Brand: Oliva Serie V Maduro Especial
Vitola: Torpedo
Ring Gauge: 52
Length: 6.50
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Origin: Nicaragua
Price: $8.00

Brand:
On October 15th a new cigar from the Oliva Family of Cigars is slated to begin shipping from Miami Florida to cigar shops around the country. This cigar is a follow-up to the highly acclaimed Oliva Serie V Liga Especial, which has been a hit in the cigar market since its release a little more than a year ago.

The Serie V Maduro is available in one size, and one size only, a torpedo which is slightly different than the Liga Especial Torpedo. The V Maduro will have a ring gauge of 52 and a length of 6.50” as opposed to its counterpart which is 54 x 6.00. According to Cigar Insider, the reasoning for the reduced ring gauge was to dial back the power of the cigar. In early stages the added size made the blend “over the top” and by backing off the filler, the preferred proportion of power and smoothness was achieved.

Pre-Light:

After eagerly removing my Servie V Maduro from its cellophane sleeve, I began to give it a good looking over. The color of the wrapper is consistent from head to foot while exhibiting a slight dry appearance. In the middle of the cigar, there was one medium sized vein which added a slight lumpy feel to the leaf. When pinched, the cigar was firmly and consistently packed.

Once my initial inspection was complete, I moved to opening the head of my cigar. The cold draw produced a pleasant earthy flavor while providing an excellent draw with just the right amount of resistance for my taste. The aroma on the wrapper and exposed foot provided the same earthiness of the cold draw, however, was much milder.

First Third:

Once I was satisfied with my pre-light inspection, I moved to the lighting process. Just as I would have expected, the cigar lit without a hitch and began burning evenly from the start. The first puff of smoke was thick and flavorful, I quickly moved to blowing it from my sinus and was taken about by the result. The spice was intense, a larger puff certainly would have made my eyes water.

Just as you might have expected, the Serie V Maduro comes out of the gate in the Full bodied range. While being loaded with power, the smoke was easy on the palate and left me with a crisp and enjoyable sensation. After the initial wave of spice fades, the finish is creamy.

The flavor which stands out most to me is wood, although it is not what I would generally call cedar. It has a different character to it which makes it a little more difficult to place. As the wood flavor begins to fade, a rich black coffee flavor takes it place for a moment before dissipating.

The burn line is slightly wavy while producing a light colored and firm ash. The burn seems to be on par for a cigar of its size while having an excellent draw. Each puff provides an ample amount of smoke which feels dense and is easily passed through the sinus.

Second Third:

After an hour of smoking, I found myself into the second third of my cigar. The body becomes a little more full along the way, all the while, providing a smooth and creamy finish. When the smoke is passed through the sinus, there is still a blast of pepper which I find to be very enjoyable.

The flavors have developed considerable and hit the palate from all directions with lots of complexity. The primary flavor of wood remains while the black coffee flavor is subsiding. Replacing the coffee are tones of leather, black pepper, and what I would consider to be a traditional Connecticut broadleaf flavor. Just as one flavor begins to disappear, another slowly drifts into focus

The burn line was slightly wavy, as it was in the first third, but it is far from being what I would consider problematic. The burn rate continues to be right on par with its size while producing loads of thick and flavorful smoke with each and every puff. The spent wrapper produces a beautiful ash which is light in color with small white speckles from oils within the leaf.

Final Third:

After roughly an hour and a half, it was time to remove the band and get down to the final third of my Oliva Serie V Maduro. The body slowly progressed a little deeper into the full spectrum. After expelling the smoke, I was left with an enjoyable creamy texture which coated the walls of my mouth and tongue.

The flavors continued to develop and become more complex as the stick turned to ash. It seemed as though every puff provided more and more refinement which makes this cigar a pleasure to smoke. The dominant flavor remains that of wood, while the background flavors are a medley of sweet spice, black pepper, coffee, and bitter chocolate. When the smoke is passed through the sinus I still get a nice blast of spice.

Just as in the previous thirds, the burn line was slightly wavy and produced a firm, light colored ash. Once the ash develops to about an inch in length, a firm tap knocks it from the cigar in one solid chunk. The exposed foot has a slight cone shape to it which leads me to believe that all parts of the cigar are burning just as intended.

Final Thoughts:
Overall I am very impressed with the Maduro Especial. It was not what I expected, but in a good way. Having smoked a number of Liga Especial cigars, I had the thought in my head that this cigar would be very similar in body and flavor with a bit of a Maduro twist. This cigar was anything but that, it had wonderful flavor that was all its own.

If I had to make a comparison among existing Oliva cigars and this one, I would have to say that it has the body, power, and spice that I have come to love in the El Cobre, while having the richness, complexity, and refinement of the original Serie V. Personally I think that Oliva has hit a home run with this cigar and has produced exactly what people were crying out for when they asked for a Serie V Maduro.

The added price puts this cigar just outside of my general comfort zone, but I think it is certainly worth the extra dollar and a half. With the production being limited, I think that if you are interested in trying this smoke, you shouldn’t hesitate to make the purchase if you come across one in your local shop.

MP3 Version: Right Click > Save As

Filed under: MP3, Stogie Reviews, Videos | 8 Comments »

Cigar: Camacho Coyolar Titan
Vitola: 6×60
Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran
Price: Box is about $135 off CI. Got mine for significantly less on Cbid.

Setting: Sitting outside for this one. About 4:30pm 80 degrees out or so and a light cool breeze. Pairing with a Snapple Peach Tea.

Pre-light:
The cigar comes in cello and a nice simple black and gold band. The wrapper is medium brown, slightly mottled and fairly veiny. It is firm with a slight soft spot near the head but nothing to be concerned about. The cigar cut easily using the Cranial Screw Top method with the Palio. Typical free draw that already puts a tingle on the tongue. Smelling the foot is really sweet tobacco that belies what’s about to come.

First third:
The cigar lit up easily. This one strangely didn’t start with the pepper blast I get from the perfectos. Maybe the length and girth of the cigar mellowed the initial blast. This cigar has also been in the humi for about ten months which may have mellowed it a bit. The ash is solid and white with some wave to the burn, but I’m gonna let it go to see if it becomes a problem. Ash dropped at a little over an inch in one big chunk. Body is in the medium range right now. The flavor is heavily of leather with a mild spice and some sweetness. Really different from the perfectos I’ve been having lately.

Second third:
Ok, now the spice is starting to pick up as is the body. The leather continues to dominate and the pepper is definitely there, but not the pepper bomb the smaller one is. As I neared the end of the first third the body really started picking up as well as the amount of smoke. The finish is really smooth with the lingering spice, but not thick or heavy feeling. The burn line has evened out and not required any touchups. The ash just seems to want to chunk off an inch at a time. About halfway through the stick a woody/earthy flavor starts coming into the background. There is also a faint bitterness but the good kind, definitely not unpleasant, just feel it at the side of the tongue. The funny thing is that though the leather dominates the flavor is constantly changing in the background making it an interesting and enjoyable cigar to smoke so far. The burn rate actually seems to be fast for such a large cigar. Usually a cigar this size it would take me over an hour to reach the halfway point and I’m here in about fortyfive minutes or so. The cigar seems to be pretty firmly packed so I’m a bit puzzled, but maybe the free draw has something to do with it?

Final third:
Ah, here’s the pepper bomb I was expecting. Odd, cause the prefecto starts out as a pepper bomb and smooths out where this seems to be doing the opposite. Body is in on the medium side of full, definitely not the super full that Camacho claims it is, though I am starting to feel the nic a tad. But this is my second cigar of the afternoon after a small lunch. The smoke in the second half has become really rich and creamy, though the finish is still not very thick or lingering.

Final Thoughts: Well, this is my first one since I bought the box ten months ago, I usually smoke the small perfectos, and this definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. Overall I really enjoyed the cigar. The flavors were great and always interesting. The pepper/spice wasn’t overpowering and I got a nice nic buzz. I think I’m gonna have to move the box from the back of the humidor. I was surprised at how quickly this smoked. An hour and a half total smoke time. I usually get another hour out of the Triple Maduro of the same size. But really a great smoke.

Smoke again: Yep
Buy again: Yep, when these run out, but not for msrp. But for a box under a hundred off cbid I sure will. Maybe a smaller size though.
Recommend: Yep

Filed under: Guest Reviews, Stogie Reviews | 4 Comments »

This cigar up for review this week is one I heard rumors about for weeks. As I made my rounds at the local shops, it seemed I was a few steps behind a new cigar rep that was introducing a cigar to the Atlanta market. The interesting thing is when I asked about it, people had trouble recalling the name of the cigar. When I finally caught up with this new rep at a recent cigar event, I realized that knew him already. It was Allan, a guy I know from a shop out in one of the northern Atlanta suburbs. Recently he made the decision to leave his job with the shop to take on the thrill of the road.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have very much time to catch up and talk about the cigar. He was heading out as I was arriving, but he did take the time to hand me a couple to sample and give me a quick rundown of the brand. The significance of the numbers on the Fuentes Crucet cigars is that they are the birth years of the owner’s children. (In this case, 1987.) And with that you know everything I do, so let’s light it up!

Cigar Stats:
Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Smoking Time: 1 1/2 hours
Beverage: Water
Price: ~$2.60

The Pre-Smoke
The Habanero 87 is a pretty nice looking cigar. With its large, embossed gold lettering, there’s no chance you’ll miss the name of this cigar. However, you won’t see the name of the manufacturer, Fuente Crucet anywhere on the band. (Which is probably why people had trouble telling me who makes it.) The back of the band has an interesting design, resembling a stack of papers which might be passport documents, birth certificates or other government documentation.

The cigar itself was a very smooth, darker natural colored stick with just a few veins in it. It’s pretty firm to the touch, but a little dry looking visually. There was just the slightest bit of shine to the wrapper, which may have to do with the cigar’s time on the road. The cigars smoked for this review did spend a few weeks in my humidor, but may have benefited from a bit more time.

After noting the very sweet, earthy honey scent on the wrapper, I pulled out my newest toy, the Xikar cigar knife. Using what Ratters on our fan forum calls “The Cranial Screw Method”, I popped the cap off of the cigar to test the cold taste. I fully expect to be called crazy, but the cold taste was a little bit like peanut butter and honey.

The Burn
These cigars burned pretty well. The ash was solid (albeit slightly flaky) and a nice bright white. The draw was also fine. The burn line did get a bit jagged from time to time, but that was generally an indicator that the cigar was about to go out. (And it did a couple of times.) Otherwise the burn line was pretty straight.

The one noteworthy thing about the burn was the room aroma. My wife loves to tell me that my cigars stink, but this time, I have to agree with her. Usually it’s difficult to detect the room aroma of a cigar you’re smoking, but I did notice there was a little bit of a burnt plastic smell toward the end of one cigar.

The Flavor
The most surprising thing about the flavor is the disparity between it and the scent and cold taste of the unlit cigar. Though the cigar smelled incredibly sweet, there was almost no significant sweetness in this smoke.

The cigar started off dry and earthy and remained so until the finish. In fact, this probably has to be the earthiest cigar I’ve had in a log time. While there were fluctuations in the flavor as the cigar burned, the flavor profile didn’t change very much between thirds. Along with the earthiness I did notice a mushroom flavor that was more prominent in the first third than following thirds, and some very distinct cinnamon that was more concentrated in the second third. In addition, I also noticed some dark chocolate and a little bit of coffee here and there.

The Price
You won’t find me complaining about the price of a cigar that costs less than three bucks!

The Verdict
It’s hard to find any major flaws with this cigar, it’s inexpensive, it burns well, and it has an interesting (dare I say unique?) flavor profile. Which is why I hate to say I didn’t care for it, but I really didn’t. The flavor profile just isn’t for me. However, I do appreciate it as a solid cigar, that will appeal to people who prefer an earthier flavors. If you happen to be in that camp, you really need to check this cigar out. Not sure if you are? You can find out pretty easily for about three bucks!

As for me, I’ll probably pick one up once they hit the shops in my area, to see if there are any differences in a more optimally stored cigar. Otherwise, I’m going to have to pass.

Liked It: It was OK, but not my cup of tea.
Buy It Again: I’ll pick up a better humidified one from a shop for comparison.
Recommend It: If you like earthy flavor profiles, you gotta try this.

Tower of Burn
Here for your viewing pleasure is my trademark Tower of Burn.

Filed under: Stogie Reviews | 4 Comments »

Over the weekend I shared with you a ten step process to saving you time and money while buying cigars. The objective today is to help you save a little more cash while the holidays are fast approaching. Last weeks tips were good if the items you are looking for are on sale, but what do you do if that box of Oliva Serie G’s hasn’t hit any of the deal sites in months?

The first thing you are going to want to do is get a general idea of what that box is going to cost you at full price. This isn’t too hard to do if you jump around to a few retailers and check out the pricing. But there is a faster way, after all, time is money.

Save time comparing prices:
Rather than hop from site to site trying to find which e-store has the lowest price, why not hit up a one stop shop? If you are familiar with the brick of a pocket sized book entitled, “Perelman’s Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigar”s, you may already know about Rich Perelman’s extensive website.

On CigarCyclopedia.com you can find a comparison shopper that features regularly updated pricing on a large number of cigars. The prices displayed cover ten popular internet retailers and is very easy to follow. If a price has increased or decreased since the last update, that price will be color coded to inform you of the recent change.

Save money at auction:
Not too long ago I shared a few common sense tips for becoming a cigar auction rock star. Armed with those tips, hit up some of the popular auction sites like Cigar Bid and Cigar Auctioneer to try and find yourself a bargain. Remember to be patient and learn to walk away if the price isn’t right.

Auction sites aren’t your style? Check out a new feature from Cigars International entitled “Make me an offer”. The feature operates just as it sounds. CI gives you the opportunity to offer them a price for select merchandise, if you make a reasonable offer the item is yours. Offer too little, too many times, and you are locked out of purchasing that item for a 24 hour period.

Buy in bulk:
If you know that you are going to be purchasing a couple of items from the same place, wait until you can order them all at once. If an item is advertised as “Free Shipping” your entire order will receive free shipping. Often times ordering over a certain dollar value will entitle your order to free shipping. While you may only save a couple of bucks going this route, it adds up over time.

Filed under: Stogie Talk | 6 Comments »

I’m baaaaaack! Miss me? Seems like forever I know. I’m back with a review of Puros Indios Viejo newly known as the Reyes Family Vintage.

Cigar Nutrition
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 45
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Ecuador
Filler: Brazil, Dominican, Nicarguan
Price: $50 (15)

I’m not too experienced with the offerings of Puros Indios/Reyes Family. In fact the only other cigar that I can remember reviewing is the Green Label from the CI Legends Series and if you remember, I thought it was pretty bland. So how does the Puros Indios Viejo stack up? Check out the video, 13:48 and leave some comment love on what you think of the Viejo/Vintage:

My Take
Liked It: A WOW Cigar
Buy It Again: Yes
Recommend It: Most Definitely

More Media
Audio (Right Click to Save As): mp3 (Audio)
Windows (Right Click to Save As): wmv (Win)
Mac OS (Right Click to Save As): m4v (Mac)

Filed under: Available on iTunes, Downloadable, MP3, Stogie Reviews, Videos | 10 Comments »

Well its that time again, are you about ready for another installment of Your Questions, My Answers (YQMA)? Unfortunately, Jerry was unable to join Brian and I this week so we had to do our best without him. I’m told that the next record date is free and clear with Jerry so we should be back to normal in a couple of weeks.

In Episode 38, Brian and I discussed five questions and covered a few discussion topics. The highlight of the show probably came during Brian’s rant on cigar shop owners knowingly selling a product that could potentially destroy an enthusiasts collection.

Take a look at the full questions below and view each segment at your leisure.

Question 1 from of Omnihouse via the Fan Forum:
I notice that many, not all, but many, of the smokes I light up put off two different colors of smoke. The resting smoke coming off the foot is a cool blue, but the smoke I pull through the head is a colorless gray. Does anyone know the reason for this? It’s not a problem, just something I always wondered about.

For more information, check out A Moment of Science

Question 2 from Branfrog via Fan Forums
In the case of wine there are definite good years and not-so-good years, which are dependant on many factors: weather, crop health, fermentation etc. As cigars share many of these production factors, I would assume the flavors/body of the cigar might vary slightly between releases.

Thanks in advance!
-Branfrog!

Question 3 from Ratters via Fan Forum
How do you guys cut your cigars? I was at a shop where they do the cutting and the lopped off a hunk almost all the cap and was a bit shocked. I pretty much just put the end of the cap in the Palio, close it on the cap and spin and then peel off the cap without cutting into the filler. Except for torpedo/pyramid/belicosos where you have to cut the end off.

MP3 Version: Right Click > Save As

Question 4 from Joe via Contact Form
hey guys….
a quick newbe question. my humidor seems to do a good job at staying in
the 70% to 77% humidity range.a box of cigars will last me a month or two.

thank you

Question 5 from Alex via Contact Form
Hi Guys,

Keep up the good job.
Thanks,
Alex

MP3 Version: Right Click > Save As

Discussion Topics Include:

• Thoughts on Re-Packaging and Re-Blending
• What is your cigar tri-fecta?
• Cigar shops selling beetle damaged product

MP3 Version: Right Click > Save As

If you would like to have your question featured on the show, send it on in! We can be reached through the Stogie Review Fan Forums, our Contact Form, Skype, or Voicemail.

To leave a voicemail message, contact wwhite72082 via skype or call (610) 572-2636

Filed under: Your Questions, My Answers | 2 Comments »

If you are anything like me, a person with a passion for cigars while living on a budget, you would probably be interested in a way to save time and money while buying cigars. I came across a sure fire way to do both, all it takes is a little effort up front.

About a year ago I was one of the guys that hit up all of the deal sites every day, hunting for a bargain on some exceptional cigars. Over time this became part of my day to day ritual and began to take up lots of time in my schedule. With the creation of Cigar Monster and Joe Cigar, it quickly became too tedious for me and I eventually stopped looking for these deals.

My first step to cutting down on the time I spent at these sites was to subscribe to their RSS Feeds. This was great in the beginning but I quickly had a Feed Reader full of new posts that I really had no interest in. With all of the junk cigars that get pushed out routinely from these deal sites, I wound up with dozens of new posts every day that I had to weed through looking for a good deal. I eventually got tired of working with the feeds and gave up completely.

With the creation of a service called Pipes from Yahoo, I no longer have to bounce all over the web or delete excessive feeds trying to hunt down the next bargain. All I have to do is sit back and wait for them to come to me, filtered to my preference.

Step 1: Sign Up for Yahoo

• The very first thing that you need to do is register at Yahoo. If you already have an account, you are in good shape.

Step 2: Open up Yahoo Pipes

• Goto http://Pipes.Yahoo.com and click on “Create a Pipe”. This will bring you to a screen with a lot of complicated looking stuff on it. Don’t worry, the first time I did this was during this tutorial, its that easy.

Step 3: Create Modules:

• On the left side of the screen you are going to see a listing of categories.
• Click on “Sources” to expand the column.
• Click and drag “Fetch Feed” into the work area in the middle of the screen.

Step 4: Gather Feeds

• The next thing you want to do is open a new browser window and head to your favorite cigar retailer. For example lets goto www.Famous-Smoke.com.
• At the bottom of the page you will see a listing of icons. These are all RSS Feed indicators and allow you to subscribe in different ways. Click on the one that says “XML”.
• When the page loads, copy the URL (text in address bar) to your clip board.
• Open a simple word processor, such as Notepad, and paste the address inside.
• Head back to your web browser and goto the next site of your choosing and grab the RSS Feed in the same way.
• One thing to note is that the RSS Feed will not always be indicated by the words “XML” and may look like this one

Step 5: Insert Feeds

• Go back to your browser widow with Yahoo Pipes inside. In the text box within the module you added, copy and paste the RSS Feed location from notepad.
• To add more, click the plus sign on the module and repeat as needed.

Step 6: Filter your Feeds

• This step is the time saver. We can filter all of the feeds by keywords and allow only certain ones to pass. Or we can allow all but certain ones to filter through. The decision there is up to you.
• Back on the left side of the screen, click on “Operators” to expand the column.
• Like before, click and drag the one that says “Filter” into the work area.
• I set my filters to “Permit” “any”.
• Next I selected “item.description” in the rules area.
• Next I selected “Contains” and entered a manufacturer I wanted deals for. In this case it was Oliva
• Click the plus sign to create a new rule and repeat as needed.

Step 7: Connect the Pipes

• On the bottom side of the “Fetch Feeds” window that you created, you will see a small dot. Click the dot and drag it to the dot on the top of the “Filter” window that your created. A line will form and you will be able to see the connection.
• Next click the dot on the bottom of your “Filter” window and drag it down to “Pipe Output”

Step 8: Run Pipe

• Above the work area, on the right side, you will see an option to save your work. Do so, then click on “Run Pipe” located above the work area in the center of the screen.
• A new window will appear with your filtered feeds inside.

Step 9: Select Delivery Method

• From here all you have to do is select a delivery method. I selected More Options > Get RSS and pasted the Feed URL into my feed reader.

Step 10: Enjoy the Peace of Mind and Savings

• Sit back and wait for your deals to roll in, your all done!

My feeds of choice:

• Cigar Monster
• Joe Cigar
• JR Cigars
• Todays Cigar
• Famous Smoke Shop
• Cigars International

Manufacturers I filtered by:

• Oliva
• Pepin
• Padilla
• Camacho
• Perdomo Habano

My results via custom RSS Feed:
Walt’s Custom RSS Feed

Remember, if you change your mind about a manufacturer or want to expand the list, simply go back to Yahoo Pipes and modify your filters.

Filed under: Stogie News, Stogie Reviews | 11 Comments »

Brand: Los Blancos Premier Criollo
Vitola: Corona
Ring Gauge: 44
Length: 5.50
Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Nicaragua
Origin: Nicaragua
Price: Roughly $5.00

Brand:
The Los Blancos Cigar Company was established in 1998, but has a family lineage that goes back 80 years to the Pinar del Rio region of Cuba. The distribution center and corporate office is located in the city of Chicago. One of the strong parts of Los Blancos Cigars is their family operation. Each person within the family plays a very important role in the day to day operations of the company.

The cigars are crafted in Esteli, Nicaragua, in Nestor Plasencia’s Segovia Factory. The selection of this particular factory has everything to do with its tradition and values. For years it has been referred to as “The Cathedral” for its large stained glass windows and exposed wood beams.

The Premier line of Los Blancos Cigars is made up of four varieties, which include a Connecticut, Criollo, Maduro, and Sumatra. Each wrapper is available in several sizes and come packaged in boxes of twenty-four. The sizes within the Criollo line include a Churchill Tubo (46 x 7.00), Double Corona (52 x 7.00), Torpedo (52 x 6.50), Toro (52 x 6.00), Corona (44 x 5.50), Robusto (50 x 5.00), and a Sesenta (60 x 6.00).

Pre-Light:

In my traditional fashion, at the last minute I went rummaging through my cooler looking for one of the many cigars I have on my schedule to review. The first Los Blancos cigar I came across was the Premier Criollo Corona.

After getting the cellophane off of the cigar and snapping a couple of pictures, I started to give it a good looking over. One of the first things that I noticed was the color of the wrapper. The cigar had a worn leather color which was consistent from head to foot. There were several veins throughout, all of which were small and went unnoticed while checking for texture.

Giving my cigar a gentle pinch, I found the stick to be firmly and consistently packed with tobacco. I was unable to find any soft spots throughout. The aroma on both the wrapper and exposed foot were very mild and almost bland. The same lack of flavor was presented on the cold draw.

First Third:

Once I was finished up with my pre-light inspection, I moved to getting my Los Blancos Premier Criollo burning. The lighting process was quick and easy which resulted in a even burn. The draw had little resistance and produced plenty of smoke with each puff.

Throughout the early stages of the cigar, the body was in the medium range. The smoke did a nice job of coating the palate without being too much. After expelling the smoke from my mouth and sinus, the finish faded quickly and left me with a crisp sensation.

The flavor was a little slow to start but once given a little time to warm up, the cigar began presenting a rich and enjoyable flavor. My first thought was that this taste was due to the Criollo wrapper, as it reminded me of a Corojo Tobacco flavor. After this sort of distinct Corojo like flavor began to pass, I picked up a slight soapy flavor. This flavor wasn’t enjoyable but only lasted a moment before fading.

As the cigar turned to ash, I was a little concerned with the burning characteristics. The burn line, or mascara, was fairly wide and showed some minor blistering. The ash was fairly light in color as well as compact, but was very weak. After a little more than a half inch developed on the foot of the cigar, the ash would drop without warning. The draw had slight resistance and provided me with plenty of dense smoke to enjoy while the burn rate was about average for this size stick.

Second Third:

As I rounded the one hour mark, I was just about through the second third of my cigar. The body picked up a little over the first third and compliments the finish and flavor nicely. In regards to the finish, I am still getting a very nice crisp feeling on the palate after each puff. As the cigar grows shorter, the finish is moving towards becoming nice and creamy.

The soapy aftertaste from the first third is just about gone at this point and the Corojo like flavor is becoming richer and smoother by the puff. As a secondary flavor, I am getting some nice woody tones. I can’t pick out what type of wood I am getting but it is certainly not a cedar flavor.

The burning characteristics of the cigar were getting better as I smoked along. The minor blistering I was getting along the burn line is just about gone, while the burn line itself was thinning out. For the most part the burn was even and the burn rate remained about average for this sized cigar. The draw continued to be a little loose but provided lots of cool smoke.

Final Third:

An hour and a half after lighting my Los Blancos Premier Criollo, I reached the final stages of my cigar. The body has been more or less the same throughout the smoke, if anything it has progressed slightly. The finish has become rich and creamy as the cigar nears its end.

The prominent Corojo flavor of the previous third has continued to grow in complexity with each puff while the background wood flavor is now transitioning to a defined cedar taste. The soapy flavor from the first third has faded and is being replaced by a slight grassy taste. This new flavor isn’t very enjoyable, but it isn’t hindering the smoke much either. It comes off as a little something that doesn’t belong.

The burn line has thinned out considerably and is now what I would call thin and even. The burn rate is about average and doesn’t make me feel like I’m smoking too fast or taking too long to finish the cigar. The draw is a little loose but provides puff after puff of cool, dense, flavorful smoke.

Final Thoughts:
After smoking a total of three Los Blancos Premier Criollo cigars, I can easily say that so far this is my favorite of the Los Blancos line. The flavor profile suited my preference well with its rich Corojo like flavor that became more complex and the cigar turned to ash.

I could certainly do without the Soapy and Grassy flavors of the first and final thirds, but the richness of the smoke made up for it. They simply came off as something that didn’t belong. With a price point of around $5.00 per stick, I think that this is a decent value and will certainly pick them up on occasion for further enjoyment.

MP3 Version: Right Click > Save As

Filed under: MP3, Stogie Reviews, Videos | 6 Comments »

One contest ends and another begins. For the month of October we have a contest that is a little different than usual, but before we talk about that, lets check out the prize.

The prize for the month of October is a Colibri Reload lighter.
image courtesy of Lighters Direct

If you aren’t familiar with these, Colibri has recently released a lighter which contains a disposable fuel tank. While speaking with my local Colobri Representative, I’m told the main reason for this is to prevent problems with air in the tanks. It seems that one of the most common problems with Colibri lighters being returned for service is an air pocket trapped within the tank. To eliminate this, Colibri has designed a lighter that uses a non-refillable butane cartridge.

The generous provider of this months contest prize is Lighters Direct. Not only were they nice enough to provide us with a $50.00 lighter to give away to a luck Stogie Review reader, but we have also been provided with a discount code to offer as well.

To save 5% off of your order at Lighters Direct, simply use coupon code stogiereview5 during checkout.

Entry this time around is going to be a little more fun. All you have to do is comment on this article telling us “I would like to win a lighter courtesy of Lighters Direct”. If that isn’t your style, just tell us you would like to win a lighter and mention Lighters Direct in the comment field.

In addition, you can also include a referral. Simply tell us who told you about Stogie Review. As a reward for turning you onto the site, we will enter them to win a brown bag sampler containing 5 random cigars courtesy of Matt and his spring cleaning.

Each referral will get their name thrown into a hat as many times as they are mentioned by those entering the contest. So for example, If you were to post this contest on your blog and 10 people enter as a result of it (they must mention your name in the entry) you have 10 chances to win the brown bag sampler.

So your entry may look something like this:

I want to win the Colibri lighter courtesy of Lighters Direct.

Thanks to Jerry on the Stogie Review Fan Forums for referring me to Stogie Review.

To be eligible to win you must be at least 18 years old and reside in the Continental United States. One entry per person for the Colibri Lighter. Please feel free to get as many referral entries as you like for the cigar sampler. Contest end October 31, 2008

Filed under: Site News | 63 Comments »

Back once again we have our good friends Tom and Ed reviewing another cigar for your viewing pleasure. This time Tom and Ed tackle the new Macanudo 1968.

After checking out the video, take a look at what Brian had to say about the Macanudo 1968.

MP3 Version: Right Click > Save As

Filed under: Guest Reviews, MP3, Stogie Reviews, Videos | 10 Comments »