With a break in travel I thought I’d get up to speed on another edition of Week in Smoke. Had a wonderful family reunion in Las Vegas…sprinkled in a little bit of work but got to do a lot of exciting things with Gracie. If you’re looking to do family things in Las Vegas I highly recommend the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, the Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage and if you have a rental car, the Springs Reserve (about 15 minutes from the strip) was really cool.

El Rey Del Mundo Habana – Its been awhile since I’ve smoked any Cubans. Nothing against them but there is so much variety in non Cubans that I find myself being challenged more by that variety. Wonderful aroma with a nice cedar core, a classic cigar.

Leon Jimenes Don Fernando No. 4 – A regular here in the Week in Smoke series. I’ve said it time and time again; flawless construction, beautiful looking and tasty wrapper. A mello cocoa and earthy flavors accompany a subtle tang to make for a very very memorable cigar made for a legendary man. “Hechos Especialmente Para Don Fernando Leon”

Guillerm Leon – Another staple in my humidor and a cigar that I really didn’t care for when it was first released. But every time I smoke a Guillermo Leon Signature I find myself enjoying them more and more. Great cigar by a great man in the cigar industry.

Tatuaje Federal Cigar 90th – Thanks to our friend JerseyJay for gifting me this when we met up during a recent trip to NYC. Informally called the Tatuaje 109, this cigar celebrates the 90th Anniversary of Federal Cigar. The Tatuaje 109 were produced with two different wrappers with the same base verocu blend, one with a Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, and the other with a Rosado leaf wrapper. I believe this was the Rosado. The Tatuaje 109 was smooth throughout with milk chocolate, a little spice, and a hint of natural tobacco sweetness. Lots of smoke created lots of flavor for this treat of a cigar.

Panacea Red 760 – Affectionally nicknamed “The Peacemaker” this was surprisingly my first cigar from Panacea. We’ve reviewed a few of their cigars on the site over the years but for whatever reason, I hadn’t gotten around to trying any. This was gifted to me by Heather Haddad when I visited her shop, Fumee Cigars in Austin TX when I went down for the Texas Cigar Festival. Heather told me how this cigar was one of her best sellers. I’ll admit that 7×60 isn’t usually my cup of tea and fatigue did set it after awhile. Early on had some great natural tobacco and semi-sweet chocolate flavor despite it being a bit airy due to its size. I could definitely see the flavors popping more in a smaller size.

La Aurora 107 Short Robusto (W.Curtis Draper 124th Anniversary) – A special cigar, made by a special manufacturer for a special cigar shop. W.Curtis Draper is my home shop and recently they celebrated their 124th Anniversary. In celebration, La Aurora made a special version of the La Aurora 107. What is so special about this version of the 107? First its a special size you won’t find in the regular line of the 107. This is the short robusto. I’ve also heard it called the sumo robusto. But the specialness doesn’t end there. This is the La Aurora 107 blend with the wrapper from the Guillermo Leon. I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical thinking I was going to get two distinct flavor profiles that didn’t meld well but to my surprise, they did and it was a unique experience. Nice amount of spice and rich woodsy notes.

5 Vegas Limitada 2008 – I did a little humidor diving this week and the 5 Vegas Limitada 2008 surfaced. Not sure how much age has played a part in this cigar. I remember the 5 Vegas Limitada line being pretty popular back in the day. Not even sure if they still do an annual release or not. Nothing too exciting. Mostly a dry woodsy flavor with a sprinkling of coffee notes. Like I said, nothing exciting to set itself a part from the pack.

La Aurora 1495 Short Robusto – Sometimes I can never remember how I acquire cigars. I have a bunch of these in my humidor that someone gifted to me saying they weren’t available in the US market. During the blogger trip to the DR and the La Aurora packaging room, I saw a sleuth of these. Jose Blanco confirmed that this size wasn’t available in the US Market. Of course I didn’t follow up with any questions about if there is a difference outside of the obvious unique size. Same size as the earlier mention 107 Short Robusto. Interesting size that I always think I’m not going to like but the pop in flavor always surprised me. I enjoyed this beauty while at the Rhum Bar celebrating Justin’s birthday with him. Great times…minus the jackass I almost had to put the beat down on.

Montecristio #2 (Habana) – More contraband! Thanks to Tony for gifting me this when he, Justin and I met up as Casa Fuente in Las Vegas. Wonderful aroma with a great balance of creaminess and cedar notes with a touch of spiciness. Historically I’m not big on Cuban Montecristo but Tony told me this had been aging since around 2006 and that probably had something to do with my enjoyment of it. The aroma really blew me away. In my mind I still day dream about it (thats what she said).

Padron 40 Years Maduro – There is no place like home. Its been a crazy busy last couple of weeks filled with travel. Its great to be home and what better way to celebrate being home than a offering from the ever consistent Padron family. This one was labeled “September 2008” and since I don’t label my cigars this means this was gifted to me. I believe it was gifted to me in the slew of cigars I received when my petite corona was born. Flawless construction, wonderful bouquet of aromas and rich earthy and mellow cocoa flavor profile was a delight to sit back and relax.