The Lone Wolf Cigars website gives a pretty good back story for the brand and cigar, so I won’t re-invent the wheel here. Here’s what the website says:

The Lone Wolf wholesale and retail Cigar Company was founded in 1996 by cigar lovers Chuck Norris and James Belushi. As friends, they shared a love for cigars, Norris and Belushi set out to create a classic American cigar company that represented their values and ideals.
David R. Weiss, president of The Lone Wolf Cigar Company, acquired the company in 2000, after managing the retail operations since 1996. Weiss’s leadership led the company from a specialty niche position to nationally recognized brand and retailer

A cigar line that has Chuck Norris involved?! Awesome! haha. But aside from that cool factor, the Lone Wolf makes a few different cigars. They have some in-shop proprietary lines which include the Signature Select, Lobo Rojo and Lobo Fuerte. Also, the Lone Wolf Cigar Co. mass distributes a couple blends, namely the Sungrown and Wolfpack lines. Now the store itself is located in Santa Monica, California.

One thing you might notice if you google this cigar is that the band has changed a bit. A lot of the pictures on the web seem to have an older yellowish label. That might be the “Wolfpack” blend but I’m not 100% sure on that. And from what I read the Wolfpack is the same Sumatra wrapper so I’d have to do some more digging to find out any further differences. But anyways, the band has the same logo, but the color is different and the word “Sungrown” was added on the top curve.

Now the vision of Lone Wolf cigars was to create a classic American cigar company that would impress aficionados and casual smokers alike. Not only that, but to offer them at fair prices, and I have to say that this cigar is offered at a VERY fair price. It can easily make your daily rotation without breaking the bank. So let’s see if this budget cigar is worthy of being included into that daily rotation or if it’s another cheap cigar to toss into the bushes.

Cigar: Lone Wolf Sungrown
Drink: Mill Street Brewery Coffee Porter
Vitola: Toro (6 x 50)
Wrapper: Indonesian Sungrown
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Price: About $1.85
Burn Time: About 1.5 hours

Construction:
• The wrapper on this Lone Wolf Sungrown is not going to win any beauty awards, it has some roughness to it and an odd brownish-green color, a little more green and it could have been mistaken for a candela
• On the good side, there are no major veins to be worried about here, just a couple medium sized ones which I have to say is rare for a budget cigar
• The foot has a nice clean cut to it and looks to be fairly well packed
• The top of the cigar is finished off with a fairly rough double cap with has a few folds on the sides
• There is a nice amount of spring to the cigar when squeezed that is consistent from head to foot
• My double bladed guillotine cutter made easy work of the cap and left me with a smooth end
• The draw is just about perfect on this Lone Wolf Sungrown

Burn:
• Toasting the foot was surprisingly awesome, the wrapper didn’t run on any side and it took it’s time getting to the nice orange glow and doing so evenly
• I’m happy to say the burn is moving along razor sharp through the first third, not a single wave to be concerned about so far
• Passed the halfway mark and still no issues in the burn department, razor sharp the whole way
• A lot of budget cigars seem to burn really fast but this one is taking its time and allowing me to enjoy it

Smoke & Ash:
• Each draw is bringing a very full amount of smoke without much effort
• While resting, the cigar is showing off a nice steady stream of light smoke, giving off a nice woodsy aroma too
• The ash seems to be looking strong and neat in the first third without much flaking
• The color of the ash almost seems to be a lighter grey with a hint of the greenish brown wrapper with some darker black accents
• The first ash held strong to about 1.5 inches, but it started flaking a bit so I tapped it off before it ended up on the floor or my lap
• The second ash kept the same strength and neatness as it lasted another 1.5 inches before taking a tumble into my lap

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper on the Lone Wolf Sungrown has a very light aroma, maybe just a touch of woodiness to it
• The foot adds a bit of a sweet floral aroma to the mix with maybe just a touch of spice
• The pre-light draw is very interesting, it has some fresh wood flavors and floral notes in there and one other thing I can’t seem to pick out, but it has a sort of refreshing touch to it
• The initial draws are fairly mild and balanced with some woodsy and leather notes and just a touch of white pepper here and there
• The retrohale is also fairly mild with very little bite to it and just a touch of cedar on the finish
• As we move along, the woodsy flavors are taking control for the most part but the leather and spices are still around
• At the halfway mark, the strength may have barely crossed into the medium range but flavors are mostly the same
• The spice started making a comeback in the last third, even tossing some baking spices into the mix with the pepper
• All the flavors seemed to start gaining some intensity as I burned through the last third, the strength also picked up into the higher end of medium here

Final Thoughts:
Now this cigar was not overly dimensional or complex, that’s a given. But something we need to keep in mind is that an entire box can be had for only $45. That’s less than $2 a stick for a Toro vitola! Now most times, a sub-$2 will burn terribly and give poor flavors. This was not the case here. Although one-dimensional, it was a tasty dimension, never harsh or bitter and stayed tasty the whole way through. And what about this burn, damn near perfect! Can’t complain at all about that. These are definitely worthy of a box purchase to have around when you want a well burning cigar with some flavors that you can enjoy without breaking the bank. They also make an excellent giftable cigar. Also, how can you say no to Chuck Norris? If you don’t go buy a box now he will round-house kick you in the head! lol

Pairings:
this is not the first appearance of this tasty brew on the website and won’t be the last. The Coffee Porter by the local Toronto brewery called Mill Street is one I always seem to keep stocked in my fridge. It’s got a nice thick texture that overflows with malty and coffee flavors that almost always make a perfect pairing to my cigars. If you ever come across this, be sure to give it a try. It paired very well with the more subtle flavors of the Lone Wolf Sungrown and added the nice coffee flavors to the mix. Other good pairings here would be coffee, an lighter brew such as an amber or blond or maybe even some tart juice.

The post Lone Wolf Sungrown appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Today’s review comes courtesy of Lou B. who you can find in the comments section every now and then. I met Lou at a herf a little while back and he’s been holding some awesome Cigar-B-Cue’s where we eat, smoke, drink and talk. At the last little gathering, Lou handed me a Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 and said that I had to try it and squeeze in a review if possible. We chatted a little about how my history with most Rocky Patel sticks is a little shaky but I would give it a shot.

So here I am today about to light up this cigar. I have had a few Vintage 1990’s a while ago but it’s been a rather long time so other than a few notes I made for myself I don’t have much to go on. I actually decided to ignore my old notes and go at this one blindly!

The Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 is the oldest cigar in his vintage line. This particular blend is made with Maduro Broadleaf wrapper dating back to 1990. So the wrapper on these cigars is near 12 Years old and apparently the filler is at least 5 years old before being rolled. That makes for a very well aged cigar right out of the box so let’s hope it has the smoothness you would expect on such a well aged smoke.

It seems that the Vintage 1990 line is also available in a wide variety of vitolas that come boxed in quantities of 20. I even stumbled upon some being sold as bundles so you can save a few dollars there too. The vitola Lou gifted me with happens to be their Churchill which also has a box-pressed look to it. The cigar also seems a lot smaller than the claimed 48 ring gauge, possibly due to the pressing. I’d say this cigar is almost around 42 or 44 ring gauge from a quick glance.

Now this cigar also has quite the reputation which can sometimes hinder a cigar. It’s been given a 92 rating by Cigar Aficionado and even been named to the Top 25 Cigars of the year twice. So this sets the bar fairly high when you read something like that before lighting up. But regardless of that, I’m going into this review with a clear mind and hoping for a good smoke. This one’s for you Lou!

Cigar: Rocky Patel Vintage 1990
Drink: Innis & Gunn Winter Beer 2011
Vitola: Churchill (7 x 48)
Wrapper: Honduran Maduro Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican/Nicaraguan
Price: About $8.00
Burn Time: Just short of 2 hours

Construction:
• The wrapper on this cigar is velvety smooth and has the color of milk chocolate bar, it’s actually quite appealing to look at
• There are some veins and seams running along it’s length but none of them look large enough to pose any problems
• The vitola on this cigar is pretty interesting, but despite that the single cap looks to be expertly applied and clean
• The foot follows in the same ‘footsteps’ (cheesy pun, I know…lol) and is very well packed
• That also links into the fairly firm feel of the whole cigar, there is a tiny give when squeezed but not much, I think I’ll blame that on the box pressing process
• The cap clipped off nice and easy but left me with a bit of a tight draw, hoping that doesn’t continue and it opens up soon
• Glad to report that the draw opened up nicely within the first inch

Burn:
• The toasting was easy and fairly even, getting me off to a good start easily
• I usually get some funky burn lines on box pressed cigars but through the first couple inches this one is flawless
• Not much to report here, as I get to the halfway mark I’m still moving along flawlessly
• Still more nothing to report, lol. No wavy lines, no canoes, no tunnels, just the way I like it!

Smoke & Ash:
• There is a ton of resting smoke coming off this cigar, could be a little too much if I were in an enclosed room
• Even with a tight draw, I’m still picking up a fairly good amount of smoke from each puff
• The ash on this cigar is a nice even tone of light gray and is keeping itself fairly clean and tight
• Got to just about an inch before the ash fell off
• Next ash got to about an inch again before I tapped it off cause it was looking ready to fall
• Seemed to get a pretty consistent 1 inch ash on these that stayed clean

Tasting Notes:
• Running the cigar under my nose gives an easily noticeable aroma of coffee, but mostly of cedar. It’s light and pleasant, not overpowering
• The foot does away with the coffee but does carry the aroma of cedar and maybe a little bit of greenery
• I get the same greenery and cedar flavor as I take a pre-light draw after clipping the cap. Also an odd liquor type of flavor, almost like infused but you can tell it isn’t, interesting to see if that will carry into the smoking experience
• Initial flavors are mostly woodsy and earthy notes, maybe with a hint of coffee in there
• The coffee flavors are developing a bit as the cigar burns, still very mellow but they are there, maybe with a bit of cocoa too
• The start of this cigar as been fairly mild for the most part, maybe just approaching medium and the retrohale has almost no bite but gives a smooth cedar and coffee finish
• The liquor flavor I was getting is making slight appearances here and there, I can’t quite put my finger on what it is but it’s keeping the experience interesting. It’s sort of sweet and mixed with the coffee flavors I guess my closest comparison would be Kahlua or something similar
• The whole cigar seems to be quite well balanced to me, I’m getting a good variety of flavors that keep changing up on me and keeping me interested, none of them are overpowering the others
• The array of flavors has stayed the same through to the last third but the fact that they keep taking turns being the dominant one has kept me interested and enjoying the whole cigar so far
• Flavors got a little more intense near the nub, but no harshness or bitterness so I got to enjoy it to the very end

Final Thoughts:
So I have to admit I came into this cigar with some hesitation due to my past experiences with Rocky Patel sticks. I’ve had a few good ones, but most were not in my flavor profile. Even with Lou’s claims of how much he enjoyed this I was a little worried. I’m happy to report that I enjoyed this cigar! I wouldn’t put it into my top 10 but I would keep it on regular rotation as a reliable mild/medium bodied stick if I can find it on sale or maybe in the bundles. It had an interesting set of flavors that were very well balanced and it burned superbly. I don’t really have anything negative to say. If there was one critique I could make it’s that the flavors were not very pronounced. They were there, but you really had to sit and concentrate to pick up on them. Maybe this is due to their extended aging? I’m not too sure… You could easily enjoy it’s smoothness without paying attention, but if the flavor were a little more intense, this might have been a top 10 contender for me.

Pairings:
It’s no secret that I’m a HUGE fan of the Innis & Gunn Brewery and everything I’ve tried from them to date. Their Oak Aged Beers are simply the best I’ve been able to find so far with a sweet caramely smoothness. Every year they also come out with a Winter Seasonal, and as I mentioned in my last review, I’m a bit of a sucker for Winter Seasonals. So I had to get this, their Winter Beer 2011! The crappy part is that it’s only available in a Sampler pack here. Although I really enjoy their other beers in the sampler, it comes with a glass. I think I’m up to 5 or 6 Innis & Gunn glasses now because I keep buying the sampler packs they have for their seasonal beers… lol. But enough about my ranting, this beer keeps to my expectations for this brewery and brings a TON of flavor to the table. Along with the classic Oaky notes, you can pick up some citrus, vanilla, toffee and the signature caramel smoothness. All of their beers seem to pair best with a good mild or medium bodied cigar, so it fit very well in with the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990. Other good pairing would be a similar beer like a blonde or amber, and possibly a nice cup of coffee.

The post Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

Now let me tell you why I’m doing this. My reasons are two fold… The first is completely Tony’s fault. Big surprise right? lol. He’s bragged about this cigar a few times and how much he enjoys it. A few days ago we started chatting about how I’ve never really been impressed by an Alec Bradley cigar, so he tightened the chains on my desk and told me I had to review it, or else! Ok, not really, but he did ask me to give it a chance. Secondly, I was at a little BBQ herf (Hosted by a good BOTL, Lou at Rumours Furniture) today and had another discussion on Alec Bradley. This time it was with one of Lou’s friends named Jarvis. A really nice guy who also started bragging about Alec Bradley…

So, I basically caved in and decided to give this cigar a try. I had a few Prensado cigars but only in this vitola so that’s why I’m reviewing it instead of a new vitola. I won’t go through and re-write all the good stuff about Alec Bradley or the store of this blend. Check out Tony’s review of the Prensado or you can also get more info from my review of the Family Blend and the Vice Press. So without further adieu, I sit here in my backyard on a warm and damp evening while I prepare to clip the cap of this cigar and see where my Alec Bradley bias takes me…

Cigar: Alec Bradley Prensado
Drink: Six Grapes Reserve Tawny Porto
Vitola: Box-Pressed Robusto (5 x 50)
Wrapper: Honduran Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan/Honduran
Price: $9
Burn Time: A little over 1 hour

Construction:
• Very smooth box pressed appearance with a darker milk chocolatey colored wrapper
• There are almost no veins and the ones that are visible are very thin
• The top of the cigar is finished with a smooth triple cap that blends in very well
• The foot of the cigar is very well packed as is the rest of the cigar which is very firm to the touch
• Cutting was firm but clean
• Draw is just about perfect despite the firm feel of the cigar, no problems in this department
• The band was perfectly applied, it didn’t just fall off but still slid off easily

Burn:
• Toasting was easy and lit up fairly quickly to a nice even glow
• A slight touchup was needed at the start but other then that it is burning very well
• As I hit the halfway point, I’m happy to see no burn issues and it’s coming along razor sharp
• A slight burn issue near the last third, but it corrected itself without my intervention
• Cigar burned a bit hot in the last inch but I kept smoking it anyway

Smoke & Ash:
• I was met with lots of smoke right off the bat here, fills your mouth nicely
• The ash first appears to be nice and strong, well constructed and definitely pressed
• The color on the ash is a little dark, venturing from a medium grey to an almost black
• Ash continued nice and strong until about the 1 inch mark when it fell off into the ashtray, I thought it would last longer since it looked so well packed
• All other ashes were about the same 1 inch and kept the clean and strong look to them

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper gives off an interesting sweet aroma, mixing some nice cocoa and coffee notes
• The foot offers more sweet coffee notes and a bit of mild tobacco, as well as a mild spice
• The pre-light draw seems to have lost the sweetness and is replaced mostly by a tobacco flavor, some woodsiness and a bit of peppery spice on my lips
• Initial flavors really pop on this cigar but are not overpowering, I was met with a good helping of leather and cedar alongside a touch of coffee and nutmeg-like spices
• The retrohale on this cigar is giving a nice light bite with a smooth woodsy finish
• This cigar is very well balanced, I’m figuring it’s in the medium to full range but it’s so smooth that it doesn’t feel that way
• As I reach the halfway mark, the spice is picking up a bit with a little more pepper and raw nutmeg
• The coffee and leather notes are also developing nicely and adding some roasted flavor to it
• Getting into the last third, the coffee flavors have sort of tapered off but the woodsy and cedar notes are making a nice appearance
• There’s been a nice creaminess from the start that has persisted and is just getting better as he cigar progresses
• The smoothness continued right to the nub with a great balance the whole way through

Final Thoughts:
Ok, I gotta honestly say that I enjoyed this cigar. I went in with some bias as you can tell from my intro but it seems that once again you can’t judge a book by it’s cover (or it’s brand). It started off with a nice burst of flavor and burned well through most of the cigar. The box-pressed shape was also very comfortable and a perfect size to smoke. The body was into the fuller range but the smoothness and balance made it blend in so nicely. So I must avow that I found an Alec Bradley cigar I enjoyed from start to finish. Now the biggest downside to this cigar was the price. I didn’t look up the price until after I smoked it and I was a little shocked, especially since it’s one of the smaller vitolas in the line. This did not taste like a $9 cigar to me and that disappointed me because it was pretty good on all other accounts… I wouldn’t say this cigar makes me an Alec Bradley convert but it will open my eyes to at least try a few more blends from this brand.

Pairings:
Today we have another new port that I stumbled across at the liquor store recently. It’s called Six Grapes and is considered to be a Reserve Tawny Port which was bottled in 2004. I was pleasantly met with a great mixture of in-you-face fruit mostly dominated by a strong blackberry tartness. The port also had a nice full bodied feel to it and coated the palate very smoothly leaving a nice sweetness on the tongue. The coating of your palate is one of my favorite aspects of pairing port and cigars because it’s like a fresh cleanse after each sip. It paired excellently with the woodsy and spicy notes of the cigar. I would definitely recommend trying it out. This cigar could also pair well with a nice strong coffee, scotch or maybe a dark soda.

The post Alec Bradley Prensado Robusto appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.

The company who makes the cigar is called Honduras Caribbean Tobacco. The Carmelo is their first cigar released a few years ago and they have recently also released a cigar carrying the companies name on the label. The Carmelo is available with a blue or red label. The blue label is wrapped with a Nicaraguan tobacco leaf while the red label has an Ecuadorian shade-grown wrapper. Both of the Carmelo cigars have Nicaraguan fillers and binders and are available in a variety of sizes ranging from a Carmelito (4 x 40) up to a Churchill (7×48).

I’ve had the chance to enjoy a few Carmelo’s before as they are a popular mild cigar at the herf I frequent and are offered up at a fair price. The Carmelo has been around for a few years now and the company itself is still fairly young opening only in 2005. Honduras Caribbean Tobacco is headquartered in Miami and have a large tobacco field on the border of Honduras and Nicaragua. After smoking a few offerings from Honduras Caribbean Tobacco at the herf I purchased a few more to take home with me so I could write up a review. So here it is!

Cigar: Carmelo Red Label
Drink: RocketfuelCoffee.com KonaKaze
Vitola: Toro (6 x 52)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Shade-Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $6.40 MSRP
Burn Time: Just under 2 hours

Construction:
• The Carmelo cigar is wrapped with a very light shade of brown, it also appears fairly fragile
• There are almost no veins to be seen on the cigar, they are very light and small and the cigar is very smooth
• The top of the Carmelo is finished with a clean triple cap and is slightly darker in color, likely due to the glue
• The foot of the cigar is well packed and is also darker in color with some leaves appearing nearly black
• The shape of the cigar is slightly box pressed and has a soft springiness to it
• The cut was easy and clean
• Draw is just about perfect, offering up just the right amount of resistance

Burn:
• Took some time to get the cigar toasted evenly but it ended up being perfectly toasted without causing any initial burn problems
• The burn is progressing nicely through the first third with only a minor wave in it
• The wave is always present but it never burned out of control and no corrections as I pass the half-way mark
• As I approach the end of the cigar it still hasn’t required any touch ups but is starting to burn a bit hot

Smoke & Ash:
• Lots of smoke is apparent right from the first draw, easily fills the mouth
• Resting smoke is light but noticeable and fills the room with more woodsy aromas
• The ash is very close to being completely white, it’s smooth and tightly packed
• First ash last about an inch before I tapped it off into the ashtray
• Other ashes were all about an inch before being tapped off into the ashtray

Tasting Notes:
• The wrapper aroma is mostly a light mild tobacco aroma with some hints of woodsiness
• The foot has a lot more woodsiness to the aroma, I’m picking up a pine-like or freshly cut cedar scent
• Pre-light draw brings more freshly cut woody flavors and a touch of spice that lingers on the lips and tongue
• Initial draws bring more woodsy notes and a burst of pine flavor specifically
• As we keep moving, the pine is settling in and balancing out with some cedar and a smooth creamy finish
• The cigar itself is fairly mild and the retrohale has no bite to it but has a nice creamy and woodsy finish
• As I approach the middle of the cigar I’m getting an interesting leafy flavor that’s pairing well with the woodsy flavors
• I’m also picking up some sweet bready flavors, similar to something like a brioche
• The creamy and pine flavors have stuck through the entire cigar, I find these to be a very unique pairing
• Some slight pepper spice sneaking in as I burn through the last third

Final Thoughts:
This was a tasty mild cigar and definitely worth trying. It’s not something overly complex or in your face but I don’t think that was the goal of this cigar. It’s something you can pick up anytime of the day, including the morning, and just sit back, relax and enjoy. The pine flavors in this cigar always stood out to me every time I’ve had one and is something unique that I don’t find in many cigars. I did find that they have a tendency to have burn issues if they are overly humidified but smoke perfectly when kept just under 65% or dry boxed a bit before smoking. I think this is mostly due to the delicate wrapper on these cigars but as you can see in this review, I had no issues with the burn at all even in colder temperatures. If you are looking for something different to add to your mild or morning range of cigars, pick up a few of these. They are a nice change from the typical mild Connecticut cigars.

Pairings:
Today I’m pairing with a non-alcoholic beverage for two reasons. Firstly, I’m still taking some medication to fight this infection and I hear it’s generally a bad idea to mix alcohol with that, lol! Secondly, I’ve made the jump to enjoying some premium coffee lately and it pairs very well with cigars, especially ones in the milder range. RocketFuelCoffee.com is an online coffee retailer specializing in premium gourmet coffees. they have at least 8 varieties on their website that cater to a varying audience. Don’t expect any flavored coffee here though, it’s only the all natural and tasty stuff. They even carry the infamous Kopi Luwak coffee! Check out their website and if you’re a coffee lover you won’t be disappointed.
I was going to purchase this coffee online but after speaking to the owner, Lisa, on Twitter (@RcketFuelCoffee) we decided to get together and share a cigar over coffee instead since she also lives in the Great White North near Toronto. We had a great time chatting over some good coffee and cigars. One of the blends I picked up was this Konakaze blend. I love a strong bold coffee and I love espresso so she suggested this one which is a blend of Hawaiin Kona and Espresso. The coffee definitely does not disappoint, you can easily detect the bold flavor of the espresso. To compliment it perfectly, the bright and balanced flavor of the Kona brings a whole different layer to the cup. It fills your mouth with an interesting mixture that fit my coffee tastes perfectly. The coffee paired excellently with this mild cigar and the espresso notes tell me it could pair well even with some stronger offerings. Other good pairings for this cigar would include a light beer, soda or even water. You don’t want anything too strong to overpower the cigar, get something that will let you enjoy it’s flavors.

The post Carmelo Red Label appeared first on Cigar Reviews | Beer Pairings | Casas Fumando.