the 1st third of the cigar offered notes of rye and chocolate which was a really nice combination.  The middle part of the cigar the notes of chocolate were joined by a subtle leather. The final third of the cigar was notes of leather and a heavy spice. As I approached the end of this cigar I was looking for  push pin to continue smoking it. I had to put it down when there was nothing left to hold.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): For a cigar with a small ring gauge the burn of this cigar was really slow and it lasted quite some time. The burn line was perfect all the way around. The ash however was a bit dark for my liking and despite being a little flaky it held on well. The draw was pleasant and offered no problems.

Overall (24/25): Ladies and Gentlemen we have a new cigar in the mix for A Cigar Smokers Journal cigar of the year. This stick was amazing all the way through and it just left me floored.

Rating: 96
Price: 9.00