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 cigar 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. Jerry may have retired from the cigar review life, but Jerry The ‘Stache never will. And you won’t know until you click.) Enjoy!

Alec Bradley Magic Toast Robusto
I won’t lie, I picked this one up recently for the name. I know the story behind the Alec Bradley Magic Toast has nothing at all to do with Powdered Toast Man, but it’s the thing that always comes to mind whenever I think of the cigar. (The real tale involves a more adult theme of toasting the future of Alec Bradley on a lovely night in a tobacco field. That sounds good too.) In any case, I lit it up and was immediately treated to syrupy and spicy notes, with a touch of vanilla. Pepper, chocolate, earth and some roasty notes weren’t too far behind. I was pretty enjoyable smoke.

Camacho Ecuador BXP Robusto
I always keep an eye out for new cigars, but I also like to mix it up and revisit cigars that have been on the market a while. The Camacho Ecuador BXP fit the bill. I’m a fan of the Ecuador blend, and I do enjoy a good box-pressed smoke. There was no shortage of cedar and pepper here, but also some enjoyable savory, buttery, leather notes as well. It’s a cigar that deserves an opportunity to shine every now and then.

EP Carrillo Encore Majestic Robusto
The EP Carrillo Encore is another cigar that had to tough out some of the humid, rainy weather we had recently here in Atlanta. And it did so pretty well. It’s gotten a lot of positive attention lately, and based on this experience, it was well deserved. It offers a lot of interesting and varied flavor. My flavor notes ran a little long on this one, but to sum it up, earth, sweet candy-like citrus, chocolate, coffee, spices, leather. Heavy on the sweet spices. At one point, I tasted something that reminded me of the dried mango with chili pepper I’ve seen at Trader Joe’s. As wild as that sounds, it never seemed like too much. A fine cigar, worth picking up when you have a chance. I know this won’t be my last.

Padron 2000 Maduro
By default, when I go for a Padron Thousand Series, I usually grab a 3000 Maduro. This time I stopped myself. There are other options, and the 3000 vitola isn’t really even my preferred cigar size. It’s just force of habit. So I opted for the slightly shorter, slightly thinner 2000. And I enjoyed it very much. Earth, chocolate, pepper and some coffee notes. It was exactly what I was looking for at the time.

Primer Mundo Epifania Toro
One of my favorite things about venturing out beyond my local tobacconist occasionally is running across cigars like this Epifania. I figured I’d smoked my last one a few years ago, then I turn a corner, and there’s another one patiently waiting. There’s no telling how old this stick was, but whatever its age, it was holding up well. After puffing on it for a while and enjoying the lingering rich caramel, pepper, graham cracker, and notes of vanilla, I decided to crack open a locally-brewed coffee milk stout. Not a bad combination of flavors at all. And of course I still recommend buying the Primer Mundo Epifania if and when you have a chance. It’s a great cigar.

Villiger San’Doro Colorado Robusto *
This San’Doro Colorado was a pleasant holiday surprise from the folks at Villiger. It’s a cigar that’s been out for a while, but for one reason or another, I have yet to smoke one. The weather had been a little on the damp side when I did, and I suspect that tightened the draw somewhat. But not to the point of making it unsmokeable by any means. Early on I picked up some floral notes I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but as it warmed nuts, nougat, earthy spices, and a prune-like sweetness grabbed my attention. I thought it was a good smoke, and since I have a few more, I may have to follow this one up with a review down the road.

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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 some charming banter about the weather these days) 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 or instagram. If you’d like to see these lists constructed in real time, follow Brian on twitter or instagram. If you don’t, you’ll make the Fail Whale cry. Or Fail Bird. Or whatever Twitter does these days. Anyway, they’re ugly when they cry.