[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Cigar Review Thread (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 8/12/2008 6:13:23 PM EDT
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Thought I'd start a thread where we can pop in random cigar reviews. Doesn't have to be elaborate, just thoughts on a cigar that struck your fancy. For today I'm doing the Padilla Obsidian from the CI bundle. Cigar: Padilla Obsidian Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro Was informed this is a ligero leaf and not true maduro. Binder: Nicaragua Filler: Nicaragua and Honduran corojo Vitola: Belicoso 6x54 Price: About $5 a stick of CI but you can routinely get the bundles for under $50 on cbid Setting: Sun room, about 85 degrees out. Drinking an IBC root beer. About 4:30pm.  Prelight: Once the cello is removed you can see the cigar has a maduro wrapper of very inconsistent coloration. Even though this should be a fault I find it strangely attractive. The cigar is pretty squishy with a couple soft spots. It has been sitting in my humidor at 65% for a minimum of three months. I'm not a fan of belicosos because I can't peel the cap off but this cut cleanly enough with the Palio. The wrapper has a nice spicy smell to it that tingles the nose. The foot continues the spicyness but with a wet hay component.  First third: The resting smoke as I completely lit the foot was very pleasant. The first draws were rewarded with thick clouds of spicy sweet nicaraguan tobacco. From somking so many Camachos I can really taste the corojo leaf in there mingling with the maduro sweetness. Right off the bat you can tell it is a hearty smoke, and though not full in strength of nicotene it is definitely full of flavor. Burn is wavy but even and ash is dark and separated. In fact after about 3/4 of an inch it collapsed on to my laptop and exploded.  Second third: Well, as I hit the second third I had to give it a touchup. I find that cigars with thick maduro wrappers that are smoked on the slow side tend to burn the filler faster than the wrapper. Happens to me a lot as I'm a very slow and easily distracted smoker. But the flavor continues to be really great. A bitter sweet chocolate flavor with just a tingle of spice on the tongue. I haven't had one of these in awhile and I must say I'm really enjoying the visit with them again. The body is now in the medium to full range and the nic bite seems to be picking up a tad as well, or I'm just really tired from the day. :) Ash continues to be really flakey.  Final third: Well, all has been great since the touchup. The flavors are bold and tasty. A coffee bitterness has started at the end of the second third that's really nice. Burn has been wavy but even, though I picked up the pace a bit. Overall a great flavorful earthy smoke so far. The aftertaste is pleasant and lingering. The smoke is wonderful and thick and great for blowing smoke rings. I did have to touch it at about the 2 inch mark, though I think it may have to do with the celing fan blowing down upon it. The body definitely entered the full range and the spice is kicking up a notch though still staying off the back of the throat. Final thoughts: I've always really enjoyed these though you really have to give them some rest before they're really smokeable. I had a couple burn issues requiring touchups but nothing that detracted from the enjoyment of the smoke. Smoke time was a bit fast for me at 1:15, but I was picking up the pace to keep the burn right. This cigar really pairs well with the rootbeer and brings out the molasses taste out of the IBC. I'm glad I still have a bundle and change of these left, I really need to start smoking them more often. :) Overall a great smoke for about $2.50 a stick. Smoke again: Soon. Buy again: For sure when I come close to running out and can give them a three month lead time until I smoke them. And of cbid, of course Reccommend: Highly for people who like a full bodied spicy sweet maduro. |
Bosh. Just post up your thoughts of a cigar. Don't worry about what hints or nuances of flavor you're getting, only tools do that.  Tell us what you smoked and did you like it, and would you reccommend it. Was it strong or mild? Did the nicotene kick your ass? Did it burn well? Did it fall apart? Just try to give a reccommendation or tell us to stay away as you would any smoking buddy.Not get to it. 
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OK, someone has got to have a review in them waiting to get out. OK, I'll do another one. I had an Old Henry, which is a Don Pepin blend. The label has a big bulldog on it. It pretty much tasted like a Pepin blend, full of spice that tingles the back of your throat, but not really full on flavor. Reminded me of the CI Legend that Pepin did. It was a toro size and I smoked it for about an hour and a half. I'd smoke another one but wouldn't buy them. I'd only reccommend them to people I know who like spicy cigars. Come on now, someone tell me something about what cigar they've smoked.
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I just finished smoking this one... 601 Blue Banded box pressed 601 Serie Size: 5 1/4 X 52 (Robusto) Filler: Aged Nicaraguan Binder: Nicaraguan Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Maduro Price- $10.00 in my local B&M/ Online about $35 for a five pack Well. today has been a great day for my cigar passion... I received my new Stinky Ashtray(why did I wait so long to get one?) along with a Palio Cutter. Keeping with the "New" to me theme, I decided to break in the Palio and the "Stinky" with a stick that I had never tried before, so I opened up my humi and selected the aforementioned cigar. Before I continue with my review, let me point out that the 601 Serie is blended for United Tobacco Inc. by none other than Don Pepin Garcia. If you have ever had a Don Pepin Cuban Classic (another favorite of mine), you know that he isn't shy when it comes to creating cigars that are well balanced and full of flavor, and the 601 Blue Label is no exception. I headed outside with a large glass of ice water and after setting up the Stinky (Ok, really just placing it on my patio table  ), I settled in.Upon removing the cellophane, a wonderful aroma was evident before it ever came close to my nose. The 601 Blue has a very smooth wrapper with a little bit of small veining. It felt great to the touch and I immediately thought that this was going to be one of those memorable cigar smoking experiences. The construction was excellent, without a flaw to be found from foot to cap. I light my cigars fully before I cut them and I find that by doing so, it fosters a much more even burn throughout the entire smoke and prevents any potential charred flavor from contaminating the stick. It's a little more time consuming, but well worth it to me.  After getting the foot lit, I snipped it with my new Palio cutter. I have never had such a clean cut on any cigar as I had with the Palio. I HIGHLY recommend getting one! Initial draw was superb, and full of flavor. I detected hints of coffee along with a dull spice in the front of the mouth. The first third was more of the same, with the spice becoming more pronounced. I also detected a small amount of a sweet taste, although I couldn't pin it down exactly at the time.. The second third is when it really came into it's own. The coffee hints developed into a full blown espresso flavor, and I was instantly reminded of the times when I was young that my dad allowed me a sip or two of his espresso, and it also came to me what that sweetness I couldn't figure out was similar too...Sambuca. Even tough the sweet flavor was very slight, it went perfectly with the espresso flavor, as those who enjoy that after dinner combination know all too well. (PSA..Three coffee beans in your Sambuca otherwise it's bad luck) The final third seemed to mellow out just slightly, and it had a great aromatic and even finish. I'd eat before smoking one as the smoke was powerful, but had much more flavor than strength. Honestly, I almost burned my fingers because I didn't want to put it down.  The burn was excellent from start to finish, with zero problems to speak of. This is a full flavored smoke to say the least, (I almost wanted to chew the inside of my mouth it was so good), but extremely well balanced. My rating: 9.5 out of 10....10 out of 10 for the overall experience. Will I buy it again? Are you kidding? I'm going to have to find a part time job as a supplement to buy a ton of these! Will I smoke it again? Without a doubt, the 601 Blue label will grace my humidor for as long as they make them. I know that was a long winded review  , but as you can probably tell, I absolutely loved this cigar, and it was by far one of the best cigar smoking events that I've had to date.Thanks for reading my review! |
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Great review on the Blue 601. I've been wanting to try one of these for a while now. I find that I really like box pressed sticks for some reason. I'm gonna have to go to that damn bid site and try to get some now. That Stinky and Palio are a great combo huh? -Mark. |
Thanks! As you can tell I loved it. The Stinky/Palio combo is damn near perfection
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Guess I'll buy that 16 for $70 sampler from CI thanks ! |
I'd go for it, absolutely
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Yep, that sampler is great. I love all the 601s, probably the Oscuro the most and the Black label the least. I really like the Red, it's much different from the others, a tad more subtle, but very tasty. I had a Blue today in honor of your review. :ss Here's another review I did yesterday: Cigar: Free Cuba Wrapper: Connecticut shade (Dominican?) Binder: Dominican Filler: Dominican long filler Vitola: Toro Price: $1 if bought by the bundle. They actually make you take two bundles. Bastards. Setting: Sun room, about 85 degrees out, 2pm, drinking a diet Sunkist that's about to be replaced with a root beer.  Pre-light. Well, the cigar is definitely shade grown, but with definite veins that are dark and give it a "vericose vein" appearance, and a wrap that you can see and is verging on loose. The cigar is firm and springy to the touch, well, if you find down pillows to be firm and springy. The foot give the appearance of a cigar that is going to draw VERY well. The cigar has a sweet smell to the wrapper, reminicent of my Backwoods days. I was going to smell the foot but didn't want to risk tabacco bits up the nostrils.  First third: The cigar clipped easily and I was rewarded with some tobacco confetti from the head. I felt so special. The cigar lit up easily with the Ronson, a lighter befitting the grand stature of this smoke. The promise of a free draw dutifly fulfilled, I was rewarded with a copious amount of smoke rich in the taste of.... well, bland tobacco. Not even the sweetness was present. Dry hay with some dry grass and hints of Sahara cause all I'm getting is DRY. It's like the cigar sucked all the moisture out of my mouth. The cigar ash is a nice light gray, maintaining it's integrity up to a full 1/4 inch. The loose draw does allow for a large amount of smoke to taste. I don't think I ever wished for a plugged cigar before.  Second third: The blessing of a loose draw is that the cigar is burning rather quickly. I must say the burn is even, if a tad wavy. The body has definitely moved up into the mild range. Though I must admit that it is producing a lot of smoke. Thin, dry, smoke. The hay and grass flavors remain, with hints of crab grass and dandelion entering the picture. But you do get some nice bitterness in there too. Did I mention it was dry. As a bonus, each puff is rewarded with a fireworks display of ash off the end. Thoughtful of them to add the extra entertainment. The ash is holding to almost the 1/2 inch mark now, well, whats left after the fireworks.  Final third: As I enter the final third I thought I was going to pull a Jerry. Seriously. But I kept it together. The body is moving into the medium range actually. Wish it woulda stayed mild. The dryness is lessening but I think it's because my salivary glands have gone into overdrive. The finish is sharp and unpleasant. It leaves a burning feeling in the back of your throat and roof of your mouth. OK, I just dry heaved twice at about the label and I think I'm gonna give up the ghost on this one. I was hoping to bring it to the nub, but can't. Wow, how do people smoke these things.  Final thoughts: Well, I thought this was gonna be a fun review of a relatively tasteless and mild cigar. Wow, was I wrong. How do people smoke this shit? It seriously was as bad as the Backwoods. Man, I wish my friend woulda given me a corona. I gotta ask him if he actually smokes this thing of if he was just messing with me. The blessing is that it does burn quickly. It normally takes me about two hours to get through a toro, I was down to the label on this in 45 minutes. I think I need to smoke a El Duque to get bad taste out of my mouth. If you actually spent the time to read the review do the opposite of what I'm about to write. ;) If not they get what's coming to them. ;D BTW, the staff who did the reviews for this on CI should be shot. Liked it: Loved it, go out and get one if you can. Buy again: Sure, they're a steal. Reccommend: To all my friends. |
Nay, I've had a Cremosa. Well about 3" of one. It was just bland. This was truly painful. M-60, if you look closely, she's no babe. OK, now someone post up a review of something they smoked. Hell, just a sentence or two to let me know if it's something I should try or avoid.
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I respectfully ask you to not place a bid on cigarbid today. I am currently winning on a box that ends tonight. This way we won't outbid each other. Thanks!
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 No worries....I've already blown a ton on the debil site lately That said, I have a box ending tonight as well but I'm not telling what it is 
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That's awesome....
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Trinidad Maduro Belicoso 6.1" x 54 Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Binder: Connecticut Broad leaf Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan and Peruvian Price: $7.50+ depending on source I'm about as novice as it comes in describing what it is I'm tasting in a smoke so I apologize for my lack of detailed info, but after two years of smoking cigars, I had a wonderful stick some of you might enjoy. I had a Trinidad Maduro Belicoso on Sunday. Looking at it, it felt a little loose and I thought it would be a quick smoke, but it lasted at least 45-50 min.. It stayed consistent in taste(rich) and burn the whole way through. I've read a few online posts on the Trinidad name and the reviews have been so-so, but the Maduro Belicoso has a small following. My price range is usually in the $4-$8 per/ stick x2 per week, but in this case I'm glad I stepped up a few bucks.  What are your thoughts of this smoke, and have you had any that are similar? |
Great review.  I haven't tried one yet, I'll have to look in the humi and see if one is in there.And yeah, that's real fast smoking for a 7" cigar. Try slowing down and seeing if it tastes different. |
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OK, had to take a break from the dog rockets. Cigar: Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Vitola: 1979 (Robusto) Price: $124/20 off CI Setting: Backyard, about 95 degrees out, about 4:30 and having a Barq's root beer. Pre-light: Cigar is a nice looking medium brown with small veins. Cigar is firm with no soft spots. Has a rich sweet tobacco smell. Very nice. The labels are nice and loose and overall the cigar is a nice presentation and speaks quality. The triple cap cut easily with the Palio using my cranial screw top method. Cold draw was slightly firm with a nice rich taste to it. The cigar is dated December of 2007.  First third: The cigar lit up easily using the Ronson and we were in business. Initial flavors were typical Pepin, a bit of spice and the nic tingle and a bit of leather. The ash is nice and white so far. I noticed a crack in the wrapper about half an inch in. I may have done that when giving the squeeze test. Not affecting the burn so far. Kinda medium bodied so far with a light finish/aftertaste. Draw is on the slightly firm side of perfect.  Second third: The cigar is really smooth. The last one I had of these about six months ago was much spicier and a bit harsher. Time seems to do nice things to these cigars. The leather and wood flavors are the main ones coming through, with a touch of slightly bitter chocolate in the background. Pepper which I remember dominating this stick is really staying in the background. The ash has turned more of a salt and pepper color and is starting to flake a bit and dumping uncerimoniously into my lap at about the one inch mark. Body is moving into the medium/full range and the finish is becoming a bit more creamy and lingering. Burn is getting a small bit of wave to it but nothing that requires attention. So far so good.  Final third: The cigar is remaining really smooth with just the tingle of spice on the tongue remaining. Smoke production is thick and pleasing, great for smoke rings. Leather remains the dominant flavor with that slight bit of chocolate in the background. Body has moved into the full range. Pretty good nicotine strenth as well. The pepper I remember from the last one never really came out full strength but did become a bit more prominent toward the end.  Final thoughts: I recieved this in a bomb from Matt (thank you sir, very much appreciated) and after seeing them on sale at joecigar I decided to light it up. Probably shoulda given it a couple days rest in the humi but it smoked great. So great in fact that I jumped on the deal as $3 a stick for these is a steal. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the cigar, it was smooth and tasty and very well made. Even the crack in the wrapper caused no problems at all. Definitely looking forward to the next one. Liked it: Yes. For serious this time. Buy again: Just did, though I don't think I'd drop $124 a box on them. Reccommend: Sure, pretty darned good smoke. |
Nice review Ratters, I really like these. I just picked up 10 of them on joe cigar. |
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I just finished a Carlos Toraño Exodus 1959 Robusto. This is a nice box-pressed cigar. Medium/full bodied, nice easy draw, a lot of smoke, and a complex taste, probably due to the tobaccos coming from Mexico, Honduras, Nicragua, DR, AND Costa Rica, with a Habano 2000 wrapper. I noted some earthiness, notes of coffee, sweetness and some creaminess. It burned pretty fast, I thought (only 40 minutes from lighting, and I was already at the band), but that could have been due to my enjoying it to the tune of 3-4 draws at a time. For the price it's definitely a good smoke. |
Are you "walt"? |
Ha, no, he just picks reviews from the fan forums and posts them up. Still Steve/Ratters. It just got pushed down the page, it was the "Free Cuba" review.
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Nice review. These are definitely a great smoke. |
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Just about done with a Camacho SLR Maduro. Lit up easy as can be with a perfect draw. Strong hearty flavors right off the bat, full of wood and mocha. A lot of spice on the front of the tongue but nothing irritating the back of the throat. About two inches in, or half way, it really mellows out and just becomes creamy goodness. Man, I love these things, glad I broke my no buying pledge and picked up a box of cbid for $73. Yum. |
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Come on folks, just post up your thoughts on whatever cigar you're smoking, doesn't have to be a full blown review. Here's mine for this week though: Cigar: Camacho Coyolar Titan Vitola: 6x60 Wrapper: Honduran Binder: Honduran Filler: Honduran Price: Box is about $135 off CI. Got mine for significantly less on Cbid. Setting: Sitting outside for this one. About 4:30pm 80 degrees out or so and a light cool breeze. Pairing with a Snapple Peach Tea.  Pre-light. The cigar comes in cello and a nice simple black and gold band. The wrapper is medium brown, slighly mottled and fairly veiny. It is firm with a slight soft spot near the head but nothing to be concerned about. The cigar cut easily using the Cranial Screw Top method with the Palio. Typical free draw that already puts a tingle on the tongue. Smelling the foot is really sweet tobacco that belies what's about to come.  First third: The cigar lit up easlily. This one strangely didn't start with the pepper blast I get from the perfectos. Maybe the length and girth of the cigar mellowed the initial blast. This cigar has also been in the humi for about ten months which may have mellowed it a bit. The ash is solid and white with some wave to the burn, but I'm gonna let it go to see if it becomes a problem. Ash dropped at a little over an inch in one big chunk. Body is in the medium range right now. The flavor is heavily of leather with a mild spice and some sweetness. Really different from the perfectos I've been having lately.  Second third: Ok, now the spice is starting to pick up as is the body. The leather continues to dominate and the pepper is definitely there, but not the pepper bomb the smaller one is. As I neared the end of the first third the body really started picking up as well as the amount of smoke. The finish is really smooth with the lingering spice, but not thick or heavy feeling. The burn line has evened out and not required any touchups. The ash just seems to want to chunk off an inch at a time. About halfway through the stick a woody/earthy flavor starts coming into the background. There is also a faint bitterness but the good kind, definitely not unpleasant, just feel it at the side of the tongue. The funny thing is that though the leather dominates the flavor is constantly changing in the background making it an interesting and enjoyable cigar to smoke so far. The burn rate actually seems to be fast for such a large cigar. Usually a cigar this size it would take me over an hour to reach the halfway point and I'm here in about fortyfive minutes or so. The cigar seems to be pretty firmly packed so I'm a bit puzzled, but maybe the free draw has something to do with it?  Final third: Ah, here's the pepper bomb I was expecting. Odd, cause the prefecto starts out as a pepper bomb and smooths out where this seems to be doing the opposite. Body is in on the medium side of full, definitely not the super full that Camacho claims it is, though I am starting to feel the nic a tad. But this is my second cigar of the afternoon after a small lunch. The smoke in the second half has become really rich and creamy, though the finish is still not very thick or lingering.  Final Thoughs: Well, this is my first one since I bought the box ten months ago, I usually smoke the small perfectos, and this definitely wasn't what I was expecting. Overall I really enjoyed the cigar. The flavors were great and always interesting. The pepper/spice wasn't overpowering and I got a nice nic buzz. I think I'm gonna have to move the box from the back of the humidor. I was surprised at how quickly this smoked. An hour and a half total smoke time. I usually get another hour out of the Triple Maduro of the same size. But really a great smoke. Smoke again: Yep Buy again: Yep, when these run out, but not for msrp. But for a box under a hundred off cbid I sure will. Maybe a smaller size though. Reccommend: Yep My dog stopped by to say Hi  Oh, and here's a pic of two flies doing it on the cello.  |
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Date: 10/4/08 Cigar: Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic 1979 Robusto (5 x 50) Cost: $74.56 for a box of 20 off of Cigar International's "Make Me An Offer" Drink: Coca-Cola Classic (the best cola out there) Appearance: 2 banded cigar that says "Don Pepin Garcia" with a dark background on the top band and a second band that says "Cuban Classic" with a black background. This has a dark brown wrapper on the cigar. Pre-light: Smells like wood. Taste of the cigar: This cigar has a peppery and leather taste to it. The pepper is very strong at the beginning and it gets weaker as the cigar is smoked. Construction: Held a nice ash. I ash my cigar after about 1.5 inches on every cigar I smoke. The draw was perfect, not too loose, and not too tight. The cigar required a few touchups. Strength: This was full flavored, but didn't knock me on my butt, and I smoked this in the morning. Summary: I loved this cigar. I am glad I bought a box. I think these will be a mainstay in my humidor. I would definitely recommend this cigar to others. I give it a 9.5/10 |
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Date: 10/11/08 Cigar: Zino Platinum Scepter Master Edition (5 x 56) Cost: $10.95 at a B&M Drink: Coca-Cola Classic (the best cola out there) Appearance: 2 banded cigar that says "Zino Platinum Master Editon" on the top band and a second band that says "2007". Both bands have a silver background. This has a light brown wrapper on the cigar.  Pre-light: Smells like wood. Taste of the cigar: This cigar had a woodsy, and slight creamy taste to it with a little bit of spice. Construction: Held a very long ash. The draw was perfect, not too loose, and not too tight. The cigar required a few touchups. Strength: This was medium-full flavored. Summary: This cigar was ok to me. It had a nice flavor to it, but I don't think they are worth the price. I could smoke a Tatuaje Brown label for this price. I give it a 8.5/10 |
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Date: 10/12/08 Cigar: CAO Vision Catalyst (5 x 50) Cost: $9.95 at The Party Source Drink: Coca-Cola Classic (the best cola out there) Appearance: 2 banded cigar that says "CAO Vision" on the top band and a second band that says "No 385653". Both bands have a white background. This has a criollo wrapper on the cigar.  Pre-light: Just smells like your normal cigar tobacco. Taste of the cigar: This cigar had a woodsy, and nutty taste to it. Construction: Held an average ash. The draw was a little tight. The cigar required a few touchups. Strength: This was a medium cigar. Summary: This cigar was ok to me. This cigar was very average. I stopped smoking it with 2" left on it. I don't think they are worth the price. I could smoke a Tatuaje Brown label for this price. I give it a 7/10 |
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Date: 10/12/08 Cigar: Padilla 1948 (7 x 48) Cost: Don't know. It was part of a sampler Drink: Coca-Cola Classic (the best cola out there) Appearance: 2 banded cigar that says "Padilla 1948" on the top band and a second band that says "BATCH No. 07 343A". This has a corojo/criollo wrapper on the cigar.  Pre-light: Just smells like your normal cigar tobacco. Taste of the cigar: This cigar had a woodsy, and nutty taste to it. It is very bland tasting. I don't taste any spice in it. Construction: Held an average ash. The draw was a little tight. The cigar required a few touchups, but had a razor sharp burn for the most part Strength: This was a medium cigar. Summary: This cigar was extremely bland and one-dimensional to me. It was hard to pick up any flavor in this cigar. I stopped smoking it with 4" left on it. I give it a 5/10 |
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Date: 10/13/08 Cigar: Warped Cigars Anubis Habano Wrapper Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46) Cost: $5.40 at www.warpedcigars.com Drink: Pepsi Appearance: 1 banded cigar that says "Warped Cigars" on the band with a red bird and a black background. This has a habano wrapper on the cigar.  Pre-light: Had a sweet and floral scent to it. Taste of the cigar: This cigar had sweet chocolate and slight spice to it. Construction: Held an average ash. The draw was perfect. The cigar had a razor sharp burn and didn't require any touchups. Strength: This was a full flavored cigar. Summary: This cigar was delicious and I smoked it as far down as I could before I burned my fingers. The flavor reminded me of a Tatuaje Brown Label. I would definitely buy this again. I give this a 9.2/10 |
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Date: 10/14/08 Cigar: 601 Green Label Oscuro Tronco (5 x 52) Cost: I don't remember. It was part of a sampler Drink: Coke (The best cola) Appearance: 1 banded cigar that says "601" on the band with a black background and a green leaf. This has an oscuro wrapper on the cigar.  Pre-light: Had a normal tobacco scent Taste of the cigar: This cigar had an extremely spicy taste. Construction: Held an 0.5" ash. The draw was perfect. The cigar only required a few small touchups. Strength: This was a full flavored cigar. Summary: This cigar was great. I love cigars with a lot of spice. The flavor reminded me of a Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic. I would definitely buy this again. I give this a 9/10 |