El Triunfador (lancero, 7.5" x 38)

El Triunfador



It's Labor Day so I thought I'd break out a cigar I really enjoy to celebrate...the El Triunfador!

The El Triunfador is a limited edition Pete Johnson stick (maker of Tatuaje), blended by Don Pepin Garcia. It has Nicaraguan filler and binder and a Connicticut maduro wrapper). It was a limited edition stick and relatively difficult to obtain-retailed around $10 a stick. I bought these when I started my "lancero kick" and smoking it reminds me of why I rank the lancero as one of the best form factors...they can be damn fine cigars with really sharp flavors.

I picked a box of these up at a Pete Johnson event at the Outlaw in Kansas City about a year ago, hanging with my bro, his fiance, and my sweet wife.


At the time, I enjoyed the stick and have had about one of them a month since then...I've found them enjoyable...but now, I think the additional age has really brought them into their own. They remind me a lot of the Cubao, another dark DPG stick...and when these run out, I guess I'll have to pick up some of those to "get my fix".

The stick is dark, thin, and a little rustic looking-but still attractive. The band is an understated tiny brown oval with white text.

The first few puffs give up warm cocoa aromas and flavors...as the stick burns it adds a small amount of pepper and an appealing "nuttiness". The burn is perfect, as is the draw...and the plummage is full and pleasant. At times, I find myself really enjoying the underlying tobacco flavor, usually on the aftertaste.




I'd rate this stogie as a 4-it's a really great stogie, suitable for evening or morning smoking (medium to full on flavor and probably medium on potency). My only (tiny) complaint is that the stick seemed to burn a little faster than I like (about an hour long smoke).


Here's a bonus photo of Dad and Anne-Marie in Old Red, getting back from feeding the sheep!

Oliva Master Blends #3

Well, although I don't expect my absence from the blog to have been noted, it's been a busy several months since my last review. Lots of wedding prep. I've still been smoking (even joined the The Kansas City Cigar Aficionado Club last month) but been too busy to write and post pix.

I picked this up in a trade or a gimme with my bro in July 2009. It had been aging in his humidor awhile before that. I paired it with a cup of KC Roasterie coffee, City of Fountains blend, with a splash of French Vanilla creamer.

This cigar had an intriguing appearance. Its rounded box press, with wide flat sides on the top and bottom, reminded me of a stubby tongue depressor. The band was intricate with lush green tropical imagery I took to be Central American tobacco plains, a gold leaf pattern on burnt brown and red, the Master Blend script logo, as well as a portrait belonging to (I believe) Fernando Oliva.

In addition to a strong start, it picked up steam and had a powerful, tasty finish.

The stats:

• Appearance - 9 \ Very cool label and the form factor grew on me.


• Burn - 10 \ Fantastic


• Draw - 7 \ Fine.


• Plumage - 8 \ Thick and satisfying with a creamy aroma.


• Flavor - 9 \ I found this to be medium-heavy flavor, with a few moments pepper surprise.


• Overall - 9 \ This was really a smooth and classy treat on all levels.


• RT Scale (1-4) - 3 \ A really great smoke I'd enjoy picking up again somewhere along the way.

In personal news, I'm including a few random shots from our visit to St. Louis last weekend, where we visited the City Museum. It's really interactive and difficult to describe -- great for adults and especially kids. Imagine if someone had grown up loving jungle gyms and Goonies or Indiana Jones, was really artsy, and decided to make an interactive amusement park of mazes and stuff to climb through.

Short reviews: Punch Chateau L Double Maduro, La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero

Been doing a lot of smokin' and not much reviewin'...here are a couple of stogies I had every intention of reviewing but never got around to doing.

Punch Chateau L Double Maduro (7.2" x 52)


A summer or two I discovered these long bad boys and thought I was in heaven-they seemed to suit me to a "T". I decided to break one out and see how they hold up to some of the other sticks I've been enjoying...



...And I found out that I liked them-though I don't love them anymore. You get a lot of smoke time with this stick and the flavor is great-a true maduro flavor with chocolate notes. The burn is perfect, the stick and band are attractive and the plumage is solid...but the bottom line is, I think my taste buds have changed a bit. I tend to prefer the sticks with more flavor and more "transitions"-I kept wanting this stogie to "do something". After I got over that and realized it wasn't, I still had an hour or more of smoking to do...and still enjoyed this guy. I'd give it a 3 on my 4 point scale now-it's a good stick, better than everyday, and premium in most ways that matter-but I won't be buying a box. There are just too many other sticks I'm enjoying more right now.

La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero DL600 (5.1" x 52)






From Cigars International:

The latest from Lito Gomez and La Flor Dominicana. Named for the strain of leaf called "ligero," which is a strong and peppery type of tobacco that gives many full-bodied cigars their oomph. As you might imagine from the name, La Flor Dominicana’s Ligero series is a strong, spicy and full-bodied smoke. Double Ligero: Wrapped in a dark, Ecuadorian sun-grown leaf is a powerful blend of Dominican ligero fillers bound by a Dominican ligero binder. The result is a powerful, well-balanced smoked packed with a punch.

Was smoking this and watching 24, Season 7 with Michelle...and a thunderstorm rolled in and I had to bail on it 1/2 way. Damn shame, too. Michelle commented that it smelled "really good"-a rare thing for her to say about a stogie. The thing was peppery and charcoaly and really had some potentency...based on previous ones I've had, I know I missed out by having to flee the rain.

RTR Quickie Rating: 3 (out of 4): A really good stogie and one that I'll try again.

Cubao #1 (Churchill, 7 1/8" and 49 ring gauge)

Cubao #1

It's a really nice July night so I decided to break out a Cubao #1 from the rustic box of them I bought last Summer...




Here is what Cigarbid has to say about them:

Cubao is a dark and oily number with simple, understated bands. Blended by Don Pepin Garcia, this Nicaraguan premium comes from the two-man team behind 601 Serie. The wrapper is an Ecuadorian-grown Sumatra Oscuro that’s thick and leathery. Beneath this leaf, a variety of vintage, Cuban-seed long-fillers from the black, volcanic soils of Nicaragua. Upon lighting, Cubao promotes a buttery-smooth bouquet that seems to cling to the palate, leaving behind bold traces of oak and leather. Medium in body, this is a fine cigar backed by luxurious aromas.

I enjoyed this stogie with a Guinness and watched some 24, Season 7 on the patio...good stuff!



I really like this cigar. Unlike many other long cigars, this thing starts up with real flavor the second the torch hits the tip. The burn was perfect and the plumage was full and aromatic. I'll keep it short: this cigar is one of my faves (4 of 4) and is a great cigar-consistent every time.


Here's Michelle playing with our new kitten, Blossom.


Here's a pic of my bro...visited us this last weekend and we burned a few stogies and kicked back some brews.

...and here's Thane, getting ready to enjoy another book outside!

Coronado "Hammer" (box press 6.5" x 47)

Coronado "Hammer" (box press 6.5" x 47)

Wow. The Coronado (by La Flor Dominicana) is consistantly among my favorite cigars of all time. I think I've reviewed it before (in a different vitola) but it deserves some more attention so here goes.



This particular size is a Holt's exclusive. Here's what they have to say about the line:

Coronado is a boutique line of cigars handmade in the Dominican Republic by Litto Gomez. Orangish Nicaraguan wrappers accompany a fiery blend of aged Dominican binder and filler tobaccos. The flavor is robust and intoxicating. When you first fire up one of these bombshells your palate is immediately flooded with a cornucopia of flavors including dark chocolate, assorted peppers and fresh cinnamon. This cigar remains strong all the way down to the nub, yet retains remarkable balance throughout. Its no wonder the Double Corona was recently ranked #2 on Cigar Aficionado's "Top 25 Cigars of 2006."

I caught a sale and bought the "Hammers" for around $80 for 20 units. Though I prefer this cigar in the normal formats (which are thicker and possess more strength), this box pressed thin-boy was an incredible bargain at $4 a stick.



I enjoyed this cigar with some Costa Rican coffee from the Roasterie-a treat in and of itself. I took a chance on having this cigar this early but I had enjoyed a full breakfest so thought I'd try it. I'm glad I took the chance. It was the perfect beginning of a fun-filled Sunday.


I've smoked through that box (only have a handful left) and they are amazingly consistant-in all ways good. The wrappers have a bit of an orange/brown leather color and smell a little exotic. The first few puffs of this one imparted flavors of paprika or maybe curry or some other food spice. Oddly, this is the only stogie I've had that gives off these kinds of flavors and I really savor them. Later the cigar gave up chocolate notes, as well as flavors of brown sugar and some floral notes that I enjoyed but cannot describe. This stogie never disappoints and often takes me on a roller coast of flavor, all the while kicking up delicious aromas.


I have found that these cigars tend to do a little better at around 70 (I normally keep my stogies at 65 humidity)-they draw better and give up more of their flavors.



This is a solid "4" on my 4 point cigar rating scale: It is outstanding, among the best I've known. It does have a bit of strength that sometimes sneaks up (it is smooth but gets more potent as it goes!) so I don't recommend it for enjoyers of mild cigars. I like it so much that I'm even getting to the point where I like the band (a strange gold and reddish thing with a crowned tiger in the middle).


And here's my faithful companion enjoying her Sunday morning paper and giving me an enigmatic smile!

Cuesta-Rey Centenario (toro)

Cuesta-Rey Centenario (toro, 6 x 50)

I picked this stogie up about a year ago in KC with my bro and my son Ryan at a little cigar store Rico found. It got to age a year or so primarily due to the fact that I associated it with a nice visit Rico and the fact that it is a Connecticut wrapped number-which generally don't "do" it for me. They tend to be a little bland and sometimes run bitter...


Here's the stogi...attractive enough with a nice band---really like these "classic" looking bands.

Here's a close up of the band.

I lit this sucker up in the early morning and immediately realized that I was in for more than I expected. The stick put off a goodly amount of aromatic smoke...and gave of flavors of nuts mixed with a buttery smoothness. As I got deeper into the stick, the "fullness" of the experience increased, moving the stick (by the end) closer to the medium end of flavor and potency. At this point the aroma really picked up too and I felt (like I rarely do when smoking these really light colored sticks) like I was smoking a "real cigar".

I enjoyed this stogie enough to look it up...and here is some historical info about the maker of the line, Newman. I grabbed from Walt at www.stogiereview.com:

In 1895, Julius Cesar Newman hand rolled his first 500 cigars for the family grocer in Cleveland, Ohio. One hundred and thirty years and four generations later, J.C. Newman Cigar Company is America’s oldest family-owned premium cigar maker. Headquartered in historic 1910 cigar factory in Tampa’s Ybor City district, the Newman Family is partnered in making and distributing many of the world’s finest cigars.

Summary: This smoke is a great morning smoke. It would also seem to be a good stick to have around to give buddies that don't smoke much-it shouldn't overpower them like many of the new brands. I rate this a solid 2 (on my 4 point scale), which means that it is a really good cigar. I'll probably buy another for another morning treat or to share with a friend but I don't see myself picking up a box ever.

Here's a shot of some of the 4th of July events we enjoyed at our house this year...

Lake Texoma Vacation Smokes

Smokin' in at Lake Texoma!

I took the Family to Lake Texoma to meet up with Mom and Dad at their timeshare there...had a blast. Here are some quick reviews and highlights...for more pictures email me or hit Michelle's blog.





Here I am on the primary deck, enjoying a Illusione Holy Lancero...a Father's Day gift from Michelle. The smoke was great; this particular lancero is a little thicker than most and quite long; allowed me to enjoy the earthy flavors while hanging with Ry and Dad. Dad made some dirty martinis which added even more to the experience. I rate the Holy Lancero a solid 3, creeping into 4 territory-you should try this cigar, even if you are leery of lanceros.



Here's Ry smoking an Oliva V robusto. It's becoming his smoke of choice-in fact, I don't think I've seen him smoke anything else for months. While I prefer the figurado and the lancero in this blend, I can't image that his smoke was anything less than superb.





I enjoyed finishing this book and this smoke one morning...a Don Pepin Garcia White label JJ Lancero while there...another Father's Day present, this was one of the most relaxing and pleasant mornings I've had in a long, long time. Stogie rates a "3" with smoothness and construction being the best parts.



Here I am at one of the resort's pools...enjoing an El Rey del Mundo...it was a solid, earthy, Honduran smoke. It was a perfect cigar for this type of deal-a tasty number but cheap enough that, if I needed to jump in the pool and dunk my kids, I wouldn't regret it. I rate it a solid 2 and a great value. Its construction and consistancy are really impressive (I've sampled a box and never been disappointed).


Another morning I enjoyed starting this book (Dan Abnett rocks!). The stogie was a Perdomo Lot 21...a phenomenal breakfest smoke. I think that this one was the "maduro" version but the maduro was so light (in color and flavor) that it is hard to say. Regardless, it was a thick, buttery smoke that delivered pounds of smoke and satisfaction. I rate it a "2" and, along with the El Rey Del Mundo, I consider it one of the best of the "cheaper" cigars I enjoy. Unless you really are wanting a "power house" stogie, this guy satisfies...and is also a good one to give to non cigar smoking buddies who want to try a stick.



And this is what I enjoyed today, upon my triumphant return: an Oliva V Lancero. This is a fine smoke and a bargain. I really don't think you can go wrong with Oliva in general and the Oliva V is (to me) the best of their line up, especially when you consider the price. I rate it a 3, only because I know that the perfecto version is better, and it is easily a 4.



Oh yeah.


And here is the bonus shot of me leaping from the small waterfall at Sulpher Springs...when I realized how close our resort was to this infamous site, I knew I had to take the Family. I'd like to give a special "shout out" to Sethro Max, who introduced me to this fantastic ice cold swimming hole a few years ago (when he took us early in the morning when it was way too cold to be jumping into ice water!)...and I have to say, it's at least as fun to jump in when the temperature is over 100 outside.