Oliva Cain 660 Maduro

Oliva Cain 660 Maduro. This dark cigar is made from a blend of triple-fermented longfillers, using a "straight ligero" blend. It is a 6*60 cigar, and it feels it. It is heavy in the hand, and the wrapper feels smooth and oily. When I sparked it up there were immediate spicy notes and heavy smoke. There are some cocoa hints, and for a strong cigar, it is very smooth. The taste does not change greatly while you smoke it, but it does not need to. This cigar tells you what to expect, and it delivers. It burns slow, and it burns even. This cigar was a delight to smoke, but I only suggest it if you like strong, heavy cigars.
 Rating 10/10.
 #cigar #cigars #cigarsmoke #cigaraficionado #cigarporn #cigarpornmovement #eljefe #oliva #olivacigars #caincigars

Inch by E.P. Carillo No. 64

Now Rating: Inch by E.P. Carillo No. 64. This is a thick cigar, measuring just over 6 inches with a 64 ring gauge. I smoked the maduro, and it is wrapped in a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper that gives off a surprisingly fruity scent when just smelling the wrapper. This is a dark cigar, with a nice oil content. Upon lighting it was smooth, and gave off copious amounts of smoke. It had some peppery notes, but was not overpowering. There was also some cocoa and earthy notes. The finish was dry. The band is fashioned after a old ruler, and the 64 ring gauge makes it one inch thick. I would smoke this again, but it is not the head turner I was hoping for. Very good cigar, just not elite. Rating: 8/10 Lost of two points for the dry flat finish.
 #cigar #cigars #cigarsmoke #cigaraficionado #cigarporn #cigarpornmovement #eljefe

Diamond Crown Julius Caeser Robusto

Smoking: Diamond Crown Julius Caeser Robusto. This 4.3/4*5 inch cigar is cloaked in a smooth feeling Ecuadorian Havana seed wrapper, and are aged for five years. They consistently receive excellent ratings, and are rolled by Tabacalera A. Fuente. Sounds like a winning combination. The burn was even, and slow, and it was solidly constructed. That are the good qualities of the cigar. Upon lighting the cigar up, the first quarter of the cigar was harsh. Very harsh. No flavors of the mixed tobaccos, just harshness. I considered putting it down. Then it hit the sweet spot. It went from a harsh cigar to a alright cigar. There were notes of coffee and some sweetness. It never became a stand out cigar though. The taste changed once again for the end, and it became a cigar with no flavor. It unfortunately was just bad. I was shocked for a few reasons. 1) not what I expect from a cigar considered super premium and 2) This is J.C. Newman and Arturo Fuente cigars. Not what I would expect for a cigar named for the founder of J.C. Newman cigars. Also if we are going to pay what these cigars cost, I expect a superlative cigar, not this. Very disappointed in this cigar. Rating: 4/10. #cigar #cigars #cigarsmoke #cigaraficionado #cigarporn #cigarpornmovement #eljefe #diamondcrown

Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970 Gran Perfecto

Now Rating: The Joya De Nicaragua Antano 1970 Gran Perfecto. If you are a fan of strong cigars, after you read this review, get down to your local cigar shop and buy one, or a few, or a box. This tapered 6*60 cigar is a densely packed cigar that will surprise you with the range of flavors it gives off. This Nicaraguan Puro starts off peppery and with spice, and after about a half inch mellows out a bit. With that being said, it stays a strong cigar. The wrapper has a almost lush feel to it, and is smooth while having a nice oily feel. There is a strong earthiness to this cigar that adds to the flavor, and it burns even and slow. As you can see from the grid picture, the ash will hold on for you. 6 inch cigar, that is an almost 5 inch ash. I could go on and on about this cigar, but I won't. Great cigar, go get some. Rating: 10/10 #cigar #cigarsmoke #cigaraficionado #cigars #cigarporn #cigarpornmovement #eljefe

 

The Cigar Inn, House Blend

Now smoking: The Cigar Inn house blend. I was in NYC a few weeks ago, and found a great cigar shop/lounge called the Cigar Inn. I found this place after leaving Club Mac... in disgust. This reddish hued cigar is wrapped in a lovely Peruvian Oscuro wrapper, and is oily and lush. This particular cigar is 6*60. Honestly, I am not sure if it named, so I will just call it the house blend. Sorry Cigar Inn. This cigar starts out pretty mellow, but slowly strengthens as you smoke it. By the halfway point, it is a nice medium smoke. There are hints of spice, and cedar, and some sweetness that comes from the wrapper. It is always nice to try a house blend that the business takes seriously and this is a quality cigar. The only issue I had was some flaking of the wrapper towards the end of me smoking it, but I have seen that happen on tons of cigars. If you are in NYC and want to try something different, head to The Cigar Inn. They have a great lounge, and I especially liked the part of the lounge done up to look like a old school barber shop. They have a very well stocked walk in humidor, and a huge selection of accessories. If I lived in NYC, I would spend a log of time,(and money) there. This cigar gets a 9/10. Ig loses a point because it does get a little harsh at the end, but other than that, excellent cigar. #cigar #cigars #cigarsmoke #cigaraficionado #cigarporn #cigarpornmovement #eljefe #cigarinn

Perdomo Reserve Champagne Noir Super Toro

Now smoking: Perdomo Reserve Champagne Noir Super Toro. This hefty 6*60 cigar is cloaked in a dark triple fermented Cuban seed Maduro wrapper. That happens to be aged in bourbon barrels. Already sounds delicious huh? It is. You should go buy one right now. This cigar is a full bodied smoke that will not overpower you, but will make sure you do not forget it is there. The wrapper leaf is great looking, oily and smooth. The light up is easy and the burn was even. The smoke was substantial, and for a strong cigar it was almost creamy smooth. There was a strong earthy taste to the cigar punctuated with coffee. cedar, and what tasted like anise to me. There was some spice, and that continued the whole length of the cigar. With about two inches left, the cigar inexplicably spit open. Which is to bad, because I was planning on smoking it as far down as I reasonably could. Normally something like that would make me ding a cigar in the rating I give it, and this will be no exception. So instead of a 10/10, I will have to give it a 9/10. This is a great cigar, at an excellent price point, and I look forward to smoking it again with hopefully no splitting of the wrapper. Do yourselves a favor and try this cigar. #cigar #cigars #cigarsmoke #cigaraficionado #cigarporn #cigarpornmovement #eljefe #perdomo #perdomocigars

Casa Magna Colorado Gigantor- Smoke one now!

The Casa Magna Colorado Gigantor is a big, heavy solid cigar at 6*64. This line of cigars has garnered excellent press, and the Robusto size was Cigar Aficionado #1 cigar in 2008. I have been smoking these cigars since they were introduced, but this is the first time I was able to get my hands on this size. The word "Colorado" in the name refers to the dark, reddish hue of the wrapper, and the wrapper on this cigar was beautiful. It was oily, but felt silky to the touch. Upon lighting up, there were hints of cedar and spice. It burned very evenly, and I never had to touch it up to maintain that burn. The cigar got stronger during the second half, and it was delicious. Thick smoke on the inhale and burned blue at the foot. I could probably smoke this cigar all the time and be very happy. This cigar gets at 10/10. Incredible stick. #cigar #cigars #cigarsmoke #cigaraficionado #cigarporn #cigarpornmovement #casamagna #eljefe

Headley Grange Estuendos- great cigar

I was looking forward to trying the Headley Grange because it was garnering so much positive press, and any cigar that makes Cigar Aficionados top 25 in the first year of release, has to be a great cigar. Right? It turns out, it was pretty darn good. I lit up the Estupendos size cigar, 5.5*52, and could tell that the filler of this cigar was Nicaraguan filler. 
The Sumatra Ecuadorian wrapper adds some sweetness to the cigar, and some hints of coffee. I had heard that the cigar had some spice, but I did not get much of that beyond the first quarter of the cigar. It started out strong, but quickly mellowed. 
I was happy because it was a very good cigar, but disappointed because instead of the medium to full I had heard this was, it was more light to medium. Overall, it is a great smoke. One that I would reach for again. 8/10.
 #cigar #cigars #cigarsmoke #cigaraficionado #cigarporn #cigarpornmovement #botl #eljefe

Cohiba Secretos Maduro 5

I have several cigars that I need to review, and now that I feel better, I am going to review them. This is the first one I have decided to discuss because it is a Cuban cigar, and I was expecting a lot from it. This is the Cohiba Secretos Maduro, and measures 4.25 * 39. A smaller cigar that is supposed to be strong, and deliver a ton of flavor. Honestly, it was disappointing. The taste was flat with not a lot of variance throughout. It burned alright, and for its size was a surprisingly slow smoke, but nothing could make up for the bland taste. I was surprised at the lack of depth to this cigar. Overall rating is 4/10.

Xen by Nish Patel

Now Smoking: Xen by Nish Patel. Rocky Patel is known in the industry for creating excellent cigars that receive high ratings with every blend he creates. Nish Patel is seeking to follow in his brothers footsteps. For this sampling I smoked the Toro sized Xen, which measures 6*52, and is boxed pressed. The Patel Brothers claim that theirs is the first Connecticut box press in the industry. It is also hailed as "Connecticut with attitude." 
Connecticut cigars tend to be mild, light cigars. This cigar, with its Ecuador Connecticut wrappers, and Nicaraguan binder and filler promised to be a stronger Connecticut. I have to say, they accomplished their goal. Don't get me wrong, this is not a strong cigar, but the one I smoked was definitely a nice smooth medium smoke.
 There was a good balance in the flavors with no one standing out from the other flavors this cigar imparts. It had an excellent draw, and even slow burn. The smoke was thick and had a almost woodsy/nutty character. While I normally smoke stronger cigars for pleasure, if I was in the mood for a medium cigar, I would reach for this one again. Out of a possible 10, I give this one a 8. It would of been a 9, but it went sort of flat the last quarter of the cigar. 8/10 If you like a lighter medium bodied smoke, this is the one for you. #cigar #cigarsmoke #cigars #cigaraficionado #cigarporn #cigarpornmovement #eljefe

mrlgperez

Now Smoking: Romeo by Romeo y Julieta-Toro. Romeo y Julieta has been known for creating excellent milder cigars. This cigar is a break from tradition, and is a true medium to full cigar. The wrapper is a Select Dark Ecuadorian Habano that imparts a hardy taste to the cigar. The Dominican Olor binder adds a little sweetness to the cigar, and the Dominican and Olor fillers are married perfectly to create a fuller bodied experience. 

Here is the thing, while it was strong, with some hints of cocoa and spice, it was not overly powerful. The smoke was very smooth, and balanced. If you are looking for a strong cigar that will not bowl you over, I would recommend this one. Rating: 8/10.

A Tale of Two Headshops

I have been on the hunt for empty cigar boxes.  I have a locker/humidor at the shop I hang out and work at, and I want to replace the boxes my cigars currently reside in, and give them back to the shop.

 For those that do not know, you keep cigars in a contained space, a humidor, and you should of have them between 65 and 72 percent humidity.  That is optimum.  With a temperature roughly the same.  If you go to low, they can dry out and become extremely hard, if you go to high, the cigars can become soggy, soft and grow fungus.  Not what you want to happen to your cigars. But I digress, back to the hunting for cigar boxes.

With this being my mission, I decided to stop randomly at a place I have never been in before.  I knew they sold cigars, but the primary mission of this establishment is to assist people in achieving a state of euphoria in means that are not consanguineous to cigars. That being said I stopped in to see if they had any empty cigar boxes.  I first stopped in to the establishment on Monroe Avenue.   

The place was clean, and the people were nice and surprisingly professional.  The area for the cigars was taken care of, and the cigars looked like they were being tended for properly.  They had an excellent selection of cigars, but only one empty box, which they allowed me to take, free of charge.  They nice lady behind the counter explained that they set them up by the door, and people can just grab them.

Armed with that knowledge, I decided to visit their other location, located on Lake Avenue.

This venue was drastically different than the other one.   

Dramatically different. 

If this was the DC Universe, the shop on Monroe would have been Kal-El, son of Jor-El, and the one on Lake would have been Bizarro.   

They had no empty boxes, but it was the condition of the cigars that caught my attention.  Many of the boxes looked like someone had dribbled paint on them, and they were stacked haphazardly in the display cases.  I would say 40% of the cigars I could see had mold on them. 

Not the good kind. Yes, there is a good kind. 

 There is Mold, and then there is Bloom(Plume).

Mold leaves a stain when it's removed, but plume comes off without a mark. Plume (or Bloom) is good; essentially this is solidified oil, which usually is a sign that your cigars are aging well. Mold is a sign that your cigars are in too humid an environment.

These cigars were covered in mold.  I asked to see a few, and they were so soft, I could of used them as a pillow.  I felt bad for the cigars. I saw one of the humidity gauges and it read around 85% humidity.  The girl behind the counter stated that maybe they should turn down the humidity. 

No kidding. You think?

I told her that the cigars may be beyond saving depending on how long they have been in the type of condition.  It is not impossible, just difficult and time consuming.  Time I doubt that they will give the cigars.  That is after all, not their main source of income. I am just surprised that any source of potential income was in such bad condition, and that it was the same company. 

I will end my tale of two headshops by saying if you are going to utilize them, go to the one on Monroe Ave if you live in my city.  The one on Lake is squalid. Skip it.

Padron

mrlgperez

Now Smoking: Padron Anniversary Principe Natural. This petite corona measure 4.5*44, which is smaller than I normally smoke, but by the strength in this cigar, you would think it was bigger, and darker. This Nicaraguan sun-grown cigar is strong. The tobacco is aged for four years, and you would think the aging would mellow it out. If it did, you cannot tell. That being said, for how strong it is, the smoothness of the cigar will surprise you. Extremely well balanced with hints of spice and cedar, this cigar was a joy to smoke. Each cigar is double banded and numbered to guard against counterfeiting. My cigar was number 835695. The only bad thing about this cigar was that there was not more to smoke. This puro gets a 10 out of 10 from me. With the amount of 90 plus ratings this line has received, it is not surprising it is so good.

Asylum

 Asylum 13 7*70. First of all, this is a huge cigar. You need to have time to smoke this one. This is not a cigar for the faint of heart, it is a strong Nicaraguan Puro. There are tastes of cocoa and black licorice, and earth. It lighted very well, and smoked very evenly. Upon puffing, smoke would continue coming out of the top, showing it is a nicely rolled cigar. This was a dynamic cigar that I would smoke again, and am looking forward to trying some of the smaller ones. I would give this one a 9/10. It lost a point simply because of how long it took to smoke.

mrlgperez

When I heard that General Cigars was creating a cigar that sought to bring the SteamPunk genre to cigars I was looking forward to seeing what the final product would be like. Now that I have smoked one, I have to admit, I am disapointed. Not in presentation, the presentation is excellent. Each box is a decoupage of distressed metal surfaces, antiqued patterns, and other motifs you would expect from steampunk. The cigar itself has a fatigued metal gear around the band. 10/10 on presentation. The wrapper is aged 8 years. Count me in. A blend of five different tobaccos from 4 different countries, that are not Dominican, Mexican, or Nicaraguan? I am intrigued. I bought the 6*50 Wells. (H.G) Then I smoked one. The cigar had issues from the onset of lightig it up. There was a hole in the wrapper that caused a very uneven burn, and I had to constantly touch it up. The taste itself was flat. There was not much taste to this cigar. I was expecting much more. To go along with that, I had something happen I have never seen. The cigar split along a vein in the wrapper leaf. A long split almost an inch long. That was the end of smoking this one. I will have to try it again, because this was obviously a bad cigar. I like Steampunk, I like H.G. Wells. I did not like this cigar. Rating- 3 out of a possible 10.

Welcome!

I have a blog for some time, but unfortunately, it has been left neglected and not used.  I have a lot to say at any given moment, a fact that I am sure many of you find shocking, but I have been silent for the most part.  I have decided to finally, start using my blog, and I am inviting you along for the ride.  Follow me and let us have fun.  If you have a blog, let me know, I will follow you.

The content of this blog will be about Cigars mainly, that is one of my passions, and I will be sharing exciting news from the world of cigars and liquor.  I will be posting tasting highlights and my impressions of cigars I smoke.  I will also post about other subjects, just to mix it up. 

 So with that being said, follow me. (I know I already said that, you should do it.)