It’s been a busy couple of weeks, with a lot of time spent on the road. Much of that time out of state. It was one of those vacations where it’s harder to find time (and place) to smoke a cigar than it is at home. But I’ve been making up for it since I got back.

It’s once time again for another issue of Brian’s The Week In Smoke. In case this is your first Week in Smoke, be advised that it covers many (though not necessarily all) of the cigars I’ve smoked in the past week (or the past month, or however long it has been since the last issue), along with a couple of quick thoughts that came to me at the time. These are not full reviews, but quick blurbs based on a single smoking experience. As such, they may be influenced by the natural variations that occur from one cigar to another. Your mileage may vary. (If I know the cigar well enough to comment, I may mention if an experience strays from what understand to be the norm.)

An appearance in The Week in Smoke does not preclude nor guarantee a future in-depth review. Whenever possible, I’ve linked to more a thoughtful and thorough review of the cigar in question. (Or maybe I’ve linked to a photo of Jerry The ‘Stache. You won’t know until you click.) Enjoy!

Epicurean Gonzo Santeria
After thoroughly enjoying the Gonzo Vintage 2007 a few weeks ago, the opportunity presented itself to try the Santeria. Like the Vintage 2007, the Santeria had some intriguing floral, perfume-like notes, especially in the beginning. I also noted roasted nuts, honey sweetness and a touch of both citrus and spices. I think I like the Vintage 2007 more, but it spent a lot more time aging than this Santeria. If only I had a bunch of each to help me make up my mind. Seriously though, a fine unique smoke that I’d recommend trying it out.

Joya De Nicaragua CyB Toro Supremo
I thought for sure CyB Toro was a 6 x 60 when I pulled it out of my Tweetup bag, but it’s actually only a 6 x 54. I guess I’ve been smoking a lot of small ring gauge stuff lately if a 54 starts looking like a 60. (Good times.) This experience struck me as a little different than previous ones, though I believe this is my first time smoking this vitola. Smoke was a bigger part of the profile than in other cases, and it wasn’t as creamy. I also picked up notes of wood, toast, light spice and some floral notes. Not a bad cigar, but I’m sticking with the Lonsdale Club and Lancero Fino vitolas.

Joya De Nicaragua CyB Lancero Fino
Yep, I didn’t plan on it, but I smoked several CyB’s for this week in smoke. I loved the Lancero Fino when I smoked it in Nicaragua just before they were released. But I’ve had one or two since that I thought were good, but not quite as good. This Lancero was every bit as good as that original pre-release. It’s was considerably sweeter than the Toro Supremo and very creamy with notes of butterscotch, wood and hints of vanilla. I love this cigar, and would smoke it a lot more often if I had a TAA shop near me.

Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Ecuador Edition Petit Lancero
While I was looking through the Burns humidor at the Chattanooga Tweetup I spotted this new offering from Reinado. The Grand Empire Reserve is a great smoke, so picking up this new blend was a no brainer. The Ecuador Edition is completely different, flavor-wise. It was creamy, with a fruity sweetness that was a little like pineapple initially before moving into prominent wood, earth and robust black tobacco. I also noticed it seemed heavier on the palate than I’d normally expect from the flavors, especially early on. It was a very enjoyable smoke.

Rocky Patel Royale Robusto
This week I attended a whiskey, steak and cigar dinner put on by Buckhead Cigar and New York Prime and the Rocky Patel Royale was part of the event. Even with all the distractions, the cigar stood out as a highlight of the evening. I decided to light up another a few days later to see if it was the cigar was really that good, or if the event (and whiskey) was making everything seem better. Your environment definitely has the power to make a bad cigar good, or a good cigar bad. I found that while the event definitely improved my impression, the cigar is still very enjoyable in a more normal setting. I noted a pleasing profile of roasted nuts, leather, earth, cedar, clove (and other spices) as well as pepper in this smoke. The Royale may have just become my new favorite Rocky Patel cigar.

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* Big Brother would have you know these cigars were gifts or free samples, and that my opinions on them is suspect. My opinions (and this bottle of rye) are my own, your response to them is your own. All your base are belong to us.

** I have too many smokes, and this denotes that the smoke in question has been sitting in one of my humidors for at least a year, and thus qualifies as “aged”. If my collection continues to grow, the chances are good I’ll be on that Discovery Channel show about people who hoard stuff and face eviction.

Some of the pictures in Brian’s The Week In Smoke first appeared on twitter. If you’d like to see these lists constructed in real time, follow Brian on twitter. If you don’t, you’ll make the Fail Whale cry. And he’s ugly when he cries.