Archive for the ‘Nicaraguan Cigars’ Category
Graycliff Turbo Edicion Limitada Review
14
May
I had the privilage of smoking this Graycliff Turbo Limitada provided by Stogie Boys on a nice Spring night in my backyard. The temperature was perfect with no mosquitoes; which is what I love.
This cigar was firm to the touch with small veins (except for one big one in the middle) and a very beautiful oily/smooth Habano (Corojo shade) wrapper. On the Stogie Boys website it also says these cigars have Nicaragua and Honduras long-fillers.
My drink was the wonderful Makers Mark 64 bourbon on ice.
The prelight smell reminded me of a flower shop. This is because I couldn’t pin-point the floral note I was smelling, I think I was simply smelling more than one flower (what do I know about flowers?). I also smelled naturally sweet tobacco in the background.
When I drawled from the freshly cut cap before the light, I was tasting buttery tobacco and floral notes. This was very intriguing and very similar to the smell of the Turbo.
After I lit the Graycliff Turbo Edicion, the first third contained toasty tobacco, some buttery flavor, and head spice. What I mean by “head spice” was that the flavors of spice were tingling the tongue and spicy on the nose. Nothing too full-bodied, like other cigars where I am wanting to take it slow, this was probably a medium to full bodied smoke. I also noticed that the floral notes were now in the background, so that was a nice flavor switch.
This Graycliff Turbo also had an excelent draw. For being a firm stick, I was surprised at the very slight resistance it had. This was perfect for me.
With the stick’s firm bunch, the ash was very also very firm and I bet I could probably make it hold two inches or more. Also, it was a very light shade of grey. Throughout the entire experience the ash was very attractive and functional.
During the second third, the stick lightened up in flavor still with plenty of toasty notes. The Turbo basically transitioned into more of an Earth and deep toasty flavor (all of the toast kind of limited the potential of the cigar’s complexity ). Noting less head spice with the finish ending in a distinctive cedar flavor. Who doesn’t love cedar?
Click on thumbnails for full image.
With the last third around the corner, I noticed the Turbo calmed down even more (probably medium-bodied), with more earth flavors and a shorter, cleaner finish of cedar. During this time, I got a window of creamy character too, with a little bit of chewiness. I think I also was tasting a green note on the cedar finish. Lovely!
Overall, I would rate the Graycliff Turbo Edicion Limitada a 9.1 on our 10 point scale. I think it didn’t score it higher because of the toast flavors which often overshadowed the rest of the notes and ultimately hindered the full potential of the cigar.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to add them below.
Also, If you would like to buy these cigars, you can click here. Thank you Stogie Boys, home of the smokin’ hot Stogie Girls!
Honestly, James
Casa Magna Domus Magnus Limitada Review
06
Jan
Last night I had the chance to enjoy a very nice cigar with James while he was still home for Christmas break. We sat out in the garage under the heater with a cup of espresso and Bailey’s Irish Cream; we both enjoyed a choice cigar from our respective humidors. My choice was a Casa Magna’s Domus Magnus and James’ an Alec Bradley Tempus Quadrum.
This box pressed cigar measures 5.75 x 52 and has a pigtail cap. The Domus Magnus line is blended by Manuel Quesada and the Plasencia family constructs it in two sizes. The Magnus 6.5 x 55 and the Optimus 5.75 x 52.
When first looking at this beautiful cigar my impression was, that it was well constructed with the appearance of only small veins. The wrapper was toothy and a deep chocolate brown.
Upon cutting the pre-draw was open and had the flavor of almond and earth.
The cigar at first lighting started out with notes of dry oak and roasted almonds, while I enjoyed the nutty note the dryness did not appeal to me. As the cigar reached abut 15 minutes the flavor this smoke was giving started to change. I noticed the dryness was dissapaiting and giving way to a more toasty, charcoaled meaty note, while the almond notes lingered.
The burn through the first 1/3 – 1/2 of the cigar wavered a bit, it became more razor sharp as the cigar progressed.
When I first admired what I was going to smoke I would have said the construction was close to flawless, but as I smoked this cigar I found the ash was releasing prematurely. The ash was not flaky, it just departed more quickly than I would have suspected, never achieving more than an inch in length. For a 52 ring gauge cigar I expected more.
As I continued to enjoy my Domus Magnus cigar I noticed a huge change in the flavor at about the half-way point. What was once a drier more lackluster cigar was now turning into a powerhouse full of flavor. I started receiving notes of creamy steak, almond, toast and rich tobacco. This profile lasted the remainder of the cigar much to my enjoyment.
Click on pics for close-ups
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- There is the Alec Bradley Tempus Quadrum.
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- Nice label.
To summarize my experience with the Domus Magnus Limitada, I would say in flavor, it was a slow starter but it came out being a true champ! It is a full bodied and flavorful cigar! I would definitely recommend you try to find yourself some. This may be a more difficult task then just heading out to your friendly neighborhood tobacco/cigar store, as only 5000 boxes were made, with each box containing ten cigars.
The thing that impressed me the most about this cigar besides it dramatic change in flavor, was the outstanding puff of smoke you received when smoking this exceptional robusto. In conclusion I would rate the Casa Magna Domus Magnus a 9.0 from our 10 point scale.
Feel free to comment or ask questions. Share this post with a friend.
Honestly, Mike
Oliva Serie G Robusto Natural Review
28
Dec
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was smoking, not even a mouse (that would be weird)…well, until Mike and I whipped out the cigars and coffee with Bailey’s!
Mike’s brother Dave came over for Christmas and of course, he wanted to enjoy a cigar. So Mike gave him a Graycliff Gold label and his first humidor. Since I have had stogies the previous couple of nights, I decided to try something small. I found this Serie G in the bottom of my humidor and realized I received it last Christmas in an Oliva sampler pack. It was a Cameroon wrapper with Nicaraguan tobacco.
The first thing I noticed about this cigar was its unusual size. This was a 4 1/2 x 50 stick that seemed even smaller because of its nice box-pressed shape. After picking it up, I realized it was very light too. I thought, “Maybe it’s just because I’ve been smoking Toros and Churchhills lately?”
The construction was basically flawless (I found a couple of very tiny spots on the wrapper)! I loved the shade of the wrapper and the label. I also loved the way it fit in my hand with a coffee. In my opinion, it reminded me of a Padron just smaller.
The pre-light had a very natural tobacco taste to it, very clean and naturally sweet.
The first light was very smooth, sweet and perfect with the extra Bailey’s in the coffee (can never have too much Bailey’s). I also believe it drawled flawlessly. It was just like sucking on air! Wonderfully done Oliva!
click on pics for close-ups
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- Loved the box pressed shape!
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- flavor from the first taste.
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- Ash of the Week!
The first third was also sweet and earthy. Very fresh and smooth.
About halfway done (23 minutes) and I classified the Serie G as a medium to mild bodied smoke. During this time I also picked up on some nutty flavors. The cigar never fizzed out on me and I had a nice long ash. Since the cigar was a little bit lighter, I figured the filler would produce a thin and flaky ash. Not at all!
Last third was also quite pleasant. Never bitter like other smokes in the last third. In fact, the Serie G was starting to get creamy! Overall, this was a very good cigar. I would love to smoke another with a coffee.
The Serie G had tons of smooth smoke, earthy, nutty, and creamy notes. It would also be good medium-bodied alternative to the full-bodied Serie V. For only four bucks or five bucks…it is a definite buy-and-try!
After aging it for a year, I rated it a 9 on our 10 point scale.
Feel free to comment or ask questions.
Honestly, James
Padron 1926 No.9 Maduro Review
25
Aug
The other night James came home from college and asked if we could do a “cigar night” together. I happily and willingly accepted. I gave James an Esteban Carreras 187 for his enjoyment. This particular night I treated myself, I had a Padron 1926 #9 Maduro (5 1/4 x 56) that I have had for almost six years in my humidor. My Padron cigar smoked perfectly, it had an easy and flawless draw delivering cool smoke. The flavors I received were pretty typical of the Padron anniversary line. It delivered notes of cocoa, nuts and sweet leather. Padron’s 1964 and 1926 lines have always been one of my favorite cigars that are made in today’s cigar industry.
With the six years of aging, it really mellowed the flavors into a soft but flavorful cigar. I would definitely recommend this patient process, that is, if you can wait.
I rate it 9.5
click on pics for close-ups
honestly, Mike
Rocky Patel The Edge Lancero Maduro Review
10
Jul
Yet another beautiful summer night in Michigan. This night, I smoked a Rocky Patel The Edge Lancero Maduro on my deck by myself…Honestly sad, right?
I bought this cigar from my local shop for only four bucks. Its was aging in my humidor for five months and was 7X38 in size.
The wrapper was really dark, slightly sheen, a little toothy, and had small veins. The pack was pretty firm, which was concerning.
The pre-light smell was sweet with the foot smelling like cedar. The draw was nice and open like Rocky’s always are…Come to think of it, I have never had any problems with Rocky Patel cigars in construction.
First draws bring in sweet cedar notes with some tingling bitterness on the end. I was thinking that the bitterness came from the foot just being too hot from the torch. I am not used to lighting skinny cigars that tend to over-heat easily.
About ten minutes in and I noticed that the ash was nicely firm and white. It even had those little white spots on the ash. This is great! It signifies high levels of magnesium along with a good balance of calcium in the soil. This means it was grown in ideal conditions (not necessarily better tastes).
The bitterness leaves as the stick cools down and I was getting what I smelled, sweet, clean cedar notes. Nothing else.
The burn was very nice…and surprisingly, the ash was almost an inch long (only the first time) which I thought was excellent for a 38 ring gauge.
Fifteen minutes into the smoke and I was tasting a very minute amount of espresso and leather on top of the cedar for a long finish.
The Edge was very aromatic with plenty of smoke…always a plus!
A little later I was tasting nuts on the finish but not the draw. At this point, it was pretty much just typical full-bodied maduro flavor, nothing fancy.
A few minutes after the first third and I noticed that the draw was still smooth but the finish was getting spicy, almost harsh with black pepper that started to mask what I liked.
click on pics for close-ups
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- Do you see the white magnesium spots?
Half way through until the end of the Edge I was just getting more pepper and nuts with the sweetness rapidly dissipating until gone. This smoke would be good for any spicy/nut lover.
I believe that the skinnier cigars tend to burn hotter which causes the spice notes to be amplified. To me, this made the cigar uneventful. Also, the size just felt awkward to hold.
If I were to smoke another Edge it would be in a larger size and with some fine company. I am also interested in the Corojo wrapper.
Honestly, I rate this stick a 8.2.
