Name: Don Leon Size: Esplendido
Origin: Costa Rica Construction: Hand(?)
Purchased: N/A Price: See Website
Smoked: Living Room Accompanied by: Old Parr 12 (Scotch)

Some months back a nice fellow by the name of Lynn contacted me about blogging his cigar on my site. He offered to drop off the cigar next time he was in San Jose, and some weeks later he stopped by and dropped me a sample.

At first glance, I saw a well built cigar with a flawless wrapper- dark in color. It did not appear to be rolled too tight, so I knew the draw would be easy; easy draw is a plus for me.

I did not waste any time, and I opened one up. I had a hard time distinguishing the seco from the ligero, but that might just be part of the blend. It was rolled slightly different that I have seen many other cigars, the leaves were slightly more curled, but since it did not appear to be rolled to tight, that did not affect the draw.

For my review, I smoked the Espendido, a 6 inch by 50 ring cigar. I unique vitola that is like the uncommon Cuban "double." The cigars smoked well, proper coning, no significant runners.

Every smoke had a sense of peat in it, and when the smoke first hit the tougue, a tickle of spice come through. "Earthy," would be the term I use to explain this cigar, but do I mean earthy, not grassy. A strong woody flavor mixed with significant hints of roasted coffee passed through my pallet with every draw.

The smoke was thick and less pungent than many Nicaraguan cigars. Overall the cigar lacked aroma, but this was not a show stopper. No overheating, and no relights. The wrapper, although delicate, complimented the cigar well by burning evenly.

Overall, I enjoyed them. And, for being a 100% Costa Rican cigar, I was surprised and happy smoke it.

For more information on Don Leon Cigars, visit their website: http://www.purosdonleon.com

Lynn is a real gentleman, and I appreciate his effort with this cigar in Costa Rica.

TC-Keith

Labels: Cigar-Reviews, Costa-Rican-Cigars, Non-Cuban-Cigars

Permalink posted by Keith @ 12:32 AM, 0 comments links to this post

I love Scotch, in fact, it is hands-down my favorite spirit. One of the sites that I have visited I saw a Tasting Chart (or Spider Chart) for the variety of malts. I liked it a lot, and thought about how that could be applied to cigar tastings. I have decided to use a similar chart, when appropriate.

The characteristics that I use are: Honey, Berry, Nut, Wood, Peat (earthy), Coffee, Cocoa, and Spice. These are the most common tastes that I have found related to cigars. The scale goes from 0 to 10. See the example below.

I hope that this will help readers visualize my comments a little better.

Labels: Cigar-Reviews

Permalink posted by Keith @ 12:24 PM, 3 comments links to this post

My latest issue of Cigar Aficionado came in today, and after a quick scan I recalled a post I made a couple of years ago about the culebra cigar vitola, you can check that out here. With the possible exception of the tobacco pipe I wrote about, culebra cigars are one of the "funner" (is that a word?) cigars I have smoked...

Find Cigar Aficionado's review of the Partagas Culebra in the October issue. Click here for a preview.

TC-Keith

Labels: Cigar-Comentaries, Cigar-Reviews, Cuban-Cigars, Unique-Cigars

Permalink posted by Keith @ 10:34 PM, 0 comments links to this post

The name Gomez alone is a good start for me. It is a family name on my wife's side- but let me get back on track. A distributor from the Western part of the US contacted me sometime back asking if I would be interested in reviewing their cigars.

From the onset, I laid it out frank- I can be rough- however, fearless, they sent me the cigars. I have been working on this document for a while, and apologize to the R.D. Gomez distributors for my lateness.

I smoked a sample of robustos and piramides/torpedos that were noted as ?Reserves.? The robustos had both a proper and maduro wrapper, and the reserve had only the proper wrapper. No problem by me, I am over the whole maduro thing as you know.

The presentation of these cigars is sharp. Well constructed, simple ring, and an attractive wrapper. The Reserves come with a cedar band.

All of the cigars drew well, one was probably drawing "too well," but it didn't get too hot- but it did burn fast.

The blend was very similar from cigar to cigar. I opened up a robusto and a reserve, and noticed that there was a good amount of short filler in the robusto. The reserve had full leaves throughout. The robustos did not smoke as equally as the reserve, but it was not unmanageable. I only needed a "catch up" light once or twice per cigar max.

The aroma was a little flat but they have a nice spicy flavor. It was not mild, but not as harsh as many other cigars from Honduras. I especially noticed that there was almost no aftertaste.

I saved one cigar for several months in a special humidor that I have for long term cigar storage. Although they claim the cigars are aged for three years, I feel that the tobacco may have been a little premature because this last cigar I smoked surpassed the others in all areas. It's flavor was much smoother- and the "almost no" aftertaste went to even less. The aroma was still not at a level that I prefer, but time can not really help that.

My overall impression was that this is decent cigar. It was not a high-end cigar, but it is not carrying a high-end price tag either. I would defiantly recommend some added time in the humidor to let it mature, but for a reliable smoke at a good price, you can not go wrong. In addition, go with the reserve if it is available.

Labels: Cigar-Reviews, Non-Cuban-Cigars

Permalink posted by Keith @ 12:43 AM, 2 comments links to this post

~FROM 5/29/2005~
Name: Cohiba Size: Siglo VI
Origin: Cuba Construction: Hand
Purchased: Gift Price: ?
Smoked: Office Accompanied by: Nothing

I have been a fan of the canonasso size cigars for some time, but never tried the Cohiba Siglo VI until now. This is an impressive cigar just to look at. Sliding this large tobacco out of the tube, with the name Cohiba wrapped around a fat ring size, makes even the most seasoned smoker take a deep breath.

The fragrance of the unlit tobacco was impressive, sweet and complex. The brown wrapper reminded me of the Montecristo #2 that I recently picked up in Cuba for some friends. I cut the end and too a few puffs before I lit it- the â??raisinyâ?? flavor filled my mouth.

I lit up the massive cigar with one match and a few puffs. Wow! What a flavor- literally typing my notes is making my mouth water for another. The creamy smoke had such a full flavor that you didnâ??t even notice itâ??s strength until you inhaled it or passed it through your nose.

The cigar burned steady with a even ash all the way down. The flavors were natural and deep- like taking a deep breath in the forest just after a rain. This was a very pleasurable cigar, although knowing what they go for, probably not an everyday smoke for everyoneâ?¦

Those of you interested in a hearty Cuban cigar, should get your hands on one of these. This is a cigar that I will remember for a long time.

Overall Score: 96/100
Flavor: 95/100
Construction: 95/100
Presentation: 98/100

A special thanks to Dave for the gift...

Labels: Cigar-Reviews, Cuban-Cigars

Permalink posted by Keith @ 1:00 PM, 0 comments links to this post

~FROM 4/23/2005~
Name: Trinidad Size: Cervantes
Origin: Cuba Construction: Hand
Purchased: Gift of Manager
Price: ?? Smoked: Case Del Habano - CR
Accompanied by: Coffee (Americano)

Trinidad has been known to be a "stronger" cigar. In other occasions, I have noticed that the term "stronger" is often used when cigars lack a complete, or full, flavor- not the case here.

The construction was excellent, although I was interested to see that the head of the cigar was twisted instead of capped. This, of course, is not an issue; it is just surprising based on the superb presentation. In addition, it seemed a bit longer than many of the other Cervantes that I have smoked- again no problem there.

The cigar had an excellent pre-smoke aroma that was complimented by it's honey colored wrapper with a delicate taste of raisins, but no spice. My first draw was exceptional; the smooth and creamy smoke perfectly rolled into my mouth. It burned fairly well with no real problems. The flavor was full and consistent throughout.

I enjoyed every minute of this fine cigar, and would recommend it to anyone that likes a medium to strong cigar. It's complex flavor makes it a desirable cigar for any serious smoker.

Overall Score: 93/100
Flavor: 93/100
Construction: 90/100
Presentation: 95/100

Labels: Cigar-Reviews, Cuban-Cigars

Permalink posted by Keith @ 6:00 PM, 0 comments links to this post

~FROM 4/17/2005~
Name: Cohiba Size: Siglo I
Origin: Cuba? Construction: Hand
Purchased: Gift; Davidoff Store Hong Kong?
Price: 119 Hong Kong Dollars ( 15 USD)
Smoked: Home Accompanied by: Water

This small cigar was picked up by a brother of a friend while on business in Hong Kong. Ironically, he wanted the Siglo VI, but his brother probably saw the Siglo VI price and when with the petaca of these.

On first glance I questioned the authenticity of this cigar because of the dullness of the wrapper and because the way it was wrapped was not normal Cohiba style. That being said, the unlit aromea was intense and very pleasant- defiantly Cuban.

The cigar lit well, and from the onset I was impressed with its strength. It burned evenly, although it is dot have the perfect 'crown' that I would have expected. It flavors started with a woody bite that transformed into spiciness with hints of grape leaves. I hate to say this again, but I was again impressed with it deep flavors throughout the smoke.

This little stick of dynamite, although expensive, is a delicious cigar for smoker that is short on time and prefers a stronger smoke.

Overall Score: 88/100
Flavor: 90/100
Construction: 80/100
Presentation: 90/100

Labels: Cigar-Reviews, Cuban-Cigars

Permalink posted by Keith @ 9:00 PM, 0 comments links to this post

~FROM 3/18/2005~
Name: Jose L. Piedra Size: Cazadore
Origin: Cuba Construction: Machine Made
Purchased: Casa Del Habano, Pinar del Rio
Price: 1 convertible peso (1.10 USD)
Smoked: Home Accompanied By: Dark Rum with Ice

It was purchased in a bundle of 25, and several of the cigars in the bundle were damaged. Overall the construction was noticeably poor; heavy veins, discolored wrapper, etc. I smoked several of these and would recommend a 'punch cut.' Any other cut could leave you with a mouthful of picadura. The wrapper is a very thin Conneticut.

Flavor is medium, but harsh, although no mistake that it is Cuban. After a few deep smokes, the lack of depth of the machine blend is obvious; 90%-95% of the filler is picadura.

That being said, it was about $1.10 for the cigar. Don't be afraid to give it a try.

Overall Score: 55/100
Flavor: 60/100
Construction: 45/100
Presentation: 40/100

Labels: Cigar-Reviews, Cuban-Cigars

Permalink posted by Keith @ 12:00 PM, 0 comments links to this post