Aroma De Cuba (Aroma Del Caribe in Europe) “Mi Amore”

I. Love. These. Damn. Sticks. The Aroma De Cuba (del Caribe). Everything about them is fantastic. From construction, to draw, to the packed ash, to the smooth robust sweet note throughout.  I was sad when this smoke ended, but more on that in a bit 🙂 

These things are beautifully constructed. Veins were small and minimal, and the wrapper had a lovely, deep brown color, slightly oily to the touch. An interesting sidenote is that the wrapper is a Mexican Tobacco, which I found both strange and unique.  The pre light draw had just the right amount of resistance, with a sweet, chocolaty note.

After lighting, the burn was even and smooth throughout (just remember to rotate as you smoke, these big gauges tend to canoe a little), and it left a beautiful white ash (personal fav of mine) that held together very well, so you are able to keep an impressive ash going. 

On the initial draw, milk chocolate, truly. with a slight wood undertone, and a very, very subsumed spice lingering in the background,  all of which lasted through the entirety of the first third.  With the second third, I noticed the spiciness coming in, as well as a pleasant woodsy undertone, while the chocolaty main flavor stayed consistent. By the last third, an interesting sweet fruitiness joined the main chocolate tone, and the spiciness increased in intensity, all of which carried on through to the very end. Again, one of those smokes that you will smoke till your burn yourself.

Highly suggested, and they are priced very well, considering the quality, and i think those that enjoy Padrons will find these very much up their ally.

 

 

UnderCrown Grand Toro by Drew Estate

 Rumor has it that the Undercrown was made due to shortages in the Liga Privada line. If this is true, I cannot confirm, but it does make a bit of sense, from the slight shortage of the Ligas that i seem to have experienced and the fact that there is definitely some characteristics of the Liga in the Undercrowns.

Construction and aesthetics on these things is gorgeous. a very well constructed and well put together stick that never came apart or gave me issues while smoking, with a very beautiful, dark oily wrapper. Draw was good without being either to easy or too hard, perfect resistance, with a very strong, pretty ash.

Throughout the smoke, there was a very pleasant sweet undertone, with the main notes changing through every third of the cigar, starting meaty and woody and oily in the first third, turning creamy in the second third, and finishing off more meaty and drier than the initial third.

Definitely more of a medium to full bodied smoke, as i would recommend having a decent meal beforehand, otherwise, wooziness might ensue 😉 A fantastic smoke, that is as enjoyable to look at as it is to smoke, this one invades my weekly rotation at least 3 or 4 times. Highly recommended.

91 (A)

Vuelta Abajo Patoro

Now… I don’t usually like to talk about how rare a certain cigar i smoked was or how pretentious and unobtainable a stick is or such… but this is a freaking rare cigar. A friend of mine picked one up for me from the Zino cigar store in England, and as much as i tried looking up info on this stick… not much came up. Nothing besides one or two reviews, and some info on the official site.

It was a very unique experience, I must say. I can’t say I’ve had a cigar like it before. The construction was pretty good, though I did notice the leaf was coming off a bit near the cap,but it never fell apart. Draw was really light, considering the gauge, which i did not like, because it made it burn just a little too hot and i just plain don’t like a draw that light. Having said that though… it was an interesting and mostly pleasant smoke… mostly a citrus and black pepper note throughout, which i thought was rather unique. There was about an inch in the middle of the cigar that tasted like ash… but otherwise, rather enjoyable.

It tasted like a light medium, but when it came time to get up afterwards, I felt like I had smoked a full bodied stogie… and was promptly hit by a truck right after.

I’m having a really hard time defining this stick… I did definitely enjoy it, but it is slightly too weird to smoke often. I would maybe consider it as a yearly smoke, but that is just my personal opinion on it. If you find it, I would recommend you at least try it once, just to experience something different.

B (88)

Tatuaje 7th Reserva

My oh my, whenever i am looking for a stronger smoke, i do love me some Tatuajes 🙂

A medium to strong smoke, beautifully built and oily and toothy to the touch. Deliciously rich and earthy from the initial burn with a slight sweet undertone that becomes more prominent as you get to the halfway point, with a perfectly balanced spiciness through out. Surprisingly long lasting and packed, with a smooth draw, it took me about an hour and half to finish.

Absolutely awesome.

92 (A)

Romeo Y Julieta Churchill

This is a good example of a generally overhyped cigar (a Cuban of all things) which actually makes me regret the money i spent on it. I’ve smoked probably about 8 or 9 of various RyJ cigars, and they are consistent, if nothing else. As in consistently bad in the same way.

A very dry, ashy flavor, with a persistent note of burning cardboard. Lacks any character, no spice, no creaminess, nuts, or anything. To me, it is like smoking a very big expensive cigarette. Aesthetically, it is average looking, but well constructed, nothing of note though, with an unpleasant, burnt looking and brittle ash. I have tried my best to like the cigar, but to no avail.

Will not buy again. 60% (D)

Nat Sherman Timeless Collection Hermoso

Meaty, meaty, MEATY!

If I had one word to describe this stick, it would be the word above. Probably what most would call leathery. I likened it to eating a good, satisfying steak. My friend, Mike Marlow from Capitol Cigars in Denver recommended i try it the last time i was visiting, and I am entirely glad i did. Construction is awesome all the way through, solid, with a good draw, decently smokey, with that pleasant oily feel that you will enjoy have follow you the rest of the day. A very, very slight sweet aftertaste that compliments the leathery main notes through out.

Very satisfying. Definitely a smoke I would bring out constantly and recommend to others.

91 (A)