5 Vegas Relic

5 Vegas Relic

Tobacco: Dominican Republic puro

Size: 5.75 x 54 (perfecto)

Price:  $4.16

I picked up a 5-pack of 5 Vegas Relics in Feb 2012 along with another box purchase.  I aged them a year, then smoked them at odd times when I didn't have a lot of time (they burn fast) but wanted something very spicy.    They feature a toothy Corojo wrapper around a blend of Dominican-grown long-leaf ligeros combined (according to the website) with a single leaf of 12-year-old Dominican tobacco.  It features a medium body, but very strong in flavor.  This cigar tastes better than its stronger cousin (the Cask Strength) and is on par or perhaps even a little better than High Primings.

The perfecto shape is a little hard to get used to at first, and that's perhaps why I gravitate to the High Primings, plus these are a little more expensive, but it's worth it.

5 Vegas High Primings

Tobacco: Nicaragua/Dominican Republic

Size: Multiple

Price:  Varies

I have already finished a sampler of 5 Vegas High Priming cigars in the following sizes:

•          Robusto (5 x 50)
•          Box Press (5.5 x 55)
•          Double Corona (6 x 48)
•          Torpedo (6 x 54)
•         Churchill (7 x 52)

This is the same blend as the medium-bodied "classic"  5 Vegas blend.  The High Priming designation refers to the fact the filler is composed of foliage higher up on the same tobacco plants, leaves exposed to more sunlight so they become thicker, darker, and stronger.  The other difference between the two cigars is a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper instead of a Sumatra leaf. 

These cigars are rolled loosely, so they burn quick but never hot.  They have a light, airy draw.  The core is still a creamy, smooth medium-to-full body, but now there is a lean, spicy pepper flavor and a nasally hot finish.  This cigar pairs better with a smooth bourbon or a smoky scotch. 

I liked them so much, I put a box of High Priming Double Coronas back for a year of aging.  Along with PdR Habano Sun Grown, this has become one of my staple brands, meaning I want to always keep one box for aging and another (already aged) in the ready-to-burn humidor.   (Part of me wants to add Omar Ortez, Flor de A. Allones, and E.P. Carillo to this category, but then I wouldn't have very much aging capacity for new brands and blends.)  

  

La Gloria Cubana Artesanos de Miami

Size: 5.5 x 52

Wrapper: Nicaragua

Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra

Fillers: Nicaragua/Dominican

Price:  $10

La Gloria Cubana introduced a new extension a few years ago-- the Artesanos line.  These cigars come with very fancy boxes and a band featuring a new, more colorful version of the traditional LGC logo.   Within the Artesanos extension, there are four blends:

• Artesanos de Miami
• Artesanos de Obelisco
• Artesanos de Tabaqueros
• Artesanos Retro Especiale

De Miami is handmade by a team of 10 master rollers in Miami, FL. Shaun visited the La Gloria Cubana factory-store on calle ocho during his last cruise and brought me back a robusto.  The cigar features a "a dark and oily Habano-seed wrapper", according to one website.  (I don't remember it being all that dark, but it did have a potent prelight aroma).   Production is limited to just 250,000 cigars annually; it recently received a 92 rating and was named one of the Top 25 Cigars of the Year by Cigar Aficionado magazine.

Steve, Shaun, and I smoked these out by the pool on Memorial Day, paired with two glasses of Jameson Select Reserve (also referred to as Jameson Black Barrel).  What a phenomenal combination!  The cigar burned slow and cool, perfect construction.  In terms of its initial taste profile--rich, woody, and slightly nutty--it reminded me of a Cuesta Rey, but unlike that mild cigar, the strength of this begins to accumulate and eventually hits you deep in the belly.  The Jameson was one of the smoothest whiskies I've ever drank with more sweetness than you normally detect in an Irish whisky.

This is one of the Top 3 cigars I've smoked all year, along with a 5-year old Flor de A. Allones and a 5-year old Omar Ortez.

5  Vegas Limitada 2011

Size: 6.2 x 52 ( Belicoso )

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder and Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Honduras

Price: Unknown

I wanted to like this cigar--I really did.  I tried my hardest.  I really liked the 5 Vegas Limitada 2005, 2006, and 2007 varietals.  I was underwhelmed with Limitada 2008 maduro when I reviewed it in 2010, but I rescued one from the Lost Sticks Tray in 2014 that had aged into a very rich, pungent, slightly spicy smoke.  

The Limitada 2011 however just doesn't have much going for it.  It sports a dark warm brown wrapper with a lot of veins.  I smoked the 4th cigar from a 5-pack last night, paired with Auchentoshan 12-Year single malt scotch, while reading Web of the City by Harlan Ellison.  The scotch was good, the cigar bland, and the book disappointing. 

At first light, I was greeted with a slightly sweet taste--almost like toffee--with subtle but pleasant spice.  I would have wanted an Habano wrapper to provide a little more kick, to be honest, but this was promising.  Unfortunately, this quickly faded within just a few minutes and the cigar settled into a medium bodied profile highlighted by the faint taste of burnt almonds.  Not bad, but very nondescript and kind of bland.  The cigar burned  slowly and coolly for nearly two hours, but it had a tendency to go out and needed two relights. Upon each relight, the cigar seemed to gain body and strength, but it lost its nutty flavors in favor of something more generic and woodsy.  By the second half, it was hard to tell this from your average run-of-the-mill bundle cigar. 

This experience has been repeated four times now.  This is not what I expect from a Limitada.

Partagas 1845
Size: 5.5 x 49 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Price: $9

I'm pretty sure this is a leftover cigar from my Las Vegas Big Smoke two years ago.  I can't imagine how else it ended up in my humidor.  I know some people swear by Partagas, and their annual limited-edition Christmas cigars get stalked almost as badly as the Fuente Fuente Opus X and God of Fire.  I've had a couple, but other than one Spanish Rosado I loved, I just haven't seen the appeal.

This cigar, like other Partagas I've tried, was just very meh... It wasn't bad.  It was a just a medium body cigar with no distinguishing characteristics.  This is something I'd smoke if it was handed to me, but I wouldn't buy one. It certainly doesn't hold a candle to many of its lower-priced competitors like Pinar del Rio Sun Grown or 5 Vegas High Primings.

Perdomo Habano Corojo
Size: 6.5 x 54 (Torpedo)
Tobacco: Nicaraguan puro
Price: $9

I've smoked probably 3 or 4 of these over the years, but oddly enough I've never reviewed one.  These are very good cigars, albeit a little pricey, and the construction is flawless like just about every other Perdomo I've ever had (bar the very young fresh-rolled bundles at Cigars International).

I don't normally go for the hyperbole you find on cigar websites, but Tabacalera Perdomo sums up the taste almost perfectly:  a "bold assortment of deep flavors, including earth, almonds, and a sweet, oak-filled spice".

Just reading that description brings vivid memories of the Perdomo Habano I smoked at a cigar lounge in Rome, Georgia one night last year.

This is what you expect from a Nicaraguan puro (although, in truth, I don't know if its technically a puro since the tobacco comes from three different regions:  Esteli, Condega, and Jalapa Valley).  Pairs well with a complex single malt or a rich, thick draft stout.

Something Old, Something New

Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur Legend

Size: 5.25 x 50 ("Challenger")

Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican

Wrapper: Havana-seed Connecticut

Price: $7.50

The HdM Excalibur was invented a while back--the 1970's, I believe-- because the public wanted the vintage taste of Hoyo de Monterrey in a milder, more palatable form. Fast-forward 40 years, and now the few cigar smokers left in America are in love with stronger, spicier, more flavorful smokes.  

So, introduced in 2008, the Excalibur Legend is being billed as the full-bodied younger brother of the now-classic mild Excalibur.  You can easily spot the Legend by the red stripe on the band.

I have no idea how one of these offshoots found its way into my humidor, but I'm always game for something new, so I gave it a taste.  Full-bodied is a little exaggerated, in my opinion.  I would say this cigar has hints of spice, medium body, a long finish, but a stub nose.  

It was a good cigar, paired well with a strong bourbon.  Would also do fine with a light scotch like Ardmore. It's very similar, in fact, to the traditional Hoyo de Monterrey.  I suspect General Cigar Co. may have just printed some new bands and slapped them on the same cigar they've been selling for decades.

State of the Humidor - Jan 3, 2014 

I have shamelessly let this cigar blog lapse since last August.  It's going to bite me in the butt, too, because I've smoked a lot of good cigars and now I can't remember what they were. 

Here's the 2014 State of the Humidor:

New cigars to try in 2014:

1. E.P. Carillos Predelictos
2. Pinar Del Rio Small Batch Black Corojo Torpedo

Last cigar of 2013:

• Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story, while watching a Bears-Packers game with my brothers-in-law

First cigar of 2014:

• El Credito from the LGC factory in Miami, while watching Fiesta Bowl at Steve Laster's house

New cigars I tried in 2013, that I would purchase again in the future:

• Padilla Reserva Maduro Toro
• EP Carillo Core Natural
• Joya de Nicragua Antano 1970
• Dunhill Aged
• Cusano Habano LXI Sun Grown
• Pinar Del Rio Habano Sun Grown
• Casa de Fernandez Miami Toro
• Beale Street Maduro
• "My Uzi Weighs A Ton" Bait Fish
• Gran Habano Corojo Vintage 2002 (although I prefer the "non-vintage" version)
• Maria Guerrero Robusto
• Alec Bradley MAXX Brazil
• Cupido Criollo (but not the perfecto, due to persistent construction issues)
• Nat Sherman Timeless Collection #556

New cigars I tried in 2013, that I would not purchase again:  

• La Traviata by CAO
• Zino Platinum
• Gurkha Ghost
• Rocky Patel Private Cellar
• Dona Flor Robusto
• CAO Concert Churchill
• CLE Corojo

I'm running 3 humidors, and here is an approximate listing of their contents from memory:

• 5 Vegas Limitada 2011 Belicoso
• La Perla Habana Morado Toro
• La Habana Rojo Toro
• Famous Nicaraguan 3000 Torpedo
• 5 Vegas High Primings Double Corona
• 5 Vegas Miami Churchill
• Pinar del Rio (sampler of various blends)
• Oliveros Sun Grown Churchill
• Pinar Del Rio Small Batch Black Corojo Torpedo
• Legends Series - Camacho
• La Perla Habana Morado Belicoso
• Man O War seconds
• Pinar del Rio Sun Grown Dbl Corona (half box)
• E.P. Carillos Predelictos (5)
• Excalibur Legend Challengers (2)
• Padilla Achilles Toro (2)
• 5 Vegas Cask Strength Toro (single)
• Perdomo Patriarch Corojo (single)
• Perdomo Grand Cru Corojo (single)
• Perdomo 2 Limited Edition (single)
• Perdomo Lot 23 (single)

This doesn't count the Lost Sticks Cemetary, the top tray of my large humidor. I save the last cigar from each box and put it in this tray for long-term aging, just to see how some sticks will hold up for 3-5 years.

Nat Sherman Timeless Collection #556

Size: 5 x 56

Tobacco: Nicaraguan Puro

Price: $7.62

I smoked this cigar one night on the back porch, and this is one of those times I wish I had paid better attention to what I was doing.  I don't remember what I paired this cigar with, I don't remember any specific tastes or impressions, except I remember I really liked it.  I remarked several times that I it was very good.

One of the ladies in the group said she had visited the original Nat Sherman store in the garment district of New York City, founded in the middle of the 1930's. 

I will definitely try this cigar again in the future, and next time I'll pay more attention.  I promise.

Cupido Criollo Doble

Size: 5.5 x 50 (perfecto)

Tobacco: Nicaraguan Puro

Price: $3.68 (online)

I have a love-hate relationship with all cigars from Cuban Crafters.  I love the way they taste: 

•         Tio Pepe - Earthy, floral flavors
•          Medina 1959 - Mild, nutty corn puff flavors
•          Don Kiki Green - Mint/ginger/cinnamon aromas
•          Don Kiki Brown - Heady, rich earth flavors

The Don Kiki Red was sort of an exception; their flavors were inconsistent from stick to stick. 

But construction problems seem to be endemic to these cigars:  plugged, tight draw, loose draw, canoes, and flaky ash. 

 

The Cupido Criollo Doble was no exception.  It featured dark, shiny, glossy wrappers.  Several cigars had alternating sweet-and-spicy flavors that I sometimes get from a really high-end criollo leaf.  Aromas and draw were nice.

But I couldn't keep one of these things lit to save my life.  The leaves were rolled very loose, which caused flaky ash and fast burn.  I would often have to relight up to 3 or 4 times to touch up canoes or because the thing would lose its cherry in the time it took me sip my bourbon or turn the page in a book.

Maybe the problem was the perfecto shape, which I've heard tell can only be accomplished by the most skillful of rollers.  If I ever try this brand again, I'll go with a larger vitola (to compensate for the loose draw and fast burn)  and I'll avoid the perfecto shape

CLE Corojo

Size: 5 x 50 (robusto)

Tobacco: Honduran puro

Price: $5.95

Shaun and I smoked our CLE Corojo cigars from the Big Smoke last Tuesday night. I paired mine with Buffalo Trace single barrel bourbon.  He drank some godawful Bud Light Lime-A-Rita.  We both agreed this was our least favorite cigar from the Vegas trip.

The CLE cigar inherits its name from the initials of its founder and owner Christian Luis Eiroa, who is most famously known as the former owner of Camacho Cigars.  According to clecigars.com , Christian was inspired to create this new brand by one single question: "What would you do if you were able to do it all over again?"


I've always found Camacho to be an inconsistent brand.  On the one hand, I've greatly enjoyed a few Camacho Coyolar Puros, as well as their house brand for Cigars International, the Legends Series White Label.  On the other hand,  I outright loathed Camacho 1962.


CLE Corojo wasn't quite as bad as Camacho 1962; it wasn't bitter and plagued with poor construction, but it was not very good either.  Bland and Tasteless leap to mind as appropriate adjectives.   Burn was ok.  There was a hint of unpleasant soapiness or bitterness in the finish, which is sometimes present in low-quality corojo leaves (anybody remember my horrible experience with Victor Sinclair Triple Corojo Torpedoes?)

Not something I would smoke again.

Alec Bradley MAXX Brazil

Size: 5 x 50

Tobacco: Brazilian, Colombian, Nicaraguan, Mexican, and Honduran

Price: $6.60

Heavy-bodied, earthy cigar with a Brazilian maduro wrapper.  Tastes nearly identical to the CAO Brazilia, including those same heady, rich, shifting aromas.  As a rule, I find Brazilan wrappers to be the most aromatic but with muted flavors.  Perfect draw with a lots of white smoke.  Good construction. Paired on a cool August night with Jimmy Buffet music and rye whiskey.

Maria Guerrero Robusto

Size: 5 x 54

Wrapper: African Cameroon 
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru

Price: $7

This cigar represents a revival of a classic Cuban brand originally created to capitalize on the sensual beauty of the much-heralded Spanish stage actress María Guerrero.

I picked up an old Maria Guerrera at a cigar store in Terre Haute, IN.  The cellophane was a dark, musty yellow, and I would proffer a guess this cigar was at least 5 or more years old.  It had that soft, mellow flavor of a well-aged cigar (it reminded me of the Bolivar I smoked in Megan's Bay on St. Thomas).  This cigar was mild-to-medium; not my favorite taste profile, but I do feel that mild cigars age better than strong cigars.  I would definitely try this one again.

Gran Habano Corojo Vintage 2002

Size: Churchill 7 x 50

Tobacco: Nicaraguan & Honduran

Price: $7 

The Vintage line from CI is an aged version of the GH #5 Corojo; the wrapper is aged 8 years before it is rolled.  Very smooth, with a long finish, but the cigar loses some of its punch over time.  The wrapper loses its glossy, oily texture.  I actually think I prefer this cigar with only 1 year of age on it.

CAO Concert Churchill
Size: 7 x 50 (estimated)
Wrapper: Ecuadoran Rosado
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan
Price: $7

Sometimes a cigar can be less than the sum of its parts.  This one never quite lives up to its sophisticated packaging or its refined appearance.

It is a beautiful stogie, with a tight, oily, dark wrapper and a spicy-sweet pre-light aroma.  Construction is good, giving the cigar a slow cool burn that can last nearly two hours.  It even begins with a burst of pepper/spice with a hearty aftertaste. 

Unfortunately, after those first few glorious puffs, the taste mellows very quickly into a medium body, and a consistent boring unvarying medium taste.  It's not a bad cigar by any means, it just does not distinguish itself in any way. 

Give me a CAO Criollo, CAO Brazilia, CAO Black, or CAO Cameroon over the Concert anyday.

"My Uzi Weighs A Ton" Bait Fish
Size: 4.0 x 44
Wrapper: San Andreas Negro (from Drew Estate)
Binder: Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade (from Drew Estate)
Filler: Brazilian Mata Fina (Drew Estate), Nicaraguan (from Joya de Nicaragua)
Price: $6

Steve Laster gave me one of these cigars from a Drew Estate event at Tinder Box.  I know little of Drew Estate's offerings beyond The Egg and their various assortments of flavored cigars.  I had never heard of MUWAT, nor even the "Subculture Studios" mini-brand extension, but this has apparently become a hot commodity this year.

I smoked the cigar while grilling chicken, burgers, salmon, and corn on the cob.  A very rich, spicy cigar with pronounced earthy Nicaraguan tobacco. A great kick like a Don Pepin: short but potent.  The burn was impeccable, with a pronounced heavy aftertaste.  The small size only lended itself to a 15-minute smoke. 

Recommend pairing with a high-end sourmash bourbon such as Belle Meade. Drew Estate produces these in conjunction with Joya de Nicragua.  Worth another try in a larger vitola.

Beale Street Cigar by Rocky Patel

Beale Street Maduro (aka "Bass Guitar") Toro

Manufacturer: Rocky Patel, made for Havana Mix Cigar Emporium, Memphis, TN
Size: 6 x 52 (estimated)
Wrapper: Brazillian Maduro

Binder: Dominican
Filler: Honduran and Ecuadorian
Price: $10

Last weekend, Michelle and I went downtown with the Brannens and Lasters for a date night without children. We took the free trolly ride to the art district and wandered among the various galleries and art school museums on what amounted to "open house night". Most of the galleries served free wine.

We followed this with dinner at Pearl's Oyster House (red beans and rice with pulled pork barbecue followed by char-grilled oysters in chipotle butter and parmesan cheese) and then a jazz quintet at the Westin Hotel. The night ended at Havana Mix Emporium on 3rd Street, the new cigar lounge and bar.

To complete our celebration of the city, all the men bought the Beale Street cigar, which is the house brand from Rocky Patel. It sported a bright blue band in the shape of a guitar with the words "No Black, No White, Just Blues."

House blends are usually disappointing, but not this one. The cigar was very full-bodied without a lot of spiciness (somewhat reminiscent of the 5 Vegas Cask Strength). The burn was razor sharp. I got my ash up to over 2 inches; Shaun's ash exceeded 4 inches. Smoke time was nearly two hours.

It's pricey at $10, but this is definitely a great cigar.

Casa de Fernandez Miami Toro

Casa de Fernandez Miami Toro

Size: 6.5 x 52
Tobacco: Nicaraguan puro
Price: $8

Another very good cigar from the Big Smoke in Las Vegas last year. Full-flavored and spicy. Paired well with a high-end bourbon by the pool.  Rather quick burning.

In hindsight, I wish I had taken better tasting notes on this one.  I got involved in some serious discussion (I can't remember what it was about) and lost my focus on the cigar.

Pinar del Rio Habano Sun Grown

Pinar Del Rio Habano Sun Grown
Size: 6.0 x 50 (Toro) 
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican (criollo)
Filler: Nicaraguan/Dominican
Price: $7.50

PDR is a Louisiana-based company that owns and operates one small factory in Tamboril in the Dominican Republic. Abraham Flores is the master blender.

I picked up a box of these on CigarBid for about $2/stick because the bands looked nice and the copy in the catalog promised full, rich flavors. I figured it was just another fly-by-night house blend, so I was surprised to see the same cigar at the local Tinder Box retailing for over $7 the very next week.

I'm about half-way through the box, and I have to say I absolutely love these smokes. They burn cool and straight. They are strong and rich and spicy. I have given them to friends and both my brothers-in-law and everyone has raved about them.

The only downside is that the word must have gotten out; prices have been steadily rising on internet sites.

Pictures of Steve, Shaun, and me at the Big Smoke last year!

La Traviata by CAO
Size: Double Corona 7.0 x 52

Tobacco:  Ecuador (Wrapper), Africa-Cameroon (Binder), Dominican/Nicaragua (Filler)

Price: $8

This is a beautiful cigar with a deep, oily wrapper that screamed "Buy Me!" last time I was in the Tinder Box.  I've tried both the natural and the maduro.  Construction is flawless, with an average burn (about an hour and a half).  This is by any standard a decent premium cigar.  

Billed as full-flavored, but I found it to be an underwhelming medium in body and strength; not even medium-full, but very middle of the road in all aspects. 

Overall verdict:  It's a relaxing cigar, but lacks punch.  Doesn't justify the price tag.

 Here are more short reviews of cigars I got at the Big Smoke in Las Vegas last year:

Cusano Habano LXI Sun Grown

Size: Gordo (6.2 x 54)

Price: $6.89

I remember smoking an inexpensive sandwich cigar by Cusano several years back, but to date that was the extent of my experience with this brand.  The LXI Sun Grown is a higher-end offering, although not as lauded as the Cusano 18. 

It featured a camel-brown wrapper (a hybrid of Ecuadorian and Domincan seeds) with some tooth beginning to bud near the foot.  Prelight aroma was light and earthy.  The first few puffs were spicy but the cigar didn't have any lasting bite.  It fell to the upper range of Medium in both body and taste.  The finish was acceptable. 

Overall verdict: This was a solid cigar with a touch of spice.  Good to pair with a glass of strong bourbon (Willet's) or a light single malt scotch (Aberlour).  I would certainly purchase or try again, but it was not any more memorable than other cigars in the same range.

Dona Flor

Size: Robusto

Price: $4-5

Dona Flor is a puro made exclusively of Brazilian tobacco.  The brand was first introduced in the U.S. in 2005, then pulled from the market due to extensive trademark lawsuits over the brand name.  It was finally reintroduced on July 4, 2012. Brazilian tobacco is thought to be less earthy than Nicaraguan tobacco, and less spicy than Dominican.  It is smoother, sweeter, and usually medium-body and medium-strength.  

The cigars given out at the Las Vegas Big Smoke were from the Tradicional Blend line, featuring a Mata Fina binder and wrapper, and filler that is a mixture of Mata Fina and Mata Norte.  These two sun grown leafs from the Recôncavo Basin are "Brazil's Dark Treasure", according to the Dona Flor USA website.

With such a unique background and pedigree, I hate to say:  I intensely disliked this cigar.  Maybe it was the Brazilian tobacco, I don't know. The construction was good, but the cigar was mild, bland, grassy, and had a bad aftertaste.  I remarked when I was smoking that it was no better than a $1 Boardwalk cigar, which is really only acceptable if you don't care whether you finish.  

Here are several short reviews of cigars I got at the Big Smoke in Las Vegas last year:

Dunhill Aged

Size: Rothschild

Known informally as "blue label", this cigar features filler and binder leaves from the Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic; the wrapper is a USA-grown Connecticut. This is a mild, creamy cigar with a straight burn and an easy draw. Perfect construction. Very reminiscent of a Montecristo White or a Gispert. Moderate amount of flavor, undistinguished nose and finish.

Joya de Nicragua Antano 1970

Size: Robusto

This is the pinnacle of the JdN line, a puro featuring a heavy blend of ligero filler with a thick, dark Nicaraguan wrapper. The name Antano means "yesteryear" in Spanish; and this blend is meant as a reincarnation of the famous JdN blend of the same name from the 1970's.

This was a potent cigar, but lacked the pepper/spice I was expecting. Very enjoyable nonetheless, but it fell short of my expectations, which were admittedly very high.

Rocky Patel Private Cellar

Trust me, this isn't Rocky's go-to cigar from some secret stash in a gold-plated humidor. Just another ho-hum medium-bodied maduro. Fine construction, but no power under the hood.

EP Carillo Core Natural

This was (perhaps) my favorite from the Big Smoke.

A few years ago Ernesto Perez-Carillo sold the company he founded, La Gloria Cubana Cigars, to one of the major conglomerates, then turned around and started a new company with all-new blends. I smoked the Regalias Real vitola (5 5/8 x 46).

It reminded me of the Flor de A. Allones. Lots of pepper-spice with a lean aroma and just a slight finish.

Gurkha Ghost

A jaw-breaking 6 x 60 behemoth. Started with some little spice, and quickly settled into a very average-tasting maduro. Not bad, but nothing to write home about (other than Gurkha's distinctively cool artwork).

Today, I bring forth a series of mini-reviews of cigars from the Big Smoke, including the Padilla Reserva Maduro which I'm smoking as I write:

Padilla Reserva Maduro Toro
Size: 5.7 x 50
Tobacco: Nicaragua
Price: $8.75

A long thin cigar beautifully wrapped in a dark, oily, toothy wrapper.  There are two veins in the leaf, one near the foot and one off the head.  Otherwise, the leaf is almost unnaturally smooth.  This is a vintage high quality maduro cigar, with none of the harshness or faintly chemical taste that you get with low-end maduros.  Burns slow with a smooth but not sweet taste.  Thick floral aroma, with very little aftertaste.

La Aroma de Cuba Robusto
Size: 5.5 x 54 (the "Marquis Tube")
Tobacco: Nicaraguan
Price: $5.25

I had two of these cigars:  The first I smoked to celebrate Alabama's 44-13 victory over Tennessee.  The second I smoked in Las Vegas; it was supposed to be a victory cigar, but instead it was my consolation cigar in the Planet Hollywood Casino sportsbook after we lost to Texas A&M 24-29.

This cigar has a great pedigree, blended by Jose 'Don Pepin' Garcia and distributed by Ashton, the same partnership that resulted in San Cristobol cigars.  It sports a dark, glossy wrapper with a colorful ornate band and a solid red foot band.

The cigar is spicy, but not as much as many of Don Pepin's other brands like his Black, Blue, and Series JJ lines. It has a husky, oaky flavor with a long finish.  It reminded me a lot of Glenmorangie single malt scotch.
Shaun raved about this cigar, saying it was one of his all-time Top 5.

Tatuaje Seleccion de Cazador
Size:  5 5/8" x 46 (Size is known as "7th")
Tobacco: Nicaraguan with an Ecuadorian wrapper
Price: $8.12

This is the cigar I smoked at the Big Smoke event in Las Vegas.  It was spicy, with medium-full body.  It had an absolutely intoxicating aroma, remarking one person beside me to exclaim "That is the best smelling cigar in the whole room!"  (and keep in mind, there were probably around 300 puffing furiously in that room at the time.)

It was a great complement to the prime rib dinner and my Balvenie after-dinner drink.  A slow cool burn that lasted about 50 minutes.

Diamond Crown Maximus
Tobacco: Nicaraguan

The Diamond Crown Maximus line is the results of a partnership between the Oliva family (which grows the tobacco), the Fuente family (which blends the cigars), and the JC Newman company (which distributes the cigars in the United States).

This was my New Year's Eve cigar.  Shaun and I smoked them in the afternoon before we left to a great party at Glen and Jenna Lowery's house.  For some reason I don't remember the specifics of the cigar like the size, the wrapper, or what we talked about while we smoked.  Shaun thinks it was a maduro.  I do  remember liking it very much.

My tasting notes at the time were:  "Tastes like dense dark burnt pecans with hints of pepper and java.  Long finish."

Zino Platinum
Size: 7 x 48
Tobacco: Dominican
Price: Unknown

I could not find any information online about the Zino Platinum I smoked.  Mine was about 7 inches long, with a 48 ring gauge, and the band looks slightly different than the one pictured above. The cigar had an impeccable draw and flawless construction.  It was too mild for my taste.  I would smoke one again, if given to me, but it's not a cigar I would seek out.

Foundry Wells (a Big Smoke cigar)
Size: 6.0 x 50
Tobacco: Unknown ("five tobaccos from four countries")
Price: $7.95

No doubt, this new cigar line from General Cigar raised some eyebrows for its unique Steampunk packaging.  What is steampunk?  From Gregory Mattola at Cigar Aficionado:

Essentially, it’s a literary, fashion and visual design genre that is informed by a Victorian-era notion of futurism—science fiction from an industrialized, 19th century point of view with a bit of mysticism thrown in there, too. If you can imagine a steam-powered time machine full of old iron levers, mechanical gears, burnished hydraulic pistons and steam whistles, then you’re starting to get it. Readers of Jules Verne or H.G. Wells are well acquainted with such imagery.

I didn't know the term, but I recognize the genre from movies like Wild, Wild West and stories like Joe R. Lansdale's "The Steam Man of the Prairie and the Dark Rider Get Down".

I like the box, and I like that each size is named for a famous Victorian-era writer or inventor.  The size I smoked was named for H.G. Wells, author of War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, and The Time Machine.  However, the heavy metal gear collar was annoying.  It made a small tear in the beautiful, toothy, peanut-colored 8-year old wrapper, a proprietary strain of tobacco known as H-47 Pleno Sol.

Unfortunately, like most of the bizarre flying machines invented in the 1800's, this cigar looked good on the outside but ended up crash-landing right after takeoff. It began with a hint of spice, but from the first puff it was missing any finish or aftertaste, making it seem very insubstantial.  My friend Shaun complained of chronic burn problems.  Mine burned ok, but the taste mellowed into something vaguely resembling soapy water (I don't know how else to describe it!).  We both agreed this was just a very bad cigar.

Even a glass of Caol Ila single malt could not save this one.  & that's remarkable in and of itself.

I've fallen behind on my cigar reviews, and now I'm rushing to make up for it by year's end.


In November, I took a weekend trip to Las Vegas with some friends, and we went to the Big Smoke event on Friday night. I had some objections to how it was organized--it felt like a cattle call for the first hour as all 500 guests scrambled madly between vendor booths to get their free cigars-- but even so it was a lot of fun, the food was excellent, and I got to shake hands with Rocky Patel and Carlos Fuente, Jr.

The best part, I walked away with 39 premium-brand cigars, most of which I had never tried before. This should provide me with plenty of review fodder for 2013.

Casa Magna Oscuro Toro (a Big Smoke cigar)
Size: 6.0 x 52
Tobacco: Nicaraguan Puro
Price: $6.80

I enjoyed this cigar at Shaun's house, lounging on a chilly night by his open fire pit with a glass of Aberlour 10-year old single malt. The wrapper was very dark, close to being black. I performed the finger test, since I've heard tobacco leaves never get this dark without addition of some sort of dye, but this cigar passed, so I assume it was all-natural.


The cigar had a dense, slightly bittersweet pre-light odor, common among maduros. It started with just a hint of a bite and some pronounced charred meaty flavors, but it quickly settled into a very medium body with just the barest hint of coffee. The filler leaves were packed too tight, which caused a tight draw and some dryness at the head. It canoed slightly a few times, but nothing too bad.

All in all, a very average, unremarkable cigar. Nothing I'd go out of my way to find again.