Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Criollo
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
This one is a bit darker than other Rocky Patel cigars I have had before, but it didn’t go overboard on the strength. It’s milder than the medium-full it is advertised as. Good dark bread woody flavors and decent sweet smoke. It lasted a good long time too. At around $6 each it’s not bad value, if you can get them on sale for 3/each then definitely don’t pass it up.
Month: January 2015
Man O’ War Virtue Toro
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Filler: Nicaraguan
It’s a nice-looking cigar. It has pretty color. It has a big shiny foil ring with a neat logo. But unfortunately, this cigar is all pomp and no circumstance.
It did make billowy clouds of white smoke but the fun stopped there. Underlying the entire experience was a bitter, tinny/canned flavor that reminded me of a can of green beans that had been sitting in the pantry for years. The only reason I kept smoking it was because I was hanging at a beachside restaurant with friends, and I hadn’t brought any other cigars. It went out a couple of times about 2/3 into it, the flavor wasn’t getting any better, and I was kind of glad to toss its corpse into the ashtray when the check came.
Supposedly it’s made of the same kind of stuff as the Gurkha Beauty. But it’s not the same cigar, not by a long shot, and with a price tag of $8 each, it’s a big waste of money.
Gurkha Beauty
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaraguan
The Gurkha Beauty is just a plain good overall cigar. It’s mild, it’s tasty, it has a broad range of gentle good flavor and just the right kind of spice. It burns well and evenly, makes an appreciable amount of smoke, it’s well-constructed, and it smells good too. Seems you can’t go wrong with it. And at a price of $3 each, well, it’s even better.
If you are looking for a sort of stable benchmark by which to judge cigars, I’d really be hard-pressed to find anything else but this one.
Montecristo MediaNoche no. 2 Torpedo
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Peruvian
What started as a decent cigar, with walnut and hints of fresh leather, ended in what I can only describe as smoking a box of brand new sneakers. With 2 inches of cigar remaining, all that I got was sneaker flavor. Give this one a pass. Unless, of course, you like a mouthful of shoe leather.
Perhaps Media Zapato is a better name for it.
Cohiba black robusto
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler, Binder: Dominican
While I am not a big fan of other Cohibas, this one surprised me in a pleasant way. It started off with a nice puff of chocolatey goodness and then evolved into a sort of dense Christmas Cake of spiced flavors. It has a definite umami to it, with a mild spice that I couldn’t put my finger on: an almost gingery cardamom clove kind of buttery sweet-potato thing going on, which was not a bad way to go. It also had a nice floral lavender ambient aroma as it burned. Neutral charcoal aftertaste. Billowing clouds of nice-smelling smoke, too. This cigar belongs on every evil mastermind’s desk.
It didn’t last as long as I expected it would, as it felt denser and heavier than others in my humidor of comparable or even larger size and it had a tighter draw than average, but it was a good overall smoke. This was a tasty, pleasant cigar. I’ll definitely put this one on my list for re-order when I get to my last one.
La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 5
Maybe they should name this one La Gloria Ceniza. It held onto its ash for dear life until well after the halfway point.
Origin: USA
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf, Ecuador Sumatra
Filler: Blend of Mexican, Dominican, Brazilian, and Nicaraguan
The Serie R are sold as full strength cigars but I found it to be fairly mild. It started with a bitter dark-roast coffee and toast aroma but it evened out as the ride continued. It kept the coffee notes throughout but then mellowed into a single-malt whiskey and an almost dark beer/stout flavor. It was very well made, with an even draw, and like I said before it held a glorious ash for a long time. What surprised me was the lack of spice, which I fould surprising for a supposedly full-strength cigar. It had some pepper, but it only came out if you really puffed it until it was hot. Thus you could meter your own spice to taste. With the Robustos going for about $6 apiece, I would label this as a very good cigar for the price. And it has a pretty lady on the label.
Macanudo Cafe Hyde Park
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut
Filler: Dominican, Mexican
Supposedly this is the best-selling cigar in the world. I can see its appeal; it is mild, inoffensive, and not particularly strong in any aspect of its flavor. It doesn’t stink, it produces a pleasant aroma, and the smoke isn’t excessive. It has a light draw. It won’t reek up a room. It won’t make you smell like an ashtray.
This is the sort of meat-and-potatoes cigar you can give anyone and they will think it’s a decent cigar. BUT it is not memorable in any way whatsoever. Maybe that is the appeal of it– you can give it to guests and noobs without cutting into your really nice cigar collection. Would I buy them for myself? I don’t know. I have had them before and they were OK. I got the ones I am smoking in a sampler.
As far as my stash goes, I’ll keep a few on hand for giving to folks who are not cigar conoisseurs, and for smoking when I don’t feel adventurous. At $6, you can’t really go wrong.
Flavor-wise, I get some coffee and some grain, a hint of leather, and some pepper comes in towards the second half.
La Riqueza no.6 Lancero
This one got the Leaf Enthusiast’s top pick of 2014, so I decided to give it a go.
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Outwardly, it looks great. Nice little pigtail at the end. Well built. No flaking at the edges. It cut well without too much slop at the tip and it smells nice and earthy.
The first half was good. Sweet, rich and chocolatey, some yeasty brewery flavor in the first 1/3, with some vanilla mixed in for good measure, and an almost floral aroma. It paired excellently with a sweet side like Balvenie Caribbean Cask, and I believe it would work well with rum. The pepper level was just enough. Not overpowering, and a nice complement to the sweet and florals.
What I didn’t like, though, is that it went out halfway through, and after relight it was so sour, bitter, and overpoweringly spicy that it was no longer enjoyable at all. I had to snuff it and brush my teeth. Maybe I got a bad one, so before I completely demonize it I will give it another try at a future date.
At a price of $8.50-9.00 for such a little guy, it’s a shame this one ended the way it did.
Alec Bradley Family Blend Lineage
I fired this one up on New Years Eve, and it lasted me a good 2 hours of fine herfage.
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper, binder, filler: Honduras
It started woody cedary with some pepper, and the smoke was good and even throughout. Nice aroma, earthy. After an inch in, it kept the same good even flavor, texture, and scent the whole way through. It was not overpowering. More mild, I would say, than a rating of “medium” that it carries. I had no relight issues, and it burned evenly despite being ignored a few times.
The construction on this one was probably the best of any cigar I have yet had. I was out at the dock helping other boats tie up, holding the cigar in my hand as I wrapped lines around cleats, and the ash would simply not fall off. This photo was taken after my adventures as party dockmaster:
Considering these cigars’ $8 price tag, I find them to be an excellent buy. It will last you longer and better than other comparable brands. This one is worth buying a box of, to keep in your humidor.
Cigar Playboy 