Every single one of these I’ve smoked so far has been disappointing and irritatingly, this was no exception. Whilst there were some flavours noticeable, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience.

Considering I’ve had this in my humidor for nigh on two years now, I was expecting them to have settled slightly. When something heavyweight like a Bolivar Royal Corona becomes tolerable (some may say beautiful!) to smoke pretty quickly, I kind of wonder why these are so impenetrable to my tastebuds.

Perhaps they need some serious aging as the flavours are so light? Dunno…

Anyway, there were what I would describe as pretty typical H. Upmann cream and coffee flavours present, but soon after lighting it became incredibly peppery. I got about halfway through and decided to give up. As I thought it might be rude to chuck it into my host’s back garden right in front of his face, I left it in the ashtray to dispose of later. As it was, when I left I picked it up and took it with me and decided to relight it in the car on the way home. Despite common advice never to relight a cigar that has been out for over an hour, I did. It was still just as unpleasant…

Now you may be able to gather that I don’t get as much chance to smoke cigars as I used to, solely from the frequency of my posting on here. So it really annoys me when my opportunities are wasted with crap like this. It will be at least a year before I try one of these again!

H. Upmann Magnum 48 Limited Edition 2009 is a post from: FistLoad Blog

Here’s what I’ve smoked since I last posted.

25 October 2011: Ramon Allones Specially Selected (TEB ENE 08; in humidor since 16 March 2009) and a Bolivar Royal Corona (TEB MAY 08; in humidor since 29 May 2009)

18 December 2011: Bolivar Royal Corona (TEB MAY 08; in humidor since 29 May 2009)

29 Dec 2011: Romeo y Julieta Cazadores (JUL 06; in humidor since 27 February 2010)

I enjoyed them all!

Overdue update! is a post from: FistLoad Blog

Cuaba Divino smoked 18 September 2011. Box code unknown as it was bought as a single; in humidor since 28 November 2009. I’ve not had much luck with these in the past, always finding them to be a bit rough and not to my taste. The figurado construction has been mentioned as occasionally causing draw problems but there was no issue here. The wrapper on one side needed a little touch-up; I had let it burn for quite some time in the hope it would correct itself but no such luck. Didn’t really enjoy this so ended up tossing it early as it didn’t improve. I don’t think it was too young seeing how long I’d had it for. I should try some other Cuabas though as these are the only ones I’ve tried.

Por Larranaga Petit Corona | Cuaba Divino is a post from: FistLoad Blog

Smoked this on a rather surreal last-minute late night trip to Wantage. Pretty enjoyable smoke but nothing outstanding, perhaps due to the KFC I ate beforehand…

Juan Lopez Seleccion No. 2 is a post from: FistLoad Blog

Arranged in conjunction with Cardiff’s Bear Shop tobacconist (in Wyndham Arcade in the city centre) and Reserve Brands (a division of the booze giant Diageo), this ticket-only event gave you the option to purchase a cigar at a slightly discounted price. Given this was something that I was pleased to have happening in Cardiff, I thought I’d go all out and try one of the rather expensive (for me at least) Cohiba BHK 52.

I was concerned that they may still be a little young as they were only released in 2010 but this didn’t seem too much of a problem with the one I sampled. It was a little drier than I usually like to keep mine but I’ve still not got round to experimenting properly with the effects of humidity on taste so don’t take that as a criticism!

Only ever having smoked the Secretos from the Cohiba range before, it’s difficult to compare as the maduro wrapper on the Secreto contributes so heavily to the taste. It was certainly an enjoyable cigar with a reasonable amount of complexity, but I’m not convinced it was worth the money, even if you bought it in Duty-Free! I’d suspected given the amount of hype surrounding the launch of these, that the price was somewhat inflated purely for marketing reasons i.e. to create an artificial sense of scarcity. At least I can comment on the actual cigar now! I will point out this mega-price seems to be global, not just for the UK…

Hunters & Frankau, the UK Cuban cigar distributors, periodically bring over a professional cigar roller from Cuba as I’ve mentioned about before in my Cuban cigar roller post. This time was the turn of Senora Berta Corzo Thorpe who sat there expertly rolling robustos all night.

Being more a fan of the corona gorda vitola, I asked if there was any chance she would roll me something nearer that size. My luck was in! I was told the tobacco was at least three years old and was of medium strength.

Going on my last experience of smoking a custom-rolled cigar, I decided to smoke this one straight away. This was a superb idea. One of the tastiest cigars I’ve ever smoked. Much milder than I was expecting but not at all to its detriment. A subtle sweetness and SO smooth. If you ever get the chance to get your hands on a cigar that has just been rolled, I’d wholeheartedly recommend smoking it straight away! It was about this point in the evening that a member of staff turned up with some FREE spare ribs and chips. Fortunately for the three of us attending from UK Cigar Forums (myself, Simon of Cigar Monologues and Steve of SteveGriff.com), these were plonked down right in front of us.

I finished the night off with an El Rey del Mundo Choix Supreme (box code ASE MAY 09; in humidor since 1 March 2010). Perhaps a strange choice after the other two, you might think, but I didn’t want to overdo it on the nicotine and I’d had quite a bit of rum by this point (more on that in a bit!) This seemed the perfect choice for the hour…

The whole event was staged out the back as Gwdihw have an excellent covered outside area. We were very lucky with the weather! Next to Berta was a bar serving all kinds of Cuban rum based cocktails. I started with a Cuba Libre but quickly moved onto neat Ron Zacapa 23 year old once I discovered how amazing this rum truly is. Nothing like that Captain Morgan filth!

This spectacular evening also gave me chance to have a chat to a few very interesting people.

First up was Patrick who works in sales for Hunters & Frankau. It was a joy to talk shop with him as he’s been in the industry longer than I’d care to divulge, and we enjoyed discussing the intricacies of the UK and global cigar market at some length.

I managed to meet Paresh Patel (owner of the Bear Shop) for the first time and was quite surprised to discover that he was aware of the video I put up on Youtube when the previous cigar roller attended the shop. A very approachable, friendly and knowledgeable man, as evidenced by the excellent condition of the cigars available to purchase in his store. I speak from personal experience here!

I also met Jody from Bulldozer Films who are making Cardiff Born Cardiff Bred, our very own (and of course far superior!) version of The Only Way Is Essex. It’s starting online in September so remember to keep your eye out for it. Check out their Twitter or Facebook pages for further info.

Going on the spectacular turn-out at this event, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more similarly themed nights in the future. This pleases me no end!

Cuba Calling at Gwdihw, Cardiff is a post from: FistLoad Blog

Partagas Serie P No. 2 (box code TEB ABR 08; in humidor since 2 April 2009) on 20 August 2011. I’ve not had one of these for some time and it was pretty enjoyable. Lovely to the touch, perfect draw and the burn was spot on. Flavours weren’t as spectacular as I’ve had from some examples of the P2 but I wasn’t really concentrating on it.

Rafael González Petit Corona (box code SEM NOV 08; in humidor since 28 June 2010) on 21 August 2011. I’ve found these variable up until now and this was bland and harsh. The expected flavour profile was present but seemed heavily masked. I’m probably just going to try and leave these alone for another year… Let’s see if it actually happens!

Bolivar Belicoso Fino (bought as a single so age unknown; my records seem to claim I’ve had this in my humi since 23 September 2009 though I’m sure I’ve bought another since then) later on the 21 August 2011. This was disappointing, considering how much I normally love all things Bolivar. I was at a barbecue and had had a couple of burgers and a couple of cans of Stella Artois, which probably weren’t the greatest accompaniment! It started out OK but just got too heavy. I suspect I was smoking it a little too fast just so I could go indoors as it was starting to get cold. A pity.

Weekend cigar round-up is a post from: FistLoad Blog

It was the work barbecue today so I thought I’d take the opportunity to smoke a couple of cigars. I started out with a Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robusto (box code GEA OCT 08; in humi since 23 September 2009). The flavours are really starting to come through with these now but it still surprises me how strong they are still. I’d have expected them to calm down a bit by now but they are still quite a hefty smoke.

Next up was a Bolivar Corona Junior (box code TEB JUL 07; in humi since 14 March 2011). I love my Bolivars and these are no exception! I’m a big fan of the Royal Corona but they can get rather brutal with the nicotine in the final third, so it’s good to be able to get the rich taste in a smaller package. The work events tend to end up in the pub so I find it beneficial not to have my head swimming from an overpowering cigar!

One thing that always surprises me is the reaction a Cuban cigar receives in public. People either seem to think you are wildly pretentious, or are will strike up a conversation due to the fact that you don’t see them around so much now.

HdM Petit Robusto | Bolivar Corona Junior is a post from: FistLoad Blog

Saturday 6 August 2011 was an attempt to get as many forum members possible meeting in one place. That place was The Prince of Wales pub in Moseley, Birmingham. A superb venue obviously designed to cater for smokers (greatly helped by Keith the landlord being a cigar aficionado himself), with such a mixed crowd that nobody need feel out of place. Apologies for the quality of the photos…

Considering the majority of the London contingent were either on holiday or content to stay inside the M25, we did quite well on numbers!

I arrived later than hoped as I accidentally stayed out rather late the night before and was still awake at 4am. I eventually arrived about 4.30pm and there was a good crowd already. Some familiar faces and lots of new people who I only know by UKCF username. Keith, the landlord, had arranged some cigars for blind tasting so I started with one of them.

This was a Churchill-sized cigar that felt really good to the touch and had a very weak aroma pre-light. I lit up and it started to smoke OK. Nothing particularly exciting for the first half-inch but then an acrid taste popped in and didn’t go away. I got at least half way through this cigar but there seemed to be little taste progression. In all truth I just wasn’t enjoying it so I had leave it to die out in the ashtray. I did feel guilty at not finishing it but I only had a limited amount of time. The big surprise was finding out that not only was this Cuban, but it was a 1998 Romeo y Julieta Prince of Wales! I’m not the biggest fan of RyJ but this was a complete surprise to me. I suppose the feel of the cigar could have given away its age but the taste was certainly not becoming of the brand.

I moved onto a Por Larranaga Petit Corona (EMA OCT 07; in humi since 28 November 2009) next, which while giving what I consider to be its characteristic ‘Milky Bar‘ flavour was irritatingly tight so difficult to get smoke out of. I managed to finish that at least, but it certainly reminded me to give cigars a test draw before actually lighting them, so I don’t waste them. Despite a good poking with a slim screwdriver, there was no improvement.

My next was a first for me. A Partagas 8-9-8v (MUA OCT 09; in humidor since 17 March 2011). Everyone seems to love this cigar and I can see why. A test draw ensured this was actually going to smoke properly and it lit easily. Characteristic Partagas flavours that got a bit heavy towards the end. I bet these are superb with some more age on them. I’m not going to give much of a review about this one (in this post) as I feel I wouldn’t be doing it justice due to not concentrating on it. Excellent smoke though!

UKCF annual herf at The Prince of Wales, Moseley is a post from: FistLoad Blog

This was far more like the Famosos that I’ve smoked and loved previously, but it was still quite tannic. Considering this was now over three years old and they are quite a mild cigar anyway, I’m surprised at how much aging these still seem to need. Maybe mine are a one-off?

The hint of chocolate was present but very much in the background compared to some I’ve had. It was a bit of a ‘nothing’ cigar; perfectly smokable but not astoundingly good like my favourite Bolivars or Juan Lopez. Another cigar that I think I need to leave alone for some time!

Vegas Robaina Famoso is a post from: FistLoad Blog

The reason why I decided on this one today (28 July 2011) was because I was doing my occasional check of all my cigars, to see if any are showing signs of storage problems. Unfortunately, there was the slightest touch of blue-green on the cap of this, so I thought I’d whip it out of there quick-sharp and smoke it. I realise everyone must be horrified at the thought of me smoking a mouldy cigar but it really was the slightest touch!

I’ve never smoked anything approaching this old before so I really didn’t know what to expect. That said, it wasn’t Cuban so that just added into the confusion. My opinion of current Non-Cuban cigars is not particularly high, but I don’t believe I’ve smoked a Jamaican cigar either so it was a complete unknown!

It felt surprisingly dry considering it had been stored  as well as I store my others; I can only assume that this is due to the aging process, whereby the oils gradually evaporate over the years. The unlit smell was pretty minimal, just faint tobacco, and it lit easily.

The burn on this was superb, none of this re-lighting rubbish. Tightness of draw was perfect too. Whether this is down to age or construction I don’t know. The ash even held on for nearly two inches!

The taste was interesting. Quite subtle initially. It reminded me of the Rafael Gonzalez Petit Corona, starting out with a hint of ginger biscuits and moving into marzipan. Once it got that far though, it just seemed to get stronger rather than giving any more taste progression. This is typical of my experience with Non-Cuban cigars, so I highly anticipate smoking the vintage Cuban cigars from the sampler.

Enjoyable, but not amazing. Good for an NC though.

Golofina vintage cigar is a post from: FistLoad Blog