The KC/DW Review Series

[ashauler]

Damn nice review KC....I've missed reading them.

[DeeDubya]

Gaaaw-leee KC. You hide out for months... you must have been working on this review. I had to take a break and get another beer. Very good. I do like the Perdomo's.

[DeeDubya]

Decadence and Luxury.

Rolled by the best torcedores (cadre) using the best raw materials, this flawless combination is designated "Level 7". Aged Dominican fillers wrapped in beautiful chocolate-brown Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf equals a delicious and sumptuous one-of-a-kind.

A nearly veinless, drum-tight wrapper gave some clue that this might just be a really, really good cigar. The fact that it was a Montecristo gave it some merit too! I didn't play with it too long before I was toasting the foot and drooling at the mouth. I did a v-cut and achieved a perfect draw, surprising as this was a very tight roll. I immediately kicked back and began to enjoy some heavenly flavors. So complex and earthy with a smooth finish. I got some sweet and salty contrast, the best I can describe it would be honey-roast peanuts. The burn was even, centered cone, crisp light ash, pleasant after-taste. Of course I nubbed it. The only disappointing thing about this cigar is that it was the only one. But, thank you logan37, I did have the pleasure!

On a scale of 1-10 I rate this cigar 93.

[logan37]

I'm really happy that you enjoyed the 7, DW. They really are a great smoke. And I thought you said you hated Montes.

I have more if you want to work something out.

[DeeDubya]

And I thought you said you hated Montes.

I did. I thought if I said that I hated them then you would try to prove to me that they were good by sending me one to try. It worked!

Just Kidding - Thanks bro

[logan37]

HA! I'm such a sucker. Well played sir.

[King Catfish]

Being as I have liked everything I have tried from 5 Vegas, I chose this cigar next out of the bundle of fine stogies sent by Sammis. Also, I am inexperienced with cigars this small and wanted to try it just for the size.

The 5 Vegas Shorty looks exactly like a 5 Vegas Miami that has been shrunken down in size; it measures 4.2" x 40. It is made up of Honduran tobaccos in a Cameroon wrapper. I am assuming this actually is the 5 Vegas Miami in a smaller size; someone correct me if I am wrong.

I held the little fella under my nose, and it had a rich aroma that was slightly cedary. The cigar was slightly rough in texture but very even and solidly built. I cut the cap without incident (Again?! I’m on a roll!), and the prelight draw was medium, perfect in fact, and tasted a bit chocolately and cedary at the same time. Toasting the foot was pleasing to the nose, and the cigar was lit.

The first puffs were a bit... complex. It is hard to describe, but I tasted wood, and a straight tobacco flavor, and a faint metallic tang. I think there was a bit of coffee in there, and kinda sorta perhaps some dark chocolate. Maybe. The volume of smoke was as one would expect from such a little stick, that is, a lot less than a robusto or corona, but still quite enough to enjoy. The metallic tang disappeared after the first puff or two and did not return until near the nub when the cigar was burning pretty hot.

The first third immediately made clear one of the differences in sizes of cigars: smoke temperature. This cigar’s smoke was as warm from the start as a robusto would be when I am rushing it and it’s time to let it cool off for a minute. The burn line was very sharp and totally even, and the ash was a very pale gray and solid, with black streaks showing through the cracks. The cigar started to take on a dusty sort of undertone in addition to all the other subtle tastes.

I found the middle third beginning with a fading away of most of the “up front” (beginning of the puff) taste profile that was so hard to describe early on in the first third. However, the finish and the aftertaste, practically absent in the first third, were beginning to get strong and hot and leathery. Smoke volume increased quite a bit, and the ash fell off at about half an inch and sat in the ashtray a small unbroken cylinder.

The final third was very similar to the middle third, with some intensification of the flavors and a bit of a build in strength. (I found this stick to be medium in body.) Smoke volume increased still more, and the smoke got very hot at the end (which was to be expected) somewhat to the detriment to the flavor.

Overall, this is a nice little cigar, and better than I expected for the size. (I don’t remember ever being terribly impressed with a small cigar, and that might be caused by a defect in my approach to them. I’m willing to submit to the tutelage of anyone who has more experience with them.) I have had a couple of 5 Vegas Miamis in the more conventional sizes, but it was a while ago and I do not remember how I felt about them. Score: 78. I found the flavor profile a little less than impressive after the first few puffs; there was a nice burst of flavor in the last third as well. I think I failed to respect the cigar’s size, and rushed it. I’ll have to go more slowly with the next one. I can certainly commend the makers of this cigar for the lovely prelight aroma, though, and flawless construction. Very nice. Many thanks to Sammis.

Someone help me out here: I know this is a boutique brand for Famous Smoke Shop… but a little birdie told me that this brand is blended for Famous by Don Pepin Garcia. Can someone confirm or deny this for me?

[King Catfish]

Decadence and Luxury.

Rolled by the best torcedores (cadre) using the best raw materials, this flawless combination is designated "Level 7". Aged Dominican fillers wrapped in beautiful chocolate-brown Ecuadorian Sumatra leaf equals a delicious and sumptuous one-of-a-kind.

A nearly veinless, drum-tight wrapper gave some clue that this might just be a really, really good cigar. The fact that it was a Montecristo gave it some merit too! I didn't play with it too long before I was toasting the foot and drooling at the mouth. I did a v-cut and achieved a perfect draw, surprising as this was a very tight roll. I immediately kicked back and began to enjoy some heavenly flavors. So complex and earthy with a smooth finish. I got some sweet and salty contrast, the best I can describe it would be honey-roast peanuts. The burn was even, centered cone, crisp light ash, pleasant after-taste. Of course I nubbed it. The only disappointing thing about this cigar is that it was the only one. But, thank you logan37, I did have the pleasure!

On a scale of 1-10 I rate this cigar 93.

Wow, sounds like a real winner!

[sammis]

Hi King Catfish

Nice Review :)

I bought the Shorty's to have something to smoke when it gets cold around here and I can't last the full length of a regular sized cigar.

The ones I sent you have spent about 10 months in my humidor.

I get them from Cigars International and the only thing I have been able to track down is that they are hand rolled in Danli’s San Marco factory.

They do get hot if you pull on them too much but I've always liked the flavor.

Thanks for the Review!

[DeeDubya]

Good review KC,
Sounds pretty good for a small vitola. I rarely smoke anything less than 48. For me the larger rings burn cooler, mellower and of course longer. JMO
Have a good Thanksgiving.
DW

[DeeDubya]

Ashwhuper dropped this one on me in the Pryme split. One of the benefits of trades and splits when one can enjoy many of the fine cigars available today.

Made by Pete Johnson and Don Jose "Pepin Garcia" you would expect something great. The name translates to "The Riches" in Spanish. These are Nicaraguan puros and like the other Tatuaje series are spicy, sweet, with filled with flavor. The dark Connecticut wrapper is somewhat oily and toothy. Consistantly firm role, perfectly even burn and sweet mellow finish make them a treat above many others. They are medium bodied but deliver a cloud of rich, thick smoke. The robust flavors stack slightly toward the very end but not unlike other medium bodied smokes.

Although there are many excellent blends available, I'm all for a good puro, be it Nicaraguan, Dominican or whatever. There is just something rewardingly different when smoking a puro.

On a scale of 1-10 I rate this cigar 9.1.

[King Catfish]

Having reviewed a Perdomo last week, I decided to go back to that well and try the Perdomo Fresco in the Toro vitola, kindly donated by Sammis.

The Perdomo Fresco wears a Connecticut shade grown wrapper. According to another Web site, the wrapper is a Criollo ’98. This may be the same thing, I’m not sure. The binder and fillers are from the Jalapa Valley in Nicaraga. This cigar comes garbed in a wide, modern, funky, dark-but-multicolored festive band. It sort of reminded of something one would see at a Mardi gras party.

The wrapper was dark brown with a nice oily sheen, slightly rough but not coarse, and construction was otherwise good, firm but not hard. There was a slight ridge in the cigar from about the middle to the head end, but it could not be seen, only felt. This stick felt a little light in the hand for its size, and I expected it to have a relatively short burn time even though it was a sizable Toro.

The unlit aroma was dark and rich and reminded me slightly of bitter chocolate. I helped it doff its cap, and the prelight draw was a little tight. The taste was again chocolatey. I toasted the foot, which brought no particular aroma to the room. The cigar lit readily, as if eager to be smoked. Smoke volume was huge, and the mild smoke tasted a bit dry and dusty at first, with not much else going on, except maybe a little nuttiness. The smoke hanging in the room gave it a pleasant aroma. The draw was nice, not as tight as I feared it would be.

In the first third the dustiness faded and the plain tobacco taste was very smooth. The burn line was very sharp and only slightly uneven. The ash was light gray with slightly darker streaks and held firm to the cigar. The nuttiness increased as the cigar continued its journey to the nub. The overall flavor profile included just a shadow of acidity and bitterness. The ash was still holding on as we approached the middle third until I dropped the cigar from mouth height into the ashtray, knocking the ash off and cracking the wrapper from the (nicely cone-shaped) coal to the middle of the cigar, about 1.5 inches. Yes, I know I’m a clumsy fool.

In the middle third the nuttiness of the flavor intensified very nicely and added a tiny bit of chocolate, and despite my fumble I was enjoying this cigar quite a bit. The acidity and bitterness were gone and the flavor was nutty and still a bit dusty in a positive way, and maybe was starting to become leathery; the aftertaste, heretofore unnoticeable, was starting to build and was nutty and perhaps the slightest bit metallic. The volume of the smoke remained quite admirable. The crack in the wrapper did not expand beyond its original dimensions; the Perdomo sailed past it as if allowing me to take a Mulligan, just this time. By the time I had reached the very center of the stick the crack was history; I was quite impressed!
The second ash fell off at a full two inches in length, perhaps a bit more.

The final third was much of the same, with the flavors jelling a bit more and smoothing out a bit. The body climbed well into medium near the nub. I was wrong about the expected short smoke time; this cigar lasted me an hour and 15 minutes.

The Perdomo Fresco is a decent, well constructed mild-to-almost-medium-bodied cigar that’s priced for everyday consumption. The flavor profile, while not terribly complex, did show some nice evolution, even if the flavors were a bit discordant at times. There was a lot of change back and forth between flavors, especially in the middle of the cigar; these changes were not always consonant, and jangled the senses a bit. I likened it to a band of talented musicians that have not quite jelled with each other yet. Much like other Perdomos the flavor profile is on the vegetal side and lacking in leather. Perhaps I was weak this afternoon or this stick has quite a bit of nicotine despite its mostly mild body; my head was swimming a bit at the end.

It’s an enjoyable smoke. I scored this stick: 16.05 (x5) = 80.25, gaining a half point for a very nice unlit aroma and losing a half point for a weak start. I added three-quarters of a point for the way the cigar brushed aside my dropping and cracking it for a final score of 81.

Many thanks to Sammis for this relaxing afternoon.