Cigar Review: Cabaiguan Guapos

Over the next week or so the updates to this website will be sparse as my schedule will not allow me to update. It is the primary reason updates have been slow over the last 2 weeks. For this I apologize.

Today’s review is yet another Pete Johnson cigar. The Cabaiguan cigar is created in Miami in the tradition of Cuban cigars, the label of the cigar has the word Cuba to the left of the logo and Miami to the right of the logo. Cabaiguan is named for a city in the northern Sancti Spintus province that is home to some of the most knowledgeable cigar men in Cuba.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Cabaiguan
Origin: Miami
Size: 5.58 x 54 (Guapos)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sungrown
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: As with all Pete Johnson creations the cigar appears to be perfect. From the pigtail to the foot the cigar is flawless. It is firm to the touch being very well packed with tobacco. The scent of the cigar is spices with slight wood notes on the wrapper and the foot. The pre-light draw is perfect and offers notes of tobacco and wood.

Smoke: I lit this baby up at 8:30am or a dismal cloudy day. The beach had red warning flags up warning people of the dangerous surf as Tropical Storm Hanna approached. Despite this as I smoked my cigar people kept making their way on to the beach this morning. The cigar had a great draw and was mild despite an initial burst of pepper on the light. The cigar required some serious concentration to pick up the notes. Perhaps this is a sign of fall allergies setting in on my part. The notes of the cigar consisted of subtle spices, coffee and wood with each taking turns in the limelight so to speak.

Overall: This well packed, well blended cigar smoked nice and slow, taking me just under two hours to smoke. It is the 4th cigar I had of this line and each cigar was identical which was a nice. As with all Pete Johnson cigars it is hard to find, but you can order them from silocigars.com

Rating: 90
Price: $10.00

Review: Arganese CL3 / Arganese ML3

About a month ago I was in contact with someone over at Arganese Cigars where an acquaintance of mine just got a job as the New England Sales Rep. After talking to my contact I was sent a few cigars to review along with a baseball cap. Although I smoked these cigars on separate days I decided to post them under one review.

The CL3 stands for Corojo Ligero while the ML3 stands for Maduro Ligero. The wrapper, binder, and filler are all ligero, thus the 3.

The Skinnys:

Cigar: Arganese ML3
Origin: Dominican Republic
Sizes: Torpedo 6 x 52
Wrapper: Brazillian Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Domincan Republic

Cigar: Arganese CL3
Origin: Dominican Republic
Sizes: Torpedo 6×52
Wrapper: Dominican Republic (1st Generation Cuban Seed)
Binder: Sumatra
Filler:Dominican Republic (1st Generation Cuban Seed)

Pre-Smoke (ML3): This Maduro wrapper is dark, oily, and toothy. There were some massive veins on my samples and there were some soft spots on the roll. The wrapper had a sweet scent to it, similar to molasses, and the pre-light draw was that of cherries. The foot of this cigar reminded me a lot of the Fuente Anejo cigars as there was almost a touch of cognac in the scent along with some pepper.

Pre-Smoke (CL3): The wrapper is reddish brown in color, and the samples I received had some small veins. However, the cap of the torpedo sticks sent to me were very sloppy. The wrapper had the scent of mocha, as did the foot. The draw revealed notes of fruit, and this too had some hints of cognac.

Smoke (ML3): The better of the two cigars this full bodied smoke had notes of coffee and espresso with some earth in the background in the first third. In the second third it became slightly bitter, with notes of coffee and nuts. The final third only a bitter black coffee remained. The notes were enjoyable and I enjoyed one of these smokes with some espresso which really paired well with the ML3. The burn on my samples were slightly jagged, but acceptable.

Smoke (CL3): All the samples I received of this cigar were tough on the draw. On the third and final sample I received I decided to dissect it and I found some very thick veins/stems in the filler. Some quality control might be needed with the cigars. The notes on this smoke were that of leather, earth and black pepper that remained in this very powerful full bodied smoke.

Overall: The ML3 was very enjoyable but some construction issues need to be ironed out. The appearance of the cigar looks more like a low end cigar then a top notch premium cigar. I will however smoke these again as I know what they are all about. On the other hand the CL3 at times comes across as wanting to be strong just to be strong. If you are a fan of Camacho you will love the CL3, providing they address the draw issues.

ML3:
Rating: 88
Price: $5-7.00

CL3:
Rating: 86
Price:$5-7.00

Review: Romeo Y Julieta Edicion Limitada

I am sitting here watching the opening ceremonies from the 2008 Olympics and I am blown away by what the Chinese have done. But at the same time I feel bad for them as a people. While the ceremonies have been visually amazing, the people performing them are almost without emotion. The military like movements are a little unsettling and sad. Perhaps I am reading to much into what I see, but this is my observation.

Today’s smoke has been gifted to me from the promotions department at Altadis USA. It is the second one I have ever smoked and the first one left me less then impressed due to the high price tag. The question that remains is, will a freebie invoke the same opinion as the one I had to pay for.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Romeo Y Julieta Edición Limitada
Origin: Dominican Republic
Sizes: Rothchilde 5 x 54
Wrapper: San Andreas Corojo (Mexico)
Binder: Broadleaf (Nicaragua)
Filler:Nicaraguan & Dominican

Pre-Smoke: I headed over to the beach on a sunny but comfortable August afternoon. The scent of the wrapper was of hazelnut and cedar, while the the foot had hazelnut and mocha. The wrapper was glistening with oils  and like many Altadis cigars the roll was almost seamless. The draw had some mocha and coffee to it. As I was going through my pre-light ritual the weather dramatically changed and I noticed what might of been funnel clouds trying to form. Below are two pictures can anyone shed some light if this was a funnel cloud attempting to form?

Smoke: This cigar burned really well, and had no burn issues what so ever. It also had a nice aroma about it as I smoked it. The first third of the cigar had some mocha, coffee and hazelnut notes to it. Which was a really nice combination. The second third had notes of coffee and hazelnut, while the cigar finished off with strong hazelnut notes.

Overall: While more enjoyable then the first time I smoked it because I took the time to identify the notes this cigar is not really worth the price tag. There are many more smokes in this price point that are far superior. The value really drives the rating down and although I got the smoke for free, I have to take the MSRP into consideration.

Rating: 88
Price: $17.00 retail

Review: Viaje Oro Delicado

Last week the owner of my local b&m pointed out to me a cigar in Smoke Magazine for today’s review. He was contemplating bringing them into the store for retail sale. The reviewers for the cigar gave it high marks, but it failed to be very descriptive in terms of flavor. When I informed the owner of the b&m that I had recently ordered a couple of these cigars he stated that he would wait for my review before ordering them as he valued my opinion.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Viaje
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 6 x 50 Oro Delicado
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaragua

The Viaje cigar is small boutique cigar with a limited quantity produced each year. The cigar is hand rolled in the Tobacos Puros de Nicaragua factory which is the same factory that produces the Joya De Nicaragua which is now distributed by Drew Estate.

Pre-Smoke: I was very impressed during my pre-smoke ritual as the cigar was different then what I had been smoking lately and I was looking forward to a change. The scent of the wrapper was that of the cocoa bean while the draw revealed notes of jasmine and coffee. The jasmine was interesting to say the least. The foot of the cigar has a slight touch of pepper and cookie-dough. The overall appearance of this cigar was ok. The roll did not blow me away, nor did the wrapper which had a lot of veins. I did however like the originality of the band of this cigar with its heart shaped logo.

Smoke: Sitting at the beach with no breeze to speak of I lit this baby up. The cigar was medium bodied and I was smoking it through a hole punch. The cigar revealed floral notes, cookie-dough and a faint hint of cocoa. The cigar did not change from start to finish with the exception of some pepper notes on a couple of pulls but not really noticeable enough to make a difference in the smoke. The burn line was straight til it hit some of of the prominent veins when it began to burn jagged.

Overall: The more I think about it, the more I wonder who the cigar is geared to. There are a lot of feminine aspects to this cigar. From the jasmine, flower, and cookie-dough notes, the heart shaped band and the name Oro Delicado (Gold Delicate). I might get another opinion at a later date after I let a lady smoke it.

My Local Price: $6.00
Rating: 86 (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: 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)

Review: Alec Bradley Maxx

One cigar that seems to be getting a lot of hype lately is the Alec Bradley Tempus, but I could not find the cigar local in New York City no matter how much I searched for it. I looked high and low, and even ventured into parts of New Jersey looking to obtain that cigar for review. (If anyone from Alec Bradley reads this and wants to send me one, contact me please!) The only cigar I came across was the Alex Bradley Maxx which in the past I have avoided because the label did not grab my attention. I will admit I am a label guy, it takes something to catch my eye to try a new stick.

I caved in though and bought 2 Alec Bradley Maxx cigars to try. I smoked one this past weekend in a casual setting, and enjoyed it enough to smoke in my review frame of mind. So as usual, with the cigar in pocket I decided to head my spot to smoke. The temperatures are heating up in New York so I enjoyed this cigar with plenty of eye candy heading to the beach to enhance my smoking experience.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Alec Bradley Maxx
Size: The Fix 5 x 58
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Costa Rica
Filler: Columbia, Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras

Pre-Light: This cigar has a nice color to the wrapper, with plenty of oils showing. There are some excessive veins showing, but the roll was firm, with no soft spots other then just below the cap. The scent of the wrapper was a little sweet and perhaps nutty. While on the foot there were notes of pepper on toast. I clipped the cigar with a v-cut and was treated to the taste of burnt toast on the draw. Despite the sound of it, it was a welcomed taste.

Smoke: The cigar lit pretty easily, and burned very well. At one point I thought I would need to perform a slight touch up, but it corrected itself after I lost the ash by choice. The ash was a medium grey in color and was pretty stable. The initial third of the cigar I picked up notes of toast. By the time I reached the 2nd third of the cigar the toast was gone and replaced by notes of nuts and coffee. As I reached the final third of the cigar, the coffee became slightly bitter for a few draws but remained enjoyable throughout.

Overall: If your into the more traditional sizes this cigar might be a little annoying to you, however I noticed on the website that there are now more traditional sizes of the Maxx available. It’s big ring added to the duration of the smoke coming in at just over 90 minutes. The cigar was bordering on full bodied but at times I considered labeling it as medium bodied. Overall it was an enjoyable smoke.

My Local Price: $5.75
Rating: 88 (Out of 100)

Review: Tatuaje Exclusivo Lado Occidental

Having just returned from Portsmouth for a little 4 day getaway I had a package waiting for me from a member of cigarlive.com. Over at cigarlive.com it is a membership of people who love cigars. It’s a nice little community where some customs are observed. Two of them are cigar passes, and cigar  bombs. A cigar pass is where you sign up with 10-15 people or more and you pass a box of cigars around with random product or all the same cigars. You take a cigar or two you want, and replace it with a cigar of equal or more value and mail it to the next person. I just signed up for that, and should get my box in a couple of weeks. Another custom is cigar bombs. Well, that is what I had waiting for me when I got home. It was a cigar bomb consisting of 3 tatuaje cigars and 3 illusione cigars. Cigars I have desperately wanted to try…

So Sunday evening not wanting to end my little vacation mindset I headed down to the beach and lit up this baby which arrived a little damaged from the wonderful handling at our postal service. The tear in the wrapper was at the mid way point of the cigar along a vein but thankfully it did not affect this smoke one bit…

The Skinny:

Cigar: Tatuaje Exclusivo Lado Occidental
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: Verocu No. 1 6.25 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Cafe Rosado Oscuro)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua (Ligero)

Pre-Light: This is one gorgeous cigar; the color of the wrapper was an amazing reddish brown. It looked like a Cuban right down to its triple cap. The roll was flawless, and other then some  excessive veinage at the foot of the cigar, I really could find no fault with it. The smell of the  wrapper was an amazing black cherry, while the foot had a nice mix of cedar and spice. The pre-light draw was a little loose, and because of that I began to second guess the type of cut I used. I had used a straight cut when I should of gone with a hole punch. On the pre-light draw the cigar has notes of spice.

Smoke: All I can say is wow. I smoked this baby all the way til burned my fingers with no issues  what so ever. It has a nice straight burn line, never once needing to be touched up even with the  damage occurred in shipping. The initial hit was a little bit harsh, perhaps because in my mind I  was expecting a medium body cigar which it eventually became. However the first third was fuller  bodied with an overload of a leathery spice. As I approached the 2nd third of this cigar I was  teased with a little bit of licorice which became abundant in this section of the cigar. It was so  incredibly defined that it just wowed me. Introduced with the licorice was black cherry which  remained til the final third when some leathery spiced crept back in but remained in the background.

Overall: This was a well aged cigar. It was almost a sin to smoke it. One of the finest smokes I  have ever had. The dominant flavors of black cherry and licorice were so defined I was giddy with  delight right down to the nub. Other notes were cedar, leather and spices all of which mostly  stayed in the background. If I could go back in time this is one cigar I would want to smoke again and again.

My Local Price: A Cigar Bomb (Retail: $11.00)
Tinderbox: Tatuaje Cigars
Rating: 95 (Out of 100)