Throughout the contest we received some awesome entries. Some looked really cool and one or two others had me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. In the end we had a total of nineteen entries. Brian, Jerry, and I hope that you had as much fun entering your pictures as we did viewing them.

As promised, we stopped taking entries last night and I randomly selected a winner just this monring. Our randomly selected winner was Bob T. His photo entry can be seen below. To view all entries for this contest, head to the bottom of the post and check out the Flickr Slideshow.

I’d Like to thank everyone that entered our little contest, as well as everyone who checked back routinely to view each new entry. It was a lot of fun and we hope to be be able to run a contest like this again in the future.

Room 101 Cigars Contest: We Have A Winner is a post from: The Stogie Review

Believe it or not, here it is, time for another Stogie Review Tweet-View, and I’m sick once again. Unlike last month when I was laid up in bed, this time I seem to have come down with allergies, or the like, and found myself completely congested. Not wanting to bail out of a second Twitter Review in such a close time-frame, I gritted it out and smoked along with the guys.

Due to my congestion, I was unable to taste any flavor in my cigar and simply reported on the burning characteristics and construction of our selected cigar. I relied on Bud, Mike and Tony to carry this review, in the flavor department, and they did a great job as expected.

The cigar of the afternoon was the Oliva Serie O Maduro Robusto. Participants included myself (waltw), Bud (BudPA), Mike (KnightRid), and Tony (tonycasas). I’d like to thank you guys for joining me once again for another review and hope to see you again in another two weeks. Only next time, I hope to be able to taste the cigar we review.

Pre Light

waltw: My cigar has alot of color variation, especially at veins. All veins are light in color while everything else much darker #SRTV

KnightRid: Mine also has color variations throughout. Has a slight barnyard odor on the wrapper and slightly chocolatey at the foot #SRTV

tonycasas: Mine is actually pretty consistent in color with only slight variations close to the overlapping of the wrapper. #SRTV

BudPA: @waltw mine has the same discolorations very rough looking and soft up towards the cap #SRTV

tonycasas: My cigar isn’t too veiny but has lots of the white dots (technical term?) from proper aging. Nice, pointed, triple cap. #SRTV

tonycasas: The cigar is VERY firm to the touch, no soft spots at all, just a very small patch just under the head of the band. #SRTV

KnightRid: I am going to be trying a v-cut on this one today – and I have never smoked any of these maduros before this one #SRTV

tonycasas: @KnightRid @waltw I’m on the same boat with Mike, never had the Maduro until now #SRTV

waltw: The draw on mine is about average, little resistance to it. Can’t taste anything so nothing to report on the cold-draw flavor-wise #SRTV

BudPA: using my punch draw seems fine #SRTV

First Third

BudPA: toasting went well nice even lite. Getting some cocoa flavor and a somewhat creamy finish #SRTV

KnightRid: first few puffs I am getting a bittersweet chocolate taste, but not very strong #SRTV

tonycasas: Had a heck of a time getting mine lit, the draw was really tight at first but it beginning to open up now. #SRTV

waltw: My cigar is lit and burning well from the start. Smoke volume seems about average, as is the resting smoke. #SRTV

tonycasas: Pulling mostly cocoa ranged flavors with a small dash of pepper almost too soft to pick up. Great soft tobacco aftertaste #SRTV

KnightRid: getting that creamy sensation in my mouth, like it is coating everything – very nice #SRTV

BudPA: getting just the hint of spice in the finish very nice #SRTV

waltw: My burn line is a little wavy and thick in spots. Nothing too problematic but then again nothing to write home about either. #SRTV

BudPA: not getting a lot of distinctive flavors so far everything is kind of subtle #SRTV

tonycasas: The spice is still present, if not more so distinct. I agree with @BudPA, not a lot of distinct flavors. Mostly cocoa, tobacco #SRTV

KnightRid: nice creamy cocoa taste with a bit of spice through the retrohale – a pretty mild tasting cigar so far – I am a bit surprised #SRTV

Second Third

BudPA: soft spot near the cap is getting larger almost feels like a void #SRTV

KnightRid: getting a longer finish on mine also now, to me it tastes like the semi-sweet morsels #SRTV

tonycasas: Still no ashing, first third was very smooth, no feeling of nicotine. Cocoa, with spice that came and went, and very spicy right now. #SRTV

waltw: Cigar is providing plenty of dense smoke. Feel creamy across the palate but my congestion is leaving it completely tasteless. #SRTV

BudPA: spice starting to pick up in the second third #SRTV

waltw: I’m getting a bit of spiciness/aggressiveness in the back of my throat. My cigar is about half-way finished at this point. #SRTV

BudPA: I’m really enjoying this smoke even though the flavors are very subtle #SRTV

tonycasas: @waltw Im getting the same thing its been a constant battle of coating/scratching of the throat with this cigar. maybe if I wasnt sick #SRTV

BudPA: @waltw not getting anything it my throat all spice is on the front half of my tongue #SRTV

KnightRid: @waltw @tonycasas I have none of the aggressiveness you guys are getting, mine is still spicey wiht the cocolatey forefront #SRTV

Final Third

KnightRid: cigar is like eating those Nestle tollhouse semi-sweet morsels while mom baked chocolate chip cookies! #SRTV

BudPA: burn line getting way off. Opposite from the soft spot which is getting rather large #SRTV

KnightRid: body has picked up a bit – definite medium now for me #SRTV

KnightRid: I have to say THANX to @waltw for picking this cigar! I probably would not have tried the maduro on my own! #SRTV

BudPA: touched up and the burn is still pulling up the firmer side of the stick #SRTV

waltw: Time has come to pop the band off on my cigar. Removing it was effortless, love that quality in a cigar. #SRTV

waltw: Where the bank was, there is a big soft spot. Without much effort I can easily get about a 1/4″ of deflection when pinching. #SRTV

KnightRid: woody taste has picked up quite a bit in this final third and chocolate has gone more towards the back #SRTV

tonycasas: The cigar has really gained some body closer to the nub. Still very smooth and creamy. Spice is non-existent #SRTV

waltw: The soft spot in my cigar doesnt seemed to have caused any issues. Im burning into that section now and burn remains even. #SRTV

Final Thoughts

waltw: Since I can’t taste this cigar, overall I think it was solid in terms of burn rate, evenness, smoke volume, and smoke temperature. #SRTV

KnightRid: @waltw oh yes, everything you said! just a plain GREAT cigar in those areas! #SRTV

KnightRid: to sum the cigar up in one word, I would say – satisfying ! #SRTV

tonycasas: Throwing in the towel. Final thoughts. Great construction and perfect burn. Very smooth smoke perfect for anyday. Medium Bodied.. #SRTV

tonycasas: Flavor profile consisted of dominant chocolate and wood, with hints of spice. All in all VERY enjoyable #SRTV

KnightRid: gonna give mine up at about the 1/2 inch mark – SUPERB smoke! cocoa was the dominant flavor up front with a creamy texture and spice #SRTV

KnightRid: in the back. Cigar progressed to a more woody note towards the end. PERFECT burn, just PERFECT! #SRTV

KnightRid: I will easily be buying some more of these, they are just too good for the price (around $6) not to! #SRTV

BudPA: @KnightRid I agree even with the minor burn issue it was still a great smoke really enjoyed it #SRTV

KnightRid: body started milder and progressed to medium at about halfway, but never became overpowering or flavorless #SRTV

Oliva Serie O Maduro (Twitter Review) is a post from: The Stogie Review

In addition to the response above, I’ve been seeing a lot of “I can’t believe you answer your own emails”. As if Stogie Review has a secretary to handle incoming emails and other tasks. The truth of the matter is that none of the members of Stogie Review have a personal secretary, although it would be kind of cool at times. (Brian wasn’t aware of this, and has never responded to any emails. We apologize for that and have informed him. In fact, it was only recently that we got him to stop dictating his reviews into my Skype voicemail inbox. Baby steps.)

We do our best to answer any email correspondence that comes in, but there are times when things get missed. For one reason or another, we may find ourselves unable to respond in a timely manner, while other times you may get a response practically instantly.

In the event that you have a question for us, or a suggestion for the site, please feel free to use our Contact Form to get in touch. For a less private, and usually faster, response, feel free to hit us up on Twitter. And remember, we love complements. Especially when they are delivered with a backhand (Brian’s words not mine, send him all of the backhanded compliments).

Twitter Handles:

• @jcruz
• @waltw
• @brianhewitt

And you can always submit your general cigar questions to the Stogie Review Fan Forum, where we have literally tens of people who are always happy to discuss anything cigar related. Sometimes in verse. Just watch out for a guy named Ben.

You Answer Your Own Emails? is a post from: The Stogie Review

Back in June, I received a few samples of a new cigar called the ORTSAC 1962 (Castro spelled backwards). The cigars were sent my way by Victor Vitale of the Cigar Agency and he asked that I smoke them and give him my opinion. After smoking a few samples, I moved right along and reviewed them here on Stogie Review.

Those initial samples were good solid cigars, but they were entirely too consistent for my taste. In that review I made mention than I might just find the cigar more appealing if it were available in a smaller vitola, a corona perhaps.

A few weeks ago I got a couple of more samples in the mail from Victor for another go-around. This time I had a new size, a Robusto, to try. While the cigar may be smaller, I still found it too consistent for my taste. Just as before, the cigars smoked beautifully and were excellent in terms of burning characteristics and construction.

With the level of consistency in these cigars, I still hold the same opinion that this might be more up my alley if they were available in a corona, or even a lanecro, variety. The fifty-ish ring gauge makes for a long smoking cigar that doesn’t veer enough from the flavor path to keep my attention. If you prefer a cigar with little change from start to finish, you might find this one to be a winner.

ORTSAC 1962 Robusto (Short Ashes) is a post from: The Stogie Review

Here we are, closing in on Thanksgiving and even more scary, 35 days till Christmas. Along side my Christmas shopping list is my list of Top 10 Cigars for 2009. I got an early start this year. I can’t remember any previous year where I recall smoking so many great cigars. The problem is, at this point, my Top 10 list is more around 20. Sure I could take the easy way out of this problem and just make it a Top 20 list but the best thing about any Top 10 list is the debate that ensues. The cigar community still discusses whether the Casa Magna was a deserving choice?

So Don “Cruz”ado wants to know:

How much does price, availability and exclusivity play a part? Does a cigar get more points for being affordable? Does a cigar get dinged if its only available at certain retailers (MX3 at Drapers or Man O’War Ruination at CI) and not a national release? Does being a limited edition cigar, like the Davidoff Colorado Claro or the Padron 40 Years or even The Drac and Boris help or hurt?

Ask The Readers: Constructing Your Top 10 List is a post from: The Stogie Review

When talking about the Murcielago with other cigar enthusiasts, sooner or later the name becomes a topic of discussion. By now, most people know it means bat. So what’s with the batty name? Well the most obvious explanation is that bats are symbolic of all things dark. They come out at night to feed and they are pretty dark colored little animals. Similarly, the Murcielago has a dark maduro wrapper (or “capa negra” as noted on the band) and is probably a little too potent a stick to be smoked first thing in the morning. So a dark cigar to be enjoyed while out and about looking for dinner. Seems reasonable.

But I suspect the real reason the cigar is called Murcielago is because Espinosa and Ortega couldn’t call it “Batman” without the risking pesky legal action. Take another look at the band. Now imagine that the blood-red background was yellow instead. And what if it happened to be projected into the night sky, or appeared on the outfit of a caped crusader? You get the picture. I think the United Tobacco boys are trying to answer the question for us, what would Batman smoke? (WWBS indeed. Feel free to comment on this below.) Sure they could have called the cigar El Hombre de Murcielago, but that’s a mouthful. And kind of stupid too. And possibly trademarked.

Of course, this is all speculation, and at some point I’ll ask someone who actually knows. In the meantime, it’s time to light up the Bat and see if it’s a smoke worthy of a caped superhero or if it’s just a creepy flying rodent.

Cigar Stats:
Size: 5 1/2 x 52
Wrapper: Mexican San Andreas Maduro
Binder: Mexico
Filler: Nicaragua
Smoking Time: 1 1/2 hours
Beverage: Water
Price: MSRP $9.61

The Pre-Smoke
The Murcielago Belicoso is a striking looking cigar, a flattened, but smooth, box-pressed stick with that blood-red band and a maduro wrapper that’s nearly as black as the stylized bat on the band. Looking over the cigars I smoked for this review, I only found one noticeable imperfection, a small, superficial hole on one stick just below the band. The cigars were consistently firm and the veins were consistently fine.

The wrapper scent reminded me quite a bit of the fatty, oily smell given off by some types of corn chips with a little compost mixed in for good measure. The cold taste offered up a cool, slightly chalky cocoa.

The Burn
Generally speaking, the Murcielago Belicoso is about is as nice looking while it slowly becomes a pile of white ash as it was before lighting. It burns evenly, and produces a sturdy, solid, bright white ash. Unfortunately it’s not all rave reviews in the burn department. The draw seemed to tighten a bit in several of the cigars as they progressed, and one stick actually tarred up a little. The volume of smoke, in part due to the tightening draw, was a little too thin at times as well. I found that re-clipping helped with these issues, and I had a better experience overall when I started off with a deeper cut.

The Flavor
The smoke began with a few puffs of nuts, chocolate, a touch of leather and spice, but quickly transitioned into a creamy cocoa and cedar combination. Along the way to the second third the creamy element grew sweeter and almost like marshmallow in character. The cedar component faded and was replaced with a more prominent cocoa.

The second third kicked things off with full, but complex medley of slightly chalky cocoa, cedar and coffee. Much like the preceding third, the flavors again became creamy before long, and then once again trended towards darker chocolates and even espresso.

The final third continued for a while with the darker chocolate, and cedar became a prominent part of the flavor profile. Again the creamy marshmallow returned, and coffee and pepper made an appearances as well.

The Price
The Murcielago is a little more expensive than most of the cigars I’ve been reviewing recently, but I have been generally impressed with it’s construction and the quality of the tobacco. I’d love it if it were a few bucks cheaper, but I don’t think the price is unreasonable either.

The Verdict
I’ve actually been smoking the Murcielago since they hit the shelves at my local cigar shop around a month ago. So by the time I sat down to light up a few more for the review, my mind was pretty well made up that I like the Murcielago. But I have been curious to see how well it would hold up to the close scrutiny of proper review. I was not surprised to find that I still very much enjoyed the rich flavors of the cigar, but I was shocked that I had any burn trouble at all, especially tar. Previous experiences were free of issues aside from the occasional uneven burn.

In spite of the burn issues, my opinion of the Murcielago remains unchanged. I love this cigar, and I look forward to smoking more of them in the future. In fact, it’s one of my favorite new releases of the year. But for some reason, it hasn’t gotten very much press since its release. But I’m actually happy about that. It’s selling quickly enough as it is. (I had planned to review the robusto I normally smoke, but they were sold out when I went to buy my review cigars.)

Getting back to my crackpot Batman theory discussed earlier, I’ve been thinking. Bruce Wayne would most likely be a Zino smoker, but when he dons the bat suit, I would not at all be surprised if he pulls Murcielagos out of the humidor in the Batmobile. I would.

Liked It: Love it
Buy It Again: Yes, again and again
Recommend It: Yes

Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.

Murcielago Belicoso is a post from: The Stogie Review

Cigar: El Museo by La Flor Dominicana
Website: www.laflordominicana.com
Vitola: 6 3/4 x 52 Churchill
Filler: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Wrapper: Dominican
Price: $30.00

Pre-light Appearance and such:

First of all, I would like to dedicate this review to Jerry Cruz and congratulate him on the birth of his daughter today. Congrats! Also, I need to let you know that I received this cigar as a gift from one of the employees at Jack Schwartz Importer here in Chicago. Their website can be found at www.jackschwartz.com.

This cigar, the El Museo is a joint venture between Litto Gomez and La Flor Dominicana cigars and Cuban-American artist Ruben Toledo. Mr. Toledo and La Flor Dominicana created this cigar and packaging to benefit New York City’s Latin American Museum; El Museo del Barrio.

The white box is adorned with a silhouette of a Latin Mambo dancer holding a cigar/cigarette who is accompanied by a butterfly and some plants as well. Ruben Toledo said of his design that “It’s an homage to the woman I love, an homage to the perfume of the woman and the magical web of charm they spin, much like the curl of cigar smoke itself.” The band is a nicely designed one that resembles a woman’s face made of palm trees and leaves.

The cigar was produced in a very limited quantity of only 2,000 boxes of 24 cigars and retails for $30 a stick and $600 per box. The blend of the cigar is of all Dominican tobaccos. The binder and filler are grown on the La Flor de Palma farm in the Dominican Republic, while the wrapper is Dominican leaf grown elsewhere.

The cigar has a very beautiful appearance; the wrapper is a nice toothy one that has the color of a milk chocolate. It has lots of small veins on this particular stick and one larger vein running down the back of the cigar. The cigar is packed full with no hard or soft spots anywhere. It is also finished with a beautiful Cuban style triple cap.

The aroma of the wrapper is of a rich natural tobacco with a hint of spice and coffee. The pre-light draw is absolutely perfect and gives the flavor of a subtle spice with a naturally sweet tobacco note. Judging by the pre-light inspection, this is a very well constructed cigar and should prove to be a rich, smooth and fairly complex smoke. Let’s light it up!

First Third (time: 45 minutes)

After lighting up the cigar, there is a very very good draw that produces a fair amount of smoke on the palate, and a lot of resting smoke. The burn in this third is nearly perfect with a small thin black burn line. The ash is very compact and strong, as it holds to the beginning of the second third before it dropped on my laptop. Ugh.

The flavors in the first third start off with a very subtle spice, that is accompanied by a smooth earthiness. These initial flavors are followed by a very rich natural tobacco note and a few hints of leather and a very subtle natural sweetness. When retrohaled, there is a very complex herbal flavor, that I can’t quite pick out. The aroma of the smoke is a very floral and pleasant. The body in this third is well within the medium range.

Second Third (time: 55 minutes)

As I continue into the second third of the El Museo, the draw is still perfect and produces a large amount of smoke on the palate. There is also a ton of resting smoke billowing from the ash. As for the ash itself, it is still very compact and shows the toothiness of the wrapper leaf. It dropped for the first time at the beginning of this third, but continued to be both compact and strong, only dropping again when I bumped in while setting it down.

The burn is still extremely even and presents itself with a thin black burn line. The flavors in this third have shifted quite a bit. The main flavor is a very smooth leathery/rich natural tobacco taste. The notes of herbal and floral flavors have picked up a bit and are now the secondary flavors. There is also a note of a naturally sweet tobacco followed by a toasty and floral finish that sits thickly in my mouth. As I continue in this third, all of the flavors have become more full and rich as a whole. The aroma of the smoke is a thick smoky floral smell. The body in this third has picked up quite a bit, but is still within the medium range.

Final Third: (time: 45 minutes)

Into the final third, the draw is still perfect and produces tons of smoke, as well as lots of resting smoke. The burn is still mostly even with the occasional waviness that corrects itself quickly. The ash is still an even gray tone and stayed very compact and strong until the end.

The flavors have shifted once again and are now predominantly a very rich and toasty earthiness followed closely by a rich natural tobacco flavor. There is still a note of the leather that was more dominant in the previous third. There is also a note of the herbal flavor that I still can’t pin point accurately.

The aroma of the smoke is still very pleasant and presents itself as a nice floral smell. The retrohale gives a slightly spicy herbal flavor. This is the first spiciness that has been more than a very subtle note. The body of the cigar has picked up a little and finishes in the lower range of full.

Final thoughts:

After about three hours of smoking this cigar, I would have to say that at first I wasn’t very impressed, but as I continued further into the stick, the body and flavors picked up a lot and ended as a very nice rich and fairly complex cigar. Overall, I really enjoyed this cigar. The biggest problem I have with this is the price point. At $30 per single, I think you may be better off getting any of the Limitado cigars that La Flor Dominicana produces.

I feel lucky that it was gifted to me, otherwise, I may feel much differently about this particular cigar. Finally, I would like to, once again, congratulate Jerry on the birth of his little Petit Corona. This is my celebration for you Jerry. The best of luck to you, Jerry!

Like it: Yes
Smoke it again: I would if I could find it for less or it is gifted to me a second time.
Recommend it: Definitely, if you can find them and can afford them: do it. It is well worth it at least once. If not, just be happy with the rest of LFD’s cigar lines.

El Museo by La Flor Dominicana (Guest Review) is a post from: The Stogie Review