Weekend review; February 28 and March 1, 2009

A wet weekend here. It rained pretty much all day Saturday. It made for a good day to stay inside and catch up on some needed rest! They called for snow on Sunday but all we got was MORE rain. I checked the rain gage today and it had 3.6 inches in it!

Friday night we were at the Maduro Room's 2nd anniversary party. Grady Marsh has been in business 2 years now and the place was absolutely packed! That's the most people I've ever seen in the store! 2 reps were present; Mark Rudacille of Rocky Patel and David Ludwig of Fuente/Newman. This was the first time I've met Mark. I gave him the lowdown on the SC Sit Down in hopes he might be able to help out.

Toward the end of the evening there were the raffles. I got lucky again and won a nice cedar lined 3 finger cigar case!

Here's some pics from the evening:

Me with Mark Rudacille, Rocky Patel rep.



Me with David Ludwig, Fuente/Newman rep.



Jim, Grady (Maduro Room owner), and Me

World Famous "Twig"

.

Mr. Bob

Cigars reviewed this weekend:

• Nub 358 Cameroon
• El Baton Belicoso

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Nub 358 Cameroon (3 7/8x58)

Very spicy cigar with some pepper notes. Severely lacks Cameroon flavor and sweetness. I was really looking forward to trying this cigar as I am a huge Cameroon fan but this cigar misses the "Cameroon" mark. The finish is somewhat leathery and long but with the lack of Cameroon flavor I am rating it low. To be honest, I am very disappointed in this cigar.

Score: 82

Sunday, March 1, 2009

El Baton Belicoso (6.25x56)

Dark cigar but it's not a maduro...I don't think! This is a new cigar that I picked up Friday night at the Maduro Room anniversary event. Here's what I found online about the cigar:

El Baton is the first premium, non-bundled, cigar made for J.C. Newman Cigar Company that is NOT made by Arturo Fuente. El Baton is made in Nicaragua and composed almost entirely of Nicaraguan grown tobaccos. Eric and Bobby Newman are keeping the blend a closely guarded secret. What is known is that the tiny factory in Nicaragua where El Baton is made, makes NO other premium cigars than El Baton.

Interesting. Here are my thoughts on the cigar:

First off, this is "not your mama's Fuente or Newman cigar"! It's powerful! There is a ton of pepper along with a lot of spice at first light-up. Somewhere in the midst of all that power are subtle hints of vanilla, especially on the finish. This is a very full bodied cigar. Earthy notes are present. (I'm not real sure what they mean by earthy, but to me it's just a deep, strong flavor.)

This cigar could be put up there with an LFD double ligero. I suppose the Fuente/Newman guys needed a powerful cigar to offset their other mild to medium smokes. Well, they have it now! I like this cigar. The only thing I would change is the amount of spice it has. I'd like more. The pepper overwhelms the spice at times. Other than that it's a very good cigar. Perfect burn.

Score: 91

Weekend review; February 21 and 22, 2009

Windy weekend! Spent Saturday afternoon at the in-laws. They had a dinner/party for Jeremy who is home on leave from Iraq. After he goes back he should be back home around September.

Cigars reviewed this weekend:

• Gurkha Masters Select
• 601 Series Blue (maduro) robusto
  
  

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Gurkha Masters Select Perfecto No. 1 (6x60)

Very cool looking cigar. With this shape and the way they roll it you don't have to cut the cap. There really isn't a cap there! The opening is quite small but it works! Just light it and go!

Intense spice with a lot of pepper initially. Vanilla undertones. Finish is long with vanilla notes. Cinnamon notes appear at about the 1" point. Had some wrapper issues with this cigar but it was still very enjoyable.

Score: 91

Sunday, February 22, 2009

601 Series Blue (maduro) robusto (5.2x52)

I have enjoyed the torpedo version of this cigar previously. Here is that review: http://tinytimblog.blogspot.com/search?q=601+blue+torpedo

This cigar is square pressed. Very dark wrapper. Intense pepper and spice. Faint vanilla notes and sweetness from the maduro wrapper. Very similar profile as the torpedo. Very full bodied. Not for the beginner cigar smoker!!!! Great for the pepper lovers.

Score: 93

Weekend review; February 14 and 15, 2009

Valentines Day Weekend!

Hope all you had a great, romantic day, and/or night, or both! LOL

2 cigars are reviewed this weekend. They are:

• Edge Corojo Battalion
• Nub 358 Connecticut
  
  

Saturday, February 14th, 2009
Valentine's Day

Edge Corojo Battalion (6x60)


A fat version of the famous Rocky Patel Edge corojo. This cigar had a very good draw for such a large cigar. There were notes of cinnamon, vanilla, spice and pepper. Finish was long. This version of the corojo Edge did not seem as intense as it's 50 ring cousin. Perhaps the extra filler mellows the cigar. Nice flavor though. Spice stays strong but the cinnamon/vanilla notes seem to fade somewhat. When compared to the standard version this cigar falls a bit short.

Score: 86





Sunday, February 15, 2009

Nub 358 Connecticut (3.7x58)

This is the second Nub I've had. There are several versions of this FAT cigar! The Habano, which I've had before, is a pretty good cigar. I've previously reviewed it... http://tinytimblog.blogspot.com/search?q=nub+habano

I scored it with a fat 93! (play on words)

The Connecticut version started out with a lot of spice and some pepper notes. A mix of citrus and vanilla notes were noticed. The finish is somewhat long. A fairly mild cigar. Although the spice is nice enough the other flavors just didn't step up and make this cigar remarkable.

Score: 86

Update on Vega Talanga Corojo

Last October I reviewed this cigar and liked it so I bought a bundle.

http://tinytimblog.blogspot.com/search?q=Vega+Talanga+Blanco+Toro

Apparently these cigars are "hit and miss". I gave the cigar a very high rating intitally which I am now ready to lower. The cigar is decent, especially for the insane cheap prices you can get them but it's NOT a 90+ cigar. I am changing my review score to 79. Yes, that's a huge drop but after having several and getting different tastes and strengths I feel it's justified.



That being said, it's still worth the price you'll pay on cigarbid.com. I just got a bundle of 20 for $16. That's cheap!

I felt I had to set the record straight. I don't know whether the first one was a fluke or what, but after having several of these I feel they have earned the label of yard smokes, or perhaps mooch cigars. Take all this with a grain of salt; what the heck do I know anyway?

Score: 79

Weekend review; February 7 and 8, 2009

What a great weather weekend! Temps in the 70's! We opened the house and enjoyed the fresh air! Connie had me in the yard digging up day lillies. Man, those things can multiply. Hopefully they're gone for good.

I am reviewing 2 cigars this weekend. They are:

• Jericho torpedo
• La Gloria Cubana Serie R no. 5
  

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

Jericho torpedo (6x52)

This cigar came from Ligero1, a buddy on a cigar board who said it was a great cigar after sitting all these years. Jericho was a brand from about 4 years ago. Jericho cigars are made for Camacho by Tabacos Puros de Nicaragua, S.A. The same company that makes the excellent Joya de Nicaragua smokes. At the time these were out I never heard anything spectacular about them so I never bought any. Well, Lig really raved about them and sent me one to try. I received it about 3 weeks ago and decided to let it sit and settle down before I smoked it. I decided to have it today.

There was quite a bit of peppery spice with a cinnamon and almond undertone initially. This cigar is very unlike any of Camacho's other cigars. Past the midpoint there were notes of a cinnamon/caramel mis. Love the peppery spice a lot. Finish is fairly long and sweet. Very good cigar. I'm not sure what these tasted like when they were new but I can tell you this is a good cigar. I checked the web to see if any were available and looks like they're all gone. If I could find some of these I'd buy them. So, if you have some of these sitting in the bottom of your humidor try them again. You won't be sorry!

Score: 92

Sunday, February 8, 2009

La Gloria Cubana Serie R no. 5 (5 1/2 x 54)

Very dark cigar. It starts off with leather and spice. It quickly transforms to substantial pepper with sweet notes. After an inch it has the typical maduro flavors. At this point it has a lot of spice with sweetness and pepper notes. The finish is quite long. Full bodied. I can feel the ligero in this cigar as I got to the midpoint and beyond. Nice, full bodied maduro but it lacked the potent sweetness that I love in maduros.

Score: 88

Weekend review; January 31st and February 1, 2009

Super Bowl weekend was nice in Columbia. Great game too. One of the best I've seen.

Reviewing 2 cigars this weekend. They are:

• Perdomo Edicion de Silvio maduro churchill
• Gurkha Grand Master Dos Capas
  
  

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Perdomo Edicion de Silvio maduro churchill (7.5x50)


This cigar came from the RTDA from 2006 (I believe), so it has a little age on it. It is a rough looking cigar with lots of bumps and ridges. You'd think a cigar that cost as much as this one does it would look perfect in every aspect! Average cost of this cigar is $25 each! Wow! That's not your everyday cigar!


The cigar is very dark, and to be honest I'm guessing it's a maduro since I don't know for sure. It was sent to me by someone who attended the RTDA and they didn't specify which one it was. Here's what Cigars International says about these cigars:

Edicion de Silvio was created by Nick Perdomo Jr. as a living tribute to honor his late grandfather, Silvio Perdomo. A premium among premiums, this ultra select cigar utilizes an all-Cuban seed blend of tobacco leaves so exquisite, and not to mention rare, that their origins are only known to the Perdomo family. However, it is publicly known that the all-Cuban seed tobacco used to create these one of a kind cigars has been aging in 50 year old spice-laden oak casks since 1997. Only 5 torcedors have been permitted to roll this commemorative new line. Under the strict supervision of the Perdomo family, these elite torcedors created a smoking experience that yields a "fusion of strength and compassion," while capturing the same characteristics found in the old Habanas enjoyed by Silvio himself.

The cigar had lots of spice initially with a touch of pepper. Subtle notes of vanilla and citrus were noted. The finish is long and sweet. After an inch and a half the vanilla notes are stronger. The spice is still strong. Medium bodied, in my opinion. The pepper intensifies in the last 1/3. Cool burning cigar. Good cigar but I'm not sure it's worth the price.


Score: 92








Sunday, February 1, 2009


Gurkha Grand Master Dos Capas (8.5x52)


Barber pole cigars are always cool to look at. This one has been sitting in my humidor for a couple years. Everything Gurkha makes is overpriced. Some of their cigars are pretty good, though. This is suppose to be a Cameroon and Brazilian Habana 2000 wrapper. This cigar starts off with an intense leathery spice and some pepper. Stayed consistent after a couple inches. (long cigar) Finish is fairly long and somewhat sweet. The spice stayed very intense throughout the cigar. By far, the spice was the leader of all flavors. The pepper was decent throughout the cigar. There were notes of vanilla in the cigar but not very intense ones. Even though this cigar was predominantly spice and not much else the cigar was quite enjoyable. The other flavors were subtle enough to round out the cigar.


Score: 90