Weekend/Memorial Day review; May 24th - 26th, 2008

Great weather for a holiday weekend! Temp's in the 80's and sunny! Typical yardwork was performed. A big THANK YOU to all our military veterans and those who currently serve. Also a huge THANK YOU to all who gave the ultimate sacrifice to secure our freedom.

The weekend saw plenty of cigars smoked, and here is the list of my reviewed cigars:

• CAO Maduro Toro
• Zino Platinum Grand Master
• Torano 1916 Torpedo
• 601 Red Torpedo
• La Flor Dominicana Mysterio

Saturday, May 24, 2008

CAO Maduro Toro (5.5x55)

I was very interested to see how this cigar compared to other CAO stuff that I like. I've had the Brazilia, MX2, and Criollo and really enjoyed them but this one was a little new to me. The cigar is square pressed. The maduro gives the cigar a sweet and spicy flavor. There were hints of pepper. Very consistent cigar. This is a nice tasting maduro cigar. Medium to full bodied. Even burning. The finish is long and satisfying.

Score: 92

Zino Platinum Grand Master (5.5x52)

This cigar had leather undertones initially. There was spice noted. The finish is long. Caramel undertones appear after an inch or so. Medium bodied at best. Balanced cigar; nothing really overpowers. Pricy cigar!

Score: 91

Sunday, May 25th, 2008

Torano 1916 Torpedo (6.5x54)

Light caramel flavor with some spice. Spice intensifies after an inch or so. This cigar is very consistent. Just a please to smoke.

Score: 91

601 Red Torpedo (6.5x52)

Big plug near the initial cut, so I had to cut a little further up! I hated that, but it had to be done. However, not even that could deter this cigar from high ratings! Great flavor! Toasted almonds and caramel overtones. Spicey and peppery! Consistent cigar. Very nice.

Score: 93

Monday, Memorial Day, May 26th, 2008

Only reviewing one cigar today. This is a special occasion cigar:

La Flor Dominicana Mysterio (7x54)

A beautiful, shaped cigar. It has about 3/4" maduro wrapper on either tapered end with a natural wrapper in the middle. The cigar has nice spice with some pepper. Ligero was noted as the cigar has a little "pop" to it. Nice caramel overtones. Medium to Full bodied. Consistent. Great special occasion cigar. Expect to pay around $15 each for these at your local shop!!!!

Score: 93

Weekend review; May 17th and 18th, 2008

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

Folly Beach/Mother's Day Weekend

Connie said she wanted to go to Folly Beach for Mother's Day and I had no argument! We both love Folly Beach, which is located just outside of Charleston, SC. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront which is also known as Charleston on the Beach. We arrived on Friday morning to stormy skies but by 1pm it was nice and sunny with a heavy breeze. Saturday was almost perfect! Our son, Ty, and his girlfriend Megan joined us for the day. It was nice spending time with them.

Of course, I brought some major firepower in the cigar category! Here's my line-up:

Friday:
Hoyo de Monterrey churchill (Cuban)
H. Upmann No. 2 (Cuban)
Partagas Serie D no. 1 EL '04 (Cuban)
Vegas Robaina Don Alejandro (Cuban)
Partagas Serie D no. 4 (Cuban)

Saturday:
Hoyo de Monterrey churchill (Cuban)
Romeo y Julieta churchill (Cuban)
Ashton VSG Enchantment
Montecristo No. 2 (Cuban)
Opus X Power Ranger

Sunday:
601 red churchill (ride home)
Camacho SLR natural torpedo (after gym)
Lianos Dos Palmas corojo double corona

Weekend review; May 3rd and 4th, 2008

After some yard work and some rather inexpensive cigars I settled down in the air conditioning with some nice cigars. First up...

Saturday, May 3rd, 2008

Oliva V torpedo (6x56)

This is a beautiful cigar! Very dense feeling, too. Very spicy, which I love. Some pepper noted with caramel overtones and leather undertones. There was a slight sweetness noted. Very even burning; slow burning cigar. Firm ash. Finish is long and pleasing. This is a very good cigar and very popular right now!

Score: 94

Sosa Toro (6x50)

This is my first Sosa cigar. Very nice spice with some pepper. Light caramel overtones. Finish is medium to long. Nice flavor. Good draw. Even burn. Not heavy on spice but very nice amount.

Score: 91

Sunday, May 4th, 2008

Fonseca Cubano Limitatada Toro Gordo (6.5x52)

Large ring cigar. Rather rough looking. Hints of leather, cream, spice, and light pepper. The finish is long. Spice really builds as you smoke the cigar. Hints of caramel noted after an inch of so. Pretty good burn for a fat cigar. Consistent flavor. The Cubano Limitada is, by far, my favorite line of Fonseca.

Score: 90

H. Upmann Vintage Cameroon Belicoso (6 1/8x52)

I previously reviewd this cigar but I am reviewing it again. I love this cigar! This is a fantastic cameroon cigar. It starts out immediately with an intense caramel flavor! It is great! The burn is very even. Nice spice with hints of pepper. I highly recommend this cigar to anyone who is looking for a tasty cameroon cigar. The ash is tight. Not an overpowering cigar; I'd say it's medium bodied but it's sooooooo tasty!

Score: 93