| Cu-Avana Punisher |
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| By: junglepete (12/11/2025 01:39 PM) |
Looks like these can still be had. The hype at CI says "Punisher is for seasoned lovers of the glorious tobacco weed. To those not converted to the sublime righteousness of ligero and high-priming tobaccos it will be the devil's brew. If this is you: run, do not walk, in the opposite direction. Even stout men will be overwhelmed with its pure, undiluted, concentration of spice. Punisher is crafted for the minority, the insatiable ligero lovers. The juxtaposition of deep, dense flavors, searing spice, and classical construction deliver a righteous blend with layer after layer of sand-pounding, toe-curling, full-bodied power. The lips will burn. The head will swim. The tummy will ache. The eyes will warm. Sweat will collect. The heat will render you prone. Ligero-loving converts: this is a feature, not a bug. Nothing short of a religious experience. Unlike any other. The proof is in the box."
3.75 stars. I used to smoke these a fair bit like 8-10 years ago, but never reviewed it until now. I found one that I still had rolling around the bottom of a coolidor in its tube. It was still spicy as all that. I seem to remember having discussions here in the forum as to what created all that spice and seem to think it was not the tobacco itself but was somehow treated. Anyhow, the cigar performed well and tasted of strong wood and citrus notes. The spice gets spit washed off eventually and the stick is a high med to full bodied act. |
| Joya de Nicaragua Antano CT Robusto |
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| By: junglepete (12/11/2025 09:33 AM) |
| Solid smoke here. I'm thinking of a ramped up Oliva Connecticut. Solid ash with an even burn, good draw and very smooth. Wood and leather notes with an extra kick of something I can't define but like. A nice medium bodied cigar. |
| Southern Draw Cigars Jacob's Ladder Robusto |
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| By: junglepete (12/10/2025 10:03 AM) |
| I bought a box of these a few years ago and did not really like them all that much. Years later, with her yellowed cello dress, she finishes a fair bit higher up the ladder. Top notch construction here with a good draw and a very solid ash. Deep richer flavor notes and some black pepper spice. Hungarian Goulash comes to mind. Dead even burn with a perfect red cone. Started out medium bodied but climbed to medium/full steadily throughout. A very satisfying smoke. |
| Hiram & Solomon Grand Architect Toro |
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| By: ElCid1986 (12/09/2025 04:06 PM) |
| I have several Hiram&Solomon in my humidors, but this is the first I have had in a long time. Solid packed Toro with smooth Corojo wrapper. Nicely applied cap. Pre light taste of wood and mustiness. Combustion and quickly a cinnamon spice hits. Powerful, but not overwhelming. Hints of cedar and some type of citrus. Construction was flawless and provided dense chewy smoke. Dark coffee entered the profile in the second third and the flavor profile was smooth. Definately medium and pushing full flavor profile with the cinnamon spice biting at times. Overall a very enjoyable cigar journey. |
| La Aurora Preferidos 1903 Corojo Toro |
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| By: junglepete (12/08/2025 03:33 PM) |
I liked the upfront spice flavor and the medium plus a tad body. I didn't care for the flakey ash, too open draw, the crooked burn and the re-lights needed. The construction seemed shoddy for this stick and this particular brand line. The robustos I have smoked in the past were much better.
So a few days later and not happy with my experience with this stick, I tried another. Sadly it was not any different. Too loosely rolled and soft and squishy. You can actually see the large space between the leaves. The score remains the same. |
| Cohiba (Red Dot) Churchill |
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| By: junglepete (12/06/2025 02:56 PM) |
| 3.75 stars. At under $3 a stick, this was a good value stick. I cut it in half and smoked both halves for this review. Both halves produced the same results: good construction, even burn, a decent draw and a solid ash. Mostly the same taste profile throughout; Cedar notes, mild leather, and a little nutty. A solid medium bodied stick that I have plenty of to mix into the rotation. |
| Graycliff Emerald (2023 re-blend) PGXL Gordo |
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| By: junglepete (12/05/2025 04:00 PM) |
| It was an okay smoke but I was expecting a little more. The draw was a little too open for me and the ash was quite loose and flakey. I liked the flavor, and the body strength was med-full. I'm hoping the other sizes I have will fair better. |
| Raymond Pages Penn Standard Gold Standard Box-pressed Sublime |
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| By: junglepete (12/05/2025 02:16 PM) |
| 3.75 stars. Starts out milder and quickly reaches medium bodied and remains there until the end. It was kind of like a ramped up 5 Vegas Gold. Good construction and, draw, and burn. Similar taste throughout. Good value and many vitolas to try out. |
| Boneshaker Full Body Cast Maul |
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| By: ElCid1986 (12/04/2025 07:39 PM) |
| Nicely packed Toro with a beautiful broadleaf wrapper. Nice deep tobacco and earth smell prelight. Straight cut and used quad torch as outside in wind. Cumbustion and thick smoke immediately. Spice forward and heavy black pepper and leather on tongue. Retro stinging and heavy. Solid construction and linear but good flavor profile. Had this right after eating and glad I did that as definately a heavy cigar experience. Price point is great for such a solid cigar. |
| Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez) Aniversario Corojo Toro |
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| By: junglepete (12/04/2025 03:34 PM) |
| A 4.25 rating. Lovely looking BP cigar here with a nice corojo red hue to it. Full flavored and med-full bodied. Good draw, but a bit of a wonky burn that required a couple of touch-ups. Lots of thick smoke on every draw. Some spice throughout and some notes of caramel. Quite enjoyable. |
