Another week in the books here at Stogie Review. In case you missed anything, here is a brief run down. I kicked the week off with a review of the La Casita Criolla by Tatuaje. Mike followed on Tuesday with a cigar I’ve never heard of in the 809 Connecticut. The Mouth of the South aka Brian Hewitt blessed us with his lyrical prowess with a review of the Winston Churchill Lancaster. Yesterday we had about 90 minutes of video goodness for you with Episode 202 of Your Question, My Answers and we took some time to Lay Down the Law with Frank Herrera. Walt and Mike are off to Cigarnival this weekend. Thats a yearly event put on by the good folks at Famous Smoke Shop (I bet their numbers are down since they stopped advertising with us). So I’m looking forward to their coverage of the event. Thanks again to our friends at Xikar for sponsoring our coverage this year. Now onto some of the smokes I enjoyed this week.

Savanelli Nicaraguan Reserve 2007 – A couple of these came my way during the Chattanooga Tweetup a few weeks back. To be honest, I didn’t even know Savanelli made cigars. I always thought they were pipe guys. So imagine my surprise when I visited their website and saw all of their offerings for the cigar world. Definitely loads of pepper that I surely thought it was made by My Father Cigars but turns out they are made by Placencia. Nice coffee notes sprinkled throughout as well. Savanelli definitely made a great first impression on me. Will definitely have to track down some of their other lines to try and review.

La Flor Dominicana Colorado Oscuro – I remember these catching my eye at IPCPR so when I saw them at Buckhead Cigar in Atlanta, I definitely had to pick a couple up. Beautiful, enticing oily wrapper that just hypnotizes you into picking it up. Wonderful bouquet of aromas (and thats smoking it outside) with a solid full body assortment of woodsy and chocolate notes. Every now and then I got a citrus type flavor that caught me off guard. Its typically not a flavor that I enjoy but they were few and far between. I can definitely see this on a few Top Cigar lists this year.

Imperiales Maduro – Two weeks in a row that the Imperiales Maduro makes the Week in Smoke. Like I said last episode the Imperiales Maduro is one of the many new releases from La Aurora at this year’s IPCPR and a release that I think will get unjustly overshadowed by the release of the 107 Maduro. This time around the spice was more noticeable and upfront. Still not overwhelming and added a bit more complexity to a traditional maduro flavor profile. I’m still really looking forward to these showing up on store shelves as it has the potential to surprise and shine.

CAO OSA Sol – After the slight “miscommunication” at IPCPR I was fortunate enough to meet up with Ricky Rodriguez and Ed McKenna, the guys who are the new faces behind CAO, while they were traveling through DC. It was great to finally meet them and listen to their plans to make CAO their own. Like I said a few weeks ago, the OSA Sol is definitely a great first step in that direction. I’m not worried about the future of CAO and neither should you. Ricky and Ed have a great vision and exciting things are to come. Now if we can get Ricky to tweet more as @caocigars.

Ratzilla by Drew Estate – A longer Dirty Rat? That could never be a bad thing in my opinion. Same tremendous firecracker of a cigar that lasts longer but has a distinct and unique twist that I can’t really describe. While I was smoking it I was like “this is a dirty rat!”, slowly as I continued to smoke I said “this is a dirty rat?” and by the time I got to the end, I said to myself, “this is better than a dirty rat!”

Quesada Seleccion España – Last week it was the Casa Magna Domus Magnus that impressed me a lot. This week its the Quesada Seleccio España. A solid medium bodied cigar that I had actually never heard of. Thanks to Ted Tetkowski for gifting me this when we ran into each other at W.Curtis Draper (Bethesda) a few weeks ago. A great anytime cigar. Goes especially well with a nice cup of coffee. Rich complexity whose subtle notes of cedar really shine.

Man O’War Ruination – I don’t smoke a lot of Ruinations as I use to. Maybe I’m hoarding them as my endless supply will eventually dwindle away. Full strength with a full bodied flavor profile. A great companion after you had one of those days where nothing in your server room was cooperating and is the only alternative to breaking shit. While its smoking dynamic is anything but mellow, the Ruination has the unique quality to knock you out and forget about the day’s troubles.

Esteban Carrera 10 Años – Another cigar that surprised me this week. Didn’t have high hopes and was a pickup I made while hanging out with Walt, Mike and Paul in Lancaster PA. Glad I picked up more than one. The 10 Años is predominately earthly with a very surprising spicy sweetness to it. Smoke left a nice syrup like texture on the palate. Lots of thick and dense smoke. Just how I like em.

Tatuaje L’esprit de La Verite 2009 – What a difference a year makes. I have a box from last year and boy have I been disappointed by them. The 2009 edition is amazing. Rich, crisp and penetrating flavors. One of the most complex, dynamic cigars I’ve smoked in awhile. Flavor profile was all over the place. Truly a cigar for those of you who have ADD. Razor sharp burn. Robust coffee, different woodsy flavors galore with a nice bit of sweetness on the finish.