Review: Arturo Fuente Hemingway Signature Maduro

 

I am quite a big Arturo Fuente fan, I love the Anjeo 77 and others in the Anjeo range, very partial to the Opus X, and love the short story for a quick winter smoke. In my experience no matter what the range Arturo Fuente cigars are extremely well constructed, and seem to do all the correct things on my palete.

Appearance 8.5/10

I know it sounds like an odd, and obvious thing to say, but this is a very dark Maduro wrapper (what maduro wrappers are not dark lol?), but this wrapper is almost black. The shape of the cigar with its elongated tip is very pleasing. The band just avoids being to flashy, and is well printed, it was also very easy to remove without taking some of the wrapper with it.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

This cigar is extremely well constructed, the wrapper only has small veins, and almost invisible seams. The cap is very well constructed, and it was simple to get a really clean cut with my Xikar cutter, the long foot also made it easy to light the cigar. I was worried that the draw would be a little tight due to the foot, but the draw was perfect on this cigar from start to finish, as was the burn.

Flavour 8.0/10

Dont let my score of only 8.0 give you the wrong impression I really like this cigars flavour profile. Initially there was a small amount of pepper coupled with a nutty sweetness, as I got further into the cigar the pepper backed off a little, the sweetness remained, the nuttiness took a back seat, and I could detect some chocolate notes and a slight woodiness.

About half way through the chocolate flavour become the strongest note, and the cigar had a nice creamy taste, towards the end the pepper cam back again and the cigar lost some of its creaminess. This cigar had quite a long finish, so there was always a nice taste on the palete. All in all very good, but just not quite epic.

Value 8.5/10

I believe that these retail at around $9 USD, I think this is a pretty fair price for a cigar as well constructed and tasty as this one, however at this price there are a lot of other good cigars so I cannot say its excellent value.

Summary 8.5/10

This is a really nice cigar, its well constructed, has good flavours that evolves as you smoke it, pretty much all you can ask for a cigar. I did not give it a higher score as somehow it does not reach the heights of some other Arturo Fuente cigars, but I am not sure if that just means I am setting higher expectations for this brand than others.

I guess the question is would I buy more for my Humidor, well the answer is yes, and I already have 5 more on the way. If I had more humidor space and lived in the USA I would get a box.

 

Review: Four Kicks Robusto Extra

Having enjoyed the Seleccion No.5 so much I was keen to get my hands on some more Four Kicks cigars, when my friend in the USA told me his local store had reductions on the range I asked if he could get me a box. I was after the Robusto as its a favourite size of mine for cigars, but as they had sold out my friend got me the Robusto Extra.

So the question is how close to the flavour of the No.5 is the Robusto Extra….

Appearance 8.0/10

This is a good looking fat and relatively short cigar, the wrapper is a dark brown, and if I am honest looks more rustic than the wrapper on the No.5, its got quite a few veins, and a bit of tooth, so to me it does not look as good. The band is classy, with its well printed gold and white pattern on a deep red background.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

Okay so just like the No.5 the construction on this cigar is excellent, it has tight seams, and very clean cap construction. There were no soft or hard spots on the cigar, and it was well packed with tobacco

The draw on this cigar was just perfect, with enough resistance so it did not feel like you were sucking on air, but no hint of tightness. The burn line on this cigar was razor sharp, required no touch ups, and the ash held for a good inch before it started to fall.

Flavour 8.5/10

The flavour and flavour transitions of this cigar were pretty much the same as the No.5, which is lucky as that is what attracted me to the brand.

Pre-light draw had a very slight pepper taste to it, once lit there was a good strong tobacco flavour with hints of wood and leather. About an inch in there was a very nice sweet note, and slightly further on I could also detect a slight citrus flavour. About half way through a leather note was added, the pepper increase slightly and just remained on the back of the palate, at this point there were a lot of different flavours which made the cigar highly enjoyable.

Where this cigar deviated form the No.5 is in the last third or so of the cigar, the strength really kicks up a notch. To be honest it took me a little by surprise, and I was glad I had eaten only a short while before having this stick, otherwise I would have been in trouble…

Note to self always eat before the Robusto Extra…

Value 8.0/10

I think at this price the cigar offers pretty good value for money, especially if you like a big kick at the end of your cigars !

Summary 8.5/10

So this was an interesting smoke, and you may notice that I have marked it 0.5 less than the No.5, this is still a great cigar, and I am going to enjoy them a lot, however the appearance is not as good as the No.5, and the kick at the end was a little unexpected.

I think I would prefer the flavour profile at the end to be more like the No.5, but thats just me, and I am sure others will really appreciate the kick, just eat something first, you have been warned!

Get your Four Kicks Robusto Extra Here…

Review: CAO Flathead 554 Camshaft

I have had a couple of CAO cigars in the past, I reviewed the the CAO Gold Label Robusto some 7 months ago, this was a good stick, but for me a little lacking in impact and the richness of flavour that I really like. Today we have another CAO cigar and I am hoping that it has a little more punch and flavour, so lets take a look.

Appearance 9.0/10

The cigar has are really nice box press, and is almost perfectly rectangular, this makes it very comfortable to smoke. The wrapper is a nice dark Maduro, it has a slightly mottled toothy quality, and has an oily sheen to it. The band is a little on the large size for my taste, and I feel a little over the top, but the silver and black colour scheme does look good.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

The cigar is very well constructed, the wrapper has some small long veins, the cap construction is very good, but because of the box press its a little difficult to see where the cap starts so I would advise you to cut as close to the end as possible (I did and managed to get a clean cut with no unwrapping). There were no soft or hard spots on the stick, and it was well packed with tobacco.

The draw on this cigar was excellent, it was pretty much spot on not too tight or loose. The burn line was straight but a little askew for a few inches, but was generally very good.

Flavour 8.5/10

This cigar had the kind of flavour profile that really appeals to my palete, far more than any previous CAO cigars I have had. Initially there was a peppery taste along with some leather, cocoa and some coffee, I could also detect a little sweetness that reminded me of caramel. The flavour profile changed over the length of the cigar, with the balance of the various flavours changing as you progressed which made the entire experience very interesting, as you kept wanting to find out which flavour would come to the fore.

The strength of the cigar also changed, initially I would say that the cigar was medium strength. medium body, but as you progress through the stick the strength and body increased, until towards the end of the cigar it was medium-strong to strong for both. Its almost like the cigar was preparing and acclimatising you ready for the strong finish, very nice.

Value 8.5/10

This cigar as a single retails at around 7.25 USD, at this price I think it offers pretty good value for money, there are quite a few other really good cigars around this price, but I think the CAO holds its own, whilst not be spectacular value for money.

Summary 8.5/10

This CAO really surprised me, there was a lot more going on than in previous CAO cigars that I have had, I really liked the flavours, and I also enjoyed how the strength and richness of these flavours developed and increased as I progressed through the stick.

This is a cigar I would have again, and if I had any room in my humidor at the moment I would think about getting some more, and laying them down, as this is a cigar I could see myself returning to again and again.

Review: Flor De Las Antillas Toro

I have had a couple of My Father Cigars including the La Dueiia, My father, and My Father La Bijou 1922 ranges, however this is the first cigar I have had from the Flor De Las Antillas range. Having greatly enjoyed previous My Father cigars, especially the 1922, I was looking forward to this stick.

Appearance 9.0/10

I managed to get a pretty good photo of this cigar, and as you can see this is a very good looking stick. The wrapper only has small veins, it is a lovely medium dark brown, with a nice oily sheen. The band is of particular note, the detail is quite exceptional, and gives the cigar a very classy appearance.

Construction & Draw 8.5/10

There is not a lot to say about the construction that you cant deduce from the picture, the cap construction was excellent, there were no soft spots, the cigar was well packed with tobacco. Cutting the cap was easy and I got a very clean cut, the pre light draw had a strong tobacco taste and a slight sweetness. The draw on this cigar was far to easy for my liking, I was surprised it was this loose as the cigar was well packed, but at times if felt like sucking on air. Whilst this drops the rating in this area a little, it did not stop my enjoyment of this stick.

The burn line on the cigar was razor sharp for the entire length, and the stick produced a large volume of smoke.

Flavour 8.5/10

This first few draws had a slight peppery taste to them, this settled down into a subtle peppery spice, the cigar had a sweet note to it, and I could also detect some cocoa and a flowery component as I got further into the cigar. This to me is a medium strength cigar, and the best way to describe the flavour profile is rich and creamy.

The flavour profile did not change a lot during my time with this cigar, the peppery spice and general complexity increase slightly the further in I got. Towards the end of the last third the pepper note increased, I thought this might be due to the cigar burning hotter, so to avoid this, and to stop the cigar potentially getting bitter I slowed down a little  . This did the trick and the cigar was delicious down to the nub.

Value 9.0/10

As a single these retail at around 6.90 USD, I think that at this price this cigar offers excellent vale for money, the construction if excellent, the flavours are rich and creamy, and I spend a very pleasurable one and a three quarter hours with this cigar.

Summary 8.5/10

I really enjoyed this cigar, it had a nice level of complexity, with some distinct and delicious flavours, it was rich without being overpowering, and would be a great cigar if you are looking to relax and chill out. The flavour profile does not change much during the cigar, but its such a nicely balance flavour that you don’t really care, the only reason this did not get a 9 is the draw.

I would absolutely get some more of these for my humidor, they would make an excellent cigar for those moments you need to relax.

Review: Saint Louis Ray – Double Corona

I picked this up at my local merchant, they have a cabinet of 50 in their humidor, and had reduced them so I thought I would give one a try. This is an absolutely massive stick its 7.6″ with a ring gauge of 49 and looks very impressive. I anticipated that this cigar would take at least two to two and a half hours to smoke, so I had to wait for a suitable time to smoke this, apparently it was the favourite brand of Frank Sinatra, so lets see what’s its like.

Appearance 9.0/10

This is a very good looking cigar, its length immediately grabs your attention, and its a lovely medium brown. The wrapper had very fine veins, and my cigar had a couple of small spots towards the top of the cigar. The band is a very classy looking red and gold which nicely printed.

Construction & Draw 8.0/10

The construction of this cigar was pretty good, there were no soft spots but there was a slightly tight spot about and inch from the end, so I was a little concerned that this might affect the draw. This turned out to be the case, the first inch and a half of this cigar had a tight draw, not impossible to smoke, but it was more effort than you should expect, and made it tricky to keep lit to begin with. Luckily after the “tight spot” the draw opened up and from there on the cigar had a great draw. Cap construction was excellent, and I got a really clean cut of the cap.

Flavour 8.0/10

Smooth and sophisticated is a good way to describe this cigars flavour profile (I can see why Frank Sinatra was a fan, as you could say its the cigar equivalent of his music).

The initial flavour was of tobacco with a very slight spice to it, once I had got past the tight draw the flavours gradually opened up, and I could detect hints of cocoa and coffee. After about half way there was a slight earthy tone, and the cocoa gave way to a nice vanilla note, the flavour profile stayed this way until the end of the stick. What is worth noting is that even when I was really close the the end, the flavour did not get harsh or bitter (jut a little extra toastiness), it was silky smooth to the nub, which I think shows the quality of the cigar.

Strength wise I would say this started of light-medium, and by about half was medium strength.

Value 8.5/10

I believe that these normally retail at around 25 GBP, I managed to pick mine up for just under 20 GBP, but I have based my value score on the normal retail price. There is no denying that at 25 GBP this is not a cheap cigar, but I think it offers quite a bit for your money, it is after all a double corona, and its only a few pounds more than most good Cuban Churchills. This coupled with the sophisticated profile make this well worth the money in my opinion.

Summary 8.5/10

This is a very big cigar, and you need to put at least two and a half hours aside in order to really enjoy it. Although the construction and appearance was excellent, the initially tight draw drops the score, luckily the draw got better, I am hoping that the draw on the others I have will be better, if so I may revise my score at a later date.

This is not a cigar that will grab your palette and take you on a roller coaster ride, its flavour profile is sedate and refined, and that’s a pretty good way to describe this cigar. So the big question is would I buy more, well as I have already hinted, I have already purchased two more to lay down in my humidor and see how they mature, I expect they will just get better and better with age.

Review: My Father, Le Bijou 1922, Petit Robusto

For review today we have an interesting little cigar, as you can see its a stubby little number with a relatively large ring gauge, so it may well be a nice smoke when you dont have a lot of time on your hands.

Appearance 8.5/10

The wrapper is a lovely dark brown, with only a few small veins and the wrapper had no spots or problems.

The bands on this cigar are something special, as you can see from the picture they are mini works of art, well printed with vibrant colours. I was a bit worried about the bands, as its pretty obvious you will need to at least remove the second band before you smoke the cigar, if there is too much glue then the wrapper could be damaged before I began. Luckily the glue on both bands was perfect, so there were no issues.

Construction & Draw 8.0/10

There were no soft spots on this cigar which suggests that the construction is consistent throughout the length of the stick.  Cap construction is excellent, and my Palio cutter got a really clean straight cut, pre-light draw was easy, and contained hints of chocolate.

The burn was a little ragged, but did not require any correction, and the cigar supported about an inch and a half of ash.

Flavour 8.0/10

This cigar was pretty smooth throughout its length, as suggested by the pre-light draw I could detect cocoa, and a slightly musty taste, there was no real spice in the first two thirds of this cigar at all, and I would describe this cigar as very smooth and creamy. The flavour profile changed in the last third and I could detect a hay like flavour that added nicely to the experience, and just before the end a spicy note was added to the profile, which added a little extra interest in the final few draws.

I would describe this as a medium strength cigar.

Value 8.0/10

This cigar retails at around 7 USD, and I think that this represents excellent value for money based on the quality on offer. I am sure if you buy a box you could knock a dollar off the cost of each stick, so you might want to grab a box.

Summary 8.0/10

I really enjoyed this cigar, it took around an hour or so to smoke, and although the flavour profile was pretty static until the last third, the smooth and creamy taste of this cigar made it a really enjoyable experience. This is a good cigar for a comfortable relaxing smoke, its the kind of stick that will help you chill-out, and for that reason deserves a place in your humidor.

Review: La ABEJA Corona – A UK First

I am hoping this will be a UK first, I am pretty sure it is, as this cigar is from a new company, and not only is it currently only available in the USA, its only in a few stores. My friend in the US sent me this stick, he shops at The Party Source, and the LaABEJR cigar company has been started by the humidor manager.

Its quite interesting to think I may be the first person in the UK to smoke this cigar, and its really great to see someone start up a new company, I know I probably would not take the risk.

You can read an interview with the owner of LaABEJA cigars here… And below is my review of the corona.

Appearance 9.0/10

The wrapper is a lovely light chocolate brown, has a slight oily sheen to it, and is very well constructed with tight seams. As you can see form the picture there are almost no veins in this cigar. The band is quite interesting, its simple but well printed, and has an almost 1920/30’s look to it, its quite different to many existing bands, and I think adds to the overall feel of quality.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

The construction of this cigar is absolutely top notch, as mentioned the seams are really tight, and the cap construction is so good that unlike many cigars you cant see where the seams are. The stick is well packed with tobacco, and prior to cutting had a slightly sweet aroma.

Cutting the cap was easy, and I obtained a nice clean cut, the pre-light draw had hints of vanilla and spice. The draw on the cigar is excellent, it has just the correct amount of resistance, the burn line was slightly ragged to start with, but quickly sorted itself out, and was sharp throughout the rest of the cigar requiring no corrections. This cigar easily supported about an inch of ash before it fell.

Flavour 8.0/10

The cigar started out with a nice level of spice, I am not a big fan of really spicy cigars and for me this was perfect, just enough spice on the tongue to be interesting but not overwhelming  The first half of the cigar as my pre-light draw had suggested has a nice slightly sweet vanilla flavour to it, this really complemented the spice, making the whole experience creamy and smooth with just a little zing, very tasty.

During the second half of the cigar the vanilla changed to be a little more like caramel, and I also detected a slight taste of flowers/grass which added another subtle dimension. I would say that this cigar is probably light to medium strength to start, and moves slightly towards medium strength as you get into the second half.

Value 8.5/10

At 8 dollars per stick, the flavour, construction, and sophistication on offer here seem to match the price well, making this cigar very good value for money. Its not at the cheap end of the price range for its size (in the USA you can get some pretty nice cigars for around 6 dollars), but I feel the overall package more than justifies the price. I have to call out the quality of construction, for a new cigar from a new company, this cigar was really well made.

Summary 8.5/10

I really enjoyed this cigar, its well constructed, has a nice flavour profile, just the correct amount of spice for me, excellent draw,and burned really well. Its not a flavour bomb, but its quite a relaxing sophisticated cigar, and I really enjoyed the hour and forty minutes I spent with it. The biggest problem is when will they come to the UK so I can get some more? As I would absolutely have some in my humidor…

Review: Illusione Epernay La Grande

This is a completely new cigar brand to me, until my friend in the USA sent it to me a couple of months ago I had never heard of Illusione. In the package I received 2 Illusion cigars and this is the first one I smoked.

Appearance 8.5/10

The photo I took does not do the appearance of this cigar justice, the wrapper is darker than in the picture and had a slightly oily sheen. The band is small and subtle, but its well printed. The cigar feels solid between your fingers and has a good spring to it, I know this sounds a bit odd, but this cigar just feels correct in your hand.

Construction & Draw 8.5/10

The construction of this cigar is very good, it does have some veins but they are small, the wrapper had no spots or blemishes. The cap construction is worthy of note, as there was no obvious transition between the body of the cigar and the cap, a place where some cigars construction can be poor, as expected this led to a very clean cut. The draw on this cigar was uniformly excellent, easy but with just enough resistance.

Flavour 8.0/10

The cigar had no significant pre-light aroma that I could detect, toasting the foot of the stick produced a slightly nutty aroma, a flavour that is present later in the cigar. Burn was even and consistent throughout the entire cigar, with only a slight issue about half way where it had a little wobble, but corrected itself without any intervention.

I would suggest the stick is light to medium to begin with, and medium strenght from about halfway onwards. The initial half has a good rich tobacco taste, and I did pick up tones of caramel, the second half had a stronger nutty flavour which was very pleasant and got more defined the closer I got to the end. In the last third of the cigar I did detect a slight hint of cocoa.

The cigar produced a decent amount of smoke, and although I would not say its a particually complex smoke, it was very enjoyable and relaxing.

Value 9.0/10

I believe this cigar retails at around 8-9 USD, for a cigar of its size, roughly Churchill sized, that has very good construction, excellent draw, and a gentle and sophisticated flavour, I think that represents excellent value.

Summary 8.5/10

This is not a cigar that will tax you, or bombard you with flavours, the transitions are quite subtle, its a medium strength cigar, so is no powerhouse, the best single word I can come up with to describe this cigar is sophisticated.

Sometimes you want a nice relaxing cigar rather than something complex that makes you work hard, and this cigar fits the bill nicely. All in all the two hours I spent with this cigar were very pleasant, and sometimes that’s all you want or need.

I cant wait to try the Illusion MJ12 thats still in the humidor.

Review: Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchill

Okay something we need to clear up now, this is not a Churchill size cigar, its the length of a Robusto, so really they should call it a “Wide Robusto, not a wide Churchill.

Appearance 8/10

This cigar looks very good, it has a light brown wrapper, the cigar felt firm to the touch, and the wrapper has a “sheen” to it. My particular stick had a couple of medium sized veins, but this did not detract to much from the cigars appearance.

Construction & Draw 8.0/10

The construction on this cigar was a little rough, the cap was a little shabby, and the wrapper was slightly loose in places. However it lit well, and throughout its length burnt evenly, so I can forgive it some small issues with construction. Draw as expected from a cigar of this ring gauge was excellent, and the stick produced a lot of lovely smelling smoke.

Flavour 8.5/10

This cigar was definitely medium flavoured, and about half way through you can feel and taste the nicotine. The cigar also had a number of different flavours as it burnt, from a woody and vanilla taste in the beginning, to a stronger more caramel taste later on. This cigar was seriously enjoyable, by the end of the cigar I was wishing it really was a wide Churchill, as I would have had another 45 minutes to look forward to.

Value 8.0/10

At 16 GBP, this cigar represents reasonable value for money, its a few pounds more than other robustos, but its ring gauge is thicker, and there are a lot of flavours going on. I was going to give a score of 7.5, but because I enjoyed this cigar so much I am giving it an 8.0.

Summary 8.5/10

I liked this cigar, I think you can tell from the review, I will be getting a couple more in the future for my humidor. To me this was a very similar smoke to the Cohiba Behike 52 (I will review that cigar later), its just a lot cheaper, on that basis this cigar is in my opinion good value.

Cigar Review: Montechristo No 4

This is a classic cigar, apparently the most popular Cuban cigar (by numbers sold) in the world. So I thought to myself I had better try one and see why everyone seems to buy them. I tried this cigar with a glass of Highland Park 18 yr.

Appearance 8/10

The wrapper is a lovely light brown, with a few small veins, overall the look is very nice, it also has a good oily sheen.

Construction & Draw 8/10

The No4 is well constructed, with a good packing of tobacco. The draw can be just a little tight just after you light it, but the tightness does not last long. The burn on this cigar is even throughout its length.

Flavour 9/10

This is the most important part of the equation, and the No4 does not disappoint. It has a lovely earthy taste to begin with, and produces a good volume of smoke. As you get further through the cigar you will pick up more complex tones, including chocolate and coffee, as you would expect as you get closer to the cap of the cigar the flavours get more intensive.

Value 8.5/10

This is a great cigar for the money, the flavour changes as you smoke the stick, and you really can taste the various flavour transitions.

Summary 8.5/10

All in all a great cigar at a good price, and perfect when you have 45 – 60 minutes to yourself, or when you have a good single malt. This would probably make a good “starter” cigar for someone who has not smoked cigars before, its not too strong but its packed with flavour.