Review: La ABEJA Maduro robusto

As readers of this blog will know I am quite a fan of La ABEJA cigars, having given the Corona a rating of 8.5. As you may recall the La ABEJR cigar company was started by the humidor manager from The Party Source, I was pretty convinced that mine was the first UK review of this brand of cigars, and I am relatively confident that this is the first UK review of the new Maduro.

So the question is will the Maduro match or exceed the score of the Corona…..

Appearance 9.0/10

The wrapper is a lovely dark chocolate brown, has a slight oily sheen to it, and is very well constructed with tight seams. The cigar has quite a number of small veins with some tooth. The Cap looks great as you can see from the picture I took of the cigar, one clever touch is that the colours on the bands are reversed so the Maduro is black text on white, as opposed to white text on black.

Construction & Draw 8.5/10

I have to be honest at this point, I have had two of these Maduro’s and the first one I tried had a relatively tight draw for the first inch or so, the second one had an absolutely perfect draw. Bearing in mind all the other La ABEJA cigars I have smoked have had a perfect draw I think this was just a one off, even so I have only dropped the score by 0.5 to reflect the first cigar.

The cigar is well packed with tobacco as with all La ABEJA cigars (which my explain why the draw was tight on one of the Maduro’s), cap construction is excellent and my Palio gave a very clean cut.

The burn line on this cigar was almost perfect and required no corrections or touch ups, I ashed the cigar at around and inch, but I suspect that it would have supported a much longer ash. This cigar produced a large volume of smoke

Flavour 9.0/10

I seriously enjoyed the flavour profile of this cigar, I really like smooth strong cigars with hints of coffee, cocoa, caramel etc, so as you can imagine I do enjoy Maduro’s a lot, and this one had all the flavours that I look for.

The cigar kicked off with a punch of white pepper, this continued for the first few draws, then quickly settled down, the cigar has an earthy flavour with a slight floral hint, the finish on this cigar is quite short to begin with. As I progressed through the first third there was a strong leather note, and any residual pepper backed off into the background, this cigar is very smooth.

In the second third of this cigar as well as the flavours already mentioned, I detected hints of caramel, and an interesting cocoa flavour, the reason I say it was interesting is more than in any other cigar I have smoked it had an actual cocoa powder taste, you could almost imagine the texture of the powder on your tongue.

The final third was as smooth and tasty as the first two thirds, towards the end the pepper picked up a little, but this cigar remained smooth and cool to the finish.

Value 8.5/10

At around 9 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. This gets the same value rating as the Corona as although it is around a dollar more expensive, I think its justifies the extra.

Summary 9.0/10

So yet another La ABEJA cigar that really hit the spot, if you cant guess I really enjoyed this cigar, its well constructed, has a great flavour profile. There is not really a lot else to say, I think La ABEJA have a great cigar here, and I will be looking to get some more in my humidor soon..

Review: Four Kicks Seleccion No.5

I had never heard of this cigar before (probably because I live in the UK where you cant get the majority of the cigars you can in the USA), so I had no idea what the expect, couple this with the relatively slim ring gauge and the length and I was not expecting a lot.

So lets see how this cigar performs…

Appearance 9.0/10

This is a very elegant looking cigar, its length and slim size give it that classic cigar look. The band is small and classy, with its well printed gold and white pattern on a deep red background. The wrapper looks great and is medium brown.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

Construction on this cigar is excellent, the wrapper if almost perfect, there is very little tooth, only a few veins, tight seams, and very clean cap construction. There were no soft or hard spots on the cigar, and it was well packed with tobacco.

I was worried about the draw due to the relatively narrow ring gauge, I clipped the cap with ease and the pre-light draw was perfect, just enough resistance, not at all what I expected. The burn line on this cigar was razor sharp and required no touch ups.

Flavour 8.5/10

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.

Value 8.0/10

This cigar retails at around 7.50 USD, which puts it up against a number of accomplished cigars, and its not at the budget end of the price range for a cigar of this size. However I think the construction quality and flavour profile of this cigar make the price well worth paying. Value for money is not always about the lowest price, and I think these cigars offer pretty good value for money.

Summary 9.0/10

This cigar certainly exceeded my expectations, the narrow ring gauge made me worry about the draw but it was perfect, and the general construction was excellent. This is not a power house cigar, but its a great smoke with a sophisticated flavour profile that you could smoke at any time of the day, it would also make a good introduction to cigars for a newbie.

I will certainly be looking to sample more four kicks cigars, and when I have a little space in the humidor I plan to put a few away.

Get your Four Kicks Seleccion No.5 Here…

 

Review: La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel

A very interesting cigar for review today, I have had some La Flor Dominicana cigars before, an I really enjoyed the Airbender, so I was hoping this would be another good stick. What’s really interesting about this cigar is the cap, or the “chisel” I have never had a cigar like this and I was really worried about the draw as the chisel cap is very thin. But lets see how it smoked.

Appearance 9.0/10

This is a great if “odd” looking stick, the wrapper is a lovely brown colour with some tooth, and some small veins. The band is quite big for the cigar but is nice looking and well printed. What makes this cigar look “interesting” is the chisel, it just looks quite odd for a cigar, but you have to admire the effort and attention to detail that was put in to the rolling to get the cap shape. All in all an excellent and interesting looking cigar.

Construction & Draw 9.5/10

I have to say the construction of this cigar was almost perfect, indeed all that stopped it getting a rating of 10 was a tiny spot of glue on the band that stuck to the cigar and slightly damaged the wrapper (but not too badly). Other than that its well packed with tobacco, there are no soft spots, the wrapped has some tooth as mentioned, but is very well constructed with only small veins.

What really sets this cigar apart is the chisel, I cant image how much attention to detail you need to get that shape and not impact the draw, so hats of to the people producing these sticks.

I will pass on the piece of advice that was given to me with the cigar, cut as close to the end of the cap as you can, if its not enough you can cut more but too much would be a disaster. I just clipped about 3-5 mm off the end and that was enough to get a perfect draw, and when I say perfect I mean perfect. The draw was a real surprise with this cigar, because of how narrow the cap is I expected it to be, if not very tight, then tight, but it was spot on amazing.

Flavour 8.5/10

First a word of warning, don’t let this cigar fool you it is medium – full strength, I found this cigar to be extremely smooth, more so than other LFD cigars, so I didn’t think about its strength until about 2/3rd’s of the way though when it suddenly hit me and reminded me it packs a punch.

The cigar starts off with a good white pepper kick which quickly settles down, but remains throughout the cigar to balance the other flavours. The cigar also starts off with a slight sweetness, and a hint of woodiness, these coupled with the back note of white pepper create quite a complex taste and one that plays on the palate. About half way through there was a note of leather and a stronger note of coffee mixed in with the other flavours. In the last third the pepper picked up and the sweetness came to the fore.

What was very interesting and unexpected about this cigar is that all the way through it was smooth, and cool, I know that sounds odd but the draw was cool, I had expected it to be hot as the cap is so thin.

Value 9.0/10

These cigars are around £10 in the UK, so slightly cheaper than a good robusto, and I think excellent value for money, for a cool, smooth, complex cigar with a kick !

Summary 9.0/10

This cigar is available at a large number of cigar merchants in the UK, so you should be able to get hold of them quite easily. I am certainly thinking about getting some for my humidor as the chisel cap gives a unique cigar experience, and the flavours are really good. Just dont fall into the trap I did of not appreciating how strong a cigar this is because it is so smooth, one for after a meal or with a drink, and probably not for cigar newbies!

Review: Oliva Connecticut Reserve Churchill

Two Oliva cigar reviews in a row, anyone would think that I like Oliva cigars, oh wait I do ! I have not seen this cigar for sale in the UK, this stick was gifted to me by my very generous American friend, along with the items in my last post.

This is a connecticut wrapper which is a departure from the rest of the Oliva cigars I have smoked, and as such I am expecting this to be quite a mild stick.

Appearance 9.5/10

As always with Oliva cigars the construction is near perfect, you can see from the picture how good this cigar looks. The wrapper is a lovely light to medium brown, with very few veins, the band is simple yet effective. All in all a very classy looking cigar.

Construction & Draw 9.5/10

The construction of this cigar matches its looks, the wrapper is near perfect, no marks or blemishes, the cap construction is perfect. I thought this cigar was going to get a 10 for construction but there was one soft spot about 2/3 of the way down the stick, whilst it was only a little softer, and quite small, it just stops this being a 10/10 cigar for construction and draw.

As expected I got a very clean cut, and the draw was pretty much spot on, sometimes I find long and medium gauge cigars like Churchills or Double Corona’s can have a slightly tight draw due to their length/gauge, but this was near perfect. The burn line on this cigar was absolutely perfect.

Flavour 8.0/10

This is a light to medium strength cigar, the pre-light draw had some pepper and spice, with a note of cocoa. The initial inch reflected the pre-light draw with some pepper and spice, after this the cigar settled and I detected hints of vanilla, a slight sweetness, and a nutty note.

I would describe the general flavour profile as creamy and smooth, in the last third of the cigar the nutty note became more pronounced, as did the vanilla, the pepper and spice also returned as I got close to the nub. Whilst this cigar did have some flavour transitions, this is not the most complex cigar in the world, it is not packed with lots of different flavours, but the ones it has are very pleasant.

Value 9.0/10

Around 6 USD this cigar represents excellent value for money. Getting a good Churchill cigar for this price is impressive, getting a really good Churchill cigar, that is fantastically constructed, with a perfect draw and burn, and a very good flavour profile is quite an achievement, and thats why it gets 9.0/10.

Summary 9.0/10

I really liked this cigar, the conneticut wrapper makes a nice change from the Habano Sun Grown wrappers on most of the other Oliva cigars I have enjoyed, and from time to time a more gentle light to medium cigar hits the spot.

This cigar ticks all the boxes, great price, great construction and draw, the only thing for me that stops this being a 10 is the flavour profile is a little static. All in all a cracking cigar and one I would have in my humidor again.

Review: PDR 1878 Reserva Dominicana Capa Habana Robusto

My friend in the USA sent me this cigar quite a while ago, but for some reason I never picked it out of my humidor, so this weekend I decided it was about time to give this stick a try. It turned out to be a very good stick, and when I found out how much it cost I was very surprised, read on….

Appearance 9.0/10

This is a really good looking stick, the wrapper is a nice medium dark brown, with some darker spots, and it has a nice oily sheen to it. The little pig tail on the cap is nice, and the bands are pretty good looking in their silver and blue, so all in all a good start. This is the first cigar I have had with a closed foot, so I was a little nervous about lighting it.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

Construction is very good, the cigar has only a few small veins, the wrapper as mentioned has a lovely oily sheen. Cap construction is excellent with no visible seems, and the pig tail is very tight and neat. Squeezing the cigar revealed a tightly packed stick with no hard or soft spots. The closed foot is nice, and despite my concerns lighting the stick was easy.

After cutting the pre-light draw had a tobacco taste, but no other flavours came through, the draw throughout this cigar was easy with just the correct amount of resistance.

Flavour 8.0/10

The first third of this cigar had quite strong pepper flavours along with a strong tobacco taste, I am not a big fan of really strong pepper, but this was kept under control and seemed to work well with the tobacco. In the second third of the cigar the pepper backed off and the tobacco became really creamy, and there was a slight hint of earthiness or nut at times, for me this really hit the spot, with the pepper just accentuating and bringing out these lovely flavours on the tongue.

The final third of the stick was pretty similar to the second third, but the pepper did pick up a little and I think the strength moved to medium-strong, from the mild-medium strength of the rest of the cigar. The cigar managed to stay cool pretty much to then end, and only stated to get a bit bitter when I was about 1 inch from the cap.

Value 9.5/10

I was pretty surprised when I looked up the price for this cigar and discovered it was only 5.50 USD. From the construction, draw, and flavour I really expected it to cost quite a bit more than this, so this cigar offers exceptional value for money, which is why it gets such a high value rating.

Summary 9.0/10

This is a great stick for the money, whilst I dont smoke a cigar everyday, if you did this cigar would give you a really satisfying smoke without breaking the bank. If only we could get cigars of this quality at this price in the UK, even if we did not get the dollar to pound conversion and we had to pay 5.50 GBP this would still be an amazing cigar for the money.

So whilst we in the UK cant get these, if your in the USA I would say that this is a great, cheap, addition to your humidor…

Review: Cohiba Siglo IV

If you have been reading this blog you will know that about 1 year ago I smoked my first cigar, it was a Siglo II, so almost a year on I thought I would try a large Siglo, and I chose the IV.

I was hoping that the Siglo IV would be a slightly stronger, richer cigar, and as its bigger would perhaps have slightly more complexity, at the very least if its as good as the II but takes longer to smoke that would be acceptable.

Appearance 9.5/10

This cigar has a lovely medium brown colour wrapper, has small veins, and its construction was exceptional, the cigar was well packed with no hard or soft spots.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

This cigar is just as well constructed as the Siglo II, the draw on this cigar was absolutely perfect, it was easy and cool from start to finish. The burn on this cigar was razor sharp, and needed no correction.

Flavour 9.0/10

Unlike the Siglo II I think this cigar is stronger, I would say this is a medium to full strength cigar from the start, and as hoped it did taste slightly richer, by the end I would classify this cigar as full strength.

The IV is every bit as smooth and creamy as the II, it started off with strong coffee flavours, and developed vanilla tones at around half way. In the last third I picked up a hay/flowery note which just added nicely to the flavour profile.

Value 8.0/10

As I mentioned in my last Siglo review, there is no getting away from it the entire Cohiba Siglo range is expensive compared to other cigars, the Siglo IV is no exception. However I have given the IV a slightly higher value score than the II, the reason is that it has a slightly more complex flavour profile, and I think the size/cost is slightly better.

Summary 9.0/10

In many ways this is almost just a bigger version of the II, but for me I enjoyed its extra strength and richness, and this makes me more likely to choose the IV over the II. Yes these are expensive, but they are also a great smoke, whilst I could never justify a box of these in the humidor, it would be nice to have one always on hand….

Review: Drew Estates – Liga Privada Feral Flying Pig

This cigar is not available as far as I am aware in the UK, which is a great shame, as apart from a very odd name, this is an unusual and epic cigar…

Appearance 9.5/10

Just take a look at the picture (for once I managed to take a good one), its a very good looking stick. The wrapper is dark and very oily, and its got a great little pig tail cap, its also a pretty fat cigar at 60 inches, to be honest I expected this cigar to be a little overwhelming but it was not.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

The construction of this cigar is extremely good, the wrapper is dark and oily, there are no soft spots anywhere on the cigar. The only thing that slightly detracts from the appearance of the one I had were a couple of quite large veins.

I have never had a cigar with a pig tail before, and I wondered if it would make it harder to cut the cap, luckily this did not turn out to be the case and I got a very clean cut.

The cigar had an interesting musty smell prior to the cut, the draw was perfect (as you would hope from a cigar of this ring gauge), the pre-light draw consisted of strong coffee and cocoa flavours. The burn line on this cigar was sharp and straight for the entire length of the cigar, and it required no correction or re-lights.

Flavour 9.5/10

I had expected this cigar to be a powerhouse and knock me for six, but I was wrong, whilst this is a medium – strong strength cigar, the power is tempered with an amazing richness, in fact if there was one word I would use to describe this cigar its rich.

The flavour profile of this cigar changes many times during its life, you get wonderful blends of strong coffee’s, some rich chocolate (cocoa), about halfway through I detected a strong vanilla note coming through, and in the last third a slightly nutty tone.

I could go on for ages dissecting the flavour of this cigar, however there is one unique thing about this cigar that just tops the whole experience off, the smoke. This is going to sound odd, but the smoke from this cigar is so rich and smooth in your mouth it feels more than smoke, its like a light cream or treacle, its almost as if its tangible and you feel its more than smoke. I probably have not explained that very well, but it was incredibly enjoyable, and I have never had a cigar’s smoke feel like this.

Value 8.5/10

I believe this retails at around 17 USD, which for a cigar in the states is pretty expensive, I would expect that if these were available in the UK they would be somewhere around the 25 GBP mark. For this reason I knocked off a point and a half, but even at this price the construction and flavour still make this cigar very good value for the quality of the experience.

Summary 9.5/10

I absolutely loved this cigar, the only problem I have is that I only had two of them, so now I only have one left. This as I mentioned earlier in the review is an epic cigar, it was insanely tasty, and in some ways unlike any other cigar I have smoked so far, and its for this reason, that even though it is a little expensive its so good I have to give it 9.5.

If your in the UK and you visit the USA make sure you pick some up if you can find them (and send me one), and for anyone in the cigar importing business, please please start bringing them into the UK!

Review: C.Gars Nicaraguan Selection – Robusto

Firstly sorry about the picture, for some reason I did not check it before smoking the cigar, so by the time I came to write this review and looked at the picture it was too late. I have infact had a couple of these sticks but at no point did I think about checking if I had a good picture…. idiot!

As you know I am a fan of Robusto sized cigars, and I was hoping this well priced stick from CGars would be a good cheap alternative to Cuban robusto’s like the BRC.

Appearance 8.5/10

The wrapper is dark brown, and quite well constructed. There were some small long veins in the wrapper, cap construction was very good. Pre-light aroma was mostly tobacco and a hint of leather. The band is quite plain being just red with gold writing, but its well printed, and not too flashy.

Construction & Draw 9.0/10

The construction of this cigar is very good, especially for the price, its well packed, and the stick was firm with no soft spots. The pre-light draw was similar to the pre-light aroma, however I also detected some sweet notes.

The draw on these cigars has been excellent, with just the correct amount of resistance, the burn line is good, a couple of small wobbles, but they soon corrected themselves without my intervention.

Flavour 8.0/10

This is a medium to full flavour cigar, which to my taste was strong and rich. It has a good tobacco flavour, and as the pre-light draw suggested had a sweet leather taste to it, there was also a slight peppery spice to the cigar as you would expect from a Nicaraguan stick, but it was well controlled and never harsh.

The flavour profile was pretty static until around the second half of the cigar, when a tasty nutty note came through which was a nice addition.

Value 9.5/10

This cigar is exclusive to CGars, and at 7.99 GBP I think it represents excellent value for money in the UK market. Okay its not quite a BRC, lacking some of the strength and change in flavour profile of that cigar, but at almost half the price its a great cigar and is excellent value.

Summary 9.0/10

You cant argue with the value on offer here, this is a great cigar for the money, its well constructed, with a controlled and rich flavour, and after having had a few of these sticks the consitant quality for a cheap cigar is impressive.

I was going to give this cigar an overall 8.5 rating, but the great price of these sticks requires me to give them an extra half point.

I think these will get better the longer they are in the humidor, I certainly plan to get a few more so I can see, and I advise you to do the same.

Review: La Flor Dominicana Air Bender Matalan

Tonight for review we have another cigar that was sent to me by my friend from the United States, I have had a look and I do not believe this cigar is available in the UK at the moment, unless you order on-line from Europe and chance it.

Its a robusto sized cigar (one of my favourite cigar sizes), and I spend a very pleasant hour and a half with it, I just wish it was available in the UK.

Appearance 8/10

This is a very nice looking cigar, and for once the picture I took does a cigar justice. The wrapper is a dark chocolate brown, with nice small veins, it also has a lovely oily sheen to the wrapper. The band is very good looking, and extremely well printed.

Construction & Draw 9/10

The construction of this cigar is excellent, the wrapper is tight with no marks or spots, the cap construction is excellent, and I got a very clean cut. The cigar was very firm to the touch, perhaps a little to firm and I was a little concerned that the tobacco might be too tightly pack resulting in a difficult draw. I need not have worried, although the cigar was tightly packed the draw was excellent. The burn line on the cigar was excellent, no touch ups were required, the stick supported about an inch of ash before it fell.

Flavour 9/10

Firstly I would not suggest that you try this cigar on an empty stomach, it is a strong cigar and packs quite a punch. Pre-light draw suggested quite a bit of spice, and left a little tang on the tongue for a few seconds, I could also detect a slight taste of wood, toasting the foot of the cigar produced a slightly sweet note.

The first inch or so of this cigar was very spicy, not overpowering but just like the pre-light draw you could taste a zing on the tongue. The cigar defiantly started out at full strength, and I was a little concerned that this stick would be to strong and peppery for my tastes, but after the first inch or so the pepper backed off and the strength dropped to medium-full. About half way through the cigar the flavour profile changed and I could taste some chocolate/cocoa and leather, the last third became a little stronger, there was a hint of coffee and a floral note, towards the very end of the cigar the peppery taste picked up.

Value 9.0/10

At around 8 USD per stick I think this cigar represents excellent value for money, the construction is excellent, but what impressed me most were the flavour transitions, this cigar really evolves as you smoke it, which makes for a very rewarding experience.

Summary 9.0/10

I really did like this cigar, I was initially worried that this cigar would be too spicy for me, and that the strength would be a little overpowering. In the end the balance was just about correct, and the different flavours made the time I spent with this cigar very enjoyable, I really enjoy cigars that change and evolve as you smoke them.

This is a cigar that deserves a place in your humidor, I just wish you could get these easily in the UK, until then getting more is going to be difficult.

Review: Partagas Serie D No 4

Apparently this is one of the most popular Cuban cigars on the market, and yet I have never smoked one before.

I really like Robust sized cigars, and having enjoyed the Juan Lopez No2, and the Bolivar Royal Corona, I was looking forward to this cigar, especially as many people rate this cigar very highly.

Appearance 9.0/10

The wrapper is a lovely brown, and is very well constructed. There were a couple of medium sized veins in the cigar I smoked, but the cap was well constructed and the pre-light aroma was lovely. I have to say that the band is a little nondescript, but I guess some would argue its classic rather than flashy.

Construction & Draw 8.0/10

Construction is excellent, its a firm cigar well packed with tobacco, the draw on this stick is extremely good, it produced a large volume of lovely smelling smoke. The reason this cigar only gets a 8.0 is that I had to use my lighter to correct the burn on two occasions, which was a little disappointing.

Flavour 9.0/10

The cigar started out surprisingly peppery, nothing overpowering or bitter, just stronger than I expected, coupled with this was a woody undertone. As you continue to smoke this cigar this peppery taste backs off, it starts to get smoother, and you begin to pick up a vanilla or creamy taste, the further you get the more pronounced these flavours are.  The last third of this cigar is absolutely delicious.

Value 9.5/10

The flavor, construction, and sophistication on this cigar, coupled with the fact that it retails for 12.00 makes this a good value cigar, and on a par value wise with the BRC.

Summary 9.0/10

This cigar shares the same format as the Bolivar RC, and it does remind you of the BRC as you smoke it. For me its has a little more depth of flavour, and there is a more noticeable transition of flavors as you smoke the stick, however the BRC seems stronger and more importantly “richer” as a smoke.

Choosing between the two really depends on how you are feeling, if you want a strong rich smoke go for the BRC, if you want a little more subtlety in flavour go with the No4, the main reason that this scores slightly less than the BRC is that I had to correct the burn on two occasions.