Tatuaje Havana VI Nobles (Robusto)

Tatuaje Havana VI Nobles (Robusto)






It's a chilly but clear night in November...I've got my Tatuaje Havana IV, my Chivas Regal scotch, and my mini laptop...and life is good. Very good. Can't recommend the scotch but the rest of it is the bomb!

This cigar doesn't look like much and the rustic and simple band does little for me. In fact, I would never buy this (or the other Tatuaje cigars) if not for the rave reviews that they get. It smells good, though, a little spicy.

It starts off with a blast of pepper...very strong. The pepper doesn't really let up for an inch or two and the pepper is backed up with some pretty decent power. I smoked five cigars last weekend in Anthony (including a Cubao, a 601 Green, a Man O' War, and a Perdomo) I and never really got that nicotine hit...this Tatuaje had me reeling in two inches.



Here's a picture of the label..."Night Spider Style" (actually my macro doesn't work too well with the flash!)


Here's the label and stogie. Nothing too remarkable on the outside.


The stogie has a great draw and a very nice aroma-thick and spicy. The plumage wasn't grand but the small clouds it produces were very dense.



This is a great stogie. It burned straight and tasted great. They sell for around $7. I got mine for closer to $4 and for that price...I'm not sure how you can get a better cigar than this. I got an hour out of this bad boy.

Quick Rating: 9.5 (dinged only for it's cheap-ass band). The only other thing that could have improved it would have been some good (adult) company!



Here's my guest reviewer. She came outside every few minutes to let me know what was happening on the Madagascar cartoon she was watching.

Old Henry lancero

My bro, who traded me this Old Henry lancero stogie, told me it was a house brand for Holt's Cigar Company, made by Don Pepin Garcia. I'd had one before that wasn't a lancero, and maybe hadn't been much aged, and didn't remember liking it as much as this one.

• Appearance - 8.5 \ Cool label, but the nipple tie-off and the lancero format put me off at first.
• Burn - 10 \ Great hour-long smoke -- no problems whatsoever. Wonderfully worry-free. I attribute that to the design, maybe the aging, and to the lancero form factor.
• Draw - 9 \ Great. No worries.
• Plummage - 8 \ Fully good for the lancero shape.
• Flavor - 8 \ Great stuff. Not awesome, but really solid and likable.
• Overall - 9 \ Just dug this smoke, which was easy to enjoy while I studied on the porch.

Here's to the occasional smoke break, even as cities bar you from enjoying them at pubs and the winter months approach.

La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero 700

It's after two am. I got a diabetes walk, an Outlaw cigar event and an orchestra benefit to go tomorrow, not to mention more weekend work. I hung with friends down in the "deep south" of KC's Kansas suburbs with Kell, then whiled away the early morning hours just now finishing up more song ratings while enjoying a fantastic smoke. The La Flor Dominicana DL 700's are among the stoutest of smokes, but still smooth. Had 2 the past several weeks and I dug 'em both.

Probably better put this blog in the can and get few hours of sleep before me and my baby gotta get up again.

Ratings:

• Appearance - 9 \ Borders on too damn big looking (mild research suggests something like 6.5X60). But it's not stupidly big. Just big. And solid-looking. La Flor Domininca's got a nice traditional-with-flair band.
• Burn - 10 \ It holds up to almost two hours of smoking of my notorious fast-toking style. Needed no touch-ups, had no cracks nor even soggy tipped-ness.
• Draw - 9.5 \ Awesome. The resistance wasn't cumbersome and just made the stogie last longer.
• Plummage - 9 \ Probably coulda been higher volume, but I didn't smoke it that way. Smells rich as you puff away.
• Flavor - 10 \ One of my favorites, but smooth. Not the normal spiciness I go after. Just solid textures of flavor that roll around on you.
• Overall - 10 \ Goes into one of my current favorites. If only I could get it for a reasonable price, rather than the $7-11/stick retail range.

Awesome stogie experience on the Twilight Lounge with the new moodlighting and our Halloween gargoyle. G'Night, dear readers!

Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve (Maduro)

Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve (Maduro)
6.5 inches x 52 ring gauge
Aged 1.5 years from purchase


Wow. This was a rich cigar.

To start, it has a nice band and presentation-very rustic but very classy. The maduro wrapper smells sweet-one big vein and multi colors of maduro make it look kind of rustic but it exudes an aura of specialness-that's why I let it sit so long! Has a vague box press that really like-not too squared or severe. Some of those super pressed ones make me think I'll cut myself on the edges!

First few puffs give a mellow maduro flavor with a slightly loose draw. I was a little worried but the draw was not an issue at all. Most of the maduros I’ve enjoyed lately have been peppery/strong maduros but this one was the richest and smoothest maduro I've ever had.

I had been holding back on this…for a special occasion. I’m not a big Rocky Patel fan but this cigar just seemed like something I should dress up for, you know? The muted wrapper and sophisticated packaging seemed above my pay grade...but I have some exciting career developments so I bit the bullet. I really enjoyed it. Sweet maduro/coffee/cocoa smoke smell. Really nice.

Here is the Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve with some scotch. Yummy!


Here's the band-photo doesn't really do it justice.

Reminded me a little of some other cigars I’ve had-I think it’s the Costa Rican wrapper…especially the Taboo Special Forces and their Exotic Maduro line.

It was long lasting too-after 1.5 hours it was still going with 1/3 left and I was getting overwhelmed.

I'm not a huge Rocky Patel fan...In fact, I'm not sure that any of his smokes would make it in my top twenty (dominated mostly by Punch and Don Pepin Garcia smokes...). However this stogie was a special dude and I'd buy it again. Sadly, it came in a sampler and if I was to buy another, they retail for around $8 or more (often $12) and that's too high for my blood.

As I enjoyed this cigar my mind wandered more than a bit...started really missing some of the good friends and good times we've all had over the last few years. I wanted to throw some stogies and booze and d20's in the trusty Fit and head for Scott's Gaming Cabin, sounding the call, and roaring (put-putting?) towards good times and camaraderie. Sadly work and the cost of gas has really been throwing up walls...Smoking this cigar was a little bittersweet for me but I won't hold that against Rocky Patel's primo stogie.

I'd rate this cigar at 9.0. The high price lowers its value score and I did have to relight a few times. However, for a special occasion cigar, I think it would be a great choice.

Here's my guest appearance...Big Thane in his football uniform. He made me wait to take it until after he practiced...he said "I want to be sweaty in it". Yeah-that's my middle boy!

5 Vegas Miami

5 Vegas Miami
By Don Pepin Garcia and Cigars International

My fearless brother Rico reviewed this stogie not long ago...but in typical big brother fashion, I feel that I may have to double-check his work...and since the task at hand involves smoking a stogie and drinking beer, I may have to review it again...Practice makes perfect, yes? That reminds me of a joke H.T. makes from time to time about marrying an English Teacher...but I'll save that for another day...



Since it's a lazy Sunday, I might as well start off with a meandering course. Here's a photo of Ry and Holly enjoying a stogie at the Outlaw in Kansas City last month. Eric and Kellie hosted for us and it was Holly's birthday...and Don Pepin Garcia at the Outlaw may have made one of the most memorable birthdays for her ever! (possibly not in a good way for her but...)


Here's Kellie competing with Ry for the longest ash. I think she got second as Rico, Michelle and I weren't doing so well. We really enjoyed the bbq pork, free beer, and Don Pepin rolling event.

Here's the star of the show. The 5 Vegas Miami torpedo.

This smoke is created by DPG for Cigars International. It tastes nothing like the other 5 Vegas lines (which are pretty good for a house blend) and can be had for $3 apiece or so on Cigarbid.com. They're $5 or more apiece on CI so I never buy them there. Not sure if you can get them anywhere else.

This stogie had a typical Pepin tangy smell and the prelight taste was peppery and a little tart-but not bitter. It was a smooth and attractive smoke. I really like the label-seems understated and classier than many other bands-really like the blue and gold.
I smoked this stogie while drinking Murphy's Irish Red and watching Rescue Me shorts on Youtube with Michelle. It was a great combo-the smoke did not demand my attention but several times I found myself really enjoying the combination of pepper, cocoa, and buttery love that Miami imparted. The Pepin "twang" that I crave was there, of course.

I could go on...but the bottom line is that I nubbed this baby. I give it 8.5. overall with construction and flavor being the stogie's biggest strength. I wish I could get these for $1.50 or $2 each-but hey, they're pretty good.

Rico's rating of 9.5 is a little high to me. However, there is no escaping the simple fact that the 5 Vegas Miami is a damn good smoke. I wonder if his higher rating is due to the undeniably exotic ambiance of the Twilight Lounge.



Here is my sweet sweet 5 Vegas Miami, getting close to the end!



And here's my triple-sweet daughter Anne-Marie with another guest appearance in my blog! She loves to make the funny faces.

Oliva Angel 100 O.T.C.

Oliva Angel OTCThe Oliva Angel is not made by the Oliva family (the one you see at the cigar stores with the cute bands and the big "O"). It's made by the Oliva tobacco family-apparently they own a massive amount of tobacco and all the major brands use it to make cigars. They themselves have only made one cigar that I know of, the "Angel", and it is supposed to be honoring their patriarch-at least that's what I hear.

Apparently this cigar once retailed for around $9 but, when you can find it, it's discounted heavily. It's got a lot of Nicaraguan in it but also has some Peruvian tobacco in it-I think that's what gives it the unique taste that I enjoy. It could be the Ecuadorian sun grown wrapper though too. Hard to say. This one is a 6 x 48 corona and is a good size for me. I'm starting to realize that there are some really great cigars in the "smaller" ring gauges.

These sticks are a great bargain. I was very impressed when I got my first five pack-they come encased in a fairly nice little black wooden box where they snugly await your inspection. I have read that many fault this sticks on appearance (apparently some believe they are fugly sticks) but I have had no issues. They are box pressed and feel good in the hand.

The flavor is a little peppery and very rich. The burn is always solid. I've had about a dozen of these and have found them very consistent. My only complaint might be that the flavor doesn't change much but since it's a good flavor, I can live with that . To me, the Angel is one of those "good but not great" cigars that you can enjoy without having to commit to-It's the kind of smoke I enjoy when I'm working or when I'm watching something on the laptop on the porch.

At the price I pay ($2 a stick) they are a steal.

Solid 7.0 rating on it; 7.7 when you consider its value.




Here's my stick in my new "stinky" cigar ashtray. They finally came back in stock and I've been wanting one for awhile. I really like it. Designed by a cigar smoker. Love the deep bowl and little stirrups to hold the cigar-keeps the mouthy part of the cigar from getting ash all over it when you have to put it down, even if the cigar in question is very small...





There she is 1/2 way gone.








Here I am, enjoying Rescue Me on the porch with my Angel 100.

Gran Habano, Corojo #5 (Red label)

So, Saturday was a good day for smoking. Later that night, Kellie and I met up with her friend Amanda Fuhrer and her boyfriend at their new apartment in Lincoln. We talked till the wee hours of the morning and I smoked another Gran Habano, this time the #5 red label Corojo. I didn't get much in the way of pictures, but I was reminded how much I love this cigar. Definitely one of my all-time favorites, and my second favorite among the Gran Habano Mega-Sampler from Cigars International. (See previous entry on the #3 black label).


So here are my ratings on this bad boy:

• Appearance - 6 \ Classy double band label. Nice size, just looks a little small. Medium thickness.
  
• Burn - 5 \ Needed some touch-ups.
  
• Draw - 7 \ Great. Used a punch cut.
  
• Plummage - 10 \ Amazing plumes of thick haze, with a strong rich aroma.
  
• Flavor - 9 \ Awesome. Bold, with hints of other flavors mixed in.
  
• Overall - 9.5 \Just a knock-down great smoke to enjoy.

Good stuff!