Legends Nestor Plasencia Maroon Label (5.7 x 54)

Legends Nestor Plasencia Maroon Label (5.7 x 54)



I had a good relationship with Cigars International's "Legends" series of smokes when I first started lighting up stogies. They were thick, made by well-known makers, and CI's marketing juggernaut made them so darn cool sounding. Plus the "color coding" branding made the confusing world of cigars so much more accessible. At the time, I really gravitated towards the thick stogies and these bad boys were all right up my alley. I enjoyed the red label (Perdomo) white label (Camacho), the Orange (Rocky Patel), the Yellow (Don Pepin Garcia) as well as a few Blue (Matasa) and Purple (Graycliff)...

As time went on, I found myself less enchanted with them. The White label didn't seem to age well. The Red was good but kind of one dimensional. The Yellow seemed to vary a lot in flavor (some were too damn peppery even for me!). I enjoyed the Orange but I recall it having issues with it staying lit. The Black and Purple never did it for me and the Blue smelled like perfume!

So when the Maroon label by Nestor came out, I was curious but enjoying my other smokes too much to try them out...

...And that's where my little brother rides in on his white horse (Red Buick) and offers me this thick black log of a smoke. Since I had just finished an Oliva G and he was on the phone with me, I figured I'd try out the Nestor...glad I did.

Here is what Cigars International has to say about them on their website:

Legends Nestor Plasencia - Maroon Label: Nestor Plasencia was a natural fit for the Legends Series. He is one of the world’s leading tobacco growers, owning fields throughout Central America and beyond. In fact, most of the cigars you enjoy on a regular basis contain tobaccos grown by him and his father, Nestor Senior. His supply and variety of fine tobaccos is limitless, granting him the potential to blend masterful cigars, which he has down with the Maroon Label. Dressed in a rich, redolent, and oily broadleaf maduro wrapper from Honduras, this fine cigar utilizes a long-leaf mixture of aged, Nicaraguan-grown ligeros bound by a dark Nicaraguan leaf. The result is remarkable, a medium to full-bodied array of flavor, including leather, earth, and coffee delivered throughout the smooth, chewy core. A pleasant sweetness finishes each savory puff, completing an eventful and memorable smoke.


The wrapper is dark and uniform-and feels like a well-packed, solid stick. The stick took the flame well and burned like a champ. The flavor was a mild to medium maduro type flavor-not too complicated but very enjoyable. It lacked the pepper that so many maduros that I enjoy possess but I enjoyed the absence. The best thing about this stogie is the really pleasant and sweet aroma-I kept finding myself pausing and enjoying the fragrance.




These run around $3 apiece right now on CI-not sure what Eric paid. For that price, the cigar is a great deal, especially if you like thicker stogies like this. I'd rate it a 2 (which, on my 4 point scale is a good and enjoyable smoke). It almost edges its way into a 3-keeping it down would be the lack of flavor transitions and the the thick ring gauge, which I'm not always appreciative of-and the band. Damn it, I hate to be that way, but the Legends band is a big part of the "2" rating instead of the "3". The band is gawdawful and has no...character. I may buy a five pack, pull the bands, smoke another and rereview it to see if it slides into a 3!

I think that this cigar would be a good one to keep around-for my own enjoyment and also as a relatively affordable "hospitality" cigar to hand to an infrequent smoker-they'll enjoy the mild to medium flavors without having their butt kicked!

Damn good cigar, Bro. Thanks!

Oliva G Maduro Perfecto (5.5 x 54)

Oliva G Maduro Perfecto (5.5 x 54)



It's a beautiful Fall afternoon/evening so I decided to light up this maduro beauty...before I get started, here is what Famous Cigars website says about this stick:

Oliva Serie G Maduro Perfecto cigars present an affordable, all box-pressed puro selection with a dark and oily Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper. Each cigar is skillfully handmade with a blend of Nicaraguan Habano long-fillers and binders that are carefully selected to complement the robust flavor and sweet aroma of this specially-aged wrapper. The smoke is rich, earthy, and medium-to-full in body. If you're MAD for maduros, and want outstanding quality at a fair price, order a box now.



The stogie is on the budget side of Oliva's stable...runs around $5 apiece. It has a dark and alluring maduro wrapper and the prelight reaks of that "barnyard" odor that I associate with many (good) Nicaraguan cigars. The shape is unusual-kind of a boxed press lopsided torpedo...difficult to dscribe and a little awkward looking.

The stogie lights up nicely and gives up lots of yummy maduro flavor and smoke. No burn issues. No odd flavors. no negative issues of any kind.


The stogie is solid-though not a standout. For the price it's a good bargain, though. Everything is good but nothing is what I'd call exceptional.



I'd rate this stogie as a solid 2 on my 4 point scale. I'd smoke it anytime. Of the six or so I've had, they'd all had remarkable construction and consistancy. What's keeping them from greatness is the lack of transition to other flavor types. I plan on enjoying more of them, perhaps as a 2nd or 3rd cigar of the day or when I'm smoking with others (and afraid that an exceptional cigar would be wasted in the haze of "other guys' smoke"!)



Here's a bonus pic of some of our family enjoying Thane's birthday meal. Good times!


And here's another of our new cat!

La Flor Dominicana Factory Press II (6.25" x 64)

La Flor Dominicana Factory Press II (6.25" x 64)



This is a special cigar...my brother Eric bought me two of these for my birthday about six months ago...additionally, it's a limited edition cigar by Litto Gomez (who I think creates some really great powerful cigars)...and it's...distinctive. The stogie is oily and dark and has a severe box press. Additionally one of the flat and wide sides seems wider than the other, reminding me of something from geometry class more than a cigar. The overall dark oiliness combined with the shape reminds me of a very high end chocolate bar...yummy! Lastly, this cigar is special to me for it's price-I think Rico paid $15 apiece for these babies (he got me two!). With this price, I'll probably never get any more, even if I could find any more.

A little background on these (courtesy of Rocky's Cigars):

The blend is exquisite and required years of planning and expertise by Litto. The Cuban-seed Corojo filler tobaccos from 1997, were selected from Litto’s private farm in the Dominican Republic. The binder, a dark, Dominican-grown Sumatra leaf, has been aging for 8 years. The wrapper dark and rich looking as any we've ever seen, is hand selected also from Litto’s farm.

I enjoyed this stogie on a short Family jaunt to Horsethief Canyon, a new lake that is being built in our area. I paired it with some Roastarie coffee (Ethiopian Harrar blend)-which complimented the cigar well.

The stick has a nice double-banded variant of the typical La Flor Dominicana band (always tasteful and attractive). The prelight smelled of mild tobacco-nothing special, really. Putting torch to the stick yielded hints of what I'd experience for the next two hours-a smooth chocolatey/cocoa treat with rich aroma.



Initially, I was a little worried because the flavor and strength seemed a little mild for a Litto Gomez stick. Then, I was distracted by the shape-it reminded me of a kazoo in my mouth. Later, as the stick opened up and the flavors and strength intensified, I started to realize I'd have to be careful or the thick bastard was going to cause me a jaw cramp! The overall flavor profile is very similar to the La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero (Maduro) stogies that I've enjoyed and I view the Factory Press as kind of the "Deluxe Model" of the Double Ligeros.

A quarter in the cigar started throwing up some black pepper flavor and the flavors and strength intensified (which it continued to do for the whole cigar). The aroma did the same thing...by the end, my mild disappointment (that the flavor hadn't varied much) was replaced by awe at the smoothness of this stogie and the carefully delivered increase in flavor. This is the only cigar I can remember that produced one basic flavor profile and somehow gradually amped it up from almost mild all the way to full without any bitterness or negative elements...really cool. By the end of this cigar, I was glad I was driving because I'm certaint that standing would have made me light headed.

I'd rate this cigar a "4"-based on its appearance, its great aroma, its endurance, and its great construction. I think it would make a great special event cigar for those that like some strength in their maduros...and I'm saving its twin brother for just such a happy moment!

Thanks Rico!


Here I am finishing this bad boy up!

Padilla Lancero (7.8" x 42)

Padilla Lancero (7.8" x 42)




I caught a deal on these stogies (1/2 price) and since I have enjoyed the Padilla 1932 and the 1968, I figured I'd take a chance on these 1948 lanceros (at around $3 each). I'm glad I did.

From Cigars International:

Lush and luxurious. Padilla 1948 combines a vintage blend of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan Corojo and Nicaraguan Criollo long-leaf tobaccos with a thick and buttery Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper to complete another high-end Padilla blend for you to savor. Like all of Ernesto Padilla’s fantastic blends this creation is meticuously hand-rolled using extreme quality control measures and comes layered with flavor. Expect a rush of spicy, woody undertones to awaken then palate, only to be soothed by a smooth bouquet of deep, earthy nuances. A tasty, medium to full-bodied morsel.

When I opened the box, I was very impressed-the lanceros were oily and striking, longer than many lanceros I've enjoyed. Yummy!

The lanceros have a nice even burn (which I've come to expect and appreciate from this form factor) and a rich and spicy flavor-occasionally throwing a strong earthy flavor up. One strange thing is the ash-it's a grey "dirty" color as opposed to the white/gray ash I normally see.

I smoked this one with a Boddington on the back porch of Mom and Dad's house after a full day of digging for salt crystals near Cherokee Oklahoma. See photos below for a taste of it but suffice it to say I was tired and windblown and the beer an stogie hit the spot!

I really enjoy this cigar-good plummage, good flavor, good constructions...but it's missing something that would propel it to greatness. I'd rate it a 3 on my 4 point scale and will probably buy another batch, if I see another good deal on them. I am hoping to age a handful of them in the hopes that a year or two will alow these guys to reach their full potential.


Here's Thane by the sign for the crystal digging area...


And here's Michelle and Anne-Marie digging for the dirty fragile little things...



...and here's what they look like after you clean them up just a little.

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.