Price: $38
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Box: Cab of 25 – SEP 06
Paired with: Ice water
After smoking all sorts of different cigars in the past few weeks I decided to go back to my favorite cigar, the king of all robustos the Cohiba Robusto as I missed the grassy, bean flavor and creamy taste of Cohiba. Picked this cigar from a cab of 25 which is almost 2 years old and paired it with ice water which is my usual cigar drink.
Pre-light:
Construction was 10 out of 10 and the foot was packed. cap clipped nicely but unfortunately the draw was a bit tight but nothing problematic.
First third:
Cigar started with even light and burn line was razor sharp. Initial couple of puffs were bitter which this is a very well known character of Cohiba Robusto when it starts up. Bitter taste went away quickly and the cigar produced a good amount of white smoke and I was getting Cohiba grassy taste with a little bean undertones.
Second Third:
Cigar continued to burn evenly and the ash held nicely. Very solid ash which I could have guess from the construction. It continued to coat my mouth with grassy flavor combined with bean and creamy smoke. Some floral taste was coming through as well.
Final third: At this phase I was really enjoying this smooth cigar with all the flavor that was noticeable in first and second third with some added pepper and strength which made a nice finish on the cigar. Cigar Ash fell on its own and thankfully didn’t make a big mess but it held nicely all the way to the final third.
Conclusion:
Once again I am very happy with this cigar as it always comes out very reliable and predictable delivering a smooth luxury smoke that I can have anytime of the day. Everyone knows I always recommend this cigar even though price a bit high compared to our Cuban robustos but it always delivers a great experience for a special occasion.
Happy smoking!
Price: $22
Size: 52 x 5/5 (Camapana – Not a Piramide)
Box: Cab of 25
Paired with: Ice water
It has been a long time since I smoked this cigar. Initially when I tried this cigar few years back for the first time I really became a big fan of the smooth yet peppery taste and I remember that I smoked half a box in a week in summertime. After that I quickly lost my interest as I found this cigar very one dimensional and one of those cigars that do not require any attention. Construction is really well and the draw shows the same quality. This cigar has a smooth taste mixed with pepper and some tasty Cuban tobacco flavor which almost stays the same throughout the cigar. You don’t notice too much change and the burn is kind of OK and not straight at times which you will notice in the pictures below. Here are the pictures from first, second and final third.
Overall I think Bolivar Belicosos Finos is an OK cigar and in terms of enjoyment its nothing close to Bolivar Royal Corona or even Bolivar Petit Corona.
Happy smoking.
Tonight after a rainy day here in Toronto I decided to smoke the single cigar I purchased from La Casa Del Habano (LCDH) store in Yorkville Ave in Toronto. Juan Lopez Seleccion No 2 is a less known Cuban cigar and not as famous as Cohibas and Montecristos which are Cuban flagship brands. I got this cigar after seeing high ratings in cigar magazine and also being suggested by a friend who recently purchased a box. Price for a single was $19.00.
Last week when I walked into the LCDH humidor in Yorkville and asked for this cigar they showed me a box from ENE 07 (January 07) which had great looking cigars. All cigars looked dark, packed foot with excellent construction. I picked one and actually clipped it in the store to make sure I would not have a draw problem. As expected from the looks of the cigar the draw was great with little resistance.
Tonight I paired this cigar with a cup of coffee which I think brought out allot of great flavors. Burn was good and cigar started with explosion of flavors with mostly floral undertones at the first third. Second third was woodsy with little spice but continued to be a very enjoyable cigar. I must admit the most enjoyable part of smoking this cigar was the ash which held throughout the 45 minute and I never had to ash it, even once.
I highly recommend this cigar if you like Robusto size and have not tried any of the Juan Lopez line of cigar. Not sure how much of aging potential this cigar has but again this is one of the Cuban cigars out there that smokes well out of the box.
This video review is for Montecristo Sublime Limited Edition 2008, the picture-perfect cigar with oily wrapper, flawless construction which delivers the true Cuban complexity and flavors. This time I tried something new and made this video black/white to resolve the lighting problems. In this video I go over most of the 2008 new releases from Cuba and how they performed compared to Montecristo Sublime Limited Edition 2008.
Enjoy.
Price: $14
Size: 42 x 5 (Marevas/Petit Corona)
Box: Cab of 50
Paired with: Warm Coffee
Por Larranaga Petit Corona is arguably one of the best Cuban Petit Coronas which offers great quality, balance and value. This little stick like all Por Larranagas ages extremely well and you can notice its progress month over month. Tonight I decided to review this cigar while walking in the park enjoying the first snow of the year in Toronto and sipping on a nice warm coffee.
Pre-light:
Construction is flawless and the cap clips very clean. Triple cap held really nice and very visible. Draw was perfect and offered the right amount of resistance before the torch.
First Third:
Cigar toasted evenly and started very flavorful but in the mild range. Great amount of smoke was coming through with each puff. I immediately tasted sweetness mixed with some woody undertone and burn continued to be perfect.
Second Third: Burn was going great and now I was getting real Cuban tobacco taste combined with sweetness and woodsy flavors were slowly fading away and getting replaced with a touch of black pepper.
Final Third: Burn was going off a little bit due to the wind and snow blowing away but cigar kept correcting its own mistakes and continued to show its might as an excellent Cuban cigar. By this point I was getting toasty sweetness and good amount of pepper. It was really hard to put this cigar down as I kept wanting more.
Conclusion: I think Por Larranaga Petit Corona is a delicious everyday smoke which can work for you anytime of the day. Its a great morning cigar or just for relaxing after a hectic day at work. I strongly recommend this cigar for beginners or seasoned smokers. This cigar is great out of the box but I still recommend aging them as they perform much better with few years of age. Happy smoking.
What a night. A room full of cigar lovers, Cuban relief effort supporters and best of all four new excellent 2008 releases to smoke. Cuban Hurricane Relief Dinner Event was held in Toronto as a private event for $250 per person. The event started with everyone receiving a warm welcome at the door and a box containing three limited edition cigars and one new release for 2008. Cigars were: Cuaba Pyramid 2008, Montecristo Sublime 2008, Partagas Serie D No. 5 and Serie P No.2 Tubo.
It was really nice to smoke indoors with so many aficiniados who are together for the same cause. I met a few CigarBunch.com website fans. It was really nice to spend sometime with them talking cigars and nothing but cigars.
There was a silent auction held for everyone to put down their name and price they are willing to pay. Few interesting items which you will see in the video was a box of 25 Edmundo Dantes El Conde 109s and Montecristo B, 100th anniversary humidor with 50 cigars.
One other interesting item was 2008 Habanos Festival cigar sampler box.
Click here to view a short video of the silent auction
After silent auction was closed Stuart one of the CigarBunch.com fans and a true aficioniado was the lucky winner of Edmundo Dantes El Conde 109s. Congratulations.
Edmundo Dantes El Conde 109
This event was one of best cigar events held in Toronto with the help and support of most cigar stores in Toronto. I hope we can make a change even though small with Cuban hurricane relief efforts.
Price: $24
Size: 50 x 6.2 (Toro)
Box: Dresses Box 25 of Cab of 50
Paired with: Ice water
H. Upmann Magnum 50 was originally released in 2005 as a limited edition and following its success it was re-released in 2008 as a regular production at 2008 Havana Cigar Festival. This is a big cigar with decent construction.
Pre-light: This cigar has a nice aroma and the wrapper is almost reddish brown. Cap clipped nicely and the draw was perfect. This cigar has a secondary band displaying the magnum 50.
First third: Cigar started very earthy and some woody notes were noticed. It really has the “old school” Cuban taste. It produced ton of smoke and finish was pleasant tobacco taste and the h.upmann flavor was difinately there.
Second third: Second third continued to be enjoyable but dry at some times. Burn was off a little and couple of touch ups was required. It still produced allot of smoke but base flavors kept fading away and coming back due to young age and lack of time to get balanced in the humidor.
Final Third: Cigar was producing less smoke and at this point I realized that this cigar needs some serious aging to balance it self in terms of burn and flavor. I think it has tremendous potential.
Conclusion: H. Upmann Magnum 50 is a mild Cuban cigar which mostly has tobacco and earthy flavors. Its not a fair judgement to review this cigar this young and it difinately requires 2 to 3 years to become a great smoke.
Ramon Allones Specially Selected has a bog number of followers and is one of the best and most complex Cuban cigars available for a very reasonable price. They have been my long time favorite which never fail to impress. Ramon Allones Specially Selected have a great start and a complex taste throughout the cigar with notes of cedar/sweetness with delicious earthy undertone. You have to leave them to age for few years but they are also great outside of the box. They come in dress box of 25 and cab of 50.
After opening a couple of boxes of Cohiba Siglo IV I noticed how the same cigar coming from two different factories and packaged in the same month can have such a difference in wrapper color. From light blond to dark chocolate but both have their own beauty and I am glad to be able to taste them both and see which one has a better taste at the end of the day. Here are a couple of pictures.
It is estimated that hurricane Ike and Gustav have resulted in 5 billion dollars worth of damages in Cuba. In their hour of need, Havana House has felt it necessary to respond.
In conjunction with The Dubois Charitable Foundation, Havana House will be hosting a Benefit Dinner with 100% of proceeds going towards the rebuilding of affected areas.
Date: Monday November 3, 2008
Time: Cocktails 7:00 pm – Dinner 7:30 pm
Place: Oregano Ristorante, 3650 Langstaff Rd, Woodbridge
Price: $250.00 (charitable receipts will be issued for a portion of the ticket price)
Drinks: Cash Bar
During the evening we will get the opportunity to enjoy 4 new cigars recently launched by Cuba in 2008. These cigars include the following: Cuaba Piramide Ltd Edition, Montecristo Sublime Ltd Edition, Partagas Serie D No. 5 Ltd Edition and the Partagas Serie P No. 2 Tubo.
Tickets can be purchased through Havana House and at most Specialty Tobacconists throughout Southern Ontario.
If you are unable to attend, cash donations would be greatly appreciated. Cheques can be
made out to The Dubois Foundation, c/o Hurricane Relief Dinner.
