Romeo y Julieta - Vintage III

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Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Dominican

Cigar Stars Rating: 8.0

This cigar has a long and sometimes troubled history. The vintage line was started back in 1993 and was hailed as one of the greatest cigars from the R & J line until around 2000. Since then, for some reason the quality and consistency of this cigar has been routinely called into question. Perhaps it is due to the fact that around that time the factory, which was located in the Pisano Free Zone of Santiago, was relocated to La Romana on the eastern end of the island. Some believe this is when the quality and consistency began to decline. These, of course, are rumors and are to be taken as such.

The wrapper on this cigar is a skin tone color, very light brown, with no imperfections whatsoever. The tobacco used in these cigars are usually aged between 2-3 years before production. I should say before I start that my box has a consistency problem, the wrapper colors vary slightly as does the flavors the sticks produce. That might make this review a little less useful, but hopefully not. The construction on this cigar was really fantastic, the head is nice and long and even with a guillotine cut there were no unravelling issues. Pre-light draw tasted of nuts and licorice. Once toasted this cigar drew well and burned perfectly even the whole way through. The first inch was heavy on the nuts and licorice taste with a hint of sweetness, but by halfway that sweet turned sour and a tad bitter. After the middle point, the nuts were accompanied by heavy doses of cedar and this underlying bitterness that I honestly was not expecting. The finish is long and a tad metallic. I was a bit disappointed by this cigar and wish I could have given it a higher rating as I am a long-time fan of R & J's (my first cigar was one) but this one was a little bit of a disappointment.

Arturo Fuente - Hemingway Signature Maduro

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Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican

Cigar Stars Rating: 9.0

This is a limited release cigar by one of my favorite makers out there. Let's start with the gorgeous maduro wrapper, covered in the classic sandpaper-like bumps it smells sweet and musky. The construction on these cigars is always perfect, as would be expected from the Fuente rollers. Pre-light draw tastes of tea leaves and honey. After the first minute of puffing the draw opens up and the flavors come in. Mellow is the key word in the first half of this cigar. Lots of tea, honey, maybe some cedar. The smoke is very mild mannered and elegant. And if I'm honest, I loved every minute of it. At the halfway point it strengthened up a bit, with cedar and nutty flavors coming in stronger, always holding on to that initial sweetness. The finish is short and a tad warm, holding onto the sweet taste of cedar till the last puff. This is a mild to medium-bodied cigar, but it is complex and sweet and balanced. I could smoke it breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you're lucky enough to find these in your local store do yourself a favor and purchase more than one. Once you try it, you'll be happy you can go back for more.

Padron 1926 Series - 80th Anniversary

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Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Cigar Stars Rating: 9.2

If there is such a thing as 'hype' in the cigar world, this was the cigar that may have started it. I have had the unique privilege and pleasure to have already smoked four of these bad boys. Every single time the cigar's construction was perfect, the draw was literally perfect, the burn was perfect. And at over $30 a piece, they damn well better be. This is far and away the strongest cigar I will probably ever review on here. Pre-light draw is heavy on the tobacco and licorice. Once lit, this cigar exudes a sharp and potent, almost unmistakable, Padron smell. It can literally sting the nostrils. Not that its a bad smell at all, just potent.

The tastes are strong and a tad spicy right out of the gate. An older aficionado with an acute sense of taste could, I believe, pull many different flavors out of this cigar. It's that complex. I am not blessed with such a sense of taste, so I will just stick to what I could put my finger on. Leather and nuts, and lots of both, danced around on a stage of spicy nutmeg the entire smoke. I could have sworn I tasted berries for a bit as well. For most of the cigar the strong leather notes fight with the nutty notes, almost as if they are pushing each other back and forth for my attention. This is no short smoke, took me over an hour, and if you try to rush it down I can guarantee you will walk away reeling from cigar buzz. Overall, this smoke is superb. Simply one of the best around.

However, I fear the Padron's reach may have exceeded their grasp when you consider the price. At $32 MSRP, this is one of the most expensive smokes on the market, and with such limited quantities made this stick is now almost impossible to find anywhere close to the original price. A quick search on the Internet today revealed a online retailer charging over $40 a stick. I don't even want to think of what they are charging at tourist stops in Vegas or Key West. The fact of the matter is, the price of this cigar is beyond unreasonable. Look at my last review, a five dollar cigar that gives me just as much pleasure as this one. Sure this cigar is far more complex and has that certain "snob" appeal, but I can smoke six Hoyo Epicure's for the price of one 80th Anniversario. The math speaks for itself.

Hoyo de Tradicion - Epicure

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Wrapper: Honduras
Binder: Connecticut
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, and Dominican blend

Cigar Stars Rating: 8.9

This little cigar was quite a surprise. Lets start with the beautiful Honduran-grown Viso Rosado wrapper which was cultivated from the Jamastran Valley. Its reddish-brown, toothy, and visually beautiful. The draw was good, with just the hint of drag. It is medium sized and medium bodied, with heavy leather notes for the first inch or so accompanied by subtle nutty, spicy undertones. This cigar burns perfectly, nice and slow. About midway this cigar begins to open up, the leather begins to fade into the background and the nutty, cedary tones really come out, with that same tickle of spice on the back of the palette. The ash is peppered white and holds strong till the halfway point. The finish brings back the original leather note but the spicy undertones that were present throughout the cigar come on strong and keep building until the last puff. This smoke is really fantastic, and CHEAP! At a little under $5 a stick, you really can't complain. Overall, very pleased.

Were you listening to the Dude's story, Donnie?

PLEASE NOTE: This blogger and blog has moved to his new home: http://covetry.net

So here we are, post 1 of 1. First day, first post. I'm kind of nervous. I don't really know what possessed me to create a cigar blog, or even why I would think anyone would read it. But its 2008, and there's this new thing called the 'internet' and so I thought what the hell, if I can save just one of you from having a bad cigar it will have all been worth it. A bad cigar can ruin a good night. Sometimes it can even ruin the whole idea of cigar smoking for a newcomer and that is why it is important, nay imperative, that first-time smokers do some research before they go down to their local cigar shop. Otherwise they'll just get lost in the walk-in humidor and end up purchasing the cigar with the coolest looking band. This, as all aficionados know, would be a tragedy. As some of the worst cigars come in the greatest packaging.

So I am going to try and rate a different cigar every other night. I only rate cigars I would smoke again. This means my ratings will always be high. My advise, if you are new to cigars and are interested in the art of smoking, stick with the cigars I review.

I should also make a disclaimer as to my preferences in cigar tastes. I love medium to full-bodied cigars, but they must be balanced and complex. Cigars that are extremely strong and spicy (ie most Camacho's) are not my thing. I find it very hard to enjoy a cigar when your throat is parched from the peppery spice and your head is spinning due to cigar buzz. A good cigar should be smooth and relaxing. Its like the difference between Vodka and Single Malt Scotch. If you just want to get drunk, they can both take you to the same place, but if you want to savor the smells and flavors of what your drinking there is only one choice: the scotch. Put simply, I don't rate cigars that taste like dirt and pepper. I don't like them, and frankly, neither should you.

OUR RATINGS ARE BASED ON A 10 POINT SYSTEM, WITH SCORES FOR EACH CATEGORY: CONSTRUCTION, TASTE, DRAW, BURN, AND OVERALL IMPRESSION. Get ready to have some good cigars. Enjoy!