Wrapper: Maduro Especial    |   Binder: Nicaraguan   |   Filler: Nicaraguan & Honduras   |   Box of 20: $139.00; Single: $8.20   |   Robusto   |   5″ x 52

There’s actually a band below the San Lotano Oval band that says “MADURO” but that wasn’t on the AJ Fernandez website.

0/3: It’s a pretty flat looking cigar with bowed out sides (hence, the “oval”) with a smooth and oily dark wrapper. I have previously reviewed the San Lotano Oval and the San Lotano Maduro; both were good cigars.

1/3: Wonderfully dark flavor profile in the beginning. Earth, dark sweetness and general goodness.

2/3: Dirt, in a good way, plays a pretty big role during this third. Creamy texture. The dark sweetness takes a little step back.

3/3: The flavors coalesce into a good mixture of the flavors I’ve already mentioned. It’s still interesting.

4/3: Medium bodied with a good draw and burn; this cigar doesn’t really have any drawbacks but it’s not overly impressive either. All of the flavors were good but they didn’t pop either. It’s pleasant, which is a plus but it isn’t enough.

3.5 points – Solid cigar that most everyone will like but won’t love

Related posts:

1. San Lotano Oval Cigar Review
2. San Lotano Maduro Cigar Review
3. Don Pepin Garcia Series JJ Maduro Short Cigar Review

According to SAG Imports, the company that distributes Casa Magna (and other) cigars, the same two sizes that were available in the original are available in the sequel. There’s the Optimus, which I am smoking, that is 5 ¾” x 52 and there’s also the Primus at 6 ½” x 55. These are Roman names and since I talked about this with my review of the original Domus Magnus, I won’t repeat myself here.

It’s a good looking, slightly box pressed Nicaraguan puro. According to Halfwheel, the main difference between this version and the previous Domus Magnus is that the wrapper is a different vintage this time around. Oh, and there’s that pigtail, which I twisted off and (surprisingly to me) it leaves a perfect hole in the cap and it actually is supplying me a pretty good draw. I will try it with this small little hole and if the draw starts to get tight I can always cut the head properly. I’ll tell you how it goes.

Cigar Stats
Vitola: toro
Length: 5 ¾”
Ring Gauge: 52
Wrapper: Sun Grown Jalapa 2007 (Nicaragua)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $80.00/Box of 10 | $9.40/Single

Marble Hornets Torch!

Even though I was able to get a decent draw from the hole I got by twisting off the pig tail I quickly decided to cut the head to produce more air flow. I suppose it was worth the try to make it work but… oh well.

The flavors are amazing from the very first puff. Strong flavors circling around the sweet spice spectrum. Backing up these is wheat and some floral notes as well. Very dry flavor profile, which works wonderfully for these flavors.

Granular flavor bits are all about and they all taste good. It’s a very interesting cigar and even though the flavor profile is a bit on the dry side, which I don’t normally favor, it works for these flavors. Sweet spice, oak with a tinge of char and there’s a faint chocolate flavor hovering about.

There really isn’t that much of a difference between the final and the second third (and not that much of a difference between the final two thirds and the first third) but that is okay because the flavors are enjoyable.

Medium-full bodied with a good draw and burn; this cigar has much to recommend it. The flavor profile is very creamy and the flavors are pretty smooth; even in the final third. While there is some complexity in the overall flavor profile what I am liking about this cigar the most is the clarity of the flavors and how they mix well with each other. It’s an excellent cigar.

94 points

Related posts:

1. Casa Magna Domus Magnus Limitada Short Cigar Review
2. Casa Magna Colorado Short Cigar Review
3. Casa Magna Colorado Cigar Review

Over the last month or so I have watched the whole White Collar series, which is mainly about this FBI agent and conman extraordinaire who bust white collar criminals. If you don’t think about it too much it’s a fun show to watch. But there’s something interesting about cons in general, especially cons of the counterfeiting variety. If you want to counterfeit something done by a person (i.e. a painting) or something else natural then it’s best not to be perfect.

Perfection is a clear sign that there is something unnatural about an object. Straight lines? Unnatural. Perfectly proportioned body? Unnatural. Uniformly colored wrapper (especially one that is very dark)? Probably unnatural.

With, say, a painting, you would have to be perfect in mimicking the imperfections of the original. With a natural product it’s better to not try mimickery.

Basically, all the preceding was a setup to say that this wrapper is definitely natural (no dyes and the such); and, truthfully, I never really questioned this wrapper’s authenticity. It was just one of those times that something popped into my head – counterfeiting in this instance – and I needed to indulge myself a bit. Thanks for sticking with me.

Not only is there some variation in the color of the wrapper, from blackish areas to chocolaty browns but there are also some bumps, a small tear near the foot (maybe my fault) and there is a network of small to medium sized veins crisscrossing the surface of the cigar like all those aqueducts on Mars. There’s a certain amount of oiliness on the wrapper (not a lot but it’s there) and the cigar smells nice.

One last thing: I have liked all the La Palina cigars I have smoked in the past; click the link to check them out

Cigar Stats
Vitola: toro
Length: 6”
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: Mexican Maduro
Binder: Honduran (x2)
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $171.00/Box of 20 | $47.50/5 Pack

Detecting Antifragility Flame!

Slow burning cigar with a core group of rich flavors including earth, dark sweetness and oats. The juxtaposition of the earth and the dark sweetness is very nice. There is some complexity early on.

Dark sweetness is still hanging around during the second third with some earth popping up every once in a while. The other major flavor is oats and there is a toasted quality that is permeating the whole flavor profile now.

Charred meat comes on during the final third and that earthiness comes back. It’s a good mixture but not as good as the first third was.

Medium bodied with a good draw and a decent burn; this cigar starts off with a mixture of intense flavors and evolves into a toasty stew of flavors that are mostly enjoyable. The major drawback of this cigar, something I touched on earlier in this review, is that it burns slowly; too slowly at times. If you don’t keep at it then this cigar is liable to burn out.

I smoked two cigars for this review and the one that I kept on top of burned well. My suggestion would be to smoke this cigar when you have the ability to dedicate some time to it because it is worth the effort.

90 points

Related posts:

1. La Palina El Diario Cigar Review
2. La Palina El Diario Cigar Review
3. La Traviata Maduro Cigar Review

If you play with fire…you’re bound to get burned.

Description

Operation Smokescreen – an independent film. Starring the biggest names in the cigar business: Jonathan Drew, Nick Perdomo, Rocky Patel, Matt Booth, Christian Eiroa, Charlie Toraño, Ernesto Padilla & Kurt van Keppel.

Plot Outline

A never-before seen bug has taken root in the Cibao Valley of the Dominican Republic…at the same time a shadowy figure has emerged with a potent biological weapon that has the power to decimate the fields in just days. It seems that the DR is just the start – the virus has crossed the water to the west, and infected the Nicaraguan mainland growing areas…there have been scattered reports, now by Honduran farmers, of a group of outsiders coming and going by small airplane to and from a hard-to-reach region at the edge of the valley.

There have been no official communications from Cuba. Rumors have surfaced that the Castro regime paid off these eco-terrorists to leave their state industry alone, while others tell of Raul & Fidel sponsoring them as a leverage point to hasten the repeal of the US embargo.

Stories and theories aside, the Mosaic supervirus is now out – and the race is on for a handful of powerful tobacco growers to keep their farms alive. They realize that as long as their fields stay viable, they are in business – and their business is healthier when their competitors’ is not. Some have agreed to work together; others, however, have decided at the same time that it’s in their best interest to cut a deal to win. One has even resorted to killing to keep his secret, along with access to the virus. What none of them had counted on, is that along with creating the virus – an agent at that lab had also created a treatment…that will go to the highest bidder. The growers now know this, and make a push to secure it before they’re ruined as well.

Only one person has the power to stop it – the Middleman. And he has his own plans to let the growers sort it out among themselves, and for him to control the world’s tobacco growing economy after the dust has settled.

Source: Operation Smokescreen Facebook Page

Kind of sounds crazy. But is it the kind of crazy that is fun to watch or the other kind where it’s just insane? I have no clue. But the prize packages – headlined by Liga Privada, Perdomo 20th Anniversary, Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary, Room 101 Namakubi, CLE, Padilla 8 & 11, Torano Loyal and Xikar – are reason enough to look into it.

(Cue movie poster)

Related posts:

1. Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary Short Cigar Review
2. Rocky Patel The Edge Corojo Short Cigar Review
3. 24: Redemption and The Unit all in one Night

0/3: Got this from one of my cigar smoking buddies; thanks buddy!

This cigar is extremely long, is rather rustic looking with all those veins and bumps but it does have a pigtail cap and the wrapper covers the head. And there’s a little bit of oil on the wrapper.

1/3: Pretty strong flavors from the beginning: pepper and a general hot spice, some chocolate in the background. There’s also oak and wheat. Lots going on.

2/3: Oak and nuts are the big flavors during this third. Spice is gone and so is the chocolate (wheat is sort of still around).

3/3: Still tastes good with oak and nuts being the major flavors at the end. There’s a bit of spice coming back.

4/3: Medium bodied with a good draw and burn; this cigar is consistently good from the beginning to the end.

4 out of 5 – Definitely worth a try

PS: I have reviewed this line of cigars four times in the past: short robusto, corona and robusto (double review!) and the torpedo. All scored very well.

Related posts:

1. Casa Magna Colorado Cigar Review
2. Casa Magna Colorado Cigar Review
3. Casa Magna Colorado Cigar Review

Just by looking at it you can tell that at least half of the name is true as this is a fairly large cigar. At a little over six inches with a variable ring gauge from 42 to 52, this torpedo has a slight box press to it and a lot of oils on the dark brown wrapper. Oh, and the foot is closed (the wrapper overhangs the end and covers up the opening in the foot that is normally there). It’s an interesting cigar to look at due to these aforementioned attributes but the band, something I detest talking about, is unique.

With demented, Alice in Wonderland-esque artistic renderings of Abe Dababneh (retailer), Matt Booth (cigar maker) and Matt’s beloved dog the band is very different from all the other cigar bands that I can think of. Add to that the font used for “Big Delicious”, which reminds me of some of the fonts that Quentin Tarantino has used, and I have a cigar band that I won’t soon forget. It’s not elegant like an Opus X band but it is definitely eye catching.

The Big Delicious is part of a line of Smoke Inn exlusive that includes: Tatuaje Apocalypse, Tatuaje Anarchy, Arturo Fuente Solaris, Padron 1964 Anniversary SI-15 Maduro, Padron 1964 Anniversary SI-15 Natural and the My Father El Hijo. All of these releases have been enjoyable smokes and if there are still any around you should give them a shot.

Now it’s time for the cigar.

Cigar Stats
Vitola: torpedo
Length: 6 ¼”
Ring Gauge: 42-52
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano 2000
Binder: Honduran Corojo Seco
Filler: Brazil, Dominican Republic Piloto Ligero, Honduran Corojo & Nicaragua
Price: $134.25/Box of 15 | $44.75/5 Pack

Big Delicious Special Site Flame!

Supposedly, the blend for the Big Delicious is based off of another blend from the Room 101 stable. What blend? Is this even an important bit of information? That last question teeters over to the “bullshit” spectrum of question asking as, even though it is a legitimate question to ask, it’s too philosophical. The former question, “What blend?” has more import to it as it makes us (at least me) think about the cigar’s flavor profile a bit more.

As luck would have it (or maybe not), I smoked one of the new Namakubi Ecuadors earlier today (I absolutely love that cigar) and the first few puffs of the Big Delicious remind me of it. I reviewed the original Namakubi earlier this year and thought it was a good cigar and my first couple impressions of the Namakubi Ecuador have me thinking that the Ecuador is a better version. So to with the Big Delicious.

Soft spice, floral notes, some oak and some other flavors in the light flavor spectrum. Clean, crisp flavors throughout this first third.

During the second third the spice/floral nexus becomes more acute and enjoyable. There are also wheat and nut flavors during the middle third as well. It’s an interesting flavor profile that has so far kept me interested.

It ends with a lot of wheat and nuts with some spice mixed in but, alas, it gets overwhelmed by the other flavors. This doesn’t mean the end wasn’t enjoyable, it just means that it wasn’t as good as the second or first thirds (in that order).

Medium bodied with an excellent draw and burn; this cigar started out well, got better and then it sort of lagged at the end. Is this cigar worth smoking? Yes, it is, but it isn’t as good as the other Smoke Inn exclusives that have come out over the last year-and-a-half. It is on preorder right now and they will ship at the end of April and, if you purchase a box, the whole order will ship for free.

Perhaps, my negativity stems from the fact that this is a larger cigar. The maximum 52 ring gauge isn’t that big in today’s cigar world but there was something about it that made it perform like a bigger cigar. And I usually don’t like bigger cigars as my enjoyment tends to flag after a while. Too much of a good thing and all that.

89 points

PS: I stated earlier in this review that the beginning of this cigar reminded me of the Namakubi Ecuador but, after finishing it, I don’t think I was right. At least completely. Parts of this cigar’s flavor profile reminded me of the Daruma but, then again….

Related posts:

1. Room 101 Daruma Cigar Review
2. Room 101 Namakubi Cigar Review
3. Man O’ War Side Project 52-C Cigar Review

The blackish-brown wrapper is almost completely devoid of any inconsistencies except for a smallish vein that runs the length of the cigar. It looks well made due to its uniformity of shape and the lack of any hard or soft spots.

“Who’s it made by?” you may be asking. Well, it’s made by the wunderkind A.J. Fernandez, that’s who. If you buy cigars online with any frequency then you are probably familiar with his other works (Man O’ War and Diesel he makes for others and San Lotano is his own, which you can find at many brick and mortar shops). Enjoyable cigars all.

I remember getting some of these AF1s about a couple of years ago and immensely enjoying them so I am hopeful for this go around. The vitola I’m using for this review is the ubiquitous robusto.

Cigar Stats
Vitola: robusto
Length: 5”
Ring Gauge: 50
Wrapper: San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $120.00/Box of 20 | $6.00/Single

Rorschach Mask Videos Flame!

It starts out strong with notes of cutting spice, chocolate and earth. Even though it’s still early in this cigar’s flavor evolution, the flavors I’m experiencing right now are pretty complex. And although there is a lot going on with the flavors and the strength in flavors (but not necessarily body) I can easily say that the flavor profile maintains an elegance to it; it’s reserved but not boring.

Chocolate, earth and a pervasive, yet restrained, sweetness are the main components of the flavor profile during the second third. Spice doesn’t play much of a part during this third except for during the actual process of retrohaling the smoke through my nose, where spice is evident for a brief moment. Normally, I would like more spice with chocolate and earth but the flavor profile is working well for me here.

Dry earth with spice is a good description of the final third’s flavor profile. Chocolate is still lurking around in the background and the overall strength of this cigar has increased to a point where it is now safely in the full bodied spectrum.

Full bodied with a great draw and burn; the Emilio AF1 has flavors that never flag and they are pretty tasty too. The main change in the flavor profile can be experienced during the transition into the final third with the darker chocolate and earth nexus giving way to a bolder dry earth and spice mixture. It’s an impressive cigar and I hope it sticks around for a long time in its current configuration.

94 points

PS: Right before hitting the publish button on this post it occurred to me that this cigar’s flavor arc is reminiscent of a lot of Western movie heroes. Take, for example, Shane. Shane, like this cigar, is a good guy trying to do right be his adopted family and town. Things go smoothly for a while but then, when the situation requires it, he goes off and saves the day.

While this cigar won’t save any days it does solidly go on in a pleasant fashion for the first two thirds or so. And then – BAM! – you are hit by an abrupt change that is impressive. If this cigar’s total flavor contribution had remained relatively constant throughout that would have been great. The fact that it had that extra element at the end is a bonus.

Related posts:

1. Casa Magna Domus Magnus Limitada Short Cigar Review
2. 601 La Bomba Cigar Review
3. La Traviata Maduro Cigar Review

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sun Grown Rosado   |   Binder: Dominican   |   Filler: Dominican   |   Box of 18: $118.23; Six Pack: $39.41  |   Torpedo   |   6″ x 55

0/3: I have had this cigar sitting in my humidor for about a year. Oily and slightly rough to the touch, the wrapper is marred by a couple of minor veins. These cigars come wrapped in a cedar sleeve with a black cloth band at the foot. It’s a beautiful cigar to look at and I’m hoping that the flavors are as good as the looks.

1/3: Spice, light cedar, nuts and some other nice flavors. The burn gets a little ragged but is quickly corrected. Medium bodied.

2/3: Sweetness starts coming through during this third. Cedar and nuts are still major factors.

3/3: Chocolate comes along during the final third. The flavors seem a bit washed out but, underneath that, there’s a decent amount of flavor variety.

4/3: Medium bodied with a good draw and a decent burn; this cigar wasn’t as good as I had hoped. It had breadth of flavor but those flavors were average. Decent cigar.

3 out of 5 points – Good cigar

Related posts:

1. Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Sun Grown Cigar Review
2. Arturo Fuente Chateau Series Short Cigar Review
3. Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Natural Cigar Review

In the past I have reviewed a couple of cigars from the Viaje Skull and Bones line including:

• Viaje Skull and Bones “?” 2011
• Viaje Skull and Bones Red WMD 2012

The cigar is box pressed and short but fairly thick. It has an aggressive, sweet tobacco aroma about it and the wrapper is fairly oily. As far as I can tell there aren’t any but the slightest cosmetic imperfections and it looks like it is well made to me. I’ve smoked a couple of these in the past and I can’t recall having a problem with any of them.

Cigar Stats
Vitola: robusto
Length: 4 ½”
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: San Andres Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $254.00/Box of 25 | $10.25/Single

Limerence Torch!

Very complex from the beginning with notes of hot peppers, chocolate, earth and, generally, a smoky presence to it. There is a little bit of a kick present here and I would nominally put it in the full bodied spectrum; but that’s not this cigar’s point. Its major point is its complexity (at least during the earlier stages).

The second third of this cigar takes on more of the savory and sweet notes. Earth, chocolate and some charred meat flavors have come on during this third. Very dark flavors that keep me interested.

The flavors do begin to flag a bit during the final third but I think part of that can be attributed to the fact that the flavors were pretty consistent during the final two thirds and, perhaps, my palate just got a bit too familiar with them. That’s fine if the flavors are good and they are good here.

Medium-full bodied with a good draw and burn; this cigar features a very dark flavor profile. During the beginning the flavors were bolder and during the final two thirds the flavors were richer. Personally, I did enjoy the beginning more because of the presence of that hot pepper flavor. It added a bit of variety and spiciness almost always improves chocolate and earth flavors for me.

This is a very tasty cigar with a decent amount of complexity, especially in the beginning. There are enough different flavors present throughout to keep you interested and this kind of cigar should appeal to a wide swatch of the cigar smoking public. The price tag, on the other hand, probably won’t.

91 points

Related posts:

1. Viaje Skull and Bones Red WMD 2012 Cigar Review
2. Viaje Skull and Bones “?” 2011 Short Cigar Review
3. Viaje Oro Collector’s Edition 2012 Fuerza Cigar Review

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano   |   Binder: Nicaraguan   |   Filler: Nicaraguan   |   Box of 20: $189.00; Single: $10.50  |   Toro   |   6 ½″ x 52

0/3: This cigar has received a number of accolades from a variety of different media outlets. Supposedly, it’s one of the better offerings from Rocky Patel. Let’s see.

The Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary is box pressed with the flat top and bottom being about 1.5 times as wide as the flat sides. The edges are a bit rounded, the wrapper has a bit of oil on it, the wrapper is a fairly dark brown and there is this network of superficial veins crisscrossing the wrapper.

1/3: It starts out very understated with flavors in the wood, mild cotton candy sweetness and some nutty flavors as well. Loose draw.

2/3: Sweetness is gone. Nuts and dry wood are the main flavors. The draw is better. Medium bodied.

3/3: Floral sweetness comes on during the final third. Wood and nuts are still present. Pleasant.

4/3: Medium bodied with a decent draw and a good burn; this cigar is good. None of the flavors were very strong but they were all good.

3 out of 5 points – If you are looking for a pleasant cigar with flavors that won’t overpower you then this is the cigar for you

Related posts:

1. Rocky Patel The Edge Corojo Short Cigar Review
2. Rocky Patel Decade Short Cigar Review
3. Rocky Patel The Edge Maduro | Short Cigar Review