Review: San Lotano Habano Toro

 

Its been quite a while since I reviewed a cigar, but such a lot has been going on in my life, and I just did not feel I had time to do any reviews. This does mean I have a number of cigar reviews that I just need to write up, and I am hoping to do this over the next few weeks or so. Here is the first, my review of a San Lotano Toro, I have never had any of these cigars before, but I suspect it will not be my last.

Appearance 9.0/10

As you can see from the picture this is a great looking cigar, its a lovely mid brown colour, it has tight seems, great cap construction, and only a few small veins. The bands are smart, well printed, and give the cigar a very classy look. This is the Toro version so its a 6 x 54 ring, and it just looks and feels perfect in your hand.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

The construction and draw of this cigar are as good as the appearance. As mentioned the cigar is heavy in the hand, this is not just due to the size but the amount of tobacco packed into the stick. I was worried about the draw, but it was pretty much perfect, cap construction was excellent as well, all in all the construction of this cigar was more than you should expect for a stick at this price. The burn on this cigar was pretty much perfect confirming the excellent construction.

Flavour 8.0/10

This is supposed to be a full strength cigar, normally a full strength cigar this large would hit me a little, but this cigar somehow did not hit me, indeed I would have classed it as mild to full strength, certainly not full.

Pre-light draw was earthy with a hint of sweetness. Once lit it started of mild to medium strength with a small amount of pepper, a strong tobacco flavour and a slight hint of sweetness.

As I got about an inch in I could detect some caramels and the sweetness intensified, there was also a rather nice earthiness to the profile.

By about half way through the cigar the strength had picked up to medium/full and there were hints of vanilla and coffee.

As I got into the last third the pepper I had originally tasted in the beginning came back and gave a nice little zing at the end. The final inch had an almond taste. What was nice about the cigar was that all the flavours stayed a long time on the palate allowing you to identify and enjoy them. Overall the cigar lasted around 2 hours

Value 9.0/10

This cigar retails at around 7.00 USD a stick, which I think for such a well constructed and large cigar represents excellent value for money, especially when you consider the burn time and flavour.

Summary 8.5/10

I could not decide if this was an 8.5 or 9.0 cigar, in the end despite the construction and price I decided on 8.5 but if I was to have another cigar it could go either way. I think for me even though there were flavour transitions there were only a couple and for a stick to be epic I expect a few more noticeable transitions. With this in mind I suspect the Robusto size would be perfect for this cigar, even so, I would absolutely recommend this cigar especially at the price, and this will be a contender for space in my humidor in future. As mentioned this was my first San Lotano cigar, it wont be my last.

Review: Ventura Cigars: PSyKo SEVEN Robusto

My first cigar review for a while, apologies for that, but I have been doing some stocking up, so I will hopefully have a steady stream of new reviews.

This is the first Ventura cigar I have smoked, its a robusto which one of my favourite sizes, and the look of it certainly grabbed my attention.

Appearance 8.0/10

The cigar is a nice chocolate brown. The cigar has a fair amount of  tooth, and some noticeable veins (see picture), but just check out the band…

You cant miss this cigar, it has a very striking and unusual band/wrapper, however its completely impracticable and needs to be removed prior to smoking, when you remove the large wrapper you will find a more tradition band underneath! All in all a pretty attractive cigar.

Construction & Draw 8.5/10

The cigar had no hard or soft spots, and the wrapper had a really nice oily sheen to it. As you can see from the picture cap construction was excellent, I got a really clean cut from my Palio cutter.

The draw and burn on this cigar were pretty much perfect, the burn line was razor sharp, and at no point did it need any touch ups, indeed I was able to leave this cigar for around 5 minutes (comfort break) and it still did not need any help when I got back to it. If the veins were not so prominent it would have scored a 9.0.

Flavour 8.0/10

The pre-light draw had an earthy musty flavour to it, once lit the earthiness continued and I could pick up a slight hint of spice, some woody notes, and a fairly strong note of leather.

As I progressed through the cigar, I could detect some small flavour transitions, and I picked up a creamy sweetness, which added to the existing flavours.

I was surprised by the strength of this cigar, or rather that it wasn’t as strong as I expected from the name! This is a solid medium strength cigar, and is therefore a pretty easy smoke.

Value 8.0/10

These cigars are around 7 USD each, which I think is a pretty fair price for a the construction and flavour on offer here.

Summary 8.5/10

I could not decide whether to give this cigar 8.0 or 8.5, in the end I felt the higher score was more appropriate as I simply just really enjoyed this stick.

I think I was expecting it to be stronger as it was called Psyko, so it being a medium strength stick surprised me, however I really enjoyed the flavour profile and transitions.

This is one of those cigars thats good to have in the humidor if you just want to settle down with a nice drink, a good cigar and have some quiet time. I would absolutely have more of these in my humidor.

Get your PSyKo SEVEN Robusto here….

Review: Alec Bradley Tempus (Terra Nova) Maduro

This cigar was very kindly gifted to me recently, its a fairly new cigar to the UK, but should be available in most large cigar retailers at the moment. A while ago I tied the standard Terra Nova, and if you read the review I quite liked it, since then I have had a few more and they have always hit the spot, so lets see how this smokes.

Appearance 8.5/10

Being a maduro cigar the wrapper on this cigar is very dark, it has quite a bit of tooth, and in places the wrapper is almost black, the wrapper has quite a few small veins. The cigar has two bands, both are well printed and look great, both of these bands came off easily with no damage to the cigar.

Construction & Draw 8.5/10

The cigar is generally well constructed, the shape was a little flat towards the cap, and as you can see this made the band look a little loose, the cap construction was pretty good, and I got a nice clean cut from my Palio cutter. The cigar was well packed with tobacco, however it did have a slightly “easy” draw, nothing too bad but a little to loose for me. The burn line on this cigar was pretty much perfect, and required no touch ups.

Flavour 8.5/10

The pre-light draw had a slight sweetness to it suggesting chocolate or caramel, it also had a great earthy flavour. The first inch or so of this cigar matched the pre-light draw, I could taste chocolate and a slightly woody/earthy note, it initially started out with quite a bit of pepper, but this settled down and the balance between pepper and chocolate was really nice.

In the second third of this cigar the chocolate and sweet notes were stronger, with the pepper just playing on my palate, I would describe it as having a creamy taste at this point.

During the final third of the cigar the strength and body of the cigar picked up quite a bit, and the pepper note became stronger, the last third was a reminder of all the flavours in the first two thirds just with more strength and power, all in all very nice.

Summary 8.5/10

This cigar is around £11.99 in the UK, which puts it around the price range of some stiff competition like the Bolivar Royal Corona (£12.99) and whilst the BRC is somewhat of a classic the construction and draw can be a bit hit and miss, where as all the Alec Bradley cigars I have smoked have had great construction and draw.

Even if you ignore construction, then the Alec Bradly is still a great alternative to the BRC and other “classic” robsuto’s, if you want something with a bit more pepper, strong chocolate notes, and a tasty earthy quality then I am sure you will like this cigar.

You might wonder why I gave this a score of 8.5 as I gave the other Terra Nova a 9.0, well to be fair my palate has matured since then, I have wider cigar experience, and I would probably now only rate the original Terra Nova at 8.5.

In summary this is a very nice cigar, well worth trying, and I am sure a number of you will end up putting some in your humidor, I will certainly be having more.

Review: Nica Rustica – First UK Review?

This is pretty new out in the USA, its from Drew Estates, and seems to be causing quite a stir, so lets see how it does in what I think is the first UK review of this stick.

Appearance 8.0/10

As the name suggests this cigar looks rustic, it looks very hand made, the wrapper is toothy and dark, the band has a hand drawn look to it, and both end ends of the cigar look hand finished. Drew Estates seem to have made the cigar look “rustic” without making it look to contrived, which of course it is to some extent as they set out to produce a rustic looking cigar.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

Whilst the cigar may look rustic and  “unpolished” its actual construction is anything but unpolished. General construction is excellent, the cigar is well put together, there are no soft of hard spots, the cap and foot are excellent. Cutting the cap was simple and I got a really nice clean cut, the draw on the cigar was excellent, only the slightly wobbly burn line spoilt the marks for this stick.

Flavour 8.0/10

This cigar is not what I expected, the wrapper has a slightly musty sweet chocolate smell, but this was not a strong flavour during the majority in the stick. The first third was spicy and peppery with a nice general sweetness, it was like a spicy explosion on my tongue.

This is a medium strength cigar, and stayed the same strength throughout its length. About half way through the sweetness increased a little, and I could detect some chocolate flavour as suggested by the smell of the wrapper. The last third was similar to the rest of the stick with just a little more chocolate and a slight musty note. I would describe this cigar as a little rough and ready compared to other sticks I have had,  but it always manages to keep itself in check, and I did really enjoy the strong pepper and spice much more than I though I was going to.

Value 9.0/10

This cigar is around 5.60 – 6.90 USD, I think that this represents extremely good value for money, its well constructed, has lots of interesting flavours and is nice and strong. It managed to keep its spice and pepper under control and was like a flavour explosion on my palette.

Summary 8.5/10

This cigar was not quite what I expected, for some reason I thought it would be less spicy, and have more chocolate and other creamy flavours than it did, so I was rather surprised when I smoked it. However it was a nice surprise, despite not being what I expected I really enjoyed this stick, it was pretty “up front” and in your face, a little rough and ready, but managed to keep everything under control, and was full of flavours.

This is probably not a cigar for a true newbie, but if you want something spicy and interesting you cant go wrong with this cigar, its also very good value. I can see this being added to my humidor.

Review: Oliva Master Blends 3 – Robusto

Yet again another Oliva cigar review, I am a little worried that if I keep smoking and reviewing Oliva cigars then there will not be much variety in my reviews. However Oliva cigars constantly hit the spot for me, so here we are again with another Oliva review.

Appearance 9.0/10

My picture taking skills seem to be getting better, which is lucky as you can now appreciate just how good looking this cigar is. The cigar is a wonderful dark chocolate in colour, the slight box press gives a very nice shape to the cigar, the band is a work of art its very detailed and the printing is excellent.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

As with most Oliva cigars the construction is excellent, the wrapper is a little toothy, but it had a nice oily sheen, and had only a few very small veins. There were no soft or hard spots on the cigar, and it was well packed with tobacco. Cap construction was pretty much perfect, and I got a very clean cut from my Palio cutter. Even before I cut the cigar there was a musty chocolate smell to the stick, the pre light draw tasted pretty much the same.

The draw on this cigar was a little tight to begin with, this might be due to the box press, but once I was about half an inch in the draw opened up. The burn line on the cigar was pretty good for the entire length, it did have a couple of wobbles, but these did correct themselves pretty quickly, and did not require any intervention.

Flavour 9.0/10

The cigar kicks off with white pepper and spice, which is similar to the Serie V but not quite so intense, there are also strong notes of cocoa and chocolate. As the cigar progressed  I also detected a hint of coffee and about half way a detectable note of vanilla, the pepper backed of a little but was always present, helping to highlight the different flavours.

For me this was a very smooth and rich cigar, it was medium to medium full in strength throughout, when I reached the last third there was a hint of nut, and the spice picked up a little, but the cigar still remained very “smooth and creamy” overall.

Value 8.5/10

As a single these retail at around 9 USD, I think that at this price this cigar offers good value for money. I would have given this cigar a higher score, but I think that although it sits between the Serie V and the recent Serie V Melanio in price, it does not offer as good value for money as the basic Serie V.

Summary 8.5/10

Another Oliva cigar that hit the spot, to me this tasted very similar to the Serie V which I love, but it was a little less intense, had less pepper and spice, but was still nice and rich, which made it a slightly more relaxing cigar. This cigar could have been a 9 or 9.5 if it was a little cheaper, and did not have a slightly wobbly burn.

For me this cigar makes an almost perfect “every day” Oliva cigar (if a little expensive), as it has all the qualities I like in the Oliva brand, but is a little smoother, I may well be getting some more of these, as I can see myself reaching for them regularly.

Review: E.P Carillo Short Run 2012 – Reinados

Well as you can see my photography is getting better, I am hoping that all future reviews will have good quality pictures of my cigars. So for review tonight is a pretty large cigar, a Short Run 2012 Reinados which is 6.25 x 60. To be honest this has been sitting in the humidor for a while, I just needed the time to sit down and do it justice.

Appearance 9.5/10

This is a great looking cigar, the wrapper is a lovely medium brown, and as the photo shows the wrapper is very smooth with very few veins. I am a fan of the E.P Carrillo bands, they are simple but classy, and the bands on this cigar are no exception.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

The construction of this cigar is almost perfect, squeezing the stick showed no soft or hard spots so the packing on this cigar is excellent, cap construction is very good, neat and tidy, with an almost invisible line, my Palio cuter gave an excellent clean cut. The only reason I have not given this a 9.5 is that for me the draw was slightly too loose, but to be honest I am probably being a little picky.

The burn on this cigar was excellent, with only a slight wobble in the burn line, the ash held for about 3/4 of an inch before it fell.

Flavour 8.0/10

Pre-light draw revealed a slightly sweet note, and a good tobacco taste. This is a medium strength stick and as you would expect this cigar produces a lot of smoke, so its best enjoyed outside, or with all your doors and windows open.

The initial third of this cigar had a good tobacco taste, with a hint of spice and cream, the first third seemed to be mild to medium, with the remainder of the cigar being medium strength. The flavour profile of this cigar was pretty static throughout its life, however in the later stages there were the occasional tones of cocoa, and the initial sweetness I detected came back, I would say it tasted like syrup or honey.

Value 9.0/10

At 8.50 USD you are getting a lot of cigar for you money, and coupled with that you are getting a great basic flavour profile, which is very smooth and enjoyable, which also adds a little complexity towards the end. For me this makes it excellent value for money. 

Summary 8.5/10

Reading this review back I am not sure I have done a great job of explaining why I gave this cigar a flavour rating of 8.0, I did really enjoy the flavours in this cigar, they really hit the spot for me, but I have to mark it down as there were no significant flavour transitions, a slight evolution, but nothing that had you going “wow I wonder whats next”.

My final rating reflects the value for money this cigar represents, and how much I enjoyed it, if you get the chance to buy a few of these sticks, then I would grab them, I would love to add a few more to my humidor.

Review: EP Carrillo Core Natural – Churchill Especial

Another cigar from the USA, this is a Churchill sized cigar, I have only had one EP Carrillo cigar in the past and I really enjoyed it, so I was hoping this would be a good stick as well, and I was not dissapionted. I paired this cigar with a glass of Highland Park 12, which seemed to work well.

Appearance 8.0/10

This is a good looking cigar. The medium brown wrapper is interesting, my cigar had a slightly “mottled” effect (as you can see from the picture) which was quite pleasing, the wrapper had very small veins and you could barely see the seems. The band is flashy without being to over the top.

Construction & Draw 8.5/10

This is a well constructed cigar, infact I would go further and say that the construction is very good, the construction of the cap is worthy of particular note. The cigar is well packed with tobacco and is firm with no soft spots. As the cap construction suggested my Palio cutter was able to produce a very clean cut.

The draw on this cigar was excellent, with just the correct amount of resistance. The burn line on this cigar did wobble a little bit, but never required correction, and became straighter as the burn progressed, until at around half way it was almost perfect.

Flavour 8.0/10

The pre-light draw of this cigar had a strong tobacco flavour, and also a stong hint of spice and pepper, I also detected a slight coffee note.

The first third of this cigar had a creamy tobacco taste, as suggested by the pre-light draw I could easily pick up a lovely coffee flavour. There was quite a strong hint of spice, but I did not really detect a peppery taste, and the spice only added to the experience it never become overpowering.

In the second third the spice backed off, and I picked up a really nice nutty tone which was a delicisous addition to the flavour profile, overall the middle third of the cigar was rich, smooth, and creamy.

The final third of the cigar was a combination of the first and second thirds, with the spice returning which along with the other flavours was very tasty.

To me this cigar is a medium strength cigar, with a rich flavour.

Value 8.5/10

In the US these sticks are priced at around 8 dollars, whilst not cheap, I think that this makes the cigar pretty good value for money, especially considering the good flavour profile and construction.

Summary 8.5/10

I enjoyed this stick a lot, for me the flavours were really good, construction was good, and although not an epic smoke it was really solid throughout. If these were available in the UK I would be adding some to my humidor.

Updated Review: Winston Churchill – Lancaster

I have recently smoked a couple of these cigars that have been sitting in my humidor for a few months, resting in the humidor has made a considerable difference.
All the flavours and taste is still there, but it is considerably smoother, and less bitter, this takes the whole experience up a notch.  So my advice is when you get these sticks get them out of the cellophane wrappers and straight into the humidor, you wont regret it.

Because of how well these cigars have responded to being in the humidor, I have had to increase the total summary for this cigar to…

Summary 8.5/10

Review: Punch Churchill

This was one of the first Churchill sized cigar that I smoked, I had my first a couple of months before Christmas, its a medium to strong cigar. I decided to try this cigar as I really wanted to try a “premium” Churchill sized cigar, and a couple of on-line reviews suggested that this was an overlooked and excellent Churchill cigar.

Appearance 9/10

The wrapper is a lovely medium brown, with a few small veins, overall the look is very nice, it has a good oily sheen, and a lovely delicate aroma pre -light.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

The construction of this cigar is excellent,  it has a nice springy feel as you roll it between your fingers. The draw is excellent, and the burn is pretty much perfect, keeping a straight line all the way to the end. This cigar produces a large volume of aromatic smoke, and can build up about and inch of ash before it falls.

Flavour 8.5/10

This is a medium to strong cigar, I would put it at just medium, its got a smooth, woody taste, and never gets harsh. As you get further down the stick a hint of vanilla can be detected, it does increase a little in richness as you near the end, but it remains smooth all the way.

Value 8.0/10

Although I really like this cigar, I think it is a little over priced, you can get a richer, stronger smoke for around the same cost. However, its not always about strength, and this cigar offers a excellent smoke for a reasonable (almost) price.

Summary 8.5/10

This is a great cigar to pass an afternoon or evening with, its not too powerful and will not make your head spin (too much), its a perfect introduction to the Churchill size cigars if you have not had one before. It is a little on the costly side for a medium strength cigar, but this stick is going to find a spot in my humidor!

Review: H Upmann Half Corona

Its very cold outside, the UK is experiencing a cold snap at the moment, we have even had snow. If like me you don’t like to smoke in the house, enjoying a good cigar can be a chilly experience. What I really want is a cigar that combines all the flavour, taste, and aroma of a large cigar, in a form that I can enjoy in about 30-35 minutes before my bits freeze and drop off.

My current preferred short smoke is the Winston Churchill Lancaster, it last around 30-35 minutes, burns really well, and has a lovely strong flavour with nice peppery overtones, its a fine cigar. I would also like to find a small Cuban cigar with a medium to large ring gauge that I can smoke in about the same time.

Well here it is the H Upmann Half Corona

Appearance 9/10

Like all the H Upmann cigars I have smoked the cigar looks excellent, there are no large veins, and the band is very good looking. It would be hard to find a better looking small cigar.

Construction & Draw 8.5/10

For a small cigar this feels great between your fingers with a firm springy feeling, and the construction is perfect. The cap is a work of art, although its quite short so be careful when you cut the end. The cigar has the same unlit aroma as the Magnum 46 in my humidor. I am hoping it shares other characteristics with the 46.

Flavour 9.0/10

This is classic H Upmann, it has a light to medium flavour, and there are hints of chocolate, and I think I detected a nutty or hazelnut note. I had hoped that it shared characteristics with the Magnum 46, and I am very happy to say that it does, its not quote a complex as the 46, but it does taste like its little brother.The burn was a little uneven in the first third, but it corrected itself and was perfect for the rest of the cigar. For a small cigar it produced lots of smoke, that had a wonderful aroma to it.

Value 7.5/10

Okay 6.69 GBP is a little steep for a cigar this size, for a couple of pounds more you can get the Junior Corona, but to me this is a good compromise between size, flavour, and smoking time. If it was around 5.50 GBP or less this cigar would get a much higher rating for value.

Summary 8.5/10

As you may be able to tell I really liked this cigar, for me its the Magnum 46 for when I only have time for a 30 minute smoke, or its freezing outside. These are a little over priced, but they are such a great little smoke, I am going to be getting a lot more, I can see this alongside the Lancaster becoming my staple winter smokes.