Tiny Tim's Cigar World!: Weekend review; November 3rd and 4th, 2007

Saturday, November 3rd, 2007

Started the day with a couple "yard cigars" which really aren't qualified to be called such, but since I had yard work to do and they got chosen to accompany me...

First was a Cacique churchill that someone sent me for my birthday this year. This was a very dark cigar. I'm very familiar with the Cacique line that has the corojo wrapper and have purchased many of them in the past. Those have been discontinued now and I hate it because you could get them very cheap on CigarBid.com. This cigar was dark in flavor but not overpowering. Relatively mild for such a dark cigar. I didn't enjoy it that much.

Second was a Hoyo de Monterrey Dark Knight. These are no "yard cigar"! I love them. This cigar is the best in the HdM line, in my opinion. Nice maduro flavor. Very smooth. You can usually get these at a good price almost anywhere.

After yardwork, I settled down in the den for some football. The afternoon cigar(s) were a head to head comparison between 2 cigars that Carlos, aka Boofa, sent me to get my opinion of. They were the new 5 Vegas Miami and the new Ashton San Cristobal. He seemed to think they were so similar in taste that they may be either the same cigar or very, very close.

First up: the 5 Vegas Miami.

This was a rather small cigar; 4 1/2 x40 +/-. This cigar had nice initial pepper! I like that. It was very "Pepin-esque"; no doubt he made this cigar. This cigar reminds me a lot of the 601! Very nice. Due to it's small ring gage, I have to wonder what a larger ring gage would taste like; maybe better? I think I'd like to try more of these in a larger ring gage.

Next up, the San Cristobal. This cigar was 5x52+/-.

This cigar is absolutely beautiful. Reddish in color and very well made. The band is beautiful as well.

The cigar was initially peppery, yet mellow. There were tons of smoke from this cigar! It was loaded with wonderful flavor. It had a very even burn. This cigar had a very typical Pepin flavor. The 2 cigars were very similar with a slightly more flavor from the San Cristobal. I still wonder if this is due to it's larger ring gage. Without a doubt these 2 cigars are so similar that they could be called almost the same. The price difference between the two is wide, however. The 5 Vegas Miami can be obtained on CigarBid for around $50 a box! The San Cristobal's are around $10-$12 a stick!

After supper, I decided to have one more! A Torano Signature Toro. These have been a favorite of mine for quite some time. This cigar is beautiful and dark. It has great maduro flavor. The maduro is deep and dark! It's not overly peppery until the 2/3 point, then it kicks in! This is a top notch cigar and I love 'em!

Sunday, November 4th, 2007

The afternoon began with an experiment of sorts. I bit on some new cigars on Cigar Bid a couple weeks ago and wanted to try them. They are the new Oliveros Habana Cuba. The name intrigued me as many cigar companies are coming out with similar sounding names and most have been tasty cigars.

This cigar definitely needs more humidor time. It was quite bland until the 1/2 way point. It is medium bodied at best. After hitting the halfway point the cigar had some nice flavor but based on initial impression I won't be buying anymore. After a few months in the humidor I'll make another assessment.

Next was another cigar Carlos sent for me to try; the new CAO America.

I am a huge fan of CAO and most of their cigars so I couldn't wait to try this new cigar! It is an absolutely beautiful cigar. Notice the variation of the barber pole technique! The construction is top notch and the band is beautiful.

At this point, however, the compliments almost come to an end! The intial draw was grassy. It reminded me of some Mexican cigars I've had in the past, and didn't really care for. The cigar became full bodied tasting at the 1/4 point but still somewhat bitter. The cigar started to come together at the 1/3 point. It remained somewhat bitter throughout. I am very sorry to say this cigar "just didn't do it for me". I had high hopes for it but it was not flavorful enough for me. It had a nice burn and I smoked it down to the nub to give it every chance I could.

The final cigar of the day came after a wonderful supper that Connie prepared. The cigar of choice; the new Oliva V torpedo.

This cigar has gotten fantastic reviews in all the cigar publications and with good reason; it's a freakin' good cigar! The cigar is very balanced; not overpowering in any respect. The ligero, pepper, sweetness, and overall flavor all come together beautifully to make a great cigar smoking experience. If I could afford them, this might be my everyday cigar. Eventhough this cigar advertises the ligero aspect, don't expect it to be overpowering. As a matter of fact, I feel the Oliva G maduro and/or Oliva O maduro to be more powerful cigars. The Oliva V is a great cigar and worthy of all the recent praise. Anyone interested in a great cigar should pick up a few to try. You won't be disappointed!