Gran Habano, Habano #3 (Black label)

I like all of my Gran Habano Mega-Sampler pack from Cigars International other than the Connecticuts. This is probably my third favorite of the 4 different types, though... Meaning that although I still dig these, they are somewhere between an everyday cigar and a really good cigar, to me. Generally I like the character of the 3 Siglos the best, then the red label Corojo (#5) is a very close second, and then this somehow more powerful Habano. It sort of seems like it has less nuance. Just -- boom -- here's your smack of strong taste and smoke clouds.


It was a beautiful day smoking this little guy. You can see that the size for the sampler stogies is modest -- but I think this size has become one of my favorites. It still can last you awhile, but it feels good in the hand and the mouth and fits easily in traveling cases.

I enjoyed this smoke out on the back porch of Dennis and Tammy Culhane's house in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was a refreshing day of cool breezes and modest sun. A real change of pace from the torrential rains and humid scorchers in Kansas City the past many weeks. After we returned from Rib Fest (where I enjoyed some "Extremely Farking Hot" BBQ sauce, ribs and shrimp from an Aussie stand), I found Dennis and Tammy's back deck paradise. It looked like someone had landscaped it for some beach cottage getaway. Very cool place to sip some Evan Williams bourbon and smoke a stogie.


Kellie and her family occasionally came out and chatted me up or played with the dog. Dennis and I talked about his landscaping over the past 13 years at the house and he showed me pictures of how bare the yard was when they got it. Various people took turns throwing the soggy tennis ball around for the dog Aspen to energetically fetch it and return for more.


Here are my ratings:

• Appearance - 6 \ Classy double band label. Nice size, just looks a little small.
  
• Burn - 5 \ Needed some touch-ups.
  
• Draw - 5 \ Fine.
  
• Plummage - 8.5 \ I gave this a handicap at first for the cool breeze. When I got to the more enclosed part of the deck, this proved to be true, as the stick produced billows of hearty smoke.
  
• Flavor - 6 \ Bold, but largely without character.
  
• Overall - 6.75 \Likable, but not excellent.

Tres Hermanos, Numero Dos

The Tres Hermanos, Numero Dos, is produced and sold by the New Orleans Cigar Factory. They describe it as "52 x 5 3/4' A full bodied robust smoke with a Mexican Maduro wrapper." I don't know where the filler comes from, but I'm a fan.

I smoked this one last night after a good meeting with a training company yesterday afternoon. After really enjoying a couple of these down in New Orleans, purchased right from the shops where they are made in the French Quarter, I decided to order a 10-pack last January. I gave several away at a game with the fellas, but have let the last of these age for 8 months now. They cost $5.30 apiece before the rather exorbitant $13 shipping charge. Although I don't normally pay that much for a cigar outside of retail, and certainly not several of them, I was charmed by these heavy-hitters and the fact that they're hand-rolled in New Orleans.
Anyway, I partook of this stogie with a Boulevard Pale Ale on the Twilight Lounge. My new rattan screen was in play to help allay the heat, which thankfully was not at full force anyway. My guest star is Kellie, who took a couple of tokes and agreed it was a good cigar.

Here are my ratings for this Nawlins darling:

• Appearance - 7 \ Bold dark wrapper with a rough look that I like. The band is a simple but offbeat black and reflective silver. No real logo other than the letters themselves.
  
• Burn - 6 \ had a bit of a runner that never really self-corrected, even after I slowed down on smoking it. However, one touch-up fixed my problem for the rest of the experience.
  
• Draw - 5.5 \ a little too tight for the first half of the smoke. I did use a punch cut, which for this thickness seemed desirable, but it may have been a little long not to have clipped it. It definitely improved halfway through.
  
• Plummage - 8.5 \ Produced likable little, dense clouds of smoke. Very nice spicy aroma gave it that something extra.
  
• Flavor - 10 \ Rich, heavy, layered flavor.
  
• Overall - 9.5 \Loved these on our New Orleans trip and at a few games. Plus the flavor has been consistently awesome for me, even if some of the other areas vary a little.

Overall, I'd describe this rough gem as a relaxing, full-bodied smoke with a spicy thick flavor. Better than Maxwell House, these puppies are good to the last drop.

Vegas Cubana Generoso by Don Pepin Garcia

Vegas Cubana Generoso (6 x 50)
(purchased on sale, $2)



Here's the setup...winding down a hot Dodge City day...still 100 degrees in the dusty dusk shade. For some reason, Michelle decided to join me in the furnace on our back patio to help me enjoy/review this stogie. Given the temperature, I felt a Red Stripe beer would be a good choice...and I was right. Red Stripe hits the spot when it's hot and it never competes with a stogie for attention.

The wrapper is smooth and attractive. It has a slight reddish tint and is a corojo. It's supposed to be a Nicaraguan puro and is the cheapest of Don Pepin Garcia's personal line...I have had several (purchased on a special for $2 apiece) and all have tasted/performed the same.

DPG's marketing engine spews out a bunch of info about the cigar being made from the "top primings" of the tobacco plant and aged an extra year, as well as the fact that they are made by Cuban rollers living in Miami, at the DPG factory there. I have also read that this cigar is the first one that DPG made for his own company after coming to the USA.

This smoke starts off with a mild blast of pepper and then quickly settles down. I can taste a mixture of mild pepper and occasionally a mocha flavor at several points during the smoke. The smoke is consistant, fairly tasty, and undemanding. Although this smoke either gets overlooked or dogged by the Don Pepin fans out there, I think it's a great bargain...and should be compared to other smokes in general, not to his "better" smokes specifically. Though I would like to get his top of the line stuff at his bottom of the line prices, I think that's probably asking a little much.

Here's a pic of Michelle "guest-tasting" the cigar. Though she would not officially review this, she did sneak about six puffs, which is a goodly amount for her. She also commented "It is sharp but sweet at the same time". I tried to get more info from her but I suppose one cannot push the Oracle too much for clear answers...there is something to be said for mystery!


The aroma on these is very nice and is actually superior to the flavor. It's full of "big smoke" and the puffs are creamy. I imagined myself as a godlike "cloud generator", filling the sky with puffy bits of cloud-fun...then I smacked myself and assumed a more proper, manly posture.

The cigar burned a little roughly but only needed one touch up-just didn't look too pretty.

I think that this cigar is pretty solid-I'd buy more for $2-though I'm not sure I'd pay much more. My final thoughts, are that this cigar might be best enjoyed in a smaller format (robusto)...though it is tasty, has good smoke, etc...it doesn't change flavor much and by the 1/2 way point I'm wondering if I want to commit to the other 40 minutes of smoke...

This smoke rates 7.5 on my scale with value, construction and plumage/smell being the best parts of the experience.

5 Vegas Miami

I smoked this bad boy today while I was rating music on the porch balcony. For those of you in the know, this area is also known as "The Twilight Lounge." It was actually a little before noon, so no sun was blasting me directly in the face as I toked on the long stogie. By the time I finally put it to bed, though, the humidity was telling me it was about time to rate inside the air-conditioned refuge 3 feet away.

I enjoyed the Cinco Vegas Miami with an Initech mug full of eggnog-flavored coffee. [It's actually much milder than it sounds, and complemented the smoke beautifully.] The cigar was fairly long with a modest ring gauge (it only looked thin due to the lengthy of the stick.)

The stogie is, I believe, a Don Pepin collaboration under the 5 Vegas brand. Awesome work. Here are my scores.

• Appearance - 4 \ This specimen had the worst wrap-job I've ever seen -- man-made wrinkled ridges. Thinnish for the length. Decent blue and gold band redeemed the appearance, though it was still nothing to look at.
  
• Burn - 7 \ No real problems here, and it was self correcting when smoked slowly.
  
• Draw - 8 \ Just fine.
  
• Plummage - 8 \ Voluminous smoke in places, with a very bold aroma.
  
• Flavor - 9 \ Tasty from the beginning, which is especially impressive on such a long cigar.
  
• Overall - 9.5 \If you smoke it nice and slow like I did (and it's gotten some long humidification) I'd say this one has been one of my favorite smokes. I believe the value on it was decent, if not an extremely good deal.
  

As you can see, I didn't ding it on appearance anyway. But I sure enjoyed my work with this baby helping me pass the time.

Taboo Special Forces, Maduro

OK, this'll be rough, but here goes. A triple review from a few weeks ago, on 7/7/2008... Three Reids took on the Taboo Special Forces in Dillon, Colorado, and here's how it fared.

[All three of us smoked the same maduro beast that we estimated to be about 6' long with about a 54 ring gauge. We smoked it with a 15-year-aged Dalwhinnie Scotch.]

Young Master Ryan

• Appearance - 6 \ Nice wrapper. No fraying. Nice dark color.
  
• Burn - 6 \
  
• Draw - 9 \
  
• Plummage - 9 \ Great smoke. Loved the smell.
  
• Flavor - 9 \
  
• Overall - 9.5 \
  

Rico Suave

• Appearance - 8 \ Very cool look. But lame label goes a bit too far with its retro splash. Looks like they should adorn some skater high tops.
  
• Burn - 7 \ Good. Self correcting. Handicap: low fuel so we used matches in some wind.
  
• Draw - 7 \ Excellent for its heft, width and length.
  
• Plummage - 8 \ Fully good. Superb spicy smell.
  
• Flavor - 9 \ Very light first half, powerful spicy boldness at the end.
  
• Overall - 9.5 \Company, environment, stogie's appearance and big finish.
  

RT

• Appearance - 7 \ Nothing that special but good.
  
• Burn - 6 \
  
• Draw - 9.5 \ Perfect.
  
• Plummage - 9 \ Great smoke -- loved the smell just as much as the taste.
  
• Flavor - 8 \
  
• Overall - 9.5 \

So with 3 Overall ratings of 9.5, you know it was a goodie. Unfortunately I understand the pricing can be a little pricey. Worth it, especially since I smoked for free!

Of course, you also couldn't beat the view of the mountains rising up to a starry night sky as we smoked from the deck.

Gurkha Nepalese Warrior

Gurkha Nepalese Warrior

Well, it's been a crazy few weeks. I've been bouncing around between Enid, Orlando, Alva, and Wichita...I spent just enough time back at my house to see my central heat and air conditioner gasp its final breaths...so now I'm not just busy, I'm HOT and busy. Fun stuff.

While in Orlando, I finally lit up the Gurkha Nepalese Warrior that Brad gave me. I found a cigar bar in Downtown Disney and, after letting it rest for six months, lit the bad boy up. Here I am enjoying it...

Now, truth be told, I was pretty boozed up. I had to keep ordering beers to keep smoking there...and Michelle was doing a LOT of shopping...I managed to write down a semi-coherent review on a little napkin that the hispanic barmaid gave me...but apparently I lost it. If you were hoping for my usual numeric breakdown on this stogie...you'll be disappointed. Too many Red Stripes in my gullet, I guess.

Here's what I DO remember about this stick...it burned consistent and tasted pretty good at first. The smoke quality was a little lacking and anemic but the flavor was good-buttery and nutty. It was given to me by my buddy Brad, which is a bit odd because I think it's just the kind of stick that I'd recommend to him! It got a little bitter towards the end but I'm not sure if that was the stick's fault (it had travelled by airplane and I'm not sure if that dried it out a bit). Overall it was a great gift cigar...not sure if I'll buy any but I will take any I'm gifted!

This review also has more than its normal share of special guest reviewers...







That's the stormtrooper that guarded Disney Hollywood Studios. It was Star Wars weekend so we saw a bunch of stormtroopers, bounty hunters, and aliens...very fun. I even got Michelle to ride the Tower of Terror ride (not that scarey) and she didn't divorce me. She hates scarey rides and heights.

Here's Thane and Dad fishing. Dad and I were a two man crew to keep Thane in the game...Thane caught the most fish this time and we all had a nice time. Later we had a bbq.

Here's the super centipede that Mom found in the garage while we were there. It was about 7" long from tip to tip and maybe 3/4" across. I have a video file if you want to see the little bastard in action.

I think it's the biggest bug I've seen outside of a movie or a zoo...Michelle found it on the net and it's a Giant Red Headed Centipede...and it was in Mom's garage. It eats mice and can grow to 12" in length.

Yeah. 12".

You KNOW Mom is loving that!

Peace out.

Don Pepin Cuban Classic Figurado 1973

Don Pepin Cuban Classic Figurado 1973

The setup: It's a warm day...first day in the 90's since last Fall...and Mom and Dad are visiting. We just grabbed some greazy burgers and tacos at a local watering hole...the wind is low and I've got cold beers left over from Eric and Kellie's visit...so everything is just right for a special smoke. I reached for a cheapie but then saw the oddly shaped Don Pepin Garcia Cuban Classic Figurado that my brother Eric had given me a couple of months ago and I knew what time it was!



Here's my stogie and accessories. I've had the DPG Black in the robusto size several times but the shape and girth of the Figurado intrigued me. It reminded me of a german "potato masher" grenade...weighted heavily towards the big end and crazy thin at the other. The one thing that stayed constant with me as I smoked this dude was how fascinating the shape was.




Here it is before light.



Here's the guest star of this Blog...Dad!


Sadly, I noticed a few cracks in the wrapper before I lit up...and this happened about the time the burn hit those cracks. I spent much of my time doing torch touch-ups...it was a very high maintenance cigar.



Here I am enjoying the robust, leathery flavors of this cigar. Lots of pepper after the first inch and really peppery intoxicating aroma. I don't think Mom agreed with the latter, though, as she scooted her chair across the patio away from me!




I nubbed this puppy.

Here's the scoring:
Construction: 6 (I'm being very lenient here, I think) I have had several Don Pepin Garcias have cracking wrappers, especially the Cuban Classics).
Flavor: 8.5 It had a great leathery and pepper flavor that really picked up after the first inch. At some points I almost got a "cameroon" vibe but I don't think that there is supposed to be any of that kind of leaf in this smoke.
Value: 8 (I think they sell for $4-5 when you get a box and they're very tasty for that)
Plumage: 10 This dude sent up booming clouds of grey smoke that smelled/tasted of pepper and some other intoxicating aroma. I really enjoyed the smell and quantity of smoke.
Special: 8
Total Score: 7.75 This was a really great cigar, marred only by construction issues. I had it stored and rested for two months (at 65-68) and hope that the construction problems were a fluke. So far, this is my favorite cigar in Don Pepin Garcia's Black Label (Cuban Classic) line and I will seek out others when I get some $.