If you like big

This was a big cigar, almost as big as my leg. Slight exaggeration but not a smoke for a 15 minute interlude. Big cigars are a special type of product which allows the roller to show off their craft. It has plenty of working parts so the blend has to be able to get it. If it does not, you have a big mess. Let's see how this cigar works.

I received this cigar from Cigarscity.com gratis to review. As always where or how I received the cigar does not influence my take on the product.

Brand/Name of Cigar: Man of War/ Virtue
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 6.5 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian/ Connecticut Shade
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Shape: Torpedo
Price: $4.89 sale price from cigars city.com
Place and Date Purchased: Gratis Cigarscity.com

Appearance/ Construction:

As I mentioned in my introduction this cigar is big and looks powerful. It looks like it might kill me or make me a better person. I will be taking my time smoking this baby. Good looking with a oily feel and smooth. Did have two large veins in the wrapper. Liked the band and actually my wife also made a comment about it, " liked the way it looks. " Slightly firm which is not unusual for a larger smoke.

Smoking Characteristics:

An A. J. Fernandez creation,  I am a big fan of his San Lotano brand. Let's see how the Man of War shapes up. The initial light had a pleasing taste with chocolate and clove the main hit on my tongue. Thought there would be a spice or pepper so this is a bit of a surprise. As the second third came into being the spice started to come to the forefront but it was not overpowering or harsh. Also got a bit of coffee thrown in the blend. Pretty smooth and a nice combo.

The final third is where the strength of this cigar finally became the predominate taste. This was not your knock your socks off power but a very good mix of flavor that I liked. It made it a full body smoke. The cigar gave you your money's worth.




Conclusion/ Overall Impressions:

This is a big smoke which takes a good hour plus to engage in. I liked this cigar and it's certainly a great price point. However I am not a big ring cigar smoker which does not distract the overall quality of this blend.  I would think if you like a big cigar you should have a couple of them in your humidor. Sit down with this baby, grab a beer and enjoy away.

Appearance and Construction: 3.8 out of 5
Smoking Characteristics: 3.8 out of 5
Conclusion/ Overall Impression: 3.8 out of 5

Keep Smoking

Age before beauty.

What makes a great cigar? This issue has been debated I suspect since the first cigar was rolled.
As a cigar reviewer I make subjective decisions about what appeals to me when I sit down and rate a smoke.
Some of the basic concepts are straightforward.  Cigar construction, appearance, how the blend holds throughout the smoke. Three different folks can smoke the same cigar and come up with different thoughts in every aspect of the totality of the smoke.
The reason I mention this is a new cigar is more of a challenge. There is no track record so the first impression is very important. If you have a good experience more than likely the review will be better. So a reviewer needs to make careful considerations in describing what he smoked. Ideally, the cigar in question needs to be aged properly, and perhaps smoked again.
I was fortunate to review a sample of a new blend for me from Cigars City, an online cigar dealer. Their website is cigarscity.com. As always who or how I received the cigar does not influence my take on what I think about the cigar.

Brand/Name of Cigar : Lavida Habana / LH Premium Colorado 

Size: 6 x 60
Wrapper: Ecuador Habano
Filler: Nicaragua, Peru and Brazil
Shape: Gordo
Price: Single $ 8.24

When and where smoked: 2/21/16, Lone Wolf Cigar Lounge, West Los Angeles, Ca

Appearance/ Construction:

 Densely packed and oily to the touch. Very classy looking smoke, like the red and black band. Several small veins were evident but would not consider this a flaw. No soft spots. This looks like a big smoke and looking forward to a long ride.



Smoking Characteristics:

First third got immediate hits of orange which I did not expect, a pleasant surprise. Burn was even, medium body. As I smoked further hints of mint? chocolate? Not sure exactly. Whatever it was, very subtle, not overpowering. Smooth draw, no harshness, plenty of grey smoke and ash.

Two thirds into the smoke , some tunneling occurred yet did not find this a distraction or an impact on the blend. However, am waiting for an additional pop of spice and this is not happening. Was thinking the smoke would crank up a bit.


Conclusion/ Overall Impression:

The flavor profile never really took off. I did not get any more complexity which was somewhat of a come down. Overall this was a good smoke but not a powerful one. I thought it would be more of a kick ass cigar.  This is not necessarily a bad thing for those cigar dudes who like a pleasant but not overpowering blend. 

My overall rating of this cigar:

Appearance/ Construction: 4 out of 5
Smoking Characteristics: 3 out of 5
Conclusion/ Overall Impression; 3.5 out of 5

Will try this cigar again down the road. I think another couple of months in the humidor will give it a more hearty blend.

Keep smoking

A Solid smoke that made my day

Getting new smokes that you have never tried is often an adventure, hopefully a good one.  Cigar smokes can be classified in several ways.
There are go to smokes that have proven their worth through the years. They are consistent, their flavor profile is a  winner and it's something you can count on.
Their also are cigars that your buddies may have recommended , gave you one to try or a cigar source gave it a good review.

Next are  unknown smokes are cigars that look good, but do they prove their worth after smoking it?

I received a sample smoke gratis from www.famous-smoke.com. As always the review is not influenced in any way by how or where I received  the cigar.

Alec Bradley 1600 Robusto

Strength: Full

Shape: Robusto

Size: 5 x 50

Country: Honduras

Wrapper Color: Maduro

Wrapper Origin: Brazilian

Wrapper Leaf: Mata Fina

Appearance/Construction:

Very dark and attractive wrapper (maduro) with a very healthy oily  sheen. Great construction with no flaws evident. It was slightly firm to touch. I liked the way it looked and the presentation with the gold label was classic looking. It's a rare combo of a good looking product and good marketing savvy. Cigar labels should enhance the product, not over power it.

Smoking Characteristics:

Initial blast of mild pepper, chocolate and a hint of coffee. It's Maduro heritage was very evident with this blend. Very good initial start to the smoke, a pleasing smoke in the making? Liking it a great deal. 

Next third continues to please. Getting a pop of cinnamon and mint now. Medium in taste and smooth, yea, very smooth.

Final third is like the icing on a very good cake. The 1600's blend is a great combination of medium strength, top flight construction and a profile that hits your palate on all cylinders. Keep this mother rolling with the blend of chocolate, nuts and cinnamon with the kicker of spice. 

Conclusions/ Overall Impressions: This as the posting title indicates is a solid smoke which deserves a spot in your collection. Maduro cigars are an acquired taste for some. For me, a pleasant interlude from cigars which are the usual suspects.  Famous Cigars and Alec Bradley have joined forces to forge a winning combination in this type of production.

My rating for the Alec Bradley 1600/ Famous Cigar

Appearance/ Construction: 4.2 out of 5
Smoking Characteristics: 4.2 out of 5
Conclusion/Overall Impression: 4.2 out of 5

This is definitely a buy for your pleasure.
Keep smoking

A true cigar guy and maven

Small cigar, big taste

7-20-4 Cigars are a small boutique company which make very good products. I have been fortunate in discovering them several years ago however their products are not a staple in the Los Angeles area.   Here is my review of the Hustler Dog Walker cigar.

Brand/ Name of Cigar: 7-20-4 Hustler Dog Walker
Country of Origin: Honduras
Size; 4.5 x 40
Wrapper: Ecuador, Brazil
Binder: Costa Rica
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
Shape: Petit Corona
Price: $6.00. I purchased a box of 20 from Famous Cigars on sale for $63.00
When and where smoked:  1/16/16, Los Angeles, Ca.

Appearance/Construction: Barber pole style with a dark and light shade of wrapper. Oily feel with a pigtail cap. The label is pretty bold in style which I think is cool. Slightly veiny but overall appearance is very solid.

 


Flavor/Taste and Aroma: Started with some coffee and nutty notes. Medium in taste but was expecting a cigar with more spice. Even burn, slow and very flavorful. A great start for  a small cigar.


Smoking Characteristics : Nice dark ash which held it's shape and very good draw. Continued to be nutty and coffee in flavor. Half way through the smoke had a minor issue of needing a relight. Started to get a new flavor of pepper and spice. Gave it a nice edge. It gave the cigar more character.
2/3 into the smoke the pepper started to dominate. Not a bland cigar.



Overall I smoked it to the nub.

Overall impressions / Conclusion: I am definitely a fan of this brand. I have now smoked four of their products and all have been first rate. However, local B and M's seem to be totally unaware of it or at least in the LA region. Your best best is to purchase it on line. The price tends to be a bit high but what is an extra dollar if you are enjoying yourself. This is top tier cigar.

Appearance/ Construction: 4.5 out of 5
Flavor and Aroma: 4.0 out of 5
Smoking Characteristics: 4.0 out of 5
Overall Impression: 4.2 out of 5

This is a buy for your humidor. If you are a smart shopper load up on a box or two.


Keep smoking

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