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Don Tomas Sun Grown Robusto Natural 5 1/2x50
Last evening I enjoyed this Don Tomas Robusto by General Cigars that Chris bestowed upon me. A few years ago I would shy away from Don Tomas as I had some less than pleasant cigars from them. I think construction and quality were to blame because they did not burn evenly and sometimes became bitter toward the end. Now, however things have changed for the better, especially the Sun Grown line.
The "Sun Grown" consists of aged Brazilian, Mexican and Honduran tobaccos grown in Honduras, blended and wrapped in a Honduran Jamastran natural leaf. Rich and spicy flavors, this medium to full-bodied puro has notes of cedar and wood, is well balanced with a good finish. I especially liked the beautiful wrapper with a slightly oily sheen and small veins, tightly and smoothly wrapped. The smoking experience was dead on with a pleasant toast, easy draw, plenty smoke, even burn and firm salt/pepper ash. The flavors were consistantly medium-bodied yet mellow and smooth. A very good value cigar. :smiley20:
On a scale of 1-10 I rate this cigar 8.5.
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Savinelli Special Selection 2005 Toro 6x52
I recently picked up a box of Savinelli's at a good price. They turned out to be a nice little surprise package. They're around $5 but I got them for $3.40. They are made by Oliva so "Duh" I wasn't really taking a big chance on getting some duds.
These are very limited edition Nicaraguan full-bodied, spicy, well balanced, savory, delicious cigars. The wrapper is Ecuadorian, dark, oily, medium veins. The Nicaraguan filler is long-aged vintage tobacco with a Nicaraguan binder.
It toasted well and surrendered hints of spiciness. The draw was near perfect producing creamy clouds of rich, earthy smoke. One can immediately appreciate the aged fillers which remain consistantly smooth and complex for the entire length. I actually considered taking a dinner break and smoking another last evening. It was that good. I had a Shiner Hefeweizen with this one. A Guiness would be a good choice as well.
I'm thinking the Savinelli's were a joint venture with Famous as the box had been opened and re-wrapped with a note indicating that it had been inspected for quality control. I'll be ordering another box to stash in the tupperdore for a little additional aging.
On a scale of 1-10 I rate this cigar 9.2. :smiley20:
Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Natural 6.7x50
On a whim I decided to try a Double Chateau last evening. Thinking that the cedar sleeve was the only real difference between it and the other Grand Reserva's, I didn't expect any surprises.
After removing the sleeve, and sniffing the length of the barrel I could really appreciate the spicey Spanish cedar influence. I have always dismissed cedar sleeves as more of a novel artsy display like any other fancy band. This time around I'm convinced that it really does impart some special flavors. I attribute this to aging. I've had this stick in the humi for some time, probably effectively doubling the time from rolling till it was smoked.
This is a lighter Connecticut shade wrapper that appears to be dry yet silky with practically no oiliness, small veins throughout, no soft spots and a firm solid roll head to toe.
Toasting produced some of the cedar and a goodly amount of bluish, thick smoke. After a few puffs of a cool blend of tobacco, cedar and toast I got a very slight metallic aftertaste. I write this off to my palate as it can be caused by some othe influence like medication (not that I am medicated), food or most likely the glass of cabernet I had with dinner. My son was on the phone waiting for me to light up (he's in Albuquerque and we often smoke a stog while we share our thoughts) so I didn't get to do my Tequila shot and properly cleanse the palate.
About midway I detected some grassy flavors but not so much to be concerned. Green grass flavors normally indicate a young (short aged) cigar and would also add some bitterness but this is not the case. It burned flawlessly with a near perfect white ash for the entire length. The strength and flavors did stack a little toward the end, but it is a fairly large vitola. I really enjoyed this cigar and intend to get a box and start to age them in the cooler for at least a year.
While not up there with the Hemingways, OpusX, Masterpiece, it is a great value at around only $4.50/stick. Just age them a little more and they are near perfect.
On a scale of 1-10 I rate this cigar 9.
El Mejor Emerald Shaggy-Foot Robusto 5x50
Another cedar-sleeved cigar.
KC did an "informal" review on this cigar some time back. I found one hibernating in my humi that I decided to try and compare to what he found. Now, given that he bought a bundle and immediately smoked them and this one has aged at least another 6 months might make a difference. I'm not sure if this is actually one that he had sent to me from the same bundle but I know I have had it at least that long.
I have no problem with the Shaggy-Foot. I toast and light them as any other stick. It would seem that they would flare up and start to burn crazy with all the loose filler sticking out but not so. They might even light better. I suspect it is more old-world novelty than function.
They are considered to be a premium handmade blend even at the low price of around $3-5 when bought on sale. There are so many factors that determine a cigar's price but of course the old faithful "supply-and-demand" theory is probably in play here with this line. If it catches on and attracts some attention, look out, prices are going up. It's a good cigar, it just needs a few more fans.
It is composed of a blend of heavy Nicaraguan long-fillers with a rich Ligero core and wrapped in a lustrous Honduran Corojo. Contrary to KC's "bundle" they are supposedly box aged for 6 months prior to distribution. This may be traditional oak box aging from which they are removed and re-packed to sell. It certainly had some oak wood flavor and really nice spicey finish. It had an unattractive salt-pepper ash but burned evenly and firmly. Overall it smoked very smoothly, producing thick creamy clouds of smoke with little effort. I enjoy a smoke just a little more when I don't have to coax it to burn properly.
I would consider this stick to be another "good value" at this time. KC gave this cigar an 82/100. I'm going raise the pot a little and attribute it to the extra aging.
On a scale of 1-10 I rate this cigar 8.5.
