Tatuaje T110

Brand: Tatuaje
Size: Robusto 52×4.3
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $10.00 a stick

I got this cigar from a buddy on twitter by the name of “charlie”. He hosted a cigar contest that was very simple, the first one to send him a “dm” on twitter wins. 🙂 I was the lucky one and he asked me to review one of the smokes he sent me. The Tatuaje T110 is a very good smoke. It has a nice spiciness too it and is very full flavored. I didn’t find it was as strong as Charlie led it on to be but it was still a very good smoke.

First Impressions:
This cigar is very oily and has a nice dark wrapper. The construction looks very well done with no large veins and the smell has leathery aroma to it with a hint of cedar.

First puffs:
The first few puffs are very full flavored and dark but it keeps a smoothness to it. I’m tasting hints of cedar as well. The draw is nice and full but a slight airy. There is a nice white ash to it but a tad on the loose side.

Half way mark:
The cedar notes are still there but I’m also starting to taste some mocha notes and the spiciness is very prevalent. It’s starting to burn a little uneven, but nothing a lighter can’t fix. still very dark. chocolate notes.

Final Third:
The burn became even after I fixed it up so no real marks against construction. There are still dark mocha notes and it was smooth smoking down to the nub.

I can’t really go into a lot of detail as I’ve only smoked one of these and I usually like to review cigars that I have a box of or at least a 5 pack but this is a very good cigar from first impressions. It’s a very dark and full flavored cigar but it holds it’s smoothness throughout the entire smoke. I want to thank charlie for sending me these awesome cigars and I enjoyed everyone of them.

Oliva Serie O Maduro

Brand: Oliva
Size: Robusto 5×50
Wrapper: Maduro Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $105 for a box of 20 on Cigar International’s site

The Oliva Serie O Maduro was a bit of a surprise to me. I actually got these cigars by purchasing two “mystery” 5 packs from Cigar International on their daily Joe Cigar deals. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened up the package, but I had a smile on my face once I got through the packaging. I’ve smoked the Serie V and G before but never had the opportunity to try the Serie O. I’m glad I took a chance with these because I was very pleased with the smokes.

The Serie O maduro is a Nicaraguan Puro from all habano seed. The wrapper is VERY dark and the aroma is very strong to boot. I’ve already smoked through all 10 of these sticks and may have to purchase some again, but I’ll wait to find out what the Cain tastes like when I go to the local cigar tastings next week.

First Impressions and First Puffs:

The construction is very well done. The wrapper is very dark and oily and the smell from the foot of the cigar gives off hints of chocolate and spice. From the first few puffs I am getting a nice white tight ash, and the smoke is pretty smooth. I can tell it will be a very dark cigar as I go throughout but it’s also very smooth. The first tastes my palate is picking up on are spices and gingerbread.

First Third:

The draw is a bit airy, and I’m not getting a full mouth of smoke from it but I think that will change. The construction is holding up nicely and the spiciness flavors are still there. I’m also getting a hint of coffee bean.

Halfway mark:

The draw is still a bit airy but has gotten a lot better. The full flavored smoke is kicking in and the spiciness and coffee notes remain. I am really digging this cigar so far.

Final Third and Thoughts:

The full flavored smoke is definitely apparent now and the draw is treating me nicely. The construction has held up with no problems throughout the smoke and I’m smoking it down to the nub. It’s getting a little hot but manageable. 🙂 The finish of this cigar is very nice with the spiciness and coffee notes staying evident the entire time and the ash is holding strong.

Overall, this is a very good smoke. I’ve always been happy with the other “Serie” cigars from Oliva and I’ll add this one to my list as well. The draw was a bit airy in the beginnings but picked up toward the end. The spicy notes, and oily wrapper help make this a strong smoke but smooth sailing. I got these on a deal for about 3 bucks a stick but you can pick them up for about 5-6 bucks a stick at your local B&M. I’m waiting to reserve my judgment on whether I need to repurchase these or go with a box of the new Cain sticks that just came out. Be sure to check out my review on those next week sometime.

Lazy Man's Review – Victor Sinclair Rare Connecticut

Brand: Victor Sinclair
Size: Torpedo
Wrapper: Connecticut Domincan
Binder: ??
Filler: Cuban seed long filler Dominican Republic
Price: box of 20 mixed for $35.00 http://www.thompsoncigar.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=73617

I’m going the lazy man’s route this time around and thought I would just post my audio notes up instead of typing out the entire review. It’s also a chance for everyone to hear my heavenly voice. 🙂 Actually, it was really just a chance to mess around with some audio editing tools as I prep for the new Long Ashes podcast we will be releasing soon.

The Victor Sinclair Rare Connecticut is part of Thompson Cigars “exclusive” line. This is similar to CI’s purple label cigars. Several well known cigar manufacturers will make a new/special blend for the store that you can’t buy anywhere else. Although I thought this was a decent cigar all around, I wasn’t really wowed with any complex flavors and I wasn’t impressed enough to consider buying these again. I did, however, enjoy trying out the punch on top of the torpedo cut for the first time. Listed below are the complete audio notes for the review. Enjoy!

Victor Sinclair MP3

Super Premium Seconds

Brand: Punch Rothschild seconds
Size: 4.5 x 50 Rothschild
Wrapper: ??
Binder: ??
Filler: ?? CI says a Honduran blend with long fillers
Price: bundle of 25 for $29.95 http://tinyurl.com/ml7c3s

I’m always on the hunt for the perfect everyday cigar. Ever since I got my smoking room I usually smoke about 1 cigar a day and on the weekends about two every day. Being married with 4 kids, I can’t afford to smoke the premiums every day like some cigar superstars on twitter @jcruz 🙂 . So instead, I settle for good but not great. With the super premium seconds though, this is hands down the best everyday cigar I have smoked. You can’t even really tell you paid less than 2 bucks for these smokes. The construction of them do have some problems about every third or fourth one you smoke because the cap likes to come off, but it usually doesn’t happen until the end of the smoke so it’s an acceptable issue (for a cheap cigar; if I paid 4 dollars or more for these then I would have issues with that.)

First Third:

The body of the cigar looks very decent. The construction in general looks well done but you can tell the cap is a little loose and might have issues later on in the smoke. The smell is very strong and prominent of chocolate and creme and the feel of the stick is very decent (held together good and well humidified thanks to my expert skill in humidification 😛 ). The first couple of puffs are really good, I tasted a sweetness and can tell the overall smoke will probably be a medium to full bodied smoke. The ash was a gray color and pretty tight overall.

Middle of smoke:

The smoke got a but stronger now and the sweetness went away. The taste can be more defined by a grassy, earthy taste. The construction is still holding up and usually does at this point of the smoke. The draw of the smoke is a bit tight and that seems to be the case on these on every other smoke, but nothing preventing the air flow completely.

Final puffs:

It’s starting to get a little stronger and a bit hot. The full flavor is kicking in now. The construction is still holding up though this is usually when every third stick will lose it’s cap and start to unravel. it’s not a huge problem since the price of these sticks are so cheap.

Overall it’s a very good everyday smoke and I would recommend it to anyone. The other cheap cigars I’ve smoked usually suffer from short fillers that are loose that leave for a soggy cigar that have a horrible airy draw and I was pleased that these are more closer to a standard premium that don’t have those problems.

Camacho Connecticut

Brand: Camacho
Size: 7.0″ x 48 (churchill)
Wrapper: Ecudorian Connecticut
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras and Dominican
Price: MSRP $170.00 box of 25

The Camacho Connecticut is a sneaky little devil. On the outside it appears as your standard light Connecticut wrapper which normally gives you the impression that the filler is also light. This is where you are wrong. The Camacho Connecticut is full of spiciness with periods of creaminess which is subtle enough to balance out the smoke and provides a very interesting yet tasty experience.

I picked up the Camacho Connecticut from the Party Source Davidoff tastings a couple of weeks ago and didn’t even realize I had put it in my humidor until yesterday (shame on me). So without much thought, I snagged it out and prepared to smoke.

First Third:

At first glance the cap of the cigar is very prominent. You can tell that this cigar was constructed very well. The cigar has a nice aroma too it, almost creamy like. The wrapper looks to provide a smooth smoke. The first few puffs has an incredibly smooth draw and smooth taste, yet has a bite too it. The darker tobaccos mixed with the lighter wrapper really compliment each other well. Near the end of the first third the spiciness tends to die down and sticks with a more smooth and creamy taste which is welcomed nicely.

Halfway Point:

The smoothness continues, and the burn is still very even. The draw is excellent and I haven’t had any problems smoking it thus far. The herbal spiciness returned with hints of cedar mixed in as well.

Finale:

The cigar is now a lot darker and you can definitely rate this as medium bodied, maybe even a bit more than that. Though the cigar has gotten darker (which I normally prefer anyway), the smoothness of the wrapper continues to complement the fillers which creates a very interesting smoking experience. I don’t want to put it out. 🙂

The Camacho Connecticut is an excellent cigar and I would probably rate it as one of my top 10 cigars as of recent, along with the Cuvee Rouge which is also an excellent cigar. Camacho has created a very interesting smoke with the light/dark mixture and the creaminess/spiciness of the cigar will definitely leave your palate excited throughout and wanting more once you are done. 🙂 Good job Camacho!

Felipe Gregorio Icon Groucho Marx

Brand: Felipe Gregorio
Size: 5.0″ x 55 (robusto)
Wrapper: Costa Rica
Binder: Costa Rica (double wrapper)
Filler: Mixed cuban seed (Condega, Nicaragua and Dominican Republic)
Price: MSRP $49.95 box of 20

I bought a box of these after discovering the Felipe Gregorio fat boy. The fat boy was my first introduction to Felipe Gregorio’s line and I really enjoyed it. It intrigued me to try the other blends that Felipe had, so I started doing some research. Felipe Gregorio seems to specialize in the exotic Figurado shapes and unique blends. This holds true for his Icon line of cigars as well, which seems to be a mid-low priced cigar. I was able to pick up a box of 20 of these from http://cigarbid.com for only 37 bucks plus shipping. I’ve smoked more than half of them and I think I can give a fair review on the Groucho now after going through a few trial and tribulations with this smoke.

First Third:

This cigar starts out strong and bold, which is a good thing. It has an oily wrapper which seems to give it a bit of a creamy coffee type of taste. I could taste hints of spice as well in the beginnings of this smoke. One thing that was a major problem for me when I first got these was the draw. I couldn’t draw anything from it. I think I almost sucked my eye balls out of my sockets to get even a pinch of smoke, and the only way to somewhat remedy this was to use a draw poker. Jerry Cruz from the “stogie review” also mentioned to me that he had heard this from his local B&M.

Luckily after sitting in my humidor for awhile they have gotten better, but the draw problems still exist somewhat. Other than the draw problems I had early on, the beginnings of this cigar is very flavorful and enjoyable. The burn is very even and the construction on these cigars are top notch.

Halfway Point:

Toward the halfway point of this stick the strong full bodied flavor tends to mellow a bit and is more in the medium bodied range in my opinion. This is not to say that the tastes from before are no longer there, it’s more so that the spiciness leaves for a bit. The coffee creaminess still sticks around which makes for a nice smooth smoke. There weren’t any burn or construction problems, though the draw can still be troublesome if your batch turned out like mine.

Finale:

The finale of this smoke picks up it’s spiciness from the beginning more than ever, and finishes as a full bodied smoke. Most of the creaminess flavors kind of die down toward the end and you are left with a true full flavored, full bodied smoke. The draw issues seem to subside toward the end of the stick even on my most troublesome sticks. The burn stays even until the end, and none of the 10 or so I have smoked have unraveled on me which wins many points in my book. Even the best of cigars have construction issues sometimes so this was a very nice surprise.

Overall, the icon line of cigars (specifically the Groucho in this case) are a decent smoke and well worth the price. The price really sells this stick and I can see myself buying them again in the future as an every day smoke. The draw issues are a definite problem and my only suggestion if you want to brave a box of these for yourself, is to over humidify them a bit (not too much!). That seemed to help with mine. The construction of the cigar and even burn impressed me as well. So far Felipe Gregorio seems to be pleasing me with what I’ve smoked of his cigars. I look forward to trying out and reviewing more of his cigars in the future.

Cusano LXI Habano Sun Grown

Brand: Cusano
Size: 5.0 x 50 (robusto)
Wrapper: Double wrapper Ecuadorian sun grown
Binder: part of double wrapper
Filler: Mixed Ligero tobacco
Price: MSRP $4.93 a stick

I picked up this cigar from the recent Cusano cigar tastings and wasn’t sure what to expect. This is apparently the first full bodied smoke from Cusano but I’m not sure how true that is. Cusano is normally in the light to medium bodied realm of cigars. An Ecuadorian sun grown leaf with a double wrapper makes for a smooth smoke. The richness of this cigar is very prominent and it’s a very good competitor for other full bodied smokes currently on the market.

First Third:

The cigar started out with a very full flavor and earthy tones. I’m not sure what happened but the burn was a bit uneven at first. It eventually started to even itself out after about 10 minutes or so into it though so no harm no foul.

Halfway Point:

The cigar really started to pick up on it’s full flavor now but still had a smoothness to the smoke and draw. The construction of the cigar held up very well and there were no burn issues or unraveling going on at this point. My buddy also smoked this with me and his started to come apart a bit but that may be due to his cutting too much into the cap of the stick. Toward the midway point I started picking up more of a spiciness to the stick which complimented the sun grown wrapper very well.

Finale:

More of the spiciness started to hit my tongue and my palate was full of flavor at this point. As I was nearing the end, I was disappointed that I had to put it out (as most smokers probably understand) but it finished nicely.

I love full bodied cigars and this one is definitely up there as a contender. I would most definitely buy this stick again in the future. Cusano has a winner here with an excellent introduction into the full bodied cigar market. I look forward to seeing more full bodied options from Cusano in the future.

Churchill Deluxe

Brand: Caribe
Size: 7.0 x 48
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Mixed
Price: MSRP $39.95 Box of 50

I just smoked another Churchill deluxe. These are a pretty good everyday cigar. For 80 cents a stick you can’t beat the value. CI has these in a bundle of 50 for 40 bucks. A Honduras blend with mostly seconds for a filler. Compared to most cheapies these have a good burn and are decently smooth. I recommend these over others such as the del tu dos.

Rating: 6/10

Felipe Gregorio Fatboy

This is an excellent cigar. I picked up the Felipe Gregorio because I saw a deal on it at my local cigar shop. I had never heard of it but it was such a small smoke that I figure I would try it out over a lunch break. I’m glad I did, as it was probably one of the better cigars I’ve had in a long time.

The fatboy is a smaller cigar similar to Oliva’s nub but with a slightly smaller ring gauge (55). It has a very good draw to it and the construction of the cigar is excellent. It burned smooth throughout the whole smoke as well. This is a very tasty cigar with hints of cream and caramel flavors.

The entire smoke was enjoyable with it’s rich flavor and spicy ending. I will definitely be picking up more of these though I think I will be going for the bigger ones next time.

I give the Felipe Gregorio Fat Boy a 8/10

Nub habano torpedo

The nub line of cigars from oliva are excellent smokes. Small in length but large in ring gauge, and packed very tight with tobacco makes for a very long slow burning cigar. You may think that this is a quickie but you will be surprised. I last reviewed the Connecticut and the same praise I gave also applies to the habano.

The habano is a darker version of the Connecticut which is more up my alley. You will still find hints of cedar but with more of a nutty chocolate flavor. There is a maduro nub coming out soon and I wish I would have grabbed the pre-release version that they were offering with the box but decided against it (I’m poor damnit!).

I once bought a box of these (contains an odd 24 which is not normal for most cigars) and smoked them within a months time. This cigar offers a nice draw, slow burn, thick smoke, full flavored taste, and is a good cigar for just relaxing with a beer (wait, aren’t all cigars?).

I give the nub line of cigars from oliva a 9/10 and the habano a 9/10.