Just going to make this my review thread
Gurkha Black Puro torpedo(6.5 x 53)
Originally I was going to light up the Padron anniversary, but on a suggestion of another botl I opted for this cigar.
The construction was solid. Consistent feel throughout. The wrapper was a dark shiny brown. It smelled sweet and earthy.
I cut the cap and the pre-light draw was clear with a slight earthy taste. After I toasted the foot, the smell of the oil became strong. The draw was smooth and cool. This cigar provided a generous amount of smoke, very heavy and smooth. The smoke had a strong leathery smell, which was subtle in the taste of the smoke.
This cigar burned slightly uneven at first, but quickly corrected itself(probably due to my shoddy lighting). The burn produced a light grey, solid ash that lasted about 2.5 inches before it fell off.
Half way through the stick, the taste became slightly spicy. The taste of leather turned sweeter. The mild mix of spicy and sweet worked very well together. As it burned down further the spice picked up and the sweet stayed the same. The taste and smell of leather became stronger. I felt the smoke tingle the sides and center of my tongue. Other then becoming a little bit spicier, the taste stayed the same until the end.
Near the end the draw became a little hot so I set it down and refilled my glass with more Captain & Coke. I came back to it and the draw was cool again.
I would buy more of these smokes. And they are a steal for less then $4 a stick at www.cigarsinternational.com
Montecristo Club Cabinet #30
Robusto shape(5x50)
Wrapper: USA/Connecticut
Filler: Dominican Republic/Brazilian
Binder: Dominican Republic
Drink: Iced Coffee
This cigar had a dark reddish-brown toothy wrapper and smelled grassy. Construction was solid. There was one pretty stiff vein, but it was not a problem when I smoked it. The cap cut cleanly. The pre-light draw was clear and tasted like hay.
After lighting the cigar a pretty large space opened up on one side of the cigar. I can only guess that there was a loose spot(even though I didn't feel it).
At first this cigar was very spicy and tasted grassy. Halfway down the spice just died almost to nothing. A taste of raw walnuts came out just after the spice disappeared. The taste of walnuts stayed the same and the grassy taste dwindled down. The taste of grass disappeared towards the end of the stick and the spiciness came back. Mild at first and continued getting stronger, but no where as strong as when I first fired it up. The finish of the cigar became oily. I thought it was from tar build up, so I purged to no avail. The oily taste remained. I smoked it a little it longer until I was hit by a really oily puff.
The draw on the cigar was cool for the entire length. It produced a decent amount of smoke that smelled mildly sweet and floral.
Over all this was an ok cigar. Not at all what I expected from Montecristo. Monte's are one of my favorite brands but I would pass up the club cabinet if any other Monte was available.