| March Points Contest is Under Way! | By: SenorPablo |
| The points contest is under way for the month of March. The 26 members with the most points for the month have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Famous Smoke Shop. You can read the details HERE. To view the previous month's contest results see here. | |
| Toys for Tots Drive 2022 | By: SenorPablo |
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| French Collection (by Jochy Blanco) Cardinal Mazarin | March 2023 |
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| Written by Cigar Geeks Member: (amigodecigars) | |||
| It was well-constructed with well aged tobaccos, had a perfect draw, and just enough complexity in flavor to keep it interesting. I really enjoy well aged tobacco and these were aged for 6 years acco... Read More | |||
| French Collection (by Jochy Blanco) Cardinal Mazarin | March 2023 |
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| Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Byron (Beegerply) | |||
| I found this cigar to be a bit to mild for me. As nice as it looked I was hoping for more. I'm not sure if the mildness caused me not to pick up more notes in this cigar. I think this cigar would ... Read More | |||
| French Collection (by Jochy Blanco) Cardinal Mazarin | March 2023 |
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| Written by Cigar Geeks Member: (junglepete) | |||
| The lineage and breeding of this venture had me quite interested, but is was a tough cigar to evaluate. The construction issues surely diminished the overall experience. I liked most of the tastes, bu... Read More | |||
| French Collection (by Jochy Blanco) Cardinal Mazarin | March 2023 |
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| Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Gary (headfirst) | |||
| Thanks to Todd for letting me give this one a try. I definitely saw the potential for an enjoyable smoke in that first third, but unfortunately mine had construction issues that plagued it the rest o... Read More | |||
| French Collection (by Jochy Blanco) Cardinal Mazarin | March 2023 |
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| Written by Cigar Geeks Member: (DRuff) | |||
| This cigar was pretty good. Not a flavor bomb and definitely not in my usual wheelhouse, but a decent smoke for the most part. Medium strength with some flavor transitions, and a few burn issues but n... Read More | |||
| Camacho Liberty 2021 | September 2021 |
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| Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Steve Ladd (Caveman Steve) | |||
| All in all, this was real pleasure to smoke. The performance of the cigar itself overcame the lack of complexity in flavor by a goodly margin. I'm anxious to try another one after dinner to see how ... Read More | |||
| Camacho Liberty 2021 | September 2021 |
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| Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Nick (nkowal) | |||
| The Camacho Liberty 2021 was a bit of a disappointment given the high bar I have for the Liberty series. But that might also just be about resetting expectations about what the Liberties are going for... Read More | |||
| Camacho Liberty 2021 | September 2021 |
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| Written by Cigar Geeks Member: (nirab) | |||
| I really enjoyed this cigar. The oak notes were perfect with the coffee and pepper, and the natural sweetness was very pleasant. My entire experience smoking this cigar was excellent, and I look forwa... Read More | |||
| Camacho Liberty 2021 | September 2021 |
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| Written by Cigar Geeks Member: (tuck0411) | |||
| Pretty nice smoke, this one, the uneven burn and needed maintenance aside. Flavor for days and if I hadn't known I'd have sworn this one had more Nicaraguan tobacco in it given the spicy profile, but ... Read More | |||
| Camacho Liberty 2021 | September 2021 |
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| Written by Cigar Geeks Member: (Murphy223) | |||
| Thanks to Kevin (wescat) and Bruce for allowing me to participate. This one was fun. Overall, I enjoyed this cigar from start to finish. I'm glad I picked up a few because it is one I'd smoke again. ... Read More | |||
| Cigar | Rating |
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| Camacho Connecticut Churchill |  |
| By: tuck0411 (Today at 12:14 PM) | |
| Humidor time: 248 days Humidimeter reading: Head - 67, foot - 61 Appearance and construction: A few veins, a light sheen, and a moderately firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it a double shallow V-cut and PLD was moderately open. (8/10) Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of mild tobacco. The light gave a medium-bodied profile with a spicy retro and notes of light wood, cream, spice, and a hint of citrus. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors staying consistent through the first third after which the spice and citrus gradually ramped with the citrus becoming a full note by the last third. Very tasty, overall, with plenty of spice in the mix, especially in the 2nd half, to keep things interesting throughout. (32/35) Forgot to take a pic before the first ashing...  Smoking characteristics: The light produced a moderately easy draw, smoke volume on the low side of optimal, and an even burn to start. The burn stayed even through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/4" leaving a cone. Post-ashing, I gave it a single deep V-cut to try and improve smoke output and this gradually helped to improve smoke output to optimal part way through the 2nd third. Apart from a wrapper split developing towards the end of the 2nd third, which had no effect on smokeability, things were uneventful down to the nub. Draw and smoke output remained optimal from the 2nd third on. (17/20) Overall impression: This was the 2nd vitola I've had from this blend (robusto being the first) and my review of the first one shows a somewhat different experience with the flavors. I got cream and citrus from this one, neither of which I reported in the robusto, but that was nearly five years ago so my palate's probably changed somewhat in the meantime. At any rate, this one was a good smoke for the most part with nice flavors and pretty good construction and I'd smoke it again if I had any more... (31/35) Burn time: 1:40 Rating: 88 | |
| Cuba Aliados Limitado by AJ Fernandez Doble Toro | |
| By: tuck0411 (03/23/2023 04:11 PM) | |
| Humidor time: 251 days Humidimeter reading: Head 61, foot - 53 Appearance and construction: A few veins, a light sheen, and a moderately soft pack with no soft spots... Gave it a wide-ring punch and PLD was moderately open. (8/10) Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of rich tobacco. The light gave a full-bodied profile with a spicy retro and notes of black pepper, black coffee, charred wood, leather, and spice. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors staying consistent through the first two thirds after which the black pepper ramped a bit going into the last third. It was already predominant from the beginning but became even more so in the last third. Very tasty, overall, at least to my palate, but I'm partial to black pepper in a profile so this might not be for everyone. Strength was in the medium/full range as the nic. effects were noticeable. (32/35)  Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn was a bit wavy but self-correcting through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/4" leaving a cone. The burn continued wavily through the 2nd third and then proceeded to lopsided going into the last third and got a touch-up before reaching the nub. Draw and smoke output remained mostly optimal throughout although it did intermittently drop a bit in the last two thirds. (17/20) Overall impression: This was pretty much an identical experience to the toro I had the other day, both with flavors and construction. Same great black pepper-heavy flavors, which are pretty close to my wheelhouse, so I'd definitely smoke this one again. Two more vitolas to go from this sampler, so we'll see how those do shortly... (31/35) Burn time: 1:36 Rating: 88 | |
| Alec Bradley Project 40 05.50 Robusto | |
| By: druid (03/22/2023 10:03 PM) | |
| Firm-bodied, lightly BPd, khaki wrapper, no veins & a good oil sheen. PLA faintly toasted wheat; PLT earth & wheat; PLD mod easy. An easy light, a mod easy draw, a very even burn, & a wood & hay smoke. Bitter wood notes start & there is hay & some black pepper. In the 1st 1/3 the bitterness leaves the wood & becomes a citrus tang, & the pepper eases in the mouth. Near the 1/2 light milk chocolate waxes & wanes. Late in the 2nd 1/3 the citrus takes command. In the final 1/3 the citrus eases, the wood returns & a bit of nuttiness slides in, all coloring the finish with the chocolate. The body is medium. An interesting, nicely performing smoke. (91) | |
| Atabey Brujos |  |
| By: SparklePony (03/22/2023 05:00 PM) | |
| I have no idea what happened to this cigar, but it was nothing like it was supposed to be. It's beautifully constructed, with a gorgeous, creamy golden wrapper. The foot smelled of sweet hay and sugar with a hint of maple. The cold draw was all sweetness. Unfortunately, once lit, the cigar had all the charm of an unmucked horse stall. It was bitter, almost acrid, with no real flavor except for charcoal and sadness. I have no idea what happened, but I don't think I'll be spending $30+ on one again any time soon. | |
| Lampert Cigars 1593 Edicion Blanca Toro | |
| By: tuck0411 (03/22/2023 12:56 PM) | |
| Humidor time: 250 days Humidimeter reading: Head - 61, foot - 57 Appearance and construction: A few veins, a light sheen, a 1 1/2" wrapper split above the foot, and a moderately firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it a double shallow V-cut and PLD was moderately open. (7/10) Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of rich tobacco. The light gave a medium/full profile with a spicy retro and notes of wood, coffee, red pepper, and spice. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors gradually mellowing through the first third and the body receding towards medium by the beginning of the 2nd third. The red pepper note was pretty much a mere hint by this point with the wood note becoming predominant through the remainder and the coffee and spice maintaining in the background. Decently tasty, overall, although it missed my wheelhouse by a fair bit. Strength was about medium. (28/35)  Smoking characteristics: The light produced a moderately easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn stayed even through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/4" leaving a small cone. I had given the wrapper split above the foot a cigar glue treatment a couple of days before smoking and the spit ended up having no effect on smokeability with the burn line proceeding through it uneventfully. The burn continued more or less uneventfully after the first ashing, apart from a small bit of waviness in the burn line, and things proceeded normally down to the nub with draw and smoke output remaining optimal throughout. (19/20) Overall impression: This one came from Small Batch as one of their COTM selections awhile back and was the 2nd stick I've had from this small brand out of the DR. This one allegedly has a Connecticut-shade wrapper but it was quite dark for a conny and the profile didn't really match what I'm used to for that type of blend, so I'm guessing it was some sort of sun-grown leaf instead of your typical conny wrapper. At any rate, it was a pretty decent smoke, if not quite my thing in terms of flavor. Good enough to smoke again, though, although I wouldn't buy it again. (29/35) Burn time: Forgot to note the light time, so who really knows, but it was around 1:30 or thereabouts... Rating: 83 | |
| Camacho Corojo (2013 Reblend Red Label) Churchill | |
| By: tuck0411 (03/21/2023 10:09 PM) | |
| Humidor time: 245 days Humidimeter reading: Head - 62, foot - 48 Appearance and construction: A few veins, a light sheen, and a soft pack with no soft spots... Gave it a single shallow V-cut and PLD was open. (8/10) Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium/full profile with a spicy retro and notes of wood, coffee, spice, and a hint of citrus. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors staying consistent through the first third after which the wood note ramped through the remainder and became predominant by the last third with the other flavors maintaining in the background throughout. Pretty flavorful, overall, although the woody aspect was a tad bit too strong for my tastes putting this one just a bit outside my wheelhouse for this type of blend. Strength was about medium. (29/35)  Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn stayed even through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/4" leaving a small cone. Apart from a small bit of waviness in the burn line through the last two thirds, things were otherwise uneventful down to the nub. Draw and smoke output remained optimal throughout. (19/20) Overall impression: This was the third vitola I've had from this blend and my reviews of the first two (robusto and toro) show somewhat different experiences with the flavors as I was getting red pepper in the toro and dark chocolate in the robusto with no mention of wood for either. So, either my palate has changed (probable) or the blending for these three vitolas is all over the map (unlikely). At any rate, this was a pretty good smoke with decently good flavors and pretty excellent construction so I'd definitely smoke it again. (30/35) Burn time: 1:30 Rating: 86 | |
| Cuba Aliados Limitado by AJ Fernandez Toro Grande BP | |
| By: tuck0411 (03/20/2023 05:05 PM) | |
| Humidor time: 248 days Humidimeter reading: Head - 59, foot - 62 Appearance and construction: A couple minor veins, a light sheen, box-pressed, and a soft pack with no soft spots... Gave it a single shallow V-cut and PLD was open. (9/10) Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of rich tobacco. The light gave a full-bodied profile with a spicy retro and notes of black pepper, black coffee, charred wood, leather, and spice. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors staying consistent through the first half after which the black pepper ramped and became predominant through the remainder with the other flavors maintaining in the background. Very flavorful, overall, and not far from my wheelhouse for a fuller blend. Strength was about medium or a bit better. (32/35)  Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn was a bit wavy but self-correcting through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/2" leaving a small cone. The burn continued wavily in the 2nd third, then got lopsided and needed a touch-up after which it continued wavily but self-correcting down to the nub. Smoke output dropped a bit at the point it was getting lopsided and prior to the touch-up but otherwise remained optimal throughout. (17/20) Overall impression: This one came from Cigar Page as part of a blend sampler along with three other vitolas from this blend so those will be reviewed shortly. This one was a pretty good smoke, construction issues aside which didn't detract too much from the overall experience. This was more or less a black pepper bomb, though, so not really recommended for anyone who doesn't like that flavor. I do, so will be looking forward to trying the other vitolas. (31/35) Burn time: 1:34 Rating: 89 | |
| Caldwell Cigar Co. The King Is Dead Escape Plan Drybeggar BP |  |
| By: tuck0411 (03/19/2023 05:38 PM) | |
| Humidor time: 247 days Humidimeter reading: Head - 64, foot - 62 Appearance and construction: A few minor veins, a light sheen, a light box-press, a pig-tail cap, and a moderately soft pack with no soft spots... Gave it a punch and PLD was open. (9/10) Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium/full profile with a spicy retro and notes of wood, coffee, leather, and spice. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors staying consistent for the duration. No transitions to note but this was very smooth and flavorful with a nice mix of the flavors and a very enjoyable smoking experience. Strength was about medium or a bit better. (33/35)  Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn stayed even through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/4" leaving a small cone. Things were then very uneventful down to the nub with draw and smoke output remaining optimal throughout. (20/20) Overall impression: This one came from Small Batch as one of their COTM selections awhile back and was one of the better Caldwell sticks I've had in terms of both flavor and construction. It appears this is a tweaked version of the King Is Dead blend as it has leaves from Nicaragua and Peru added to the Dominican filler from the original blend. Very tasty, in any case. Caldwell is not one of my favorite brands given my hit-and-miss experiences with their sticks, but this was a good one and one I'd easily smoke again. (33/35) Burn time: 1:12 Rating: 95 | |
| Alec Bradley Blind Faith Robusto | |
| By: 05Venturer (03/19/2023 04:03 PM) | |
| Got really bitter coming into second half, ended up tossing it. Was actually pretty decent up u til that point.seems that the Alec & Bradley brand is pretty hit and miss for me | |
| Joya De Nicaragua Numero Uno L'Attache | |
| By: tuck0411 (03/18/2023 11:29 AM) | |
| Humidor time: 246 days Humidimeter reading: Head - 69, foot - 60 Appearance and construction: A couple minor veins, a light sheen, a pennant-flag cap, and a moderately soft pack with no soft spots... Gave it a punch and PLD was moderately open. (8/10) Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of mild tobacco. The light gave a mild/medium profile with a spicy retro and notes of light wood, spice, and hints of cream and citrus. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors staying consistent throughout. No transitions to note and this was reasonably flavorful while missing my wheelhouse by a bit for this type of conny profile. Strength was medium at best. (28/35)  Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn stayed even through the first third with the ash falling past 1" leaving a small cone. Things were then very uneventful down to the nub with draw and smoke output remaining optimal throughout. (20/20) Overall impression: This one came from Small Batch as one of their COTM selections awhile back and was the 2nd vitola I've had from this blend, the first being the "L'ambassadeur" lonsdale. My review of that one shows a very similar experience, flavor-wise, which as mentioned, isn't quite within my wheelhouse as it was missing the buttery aspect I typically get from a good conny blend. It was a pretty nice morning smoke, though, with impeccable construction and I'd smoke it again. (30/35) Burn time: 1:09 Rating: 86 | |
