Review ~ Final Blend Robusto Maduro 5″ x 50 (7/10)

These were a limited run, Famous Smoke exclusive in 2010.
Here is the official description:

Final Blend cigars are the result of a marathon cigar sampling session held in Nicaragua, and as so often happens, the very last blend is what earned these uber-flavorful, medium-bodied cigars their name. The 'final blend' is...a core of Dominican, Colombian and Indonesian tobaccos rolled in dark, oily Brazilian Mata Fina Oscuro wrappers. Earthy, sweet, and spicy flavors weave in and out as notes of cocoa and coffee bean surface for a deliciously complex, MUST-TRY cigar.

At some point that year I ended up with one in one of their samplers, but it wasn't really on my radar at the time. Since then, it's been hanging around in my humidors, getting shifted from one to the other in my various re-organising as my collection has expanded, and I never got round to smoking it, as I never really read or heard much of anything about them and it wasn't high on my list to try.

Well, today, it just sorta jumped out at me, and I picked it up. Initially, I thought maybe my hygrometer was out of whack, because the thing was rock hard, and pretty lightweight, so I thought it was too dry, but all other sticks in that humi were as expected, and, on closer inspection, it didn't look dried out, cracked, or in any other way compromised. It was smooth, dark, with a nice sheen, lightly veined, and almost velvety to the touch and on the lips. Smelled wonderfully rich and just a little sweet, giving me hope that it would be a worthwhile smoke.

It was!! Alas, it may well be the only one I ever get to enjoy. About halfway through, I looked it up, knowing I wanted to find more of them, only to find the sad news of the aforementioned limited run.

As always, I employed the "light and cut" method, though, in this case, it was light and punch. It took a little while to light all the way to the centre, as the thing is really incredibly packed, but it was easy to light evenly, and the pre-smoke aroma was pleasantly earthy and dark.
The first couple puffs gave a hit of "crisp" (not sure how else to describe it), dry leather, moving quickly to a rich, deep, oily leather with thick, dense, chewy smoke that totally coated my mouth. Midway through second third, hints of espresso started creeping in, with slight chocolate in the aftertaste.
Strong espresso on the retrohale, and increasingly more creamy chocolate notes adding to leather and coffee toward end of second third.
Into the last third, it had morphed into a warm, mocha latte, with a slight, mellow, almost nutty nuance, though the leather notes were still peeking through on the back of the tongue.
Perfect draw throughout, very slightly uneven burn, but nothing a couple touch-ups couldn't fix, white/grey semi-solid/slightly flaky ash.

All in all a very nice, medium strength smoke, and I'll be on the lookout should they ever return! I give it a solid 7/10.

 

Review ~ SOSA Belicoso (6/10)

 So, it turns out the few of these sticks I have left from the bundle I bought ages ago are now a bit of a rarity. 

Originally, they were made by the Fuente family in the Dominican Republic, but in December of 2016, A.J. Fernanzez announced that he would be buying the entire Sosa family line, and would be producing them, using the same blends and wrappers, but he would be growing the tobacco himself, and using his own, distinct manufacture and curing methods, as of January 2017, so I imagine the ones put out after that would have been a similar, but not the same cigar.

I got these around 2015, so they would have been the ones made at the A. Fuente Factory, apparently by Juan Sosa, himself! (Pretty cool factoid there, IMO). 

They have since been completely discontinued. I'm not clear on just when that happened, but they are not available anywhere that I can find. Just as well they aren't a new favourite or I'd be hosed! ;)

Anyhow, on the the review part!

The construction was good and solid. It felt firm, with just the right give, and it looked nice - chocolate milk brown, and a smooth sheen to the wrapper. 
The scent was fairly straightforward tobacco, with a bit of coffee and spicy chocolate. 
It lit up nicely, using the light and cut method. 

Despite the light and cut, the cigar started out pretty harsh, (the first time that has happened since I learned that technique!) and I was wondering if it would end up in the ashtray in short order, but at about an inch or so in, the harsh beginning gave way to some actual flavour, albeit difficult to define. It was almost acrid, like a very, very dry white wine, but not in an unpleasant way. 

I have to admit, I was a little confused by the seeming disparity between the unlit smell and the taste of the smoke, but it isn't the first time I've encountered this. I may have even noticed it when I smoked the rest of them, several years ago, and then forgotten, or, perhaps, the time in the humidor has changed their profile more significantly than it does most.

The flavour continued to improve, as well as mellow, and by almost 1/3rd of the way down, I started detecting notes of cedar, and something almost, but not quite like leather, along with a tobacco... "crispness", is the best way to describe it. Definitely not bad at all.

It was about that time that the uneven burn became clear as well, but I'm willing to speculate that the breeze and not keeping it rotating could be at least partially to blame. It was simply a matter of having to periodically torch one side a bit.

The emergence of black pepper on the tip of my tongue, joined (finally!) by a nice black coffee/espresso flavour, and followed closely by hints of unsweetened cocoa was a nice turn of events.

At about the halfway point, I was confronted by a nasty "burnt cigar butt" taste, and was afraid the cigar was done, just when it had started to get pretty good. Luckily, just blowing it out well and letting it burn for a couple seconds banished the burn, and it was back to the slightly spicy, rich, dark, chocolate espresso profile for the duration which turned out to be right down the last inch and a half or so!

Most of the cigars I smoke with cocoa and/or coffee notes also tend to have creamy or sweet notes as well, and, curiously, this one didn't. At all. Like, there wasn't so much as a hint of either. Different from the usual, but not at all a criticism.

They are meant to be medium to full bodied, but I found it pretty mild after the initial few, dubious puffs. 

The ash held firm to a little past an inch and a half on average, and was a dusky, blue-grey.  The volume of smoke wasn't terribly impressive, but, while those thick billows of velvet clouds are usually a plus for me, as there is more to play with and taste and get a good mouth feel, it's not the end of the world. 

All in all, it was a decent smoke, and I do look forward to enjoying the rest of them over time. It gets a solid 6/10, which is pretty good from me, for something I didn't flat out love.

Review ~ Ave Maria Divinia on my 2nd Alaska Cruise (7/10)

 I'm finally getting round to posting this review from my 2019 cruise reviews and stuff notes! You know what would be SUPER awesome?? A cigar cruise, departing from Seattle, that I could hope to afford! Or even a well planned cigar event or two on a cruise that I can take. I mean, there are always at least a couple other cigar smokers on the smoking deck at some point in the time it takes to enjoy a stick, but it's just not the same as an intentional gathering.

Not much beats relaxing with my dog after a great meal with a fine cigar, awesome coffee, and the wind in my hair in the middle of the sea! 

I didn't get the chance to smoke as many cigars as planned on my most recent cruise, but this was definitely a good stick for the 2 hours I had free to smoke on the day in question. 

Right out of the cellophane, I noticed great, solid construction, no defects on the cap, as some seem to have noted, and a delicious smell. 
The dry draw was also promising, tasting of well aged tobacco, with a mellow, earthy sweetness and just a hint of spice. 

It lit pretty well, especially considering that I was on an open deck and we were travelling at around 21 nautical miles per hour at the time. First puff delivered as promised - mellow, silky, slightly sweet, earthy, with more of a smell than taste of coffee grounds, and full of undefined, but full bodied flavour. From the beginning, the burn was nice and even, despite the wind factor, and produced a good, firm, grey white ash that wouldn't let go before the 1.5" mark, at least. The spice wasn't really evident at all until almost into the second third, which is also when some of the other, previously undefined flavours began to take shape. Alongside the mild, black pepper, a roasty, toasty (not to be confused with toast), mildly sweet, almost creamy taste began coating the roof of my mouth, and shortly after, hints of strong coffee and dark chocolate than came and went until the last third. 
Overall, the flavour is far more mild than I had been anticipating, and would have preferred it to pack more of a punch, but I do tend to favour sticks on the very strong end of the spectrum, so others may disagree with me there. 
Either way, the mild profile did not negate its great taste, mouthfeel, draw, or burn. 
All in all, a nice smoke for an afternoon, a probably a good intro to "fuller bodied" cigars too, for those who want to venture out a bit and put a toe in stronger waters. 
I'm giving it a solid 7/10.

Review ~ Nub 460 Connecticut (7/10)

This isn't really the sort of cigar I generally buy, as it just doesn't fit my preferred flavour, strength, or type profiles in the least, but it came in a sampler a long time ago, and I had decided to start smoking some of the sticks in my humis that fall outside of my normal rotation.

Cigars International describes it thusly;

"smooth, silky wrapper. Mellow and creamy to start, with a rich, somewhat sweet core. The aftertaste is toasty, but crisp. Toasted cedar through the nose. Medium-bodied with a rich, milky texture."

I'm just gonna go with a "stream of consciousness", sort of vibe on this review, and transcribe my thoughts and comments as I smoked it. Is this the way reviews are "normally" done? No. Do I look normal to you?? That's what I thought!


By the way, I didn't read any descriptions of the stick before I smoked it, as I didn't want any unconscious bias butting in, especially considering I was already starting out with my own bias, ready to put my nose in the air and declare it "boring" just on principle, due to my typical preferred smokes. 

Paired with single origin, organic, Peruvian, meduim-dark roast coffee, served hot with a bit of Milo and 1/2 & 1/2.

"Hmm... Toast.

Ooh. Creamy.

Oh, it's buttery... Like BUTTERED toast!

*smack smack smacking lips*

So much toast! And it's so buttery and creamy!

Oh! And now it's kinda sweet too.

*more lip smacking*

Look at all these huge billows of creamy, white smoke!

Mmmm. Now there's this hint of woodsy cedar adding to the mix.

This is actually pretty nice!

It's like... having sweet cream, buttered toast with my coffee on the back deck of a forest cabin.

Wow! Who knew such a mild little cigar could be so yummy?
Oh, well, I guess Oliva knew - Duhhhh.
Man! This is really nice for such a mild stick.

I might actually have to get a few more of these for breakfast/morning coffee cigars."

I smoked it alllll the way down to the.. well, Nub!

So, there you have it!

 Even for this die-hard, bold and strong fanatic/snob, the Nub 460 is a treat, and it's getting, believe it or not, a 7/10, which is practically unheard of from me, for something this low key.

Review ~ JFR Lunatic Habano Short Robusto (5/10)

This was the featured cigar at this months Tulalip Resort Casino Cigar Night.

Coming in at #7 in Cigar Aficionado's top 10 rated cigars of 2018, and boasting a CA rating of 93, the JFR Lunatic Habano should have been something to write home about - one would think.

On initial inspection, the stick looks beautiful - smooth and sleek, with a nice, slight sheen, solid construction, and is presented with a golden, foil wrap, which, when removed, reveals a lovely,  partially closed foot.

According to Cigar Aficionado,

    "The cigar is profoundly nutty (no pun intended) with precise notes of cashew and walnut wonderfully layered atop a core of coffee bean",

 and Cigars International says it is,

    "Exploding with notes of roasted nuts, earth, toast and coffee".

 Taking in the aroma of the unlit beauty, it seems all those promises will be delivered, in abundance. It smells like a high end sweets store, specialising in chocolates and nuts, and my expectations are in line with the rating.

The light was practically effortless (I use the light and cut method - AKA, La Méthode de Jacques Puisais), and the draw was smooth right off the bat, though it didn't really seem to taste like much at all. No biggie - That is often the case at the beginning of a stick, though less common with the medium to full bodied smokes, as this one purports to be.

After the first several puffs though, the only description I could come up with for the flavour profile was, "confusing".

Initially, there was a very slight peppery hint, followed by just kind of generic, any-cigar flavour, light and smooth, with a decent amount of smoke and solid ash. Pleasant, but not especially noteworthy.

Once it got to about 1/3rd down, a bit of an earthy, almost grassy flavour revealed itself. Not quite earth and not quite grass, but more, as I described to a fellow attendee, kind of tasted like the scent of the bottom of a piece of sod. Now, I know that may not sound very nice out loud (or in print), but it really isn't at all an  unpleasant aroma. If you've ever done landscaping, you know what I mean. If not, just take my word that it is a nice, early summertime, outdoorsy, nostalgic kind of smell that feels like lying on the lawn after a good day's work.

As it got closer to the last 1/3rd, the pepper resurfaced, this time more distinguishable as perhaps white pepper. Again, not strongly at all. Just a touch to linger on the tongue and back of the throat.

It was smokable all the way down to just into the last 1/4, before it tasted "done".
My initial instinct was to label this stick as "bland" or "boring", but the truth is that it is simply a lot milder and more subtle than I tend to prefer in my smokes.

Bottom line, despite my disappointment (my sponsor says the definition of expectations is premeditated disappointment. I concur!), it is a decent tasting, pleasant cigar, and,  at $6 a stick, if you like mild to medium, not too complex cigars, worth a try, as long as you're not expecting it to taste like the unlit version smells, or like the advertisers say it does.

While I wont be buying any more of the habanos, I actually DID buy a couple of the Maduros to try, figuring they may be more to my liking. One to smoke in a few days, and another to leave in the humidor for a few months and see how it ages. So, we'll see how those go.

I give this one a 5/10, meaning just average, but not at all bad. YMMV. 


As an addendum, seeing as pretty much everyone at the event I spoke to or overheard seemed to have a very similar experience, combined with the fact that there was some issue with this shipment being late in arriving, meaning that it may have spent more time in transit than usual, and the box may NOT have spent as much time in the humi before we got them... It occurs to me that this could have been a factor. So, if the Maduro versions are good after some time in my humidor, I may see about trying another one of these, or at least giving them the benefit of the doubt. 

Review - Perdomo Slow-Aged No. 826 Glorioso Maduro - toro (2/10)

According to the Cigars International page, 

"This complex blend results in a deliciously smooth, robust and vivacious flavor with creaminess and coffee-like notes".

They usually don't steer me wrong, but this time, unfortunately, they did in a big way.

The smoke DID light well - Nice and even, and burned and ashed nicely too, but that's about all the good stuff I can say about it.

It started out almost straight pepper! Now, I like strong and spicy cigars, but too many cigar manufacturers seem to think that "ton of pepper, all by itself" = "spicy". Not so, people!!  There are more spices on the rack; Or, at least, there ought to be.

As I had hoped, the full on pepper soon toned down several notches. Sadly, that's all that happened. It just became a decent, but pretty bland, strong cigar, and only that until a little over halfway through, when it just started to taste bad and I had to abandon it.

 No complexities, none of the promised flavours, no creaminess. I guess it was smooth, if, by "smooth", we mean blah. It wasn't harsh after the first 5 minutes or so, at least. 

All in all, rather a disappointment and I won't be buying more of these! Luckily, it was in a sampler, so there was only one of them. I really expected more from Perdomo!

2/10, I'm afraid.

Oh well. That's what samplers are for... To sample. I'll hope for better luck next time.

Review - Joya de Havana - Robusto (7/10)

This is another stick made by Cuban Stock, formerly known as Crown David.

Well constructed. Dark, shiny, smooth wrapper - almost velvety in appearance. Delicately veined.
Very complex aroma, even before lighting.. earthy, dark, and something almost floral. The best way I was able to describe the scent at the time was with the remark, "It's kind of like composting flowers, but in a good way" I still can't come up with anything better.

Light & cut method used.
Even, very easy light.

First puff was extremely smooth and subtle. It quickly grew bolder though, with quite the collection of strange flavours. Not bad.. Not at all! Just very different and difficult to describe.
Definitely the floral hints noted in the pre light smelling, and something like very strongly brewed black tea.
A bit of pepper - mostly felt at the back of the tongue/throat.
There was a mellow, earthy flavour that I couldn't quite place...

Very solid and well formed ash, unshakable at 2" and the veining clearly visible in the ash. Very light grey colour.


Still couldn't place that one flavour at halfway down - It seemed alkaline, and like it would be unpleasant if tasted alone or out of context, but in this cigar, was very good.

Great taste down to 2". Max ash 2.5".

Good smoke. I'll have to try another to decide if I want more of them.

Even burn throughout - NO unravelling or runs AT ALL - No tobacco bits in my mouth (yay!).
The construction on this baby was good and solid through and through.

7/10

Review - Alec Bradly Tempus (8/10)

This is the second Alec Bradley I've tried.
Superb construction and beautiful to look at.
Again, used the light & cut method.
HUGE punch for such a small stick!
Same "stealth" factor as with the Prensado, but I was prepared this time.
It didn't want to stay lit, but that could have been due to inattention on my part, as I was caught up in multiple conversations.
Slightly more distinctive flavours in this one than the Prensado... some woody accents and definitely more pepper, but not too much.
Great little smoke and seems like a perfect "go to" stick for when I've little time to devote to a smoke. Probably won't make it to my top 10 list, but that certainly doesn't speak ill of it!
It has to pretty much be 11+/10 to make my top list.
This one gets 8/10

Review -TTT Trinidad, Natural, Robusto (6/10)

Tried the "light, then cut", method, introduced to me by my new smoking friend, Harlan. He was right about it! Great method. I think I'm a convert!
It made for a very mellow start... Even more than usual for this stick.
These are very mild to me, with just a hint of "bite" some of the time.

Fair amount of smoke.
Probably won't buy more of these, but will smoke if on hand.. Or maybe give them away to someone who prefers a milder smoke.
They aren't bad at all, just fairly unremarkable.

This one was only good about halfway down.

6/10

Review - Alec Bradly Prensado, Maduro, Box Pressed (8/10)

I was introduced to this gem at the first Tulalip Cigar Meetup I attended, and it is a great smoke!
Beautifully constructed, firm and springy, smooth leaves, smelled great!
Nice light, despite some "lighter issues" that caused an uneven light. It quickly evened itself out without extra help until about 2/3 through, at which point it had some trouble staying lit. I had to relight it twice.
Cap didn't try to fall apart when chomped on, like many seem to, which is nice.
Bold and smooth from the first puff!
Not at all as spicy as I expected, but that was not a detractor.
Interestingly, there seemed to be no distinctive flavours.. or anything that really stood out, which would normally turn me off of a cigar, but it didn't. Truly an expert blend!
This cigar was deceptively strong! It seemed to taste milder as it progressed, but it packed a MAJOR punch! It hit me hard and damn near knocked me on my arse! I was pretty buzzed; That's for sure!
Definitely should have a good meal with plenty of red meat prior to smoking one of these.
Nice, firm, long ash. Medium to dark grey.
I smoked it down just a tad too far and the taste suffered for it. Should have stopped at right about 2", but went a bit past that.
Not my "perfect" cigar, but excellent, nonetheless.
8/10

Review - Montecristo #2 Torpedo, Natural (5/10)

This smoke is supposedly the "second most sought after non-Cuban cigar in the world", and "a full bodied cigar" so, naturally, I had high hopes.
It was difficult to get a good light, but, once lit, burned nicely and evenly.
It started out extremely mild... FAR more than the description let on. It did get better by almost midway through, but then quickly became arid and harsh to my tastes.
Thick, abundant smoke.
Firm, light grey ash.
"Good" (as in, maintained its taste without getting nasty - quotes cause I didn't like the taste to begin with) down to just under 2".
These are probably fine for those who like a milder cigar with a bit of a "punch", but not for me.
All in all, a big disappointment, especially after all the hype.
5/10

Review - Oliva Serie V, Ligero Especial (10/10)

Perfect construction!
Very rich and full bodied from the very start.
Creamy, smooth, strong and velvety taste and abundant white, lovely smelling smoke.
Firm, light grey ash.
This stick got progressively stronger as I smoked, without ever becoming harsh.
Deeper, more complex coffee, chocolate and sweet undertones became more apparent about midway through and continued to finish.

Will DEFINITELY buy again!

10/10

Review - Cuban Stock Classic - Robusto (5/10)

I've been meaning to try these out for a couple years now, but never could find them in a sampler or a five pack, and didn't want to buy an entire box, so I was pleased when they were one of the featured smokes at the most recent Tulalip Cigar Meetup this past Monday.

As has been my habit of late, when I remember, I used the "light and cut" method.

A pretty mild smoke to start out with. Nice, even, moderately easy light.

No flavours really stood out, but still a nice enough tasting cigar. Got a bit bolder as I smoked it, with more hints of spice toward the end.

Not a very solid ash - only about 1 inch max.

It did stay lit well, and the flavour was good all the way down to about the last 1.5 inches.

I was a bit disappointed in the filler, as I was constantly ending up having to spit out little pieces of tobacco throughout, and for that I took off a point.

All in all, a decent... Even good smoke, but I probably won't ever be buying a whole box, and will reserve these for a "breakfast cigar".

5/10