The KC/DW Review Series

[King Catfish]

Very thorough review KC. I would say that pretty much reflects how the GOF was for me. I've only smoked one and that's been a few months back. I'll do exactly what you suggested and have one around mid-morning with a cup of single roast bucamonga.

I've been smoking regular sticks lately and nothing that hasn't been reviewed or is worth reviewing. I'll try and dig out a stick worthy of a review for the weekend. Also, I'll shoot another GOF to you one of these days. Actually I think I might have given mine a little higher rating but then it could have been mindset when I first bought them. So, I'll have to smoke another also, you know, just to be sure.

Cool ashtray.

Thanks. I have a few sticks lined up for you to review. I'm waiting for Monday to send them out.

My wife is a sculptor, and she made me two nice ashtrays for my stogie habit.

[King Catfish]

Don Lino Africa Duma (5x50)

Today I decided to have a Don Lino Africa Duma (5x50) that I picked up in a trade with a close buddy.

A little research turned up the following: The cigar has an aged Cameroon wrapper, and a mix of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and African filler tobacco. I could not discover the pedigree of the binder tobacco. Apparently the vitolas are named with the Maasai words for various animals, inspired by a Safari trip taken by the maker (Nestor Miranda).

The cigar was a medium-dark brown maduro, somewhat coarse and on the veiny side, with a definite oily sheen. The cigar was firm but not hard, and I was predicting an easy draw. The unlit aroma was mild but pleasant; it smelled as if it would have a nice, pungent flavor. (Some pondering and web-surfing afterwards brought a couple of words that are pretty close to the smell I remember from the unlit cigar: a good, clean “compost”, or hardwood forest loam.)



The band was very apropos to the Africa theme, with zebra-skin stripes and a large “A” with a snakeskin pattern. The background on the band was golden woven grasses. I decided to pair this cigar, for no particular reason, with a couple of fingers of cheap Scotch and a nice amber lager.

I managed a good cut and toasted the foot; when I did so a nice little whiff of the cigar passed by my nose, but was gone before I could qualify it. When I lit the cigar, the smoke tasted dry at first, with great volume. The draw was even easier than I expected. The initial taste was assertively dry and sort of dusty and earthy, and the aftertaste was in full swing by the third or fourth puff, a vaguely chocolatety taste perhaps also redolent of coffee (the chocolate did not linger). The wrapper was tangy and maybe a little sweet on the lips. This cigar passed my “first test”; that is, it came out of the gate with some personality. For all this assertiveness, the smoke was easy on the tongue and throat.

Into the first third, leather was soon ascendant, with that pleasantly dry, dusty, earthy background taste singing backup. (I don’t want to get outlandish here, and perhaps the whole African oeuvre was getting into my head, but that dry, dusty taste reminded me of the road dust in Mogadishu (yes, I was there). Perhaps that was something that the cigar gains by power of suggestion because of its African theme; however, if it’s intentional on the part of the maker, then it’s quite a stunning achievement. I leave the reader to decide on his own.

The burn began even but not razor-sharp. There was a round, alkaline coffeelike taste in the middle. I was very pleased from the beginning, because the cigar was assertive and complex from the very start. The ash was medium gray and bumpy and not pretty, even black in small patches; it fell off very short and was a bit flaky. The cigar needed a touch-up light to even up the burn at the end of the first third.

I’m not sure why, but the ash started to get much whiter in the beginning of the second third. By the end of the second third, the ash was back to medium gray. It was difficult to know what to think about the less-than-spectacular burn and this strange, changing ash. The cigar was getting sweeter, especially on the tip of the tongue. The taste was evolving away from the leather and toward the sweet, but the sweetness, once it appeared, remained through to the middle of the last third, although not very strongly. The overall body of the cigar was pleasantly strong.

The final third started as a continuation of the sweet and dusty/earthy latter second third. Then the leather popped back up a bit. I had to resist a touchup light early in the final third, but the uneven burn remained irksome (but not disastrous). The aftertaste, a bit shy to this point, started to get a bit stronger and was a bit alkaline. The taste for most of the last third was deteriorating and the smoke started to taste hot and bitter. Unlike many of the cigars I reviewed, I did not push this one to the finger-burning nub. I tried to purge the cigar early in the last third (creating a messy shower of flaky ash all over the place); this took away the bitterness somewhat and restored some of the leatheriness for a few puffs, but by this point the sweetness and the dusty earthiness were gone. For a few minutes after I let the cigar go out, I had a slight aftertaste that reminded me of unsweetened bakers' cocoa.



I was unable to decide what food and beverage pairing would be best with this cigar. I have a few more, and I will try the next one with a red wine and perhaps a mild cheese, just on a hunch.

Score 17.7 (x5) = 88.5, gaining a full point for complexity and personality from the very start and a quarter point for super smoke volume, gaining a quarter point for uniqueness, and losing a half point for a problematic burn, a quarter point for a flaky, messy ash, and another half point for a back-and-forth inconsistency of taste. I also deducted a two full points for a lackluster finish. Final score of 86.75. Definitely worth a try, but not a humidor staple.

EDITED TO ADD: This was a very long, slow smoke, almost 2 hours.

[King Catfish]

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.

[DeeDubya]

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.

[King Catfish]

Happy birthday! Nice review.

[DeeDubya]

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.

[DeeDubya]

Round 3. KO'd

I did smoke the MB3 but actually wasted a good cigar. At least I think it was good. All I can say for sure is that it burned even, had a good ash and made plenty smoke.

The Shiraz-Cabernet was great with the rigeye but not a good choice with the cigar. I would have to say that this cigar had good legs, tasted primarily of black currents with overtones of blackberry, mint and vanilla.

Oh well $12 bucks for nada. I'll try another on a better day, with a glass of port or scotch.