Cigar Review: El Triunfador

El Triunfador

I found out about this Pete Johnson creation on one of the cigar forums I visit. Nicknamed the Ghost Stick, it is of limited production and with me being the Pete Johnson whore that I am, I had to track these down and finding them was not easy. I located them eventually at Silo Cigars where I obtained a 5 pack.

The El Triunfador is a Cuban brand that features a similar label to the original. It is available in 1 size right now, and when other sizes are made they will have their own blends when they become available.

Cigar: El Triunfador
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 7.5 x 38 (Lancero)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium / Full

Pre-Smoke: The cigar is not the type of vitola I like to smoke. In fact this is only the 2nd Lancero I have smoked all year despite it becoming trendy in the cigar world as of late. Many companies are jumping on the bandwagon like Oliva and Carlos Torano in producing this vitola.  Off of today’s cigar the wrapper offered notes of chocolate and the foot was very woody. While the pre-light draw was a nice combination of the two. The cigar was firm to the touch, with a lot of oils and veins. It featured a pigtail triple cap to complete the Cubanesque look.

Smoke: Upon lighting the cigar I was hit with sensory overload. The notes were popping off this stick all over the place. It took a while for me to break them down but the first third offered notes of vanilla, nuts and leather. As we approached the 2nd third the cigar has an exquisite burn line. The notes of vanilla and nuts remained and were joined by cinnamon. As we reached the final third of the cigar notes of chocolate, wood and leather finished the smoke.

Overall: I will admit this was a difficult cigar to break down. The onslaught of flavor at the beginning was insane. I can’t wait to revisit this cigar in a year and see how it has aged because I expect the cigar to be even better with age. It is yet another Pete Johnson masterpiece that continues to keep him the hottest in the business. The finish of the cigar was a nice leathery spice that lasted for quite some time.

Rating: 91
Price: $9.00

Cigar Review: George A. Rico aka G.A.R.

G.A.R. by George A. Rico

A few weeks ago I was at a herf with some acquaintances at the Montecristo Room in Harrison, NY and to be honest I can’t remember if I bought this cigar there or if it was gifted to me from a brother of the leaf.  Over on Cigar Live there is a cult following of George A. Rico products and to be honest with you before becoming a member there back in the summer I never heard of him.

I had this cigar sitting in my humidor back home, which brings me to the question Matt asked from Cigar Bar:

“I have a request: Would you consider posting some pictures of your humidor(s)? As often as you smoke, I’d love to see where you’re storing them.”

Well while I do not have my camera with me I will put pictures of my humidors on the website in the Pictures section by the end of next week. My humidors are nothing exciting though. I have 2 boxes that hold about 100 cigars each. One is a Diamond Crown humidor the other is your generic humidor that can be found at any brick & mortar. My current cigar collection is near 175 cigars.

Anyway, on to the review….

The Skinny:

Cigar: G.A.R. by George A. Rico
Origin: Honduras
Size: 6 x 54 (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo
Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Filler: Honduras

Pre-Smoke: This box pressed cigar borrows a page from Rocky Patel’s Edge line by placing the band at the foot of the cigar, however the G.A.R. version is much classier and vibrant. The bright white band pulls your eyes to the cigar and it helps offset the beautiful wrapper.

The cigar had plenty of veins but the one thing that struck me as being odd is how much darker one side of the cigar was then the other. It makes me wonder if it was shipped in a box with a cedar sheet separator or perhaps how it was store prior to my possession. The cigar has some veins that were much more noticeable at the cap of the cigar which was not rolled that great. If you look at the picture you can see a slight gap on the wrapper as it nears the cap.

The foot of the cigar had a sweetness to it combined with woody notes, while on the wrapper I picked up a very faint note of caramel. I had to sniff the wrapper numerous times before I was able to identify it as it was that faint. On the pre-light draw there were notes of wood and earth.

Smoke: Despite toasting my cigar I had a hard time getting this one started, but one I did the ash was a very clean white color similar to the band on the foot. This full bodied smoke started off very bitter with notes of earth and pepper, but very quickly made the transition into a creamy, buttery note joined by wood and earth. The cigar once the transition was complete remained consistent all the way through and was very enjoyable to the finish.

Overall: Due to the start of the cigar, I plan to keep my remaining G.A.R. cigars aging for a while before I smoke them. I feel some of the tobacco needs to age a little and meld better to avoid the start my previous G.A.R. cigars have had. The start and the imperfection at the cap are just enough to prevent this cigar from breaking the 90 rating barrier.

Rating: 89
Price: $9.00

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 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

Review: Tatuaje Black

My car has been without air condition for a while now. I keep procrastinating spending the $1100 or so to fix it. Most of my driving is highway driving so with the windows down it isn’t all that bad. It only gets unbearable when my business partner is on the phone and he can’t hear so he rolls up his window. But with the exception for one week this hasn’t been a bad summer. So much for global warming. I haven’t heard stories this summer about scores of people in the Midwest dropping from the heat like in past summers. So I have to ask, is the summer over? Or am I jumping the gun?

It was a beautiful morning at the beach not a cloud in the sky, no haze over the water, and a cool breeze keeping the temperature in the low 70s. I felt like I died and went to heaven. My cigar of choice this morning is pictured on the left. A cigar with a lot of buzz that is produced in limited numbers. For those local to me Havana Dreams in Rego Park NY recently got in 3 “jars” of them.

The Skinny:

Cigar: Tatuaje Black
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: Corona 5 5/8 x 46
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke: When the Beach Boys wrote “I wish they all could be California Girls” they obviously did not know what New York girls by way of Moscow had to offer. With thongs passing the left of me and thongs passing to the right of me, even on this cool August morning I tried to study my cigar. In terms of appearance this cigar is not all that good looking. The roll is a tad sloppy, with some veins showing on the wrapper. Some of the stems inside the veins look like they they want to burst through the leaf. Despite this the cigar has some nice oils to it, and was firm to the touch. The wrapper offered notes of cherry and wood, while at the foot I got some nutty notes which is also what I got from the draw. I used my hippotech idiot proof cutter and began to light this baby up.

Smoke: At first light there is a major blast of pepper which remains but subsides slightly as you work into the first third. Notes of wood begin to emerge as cotton ball like clouds begin to fill the blue sky. As we enter the second third of this wonderful smoke the pepper becomes a canvas on which wood and earth blend upon. As the beach begins to fill in front of me the final third of my smoke the pepper emerges back to the top with subtle notes of nuts and coffee to finish out the smoke. The cigar burned like a dream, however when I got down to past the label the cigar burned a littler hotter then most cigars.

Overall: Smoking this stick was like being on a mini-vacation. It left me cool, calm, and thoroughly relaxed. The notes of coffee and pepper remained with me for the better part of an hour after my smoke which was paired with water. To read a cool story of what Pete Johnson was going for with the Tatuaje read this article.

Rating: 91
Price: $15.00

Tomorrow’s Review: Cubao by Ortego Y Espinoza

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: La Riqueza

With my blog growing in popularity I want to extend a thank you to all my faithful readers and those who have just come aboard. Without you, the pleasure I take in sharing our love of the leaf would go unnoticed.

As my blog grows, my friends who share a same passion have taken in interest in learning how to identify the various notes different cigars have to offer. My good friend Sonny has a knack for identifying them, and the owner of Barrister cigars whom I too call a friend has shown an interest. While his palate isn’t quite there yet, we decided to do a panelist review of the La Riqueza cigar from Pete Johnson the person behind the Tatuaje.

Pete Johnson identifies the La Riqueza cigar as:

1) The Riches or The Wealth in Spanish.
2) An Old World Medium Bodied Cuban Style Cigar

We used 3 different sizes of a 5 pack I obtained to do this review. While that is not necessarily the standard for doing a review (I like to smoke 2-5 of the same size prior to doing a review) I figured this little panel would offer something different.

Panelist #1: Barry, the voice behind acigarsmoker.com has been smoking for 10+ years and quickly obtained a palate to pick up various notes. As manager of a cigar store in Brooklyn, NY he fined tuned this knack often getting labeled as crazy until his description of cigars started showing up in various magazine as if he wrote them, when he did not.

Panelist #2: Sonny, a retired NYPD Detective who introduced Barry to cigars is an avid cigar smoker for 20+ years. Until recently Sonny was more interested in chewing his cigars and launching them at television sets if the Yankees were losing. Under the tutorial of Barry, Sonny has learned to identify notes and enjoy cigars in a new light.

Panelist #3: Dave, the owner of Barrister cigars who has semi-retired as a lawyer to follow his bliss. He opened Barrister a little over a year ago and his business continues to attract new people every day. While he admits his palate is nowhere near that of Barry & Sonny he eagerly participated in the review.

The Skinny:

Cigar: La Riqueza
Origin: Nicaragua
Sizes:
Panelist #1: No. 4 5×48
Panelist #2: No. 1 6.5×42
Panelist #3: No. 3 5.58×46
Wrapper: Naturally Dark Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Pre-Smoke:

Panelist #1: This cigar is slightly box pressed and has a chocolate like color to the wrapper. Like most Pete Johnson cigars it looks like a Cuban. The triple cap and flawless roll make it a pleasing to the eye. The label is a copy of the old La Riqueza Cuban label. The scent of the wrapper is that of chocolate and at the foot there is some slight pepper and wood notes. The pre-light draw reveals notes of wood.

Panelist #2: I was very impressed with the appearance of this cigar, the dark wrapper matched the scent which was chocolate. It felt slightly spongy to me, and on the tongue I got notes of pepper and spice. My pre light draw had notes of chocolate and when I took a second deeper draw some notes of nuts surfaced as well. At the foot, the notes were so light that I could not truly identify them.

Panelist #3: As a novice I know my thoughts will be different then Barry & Sonny. I just hope to play the role of the average cigar smoker who does not have the ability to pick up the notes these guys do. For me the cigar was spongy, and the wrapper reminded me of chocolate and the foot of cinnamon. On the pre-light draw I had notes of pepper.

Smoke:

Panelist #1: On the light I had some quick hits of pepper which remained for the first third of the cigar along with some notes of nuts. Just before the second third began there were some well defined notes of cherry that disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared. As they left some notes of dark bakers chocolate appeared with some nuts. The final third which burned a little hot, had notes of pepper, nuts and some wood. This medium to full bodied smoke despite burning a little hot was a finger burner and stayed lit til I could no longer hold it. The finish was long and nutty.

Panelist #2: On light this cigar quickly established itself as a full bodied smoke, at least until the half way point when it became more of a medium bodied smoke. The draw was nice all the way through and remained lit with a nice burn line. The scent of the smoke reminded me a little of burnt coffee and the finish was that of strong tea. During the course of the smoke I picked up notes of Oak, Tea, and Cedar.

Panelist #3: Here is where my novice ability comes to light. I too was impressed with the draw and burn line of the smoke, but my palate was only able to reveal notes of pepper. The cigar burned hot at the end and became bitter for me. It’s nice start was erased somewhat by the end of my smoke.

Overall:

Panelist #1: Another great Pete Johnson creation. I am quickly becoming a Pete Johnson whore as I love everything he produces. His cigars have reignited my love of the leaf and I have yet to be disappointed.

Panelist #2: This was a good smoke that I would recommend to a steady smoker. Smoking it I enjoyed the smooth qualities and how refreshing it was to smoke

Panelist #3: The smoke was very enjoyable until it began to burn a little hot for me.

Rating: 93/91/88 (91 Avg)
Price: Varied due to size.

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)