Sancho Panza top of the line smoke

This beauty is not as well known as some of the bigger names in the Cuban cigar market. I would suggest this lesser known brand is as good as it gets. The shape, color and balance of this cigar is top rate with an even burn, fabulous taste and a total pleasure to indulge for an hour or so. I am fortunate enough to have several of these in my humidor acquired from a cigar friend of mine. There is really nothing else to report. This is a 4 paws rating in my rating scale. Next time I will give a fuller report when I smoke another one.

Who is Alec Bradley? Reaching critical mass?

This past Friday at Porter Valley country club,we had a very successful Scotch and cigar event featuring Alec Bradley Mundial cigars. The general opinion of the participants was the cigar was medium to full bodied, very flavorful and a good smoke. However I had two thoughts that prevail. 

Alec Bradley started out as a boutique cigar company, focused on quality and became very successful.

Presently though they have become a cigar brand that has too many cigars and too many choices . I have seen many companies, (not just cigars) lose sight of their product quality, over expand and eventually become an asterisk.  

I am not sure what the mission of AB is, but I suggest you are at a critical juncture where more is not better.  I counted 22 lines of cigars on the website, which of course does not include the different sizes and shapes. Can you keep up on ensuring all your products are of good quality?  The danger is also of confusing your public. Go into a B and M which carries your brand and how much shelf space does it have for AB ? Does the experienced or casual cigar consumer have a true idea about the product? Eventually the trendy cigar company will lose allure and fade away. What keeps. a company in the long run growing are quality products which consumers remember and show loyalty. This mantra is one AB needs to recognize quickly. 22 different lines of cigars is simply too many. You cannot hit every price point and think clients will continue to support your brand. You are taking a big risk in creating a company that will implode. Take a lesson from some of the old established brands and tighten your focus. You have reached critical mass.

Punch Sucker Punch King Hit follow up review

It's always good to get another viewpoint in a cigar tasting. As I said earlier in my review of the Punch Sucker Punch Kit Hit cigar, tasting is subjective. I gifted one of these cigars to a well seasoned cigar smoker friend of mine who knows what he likes. We sat down yesterday with other cigar buddies  at our weekly cigar blast.  His take of the Punch Sucker Punch King hit was very positive.
Very good burn and construction, tasted medium throughout the smoke. Did not have complaints about the smoke, thought it was a very good blend. He said it would be put in his humidor as a sometime cigar.  He likes variety in his smokes so this is not a knock but actually a like.
So if you are curious about this smoke, order a 5 pack at Famous Smoke Shop.

PUNCH SUCKER PUNCH KING HIT

Strength: Medium

Shape: Toro

Size: 6 x 54

Country: Honduras

Wrapper Color: Natural

Wrapper Origin: Ecuadorian

Wrapper Leaf: Connecticut

Great cigar event at Porter Valley Country Club

Alec Bradley cigars, top shelf Scotch and cigar smoking with good cigar buddies. Here are a couple  of scenes from the event

Another viewpoint

One of my long time smoking chums sent me this list of outstanding cigars to indulge in. Take a look at their picks and let me know what you think.

http://gearpatrol.com/2015/04/13/best-cigars-of-summer/

Review : Punch Sucker Punch King Hit

I have been a fan of Punch cigars for quite some time. Full bodied , good price point, basically well made cigars. I was given the opportunity to review Punch Sucker Punch King Hit a blend sold by Famous Cigars , a well known catalogue  company.  Famous sent me the cigars gratis with no strings attached. 

Here are the details about Sucker Punch King Hit.

 Medium strength, country of origin: Honduras.

Natural wrapper color.

Wrapper origin: Ecuadorian

Wrapper leaf: Connecticut

Measurement was 6 x 54, toro shape

Here are my candid comments about this smoke.

Good looking cigar with some slight veins protruding. Wrapper color was light, solid construction. No blemishes and no discoloration.

First impressions 

Slightly bitter upon lighting. Used an Xixar lighter and cutter. Taste did smooth out pretty quickly, was easy to smoke and not harsh. Pretty typical of Connecticut wrapper.

Middle of smoke

Even burn , light grey ash , no bite, no touch ups or tunneling. So far, enjoyable with a good overall impression.

Last third

Sorry folks, this is where the cigar lost me. Smoke became flinty and metallic. Became somewhat bitter and the good vibes I was experiencing were fading. The cigar did not substain it's good start.

Last thoughts 

Cigar smoking is very subjective as we all have our own ideas what makes a good smoke. The price of these smokes are very reasonable, so they are  worth a five pack to try them out. Check out the brand at famous-smoke.com/brand group/punch+cigars

I have 4 more of the Sucker Punch to try so will keep them in my humidor and let them sit a spell.

small company, great cigars

There are hundreds of boutique cigar companies across the USA. How we find out about them is often a mystery. Often times it is word of mouth from a cigar buddy, or perhaps at a cigar event you might have attended.  I found out about Hava Cigars/RoMa Craft Tobac  from a twitter account and started to followed Chief Hava at @ChiefHava. He had interesting thoughts about cigars but I truly liked his humor about the products. The names of the cigars his company made was truly cool. I suggest you check out their website to get the full flavor of the company.

What I am going to review are the Intemperance brand  of cigars.

I have ordered several 5 packs of Intemperance EC XVIII and Intemperance BA XXI .

Here is my take of both brands. First off I have never had a bad smoke in either batch. I suggest letting them sit for a month of so in your humidor before you indulge. I believe this waiting period helps the overall taste and texture of the cigar. Smoking it right out of the box after transit simply does not allow the flavor of the cigar to come full circle. I have sampled the Short Robusto of both products. Previously I tried the Petito of each product. I am not familar with the larger sizes.

This is the short version of each blend. I always think cigars that are consistent in their construction, burn, appearance and flavor is what smoking a cigar is about. Many cigars have highs and lows. You might have an occasional stinker in a batch but if that happens often, it is a bad choice and would back away from that cigar and perhaps the whole line of cigars. Taste in cigars is very subjective so if  you taste nuts in a cigar or a type of flower, good for you.  I usually do not but I am not saying you are wrong. If you can tell what type of tobacco is in the blend or what country it is from, you have a gift that I don't have. I like reading about that type of information but that is not going to make or break the cigar for me. Here are my results. Each blend was exactly what I was looking for when I smoked it. The taste was clean to my palate, that is was not harsh or off putting. I did not feel lilke my mouth was on fire or had a nicotine hangover from what I was smoking. The cigars did not fall apart and smoked them down to the nub.

I have a rating system called the dog system. One paw= not for human consumption. Two paws=give to your friend. Three paws= keep a couple in your humidor. Four paws= my dog hangs out with me when I smoke. The bottom line  was by all accounts 4 paws. Hats off to the boys ar RoMa Craft Tobac.

When I am up for it, will get the larger sizes and issue a report.

Some cigars do not cut it for me

Every person who smokes has a brand that is their favorite, the go to brand.  This brand may  be based on availablity of the products, consistancy of the cigars, style of them , there are many thoughts on this. For me, I llike to mix it up , try different brands at different times.  Sometimes I may grow tired of a brand so I take a sabbatical  from them.

There are brands however,that I have never truly enjoyed. I have tried them over the years , different cigars, different blends and they just do not work for me.  That is not a knock on that brand. Cigars that have been on the market for years must be doing something right for many cigar smokers.  They do not work for me. It's always tricky to favor a brand over another. Are you a Ford guy, or a Chevy guy? It's the same idea. 

So after this preface, I  will say that Gurkha cigars have not been a favorite.  I cannot pinpoint what about this brand does not appeal to my tastes. The only cigar of Gurkha that I have had a good thought about is the Shaggy.  I have purchased several bundles of these in the past several years and have liked the burn, flavor and the consistency of the product. All the others have left me flat.  Would love to hear what you think about Gurkha's and other brands too.

 My Rating system based on 4 critera.  Appearance, burn throughout the cigar, construction of the cigar, and flavor profile.  I call it my dog system.  One paw= not for human consumption, two paw=give to your friend, three paw= keep a couple in your humidor, 4 paw= my dog hangs out with me when I smoke.