Casa Fuente Cigars

Wow, long time no posting. I have taken a long break from trying new cigars and went back to what I like best…some La Gloria Cubanas, some Punches, and some Ashtons. I know I still need to do a review for Just Easy Cigars and the cigar rolling party we had in July, but I’m back now with a new review.

Blintz was watching a TV show recently that talked about the 10 best “Man Places” to visit and the Casa Fuente Cigar Shop in Las Vegas was previewed. I did not know this, but apparently Arturo Fuente is the owner of this fine establishment and they make a special house blend cigar for their Vegas store. I did some Internet research on this smoke and found people were giving them mid to high 90′s on their reviews.

Being eager to try this fine smoke, I called Casa Fuente and attempted to order some cigars for me and my buddies. I was told I could not place an order. The only way you can get this cigar is by going in person to their shop. I was bummed, but I had a backup plan. It turns out that I have an old friend that lives in Vegas; and after sending her some money in the mail, she went to pick up three Casa Fuente torpedos for me, Blintz, and Goober.

While waiting for my smokes to come in the mail, Sandbagger had a friend of his that visited Vegas. He dropped by and had a Casa Fuente smoke and said it was a great cigar. Blintz’ friend said the same thing when his friend visited Vegas recently. I was really hyped up to try this cigar and about two weeks later I received The Package from my friend. But I still had to wait a few more days for the weekend to come. About two weeks ago, Blintz, Goober, Turtle, and I got together to try our Casa Fuente cigars. We had three torpedos and one robusto type cigar to try.

First Impression: What a well made cigar! Small veins, gorgeous wrapper, and a wonderful label. There were no soft or hard spots noted. After clipping the tip off, I found the draw was a medium one and perfect. The pre-lit taste showed the cigar had a heavy coco/chocolate taste, which I loved. I was ready to light this bad boy up.

Flavors: The first quarter of this cigar was excellent. I remember thinking that the ratings of mid to high 90′s was about right for this cigar. There was a wonderful creamy, coco/chocolate flavor with a mild floral taste. I’m not crazy about flower tasting cigars (LG Chisel), but this one had just the prefect blend of the three flavors. My first score for this cigar was 94 and it was getting better.

But then after the first quarter went by, the cigar changed to a strong floral tasting smoke with mild coco/chocolate flavors. I didn’t care for this at all. I would have been in bliss if this cigar stayed the same from the get go. As the cigar reached the last quarter of the stick, the coco/chocolate flavors were almost gone and this was just a flower cigar. I didn’t finish it and put it out at that point. Blintz, Goobers, and Turtle did the same thing…put them out.

I was really disappointed in this cigar. There was so much hype for this cigar that I was expecting a lot more from a $26 cigar. If floral cigars are your thing, then you will love it. But for me, it wasn’t my type of smoke.

Score: As I said earlier, in the beginning, I gave this cigar a 94. But after that, I finished with an 84. I gave this smoke that final score because the construction and care into making this cigar deserves credit. ~~ Grsshppr

Grsshppr Is Still Around!!!

I know it has been several weeks since I’ve posted a new cigar review. But I do stop by to check in here at least a few times a week to see what’s been going on in our blogs. We are almost averaging a 1,000 hits a month…which is way cool. I never thought we would be that popular.

So what I have I been up to. Well the main reason for not posting a review is because these last few weeks I have been smoking my good old usual cigars; La Gloria Cubana Torpedo #1 (maduro) and Padron #6000 (torpedo). I decided to take a short break and smoke some cigars that I know I would love and enjoy. Matter of fact, I had a LGC last night while Blintz and I enjoyed the summer afternoon at his house.

But I have exciting news. Next Saturday (18th) the SalasHerf Club hired Jose “Rene” Sanchez to fly in from Florida to roll cigars for us at our summer cigar party at my buddy’s house. I am sure there will be plenty of reviews from the guys…and pictures to. This little party has been at least 3 months in the making; and I for one, am looking forward to a fine night of cigar smoking, barbecuing, and drinking with my friends and family. So I will be back after the 18th with a review on our party. ~~Grsshppr

Oliva Serie V

After receiving a large amount of crap for not writing a review in a while I decided to take a break in the outdoor man-cave, have a relaxing Sunday smoke and work on a review for the Salas Herf Club.

As I dug through my humidor, I felt an urge to smoke something different. Near the bottom of my humidor I found an Oliva Serie V torpedo. I had smoked one of these a number of months back and had thought it was okay, but I hadn’t really put my heart into tasting it for a review. Wanting to give the cigar a decent chance, especially since it rated so high in CA’s top 25 of 2007, I retired to the backyard with a drink, music and cigar to see if this thing was worth the hype.

According to Oliva’s web site, “the Serie V is a complex blend of Nicaraguan long filler tobaccos. Blended with specially fermented Jalapa Valley ligero, and finished with a high priming Habano Sun Grown Wrapper.” It sure sounds good and I’m hopeful this smoke will be memorable.

Pre-Light: This was a very nice looking cigar. The wrapper was a silky, reddish-brown, that glowed, as if it were reflecting the south American sun it had been grown under. The smell of the cigar was a pleasant grassy odor. There was not any heavy fermentation or compost scent. I almost felt guilty lighting it up. The beautiful appearance has set an expectation of a great smoke. I am hopeful I won’t be disappointed.

The Light: The pre-light taste is sweet on the tip of the tongue. As the flame hit the cigar there was an immediate spice that filled the mouth then quickly lightened up to a wood like flavor. A grey ash formed on the tip of the cigar and the smoke was a thick grey. Overall, the cigar had a medium body to it that was not at all overbearing. As the cigar burned through the first inch it picked up even more wood flavors with a hint of coffee. The spice had lightened up to the point that it was nearly non-existent. The cigar began to burn a bit unevenly within a half inch and the ash became a gray black that was flaky in appearance. However, the ash held on quite well and I only had to ash the cigar twice during the entire smoke.

Mid-point: The flavor of the cigar had become very mellow, medium bodied and smooth. It was not creamy like the Padron 1926, but had developed a nice easy smoking feel. The spice once again began to reassert itself and the smoke continued to be thick and enveloping. The only real negative issues were  that there was no real complexity to the cigar’s flavor and the unevenness of the burn had become more pronounced. No amount of touch up seemed able to fix it.

The Finish: As I came to the final inch of the cigar the uneven burn grew worse. The taste was a light spice mixed with wood. I began to feel a heavy nicotine buzz. I normally don’t experience this and  I was quite surprised by it. I smoked the cigar down to the roach.

Overall, I liked this smoke. It is not in my top 10, but I would smoke it again and will likely buy a five pack to age a while in my humidor. My only real complaint is that the cigar was not very complex. I would definitely recommend this to any novice smokers or those that like lighter fare. If strong, kick you in the teeth smokes are what you’re use to, then this one will not work for you. But if you want something a little smooth and easy, then this smoke will be just what you’re looking for.

- Blintz -

Perdomo Reserve Churchill

This cigar was gifted to me by my brother, Sandbagger. He raved so much about how well this cigar was that I decided to try it. I smoked this cigar the same weekend my son graduated from middle school. I was tempted to research this smoke before having it, but I elected not to do it. I didn’t want anyone else’s review to cloud my judgement.

First Impression: This was a bigger cigar than what I usually smoke. Sandbagger gave me the Churchill 7″ x 54 gauge smoke. I know the picture posted with this review shows a robusto maduro cigar, but I couldn’t find a good image to accompany this review, so I took this one. (Sorry guys). But nonetheless, the wrapper was a medium color and it was constructed well. The band was kind of dull with medium to dark colors in it. (Not very attractive in my opinion).

Flavors: Like I said earlier, my brother raved about this cigar. But for me, it was “okay.” There were some coco, earthy, woodsy, and nutty flavors. I’m not a big fan of nutty/almond cigars, which was probably why I didn’t care for it too much. In fact, I discarded the cigar about half way through the smoke. Even though Sandbagger and I are twins, it now appears we have totally two different likes in what type of cigar we prefer….which is good. I don’t have to worry about him stealing my smokes when he comes over to visit….lol!

Score: Even though I didn’t care for this cigar, I still gave this review an 85. ~~ Grsshppr

Don Pepin Series JJ (White Label)

This past week my son, Blintz’s daughter , as well as several other family friends all had their 8th grade promotion. So we all decided to have one big barbecue to celebrate their accomplishments. While standing at the grill, some of the boys from the SalasHerf club and me lit up some cigars to memorialize the occasion. I had two cigars, but this review is on the Don Pepin Series JJ robusto cigar. Once again, I was not disappointed with Don Pepin. He produces some of the finest cigars in the world…so onto the review.

First Impressions: This was a medium colored wrapper that had no hard or soft spots noted. The veins were small and the construction was good. The cap was on even. The label is simple. This particular cigar is the White Label, but Don Pepin also makes a Blue and Black Label cigar. This is the first time I have tried a White Label, so I was excited to try this one.

Flavors: I know some people have told me that the White Label is a “peppery” smoke, but for me, I only noticed some pepper flavors. It was more of a earthy and leathery smoke with peppery and coffee hints in it. It was a typical Nicaraguan medium to full bodied cigar. This was a very good cigar. In fact, this was my second cigar for the day and I enjoyed it more than my first smoke.

Score:88. I would buy and smoke this cigar again. I recommend anyone that loves Ashton or any of the Don Pepin cigars to try the Series JJ. ~~ Grsshppr

PERDOMO – Reserve – 10 Year Anniversary

I’m finally back.  It’s been a while since my last review but trust me on this one, you won’t regret it after reading about this cigar.  As you know I’m big fan of the dark, oily, spicy and Maduro cigars.  Even though this isn’t the Maduro wrapper cigar the Cuban seed Criollo wrapper is spicy so I had to give it a try.  So here’s what the official statement is about this serie of the cigar:

Perdomo Reserve 10 Year Anniversary cigars are a decade in the making. The cigars were created to celebrate the next generation of Tabacalera Perdomo’s award winning and highly acclaimed original La Tradicion Perdomo Reserve line. The cigars are made with attractive Cuban-seed Criollo wrappers that impart a symphony of complex flavors including almond, coffee and cocoa with a smooth, silky finish. Try some today, and celebrate a decade of quality craftsmanship by Tabacalera Perdomo!

So lets get off to the review.

Appearance & Construction:  (11-15) Perdomo makes this cigar in 3 attractive wrappers: U.S. Connecticut wrapper in Champagne, a rich, spicy Cuban seed Criollo and a oily and decedent Maduro wrapper.  The bands on them are large and attractive as well.  The only reason I docked points on this is because the wrapper on the cigar I was smoking was dry and brittle and it started to flake off when I was smoking it exposing the binder and fillers.  On a side note I truly believe this wasn’t the manufacturer’s issue more or less the Tobacconist’s issue from which I bought from.  The cigar I’m reviewing is the Churchill 7×54.

Flavor: (25-25) Can you tell I loved this cigar.  Even though I had construction issues I wasn’t holding that against the flavor.  I smoked this one till my fingertips were burning.  I want to let you know I’ve also had the Maduro wrapper cigar as well and I have to tell you, the Cuban seed Criollo had just enough spiciness to it to let you know it was there but it was sooooooo smooth.  I’m putting this up there with one of my favorites and after smoking just one of these, I’ve ordered a case of them and they will be sitting in my humidor waiting for their inevitable demise. 

Smoking Characteristics: (23-25) The dry wrapper aside and the flavors that were off the chart, the smoking characteristics were good.  This cigar smoked well and I had no draw problems and it burned evenly.  I got lots of good thick smoke from it and I felt that the flavors were well balanced.  Complex and smooth just like Perdomo states.   Cigar Aficionado rated this cigar as a 92.

Overall Experience: (34-35) Since I’ve started to experiment with new cigars I’ve tried probably over 20 different new cigars this year alone just trying to figure out what I like.  Well I’ve hit a gold mine with this one guys.  I was very surprised by this one.  I wish they made this one in a 60-ring cigar, I love the fatty’s.  I was out golfing with my employees when I lit this up and each of them wanted to try it and each of them said that they liked it a lot.  I had gifted them another cigar and they liked this one better, too bad for them I didn’t have anymore on hand, I was selfish  and I didn’t share anymore.  Do yourself a favor and buy this cigar.  Try all 3 wrappers and decide for yourself you won’t be disappointed.  (93) -sndbggr 

La Gloria Cubana Churchill

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from JR Cigars that was offering an Internet special on ten La Gloria Cubana Torpedo #1 and ten Churchills (maduro of course).  And the best thing was the price for twenty cigars was $65. I was in heaven because LGC Torpedo #1 smokes are my favorite “everyday” cigar. But a Churchill…I have never tried that particular cigar, so I said to myself…”for $65 it would be worth it to try.”

So I ordered them on the last day of the Internet special and they arrived less than a week later. Matter of fact, I have never had a Churchill cigar in any brand. I’m more of a torpedo/robusto type of smoker. I have tried the Torpedo, Corona Corda, Wavell, and Serie R cigars before (and liked them), so I was a bit interested in trying this cigar out. So at my nieces’ birthday party, Blintz and I lit up a Churchill.

First Impressions: Good looking cigar…and big! It’s a 50 x 7″ cigar. It has a nice oily dark wrapper. I cut the stick with my “V” cut and took  a pre-draw. I could immediately taste the spices and peppery flavors. There were no hard or soft spots noted.

Flavors: This a straight up spicy/peppery cigar. That’s It!!! I have read some other reviews that say the Churchill has coco flavors, but I didn’t taste them. The cigar burned well, but I did have to touch it up two times. This smoke is a medium to full bodied cigar.

Score: 86. I enjoyed this cigar, but I will have to say that the Torpedoes and Corona Cordas are still the best ones that LGC still make. I would buy and smoke this cigar again. ~~ Grsshppr

Why do we smoke?

Why do we smoke? That’s a question that comes to my mind from time to time. Let’s be honest, cigars taste like ass; my esteemed colleagues would put it this way, ass with chocolate undertones and hints of cedar. Let’s not forget to mention that mystery aftertaste which lingers for a day or two in spite of brushing one’s teeth with Ajax and gargling with turpentine. The culminating experience is lying in bed, wide awake, with a nicotine rush that takes hours to go away. Regardless of all that, I like it! Weird, huh?

I guess the reason for this is not the cigar itself. There are some which I really enjoy, CAO Brasilia and Indian Tabac Cameroon Legend to name a few, but most leave me looking like this:

I never smoke alone rather it is with friends and family. There is an air of camaraderie when a group of guys are sitting on the porch with giant, stinky rolls of tobacco clenched firmly in our teeth swapping stories and telling lies, which doesn’t exist anywhere else. I savor these times. As a teacher who works in a female dominated profession, I rarely get to sit around and act like a guy. That is what makes it all worth it to me.   In the mean time, smoke ‘em if you got ‘em  ~The JJ

601 Habano (Red) Robusto

Continuing with the cigar tasting event that happened this past Friday evening at West Coast Cigars, JavaJerk was able to get away from his wife to join us for my second cigar for the evening. Goobers had gifted me and the boys a 601 Habano (Red) smoke. As with the Kristoff cigars, I have never heard of the 601′s, so I didn’t know what to expect.

On hindsight, I did a little Internet research on this cigar and found that Don Pepin is the master blender behind this fine smoke…no wonder why I liked this cigar! On to the review…

First Impression: There was nothing fancy about this cigar. The label was okay; being red and gold in color. The cigar was firm with no hard or soft spots noted. I clipped the smoke with my trusty 15-year-old cat’s eye cut and took a pre-draw from the stick. The draw was good and I could taste some spicy flavors from the beginning.

Flavors: As noted above, as soon as I lit up this smoke there was a strong noticeable flavor of spices coming through the cigar. The aroma was excellent and I told my little group that I really liked this cigar (this was even before I knew it was a Don Pepin blend). Blintz and Goobers also lit up a 601 and said they enjoyed it too. Besides the spicy flavors I could taste some earthy flavors too. This cigar was pretty consistent through out and it didn’t change flavors on me.

Score: 88. I would buy this cigar again. I really enjoyed it. While searching the Internet, I found that Famous Smoke gave this cigar an 8.8/10 and Cigar Aficionado gave it a 90/100. ~~ Grsshppr

Kristoff Robusto

Goobers and I ran into Blintz and JavaJerk at the family business (Rollick’s) on Friday and Blintz reminded me that West Coast Cigars was hosting a cigar tasting event that night. Well Goobers and I were tied up testifying in court all morning long and we didn’t know when we would be done. So I told Blintz that we would contact him after court. As it turned out, after returning to court after lunch, we were no longer needed and we “Code-3″ it home to get ready for the cigar tasting event.

Since this was a short noticed bonsai run to San Jose, Blintz, Goobers, and I were the only ones able to make the trip. JavaJerk initially wanted to join us, but his wife had him doing last minute “honey-do” things and he couldn’t come. We got to West Coast Cigars at about 1730 hours; just in time to find some good seats before they got crowded. As we stood there waiting for our free Kristoff cigar, I remember thinking to myself that I have never heard of this brand. I had no idea what to expect, but based on the cigar’s presentation, it look appealing to me. The Kristoff representative asked me what type of cigar I liked, which I explained was a medium to full bodied maduro stick. I can’t remember the name of the cigar he gave me, but I believe it was the robusto that was 5-1/2″ x 54.

First Impression: As I said, the cigars came in a nice well made box with some loose tobacco surrounding the stogies. On the top of the cap there was a little; for the lack of a better word, nipple on it. The stogie was firm with no hard or soft spots noted and the wrapper was a beautiful dark and oily maduro wrapper. A+ for presentation.

Flavors: Right off the bat, I could taste a strong spice, but that went away almost immediately. And for the better 3/4 of the cigar, I could taste nutty/almond flavors. Now as I have explained before, I’m not fond of almond flavor cigars, so I wasn’t really enjoying this smoke. But I kept with it. Towards the last 1/4 of the cigar, the flavor turned bitter for me. However, the cigar burned even and I only had to relight it one time (but I think that was my fault for talking too much).

Score: 83. I probably wouldn’t buy this cigar again; and if it was offered to me free again, I would probably turn it down. This was a very well made cigar, but the flavors is what killed it for me. Also, JavaJerk was able to get done with the honey-do thing and he was able to join us for our second smoke for the evening; which I will save for a later review. ~~ Grsshppr