The Man O’ War Armada is available exclusively at Cigars.com and Cigarsinternational.com as with the other Man O’ War lines. The other blends in the series include the Ruination, and untitled Man O’ War, the Virtue, and the Puro Authentico. The Armada is the special edition of the Man O’ War line and priced rightly so for that purpose at a hefty $20 per cigar.

Now I have to say how much I love these bands. I think I mentioned this in my Man O’ War Virtue review as well. This particular band has the gold Spartan mask with hints of metallic green in it all splashed on a black background. It really stands out and gives the cigar a “mean” look! lol Maybe there’s a hint of inspiration from the “300” movie here? hehe

The boxes of these cigars are packaged in impressively made chests of 32 cigars that also include a humidifier and a hygrometer. Currently, the Man O’ War Armada is only available in a single vitola, the Toro Grande. There are also two limited edition boxes that come with a few other cigars and include an Armada. These two boxes contain the Armada in a Perfecto and Box-Pressed Robusto Vitola.

The Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper is extremely rare and all the tobaccos used undergo an extensive fermentation and aging process before being put into any cigar. The fillers in this cigar are ligero from AJ’s farm in Nicaragua, specifically the Esteli and Ometope regions. The Armada is also produced in limited quantities of only 10,000 of this cigar each year. All these key features come together to justify the higher price tag. Now all that is fine and good, but if it doesn’t have a delicious profile and excellent construction to back it up, most people probably won’t buy it right? So let’s see if it has that important last piece to the puzzle.

Cigar: Man O’ War Armada
Drink: Brights Canadian 74 Port
Vitola: Toro Grande (6.5 x 56)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $20 MSRP
Burn Time: A little over 2 hours

Construction:
• Now this is a beefy looking cigar with mean face! The dark brown wrapper glows in the light with a nice oils it has
• The whole cigar is super smooth and evenly constructed, although it does have a few sizeable veins
• It’s also a fairly heavy stick, feels substantial and has no soft spots to be found. Just a tiny bit of spring when squeezed
• The foot of the Man O’ War Armada is finished super clean and looks fully packed
• The cap on this cigar is also damn near seamless and even the exact same color, wonderful construction all around
• The first cut was clean and easy but the filler was so packed near the cap that I barely got any draw
• I went in for a second deeper cut and the result was a little better, but still tight. The amount of filler in this cigar is beyond comparison

Burn:
• The toasting took a bit of time but rounded out nice and even with a perfect glow
• I can tell right away that this cigar is gonna burn SUPER slow, especially with all this filler
• The burn for the first bit was razor sharp and not wavy at all, it continue to burn at a turtles pace
• I’m getting a bit of a wave near the middle of the cigar, hopefully it evens itself out
• Did I mention how slow this thing is burning?!?!
• The wave in the middle corrected itself but I got another one soon after, turned into a pretty long peninsula that needed a correction
• Got another peninsula shortly after correction, just seems one part of the wrapper just stops burning
• It’s still burning super slow by the way

Smoke & Ash:
• Despite what seemed like a tight draw I’m getting super full smoke from every draw, it’s thick and creamy as it coats my palate
• There is a good amount of resting smoke coming off the cigar, not over powering, and it smells almost like the burning wood of a campfire
• The ash on this cigar is strong, clean and an awesome white color with occasional dark grey bands. With all the filler in this I would expect no less
• Although the ash looked amazingly strong, it gently fell into my ashtray after just over an inch
• The other ashes fell off on their own at a similar 1 inch length
• The smoke stayed super thick and creamy right to the end

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a mild coffee and cocoa aroma to it, very pleasant and light
• The foot is a different beast, bringing a full sensory aroma of cedar, floral, earthy and a touch of spice
• The pre-light draw is bursting with spices, I’m getting some pepper, cloves and maybe nutmeg, along with some cedar and earthiness
• Initial impressions are impressive, lol. I’m getting a really full and balanced cigar right off the bat. It’s not in your face but it seems so full flavored
• The flavors on the first few draws are filled with cedar, spices, earthy notes and a super smooth creamy coffee finish
• I have to stress how amazingly balanced this cigar is so early on, and the finish is so smooth and tasty, I really hope it continues
• The body is starting off in the medium range but I have a sense that this is going to be a powerhouse of a cigar (which is why I busted out my trusty port wine!)

• I’m surprised to say the retrohale is very subtle and laid back, almost no kick to it and a smooth/light cedar finish
• Just an inch or so in and the flavors gave me a nice change up. The coffee notes are much more pronounced, most of the spice is settled in although still lingers, and the smooth cedar rounds out the profile nicely
• Did I mention how wonderfully balanced this cigar is?!?!
• I’m getting another tasty change-up just past the halfway mark. Although I feel the body increasing the flavors are getting a touch sweeter and I’m also picking up some vanilla and cocoa notes
• The spice is making rare appearances in more prominent bursts, then settles nicely into the background
• The intensity of the flavors and body is really starting to burst out in the last third, but it’s still balanced amazingly well
• It seems like all the flavors are making a comeback and playing nicely together now, coffee, cedar, earthy, spicy, vanilla-y (lol?), sweetness and a touch of cocoa
• I’m finally getting a bit of a nice bite in the retrohale now but still nothing over powering, still keeping the smooth cedar finish as well
• The body is really shining through into the full range now
• The flavors started to fade a bit in the last inch and I was left with mostly woodsy and leathery notes. Very surprised to get very little harshness on such a full cigar

Final Thoughts:
I’ll admit I had my reservations going into this cigar. I haven’t had too many AJ cigars that wowed me but I also haven’t had any of his newer ones. Also, with a $20 price tag, this cigar set the bar high from the start. I have to say I’m not at all disappointed and it was $20 well spent! The flavors in this cigar were excellent and the balance of them all with incredibly spot on. It kept me on my toes and going back for more to see what flavor would be the dominant one on the next draw. My only real complaint here might be the draw, which was a bit tight even after a few pokes with a toothpick. But the construction on this cigar was something to admire and AJ Fernandez’s skills in the blending department definitely shined through! The price may be out of range for most people to purchase a box but I think it’s definitely worth getting a few to sit in the humidor for a special occasion. Take note that this cigar does have some kick and power behind it, so pick your pairings well and don’t give it to a new cigar smoker as they may not be able to fully enjoy the complexity and balance that this cigar offers. Perhaps this will be a contender on our 2011 list??

Pairings:
I was pretty excited when I found this bottle at my local liquor store. More Port wines are produced in Portugal and it’s fairly uncommon to find them produced by many other wineries. I’ve only come across a small handful that are made in Canada and this one happens to be from one of my favorite wine regions, Niagara, Ontario. The winery is called Brights and this particular bottle is called Canadian 74 Port. I fully plan to visit the winery on my next road trip to the Niagara region and see what else they have. Why you ask? Well, because this port is fantastic! It has a light start with cherry, current and blackberry fruit notes along with a woodsy touch. But the real treat is the finish, when it builds in body and gives you a full heavy red wine flavor, similar to the Merlot wines I’ve come to love from the Niagara region. It’s incredibly tasty and I will definitely be buying more, especially at a super cheap price tag of only $12 even after all the ridiculous liquor taxes here.

But the question is, did it pair well with the Man O’ War Armada? You’re damn right it did! the light fruity start complimented the flavors of the cigar extremely well and the full smooth finish contended the full body of the cigar perfectly. This was a powerful cigar but I find a good port wine really helps counteract any nicotine effects you might feel. I’m not sure there is a better pairing for this cigar but if I had to choose I might pick out a smooth aged scotch or possibly a strong cuban coffee with a couple sugars to combat the nicotine. A full stout might also work well here.

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Prelight: Cigar #8 is a nice, heavy, corona sized stick. And when I say heavy, I mean this cigar has so much tobacco that it feels like it has been loaded with lead. Cigar #8’s wrapper is a really nice medium brown, with darker brown and orange spots. It almost looks calico in some light. The wrapper only has one really large vein running the entire length of the cigar heading all the way up to the massive triple wrapped round cap. The cigar is all sorts of firm. I can’t find any soft spots, but the hardness of the cigar kinda worries me. We’ll have to see if it creates any problems.

The wrapper doesn’t give off a lot of aroma at all. The only thing I could pick up was some slight tobacco. The foot however, is a different story. I am picking up some really neat floral and citrus aromas with some nice woodsy smells. The cap was cake to cut using my double bladed Palio cutter. The cold draw showed some unexpected signs of pepper and spice in this cigar, along with the floral and tobacco tastes I picked up. I wasn’t expecting to taste any pepper, but we’ll see if it actually carries into the smoking experience.

First Smoke: The cigar really fought my triple flame torch when I was trying to light it, but eventually it was off and running. I really didn’t pick up any of the pepper I did in the cold draw, but the spice was there for sure. Almost as a cover up for the pepper, the spice started out strong but then faded into some nice cedar tones with just a hint of citrus. There is also that saltiness that I tend to pick up from the wrapper of certain cigars, but it is was too early to call this one. The draw, despite being so packed was flowing smoothly kicking out nice, thick, smoke with every puff. The ash is just beautiful, leaving behind a perfectly compacted, zebra striped, with and light grey ash from it’s flawless burnline. The ash held on a good inch before falling into my ashtray.

Halfway There: It’s early, I know, but wow. This is a VERY good cigar. The flavors have remained very similar, with the cedary flavors in the forefront, backed by the floral, spice, and now some really neat coffee and cashew flavors. The retrohale is badass too priming with this deep cedar and a bit of the spice. I am not feeling any nicotine at all form this cigar, and for what it’s worth, this cigar is burning incredibly slow. Probably due to all the damn tobacco packed in this sucker.

Finish: I said it, and I will say it again. This is just an awesome cigar. The spice is still holding its own, although it’s just a tease at times it seems to really chime in at just the right moments. Outside of that the cigar has remained completely smooth the entire experience finishing with strong cedar and cashew flavors. By now the floral has completely removed itself form the equation. I smoked this cigar down to the nub, my fingers were burning, with absolutely no signs of harshness, just pure awesomeness. This better not be some crappy RP or I’ll eat my ashtray.

Overview: What can I say? I loved this cigar. From the size, to the amazing ash and burn,  down to the perfect flavors. This is a solid cigar and I’d love to have more in my humidor. I have a good feeling about this one, but then again, I am known to be way off.

I though it was Cuban, then I decided it wasn’t. Then I decided again it was, then decided it wasn’t. It was like that almost the entire time. It had the visual and for the most part flavor characteristics of a Cuban, but the ash, burn, and spice aren’t something I usually find in my Cuban cigars. But then again, this is Brooks we are talking about and chances are this isn’t even a cigar I have ever had. So what did I think it was? I think this is either a Partagas, or Montecristo Cuban. I’m pretty sure it’s a Cuban but if you visit one of the blind reviews from the last set you gave me, you’ll see Tatuaje threw in a curve ball as I claimed that was a Cuban cigar as well.

And the reveal?! You guessed it! I was dead wrong… This cigar was a tricky one, it turned out to be Quesada’s Seleccion Espana Corona. Brooks went on to explain that this cigar was actually made for the Spanish market, which is why it bared such great resemblance to a Cuban cigar. This cigar was released at ProCigar Festival in Dominican Republic and went on sale in Spain in February. Afterwards, a few lucky people in the US actually convinced Quesada to ship a few boxes of these to the US (about 15 boxes of each vitola in total). So you may have an extremely hard time finding these. Sad too, at the estimated price point of around $7-$9 this cigar would have been a steal. The wrapper is composed of a Ecuadroian Arapiraca, with a Dominican Binder, and Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers. Anyhow, for my own credibility I’d like to quote Brooks here:

“When I was given prerelease samples of this smoke (by 3 different BOTL), I was told each time some variation of “This cigar kicks Ass!” I am happy to report that is definitely the case, and more…This is easily one of the best new cigars of the (admittedly short) year, and it is also one of the most “Cubanesque” blends I have tasted (in a non Cuban cigar) in quite a while (I would say it is closest to a Bolivar if I had to choose)…”

He too could have possibly been fooled by this cigar. To view his entire review of the blend (pettit robusto vitola) visit this page.

The post Blind Review #8 from Smoking Stogie appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

These cigars were graciously given to my by my local shop, Tobacco Rd. As I stated, Curivari is a newer company, gaining most of it’s steam in the past year. I can’t find too much about the company at all, other than blend introductions on their website. From what I gather, I can only assume that they are a Nicaraguan company. The blend that I am reviewing is their “Seleccion Privada”. The Seleccion Privada is composed from pure Nicaraguan grown Cuban seed Criollo and Corojo tobacco. The format is a simple robusto at 5 x 50 and runs about $6 – $7 a stick. If anyone has any other info on these cigars, PLEASE SHARE. I’d really love to know more about this manufacturer.

Prelight: First and foremost, this is a very good looking cigar. The wrapper starts off with a very rugged, almost Cuban leaf looking wrapper. The oils in the wrapper reflect an almost mirror like finish in direct light from the light brown, calico, orange and dark brown wrapper. There are tons of smaller veins running the length of the body with no real signs of mis-construction. The thick, firm body leads up to a nicely done, round, triple wrap cap. I really like the band of this cigar. It’s very elegant, and traditional looking red and gold embossed ink. Curivari is the main label leading into smaller sections that contains items such as “Seleccion Privada” and “Calidad Superior”. The band reminds me of a Romeo y Julietta and Tatuaje El Tobacos Triunfador hybrid.

The wrapper gives off a very floral and cedar scented aroma. You can pick up most of the floral scents in the areas that have more oils. The foot of the cigar gives off a just awesome cedar and spice scent. The cap cut very easily with my double bladed cutter. The first initial cold draws throw out a very sweet, natural taste. Lots of little floral hints mixed in to a more traditional tobacco taste.

First Smoke: The Seleccion Privada starts off with just a ton of sweet tobacco. The sweetness isn’t coming from the oils to my lips either. Straight from the smoke’s flavor profile. Outside of the sweetness there is a lot of floral, mixed with some smooth cedar, a very milky taste, and some honey. This cigar reminds me a lot of something that Illusione would make. The burn line started off way crazy with a but of canoeing, but nothing that demanded a touch up this early in. The draw is very smooth and easy, producing the perfect amount of thick smoke. The Seleccion Privada gives off a good amount of very sweet cedar scented stationary smoke. The ash from the Curivari is slightly flakey with light grey and dark grey zebra stripes.

Halfway There: Towards the end of the first third and into the second third, the Seleccion Privada surprised with with some very slight pepper being thrown into the mix. It’s just enough to tease, and leave you wanting more. Outside of the pepper addition the cigar is still riding out the sweet tobacco, honey, and cedar taste. The floral has made its out of the experience. The retrohale is very, very easy giving a very nice, sweet cedar prime. The burnline I still a bit sketchy but I haven’t had to relight, or touch-up so it hasn’t bothered me in the slightest. The Seleccion Privada is mild, I’m not expecting to feel much if any nicotine at all from this smoke.

Finish: The final third of this Curivari Seleccion Privada is packed with an extremely smooth miky, cedar flavor. Usually milder sticks lack in the flavor department in my opinion, but this cigar is jam packed with flavor. The floral flavors have snuck back in along with the honey, and sweetness. Even into the final inch, there was no harshness at all. This was such a smooth cigar with excellent flavors all the way through. As I stated earlier, I felt no nicotine from this cigar what so ever. Mild-Medium at most. The cigar took a little over an hour to smoke and despite the wild burnline at times I never had to relight or touch it up.

Overview: I touched base with a few people concerning this not-very-well known cigar as I was smoking them, and every single one of them had the same response, they are awesome. New cigar companies are a dime a dozen these days, and I am finding it more and more difficult to find ones that really stand out. Curivari is one of the rare breed. Great flavors, beautiful cigars, flawless construction, and perfect burns. I’d be surprised if we didn’t see this brand start popping up in shops very soon. The fair price, and just awesome experience makes this cigar an ideal candidate for any rotation. Complex flavors and the mild/medium body make it perfect for any cigar smoker from novice, to everyday.

The post Curivari Cigars Seleccion Privada appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

This week’s review is one that Daniel has teased me about. I have been trying to get to this review for weeks now but every time I fire up one of these cigars I decide I much rather kick back, relax, and smoke it instead of writing up a review. Either way, it’s better late than never. I bring you, Tatuaje’s Verocu #5.

The Good Stuff: The Verocu line is basically a spin off of Pete Johnson’s already existent  Havana VI line. Pete wanted to extend the line so he, and master blender Don Pepin ramped up the blend by adding enough Ligero to coin the Verocu as a “Havana VI on steroids”.  The #5 is the newest size in the Havana VI series. This short, stout little cigar is jam packed with more flavor than most cigars three times it’s size. These cigars come in cabinets of 50 and run around $195 for the box.

Size: 4×40  –  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan

Prelight: The Verocu #5 is a perfectly constructed little cigar. Judging by some of the other smaller cigars I have had I would assume that smaller vitolas are hard to roll. They just usually seem to have some sort of flaw in one way or another, but these cigars are spot on.  I absolutely love the wrapper on these cigars. The consistent, dark, almost milk chocolate looking wrapper looks almost good enough to eat. The wrapper leads up to Pepin’s famous, Cuban style, round triple cap. On most of these cigars I found it harder to find larger veins. Only a few sticks had more prominent ones. The only thing that would make this cigar look any better would be a band. No idea why Pete decided to keep the bands off these cigars, but I personally would have liked to see them.

The body of the cigar gives off a very sweet, chocolatey aroma where as the foot  tells a very pepper filled tale with notes of tobacco and cocoa. The cap was pretty easy to cut using my double bladed Palio cutter.  The cold draw gives off a very peppery and spicy first impression with little notes of tobacco and a bit of fruit shining through.

First Smoke: The Tatuaje Verocu #5 lit up with extreme ease using my single torch flame. Right away you are greeted with this just, immense pepper flavor. Enough to give you a bit of a tingling sensation on your lips and tongue long after each draw.  After sorting through the strong pepper punch I was introduced to very sweet, tobacco, cocoa, and even berry like undertones. The draw on these Verocu #5’s are badass. Don’t let the size fool you. They pump out a thick cloud of smoke just like the big dogs. Not only is the draw large, but the cigar pushes out a mean trail of woodsy/tobacco scented stationary smoke.  The ash the Verocu leaves behind is a very bright white, with a few greyer spots, very tightly compacted all the way up to the perfectly even burnline.

Halfway There: The Verocu #5 is still kicking out quite a bit of pepper. Not as much as the first third, but it is still a major player in the flavor race.  There is still some spice creeping in with the subtle cocoa and berry flavor but there is also this coming and going of a very slight perfume/floral type after taste. I love it. This tiny cigar is just jam-packed with tons of flavors. I am not really feeling any nicotine off this cigar, and quite frankly I’d be surprised if a cigar of this size gave me more than a slight nicotine kick if any at all. The retrohale is very sharp coating my nasal passage with just tons of pepper at this point and a lingering woodsy coating.

Finish: That floral taste has surprisingly married up with the sweetness of this cigar and have completely dominated the pepper and the spice. The only undertones now are a bit of berry mixed with some dark chocolate. This is one hell of a mash-up. I am still not feeling any nicotine off this little guy either. The burnline has been just spot-on the entire way. I had a tiny bit of unwrapping at the cap of the cigar, but that was more than likely due to the way I clipped the cigar combined with the dryness of my humidors right now. It’s impossible to keep those things above water in the winter here. This has been just an all around smooth smoke. There was very little harshness towards the end, however once I got down within the final inch the head of the cigar really heated up. I took it down as far as I could without burning my fingers off. The heat was nice though as its freezing cold outside. And by freezing, I mean like 45 degrees. Call me what you will but I’m a desert boy used to the warm weather.

Overview: The Verocu #5 is one hell of a cigar and could quite possibly be the best drive-home cigar I have ever had. It’s definitely up there with the Tatuaje Pettit Cazadore, Illusione Epernay Pettit, and the 7-20-4 Dogwalker. The only main difference between the Pettit Cazzie and the Verocu is I personally think the Verocu is quite a bit bolder and hold much more flavor. So it just depends on what you are into. I seriously smoked about half a Cabinet of these bad boys in a matter of a month and I will be buying another one in the near future. This is a must have in ANYONE’s regular rotation. The cigar is nothing short of amazing and the price is much lower than what I would personally pay for one of these.

Pairing: I am still not 100% sure I should be enjoying a drink, but screw it. I have been alcohol free for far too long. Beer really screws up gout so I reached for the wine in  this case. Hopefully I’ll be back on the beer wagon before next week’s review.  The wine in question was a nice little glass of Enchantment Vineyards Chocolate Port. This is a favorite of mine and I love to pair this with more flavorful cigars. The Chocolate, Raspberry, dark grape, and black cherry notes are bold enough to overpower any lighter cigar. In this case, the risk paid off as the wine paired perfectly with the floral and berry notes the Verocu had to offer. Another great pairing would be some dark coffee, or a nice little stout. Brooklyn Brewing makes a badass black chocolate stout that would pair wonderfully with this cigar.

The post Tatuaje Verocu #5 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The name of this cigar also held sort of a special meaning at this time. The name “The Mogul” seemed to fit perfectly with a recent promotion I was lucky enough to receive at work. So what better cigar to celebrate that accomplishment then with this one. Along with the interesting name, the cigar also has a very intriguing and creative slogan:

“The World’s in Your Hand”

Not only does the cigar have in interesting slogan, the Maldonado Dynasty also portrays it’s own slogan of:

“Always Demand the Finest”

The press release of “The Mogul” sums up this cigar wonderfully so give it a read here:

From the very start, Arapiraca was the choice of Wrapper we had in mind. Never wanting to settle, we stayed true to the rich, strong, slightly sweet leaf. The perfect blend of aged, sun-grown Maduro sweetness, with the boldness of Dominican Binder and leaf, all blended to perfection with Peruvian leaf. The Mogul is the perfect medium-full body premium cigar that will become parallel with the best of the best. Strong and luxurious. After all, we here at The Maldonado Dynasty have a saying: “Always demand the finest.”

We invite you to pick a box up and experience this handcrafted premium cigar for yourself. Also wanting you to to be comfortable in reaching out to us and sharing your comments and questions. After all, we work diligently to make our premium cigars for you, to bring you only the finest. We like to think we create extraordinary moments in time, moments you share with the special people in your life, worthy of The Maldonado Dynasty.
“The Mogul,” is slated for release in late 2010.

Paul Maldonado
President/C.E.O.
www.MaldonadoDynasty.com

Paul and his team have also been busy launching various “Black and White Jazz Affair” events across the country and they plan to continue that in the new year. Double check their website for dates near you! If the pictures and stories I’ve heard are any indication it has been a great success and lots of fun for everyone. As the press release states, the cigars should be hitting stores near you very soon so keep your eyes peeled. Now I have to admit that I had high expectations for this cigar, please take a read through the review and let’s see if it lives up to name, slogan and expectations!

Cigar: Maldonado Dynasty “The Mogul”
Drink: Islay Mist 8yr Blended Scotch
Vitola: Toro (6 x 50)
Wrapper: Arapiraca Maduro
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Price:
Burn Time: 1.5 hours

Construction:
• A beautiful dark shiny wrapper surrounds this very evenly constructed cigar
• The oily wrapper also has a fair bit of toothiness to it, very appealing to the eye
• There are a few minor veins but none that pose a threat to the burn of this cigar
• The top of the cigar is cleanly finished with a triple cap that seamlessly blends into the cigar
• The foot appears well packed
• There is a slight soft spring throughout the cigar that is even and consistent throughout
• The band has an interesting coat of arms style and a great attention to detail
• The cut was very clean and easy

Burn:
• Toasting was amazingly even, leaving a nice orange glow on the whole foot
• Considering all the smoke this is producing it seems to be burning surprisingly slow
• The first couple inches so far are razor sharp, no wavering at all
• A few minor burn imperfections happened here and there but they were always quickly corrected without my help
• Considering the freshness of this cigar and the cold temperatures here the burn was absolutely perfect!

Smoke & Ash:
• Lots of smoke right from the first draw
• Tons of resting smoke as well making for some interesting designs in the air
• The smoke off this cigar is just incredible, an absolute smoke machine!
• The ash here is a work of ark, almost a solid white with some minor darker accents and so tightly wound, not even moving
• Ash held on for about 1.5 inches before gently dropping off into the ashtray in one clean and neat piece
• The next couple of ashes weren’t as long but still nice and clean and they always fell off in the ashtray
• The amazing amount of smoke on this cigar actually made taking pictures difficult, but the designs it made were interesting enough just to watch

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper has a nice cedar aroma with hints of sweet tobacco
• The foot has more cedar aroma complimented by a sweet cocoa and a touch of spice
• Pre-light was mostly cedar and spice, the spice left my lips and tongue tingling just a bit
• Initial draws are packed with a tasty cedar flavor and subtle hints of spice
• Retro-hale here is mostly cedar with no bite and a smooth finish, overall body is fairly mild so far
• As the cedar slowly started to back off a nice balance came into play with some nutmeg spice and a slight dried fruit flavor

• The dried fruit flavors, sorta like a sweet raisin, are developing very nicely with the nutmeg spice
• The cedar tapered off in the first third but as I approach the halfway mark it is making a comeback with a bit more spice as well
• The flavors here continue to develop with some nice coffee notes as the cedar and dried fruit go back and forth as the prominent notes
• Retrohale has also been passing between cedar and dried fruit, still smooth and no bite.
• Body is making a slow and steady progression approaching a smooth medium at the halfway mark
• The coffee has developed nicely into a sweet espresso flavor and is taking charge of the flavors, really enjoying all these subtle changes
• The cigar finished in the full range with a nice balance of espresso and cedar with no harshness at all

Final Thoughts:
There’s nothing negative that I can say about this cigar, this is what every experience should be like when you sit down with a cigar. It had lots of flavors and dimensions keeping it interesting the whole way through. The burn line was razor sharp right off the bat and never needed a correction or re-light even on this very cold day. Paul had warned me that there might have been burn issues since they were so fresh from the factory but I didn’t experience any at all. The smoke was astonishing and the ash was just perfect. A great experience all around and a definite must-try cigar with unique flavors and superb construction. The slogan for this brand is to “Always Demand the Finest” and rest assured, they live up to that!

Pairings:
At the recommendation of Paul Maldonado I paired this cigar with a Cognac. My choice of cognac today was the Remy Martin XO Special. I’m not a big cognac drinker but I do enjoy a glass occasionally and often with a cigar. Just as Paul had suggested, this made for an excellent pairing. The cognac itself was smooth and balanced and offered delicate floral notes and some raw cinnamon sweetness with a delicious finish. The floral notes seemed to go perfectly with the dried fruit flavors of the cigar. The subtle cinnamon sweetness was a perfect compliment to the cocoa and coffee notes. With both the cigar and pairing offering a fantastic finish this was an excellent match.
I believe this cigar would also pair excellently with a finely aged scotch or some aged Port, both of which are favorites of mine. As for non-alcoholic choices, I’d stick with a smooth and bold coffee. Water could even be a good choice to allow you to fully enjoy the flavors of the cigar.

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The Good Stuff: First of all, let me start off by saying that because of the rarity of this cigar I will only be smoking one (probably ever). That being said, this is more of a crash course on my thoughts, and less of a review. So I won’t be going in as detailed as usual, but with a chance to smoke a cigar like this why wouldn’t I do some sort a review? I’ll also appologize in advance for some of the photos. I did this review later in the evening (usually I do them midday) and the sun set halfway through.

The Tatuaje Black label is labeled as Tatuaje creator, Pete Johnson’s personal blend. The Corona Gorda was actually Pete’s private reserve and for a while was only given out by Pete at his events. In mid 2008 Tatuaje decided to distribute these cigars in a 19ct black Jar. I believe there were only 1,000 jars ever released and the purchasing frenzy only lasted a few days before this size/blend was completely sold out. During my review of the Tatuaje Black Tubo our buddy Joe, over at ubicigar.com chimed in a shared a bit of his Tatuaje Black expertise in the comment section:

The Black Label was created by Don Pepin Garcia and Pete Johnson to mimic a blend he had whilst on vacation, I believe in Nicaragua. He would smoke a cigar, drink coffee, and read the paper on his porch each morning, and discovered from a man who came by each day on a bicycle that, though they rolled cigars all day, when the torcedors returned home, they would roll their own ‘personal blend’ to suit their tastes. Pete Johnson and DPG recreated that, using an ugly (yet beautiful in it’s wholesomeness) wrapper with an unfinished foot. He has said that this cigar is to celebrate that sometimes, as Freud said, a cigar is just a cigar.

Size: 5.65 x 46  –  Wrapper: Nicaraguan Sun Grown Criollo  –  Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan  –  Body: Full

Prelight: The Tatuaje Black Jar Release is a very shabby,  offputting, looking cigar. The wrapper is composed of a very thick and delicate looking calico colored leaf with only very slight veins. The wrapper is extremely toothy and almost feels as if dust is rubbing off on your finger tips upon touching. The Tatuaje Black gives a ton of tightly packed resistance when slightly compressed. As stated above, if in fact this blend had the idea of trying to look and feel shabby then they really pulled it off. Judging by the quality of creativity and quality produced by Pete and Pepin I think that very well may be the angle they took. The cigars foot is a covered by a shaggy, folded over portion of the wrapper as the head of the cigar is polished off by an inverted pigtail. The wrapper on this cigar gives off little to no aroma outside of a bit of tobacco as the foot of the cigar only increases the potency of the tobacco scent with a dash of spice. The Tatuaje Black clipped with extreme ease using my double bladed cutter. The cold draw was extremely tight (more than likely due to the enclosed foot) but to my surprised produced a massive amount of sweet, sweet spice with cinnamon and a bit of cedar.

First Smoke: The Tatuaje black starts off with just a very slight pepper punch then leads into a much smoother flavor assortment consisting of creamy, sweet tobacco, cinnamon, and cedar with very earthy undertones. Despite the lack of a cold draw, I am having no trouble getting an effortless draw from this cigar that produces a massive, brown, tobacco scented cloud of thick smoke. The Tatuaje Black gives off little to no stationary smoke. The burnline is remarkably even and leaves behind a brilliant trail of bright white, tightly compacted ash. The ash surprisingly only held on for about ¾ of an inch before giving way. I suspect the slight wind outside was partly to blame for that.

Halfway There: The flavor of this cigar had a massive switch up in the second third. The spice and sweetness is still there but the earthy, tobacco flavors have morphed into this very interesting floral mix up. This has to be the taste of the wrapper really shinning through on this smaller ring gauge, one of the many reasons why I have been leaning towards corona vitolas as of late. The retrohale on this cigar rocks, giving off a very smooth and flavorful spice and floral prime. I am finding myself retrohaling this cigar at least every other draw. The burnline is still rocking, the draw is still easy and plentiful, no nicotine kick as of yet just an incredibly smooth and flavorful experience.

Finish: What a flavor-bomb. This cigar is just non-stop action. The finishing third was jam-packed with floral, sweet natural tobacco, and strong cedar flavors backed by a soft cocoa and earthy hints. This cigar burned perfectly, from start to finish with a perfectly paced burn. It took me about an hour and a half to take down this Tatuaje Black and what an enjoyable hour this was. There was absolutely no harshness built up towards the end, no heat could be felt even into the nub, just smooth sailing with not signs of any nicotine.

Overview: I have to tell you, I feel like a total dumbass for not jumping on these while they were available and I can’t think Brooks enough for giving me the opportunity to smoke this bad boy. Anyone who has these should feel privileged. I may be going out on a limb here, but I can honestly say this just may be my favorite Tatuaje of all time. Again, I only had this one but if it has anything to show for the rest of the Jar Release CG’s out there then it says a lot. Smooth from start to finish, packed with very pleasant flavors around every turn, solid burn with absolutely no problems, with no harshness what so ever.  I nubbed this thing down until my fingertips were begging for mercy. If for whatever reason you do stumble across any of these, PICK THEM UP. ALL OF THEM. AND SEND ME SOME. I can’t stress that enough.

Pairing: This Tatuaje Black Corona Gorda was paired off with some of Enchantment Vineyards Chocolate Port. Yes Daniel, I understand this is a “fortified wine” and not a port based off of the country of origin but you know what? It was awesome, and I have some and you don’t ! Ha, anywho the chocolate port is a very smooth, and sweet tawny port with strong black cherry, dark grape and cinnamon notes finished off with a light and smooth chocolate aftertaste. With an flavor profile such as that and a ABV of 19.26% this port makes for an almost perfect match up with just about any cigar I can possibly think of.

Again, big thanks goes out to a great BOTL, Brooks over at SmokingStogie.com. If you haven’t checked out this guy’s site I strongly suggest you do so. Not only does Brooks have by far, the best photography I have ever seen on a cigar site, but his honest reviews, cigar insight, and ability to get his hands on pretty much every stick known to man make his site a must read.

Also, I wanted to give a quick shout out and Thanks to Tom over at Tomscigars.com. We were recently elected his “Cigar Review site of the Month”. You have no idea how pleasant of a surprise this was for both me and Daniel. If you haven’t read Tom’s blog, check it out. Tom is known for telling it like it is, and should I say “going where no man has ever gone before”. Great reviews, and a great guy. You can also find him on twitter here.

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Illusione ~mk~

The particular cigar up for review today is the Illusione ~mk~ The Teaching Machine. This particular cigar has a very interesting back story. Here’s a little excerpt from the Illusion site:

Project MKULTRA was a government experiment in creating “zombie soldiers” if you will, through experimentation with LSD and subconscious suggestion when under the influence. MKULTRA was also referred to as the “teaching machine.” The classic corona size is the teaching machine vitola. It is the perfect vehicle for delivery of flavor, if the blend is right.

Needless to say, this cigar did not disappoint. Let me point out to skeptics now, do not underestimate this cigars flavor and complexity based on its smaller vitola. As Dion’s description perfectly says, “It is the perfect vehicle for delivery of flavor”.

Illusione ~mk~

Cigar: Illusione ~mk~ The Teaching Machine
Drink: Diet Dr. Pepper / Water
Vitola: Petit Corona (5.125 x 42)
Wrapper: Nicaragua Café Colorado
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: Gifted from Tony – Thanks! (Sells for about $6.50)
Burn Time: About 1 hour

Construction:
• Medium brown in color
• One medium sized vein, shouldn’t cause problems
• Even and symmetrical throughout with a good spring to it
• Very clean triple cap
• Foot looks well packed

Burn:
• Very easy and even toasting
• Staying lit easily, no extra attention required
• Razor sharp and even burn throughout the cigar, no issues
• No complaints at all in this department

Illusione ~mk~

Illusione ~mk~

Illusione ~mk~

Pairings:
The complexity of this cigar deserves a good pairing that doesn’t over power the delicate balance of flavors here. I’d probably recommend something as simple as water for this cigar. I started off with Diet Dr. Pepper and switched to my backup bottle of water that I always keep handy. I found the cigar had more than enough flavors that the soda was taking away from the cigar, water made my enjoyment go way up. Definitely seek out a very mild pairing with this cigar. I think most alcoholic beverages will drown out the flavors too much to enjoy, but you could try a mild red wine.

Illusione ~mk~

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Drew Estate ACID Kuba Kuba

The Good Stuff: The ACID Kuba Kuba is the most popular infused cigar in the ACID line, and the first ACID infused cigar fully embraced by the United States. It is part of ACID’s Remi, or blue banded selection. Accordingly, The Remi line is Drew Estate’s most popular line if ACID cigars holding cigars such as the Kuba Kuba, the Kong, the Blondie, Krush, and my personal favorite, the 1400cc.

Size: 5 x 54  –  Wrapper: Natural Sumatra  –  Flavor: Medium – Full Bodied

Prelight: The ACID Kuba Kuba is a chubby, toothy robusto cigar. The first characteristic I noticed was the dark, very oily, sumatra wrapper. In infused cigars 60% – 70% of a cigars taste comes from the wrapper alone. VERY floral scents, mixed with spices, coffee, and tobacco could be smelt even through the cellophane wrapper, and only increased in strength once the Kuba Kuba is removed from the wrapper. The cigar is very soft, and loosely wrapped. There were no signs of defects. The Kuba Kuba had very little veins. My only complaint is the wrapper seems a bit thing although, I haven’t had problems with this cigar in the past I could see some future un-wrapping complications.

First Smoke: The ACID Kuba Kuba is a VERY flavorful cigar, more so than most people prefer. The first tastes are that of floral arrangements mixed with soft spice, clove, cinnimon, and even a mist of mocha. The draw is extremely large, and very very thick. This may annoy most traditional cigar smokers, keep that in mind when choosing the right time to light one of these up. This Kuba Kuba carries such thick, infused oil that the wrapper even looked a bit sticky, although it didn’t feel that way in my hand. The cigar lit right away, and had a very even burn. I got about an inch of loose ash before it gave out.

Drew Estate ACID Kuba Kuba

Halfway There: An earlier concern of mine was the thin wrapper. As you can see on the top image it became a problem. Luckily it was near the burn and it only happened for a short period of time. The cigar is still burning evenly, and the draw is still just as huge as it was when I started smoking the cigar. The taste is still pretty much the same, its just hard to nail down. Thing about getting a Hawaiian tiki dancer in full uniform, throwing her in a boiling pot, add a couple of green tea bags, some ground coffee, and some cinnamon for good measure. That didn’t sound too enticing but you get the jist of it. It is a VERY great tasting cigar, just a bit over-powering at times.

Finish: The finish of this cigar is always a bit rough. Since the Kuba Kuba isn’t wrapped very tight (personally, I prefer this) the tobacco towards the end of the smoke is always a tad bitter, and strong. I didn’t have any other problems with the unwrapping of the cigar, but I could see that as a trend in the Kuba Kubas. The Kuba Kuba is a bit strong for a medium bodied cigar, and very flavorful.

Overview: The Kuba Kuba is a great cigar for anyone looking for infused selections. It carries with it a great balance, not too strong, not too smooth. The flavor is a bit much, but that’s what makes the Kuba Kuba such a popular cigar. I would steer clear of these if you don’t enjoy smoking aromatics, but if you are looking to start, or already enjoy them the ACID Kuba Kuba would sit well with you.

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Drew Estate ACID Atom Maduro

Following the Cold Infusion Tea and the Earthiness The Atom Maduro is the third installment (outside of the Krush tins) to the ACID gold line.

The Good Stuff: The Earhiness is a VERY dark maduro wrapped infused cigar. Drew Estate is good at keeping the oils, herbs, and botanicals they use on their infused blends so its no surprise the the Atom Maduro has none listed whatsoever although, they’ve been said to contain high fruit flavors as well as Floral.

Size: 5×50  –  Wrapper: Maduro  –  Flavor: Full  –  Origin: Esteli, Nicaragua

Prelight: This was actually the first time I have had this cigar, I have tried the Cold Infusion Tea (you can check that review out here) many times and just love the cigar, but I had yet to get my hands on the Atom. The first noticeable characteristic is the extremely dark, oil wrapper. This guy should produce some sweetness. Upon unwrapping I had to say, this was the best smelling ACID cigar I had smelt yet. It took me quite a while to start nailing some of the scents but the ATOM Maduro sports a very, almost perfume line scent with notes of Flowers, Tea, Roasted Cashew, Coffee hints of brown sugar and even Mint. Imagine all that mixed together in a very light infused cigar. Needless to say I was anxious to get going on this guy. The cigar was perfectly constructed with no soft spots. The Atom Maduro carries a nice rounded cap, big thick shape, and a very distinct foot where the wrapper is carefully folded over the filler as you can see here:

Drew Estate ACID Atom Maduro

First Smoke: What a remarkable cigar. Hands down this shot itself up to one of my all-time favorite aromatic cigars just off the first smoke. The cigar is very strong and all the flavors are just hinted on the palette as to not overpower the smoker with the infusion flavor. The draw was just right, not to tight, not too loose and it carried with it REALLY thick smoke, much like the 1400cc. The more I burned the more the flavors combined. The burn itself was very consistent. The smoke smelled very similar to a ladies perfume, but not strong. Don’t let that shy you away, just be aware that it may bother other people around you. The Atom let a little over an inch of ash collect before letting go.

Drew Estate ACID Atom Maduro

Halfway There: At this time I am still sifting through some of the flavors. This is such a great tasting cigar, the strong Nicaraguan tobacco carries itself really well. The flavor hasn’t increased nor decreased but it has morphed a bit. I lost the coffee flavor instead it is now replaced with a minty Cinnamon arrangement. This is a VERY sweet cigar. The burn is still very consistent and I have yet to have to relight, or touch it up. The strength of the cigar seems to be increasing a bit, which is totally fine by me. One note, the cigar had so much oil you could actually see it burning off producing its own smoke. You can see this in the picture above. This isn’t a bad thing, I just found it quite interesting.

Finish: The Atom Maduro finished very strong. The infused flavors lasted all the way through the smoke, as well as the strength of the cigar. The strength actually increased quite a bit towards the end. I felt a bit light headed after the cigar’s finish. I didn’t have to relight the cigar, but I did touch it up one or two times towards the end. No signs at all of any mis-construction or unwrapping. The Atom finished off just as sweet as it started with, I’m quite surprised that with a cigar as strong as this, the infused flavors lasted the length of the cigar. It did leave a big aftertaste, it wasn’t a bad one but it lasted a while.

Drew Estate ACID Atom Maduro

Overview: I feel dumb for waiting so long to try this cigar, as it was right up my alley for what I look for. The taste was intense and very pleasing. While the strength was strong and held its own again the infused flavors of the Atom Maduro. I’d recommend this cigar to an aromatic smoker but not one who doesn’t like infused cigars. Its flavor would be a bit too much for them.

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