Sunny weekend in South Carolina! I did the "usual"; yard work, but had plenty of good cigars, too! The lineup for this weekend's reviews is:
- Rocky Patel Old World Reserve Maduro Toro
- Pepin Cuban Classic Belicoso
- Graycliff Expresso Robusto
- Pinar Suprema Toro
- Rocky Patel Edge Natural Toro
- Fonseca Cuban Limitada Robusto
Saturday, May 17th, 2008
Rocky Patel Old World Reserve Maduro Toro (6.5x52)
Square pressed. Leather notes with cinnamon flavors. Nice amount of spice. Effortless draw. Even burn. Spice increases as cigar burns but till has cinnamon overtones. Nice combination. Tons of smoke. Very consistent. I loved this cigar.
Score: 94
Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic Belicoso (5x54)
Somewhat leathery with spice undertones. Some pepper. Nice overall combination. Pepin makes some fantastic cigars. Leather undertones stay consistent. Overall very good cigar.
Score: 92
Graycliff Expresso Robusto (5x54)
Peppery initially. Spice noted. Ligero noted. Deep, dark flavors. Hints of caramel. Very good draw. Spice really builds as cigar moves to 1/2 way point. Finish is long. Somewhat sweet on the pallet. Rather full bodied for a Graycliff.
Score: 92
Sunday, May 18th, 2008
Pinar Suprema Toro (6x50)
A combination of spice, leather, pepper, and caramel are noted. Somewhat bitter at times. Full bodied. Finish is rather long. Tonds of smoke. The slight bitterness keeps this cigars' rating down.
Score: 86
Rocky Patel Edge Toro (6x50)
Wonderful caramel and spice that is always consistent. This cigar was no exception; very consistent. Somewhat floral. Even burn. Good draw. A very good cigar with a healthy dose of caramel and spice.
Score: 91
Fonseca Cubana Limitada Robusto (5x52)
Perfect draw. Leather notes with spice. Light caramel notes. After 3/4" the spice really kicks in. The caramel taste really intensifies, too. Quite spicy from midpoint on. Medium to full bodied.
Score: 91
Slightly square pressed; not a sharp press. Very spicy with hints of pepper but there is little maduro flavor or sweetness. There is a slight hint of caramel-like taste. The finish is short. The cigar could be better if it had more flavor. It has plenty of spice but lacks anything else. To be honest, I expected much more from this cigar.
Reddish/brown color, Good spice with hints of pepper. Light leather undertones. Finish is fairly long and somewhat leathery and nutty. The ash is tight. Not a bad cigar but not my favorite DPG.
This cigar is from the original Pontillo's which were made in Nicaragua. He has since moved his factory to the Dominican Republic and uses different tobacco to make his cigars. These maduro's are some of the best maduro's I've ever had. I am really going to miss them. You can still find them on line but when they're gone, they're gone! The cigar has very nice construction. I decided to "punch" this cigar rather than straight cut it.
Upon lighting, you immediately get a blast of spice, pepper, and sweet maduro flavor. The draw is firm but not difficult. The finish is long. This is a very slow burning cigar. You can smoke it for 1 3/4 hours easily! The ash is tight. The cigar stays very consistent. A very good cigar.
This is a new DPG cigar for me. I reviewed the natural version of this cigar a week or so ago. It was pretty good. I'd buy them again. The construction of this cigar is typically excellent. All DPG cigars have quality construction. Right from the start this cigar had a ton of black pepper! I mean a ton! Actually, after smoking 1/2 of it that's about all it had. There was very little spice or any other flavor. There was no maduro flavor; no maduro sweetness. I can't believe I'm writing a bad review about a DPG cigar, but I am. This cigar just did not do it for me. I will not buy these again.
