September and October 2015 Recap

Most Memorable Cigars Smoked

1. Crowned Heads – Las Calaveras 2015
2. La Mission du L’Atelier
3. Tatuaje – La Riqueza
4. Mel Caribbean Corp. – Bella Dominicana

 September and October Cigar Reviews

Review Highlights

Jeremy’s Reviews
Mel Caribbean Corp. – Bella Dominicana 

Bella Dominicana delivered medium/full flavors at the start and transitioned to more of medium smoke throughout the last two third. The strength behaved exactly opposite with reaching medium/full at the end. I would characterize the core of the smoke, or the most consistent flavor, as sweet, rich woodsy notes with no lack of complexity and change-ups and a fair amount of pepper spice.

J. Fuego – Vudu Sacrifice and Vudu Dark, Famous Smoke Shop Exclusives

Sacrifice: Right of the bat, the Sacrifice delivered full-flavors that were full in body and medium in strength. I have absolutely no complaints in the performance department. While the draw was stiff at the pre-light, once lit, the draw was fine and the burn and ash was exceptional for a cigar less than $3.00. Not overly complex, but highly enjoyable smoke that I could see picking up in the evening and standing up to fuller body beverages.

Dark: The Vudu Dark is my cup of tea. The flavors of earth, cocoa, and pepper suited my palate with an evolving strength that moved from mild to medium/full throughout the smoke. Compared to the Sacrifice, the burn-line was not nearly as even, but was of no concern. I actually ordered up a jar of No. 7s, and I believe you may be hard-pressed to find a better cigar for the price.

Macanudo Estate Reserve 2015

Macanudo Estate Reserve 2015 delivers medium flavors, body, and strength, sometimes pushing full, with an effortless performance. The sweetness noted in the first third brought a nice balance to the dark and sour/floral flavors and was sorely missed once it exited in the middle third and never made a return. The sour floral or grapefruit essence held my interest throughout but I longed for the return of the sweetness.

Carnage, a Famous Smoke Shop Exclusive

Famous Smoke Shop’s Carnage blended by Nestor Plasencia delivers medium flavors and medium/full strength with a consistent profile with a core of rich woodsy notes and pepper spice, with some subtleties that are much more noticeable if this cigar is not hot boxed. The Carnage Robusto required one touch-up, but other that I don’t have any complaints on the performance.

Tatuaje La Riqueza Lancero

The core of the flavors were dark and spicy, with lots of subtleties in the profile and change-ups in each of thirds kept me engaged the entire time. Each time I burn through one of the Tatuaje lanceros in the Limited Lancero Collection, I feel like I just found my new favorite Tat. As it stand today, this may very well be my favorite.

Tony’s Reviews

Padron – Damaso No. 8

In my case, I was pretty disappointed in the lack of everything that you have come to expect from Padron in the case of the Damaso. The body was lacking, the flavor profile was less than stellar, and the price point was way too high for what the cigar delivered. Not to mention that I really tried to take my time with this cigar, but even then it burned way too quickly. It seriously only took me about 50 minutes to smoke this down to the very nub.

Crux Du Connoisseur

Each of Crux’s cigars have been hits in our book, and the Crux Du Connoisseur is no exception. In fact, it’s probably one of my favorites by the company. The cigar sports lots of character with a complex and interesting flavor profile that isn’t too far over the top.

Guest Reviews by Jeff Oda

L’Atelier Extension de la Racine ER14

Looking over my review of the first release of the Extension de la Racine (ER13), it appears that this one is quite a bit different in the flavors it presents, and I have to wonder if the shape of the cigar has something to do with that.  I definitely missed the Asian spice and floral elements that were present in the ER13 and that I enjoyed so much, so perhaps the Parejo shape is a better fit for this blend than figurado.

Roberto Duran Cigars – Neya 

The flavors were enjoyable and reasonably complex, and the experience was very much in line with the Duran EPF target.  The previous two that I had actually lasted about ten to fifteen minutes longer than this one, so YMMV.  At four bucks, I think that this cigar is an absolute bargain, and I have no qualms about recommending it to someone who’s looking for a high-value medium-plus bodied stick.

AJ Fernandez Enclave

The AJ Fernandez Enclave turned out to be a solid smoke, which while not the most complex around, provided a good range of flavors with enough transitions to keep me interested in it.  Construction and burn were top-notch, it smoked nice and slow, and the price is absolutely consumer friendly.

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Produced in Honduras, both lines are are available in four frontmarks: No. 13 (5 ½ by 52 Cuban Corona), No. 3 (4 ¾ by 50 Robusto), No. 7 (5 ¾ by 50 Toro), and No. 9 (6 ¾ by 50 Churchill). The No. 3, 7, and 9 come packaged in 19 count jars ranging in price from $53.95 to $68.95 for the Sacrifice and $56.99 to $61.98 for the Dark. The No. 13 Cuban Corona is offered in 13 count bundles for $34.99. It is my understanding that bundle refills will be available for the jars at a reduced price.

Vudu Dark can be purchased directly from Famous Smoke Shop HERE and Vudu Sacrifice can be found HERE.

The Facts

Vudu Sacrifice
Samples Provided by Famous Smoke Shop
Vitola: No. 3 Robusto
Size: 4 ¾ by 50
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder/Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran

Vudu Dark
Samples Provided by Famous Smoke Shop
Vitola: No. 3 Robusto
Size: 4 ¾ by 50
Wrapper: Pennsylvanian Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Pre-light

Sacrifice: Removing the Vudu Sacrifice from Famous Smoke Shop from its cellophane, there a deep pungent aroma of vinegar and dark fruit notes. The foot shows off graham cracker, chocolate, cedar, and some spice. The medium tan Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper has some oils that are easily felt on the fingertips. About halfway down, the cigar feels soft when lightly pinched. The veins are tiny and hardly any bumps are on the wrapper. Clipping through the double cap that has a small tear or crack, the draw is firmer than preferred, delivering notes of cedar, clove, cinnamon, and chocolate.

Dark: The oily, dark brown, almost oscuro Pennsylvanian Sun Grown wrapper is consistent in color other than two small patches that have been added to cover up small tears in the leaf. Two medium veins run the course of the cigar, with the other veins being hardly noticeable. The wrapper has an aroma of barnyard and red pepper flakes, with much of the same found on the foot along with a light cocoa and earthiness. The neatly applied double cap clips easily revealing an almost perfect draw. Cold draw flavors are more subdued than the Sacrifice with some rich notes of cedar and clove.

First Third

Sacrifice: Once lit, the first thing that jumps out at me is the mouthfeel of the smoke that is thick and chewy. Big notes of black pepper, deep pencil-shavings, and earth/diesel are unexpected but enjoyable. A dark, red fruit sweetness is moving forward in profile. Oils are raising from the wrapper as the cigar burns even with its thick, eyeliner burn. The first ash made it through the entire first third before dropping.

Dark: Dark flavors of earth, unsweetened cocoa, and a tartness are first to greet my palate. While the flavors fall on the darker end of the spectrum, they are coming across mild on the palate with not a whole lot of body. A sugar-like sweetness is pushing its way into the profile and some spice is noticeable in the sinuses. A light grey ash is formed as the cigar burns thin with just a small wave.

Middle Third

Sacrifice: The dark fruit sweetness is playing a more dominant role complementing the flavors noted in the previous third. Pushing the smoke through the sinuses there is a pepper sting but not overwhelming.

Dark: The flavors build to medium with the earthiness and coffee at the front and the flavors are rich. There is a sharp, acidic citrus quality and the pepper transitions from the retrohale into the flavor profile. As the citrus departs, the sweetness is once again perceivable. The burn-line is thin but remains wavy.

Final Third

Sacrifice: Transitioning into the last third, char and toasted bread notes make an introduction. The other flavors have gotten pushed back but can still be discerned. The pencil-shaving flavor makes one last strong push into the profile. The thin burn line is even as I put the cigar down for its final rest.

Dark: The Vudu Dark is being carried along by its deep earth and cocoa flavor with some newly found toasted notes and a buttery popcorn flavor. The smoke production is satisfying and the cigar continues to perform above par.

Wrap-up

Sacrifice: Right of the bat, the Sacrifice delivered full-flavors that were full in body and medium in strength. I have absolutely no complaints in the performance department. While the draw was stiff at the pre-light, once lit, the draw was fine and the burn and ash was exceptional for a cigar less than $3.00. Not overly complex, but highly enjoyable smoke that I could see picking up in the evening and standing up to fuller body beverages.

Dark: The Vudu Dark is my cup of tea. The flavors of earth, cocoa, and pepper suited my palate with an evolving strength that moved from mild to medium/full throughout the smoke. Compared to the Sacrifice, the burn-line was not nearly as even, but was of no concern. I actually ordered up a jar of No. 7s, and I believe you may be hard-pressed to find a better cigar for the price.

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