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.
Reviews
54 Ring, 6/10, Cigar Review, Med/Full, Punch, Sumatra
Casa Magna Colorado Belicoso
Size – 6.25 x 54
Age – 1 month
Cost – $6
Wrapper – Colorado (Nicaragua)
Construction – Very well constructed with a slightly uneven tip. The cigar feels soft but not squishy. The feel is even from point to foot.
Burn – Burn started out a bit uneven and mostly stayed that way throughout. It did not stair-step or canoe and needed only small touchups. This cigar burns slowly; plan for a nearly 2 hour smoke. It did tar up a bit and required purging twice.
Ash – Ash was a medium grey and held tight in solid 1.5″ pieces.
Draw & Smoke – You can pretty much clip a belicoso to achieve whatever draw you like. With my normal torpedo/belicoso clip leaving about a 40 to 45 ring hole in the cap, I was rewarded with a nearly perfect draw - not too loose or tight. The amount of smoke produced per puff was a bit above average and quite satisfying. The foot streamed a good amount of aromatic smoke when resting.
Flavor – Holding this cigar in my mouth for a prelight taste yielded lots of tingling red pepper, the flavor of which imediately settled at the back of my palate after the light. The profile is very earthy and peppery but smooth, and a tiny hint of caramel and coffee in the finish and aroma. I also caught a bit of black cherry in the first third that didn’t stick around for long. The second third saw the pepper flavors muted and brought a big helping of body and more intense earthy flavor with less sweetness and hints of tea (surely enhanced by the fact that I was drinking tea at the time) and leather. The final third brought new flavors of mocha and honey, punctuating a complex, layered and interesting journey from start to finish.
Strength – Full
Rating – 8/10
Value – 7/10
Drink – Iced tea
Notes – This is a different vitola of the Colorado line – the robusto won Cigar Aficionado’s 2008 Cigar of the Year award. Whatever your opinion of magazine reviews, rest assured that the two experts behind Casa Magna, Manuel Quesada and Nestor Plascencia, have crafted a very good cigar. Like the pros, I prefer the robusto size to the larger belicoso; I found it to be more complex and a better overall experience. However, this remains a fine smoke and a great value at less than $6 at your local shop. It may also be your only option in this line as the robusto’s high marks have left it in short supply.
Reviews
54 Ring, 8/10, Belicoso, Casa Magna, Cigar Review, Colorado, Full
Saint Luis Rey Rothchilde Natural
Size – 5 x 54
Age – 2 months
Cost – $3.50
Wrapper – Natural (Nicaragua)
Construction – A nice looking cigar with a few veins in the wrapper. Good symmetry and no soft spots.
Burn – A nice even burn even in breezy conditions.
Ash – Mottled and somewhat firm with 3/4″ of grab
Draw & Smoke – Good resistance on the draw, not too much, and a satisfying amount of smoke in each puff.
Flavor – The flavor profile was rich, with earthy and woody notes. The SLR is a good example of a cigar that has lots of flavor without a dizzying full body strength. In the second half a bit of toast and spice replaced the woody flavors as the earthiness persisted. The second half also brought some aroma and flavor of peanut.
Strength – Med/Full
Rating – 8/10
Value – 8/10
Drink – Water
Notes – The SLR Rothschild is a solid value cigar with lots of flavor. While it’s not a terribly complex smoke, it’s a darn good one and should be considered for anyone looking to fill their humidor without breaking the bank.
Mini Review, Reviews
54 Ring, 8/10, Cigar Review, Med/Full, Natural, Saint Luis Rey
Kristoff Maduro Robusto
Size – 5.5 x 54
Age – 2 months
Cost – $7
Wrapper – Maduro (Brazil)
Construction – A pretty chocolate brown maduro leaf adorns this cigar, beginning with a pigtail and ending in a shag foot; the result is a unique and attractive cigar. The wrapper is oily and has just a few noticeable viens. Symmetry is excellent.
Burn – The shag foot burned quickly but helped create a fast start for this cigar. Burn was a little uneven but required no tending or relights.
Ash – Ash was light grey and held in 3/4″ pieces on a somewhat breezy afternoon.
Draw & Smoke – The draw was perfect and each puff resulted in a moderate amount of smoke.
Flavor – Prelight aroma and flavors were coffee and chocolate, very typical of a maduro wrapper. After lighting , these flavors of chocolate and coffee came through clearly, along with a good dose of black pepper. Despite the cigar being advertised as medium-bodied, I experienced quite a bit of nicotene tingle on my tongue, palate and even lips. As the smoke moved along a nice nuttiness emerged, along with a little less black pepper and a more smooth spicy note.
Strength – Medium
Rating – 8/10
Value – 6/10
Drink – Sugarcane-sweetened Pepsi
Notes – This was the first afternoon cigar on the back patio for me this year. It was a gorgeous, cloudless afternoon in the low 70s and I found the whole experience to be quite enjoyable, but hopefully it didn’t tilt my review too much – perfect day or not this is a nice cigar. When I’m outside I find myself really missing the intense room aroma of most cigars, so when I do get a nice little whiff it enhances the moment nicely. The Kristoff maduro is a solid cigar and while most online retailers do not carry this line, it’s worth a purchase the next time you spot them in your local shop.
Reviews
54 Ring, 8/10, Cigar Review, Kristoff, Maduro, Medium
Coronado by La Flor (aka La Flor Dominicana Coronado) Double Toro
Size – 7 x 54
Age – 2 Months
Cost – $8
Wrapper – Natural (Nicaragua)
Construction – A well constructed large cigar but with some wrapper issues – pronounced veins were present, although some veins are acceptible in a sun grown wrapper. A crack in the foot and two more near the band were evident, despite the cigar being kept in cellophane and not rearranged much.
Burn - Mostly even and steady. When it began to burn unevenly, the cigar corrected itself. One relight was needed around halfway.
Ash – Very light grey and somewhat loose but not completely unruly. Ash held for about 1″ at a time.
Draw & Smoke – The draw was perfect and the cigar produced a ton of smoke per puff. It also continually produced a significant stream of aromatic smoke from the foot while resting.
Flavor – This is a complex and very flavorful cigar. The prelight aroma of anise appeared as a flavor in the first third, along with caramel and some spice. Room aroma was rich and sweet with a hint of citrus, like orange or lime peel. In the second third, black pepper kicked in and the taste of leather joined the flavor party. These flavors were balanced by a sweet and creamy tobacco flavor that persisted through the cigar.
Strength – Med/Full
Rating – 9/10
Value – 6/10
Drink – Columbian coffee – an excellent pairing with the bold and rich flavors of the Coronado.
Notes – The Coronado double toro, at 7 x 54, is a whopper of a cigar and is among the sizes that I do not regularly smoke, mostly due to time constraints. Plan to spend 120 minutes on this cigar, which is going to be a very enjoyable 2 hours of your life. This is an excellent, complex cigar with plenty of reasons to like it, and if you’re like me you’ll want to revisit it to see what you missed. Construction problems are the only thing that kept this stick from being a 10/10.
Reviews
54 Ring, 9/10, Cigar Review, Coronado, La Flor Domninicana, Med/Full, Natural
Gispert Natural Churchill
Size – 7 x 54
Age – 1 month
Cost – $3.00 single
Wrapper – Connecticut (Ecuador)
Construction – Good construction with a great wrapper and no flaws. The cigar is a bit soft to the touch but this has been the case with every Gispert I’ve had, and does not detract from the smoke.
Burn – Mostly even and slow.
Ash – Medium to dark grey and slightly loose. Ash held for 3/4 – 1″
Draw & Smoke – Draw was just right with a good amount of white smoke per draw.
Flavor – The Gispert natural has a very nice, mild flavor profile. Flavors include earthy wood and a hint of grass produced by the wrapper, with a compliment of peanut, wood and sweet tobacco flavors and aromas. These flavors are all mellow, and the result is a very creamy and smooth cigar. The room aroma is excellent.
Strength – Mild
Rating – 9/10
Value – 9/10
Drink – Blackberry tea
Notes – Gispert was one of the very first cigars I ever smoked, and I still love them to this day. There are a lot of reasons to keep some of these in your humidor: they make an excellent cigar to give to non-aficionado friends, a great daytime cigar, or a perfect way to follow up a lighter dinner. At around $2 each by the box, they are one of the best values around. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that these get even better with 6+ months of aging.
Reviews
54 Ring, 9/10, Cigar Review, Connecticut, Gispert, Mild
Hoyo De Monterrey Dark Sumatra Media Noche
Size -5.75 x 54
Cost – $4.99 local, about $3.50 online
Wrapper – Maduro/Sumatra (Ecuador)
Construction – Nearly perfect construction. When I punched this one I hit a couple of stem pieces, so I decided to clip it instead and it was fine.
Burn – One touchup in the first inch then mostly even and slow. I also had to relight at the beginning of the final third after setting the cigar down for about 3 minutes. (7/10)
Ash – Medium grey ash which held for about 1-2″ at a time.
Draw – The draw was just a bit tight but but I was rewarded with a good amount of smoke on each puff making it worthwhile.
Flavor – This is a smooth and rich cigar with earthy flavor and a hint of coffee and chocolate. The flavor remained consistent throughout this long and slow smoke. There was a nice complexity to the cigar right from the start which lasted all the way past the band. The room aroma was very nice, as I find most maduros to be, with a good amount of rich sweetness in the air.
Smoke – Each draw resulted in a large amount of smoke.
Strength – Med/Full
Rating – 8/10
Value – 9/10
Drink – I sat down with this smoke and a mug of French blend hot tea, which paired pretty well with the cigar. Then I got a glass of a local red table wine, nothing fancy, which also made for a satisfing but not particularly noteworthy pairing.
Notes – This is a great value stick which I plan on restocking whenever I see a special on it. It created one of the most pleasing room aromas I can remember, and was a long and luxurious smoke, perfect for sitting and doing some reading for well over 90 minutes. The review at Cigar Jack says to take this one slow and easy and I agree completely. Only the burn issues kept this from being a 9/10.
Reviews
54 Ring, 8/10, Cigar Review, Dark Sumatra, Hoyo de Monterrey, Maduro, Med/Full