This is a well constructed cigar sporting a sun grown habano wrapper and ligero filler.  The lancero vitola allows you to enjoy all the flavor the wrapper has to offer.  This cigar boasts an excellent blend of wood, spice and slight chocolate flavors; I also picked up a bit of pecan and other nuts, as well as hints of coffee in the final third.  The draw is somewhat tight but burn is nice and even, and the 7″ length gives you a lot of enjoyment for only $5.

Mini Review Grade: A-

Size – 6.5 x 52
Age – 6 months
Cost – $5 online
Wrapper – Sun Grown (Ecuador)
Construction – Nearly flawless appearance and construction that was marred by a small wrapper tear during smoking.  The symmetry and firmness were very good.
Burn – Slow and even with one relight in the beginning of the second half
Ash – Ash was very light grey and compact, holding tight in 3/4″ pieces.
Draw & Smoke – Draw was firm but the payoff was a large volume of tasty smoke per puff.
Flavor – The Sun Grown by Rocky Patel started off with a crisp, cedary and sweet flavor.  I detected some very light citrus notes just before a very nice blend of smooth spice and a bit of black pepper set in.  As the stick progressed into the 2nd third, the clean woody and cedar tones gave way to a deeper array of  leather and spice.  The creaminess and sweetness remained throughout the stogie.  In the final third, the flavors remained rich and leathery with sweet spice; there was plenty of flavor without the dizzying full body experience that can sometimes go alongside a bold set of tastes.
Strength – Med/Full
Rating – 9/10
Value – 8/10

Drink – Diet soda.  Nothing remarkable although the sweetener did compliment the sweetness of the cigar.  I did not start the drink until after the first third, making me reasonably convinced that the drink did not cause the sweet notes in the cigar’s flavor profile.
Notes – These days I regularly try not to sound like a Rocky Patel apologist or fanboy, but the man can blend.  This is another excellent cigar from the man who seems like he can do no wrong.  To my knowledge this is an online and mailorder-only stick which means you may not run across it in your local shop, but it’s worth seeking out; this is a great cigar at an attractive price.

Second Opinion – Matt’s Cigar Journal has a positive, although not quite as glowing, review of the Sun Grown.

Size – 6 1/8 x 52
Age – 18 months
Cost – 13 €
Wrapper – Cuba
Construction – A well constructed cigar with a bit of wear on the foot from storage.  Evenly firm with no soft spots. The wrapper had some small veins protruding and one tiny blemish near the band.
Burn – Very slow and dead even.
Ash – Medium to dark grey with a slight bit of flowering but a nice 1″ of grab.
Draw & Smoke – Prelight draw felt firm but once lit it was exactly right for the copious amount of smoke coming off each draw.
Flavor – Prelight aroma was excellent, light floral and smooth tobacco with cedar.  After lighting, sweet and clean flavors of fine tobacco emerged, along with a woody and peppery finish.  As the cigar progressed, more earthy flavors emerged, along with a very slight bit of the “Cuban twang” and some additional wood and paper notes.   The final third produced a nearly perfect bouquet, with added mocha and coffee flavors, and more body.  An incredible room aroma acompanied the cigar throughout, particularly in the last third.
Strength – Medium
Rating – 10/10
Value – NA

Drink – Iced tea.  A very good pairing for a warm summer night, although as with most cigars, I think the Montecristo #2 would be great with some freshly brewed coffee.
Notes – This was a gift from a friend and I’m not sure whether to thank him or not; he’s now teased me with one of the best cigars I’ve ever had and I have no way to get any more.  This is a fabulous smoke and a good example of why the storied brands of Cuba still hold the title of the best cigars in the world.

Size – 5 x 55
Age – 4 months
Cost – $9
Wrapper – Maduro (Connecticut)
Construction – Very well constructed with a couple of pronounced veins on the wrapper.  Symmetry was good but the cigar was a little too dense at the head.
Burn -  Even and slow
Ash – Medium to dark grey, held tight and neatly in 1″ pieces.
Draw & Smoke – The draw was a little tight after a punch cut, owing to a tighter pack at the head of the cigar.  Once I clipped off the top, however, it opened up a bit and was a firm but good draw, producing a medium amount of smoke per puff.
Flavor – Prelight flavors of earth and sweet chocolate led into a wonderful first third with those flavors coming out immediately after lighting, along with a rich coffee note and some lip-tingling red pepper.  The second third produced a spicier but still creamy and smooth blend of espresso, chocolate and leather.  The final third delivered more body but a similar bouquet of flavors, never growing harsh or bitter.  The room aroma was outstanding.
Strength – Med/Full
Rating – 10/10
Value – 7/10

Drink – Iced tea – an unremarkable pairing.  If it were not a warm summer evening I would have made a nice pot of hot coffee, which would pair up excellently with this cigar.  Perhaps some iced coffee is in order for my next Media Noche.
Notes – This cigar is a top notch experience and one of the best maduros I have smoked.  The characteristic coffee and earthy notes of a maduro wrapper shine through and are accompanied by a fantastic blend of complimentary flavors.  This is Montecristo’s only maduro cigar – not a problem because they nailed it first try.  I feel very fortunate to have landed 10 of these at only $4 each; keep your eyes peeled for a special on this cigar.  Highly recommended.

Second Opinion – I really didn’t find any negative reviews of this cigar, but here is a video review at Cigar Obsession.

CAO Lx2 Lancero. No review, just a cool vitola of a tasty cigar on a nice summer night!

Punch Rare Corojo Magnum (2009)

Size – 5.1 x 54 boxpress
Age - 1 month
Cost – $5
Wrapper – Sumatra (Ecuador)
Construction – A nice looking, rich brown wrapper adorns this very well constructed boxpress cigar.  It has good heft and even symmetry.
Burn – An very uneven start smoothed out into a somewhat uneven but acceptable burn
Ash – Medium grey and compact, the ash held in 1″ pieces.
Draw & Smoke – Draw was just right and produced a very large volume of smoke per puff.
Flavor – After lighting, I was hit with a significant amount of peppery spice, with a dry finish that included flavors of wood and cocoa.  The cigar mellowed a bit and the harshness of the first third diminished as a woody and earthy flavor set in.  However, there was an acrid, campfire quality to the cigar at times.  The final third saw the return of some of the initial harshness along with additional flavors of black pepper, earth and some leather.
Strength – Med/Full
Rating – 6/10
Value – 5/10

Drink – Water
Notes – This is an interesting cigar which is produced only part of the year and is typically available to buy in the springtime.  The name is misleading as the wrapper is not really a corojo, but a sumatra.  The $4-5 range is a very crowded one for cigars and you can find many better ones for the same price.  2009 may not have been the best year for this seasonal smoke, or they may just need a nice long nap in the humidor.

Size – 4.5 x 46 (Perfecto)
Age – 3 months
Cost – $5
Wrapper – Natural (Indonesia)
Construction – A nice lookinig, symmetrical cigar in an interesting shape.  The cigar was slightly uneven in feel, having a few firm spots.  The wrapper also cracked in one spot as I was squeezing the cigar.
Burn – With other love story vitolas I have had no problems getting the stick going thanks to the nipple end.  I had the opposite experience with the RyJ 1875; it was quite difficult to light but once it hit the wider part of the perfecto, burn was much improved – even and slow.
Ash – Very light grey, almost white.  Compact and held snug in 3/4″ pieces.
Draw & Smoke – Draw was very tight until the burn reached the widest part of the cigar.  After that it was smooth sailing with a nice easy but not loose draw, producing a moderate amount of smoke per puff.
Flavor – The prelight flavors of earthy tobacco and grass led into a very smooth, mild blend of flavors after the light – a creamy blend of earth, wood and tobacco with just a bit of sweetness.  The gentle flavor profile hides a surprising medium body; I was expecting a very mild cigar which this is not.  The second half of the cigar had similar flavors, but a bit more intensity and some tingling spice.  It also picked up a touch more sweetness on the finish.
Strength – Medium
Rating – 7/10
Value – 6/10

Drink – Ice water
Notes – Romeo y Julieta are a very well known brand in the cigar world and are probably the daily cigar of many many aficionados.  For a younger and relatively new cigar smoker like me, they are often overlooked for blends by “superstars” like Pepin and Patel.  I’m glad to have received the 1875 in a sampler because it is a pretty good smoke, but it had a few construction problems and more importantly it shares a price point (and vitola) with the much better Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story.

5 Vegas Series ‘A’ Artisan (Robusto)

Size – 5 x 52
Age – 2 months
Cost – $4
Wrapper – Maduro (Costa Rica)
Construction – An excellently constructed cigar with nice heft and feel.
Burn – Slow burn that was uneven at the start and had some tunneling.  Nothing terrible and no relights needed but could have been much more even.  The wrapper also wound up with a small split in the last third.
Ash – Medium grey with a tight 1″ of grab.  No flakes or ash mishaps.
Draw & Smoke – The draw was perfect, just a bit open which allowed a medium amount of smoke to come through the punch cut in each puff.
Flavor – The Series ‘A’ starts off with a smooth and interesting blend of wood and sweet spice flavors, punctuated by a bit of chocolate and cedar from the wrapper and the sleeve respectively.  One of my difficulties in tasting cigars is picking out specific spices but I believe I got some clove or cinnamon in the aroma as well.  As the cigar quickly moved into the second third, the body picked up a bit and the flavors blended together a bit better into a creamy and spicy-sweet medium to full bodied smoke with an espresso finish.  The spiciness ramped up in the final third and by the time I set it down it was a solid, full bodied but not overwhelming, cigar.
Strength – Med/Full
Rating – 8/10
Value – 8/10

Drink – Water
Notes – Another very nice smoke from 5 Vegas, this one a step up in body from the Classic line.  There are a lot of vitolas in this line (all beginning with the letter A, natch) and I am hoping to find a good sampler of them so I can find my favorite one.  I think the wrapper really adds a lot to this cigar, which leads me to believe the smaller ring vitolas might be the best.  If you have a favorite why not add a comment to this post and let us know?

Other Opinions
A less positive review of this stick can be found at The Box Press.

I have some great review smokes lined up, though, so stay tuned as we head into July!