Review These - Reviews

[WOXOF]

Thanks Chris. I have a couple of those Angel 100's (made by Oliva I think) sitting in the tupperdore with loose singles.

That Monte EL was an absolute treat down to the final ash!

I tried to stump you with the wrappers. The Angel 100 construction is great and the Monte is pretty dark for an ISOM. It's good to see your palate was up to the task. You had me worried when you said you had a cold.

The Angel 100 is actually made by NATSA in honor of Angel Oliva with 100% Oliva Tobacco. The one you smoked was the 1961. 1961 was the year that the Oliva family established a tobacco farm in Honduras in anticipation of the U.S. Embargo against Cuba.

Linky courtesy of ashauler.

[ashauler]

Smoked #1 today on my lunch hour.
This stick is a robusto size, approx 5" x 50 or so. Wrapper is a fairly dark natural, darker than cigar #2, but not a maduro. Construction is good, the stick feels firm with only a slight yield to pressure between the fingers. It appears to have at least a double cap, perhaps a third but I can't quite tell. The cut was uneventful and the pre-light draw was just about right for me, somewhat firm, but not an eye-popper.

It took to the bic pretty well and was easily lit. Initial draws produced some peppery spice and a pronounce leathery flavor. The aroma from the stick was very pleasant. The pepper seemed to dominate the flavor for the first third of the smoke, then the leather seemed to be taking the lead. At about the 1/2 way mark the pepper moved way to the background and the leather flavor with some added earthiness seemed to take over. It remained this way until th end. Very interesting smoke with this change up.

The ash held well and was nice and firm for the entire smoke. It broke off cleanly each time I ashed, and the ember showed only a slight cone, perhaps due to my smoking speed. I would place this in the med-full strength and body categories. I did not notice a significant nic hit.

I'm not even going to begin to guess the manufacturer of this stick, though the profile seemed familiar. It was an enjoyable smoking experience and I would certainly pick up a 5er of this stick for further exploration.

I'm gonna try to smoke #2 on tomorrow's lunch break.

[ashauler]

First off my apologies to the board for the delay in completing this.

I smoked #2 today on my lunch hour, accompanied by a nice cup of black coffee. This stick was lighter in shade than #1 and was approximately the same size (maybe a bit bigger ring but not alot). On inspecting the cigar, I noticed that the foot was "uneven" with the filler in the middle extending farther out of the end of the cigar than the edges, kind of wedge shaped. The wrap of the wrapper leaf was very evident and the feel of the stick was somewhat "bumpy". It was less firm than #1, but not extremely squishy.

After I cut it, there was a depression in the middle of the cut end....almost as if the bunch was uneven in length...extending longer in the middle at the foot, but short at the head. The light was easy and the burn was even throughout the smoke. The ash was not flaky, however it did not snap off the cigar and crumbled in the ashtray pretty easily. The ash also appeared to be very much whiter in the middle of the ash vs the edges and developed somewhat of a cone.

The flavor was straight up tobacco with some leather overtones. When exhaled through the nose it burned like a . The flavor didn't change much for me over the course of the stick. The draw as a little loose for my preference, and consequently I had to keep slowing down on my draws to keep it cool. This was a decent smoke, but not as eventful and interesting imho as #1.....therefore, based on that and the construction differences I will guess #1 as the more expensive cigar.

Thank you slcraiders for these two smokes, I enjoyed them both.

[slcraiders]

Very, very nice reviews!!!

You got it right:

#1 Padilla Miami 8&11 (8-9 bucks)
#2 Padilla Hybrid (3-4 bucks)

[ashauler]

Wow, I guess there really is a first time for everything.

[Mizicke5273]

Well I smoke the cigar marked #1 tonight while watching Annapolis.

It was a robusto sized smoked, very nice looking, smelled really good, and had a nice oily shine to it. I think it may have been a maduro.
It was nice and firm and just enough give to it. It cut really nicely. The draw was perfect, nice easy and effortless.

The first puff I took gave me quite a shock, it was very strong, spicy, and full of flavor. I had to lean back in my chair and let off a nice "Wow". And the smoke, man the smoke. This cigar really let it off nicely with an abundance of it. I love cigars like this, that have a real nice thick smoke to them. For the first 1/4 I think I got a slight coffee taste and was spicy. I would guess it to be a full bodied maduro at this point. It was very flavorful and burned perfetly. As it went on I think it got a bit spicier, but mellowed out abit around 1/2 way mark. At the beginning I think there were several flavors, but by the time I smoked 3/4 it became less complex. But wow it was still spouting out the smoke nicely.

It was a very well constructed smoke, that tasted great the whole way down to the nub. I really enjoyed this smoke, and will most certainly pick some up.

Ill probably smoke cigar #2 tomorrow sometime.

[Mizicke5273]

Ok I smoked stick #2 tonight while watching the Godfather part I.

This cigar was again a robusto sized cigar, good construction, a little less firmer than #1, and I believe it to be a connecticut wrapper. It cut easily and had a nice draw, almost perfect.

It lit pretty easily, seemed to have a simple one dimension taste with a slightly sweet aftertaste, and I think maybe a slight hint of coffee in the first few puffs. This one didnt produce as much smoke as the 1st one, but it was still pretty thick. Again after smoking it for a bit I still think it is a conneticut wrapper. It was a pretty smooth smoke, with the sweet aftertaste lasting through out the smoke untill a bit after the 3/4 mark. It burned great never had to touch it up or relight, the ash held good until about a 1/4 was gone, then it fell right on me. I thought it was on there better than it actually was. At the 1/2 way point, it became a little harsher, nothing major, just a slight change. At the 3/4 mark, it seemed to lose alot of its flavor and got rougher. Almost as I was done, the filler had started to slide out the head of the cigar a bit.

All in all I would say it was a decant smoke, not as good as the first but pretty good. Wouldnt mind smoking this one again either.

So Ill venture to guess that cigar #1 was the more expensive and cigar #2 was the less expensive?