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Hi all, Today I am smoking the Rafael Gonzales Panetelas Extra. It is a mild Cuban cigar. It is apparently a Panatela vitola, which I hadn't heard of before. Let's see what it's like! 1st third: It was 9:10 PM in my backyard so it was dark and cool. I decided to do this one by myself so I can focus on the review. I had just gotten back from a D&D session. The dry draw didn't taste like much and it smelled of honey at first. I noticed a heavy peppery taste which only got stronger as I smoked. This cigar seems quite spicy. It is also somewhat bitter at this point. 2nd third: There were no new flavours. I tried to see how long I could keep the ash going without dropping it so I could get a picture for everyone. See attached photos. The pepper and bitterness did calm down and it became a smoother ride. 3rd third: As usual, the third part of the cigar was smokier than the rest, and the draw started to get worse at the end. I smoked it until I could barely hold it with my fingers. Overall, I enjoyed the cigar. It was a nice de-stressing experience after a busy day. I would say the construction of the cigar was decent. It was in good condition when I got it; I didn't see any cracks or anything else off about the outside of the cigar. It did burn unevenly at some points but not so much that it was a big problem. The flavour was ok. I didn't find anything unique about it in terms of flavour other than that it was unusually spicy. The flavour was really mild, which is in line with what I read online. I would recommend it. Aesthethics: 75/100 Construction: 75/100 Flavour: 75/100 Overall rating: 75/100 Smoking time: 40 minutes

Hi all, I like the idea of doing written reviews of cigars so I am going to try writing one out for one of my go-to cigars, the Romeo Y Julieta No. 2. I have tried the Romeo Y Julieta No. 2 several times and I generally like it. It is of course a Cuban cigar, a Petit Corona with a lighter colour, Colorado. It is rated as a medium flavour. Without further ado, let us get into how it turned out. 1st third: It was a warm and sunny day and I was in my backyard talking on video chat with my brother. I lit the cigar, and as I have become accustomed to, I was hit with a lot of flavour. I don't remember much more than what I would describe as a strong and bitter flavour. 2nd third: The 2nd third was milder and was the best part of the cigar. It was still bitter but it calmed down from the burst that it started out with and I found it be pretty smooth. 3rd third: The third third saw the transition from a calmer and smooth flavour into a smokier and harsher draw. I hung on for a while but eventually put it down because I don't really like this part of a cigar past a certain point. Overall, I would rate the cigar as 75 points out of 100. The Romeo Y Julieta No. 2 is nostalgic for me because I first smoked one in Cuba during a really lovely trip and I have been smoking them for a long time. I think it's a smooth cigar and it's an enjoyable experience but I didn't find a lot of unique flavours or flavours that I loved like I have found in cigars like the Macanudo Inspirado Broadleaf. I will smoke it again because it has a sentimental value and it is enjoyable but it won't be as much at the top of my list after spending some time thinking about it. Hope y'all enjoyed and that you have a lovely day!

A preface. I try to avoid hyperbole when I review... anything. I won't be able to help myself here. Second, want to give a huge shoutout to /u/kswicky13 on Reddit for including five of these amazing Warped La Colmena Amado 44s in our recent trade. This was my introduction and... wow. (also this is cross posted from Reddit) So the Warped La Colmena cigar line. Halfwheel has written it up a few times, including this review for the Unico Especial version. Category 9 rollers. Perfect wrap. Perfect covered foot. Interesting unique roll. And "colmena" having to do with bees. Thats a hint. Time to fire one up. Prelight, First puffs The smell of the cigar is actually quite subtle. Nothing really strong, and while Halfwheel guys say "barbeque" as the prelight smell, I got more of a sassafras smell than anything else. Noticed the sassafras and vanilla on the predraw, which was tight (I blame the covered foot). Lighting it up a painless joy - that covered foot makes the job so nice.Razor sharp initial burn. Draw was perfect now that the foot's been burned through. First few tastes, from my taste notebook: sweet. right away. creamy sweet. no sassafras in the taste now. vanilla cream with wood. slightest pepper. more pepper and I'm drawing too quick. slow down. tastes like the best cuban cigar ever. except it's not. First half More tasting notes direct from the book: vanilla's gone, but this is getting even sweeter than before. creamy texture, viscous taste. so good. yep. there's honey. honest to goodness honey. not hints of honey. soft, not tangy honey. wow. slow down my draws. nuts and honey. macadamia nut. it's like the best possible cuban cigar that isn't. very mild cinnamon too. super mild, just on retrohale. The cigar Some further first half notes from memory: this cigar is a perfectly balanced cigar by this point. Flavourful to the max, medium strength though. Burn line continues to be perfect. Zero need for corrections. Last half More flavour notes from the notebook: nutty honey. sweet! are you sure this isn't infused? getting more delicate and detailed in the flavours so many I struggle to name them. floral notes. honey staying strong, but changing into a bit sharper honey. there's a wood. I don't want to say cedar, it just like fresh cuttings. cream is still there. sweet cream. wow. The cigar Some further notes from memory: this cigar keep upping the complexity. There's at least a dozen flavours I didn't write down or identify. Complexity comes to mind. I had to purge once when I got to the band, and it opened up the cigar all over again to soft cream honey. can you believe it - some wintergreen / sassafras makes a comeback at the end! Smoked to the nub. What an amazing cigar. Now the hyperbole. I've had some fantastic cigars this year, but I struggle to think of one that was better than this one, for my taste. The only time I got any harshness was when, in my excitement over the taste, I smoked it too fast. Slowed it down, and balance was renewed. Smoke production wasn't huge but fine. The ash was super solid. I'd get 3cm, 4cm in and still required a bit of tap force to knock off. Burn line remained razor sharp the entire cigar. A winner. Best cigar I've had in a year... maybe longer.

Ahhh Davidoff. Money. Money for brands. Or quality. Owns their own plantations, and it's all quality. Those seem to be the two views of Davidoff by many #botls - it's either just an overpriced brand name, or it's a pure quality stick. I'm kind of in both camps. I know that, because the cigars gotta go to Geneva first before striking out in the world, that's a good chunk of the cost, as is the "Davidoff" brand name premium added. But... while I've only had five or six Davidoff cigars in my life up till now, every one has been very good, or better. So recently, I ordered a 5'er of the Puro D'Oro sticks and decided to give them a try. Here's my review of the Davidoff Puro D'Oro Notables cigar. (I should note, my flavour lists below are pretty much as I jotted them down, stream of thought version, while having the cigar). Prelight - nose off side is pure rich tobacco with cedar and leather, very enticing. Prelight draw is dry cocoa. Cigar is slightly spongy (squeezes easily) has me concerned about burn quality. Initial tastes - very very subtle citrus with vanilla. It's like a citrus mix salad with vanilla cream, but x 5% max. Served in a fresh cut wood bowl. Again x 5% Retrohale has a kind of wintergreen / root beer kind of feeling, but light. Retrohale is super easy with this cigar. Medium to full bodied cigar - it's strong, not in nic, but in just bam impact. No worries on burn quality - perfect burn line, perfect draw. Copious smoke production. Ash falls off at 3cm. Middle tastes - retrohale is friggin' fantastic - sweet with leather, cocoa and a mild rootbeery spice. Cigar's getting complex. Tasting cocoa again, citrus is gone, slight pepper notes (geez, does every single cigar have pepper at some point!). Now something interesting - getting a slight hint of menthol! or eucalyptus! Won't go as far to say honey's there, but it's more toward eucalyptus (mint with honey) than menthol! Pairing this against an americano coffee, but haven't had any since starting the cigar. Just did now. there's an effervescence to the middle third of this cigar. Very nice! Burn's perfect. Draw's perfect. Smoke production off the charts - surely my condo neighbours are going to complain. Final tastes - The tastes in the middle held on for a bit. Got a bit funky spicy peppery. Did a purge, helped a lot, but the nicotine is dominating here. Time to put it out. Lasted about 85 minutes. Pros Great starting smells Great construction (though it looks rustic visually) Wintergreen! Eucalyptus! Great Retrohale If you're into big smoke, this has got it Razor sharp burn line entire smoke Negatories last third / quarter / fifth not so great Lots of nicotine hits near end (pepper reps) Expensive (roughly $15USD/stick) Really fantastic for 3/5ths the cigar, and still enjoyable in the fourth fifth, but it's a nicotine bomb near the end, which dominates, as (IMO, but studies show this too) nicotine contributes the peppery flavours tasted. Overall a really nice smoke, but putting this up against the recent La Colmenas from Warped that I had, (similar price points) it's no contest - the Warped wins out. Still, a cigar that I think is worth the price... barely. (caveat - in Canada where this cigar is over $60 CAD locally - I wouldn't pay that) The Photos NB: cross posted from /r/cigars.

A preface: I have a background in evaluating coffees professionally. A lot of my education, experience and built up skill set in this regard carries over to evaluating cigars; that said, some "coffee cupping" terminology I'm used to might carry over to my cigar evaluations and may not make sense. I also posted this to /r/cigars a few days ago. Preamble Let's just get one thing out of the way: I dig the shape, and that's the only reason I bought this cigar: the Oliva Serie O Perfecto Natural (non Maduro). That torpedo shape! Oh my. And executed so well. It's not often I see a more "refined" looking cigar; the seams... wait, where's the seams? I can't see them! The colour: a nice medium brown, pretty much the exact colour of a "city" roast (light, but not too light) roast of coffee. No surface oil, but still a nice brown, not muted at all. So I bought it for looks (TBT, I bought a whole range of Olivas to try them out - Gs, Os, Vs, Specials, Maduros, you name it, but when I was picking my Serie O's out, I gravitated right away to this perfecto)... as I was saying, I bought it for the looks; does it deliver? Let's see. The Ceeeegar As mentioned, the cigar up for review is the Oliva Serie O Perfecto. 5x55; the size is, well, perfecto. The wrapper, filler and binder are all Nicaraguan Habano seed stuff grown in Esteli, Condega and Jalapa Valley regions of Nicaragua. I guess that's like taking a native Ethiopian sub genus of coffee (like the Gesha varietal) and growing it in Panama or some thing like that. Bought mine at omitted (pm me if you want to know where), which has decent prices on it (prices removed - pm me if you are interested). To provide for pity-enticement from our American #botls towards us poor Canucks, the local Vancouver price is $19.50 for these sticks. Predraw, Pairings, and Stuff I'm a bit torn on pairing cigars with a beverage, and then reviewing it. Your pairing element is always gonna screw up the taste analysis of the cigar, there's no way around it. But what the fuck, I'm doing this for enjoyment, not for scientific analysis, so take it for what it's worth. If I were doing this, aherm, perfessionallike, it'd be paired with soda water and nothing else. But in this case, I paired this cigar up with a capable Smith Woodhouse 2002 Late Bottle Vintage Port (and a healthy pour at that!). Sidenote - that LBV is pouring SWEEEEEEET BEJEBUS! It's around $33 in British Columbia, which means you can probably score it in the USA for around $5? Maybe $7? Heh. (What I'm trying to over emphasise is this: we're taxed to the moon here on sin items like booze and cigars). Being relatively new to perfecto sizes, I always kinda don't know where to chop off the mouth end, so I default to about 5 or 7mm, draw, and if the draw is good, call it a day on chopping things off the cigar. 6 to 7mm worked for me on the Oliva Serie O Perfecto. Smelling the side of the cigar was pure barnyard. Pure. Like hay, dirt, manure, but the sorta okay type of manure. I don't quite get why this is a "good thing" in the cigar world, but I'll just say, it wasn't offensive, but not something that would appeal to me either. The predraw was interesting - I got mocha, caramel and peppers (not pepper, but peppers, like cascabel peppers). Let's fire this thing up. Lighting, first flavours So I read that cigar snobs don't like you breaking down perfectos into thirds. OKFINE!!! sheesh. So I won't. Let's have first flavours, (followed by second flavours and third flavours - lol!). But yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want perfectos evaluated in thirds like a traditional cigar: because of the expanding shape, followed by the narrowing shape as you smoke, it could get funny. Lighting it up was not a great sign visually, as the cigar immediately started to over burn on the right side (staring down at it from the in-your-mouth end). I had to correct it within the first 3 draws. Ruh roh. Initial flavours were nice; I got a creamy pepper (pepper this time, not peppers) spicy adventure that'd I'd call medium flavour, maybe even mild (I see this cigar rated as a full, intense even, flavour cigar... I don't think so!). Draw was fantastic. Not so much fantastic was the burn issues for the first inch of the cigar -- had to do several corrections -- the wet your finger and touch the long burn side trick, the slight torch trick, the rotate it 180 degrees trick. As I worked on the cigar (what? worked? Dude, you were enjoying the cigar, not working on it!), I noticed a really nice taste of anise on my palate between puffs. Wasn't there in the draws, but present after. That's pretty good! Next taste to make an appearance: dry cocoa and roasted walnuts. In a very good way. I was also enjoying my LBV Port, which is so friggin' decadent, that I think it disguised any native sweetness in the cigar. I say that because, while the cigar was in no way bitter or flat, I wasn't getting any claimed 'sweetness' out of it. It's probably there though, remember what pairing can do Next flavours Pepper faded off, dry cocoa became more a high % chocolate (again, without sweetness) and rearing its head, well worn leather. The walnuts were still there, but just barely. Wood and earth were present too; good earth, the kind you want to sit down in and read a book enjoying a slight breeze. The burn had evened out by this point, but started to notice a problem with the wrapper - it was coming undone at the burn line! Oh dear, call the medics!) Well, okay, it wasn't that bad. As I noticed the wrapper issues, I started to get bare hints of coffee - a light roast coffee in a leather bag. Barely. Last flavours So the wrapper issue resolved itself, and I started to get worried about the shape - as I got past the fat middle of the cigar, I started to worry about the sucker slipping out of my fingers, it being so top-heavy at this pint, and me holding it tight on the narrow end. Just something to keep in mind. The predominant flavours at this point was like a light-medium roast coffee, ground up, and in a old leather bag, but that kind of faded into something interesting - a non-sweet nutella spread on some toast. Interesting! I smoked this one down to the nub, which is unusual for me. I normally don't like the last half of the last third of a cigar. Here, it was fine. No serious nicotine "burn" sensation in the tastes at the end, which is surprising, considering how everything narrows down at the last bit of this cigar. Didn't get overly hot too, again surprising. I was enjoying the nutella on toast taste, even though my fingers could feel the heat from the closing in burn line. Finally, I butted it out. Other observations Super firm ash; I had 3 orderly chunks of ash by the time I finished this cigar. Burn was uneven at start, and after a few corrections, fixed itself by the middle. Taste was medium -- maybe even mild -- and more akin to the CCs I smoke, based on taste presence. No real nic-hit at the end, which I appreciated. Wrapper issue midway through, fixed itself. And as mentioned above, was afraid the thing would slip out of my fingers for the last part, since it's "top heavy" at that point. On the pairing, you can never go wrong with a good LBV or vintage Port (for some reason, I don't like pairing Tawnys with cigars), but it does affect your taste experience. I'd say this pairing was good, but took away from the cigar's native "sweetness". Rating I only give numerical scores to coffees I evaluate (what can I say - I'm a snob). I rate other things by various methods, including giving them a "colour score", or comparing them to a car, or give them a Netflix style Binge-Watch-Worthy rating. In this case, I'll do a "would I buy them in x amounts / would I gift them" rating. Would I buy a box of these? Probably not, though the USD price of around $90 for a box of 20 is pretty good. Would I buy a Fiver of these? Yeah, it's possible! Would I buy a single stick of these? Absolutely; at $5-$6, it's a nice <1hr smoke, with interesting flavours. Would I give them aways as gifts and not be embarrassed? Not to any of my hoity toity Cuban Cigar Smoking Peeps, but definitely to someone who wants to try a good cigar and they're relatively new to quality cigars.

Full review here: http://www.canadacigarforum.com/homev2/cigar-reviews/my-father-flor-de-las-antillas-toro/ Brand My Father Name Flor de las Antillas Vitola Toro Country of Origin Nicaragua Wrapper/Filler/Binder Nicaragua Box Code n/a Date Smoked 02/10/2013 Paired With n/a Tasting Notes A delicious cigar marred only by its loose draw.

Brand: Oliva Line: Series 'O' Size: Robusto 5" x 50 Hand rolled in: Nicaragua Wrapper: Nicaraguan - Sun Grown Habano Binder: Nicaraguan FIller: Nicaraguan Regions: Jalapa Valley, Esteli & Condega First Impression Yet another beautiful cigar to the eyes. As always with Oliva cigar bands they're simple, clean and elegant. The wrapper feels smooth, is characterized by tiny veins and is finished with a tight 'double cap'. The scent is of sweet hay and you may even discover some cocoa. The punch does its job after which a great draw is apparent. Experience Right after lighting this cigar I noted fresh hints of cedar wood which shortly after, changed to a typical flavour that I couldn't find the right words for. Finally, a while later I realized that it was the flavour of: "Sugared coffee" ... Not sure why it took so long but there you have it! Delicious! Towards the second third cedar wood flavours make a come back and in the third part it all smoothens out with new flavours that remind me of ginger bread like spices. Finishing the cigar with a beautiful complexity of sugared coffee, cedar wood and spices, carried along through thick yet ever so gentle smoke. Conclusion This remains a personal favourite, above the Oliva Series 'G' and 'V'. This is because of the incredibly smooth third part which never lets me down. The aroma is soft and spiceful to the nose ... which is pleasant. If you're looking for a drink to accompany this cigar, you should look at what the cigar has to offer. In this case I would think that a cappuccino compliments the Series 'O' beautifully. Body: Medium - Full Flavour: Medium - Full Draw: 9 Burn: 9 Ash: 8 Smoke: 9 Aroma: 9.5 Duration: 80 minutes. Accommodating Drink: Cappuccino

Brand: Punch Line: London Club (Maduro) Size: Panatela 5" x 40 Hand rolled in: Honduras Wrapper: U.S.A. - Connecticut Broadleaf Binder: U.S.A. - Connecticut Broadleaf Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan and Dominican First Impression This is a smaller cigar consequently better suited for the limited moments. The wrapper is dark brown with a slight shine. It isn't a bad looking cigar but the construction, the way it's been rolled, looks a little clumsy. Having said that, it's a firm cigar non the less, light in weight and yet, feels great between the fingers. This cigar's scent is fresh with hints of stable and fresh hay. Cutting the cigar goes flawlessly and the draw is great ... time for a light. The Experience Right after lighting this cigar up I'm getting bombarded with pepper. Certainly have to get used to that but I'm also pleasantly surprised to find a flavour of smouldering wood. There's tons of smoke and the palate, regardless of the pepper, remains clean. Interesting. After a couple of minutes the pepper dies down a bit and 'smouldering wood' changes to smouldering alder, to be precise! If you don't know that smell/flavour, you could look at it as burning wood with some sweetness that you'll recognize as honey. Smokey, warm and creamy. Conclusion Be mindful of the smaller ring gauge. Everything quickly burns much hotter than you may be used to, try to slow it down with this one. Because of this, I found the cigar most enjoyable by taking tinier and more frequent draws. This cigar offers a simple, yet tasteful complexity. Tip: Because of this London Club's smokey characteristics, it would be very interesting to see how it pairs with smoked salmon on toast and a Belgian craft beer. Just a suggestion. Body: Medium Flavour: Medium / Full Draw: 8.5 Burn: 7.5 Ash: 7 (Not very sturdy.) Smoke: 8.5 Aroma: 7.5 Duration: 45 minutes.

Brand: Perdomo Line: Lot 23 Size: Robusto 5" x 50 Handrolled in: Nicaragua (Puro) First Impression Is something I'm not worried about while Colorado Claro coloured. A small remark would be the subtle veins that run along the cigar. I haven't been able to discover hard or soft spots, just an evenly distributed and firm amount of tobacco. The cigar is therefore 'weighty' which certainly reminds you of this beauty of a cigar, sitting between your fingers. The Perdomo Lot 23's scent is of fresh and sweet thatch ... fantastic and I haven't even lit the cigar yet. Experience My nose will be able to tell you how much pepper was apparent to start with. An abundance. It does however dissipate quick enough but lingers around in smaller and more pleasant amounts throughout the entire cigar, just like the sweet raisins. Backtracking to the early flavour experience, you'll be able to pick up on cedar wood, soil and that slight hint of rainsin sweetness ... all together it distantly reminds me of caramel. The background and finish resemble cappuccino which is later on accompanied by nuances of leather. All these flavours mature in the second part of this Perdomo Lot 23. Leather, raisins, tasteful soil, nuttiness and the amounts of pepper are delightfully balanced. There's a creamy or buttery flavour that seems to show up here and there. The complexity is definitely broad. In the third part of this cigar all flavours become toastier and alternates with the creamier flavours, perhaps even a tiny bit of cacao. Conclusion I truly find this to be a lovely cigar and it definitely is a new favourite of mine. Thereby it's a very friendly priced cigar. The ash is not extremely sturdy and stays put for about 2.5 cm, the draw is just fine and the burn can be sideways, always self correcting. Box purchase! Body: Medium - Full Flavour: Full Draw: 9 Burn: 7 Ash: 7.0 Smoke: 8 Aroma: 7.5 Duration: 80 minutes. Accommodating Drink: -

I picked up this Cuban a few days ago as a single from my local B and M and thought it might help me deal with the Jets game 3 collapse. Like with that game, I ended up a little disappointed. Apologies for the lack of pictures. Feel and look: feel was a little firm, with a bit of give in it, just about perfect. Wrapper was nice and uniform, looked beautiful with no obvious blemishes or seams. A little oily too. The cedar wrap that came around it for lighting was also a nice visual touch. Draw: draw was firm throughout the cigar, even when I opened up the cut a little. This made smoking it difficult as I could never really get a nice flow of air through. Burn: the burn was the most disappointing thing. It was uneven to a large extent, even after a few touch ups. Totally unexpected, although I can't help but think this might have had something to do with the firm draw required. I also noticed the wrapper starting to peel a bit as I reached the second third. Smell: the smell was sweet, nutty, and not overpowering throughout the cigar. Taste: the redeeming part of this cigar was the taste. It was a light flavour that stayed on the palate for a good half minute between draws. The first third featured a lot of woods and a hint of honey, the second third introduced a bit of pepper to these other flavours, and the last third really brought them together and intensified them. There was a light to medium body to this smoke - just what I was looking for. The awesome flavours (to me) of this cigar is what is going to make me try this again, although perhaps from a different batch. I would like to chalk up the construction issues to perhaps an inexperienced roller, but I really don't know. I'll give this another shot at a future date to see if that is resolved. For now, 6.5/10 because of the construction and smoking frustrations that turned a pleasant, contemplative smoke with a friend into a hassle. TLDR: great flavours, but nagging construction issues 6.5/10.

New review is up this morning! See full review here: http://www.canadacigarforum.com/homev2/cigar-reviews/san-cristobal-de-la-habana-el-principe/ Brand San Cristobal De La Habana Name El Principe Vitola Minuto Country of Origin Cuba Wrapper/Filler/Binder Cuba Box Code Early 2012 Date Smoked 02/05/2013 Paired With Root Beer Tasting Notes A great quick smoke that doesn't hurt the wallet.

New review is up! http://www.canadacigarforum.com/homev2/cigar-reviews/headley-grange-estupendo/

Full review here: http://www.canadacigarforum.com/homev2/cigar-reviews/tatuaje-brown-label/

Full Review is here: http://www.canadacigarforum.com/homev2/cigar-reviews/partagas-shorts/ Brand Partagas Name Shorts Vitola Minuto Country of Origin Cuba Wrapper/Filler/Binder Cuba Box Code ALT OCT 12 Date Smoked 03/05/2014 Paired With n/a Tasting Notes Very strong and bold. A great short smoke if you can handle the nicotine.

A quick review today... Brand Hoyo De Monterrey Name Epicure No. 2 Vitola Robusto Country of Origin Cuba Wrapper/Filler/Binder Cuba Box Code MME MAR 13 Date Smoked 01/31/2014 Paired With n/a Tasting Notes An outstanding first third giving way to "just ok" Full review here: http://www.canadacigarforum.com/homev2/cigar-reviews/hoyo-de-monterrey-epicure-no-2-2/

New review is up! Brand Por Larranaga Name Petit Corona Vitola Mareva Country of Origin Cuba Wrapper/Filler/Binder Cuba Box Code AME FEB 13 Date Smoked 01/25/2014 Paired With Leffe Tasting Notes A dependable everyday smoke Full Review Here: http://www.canadacigarforum.com/homev2/cigar-reviews/por-larranaga-petit-corona/

Brand H. Upmann Name Royal Robusto Vitola Robusto Country of Origin Cuba Wrapper/Filler/Binder Cuban Box Code 2011 Date Smoked 04/07/2013 Paired With n/a Tasting Notes A rich, beautiful smoke from start to finish. Score 91/100 FULL REVIEW HERE: http://www.canadacigarforum.com/homev2/cigar-reviews/h-upmann-royal-robusto/

Does anyone know a standard scoring system for cigars? Sometimes we see scores out of ten and sometimes out of one hundred, but these don't seem to be relatable simply by factoring by ten. Eight is a good score on the usual ten-point scale but ninety seems to be required out of a hundred. DSG gives an interpretation of the scores on the front page but doesn't say how he arrives at them. I used to score wines by Robert Parker's fifty-plus-fifty-point system, which I could understand (if not why he didn't simply double the basic fifty-point scores). I haven't seen anyone explain a consistent scoring method for cigars defining what weight is given to appearance, aroma, flavor, construction, etc. If there isn't one, do we need one and are there enough clever and experienced BOTLs here to design one?

New review is up! I had the opportunity recently to snag an aged box of Bolivar Gold Medals at a reasonable price so I jumped on them. The box I received is from 2007. They are absolutely beautiful looking cigars. The packaging is very unique in that each cigar is wrapped in gold foil. The wrappers are a beautiful shade of brown with red undertones. The cigars feel very firm to the touch with no soft spots. There is an excellent pre-light aroma to these cigars. They smell of sugar and honey. I gave this cigar a punch cut and lit her up. Unfortunately, the draw is very tight and I am unable to get a good, full draw. I clip the cigar with a guillotine in hopes of improving the situation. The guillotine cut turns out to help somewhat but the draw is still too tight. There’s not much going on in the flavour profile in the early stages other than a little spice on the finish. There is a little touch up needed so I take care of that and clip a little more off the cap in an attempt to fix the draw. It’s still too tight. I’m tasting a little hay in the flavour profile now. Overall, the cigar tastes quite muted. Nothing is popping out at me. The aroma is much better than the taste of this cigar…it smells like honey. Thankfully, the burn does improve a little. At the half way point I’m feeling a little buzzed – this is a strong cigar. The body however, is mild to medium. I find it a bit strange to find a 2007 cigar that is still this strong. Perhaps it is due to the mighty pulls I’m taking to combat the tight draw. The flavour profile does shift slightly with some leather and honey entering the mix. It’s still a very muted profile though. One nice thing about this cigar is that it has not gone out on me and I’ve let it rest for a couple of minutes between draws. I do not like relighting cigars so I’m glad for this. The ash, however, does fall off regularly which my shirt is not thankful for. I put this cigar down at the ⅔ mark as it was just not doing it for me. The tight draw kind of killed the experience. I’m really hoping the rest of the box does not have the same problem. Overall smoking time was 1 hour. I will definitely update this review if the rest of the box improves.

Brand: Don Rafael Line: Natural Size: Churchill 7.5” x 50 Rolled in: Dominican Republic Wrapper: Connecticut Shade – U.S.A. Binder: Sumatra – Indonesia Filler: Piloto – Cuban Seed & Olor – Dominican Republic First Impression This simple yet elegant looking cigar is presented in a cabinet like box of twenty pieces, stacked four cigars high. Different for its price range and well appreciated. The cigar itself is colorado claro coloured, has a bumpy appearance with a vein here and there but feels firm/elastic otherwise. The scent is of fresh hay and typical tobacco. The pre-draw is perfect, easy while giving way to little resistance. The Experience Part 1: The cigar starts off with refreshing notes of cedar wood and walnuts. Buttery influences are noted when the cigar has warmed up. There is a gentlest tingle through the nose as well. The finish is reminding of faint medium coffee. Part 2: The flavour palate remains very similar to part one. There seems to be a complimenting whiff of caramel occasionally. This enhances the already smooth and butter like flavours. Finish remains the same faint medium coffee. Smooth all the way. Part 3: No changes to part two. Complexity: The only development noted was near part two when flavours intensified slightly and occasional hints of caramel appeared. Those shifts were transferred very smoothly and I would want to call the complexity moderate. Characteristics: This is a mild to medium bodied cigar with flavour strengths of similar values. The draw was perfect from the pre-draw on. The cigar lit very easily and burned well. You could let the cigar sit to continue without any problems a moment later. Light grey ash holds for about 1.25”, not too impressive but it has not been a problem otherwise. Tons of smoke is available of which the aroma tends to be faint and pleasant. The cigar lasted about 75 minutes. Conclusion This is a great value and very easy to smoke cigar. The cigar is presented in the simplest way of elegance and delivers a flavour profile to match. Unless the profile is not your cup of tea, this cigar is suitable for any Tom, Dick and Harry at any time of the day. Body Strength: Mild - Medium Flavour Strength: Mild - Medium Draw: 10 Burn: 9 Ash: 7 Smoke: 8.5 Aroma: 9 Accommodating drinks/snacks: Medium drip coffee.

New review is up! http://www.canadacigarforum.com/homev2/cigar-reviews/padron-1964-exclusivo-maduro/ I had a little time to kill on Saturday afternoon so I decided to light up a Padron ’64 Maduro. It had been quite a while since I’d smoked a Padron, but they’ve always been enjoyable. As taken from the Padron.com website: The Padron 1964 Anniversary Series was introduced in 1994 to commemorate the company's 30th anniversary. This line consists of eleven sizes that are all available in sun-grown natural and maduro wrappers. All tobacco used in this limited production series is aged for four years, creating a smooth and complex flavor. In honor of the age-old Cuban tradition of box-pressing cigars, the 1964 Anniversary line was introduced as a box-pressed series...The Padron 1964 Anniversary Series in consistently ranked by industry experts as one of the top brands in the world. It's a great looking cigar. The wrapper is a dark chocolate brown and the construction looks impeccable. The classic Patron band looks great wrapped around this box-pressed beauty. In the past I’ve found some Padron cigars have had a looser draw than what I would consider ideal so I gave this cigar a punch cut. I have been using a punch cut more and more these days. It allows for a firm draw which I certainly prefer over a wind-tunnel. It turns out the punch cut was a good choice because the draw starts out perfect. There is some cocoa in the initial draws with a long spicy finish. The cocoa flavours quickly dissipate and are replaced with nuts and leather. The nuttiness in this cigar turns out to be the predominate flavour profile throughout. The cigar is burning beautifully. There are no touch-ups or relights required. You can also leave this cigar at rest for several minutes without it going out. The body and strength are both medium at the half way mark. At this point the flavour profiles shifts slightly. Until now, the profile has been slightly dry and nutty, but now I’m left with a rich, oily mouth feel. It’s tasting great with a little bit of black licorice creeping into the profile. The smoke output is very rich and fragrant. At about the 2/3 mark, the strength ramps up a little and I catch a nicotine buzz. The buzz is not overly strong, but certainly noticeable. Nearing the end of the cigar the flavour profile shifts yet again to include some earthy and grassy notes. Overall, this cigar was a pleasure to smoke. The construction was flawless and there are enough twists and turns in flavour to keep you interested throughout.

Setup: For those of you not familiar with my reviewing style. I tend to be a bit verbose. I write a puff by puff account of what I'm tasting and any other observations. Not too much fancy prose to be found here. Enjoy. Drew Estates Dirty Rat review Date: July 20, 2013 Start Time: 9:20PM Vitals: 44 * 127 Visuals: Attractive dark, colarado/maduro wrapper, shiny sheen to it. Light veins. Springs back from a pinch to the foot. A very good sign. The roll feels solid in the hand. A good amount of oils on the wrapper as well. Aroma at cold: NC barnyard. Would not mistake this for a Cuban. The cigar punches nice and clean. Cold draw is smooth. First third Subtle wood notes. Decent smoke production. Slight hickory notes on the finish. Tiny bit of sweetness. Hits of pepper on the finish. Smoke production increasing. Bit of “grit” on some of the draws. Pepper notes seem to be the main motif. Touch of hickory again. Plenty of smoke. Great burn on the stick. Pepper again. Very “dry” profile to the stick so far. Slight licorice taste chimes in which is a nice change. More grit. Bleh. Woody notes now. Unreal amounts of smoke. Head is falling apart..oh well. Maybe a construction or my storage issue? I fix it up and it seems to hold. Very mute flavours. Solid white ash, doesn’t want to tap off. More pepper. Second third. I take a drink of water to clean the palate. Some harsh notes open up the 2nd third. Pepper keeps hitting the back of the throat. A nasty asphalt taste hits me. Seriously WTF? Some hickory again. Burn line still solid. More dry notes. Lots of harsh pepper on the finish. Definitely not my thing. One trick pony? Getting stronger as it progresses. Flavour wise? Not much going on. More of the same from the 1st third. Got to give credit to the construction though. Great burn, solid roll, excellent draw and lots of smoke. Almost unnatural amounts. Seriously harsh draw. Almost acrid. Next draw is less harsh but somewhat acetic. Some woody notes, much better. Tobacco buzz starts to form. Very light toasty tobacco. More pepper on the finish. Almost 75% of the draws end that way. Some slightly beany notes (very Cuban) It doesn't last. More unreal smoke outputs. Slightly sweet notes, some saltiness too. Almost taffy like. More of this would be welcome. But this too, makes one appearance. A few more sweet notes. Finally some evolution! Will it last? We shall see. Licorice again. Very sour nasty draw. I had to swig some water and spit it out. Very “chemically” and bitter. Subsequent draw is somewhat better. A bit more licorice comes to the rescue. These polar opposites to the palate are upsetting. Ash splintered in a very odd way. Third third. Slightly muted flavours calms the stick down. Still loads of smoke. I smoked a monster Cuban last week that barely gave off any smoke but was a taste journey. This stick, is not even close. Strong , sharp cedar on the palate now. Toasty tobacco now. That’s more like it. Tobacco buzz returns, not as strong though. More harsh pepper notes. Flavours are dialing down these past few draws. Nothing exciting but easier to smoke. Some saltiness returns. Pepper subsiding slightly. Good sweet draw breaks the monotony. A few toasty tobacco notes follow. Another solid white ash in this third. More kudos to the construction on this puppy. The cigar is mellowing out as it gets towards the end. A lot more civilized, smoother at this point. But not terribly exciting. Some more toasty tobacco. More mellow now. There must’ve been something awful stuck in the middle. Smoke output is subsiding. Hmm..the cigar has gone out. Going to relight. Success! Nothing harsh on the relight. Very muted, “dusty” flavour. Smoke production ramped up again. At his point I’m done. ‘ End time: 10:15PM Final Thoughts. Great construction, burn and ash. The ash seriously splintered at one point but it still held. The roll was good and firm. There was very little veins on the wrapper. No issues on construction. Taste wise, the stick was pedestrian.. A few really harsh points in the cigar broke the monotony, but not in a good way; At those points it reminded me of the worst cigar I’ve ever smoked. The NC Partagas Black Label Toro. The Black Label is the closest I’ve ever gotten to smoking hot asphalt. The final third was the only evidence of some refinement in the cigar. Even then, it wasn't enough to change my mind on this stick. This cigar probably had 8-12 months of age on it. I can’t imagine what an “aged” version of this stick might become. And I mean 3-5 years of age. I’d guess there wouldn’t be much to it other than smoke. The word on the street is that DE sticks are meant to be smoked upon release. Aging does nothing for them. Kind of a shame IMO. As it stands I have to give this stick a score of 75. And that is mostly for the construction. The flavours just weren’t there. It was too much of the same and the harsh notes that slapped me in the face did neither me or the stick any favours. I know this brand and in particular this stick gets a lot of love. But not from me. I’ve tried to be as objective as I can in reviewing this cigar. I’ve got about four more DE cigars to smoke and review. I must admit, this one had made me a bit gun-shy about taking another one on soon. I’ve previously smoked an FFP and UC Robusto. The FFP was definitely the better of the three but even still it was not something I pay money for a box of. I do enjoy the odd NC now and then. Padron, Fuente and Casa Fernandez in particular. For those that love the DE Dirty Rat, keep smoking them. I however will not try one again soon. It just didn’t do It for me. The complexity just wasn't there. END

New review is up! We have had a spectacular run of weather here in Vancouver lately. It was no different Friday night and as luck would have it, I had some free time to enjoy a cigar. I pulled a Trinidad Robusto T out of the humidor. I’ve smoked several of these in the past and they’ve always been fantastic. These are great looking smokes. This box is from 2010 and has a beautiful wrapper. The shade of brown is quite light in comparison to the majority of stuff coming out of Cuba these days. The prelight aroma is very sweet. The cold draw is actually somewhat sour and unpleasant. Let’s hope it tastes better once it is lit! I proceeded to light her up and it’s very, very good right from the start. This is a smooth, medium bodied cigar. The main flavour that comes through is butter – honestly, these cigars are like big sticks of butter! There is just a bit of spice on the finish. As I made my way through the cigar the spice from the early going disappears. At the half way mark, a little bit of sourness crept into the cigar but after a purge, it goes away. I had to watch how quickly I smoked this cigar as it would get too hot if I rushed it. Near the end of the cigar there is some mint and grass flavours coming into the mix. This cigar required zero touch-ups or re-lights. It was a real treat not to have to babysit this cigar. Lately, I’ve noticed that a lot of Cubans I’ve been smoking have required several touch-ups throughout the smoke. I’m not alone in this observation it seems. Overall, I highly recommend this cigar. It is not everyday you get a cigar that tastes like butter! This is a great cigar for hot summer days as the strength and body never raise above medium. Final word: buy some!

Hi all. It's been awhile since I've done a review so here you go! http://www.canadacigarforum.com/homev2/cigar-reviews/oliva-serie-v-melanio-petit-corona/

Herrera Esteli Robusto Extra Brand Drew Estate Name Herrera Esteli Vitola Robusto Extra Country of Origin Nicaragua Wrapper/Filler/Binder Ecuadorian Habano/Nicaragua/Honduras Box Code n/a Date Smoked 04/06/2013 Paired With HayFever by Parallel 49 Brewing Co. Tasting Notes Very mild and one dimensional. My rating 73/100 Appearance ( 85 ) Construction ( 64 ) Flavour ( 70 ) Review The wife and kids have left town for the weekend (party time!!!!) so I had some time yesterday to sample one of Drew Estate’s latest offerings, the Herrera Esteli. There is an interesting story behind this cigar. Willy Herrera left his family’s business and joined Drew Estate to roll his own cigar. Leaving your own family business could not have been an easy decision to make and I was curious to see if he had made a good decision. There’s some more info about this cigar here. The cigar is very attractive. The wrapper is a lighter shade of brown than you will see normally see with high end Drew Estate stuff. There is a few noticeable veins, but they do not detract much. The band is classy and reminds me of a cuban. In fact, it seems Drew Estate is really going for a cuban feel with this cigar as it also has a triple cap. I gave this cigar a punch cut as I find it helps with creating a tight draw. If there’s one thing I don’t like in a cigar, it’s an overly loose draw. Unfortunately, when I take a cold draw, the cigar is a complete wind tunnel. The draw is much too loose. I fired it up and it’s a pleasant beginning. The cigar is very mild with leather presenting itself as the main flavour profile. As with most Drew Estate cigars, it puts off a ton of smoke, even at rest. Overall, I’m enjoying the cigar but I find it to be a little too mild overall. The flavour profile remains very leathery with no spice present whatsoever. Around the half way mark, the cigar becomes a little better, as the body builds closer to medium. This cigar was very one dimensional in flavour. There were no shifts in flavour as it was just leather all the way through. I can see where Willy was trying to go with this cigar but in the end, it just doesn’t completely work. Perhaps if I get one with a proper draw it will improve. On the positive side, the cigar burned beautifully and required no touchups whatsoever. I have to make a quick comment about the beer I drank during this cigar. It’s called HayFever and is made by Parallel 49 Brewing Co. It was awesome! I’ve included a picture. It’s a highly carbonated saison that was very refreshing with lots of citrus. If you are able to find some I highly recommend it.