Review These - Reviews

[bigwhiteash]

I’ve never written a cigar review, so don’t expect a minute breakdown of flavors, and aromas. But, Here Goes!

CIGAR #1 Provided by ashauler

This cigar is a Torpedo, 6 X 60 (approx), natural wrapper, possibly corojo. Cap is fairly sharp, slightly bumpy, but nicely constructed. Cigar shows a few larger veins, but nothing to detract from an overall well built cigar. Slightly soft to the touch, especially near the foot.

Prelight aroma is a strong sense of something I still can’t put my finger on, but very familiar. Underlying aroma of wood and hay/straw.

Cut with a double guillotine, clean and easy, leading to a draw that is perfect for my tastes, with the sense of hay continuing, and a bit of spice.

I lit this monster with my trusty Bic, which did a fine job, considering the large ring. (due in part to the perfect draw). Immediately got a mild sense of pepper, lots of creamy white smoke. The first 2” were fairly mild to medium, but after that the spice REALLY kicked in, and I found myself puffing a little to frequently. This is right up my alley! Burn is perfect so far, with the ash holding on in concentric rings, very light gray, with a slight yellow cast. Ash finally fell when it reached 2 ½” (right on my shirt). The last 2” picked up a bit more spice, and I finally put it out with about 1 ¼” remaining… I was starting to feel the heat on my fingers and lips. Overall, this was a VERY enjoyable smoking experience, and is going to be difficult to top.

[ashauler]

I’ve never written a cigar review, so don’t expect a minute breakdown of flavors, and aromas. But, Here Goes!

CIGAR #1 Provided by ashauler

This cigar is a Torpedo, 6 X 60 (approx), natural wrapper, possibly corojo. Cap is fairly sharp, slightly bumpy, but nicely constructed. Cigar shows a few larger veins, but nothing to detract from an overall well built cigar. Slightly soft to the touch, especially near the foot.

Prelight aroma is a strong sense of something I still can’t put my finger on, but very familiar. Underlying aroma of wood and hay/straw.

Cut with a double guillotine, clean and easy, leading to a draw that is perfect for my tastes, with the sense of hay continuing, and a bit of spice.

I lit this monster with my trusty Bic, which did a fine job, considering the large ring. (due in part to the perfect draw). Immediately got a mild sense of pepper, lots of creamy white smoke. The first 2” were fairly mild to medium, but after that the spice REALLY kicked in, and I found myself puffing a little to frequently. This is right up my alley! Burn is perfect so far, with the ash holding on in concentric rings, very light gray, with a slight yellow cast. Ash finally fell when it reached 2 ½” (right on my shirt). The last 2” picked up a bit more spice, and I finally put it out with about 1 ¼” remaining… I was starting to feel the heat on my fingers and lips. Overall, this was a VERY enjoyable smoking experience, and is going to be difficult to top.

Nice Review..........looking forward to #2. Glad you enjoyed this smoke, lets hope the next one is enjoyable as well.

[bigwhiteash]

Cigar #2

This cigar is also a Torpedo shape, about 6 1/8” X 56. Natural wrapper, cap is more rounded than #1. There is a ¾” cut or dent lengthwise near the tip. Nice smooth construction with minimal veins. Firm to the touch, no soft spots.

Prelight aroma of tobacco, and leather. Cut with same cutter as #1, clean and easy. Draw is slightly firmer than #1, but still within my liking.

Lit fairly easily with my bic. This cigar turned spicy right away, and I was a bit concerned that it become overpowering. Ash is a medium gray, fairly tight… held on well.
Second half, the spice actually mellowed a bit and the leather taste came up to match it. Very nice! The last 2” became difficult to smoke as the wrapper issue noted above started to completely unravel. Cigar started to get a bit bitter, so I had to abandon the last 1 ½”.

I did enjoy this cigar, and without the wrapper issue, probably would have nubbed this one as well.

Though I hope this is not the case, I’m going to say cigar #1 is the more expensive.

Dennis

[ashauler]

Another nice review Dennis! I apologize for the damage to #2, I can't believe that I didn't catch it when I inspected the cigar. Give me a few days and I'll send you a replacement so that you can enjoy this smoke to its fullest.

Cigar #1 was a LaVieja Habana by Drew Estates.........$2 at the local
Cigar #2 was a MonteCristo Serie C.........$7 at the local

Good job on both reviews, and thanks for getting them smoked and reviewed so quickly.

Cigar #2

This cigar is also a Torpedo shape, about 6 1/8” X 56. Natural wrapper, cap is more rounded than #1. There is a ¾” cut or dent lengthwise near the tip. Nice smooth construction with minimal veins. Firm to the touch, no soft spots.

Prelight aroma of tobacco, and leather. Cut with same cutter as #1, clean and easy. Draw is slightly firmer than #1, but still within my liking.

Lit fairly easily with my bic. This cigar turned spicy right away, and I was a bit concerned that it become overpowering. Ash is a medium gray, fairly tight… held on well.
Second half, the spice actually mellowed a bit and the leather taste came up to match it. Very nice! The last 2” became difficult to smoke as the wrapper issue noted above started to completely unravel. Cigar started to get a bit bitter, so I had to abandon the last 1 ½”.

I did enjoy this cigar, and without the wrapper issue, probably would have nubbed this one as well.

Though I hope this is not the case, I’m going to say cigar #1 is the more expensive.

Dennis

[WOXOF]

I smoked these two cigars at the same time. I even took some pictures to further prove I have no life. It was a beautiful day today, about 70 -75 degrees out. Kind of weird for the middle of December. I sat down with some reading material and the Dogwatch Social Club playing on my Ipod. Due to the time of day I paired these cigars with some Dr. Pepper.

Cigar #1 (around 5" X 42)

Pre-smoke

This cigar had a Nice smooth colorado shade wrapper with some dark marbling in it. It was well constructed with a double or triple cap. The feel was consistent and firm. It was very appealing to the eye.

Smoke

As soon as it was lit I began picking up hints of burnt sugar/caramel notes. It started off medium bodied and stayed that way. Maybe it got a little more full bodied towards the end but it was hard to tell smoking two cigars at the same time. The initial flavors of caramel faded and were replaced by a leather dominance with good tobacco flavors and some sort of sweetness maybe vanilla, maybe the Dr. Pepper I was drinking. The draw was good on this cigar and the burn was even and left a dark gray ash that was a little flaky. Towards the last two inches it began to get a little spicy with the dominant flavor still leather and good tobacco. It got hot before it got bitter. I put it out with about an inch left.



Cigar #2 (around 5 1/2" X 40-42)

Pre-smoke

This cigar had a very toothy dark maduro wrapper. The constuction was noticeably inferior to cigar #1. The feel of the cigar varied from firm to a little spongy around were the band would be.

Smoke

The cigar lit with no problem and the initial flavors were sweet tobacco and some spice. Cigar #2 seemed a little spicier than cigar #1. The dominant flavors remained rich tobacco and spice without much change. I did occasionally notice some hints of leather/cedar but it was hard to tell if those flavors were unique to cigar #2 or were carried over from cigar #1. It was medium bodied to me. The burn on this cigar was good and left a white ash behind. I did have to relight and purge the cigar at the 3 1/2 mark. Other than that it burned and drew very well. It began to get a little bitter around the 2" mark. I sat this one down at about 1 1/2 inches.

Conclusion

Both of the cigars were enjoyable. Cigar #1 reminded me of an ISOM, Illusione, or a Tatuaje.
Cigar #2 reminded me of a lower end Padron maduro. Based on construction and flavor, I would say that cigar #1 was the more expensive cigar.











Both cigars laid to rest in my $6 "garage sale" ashtray.

[bigwhiteash]

Outstanding reviews

Cigar #1: Montecristo Afrique, $6.95 locally

Cigar #2: Padron Londres Maduro, $2.75 locally

Nicely done, even to the point of guessing the brand on #2

[WOXOF]

That Montecristo Afrique was pretty good. I might have to get me a few of those.

Thanks Dennis for the cigars.

[ashauler]

Nice Reviews!!
BTW, That's a damn fine looking ashtray that simply exudes class!!