As far as Connecticut’s go, there is quite a selection out on the market and each one tries to be unique in it’s own way. The Virtue has a great blender to back it up along with a line of cigars that has been well received by most of the cigar community. The Virtue line comes in 6 vitolas including Robusto, Toro, Torpedo, Solomon, Lonsdale and Churchill. If you are looking for the power that the Ruination offers, don’t look here. It may have some faintly similar notes but no where near the strength offered. What this does offer is a great medium smoke that can go well anytime of the day.

I’m settling down outside after a nice BBQ lunch to enjoy this cigar with one of my favorite blondes (No, not a woman, a beer…) Take a read through and leave a comment to let us know what you think!

Cigar: Man O War Virtue
Drink: Innis & Gunn Original Oak Aged Beer
Vitola: Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $7 – $8 MSRP
Burn Time: 1.5 Hours

Construction:
• Very even diameter throughout
• A good firmness with a perfect spring, consistent throughout
• Looks to be a little bit of extra glue on the triple cap and it has some discoloration but still looks clean
• No major veins on the wrapper
• Foot looks to be well packed
• Cut was even and clean
• Great draw, very little effort but not too open
• I still love these Man O War bands, the Spartan-type logo is really neat
• With about 1.5 inches left the wrapper cracked a bit just below the cap, hoping it doesn’t cause any issues
• Burned through the crack without any problems

Burn:
• Toasting was a little uneven but gave off an awesome cedar aroma
• Burn has been dead on for the first half
• Staying lit easily, not much effort required
• Cigar stayed effortless until the end with no major burn issues

Smoke & Ash:
• Lots of smoke from each draw, really fills the mouth
• Lots of resting smoke that gives off that awesome burning cedar aroma
• Ash looks strong but first fell off in about half an inch, could be the wind today
• No flaking or crookedness
• Second ash was around an inch but the rest were all smaller so have an ashtray nearby

Tasting Notes:
• Wrapper aroma is of dry wood and tobacco
• Foot has a sort of honey-sweet and grassy aroma complimented by cedar
• Pre-light draw has lots of cedar flavor to it with an earthy undertone and a mild spice
• Initial draws are very woodsy with a tiny hint of honey sweetness
• Mild body at the start
• Retrohale is also mild and has a wonderful cedar finish
• Approaching the half-way mark, the sweet honey has changed to a more natural honey flavor.  Not as sweet but still quite good
• Past the half-way point and flavors haven’t changed much more but this is still an enjoyable smoke with some nice cedar notes to it and a bit of creaminess
• Getting close to the nub and cedar with a natural honey flavors are still the only major ones around
• There were hints of creamy vanilla and a cinnamon-like spice here and there but they never made a prominent appearance
• Very little harshness on the nub, got to enjoy it right to the end

Final Thoughts:
A lot of people avoid some of the milder sticks because they feel the flavors are just not as enjoyable or complex as most fuller bodied sticks.  There are some exceptions that stand out in the pack against this rule and this stick has now joined that group in my books.  Construction, burn, draw, flavor, everything worked well here to make a fine smoke.  It’s great for new cigar smokers or veterans looking for a tasty morning smoke.  Even though the flavors did not change much they were enjoyable from start to finish.  I could see this getting boring in a churchill size but a robusto or smaller would go very nicely. The price is a bit high compared to other Connecticuts on the market but you can find good deals on them well below MSRP if you look.  Did I mention that I like the band?

Pairings:
Innis & Gunn Oak Aged Beer is a great brew from Edinburgh, Scotland.  Oak flavors are one of my favorites, in wine, ports and beers alike.  This brew is fairly light but full of flavors making for a great summer or lunchtime beer but can be enjoyed anytime easily.  It matched very well with the woodsy flavors of this cigar.  The cigar would also go very well with a morning coffee or even a simple diet soda or glass of water.  Try not to drink anything too strong or full with this cigar as it will drown out the flavors it offers.
 

Diesel - Unholy Cocktail

 Diesel’s Uncholy Cocktail has made quite a buzz all over cigartown as of late. Not only does the fact that AJ Fernandez (creator of the Man O’ War series) concocted this elegant stick demand mass attention, but seeing these advertised as low as $2.50 a stick online could capture anyones attention.

I didn’t want to jump all over these sticks for fear of being let down, so I took a backseat and just listened to what a few of my colleagues had to say about it first.  After hearing nothing but great things from both Stogie Review, and Nice Tight Ash I decided to jump on the bandwagon and experience this one for myself.

The Good Stuff: I wasn’t able to pull out a whole lot of interesting information on this cigar outside of the straight backs. As stated before the Diesel was produced by the master mind Abdel “AJ” Fernandez, creator of the most intense of blends including the Man O’ War, Rocky Patel’s Fusion, Padilla Habano, Indian Tabac 10th Anniversary, and Sol Cubano Cuban Cabinet. The Diesel is only produced in one vitola, the Torpedo and consists of filler tobaccos from Jalapa, Condega and EsteliNicaragua wrapped with a dark Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper.

Size: 5 x 56  -  Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf  -  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  -  Body: Medium – Full

Diesel - Unholy Cocktail

Diesel - Unholy Cocktail

Prelight: The Diesel’s wrapper is incredibly silky and oily, even to the touch. The wrapper is very toothy and sports a very dark chocolate-like consistency. There was one partial wrap in mine cigar that was about 4 shades lighter than the rest of the cigar, but outside of that the colors were strictly uniform. The Diesel carries a long torpedo shaped cap that tapers off into a thick body. The portion where the head meets the cap of the cigar seemed to be just a tad thicker than the rest of the cigar so I actually had to pull out the ring gauge to find that this was just an optical illusion. Many small veins can be found scattered across the Diesel’s wrapper along with one larger, thick vein running almost the entire length of the cigar. The Diesel is very firm to the touch and only had one minor soft spot towards the cap, but it shouldn’t be anything to worry about. The Diesel smells very barnyard, and not the least bit enticing. But we all know that doesn’t mean it won’t be a remarkable experience. Most cigars don’t smell good. That’s why we don’t use them as air fresheners. Outside of the barnyard almost manure smell one could pull hay, and soft leather from the foot of this cigar. The foot of the Diesel is garnished with an almost midevil leather looking band with the words “diesel” embossed in it twice around. The band had little glue, and I was able to slide it right off withalmost no effort. The cold draw produced similar hay and leather tastes, with a hint of spice.

Diesel - Unholy Cocktail

First Smoke: The Diesel lit up extremely easy under my triple flame butane torch. The flavors were extremely abundant and intensely bold. I was able to decipher quite a bit of a cedar taste, with hints of black cherry, leather, coffee and just enough pepper to tickle my lips and the tip of my tongue. The draw itself was a bit tight and surprised me by how much flavor and smoke it produced. The smoke was a thick grey, and smelled off cedar and barnyard. This isn’t something you’d want to light up around a lot of people who aren’t into cigar smoking. The Diesel didn’t produce a lot of stationary smoke at all. The burnline on the diesel was razor thin and started slightly wavy but did a good job correcting itself early in producing a nice, thick, well packed white and light grey ash. I was pretty surprised when my first ash only lasted about 3/4 of an inch before it decided to give way.

Diesel - Unholy Cocktail

Halfway There: So far so good. The Diesel’s flavors are holding pretty consistently. The pepper has just about dissipated as well as the raw coffee I was pulling from the diesel early on and they have been replaced by a smooth, milky aftertaste. This cigar is producing quite a bit of moisture in my mouthwhich is helping me cope withnot having a drink to pair it with. The nicotine is starting to take its toll on me as well. It’s not flooring me by any means, but after about 30 minutes of smoking once can feel the blood rush to his head once he stands up. I’m impressed with how slow this cigar is burning. I would be at two thirds in on similar vitolas. The burn line is getting a bit off track again as I pass the halfway point, but it seems to be just one problem area about an eighth of an inch wide. I don’t think I will have to touch it up, it’s isolated enough that it should begin to catch up with the rest of the burn.

Diesel - Unholy Cocktail

Finish: Toward the end of the cigar I began to taste much more of the coffee flavor that I was sure had vanquished earlier into the cigar. The cedar and sweetness of the black cherry are still center stage as well as the smooth aftertaste that developed. Another surprise if the fact that there is no harshness built up what so ever. The cigar is still just as smooth as it was when I first lit it up. I am feeling a bit more of a nicotine kick that expected, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The burn line at this point is razor thin, and dead on without any need to touch it up. In total it took me almost 2 hours to finish this cigar.

Diesel - Unholy Cocktail

Overview:Diesel? I’ll take it.. for $3 a stick? I’d buy a box, or two, hell even three. This cigar was just as much of a shocker as everyone is saying it is. From its bold flavors and perfect construction to its great body and extreme consistency. This is the perfect cigar for a medium bodied cigar smoker who wants to try something with a bit more punch, but not enough to knock them off their feet. Not only that but I would strongly recommend the Diesel to the most seasoned cigar smoker as and everyday/anyday offering. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised and the diesel has its home in my regular rotation.

Diesel - Unholy Cocktail

Man O' War Ruination

I hadn’t had the pleasure of smoking one of these until now. There is a huge push in the Man O’ War brand, not only from a retailer standpoint but by the cigar aficionados as well. So much hype and talk has gotten me pretty interested in this cigar. I was lucky enough to have a few sent to me by the awesome “Agent 24″ at Cigar Spy. (Thanks Man!).

The Good Stuff: I was able to dig up quite a bit of information about the Man O’ War Ruintation. Man O’ War was developed by Abdel “AJ” Fernandez at Tabacalera Fernandez. AJ is a protégé of Don Alejandro Robaina, the man who is considered to be the “Godfather” of tobacco. AJ had spent most of his life under the practice Alejandro in Cuba before migrated to Nicaragua where he now resides creating some of the finest cigars out there. Aj is noted for creating Rocky Patel’s Fusion, Indian Tabac 10th Anniversary, Padilla Habano, and Sol Cubano Cuban Cabinet. But out of the list of fine cigars AJ considers the Man O’ War his finest piece of work.

Man O' War Ruination

The Man O’ War Ruination is constructed of Cuban-seed Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos. To add to the equation most of the tobacco leaves used to construct this cigar are Ligero leaves wrapped in Habano Ecuadorian tobacco leaves. The Ligero leaves are the strongest of all the tobacco leaves on a plant. They produce not only the most strength, but an incredibly spicy, bold taste as well.

Man O' War Ruination

Size: 5.7 x 56  -  Wrapper: Habano Ecuadorian  -  Filler: Cuban-seed Honduran and Nicaraguan Ligero  Flavor: Full

Prelight: The first thing that you notice about the Ruination is the dark, oily Ligero Wrapper. The wrapper is even darker then a lot of maduro wrapped cigars sitting in my humidor. The Ruination is a very heavy cigar. Probably the heaviest I have ever felt (I even did the: “wow, this is a heavy cigar. Sweetheart check this out”). Not to mention the tobacco is incredibly tightly packed in this bad boy. There were no signs of misconstruction and obviously no soft spots. I think I could probably throw this cigar through a window without harming it. The Ruination gives off a very grassy, musky smell before it is lit. The head of my cigar is oddly quite a bit darker than the foot. There were a few veins in the construction, but nothing that I forsee having any problems with.

Man O' War Ruination

First Smoke: This cigar took quite a while to light under my single flame colibri Torch.  I’m starting to see a similar trend in any ligero based cigars. I clipped just a bit off of the torpedo shaped tip. The first tastes were that of a dark chocolate, mixed with leather, and hints of vanilla. This wasn’t a pleasant hot cocoa mix I’m used to. The tobacco and flavor mixture is incredibly harsh, and even a bit over-powering. Someone had asked how I was enjoying the cigar and I could only respond with “It’s definitely a Man’s cigar”. I couldn’t get too much of a draw off of the ruination so i increased the cut to almost double what I normally do. I’m assuming that the plugging was due to how tightly this cigar is packed. After the extra cut the draw increased and the Ruination produced huge clouds of VERY thick smoke. I can usually 3-hit each draw, but this guy was too powerful, no more than 2. After a few draws the flavors balanced out a bit more to a very peppery, spicy, chocolate, espresso laced taste. It is a very great tasting cigar when not overpowered by the strength. Oddly, I only got about 3/4 of an inch in before the ash gave way.

Man O' War Ruination

Halfway There: About halfway in the cigar got much easier to handle. I don’t know if my body was getting used to it, or if the Ruination itself had actually balanced itself out. The strength has definitely held its own and the flavor is holding up as well. It’s much more peppery at this point, and I can feel the slight tingle from the tobacco on my lips and tongue. My second ash lasted well over an inch. This was much more expected that the first. It must have been a fluke, or maybe the wind. The cigar is burning pretty evenly, but it has the tendency to try and extinguish itself. I remedied that but touching the cigar up every now and then, even if it was still burning even.

Finish: Near the end I cut just a tad more off of the head. The moisture from my mouth was causing the cigar to slightly plug up. Towards the end I no longer had any burn issues, but the strength of the cigar was starting to take its toll on me. I had become a bit light-headed, but I wasn’t going to raise any white flags until I’ve nubbed the Ruination. The pepper flavor stood its ground towards the end of the cigar, vanquishing any other flavors at this point. The Man O’ War Ruination took a little over 2 hours to smoke in it entirety.

Man O' War Ruination

Overview: First of all, I can’t even believe I was able to finish this cigar. The Ruination in no way is intended for the novice cigar smoker. This cigar is intended to knock your socks off and that’s exactly what it did. Would I try this again? I plan on it. Just not on an empty stomach. This is a perfect cigar to have on those days where you feel you have a chip on your shoulder and need to just forget about life in general and enjoy a relaxing smoke.