Be careful what you ask for

I often get cigars from my friends and clients for the holidays. They are well meaning and I truly appreciate the thoughts and effort. However more often than not , many of them know very little about cigars and this creates problems. 

The scene probably goes something like this. " I Need to buy some cigars for a gift but I don't know what to buy?"

The vendor replies, " how much do you want to spend and do you know what type of cigar he smokes?"

The answer usually is, " you decide but don't make them too expensive."

So the cigar clerk will make some choices based on a price point, popular brands and maybe a cigar they are overstocked. He will then say, " he will like these they are very popular."

The proper time comes and I get the gift of a group of cigars. Again let me remind you I always appreciate the thought but the selection rarely hits the mark. I open up the package and know the selection will either be re gifted to others who don't care what they smoke or are clueless about cigars. Either way the cigars in question are not what I would buy for myself or give to a true cigar maven. 

My suggestion is unless you know what you are doing , get a gift card from an established cigar merchant and let the giftee make the choice. This satisfies both parties and truly create good will.

Keep smoking.

LA Cigar Blog: " The urban fishing pole ": A cigar with good vibes

LA Cigar Blog: " The urban fishing pole ": A cigar with good vibes: The Romeo y Julieta is a classic looking habano smoke . This is a cigar that needs a good hour, with uninterrupted time in your favorite cha...

A cigar with good vibes

The Romeo y Julieta is a classic looking habano smoke . This is a cigar that needs a good hour, with uninterrupted time in your favorite chair. I smoked it on a pleasant cooler Los Angeles afternoon. Impressive looking with an attractive wrapper with an oily feel. Let's do it and smoke away.

130 mm, ring gauge 55 : Habano

It started with creamy note of chocolate and almonds. Very smooth and flavorful but I expected a more spicy start. Very easy draw , medium in scope, not much heat.

After the first third still very smooth and the nutty profile hangs with us. Medium with perhaps a slight pepper aftertaste .

As we approach the end of the smoke, the burn becomes uneven which impact the appearance for sure.

It also got somewhat bitter which knocked the overall experience down a peg.

Final thoughts:

Overall a top flight smoke with a couple of minor imperfections . Here are my final numbers and rating.

Appearance and construction :  4.0 out of 5

Flavor, taste and aroma:  4 out of 5

Overall impression: 4 out of 5

If this smoke is available grab it.

Keep smoking

A damm fine cigar, Patoro cigar company

Several months ago I paid a visit to a local cigar shop named Shamlux and asked  Rick the manager for something new to smoke. He came up with a smoke from Patoro a company based in Europe. I let this beauty sit in my humidor and now finally smoked it. Here is my review.

Brand: Patoro

Size: 5.5 X 43, corona

Wrapper: Brazil

Binder: Domincan Republic

Filler: Dominican Republic

Appearance/Construction: 

A clean looking cigar with a reddish color. No blemishes or soft spots. Well made , oily to the touch. 

Flavor/Taste & Aroma

Pre light aroma has a minty overtone. Upon lighting slight pepper hit with an underlying blend of sweetness, mint? Nice mix of favors , creamy. This cigar shows lots of promise.

Sometimes a picture tells a story better than words.  Take a look.

The path of this smoke is medium to full, not harsh , smooth and chocolate , rich tastIng.

Smoking characteristics:

It's always great to find a cigar that works on all fronts. The first 1/3 provided a combination of mild spice and chocolate, the 2/3 mark gave us additional flavor of mint.

Conclusions/ Overall impressions:

What a good find with only a few minor issues. The end result had a slightly bitter taste but the scorecard looks like this.

Appearance : 4 out of 5

Construction: 4 out of 5

Smoking characteristics : 4 out of 5

Overall impression: 4 out of 5

Keep smoking

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a thank you to all my cigar buddies and their families  for a peaceful holiday. Of course a good cigar too helps it make all better

Another great visit to a great cigar institution, Leavitt and Peirce, Cambridge, Ma.

Dr David Ticchi , Cambridge legend , and cigar guy in front of the classic cigar store Leavitt and Peirce. I have not seen David in almost twenty years and as fate would have it, ran into him as I was paying a visit this past week. David is a true icon in Cambridge as a leader in community service for the Cambridge YMCA, National Federation of the Blind, Newton Ma. High schools and one of the strongest guys I ever worked out with. Loves his work and loves his cigars.

The front of Leavitt and Peirce in Harvard Square.

The crew at Leavitt and Peirce . The flavor of New England lives on at this shop. A must visit for all.

Immortal cigar review from Famous Cigars

It's time for another cigar review with this interesting blend from Famous Cigars. As always the review are my thoughts with the disclaimer that I received the smokes gratis which in no way impacts what the rating will be. 

Check out this link too if you decide to make a purchase:  https://www.famous-smoke.com/immortal+toro+cigars/item+48768

Immortal Toro

Strength : Full

Shape: Full

Size: 6 X 52

Country: Nicaragua 

Wrapper Color: Natural

Wrapper Origin: Nicaraguan

Wrapper Leaf: Habano

A deep color with a hearty appearance. It looks powerful with some slight veins but no flaws that mar the look.

Flavor , taste and aroma

The initial light had a very even burn , a grey ash that held it's shape. It had a minty flavor, creamy with no spice. Wanted to see what direction the blend would take me. With a Habano leaf one would expect a spicy blast eventually.

Looking good after 15 minutes smoking this baby. Still getting the minty overtones with a release of almond now popping. Liking it with no burn issues. That's always a good sign for me.

Here is another look  about 20 minutes in.

Just had this thought about the label. I had trouble reading it. I think presentation is a great marketing tool as sometimes you need to grab the attention of the consumer. I am sure a fair amount of insight goes into this process so if the label is difficult to figure out, it might give you second thoughts about purchasing the cigar. I eventually took the label off as you can see in the next picture.

As we moved on the cigar still held my interest . Flavor remained on the medium side so my expectation of a stronger hit of pepper and spice did not come. 

Couple of points. The burn was pretty good but did have a slight issue of an uneven burn about 3/4 into the cigar. That could have been how I lite it so no points off for that. It never did quite get to a full bodied smoke but that's still ok.

Here is a link that will provide you with more information about this blend and make a purchase .https://www.famous-smoke.com/brand/immortal+cigars

Overall this is how I see it.

Appearance and construction: 3.5 out of 5

Flavor/Taste and Aroma: 3.5 out of 5

Overall impression and conclusion: 3.5 out of 5

Good price point and worth a try.

Keep smoking

Plenty of cigars to choose

There are countless cigar blends to indulge in. Finding the time, making choices and just giving new product a shot is almost a full time occupation. Wait a second, it is a full time occupation.  Checking out cigar blogs, interest groups, cigar nights are all part of the fun and allure of cigar magic. While I do reviews about cigars, I also enjoy looking for photos of cigar products. Here is another photo of a "manly" viewpoint of a cigar maven. Enjoy.

Keep smoking

Smaller gauge Cuban cigars

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These are 3 products  that sell very well in Spain and are 30 minute smokes. I have tried all 3 products and they have a varying profile of strength but would classify them as medium to full bodied. I like keeping several type of small cigars in my humidor if I don't have the time or desire for a longer cigar break.

They are available on line from a number of foreign cigar dealers. Give them a try and let me know your thoughts.

Keep smoking

We have all been here before: Falto cigars

I purchased this cigar from a small cigar B and M in Brentwood a couple of weeks ago upon the recommendation of the owner. He labeled it as an outstanding cigar. The Falto brand sounded familiar but could not  remember if I had one before. There are so many brands that are boutique brands.

 According to the website the cigar I had was , " magnificent cigar that is continuously underrated ."

My review will examine this statement.

Name of cigar brand and cigar: Falto Deliro

Size: 6.5 X 42

Wrapper: Dominican  Corojo

Binder: Dominican Republic

Filler: Dominican Republic

Shape: Lonsdale

Price: 15.00

Purchased: Cigarama, Los Angeles, 10/3/2015

Smoked: Los Angeles, 10/4/2015 

Appearance/ construction: Attractrive with a brown/ reddish wrapper. No soft spots or obvious faults or blemishes. Well made smoke with a earthy aroma. Very good presentation of band and color.

Rating : 4 out of 5

Flavor/taste:  The first smoke had a a subtle blend of mint and chocolate with a good burn. I thought it would be a bit more spicy but that was not the story. Creamy, smooth and a nutty flavor too.

Smoking   Characteristics: Some cigars are consistent with little deviation. Other smokes are all over the place. The Falto Deliro was hard to figure out. Each puff seemed to have a life of it's own. The cigar was pleasant enough with an occasional hit of pepper but the main theme was a bit weak in flavor. Did not really have a character that made me either like it or dislike it. I guess most folks would call it bland.

The burn was a bit off but do not think this killed the blend.

Conclusion / Overall Impression:

The price was extreme but that might have been the B and M's choice and decision. If it was 5-7 dollars cheaper my opinion would be the same. While I support small cigars firms the product still has to be good and this cigar was not of that model. Nothing in this cigar was particularly exciting or noteworthy . Would try other blends from Falto but this was not a keeper.

Overall it would rate between a 3 despite it's positive look and construction .  I would hope the rest of their products are better.

Keep smoking