Week in Smoke – TGT Edition

Week in Smoke10 Comments on Week in Smoke – TGT Edition

Week in Smoke – TGT Edition

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So many of you have asked why we don’t review new cigars that we received samples of at IPCPR. I know Walt and Charlie each touched on this a little bit. Our motto is to be fair and honest when it comes to reviewing cigars. Lets be honest, the samples you get from IPCPR or from your local rep’s trunk probably aren’t stored in the most optimal conditions. Some manufacturers believe that there is a “sickness” period a cigar goes through. I don’t know the science behind it or even if there is any science behind it but when you receive a freshly rolled cigar the advice given to me by many manufacturers is to smoke it within the next day or two, possibly three days or let it sit and rest in your humidor for thirty to sixty days. So when given a sample at the show that was “just rolled in time for the show” there is a chance the cigar is in that sickness period. Like I said, some manufacturers believe in the sickness period and others don’t. We like to give every cigar a fair shake and that means waiting for a cigar to hit the shelf before we review it. Its never about being first for us, its about being fair and honest.

Giving this El Jefe a try based on @humidormuse recommendation.

Don Abram Harris El Jefe – My good friend @HumidorMuse gifted me this cigar a few months back. I had forgotten all about it until recently when he asked me if I had smoked it. I have no idea who Don Abram Harris is let alone heard of this cigar before. Typically when those two things are combined, I’m a bit hesitant. Smooth and mostly earthy, slight sweetness with a nice aroma. The cigar was spongy to the touch and as typical with most box pressed cigars I had to keep my torch handy to keep it burning straight. Overall a nice cigar that I will have to try again and maybe dry box to see if that helps with the burn.

Too early for a Limitado V @lfdcigars @lfdandrew

La Flor Dominicana Limitada V – One thing about having a Press badge at IPCPR is that you get into the show floor early. Sometimes though, that information doesn’t trickle down to the convention center security staff who do the badge check before entering the show floor. Such was the case one morning for Walt and I. As we waited to enter, @LFDAndrew snuck up behind me and gifted me this Limitado V. Layers. Thats the best way I can describe the Limitada V. Layers of flavors that build on each other. Combine that with the signature strength of La Flor Dominicana makes for a bold flavorful cigar that doesn’t disappoint.

Smoking a @lfdcigars Ligero Torpedito thanks @LFDKyle

La Flor Dominicana Ligero Torpedito – Thanks to @LFDKyle for gifting me this cigar as he and @LFDAndrew were visiting W.Curtis Draper recently. Beautiful oily Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. Creamy and smooth whose rich flavors coat your palate nicely. A bit snug on the draw earlier on but eventually opens up. Lots of smoke and like I always say, where there is smoke, there is flavors. Enjoyable till the end.

Smoking a Ghost by @GurkhaCigars

Gurkha Ghost – I think this is the first Gurkha cigar to make an appearance in my Week in Smoke series. For the most part I enjoyed the Ghost. There were a few spots where the Ghost felt a bit young and was harsh. I would be cruising along the flavor highway and bam, some harsh sour note would come out of nowhere and quickly pass. Burned beautiful with smoke billowing out of it. The amount of smoke, razor sharp burn and aroma had me confused and I thought I was smoking a Liga #9 at times. The Gurkha Ghost may have me going outside my usual channels to find and pick up. I think with a little more time, the Gurkha Ghost can be amazing.

Lighting up A @caocigars MX2 box-press @ed_mckenna

CAO MX2 Box Pressed – At some point CAO is going to have to start paring down their portfolio. I mean its been five years since Sopranos ended right? When was the last time you smoked an Italia? With La Traviata and La Traviata Maduro is anyone really reaching for the Gold, Gold Vintage or Gold Maduro anymore? Concert, OSA Sol, La Traviata, LX2, MX2 and Brazilia. Thats the core of CAO in my opinion. Maybe the numbers say something different. The MX2 Box Pressed is an amazing smoke. The press on it really adds a twist and intensity when it comes to depth of flavors. The entire box pressed series hasn’t gotten any love and if Team CAO hasn’t put it on their calendar yet, they should consider updating the Box Pressed sampler (keep the cool packaging) like they recently did with the Champions set.

Some @tatuajecigars Little Boris action going on this evening.

Tatuaje Little Boris – Nothing has really changed from the pre-release version I reviewed awhile ago. I will say that the first one I smoked after they were officially released wasn’t as a awesome but after letting them sit for a bit, they are everything I remembered that pre-release being. In all, the Little Boris is still the perfect cigar for me. Just enough pepper and spice without going overboard. Perfect medium in body with a balanced, smooth, full flavor profile. Lots of rich natural tobacco flavor with a slight sweetness that tempers the pepper early on. Throw in a sprinkling of creamy and nutty notes makes for a winner of a cigar. I’m hoping Pete does decide to do another batch.

Smoking a Santos de Miami (round version) by @jamesoncigars

Santos de Miami by Jameson Cigar Co. – I guess it was a natural progression to release the Santos de Miami is a non-box pressed version. Lovely cigar but I felt this non-box pressed version was missing some intensity and depth in flavor that the box pressed version has. This new round version makes for a pretty ordinary cigar that is missing that ‘wow’ component that the box pressed version has. Maybe this was just a bum stick that didn’t hold up from IPCPR travels.

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La Resolución by Jameson Cigar Co. – I can’t leave my boy Brad Mayo hanging like that. A new release from Brad that is anything but ordinary is his new La Resolución. Beautiful caramel colored wrapper. Slight sweetness and very well defined creaminess to it with a little bit of peppery sensation on the palate. Burned beautifully. Very different from anything Brad has done to date.

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Asylum 13 – 7×70…not the size for me. Lackluster and boring in my opinion. 6×60…not the size for me. Lackluster and boring in my opinion. 5×50…better and starts off with some stellar smooth coffee notes but by the halfway point…nothing. I think the 5×50 size has the most promise. When you do a big cigar in a 6×60 or 7×70 it takes a pretty amazing blend for it to work. I know I’m in the minority as everyone is doing these big sizes because they sell. For me, I’ll stick with the nuances you find in the classic sizes.

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Davidoff White Edition (2012) – Two weeks in a row…still as impeccable as the first week. Yeah I know…I have a problem.

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10 thoughts on “Week in Smoke – TGT Edition

  1. Looking forward to the weekly pool… Enjoyed your week in smokes and amazed at the range of different cigars you smoke. The LFD, Jameson and Davidoff are the ones I need to try soon. Thanks.

  2. Woot! Little Boris in the house! Love that cigar just like you! Another ‘impecable’ edition of Week in Smoke. On a bit of a La Flor Dominicana kick the past few weeks I see?

    El Jefe? Isn’t that the name of a new size in La Aroma de Cuba?

  3. Jerry – do you find it a bit two faced to say you don’t ‘review’ IPCPR samples but yet your Week in Smoke is full of cigars from IPCPR and you are basically ‘reviewing’ them? Just wondering…

    I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the Davidoff White Edition…Impeccable is the perfect moniker for it. I have a couple from 2011 that I’d like to send you for you to compare.

    I also agree on the 7×70 and 6×60 craze…another thing I do not understand about your generation.

    1. Buzz – Its been awhile. I hope you are well. Do I think it is two faced? Not at all. The Week in Smoke series aren’t full reviews. Just a run down of what I have been smoking lately and my initial thoughts on that particular instance of smoking it. Maybe I should’ve clarified that.

  4. Sergio – Thanks for the comment. There have been plenty of cigars that Pete has made that I have been unimpressed with. Most notably my review of 7th Capa Especial. Also, like I pointed out in the my blurb about the Asylum 13, I am in the minority. I am fully aware how popular 70×7 and 6×60 sizes are. They just aren’t for me as I said.

  5. Nice week in smoke….and not everyone in our generation smokes large ring gauges….I actually notice the 40-50 yr old range loves them…I would prefer if nothing came out above a 52…but they have a huge demand obviously. Love la flor dominicana …never disappoints

  6. Thank you for the nice words on Don Abram Harris’ el Jeffe. This is my personal favorite, for while I didn’t come up with the blend ( Abe Harris did that ) I came up with the presentation and branding. I am the Graphic Designer for Don Abram Harris. We are revamping our website and in doing so I will be getting some cigars for a photo shoot. Let me know if you would like me to send you a couple of the other sticks he has in his line up. You wont be disappointed.

  7. Great Week in Smoke, Jerry. A 7×70 cigar? Does the sampler include a squirting flower, seltzer bottle, floppy shoes, and face paint?

  8. Jerry, I’ve been finding out that yes indeed that 6X60’s have muted flavor profiles I don’t think that they’re bad cigars you usually get a nice cool smoke all the way down but like you I shy away from the 6X60 size unless there is a cigar I want to try and my B&M only has that size in stock or when I’m going to be sitting around the firepit with friends and I want something I can smoke for a while. 7×70 is a ridiculous size i can’t get my mouth around it.. (that’s what she said lol) Stick to tradtional sizes such as robustos and toros they smoke much better

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