Cigars Reviewed

Archive for the ‘Detailed Reviews’ Category

So the long awaited Room 101 Cigars will soon be out. There are and will be multiple launch parties throughout the US. Be sure to check out Events and News for local dates or visit  Room 101’s Site or Facebook Page for more details.

Room 101 Cigars is the brain child (or love child) of Matt Booth and Camacho Cigars. “It’s an extension of my luxury lifestyle brand and a collaborative effort between myself and Camacho.” –Matt Booth. With such names behind it you can’t but hope it will be great. Matt Booth said in an interview at the IPCPR Trade Show that “It’s a collective of things that I dig, and I love smoking cigars.”… “It’s just another facet of that; it’s just something from my life; it’s my personal meditation cigar smoking.”

I have been very lucky in that I was able to receive a pre-production sample of a Room 101 cigar. The cigar is 5×50 with a Semilla 101 wrapper and Honduran and Dominican binder and filler. Just so everyone knows the Semilla 101 (aka 101 Seed) wrapper is an exclusive and unique leaf developed for the Room 101 line. The filler leaf combinations are also unique to these cigars.

The cigar I am reviewing today has no band (as this is a pre-production); the wrapper is a deep rich chocolate brown with a nice sheen and is smooth with little to no veining. The cap construction is very good and was easy to cut. I had no problems lighting this cigar or keeping it going, it burned beautifully and had a light gray almost white solid ash. The draw was what I consider perfect! Not too hard, not to easy, just right enough to pull through all the flavors (and enjoyment).

Initially it has a smooth rich earthiness with a nice spice note, a nice medium body experience.  Midway through, the mild spice develops into a much richer bolder spice note with hints of pepper and earthy undertones. It was a quick wake-up call that makes you pay attention and is more akin to a full body than a medium. Near the last third of the cigar the pepper y hints are almost gone and the spiciness is again second to the rich earth tones found during the initial light. By now the cigar feels like a full body but the change is well done and welcome.

Earthiness seems to be at the core of this cigar; it runs throughout the cigar and ties it all together. I hope that full production only makes this cigar better. I would smoke it again and with a MSRP ranging from $7 to $10 would highly recommend it.

This Avo Lounge Edition Toro is a 6×50 medium bodied cigar. It has an Ecuadorian 151 sun grown wrapper and a binder/filler made of a blend of Dominican olor, piloto Cubano, and San Vicente tobaccos. This gives it an over all rich smooth earthy flavor with tones of leather, vegetable, and mild cedar notes towards the finish. I received this cigar and many others from Corona Cigar Co and was excited to fire it up. I have smoked Avo cigars before and have never been disappointed, this one is no exeption. In fact I must say the Avo Lounge Edition Toro is one of the best cigars I’ve had, which says a lot seeing that I prefer a full-bodied smoke. Ok now that I’ve hiped it up let me tell you why.

At first sight the Avo Lounge Edition Toro as a lovely medium-brown sun grown wrapper with just some light veining to it. As for its construction, I could find no faults with its perfect cap, consistent color, and a feel that any fine cigar should have. On firing up this cigar you’re meet with a deep rich earthiness that settles into a smooth earthy and leathery flavor with a vegetable note. Midway, and to the end, the vegetable notes are replaced with a wonderful cedar note that brings all the flavors together into perfect balance. This cigar would go nicely with a glass of Porto.

I know if you light up an Avo Lounge Edition Toro you will not be disappointed. So now that your about to go out and get this cigar for yourself Stop! There is only one place to get them and that’s at Corona Cigar Co. Yep, that’s right it’s an exclusive with them! But that is not a problem you can order on-line or if you’re in the Orlando area stop by one of the three Corona Cigar Co. You may even run into me there too.

Cigar Name:Avo Lounge Edition Toro

Size: 6×50

Wrapper: Ecuadorian 151 sun grown wrapper

Binder & Filler:A blend of Dominican olor, piloto Cubano, and San Vicente tobaccos.

Draw & Burn: Perfect

Body: Medium Bodied

Overall Flavor: Earthy, leathery, & notes of cedar.

Rating: 92

So in keeping with the spirit of the 4th of July I wanted to review the CAO America. I picked up a CAO America sampler pack at Corona Cigar Co. over the weekend.

What makes the CAO America cigar unique is that it has two wrapper leaves, a dark brown Connecticut Broad leaf maduro and a golden-brown Connecticut shade wrapper give it a pin-striped look. The binder is from Brazil and the filler is made up from several different leaves: Nicaraguan, Dominican, Italian, and USA. The different fillers help give it a straightforward and full-bodied flavor. 

The cigar I am reviewing for you today is the CAO America Constitution. It’s a 6×50 box-press cigar. I found myself to be quite impressed with this smoke. It is a full-bodied cigar the starts rich and leathery, nutty with a dark coffee note. Midway through it is still rich and smooth with coffee & leather flavors and hints of nut. The finish has smooth and rich roasted coffee and nut flavors that end very well.

This cigar, in my mind, captures the essence of American flavor. I find myself thinking of that classic backyard B-B-Q with burgers grilling and friends enjoying themselves all-around. All this cigar needs is a slice of apple pie to finish that classic American flavor. Scoring an 89 this cigar is a must try for anybody who enjoys a full-bodied smoke.

This Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real No.2 is a 6 1/8 by 52 gauge box pressed Belicoso. It has a Connecticut shade Ecuadorian wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, Dominican and Nicaraguan filler. It’s medium bodied, rich and aromatic with a peppery and woody flavor, and hints of cedar and spice. The wrapper leaf was smooth and flawless.

The cigar burned evenly and had a good draw with no need of a relight. A rich smooth aroma and peppery finish made this cigar very enjoyable. And with a price of around $7.00 it is a very good buy.

I have a love for Romeo Y Julieta cigars and I hold them to high standards; this cigar did not let me down in any way. I rated this Romeo Y Julieta Reserva Real No.2 an 86. This cigar would make a wonderful afternoon smoke or even a beautiful end to a light meal.

Name: Camacho Limited Harvest 2005 

Appearance:Jamastran Valley Honduras wrapper, Light veining.

Burning: Even Burn, solid & white ash, perfect burn rate, no re-lighting needed.

Construction: Good cap construction, perfect draw, wrapper stayed intact.

Taste: Medium bodied, smooth & earthy with a mild spice and leathery notes.

Grade: 92

Final Comments: A fantastic cigar that was smooth & enjoyable to the end.

You can still buy this cigar from the Corona Cigar Co. via the link below:
http://www.coronacigar.com/pc_Camacho_Limited_Harvest_Cigars_pid548.html

Name: NUb Cameroon by Oliva

Appearance: 4×68, Smooth Cameroon Wrapper

Burning: Even burn most of the way. Took about 35-40 min. to smoke.

Construction: Well made cap, good roll, no need to relight, very good draw.

Taste: Smooth and earthy with a veggy note and a hint of spice.  

Grade: A

Final Comments: A well made cigar. I’ve enjoyed my Nub’s and thay will always have a place in my humidors.

If you have a problem viewing this video please click on the following link to view on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6csdAtXOURg

This Cuban Crafters Cubano Claro is a 7×48 Churchill, made with Cuban-seed long-filler and a nice oily Connecticut wrapper. A well construced cigar, nice cap and with just a few large vains in the wrapper. 

The lighting and burning of this cigar was very nice. It has a wonderful draw and solid white ash. The flavor of this cigar started with a robust vegetable taste and toasty notes; smoothing out to a nice medium bodied smoke with a nutty, veggy flavor with hints of chocolate & coffee.

The finish was rich and smooth. I did need to relight once about half way through, but all-in-all a nice smoke. It scored an over all rating of 80. I still have a few more cigars from Cuban Crafters to rate so stay tuned.

CubanCrafters Website

Name: Cuban Crafters Cabinet Selection Toro

Appearance: Habano Wrapper leaf from Ecuador, Habano 2000 Binder, and Cuban Seed Habano Filler.

Burning: Even burn, Good draw, No relight.

Construction: Well Constructed, Wrapper stayed intact.

Taste: Full-bodied, Earthy, Leathery, with spice notes.

Grade: A

Final Comments:  This was a wonderful rich, smooth cigar. I smoked it to a nub.

You can buy this cigar at www.cubancrafters.com
Cuban Crafters also offers a premium cigar sampler.

If you have a problem viewing this video please click on the following link to view it on
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA8NHWfruQQ.

You can buy the CAO Escaparate Costa Rica form Corona Cigars Co.; the link is at the bottom. Hope this helps you in your quest to find a better smoke. For those of you that have an iPhone you can see this video at:  YouTube.

http://www.coronacigar.com/pc_CAO_Escaparate_Costa_Rican_Maduro_-_A_CCC_Exclusive_pid510.html

OK, so today I have a Punch Rare Corojo to review for you. Here is a little background for those who are not familiar with the brand.

The original Punch cigar was created in Cuba around 1840 by a cigar manufacturer called Manuel Lopez. The cigar is named after Mr. Punch, the cantankerous half of the Punch and Judy puppet shows. It is currently produced in Honduras for Villazon Company and was first imported from there in 1969. Punch cigars are know for their bold, full-body taste.

So there you go, a little history lesson for you. Anyway back to the review. 

The Rare Corojo that I’m reviewing is a box press Magnum 5.25 x 54, Ecuadoran Sumatra wrapper, Connecticut Broad leaf binder, Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican filler, and is produced in small quantities. 

I found this cigar to have an earthy and woody flavor that became bolder about half way then smoothed back out. It burned a little uneven and a few times I fought to keep it lit but it never went out. Aside from that I enjoyed the full-body flavor and richness this cigar had to offer. I look forward to reviewing others in the Punch line.

So what’s the bottom line? It’s good and you should try one for yourself. That’s it for now, till my next review remember “It’s simply about the cigar.”