Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story
Size – 4 x 49
Age – 2 months
Cost – $5
Wrapper – Cameroon
Construction – A well executed perfecto with a great looking and flawless wrapper leaf.
Burn – The nipple-ended perfecto shape leads to an easy light and a slow, even burn.
Ash – Very light grey with mottled charcoal colored ash.
Draw & Smoke – Slightly firm draw and a medium amount of smoke per puff.
Flavor – Just after lighting, the sweet and rich flavor of the wrapper came through clearly. The cigar quickly moves into the thickest part (49 ring) which allows the flavors and aroma of the filler to come through – smooth and rich tobacco and wood with a wonderful aroma that included honey, sweet tobacco and a slight hint of chocolate. As the cigar moves into the second half, the wrapper flavor gradually starts to take back over, and the cigar gets even better. The body of the Hemingway Short Story may be on the mild side but the flavors are anything but.
Strength – Mild/Med
Rating – 10/10
Value - 7/10
Drink – Sierra Nevada 2009 Early Spring Beer
Notes – My local tobacconist quipped once that he could sell as many of these cigars as the distributor would send him, and I can see why. The flawless construction and burn, delicious wrapper and the smaller ring gauge to highlight it, combined with the fantastic room aroma and the changing profile of the perfecto as it progresses through different thicknesses leads me to present this cigar with my first 10/10.
Reviews
10/10, 49 Ring, Arturo Fuente, Cameroon, Cigar Review, Mild/Med
Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Toro
Size – 6.5 x 52 boxpress
Age – 2 months
Cost – $7
Wrapper – Maduro (Honduras)
Construction – Very well constructed with great symmetry. The smooth chocolate brown wrapper had a couple of very small blemishes. (8/10)
Burn – Mostly even with no touchups or relights. (8/10)
Ash – Light grey and compact. Held tight in 1 – 1.5″ pieces.
Draw & Smoke – The smoke felt a bit firm and dense but there were no problems with the draw after clipping the cap. Smoke volume was low.
Flavor – The prelight aroma of this cigar was sweet aged tobacco. After getting it lit I was rewarded with a smooth and mellow flavors of sweet tobacco, wood and cherry. The room aroma was excellent, a sweet and clean maduro tobacco smell. As the cigar moved along, the flavors stayed consistent but not quite one-dimensional. In the second and final thirds, a bit of spice crept into the mix, along with some aroma of chocolate. I also caught a few hints of citrus but I discounted those as I believe they were provided by my drink (earl grey)
Strength – Mild/Med
Rating – 8/10
Value – 6/10
Drink – Hot earl grey tea
Notes – I keep waiting for Rocky to deliver a cigar that I don’t like. Looks like I’ll still be searching for that stick, because the 1990 was a good tasting and wonderful smelling cigar that is a perfect for an afternoon (or morning). If the flavors of this blend were just a bit more pronounced it would earn a 9/10.
Reviews
52 Ring, 8/10, Cigar Review, Maduro, Mild/Med, Rocky Patel
Fonseca 5-50
Size – 5 x 50
Age – 2 months
Cost – $3-4 online
Wrapper – Natural (Ecuador)
Construction – A very well constructed cigar with great symmetry and a pretty, vein-free wrapper. (9/10)
Burn – Even with no touchups required. (9/10)
Ash – Very light grey; compact with a bit of flowering.
Draw & Smoke – Tight draw took a little bit of effort per puff. The amount of smoke was medium.
Flavor – The 5-50 started off immediately with a note of peanut that pleasantly blended with the predominant flavors of sweet tobacco and some leather. The mouth feel was smooth but slightly dry. The finish was somewhat dry with flavors of paper and wheat. Aroma was an excellent sweet and light tobacco smell. Very tasty and smooth from start to finish.
Strength – Mild/Med
Rating – 8/10
Value – 8/10
Drink – Water
Notes – This was a late afternoon cigar that I just grabbed out of my desktop humidor and didn’t expect to review (hence the stock image). As soon as I got a hit of that smooth and tasty smoke, though, I headed back inside to grab my notebook. This is a surprisingly satisfying stogie with excellent construction and burn, creamy flavor, and a fantastic aroma. The experience (if not the exact flavors) reminded me of the Gispert natural which is one of my favorite mild cigars. The price is right and I plan to have a few of these in the humidor from here on out.
Reviews
50 Ring, 8/10, Cigar Review, Fonseca, Mild/Med, Robusto
Victor Sinclair Primeros Toro
Size – 6 x 50
Age - 2 months
Cost – $2 online
Wrapper – Connecticut (Ecuador)
Construction – This is a very well constructed cigar with a nice firm springy feel, a pretty connecticut wrapper with very few veins and a well made cap. The label and matching ribbon on the foot are nice. (8/10)
Burn – Burn was even and slow. (9/10)
Ash – Ash was very light grey but loose and a bit flaky. Ash held for 3/4-1″ at a time.
Draw & Smoke - The draw was slightly firm and produced a medium volume of smoke per puff.
Flavor – I’m not sure if it’s a limitation of my still-developing palate or just a characteristic of mild cigars but I have a difficult time identifying individual flavors in some mild-med sticks, especially those with connecticut wrappers. This cigar has a pleasant flavor with a woody and creamy taste and a buttery mouth feel. The mouth feel does become a bit heavy and I found myself drinking more of my beverage than I would with most other cigars. The aroma was nice with a bit of sweetness and a smooth tobacco smell.
Strength – Mild/Med
Rating - 7/10
Value - 7/10
Drink - Hot English blend tea. Would go well with iced tea as well. For an alcoholic drink I’d pair this with a gin and tonic.
Notes - One of my pet peeves is cigar ash that is not compact and winds up flaking off bits of ash all over the place, particularly on my laptop. I nearly knocked this smoke down another point due to the unruly ashes in the first half, but it’s really a pretty nice value cigar and one that you can share with your newbie friends. Once the weather warms up I can see myself on the porch with this cigar, a cold drink and a book.
Reviews
50 Ring, 7/10, Cigar Review, Connecticut, Mild/Med, Toro, Victor Sinclair
Cu*Avana Maduro Robusto
Size – 5 x 50
Age - 1 month
Cost – $2 online
Wrapper – Connecticut maduro
Construction – This cigar is well constructed with a nice looking, toothy maduro wrapper and just a couple of visible veins. Symmetry is good and there we no issues with the cap when punching it. (8/10)
Burn – The burn on some of the other cigars I have had from this box was not that great. I believe the box may have been very dry when I received it. After 4-5 weeks in the coolidor, this cigar burned evenly and had no issues. (8/10)
Ash – Light grey, almost white. Firm and grabby with no flowering. Held2.5″
Draw & Smoke – The draw was tight and bordered on being a bit too much effort. I might clip this cigar instead of punching it next time. I would have liked to have seen more smoke in each puff.
Flavor - A mellow blend of flavors including some coffee, very small amount of black pepper and a smooth creamy palate feel. The room aroma is that nice sweet tobacco smell you expect from a maduro.
Strength – Mild/Med
Rating – 7/10
Value – 9/10
Drink - Hot earl grey with cream and sugar. Good pairing but nothing to write home about.
Notes - The Cu*Avana maduro is a mild, tasty maduro that could compliment your morning coffee or accompany a nice afternoon break. It is a well constructed smoke that you can pick up for as little as $1 apiece at cigar auction sites. This is a great everyday maduro that you can feel free to enjoy without having a 3 course meal first. A solid addition to any humidor.
Reviews
50 Ring, 7/10, Cigar Review, Cu*Avana, Maduro, Mild/Med, Robusto
Victor Sinclair Connecticut Yankee Toro
Size – 6 x 50
Age – Less than 1 month
Cost – $2-2.50 online
Wrapper – Connecticut
Construction – Good construction but a very rustic looking wrapper with pronounced veins and a somewhat uneven shape. (7/10)
Burn – A rocky start but evened out fairly well. (7/10)
Ash – Very light grey, held tight for 1-1.5″
Draw & Smoke – Nice easy but not loose draw, yielding a good volume of smoke per puff.
Flavor – The first minute of this cigar was pretty bad. I was almost ready to write it off as the first few draws delivered slightly sour and cheap-tasting tobacco flavor, like a gas station cigar. This very quickly disappeared, thankfully, and was replaced with a satisfying toasty tobacco flavor with some cocoa and a nice creaminess on the palate. Room aroma reminded me of a corojo leaf, a pleasant sweetness and toasted tobacco smell. Not a whole lot of changes between the first and second halves.
Strength – Mild/Med
Rating – 7/10
Value – 8/10
Drink - Since this was a daytime cigar, I just had a regular Pepsi to go along with it. Nothing special.
Notes – The Connecticut Yankee Toro is part of a pretty big sampler of VS cigars that I picked up recently, and based on the first couple I’ve had, I think they make a nice addition to the humidor. Another stick that you’re not worried about giving to a friend and having them set down and forget, but you wouldn’t be hesitant to hand to someone who enjoys good cigars. The construction was an issue but the flavors were tasty and satisfying.
Reviews
50 Ring, 7/10, Cigar Review, Connecticut, Mild/Med, Victor Sinclair
Rocky Patel Connecticut Churchill
Size – 7 x 48
Cost – $2.50 – $4 (I picked up 10 for $22.50 from a JC special)
Wrapper – Connecticut
Construction – Flawless. A very pretty cigar (10/10)
Burn – Very even with no tunneling or touchups (9/10)
Ash – Very light grey, nearly white. Held for 2-3″ at a time.
Draw – Firm but not difficult.
Flavor – A clean and enjoyable hit of grassy and tobacco flavors with a very slight citrus note. Not a whole lot of change throughout the smoke but some sweetness entered about halfway and remained throughout.
Smoke – A large and satisfying volume of smoke from each draw.
Strength – Mild/Med
Rating – 8/10
Value – 9/10 I believe I read somewhere this was a CI exclusive but I’d happily pay $4-5 for these in a local shop.
Drink – Diet cola – not a great match. Come spring/summer I think this smoke would pair up beautifully with a nice true pilsener such as Urquell while you’re sitting at a warm afternoon barbeque or tailgate.
Reviews
48 Ring, 8/10, Cigar Review, Connecticut, Mild/Med, Rocky Patel