Don Carlos God of Fire by Arturo Fuente (Robusto)
This evening I tried the God of Fire Don Carlos blend, sent to me by DeeDubya.
The cigar was a solid-packed robusto with a medium-toned, fine-textured wrapper. The red and gold double band showed a picture of Prometheus being tormented by the eagle and the name of the blend, “Don Carlos”. The cigar gave the impression of high class and workmanship, and felt good in the hand. Construction was rock solid, and I feared a tough draw.
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The unlit aroma was not strong, but a little sweet and perhaps slightly woody. I lit the cigar, and was immediately greeted with a large volume of mild, woody, leathery smoke that was easy on the tongue and civilized in the throat. The draw was easy as well, despite the hard-packed feel of the cigar. The ash was ghostly white. The burn was a little uneven at first, but this happens to me often; it might be that I light my cigars inexpertly; in any event, the burn evened itself out quickly with no help from me.
The first third made an understated presentation of wood and leather, perhaps with a tiny hint of spice. The flavor was very subtle and I had to concentrate to get a clear impression in the first third. The ash was really extremely white, and fell off after about an inch (and later ashes were much longer). The aroma of the smoke wafting around the cigar was dry, faint, and pleasant. Aftertaste was nearly absent.
As the second third got underway, the leather in the taste began to assert itself a little more; it was late at night when I smoked this stick or I would have liked to try it with coffee. It seemed this cigar would be complimented very well by a nice cup of java. The aftertaste was faint, supporting my hypothesis that this would be a good cigar for the (late) morning, when the palate is more sensitive and a strong, lingering aftertaste would be less desirable. In the second third I was a bit surprised as the cigar started to assert itself more strongly. In the very middle the cigar started to pump out a nice, somewhat dry leathery flavor that I really enjoyed, and it did not seem to suffer too much from its loss of any hint of spice.
In the final third, it occurred to me that this cigar was perhaps a little bit like the Montecristo White but less creamy and more dry, and again I thought I would like to try this one again sometime earlier in the day, with a nice cup of black coffee. The aftertaste was developing that slightly alkaline character that always makes me think of coffee. To my surprise, a very interesting sort of burnt chocolate taste appeared near the nub, and was quite a treat. There was a touch of bitterness at the nub (which I did not mind, and it did not stop me from smoking until my fingers were practically ablaze).
All in all this was a very civilized, classy, memorable cigar that developed moderately well and had a very pleasant taste. It suffered a bit from a weak start and a lack of complexity until well into the last third. I would save this cigar for a thoughtful late Saturday morning coffee alone in a sunny kitchen or porch, not wanting to risk it getting overpowered by conversation, strong drink, or proximity to a meal.
Score 17.85 (x5) = 89.25, gaining half a point for exceptional construction, losing half a point for the weak start, and gaining a half point for good development after the middle, for a final score of 89.75. I would suspect it would score higher when paired with the proper beverage and time of day, as mentioned above.
Thanks again to Deedubya for his generosity and another unique smoking experience. Apparently this stick is limited in production and hard to find. This is the best sort of gift, an experience that otherwise I would not have had.:smiley20:
To expand a bit on cigars in general, I am beginning to see that I like different kinds of cigars for different situations: The God of Fire fits into that category of a thoughtful smoke one has alone and provides with the perfect setting for full enjoyment. Other times I like a cigar with a more assertive character and a strong start, best for conversation with a couple of good friends and depending less on setting and complimentary beverages or food.
Perdomo Slow-Aged 826 Glorioso
I had such a good time this afternoon reviewing the Don Lino that I decided to review another. This time I decided on a Perdomo Slow-Aged 826 in the Glorioso size (6x52). This one had been sitting in the humidor for a few months. I went back to the amber lager and Scotch to accompany this medium-to-full bodied cigar.
The cigar is garbed in a Connecticut natural wrapper with a slight sheen of oil. A bit of research told me that the filler consists of four different Nicaraguan tobaccos, including a ligero. The cigar had a light, neutral smell before lighting. Wrapper color was even and the texture fine and smooth with no visible veins. The cigar was firm and perfectly rolled. The band is understated and black, white, and gold in color, with old-style (1920s?) lettering.
I managed to crack the cap a bit when cutting, but it looked manageable. Upon being lit, the cigar delivered an admirable volume of smoke that was creamy, tasty and on the sweet side at first. Flavor was bold right away, and was somewhere between leather, wood, and coffee. The wrapper was pungent on the lips, and the smoke was tangy on the tongue. Draw was medium, but soon eased up.
The first third added an aftertaste of coffee that had been in the pot a bit too long, just a bit bitter. The ash was very white, and fell off after about an inch. (A later ash was much longer.) The wrapper persisted in its taste on the lips. Burn was a little uneven but managed to correct itself enough to avoid a touch-up light. The woody taste of the first few puffs disappeared, and the cigar settled into a (slightly) creamy, smooth neutral taste (with some marginal coffee overtones) that remained consistent. Smoke volume was very nice throughout. The rest of the cigar was more of the same. The crack expanded a bit at the nub but was not a huge problem.
I thought the first third went by a little quickly, so I started watching the clock and found myself mistaken. This is a nice, long smoke, in excess of an hour.
This is a good, workmanlike cigar; I would like to have it after a good cheeseburger with a stout or a dark lager. At approximately 2 dollars each, a five-pack or two of this one will be finding its way into my humidor at some point. These should be perfect for a barbecue or a game of horseshoes in the yard on a sunny day.
Score 16 (x5) = 80, adding a half-point for nice smoke volume, decent start, and good construction and losing two and a half points for being one-dimensional, failing to evolve, and lacking any distinguishing character for a final score of 78.
Plasencia Reserva Organica Robusto
Today is my birthday. It's 9am and I have just finished my first cigar after a traditional Sunday morning bacon, eggs and biscuits breakfast. I need plenty energy to help this old man catch up with KC's relentless persuit of the "perfect cigar". I fully intend to take advantage of this rainy day so I'm starting early.
I have not tried a Plasensia in a few years since my first encounter was less than rewarding.
"Plasencia Reserva Organica Robusto cigars are handmade in Nicaragua from 100% *Certified Organic* tobaccos grown just as the Nicarao Indians did 500 years ago. Aged over 3 years, these unique, smooth-smoking cigars are mild to medium in body with a marvelously pure and natural tobacco flavor."
As quoted from a Famous ad line, I will agree with all said. For me it was mild, perfect for a morning smoke. I carefully clipped the cap and found the "dry" draw to be perfect. Toasting produced a very pleasant, well yes "toast" aroma that did hint of the mild, creamy, buttery (could be butter from my biscuit) taste to follow. A well rolled, smooth (nearly perfect) wrapper. Satin shine, veins hardly visible.
The first third brought no surprises but did have a little earthiness that I think is a result of the aging process. The ash was again "nearly perfect" white with a few dark flecks and held firm. Around half-way the flavors started to intensify but with no significant or predominant spiciness. It was indeed, pure tobacco flavor. Kind of nice for a change. It burned evenly throughout. Toward the end, I could detect a little wood, maybe because it does come in a cedar wrap that imparts a little "special" flavor that improves natural tobacco taste.
I will say that for me this is very close to a perfect morning cigar. Mild, easy draw, no lingering aftertaste.
On a scale of 1-10 I will give this Plasecnia a 9.4.
I will next select a mid-day cigar. Signing off now to rest up for the Spurs-Rockets game.
H. Upmann 1844 Reserve Lord Rothchilde
Round 2. Finished my lunch while the Spurs finished the Rockets and picked out an Upmann for a change.
This is an "Old World" Cuban style cigar with natural wrapper. I would say a very good roll and consistanty firm head to foot. After clipping the cap I noticed a very easy draw that would normally indicate a looser roll but not so. After toasting (no special aromas) I started what turned out to be a very decent cigar. I would classify it as medium to heavy (duh, Old World Cuban) body and slightly peppery bite. The leathery dry looking Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper was a bit salty but as it progressed maybe savory would better describe it. I noticed a tendancy to lick my lips after each puff. Tasty!
The first half was somewhat spicy, mostly pepper, aromatic. Very firm grey ash. The filler is a combo of Nicaraguan, Peruvian and Dominican tobaccos so I would venture to guess that each cigar might have a distinct flavor all it's own depending which was the predominant leaf.
The second half announced it's character as the robust flavors collected and continued to grow stronger. I think I made a good choice for a mid-day smoke. I definitely plan to keep a few of these in my humi. After about 45 minutes it was unfortunately too short to smoke.
On a scale of 1-10 I rate this cigar 9.5
Tonight it's a mexican style shrimp cocktail, black angus ribeye, fully dressed baked potato with Jacob's Shiraz-Cabernet. So, after dinner I will pour another glass and light up an Oliva Master Blends 3 5x50. I'll let you know how it was if I still have enough energy to type.
Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Maduro
This is a box-pressed cigar, somewhat light but firm with a Costa Rican maduro wrapper. The wrapper is not quite as oily as I like to see in a Maduro but otherwise smooth roll and no blemishes.
For me, toasting maduros always offers up a little surprise as they seem to resist the flame at first and then emit a slight tary odor along with all the goodness of a rich tobacco flavor.
The draw was very easy and I thought it would burn like a fuse but lasted about 40 minutes. It burned fairly even for the first half and then started to run untill finally the ash was pointing toward India. I detected a little almond, coffee, well balanced, full bodied but no bite. Pretty good flavor but decidedly different. I think it has Honduran fillers so maybe it's all the Costa Rican wrapper that gives that distinct taste.
All together it was not a bad smoke, but with all the choices these days, I don't think it will be using any space in my humi.
Thanks again KC for something different to review.
On a scale of 1-10 I will give it a 7.
Your request is my command
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ashauler
Love this series guys, good job!! If you take requests, I would like to see your thoughts on the Camacho 1962.
I'll smoke it this evening. Full-bodied cigar, maybe a premium lager? Come on 5 o'clock!
