It's all in the Guide baby...

I just wanted to let my reading in on a new website I've developed. It's called Appliance Buyer's Guide, and its a new blog specializing in appliance reviews online. It features unique and relevant appliance reviews, appliance ratings, and comparison tests.

With reviews on all major appliance manufacturer's products, including; Sub-Zero, Wolf, Viking, Miele, Electrolux, Bosch, Whirlpool, Thermador, Alfresco, and more!

We've Moved!!!

That's right kids. It's time to COVET.

You think you want these cigars. But hopefully my new reviews will give you the insight to KNOW you want these cigars. I don't want you to smoke something that your not going to enjoy. So, head on over to my new site!

We will have so much more fun in my new house! No ads. No adsense. Nothing but me, my voice, and I.

Smoke on the Horizon...

It's been almost two years since I last posted to this blog. What could have caused someone so passionate about cigars to just drop off the face of the cigar blogging universe, you ask? Well, I'll tell you: I managed to meet the woman of my dreams, I married her, and just recently became a father of the most beautiful little girl in the world, my daughter Nina.

This was a lot to accomplish in two years, and though I never stopped smoking, I lost much of the late night hours I had used before to work on my blog posts and forum whoring.

But now I'm back.

Ready to begin again. Only this time, I've decided to take it to the next level. For some reason, a renewed sense of urgency burns within me, and now I am no longer content with where I was before. I'm now working on a site to incorporate blogs on not just cigars, but the things cigars go best with. At least in my life. Wine & Spirits baby. Wine & Spirits. Because let's face it, we never smoke without something to drink. I also have a love and passion for writing with vintage fountain pens so, if I can, I'll even try to find a way to work that in. Video blogging will be a staple on my new site as well, for those of you too highbrow to read.

So I guess just take this post as a heads up. As I move closer to broadcast, I will give all the details on the new domain so that those of you, all six of you, who actually care will know where to go.

Cabaiguan Guapo

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

Wrapper:Ecuadorian Connecticut - Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Cigar Stars Rating: 8.1

This cigar is an impressive sight at first. With a 54 ring gauge it's nice and beefy, and its pigtail cap looks as cuban as can be. Even the wrapper says "Cuba" on it, which I found to be rather misleading, if not a bit gimmicky. This cigar is built like a rock, when squeezed there's no give. The pigtail cap guillotines easily, and the foot lights up fast. However, I had some burn and burst issues with this cigar, enough so to actually bring down the score substantially. As the cigar started, it began to crack and burst under the heat. Eventually giving me two nice deep cracks running up both sides of the stick till about midway. This really annoyed me. I bought three of these from my local B&M, all from the same box, and in two out of the three the filler tobacco tried to break out in the beginning of the smoke. These factors brought the score for this cigar down almost one full point, taking it from a 9.1 to an 8.1. So I'm really hoping this isn't the fault of the cigar and maybe perhaps a humidification issue at my local store. I am going to test some more and let you know.

Taste: Mellow, smooth, yet very aromatic. This cigar tastes fantastic in my opinion. Lots of sweet tobacco, mixed with coffee notes, and a good amount of tea, with very light spicy notes on the nose. Taste-wise, this cigar pushed all the right buttons for me. The draw was a tad stiff, and the smoke was very light, but I just couldn't get over how well this cigar tasted. I'm going to try a few more before buying a box just to make sure the crack and burn issues were a fluke, and then I would happily recommend buying a box of these limited edition cigars. Perfect lunchtime smoke.

Padrón 1926 Serie No. 9 Natural

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

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Cigar Stars Rating: 9.6

First off, I feel bad not having reviewed a bad cigar (or what I would consider a bad cigar) on this blog yet. Frankly, since I started it all the cigars I have been smoking have been really fantastic. The only real poor rating has been the Romeo y Julieta Vintage III cigar, and even that cigar didn’t drop into the 7 point category. But I have some interesting and very new (to me at least) cigars coming up this week and next and I have a feeling my luck will change.

This cigar is not going to change the trend though. Not by a long shot. This cigar was rated Best Cigar of the Year by Cigar Aficionado, and after smoking several of these both before and after that rating, I would say it was a no brainer. The Padrón’s are unlike any other cigar makers out there right now. As far as I am concerned, they are the bar at its highest. They are the only company who make consistently great cigars, and not just in taste, but also in construction. Their box pressed 1926 and 1964 Series are always of impeccable quality. I have yet to have a single draw or burn problem with a Padrón cigar, and I’ve smoked at least sixty of them by now. That is astonishing!

This particular size is my favorite. Not too short, not too long, but just right. And unlike the more infamous 80th perfecto, the price is just right too. At $18 MSRP (and God knows what in your local B&M, I paid $23 a stick for my recent acquisitions) it’s certainly not cheap. But for what you get, it’s right on the money. You simply can’t get a better smoke for less.

The cut, light, and draw of this baby was perfect; so lets just move on to what you really want to know about, the taste. To me, Padróns have a very distinct flavor profile and no other cigars come close. Pre-light tastes of good-ol-fashioned aged tobacco, maybe tea leaves as well. It’s cedary and a tad spicy out of the gate, but then mellows down within the first inch to open up to some beautiful black cherry, roasted nut notes. Halfway brings on espresso, coffee bean, and dark chocolate flavors, all notably sweet, but in that subtle Padrón way. The finish is a mile long and holds strong with a dryer, cocoa-like note. Spices are dusted throughout the smoke, framing and balancing it perfectly.

This cigar doesn’t disappoint. And if it does, email me and I will happily take any extras you might have off your hand. To José and Jorge: Well done guys. Well done.

Camacho - 2005 Limited Harvest Robusto

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


Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: N/A
Filler: N/A

Cigar Stars Rating: 8.5

If you took off the wrapper of this cigar and gave it to an avid Camacho fan and once they had finished smoking it, told them it was a Camacho, odds are they wouldn’t believe you. I am not a fan of Camacho, never have been. They are usually too strong for my taste. But this cigar is different. Very different.

Grown from a new strain in the mineral rich soil of the Jamastran Valley, the wrapper is a first for Camacho and the flavor it produces is fantastic. Only one problem: there was only enough wrapper to make approximately 50,000 cigars. So in walks Abe “Ming” Dababneh, the owner of Smoke Inn, on a recent trip to Camp Camacho in Honduras. He tastes the cigars made with the limited wrapper and loves them. By some miracle, he manages to get them to sell the whole batch to him. One lucky sonuvabitch, right?

Construction: The cigar itself is beautifully constructed, the wrapper is perfect without any blemishes on any of the cigars I have smoked so far. The band is as ornate and visually appealing as any of Camacho’s others. The fact that they put as much effort in the band as any of their other cigars is quite a surprise considering they had already sold every single cigar before they even had to come up with a band.

Pre-light: The head cuts perfectly. Draw is fine. Tastes of cedar and nuts before lighting.

Taste: The first inch or so as some very heavy notes of roasted nuts and earthy spice. By the midway point the smoke mellows out into a damp cedar taste and holds strong until the finish when the nuts and earthy spice come back to frame it out. The cigar did have some bitter notes but these were always associated with the cedar taste and did not make the smoke unpleasant at all.

Overall this cigar is a solid choice, especially for those who enjoy Camacho’s more than I do. This cigar will allow Camacho fans to taste those little nuances they are missing out on when they are getting their asses handed to them by those big black triple maduros.

Illusione cg:4

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

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Cigar Stars Rating: 9.4

Tonight's cigar was like jazz; smooth, sweet, and unpredictable. It is the Illusione cg:4. A new cigar by a new company. They are unlike any others out there right now and boy is it refreshing. Created by Dion Giolito, this boutique brand is made in small batches. The tobacco used is from first generation Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98 seeds and Cafe Colorado leaf. They are made at the Raices Cubanas factory in Honduras and are finished with a beautiful cuban style triple cap. All the tobacco is aged for about three years prior to rolling.

Lets start with the wrapper: One word comes to mind immediately: aged. The wrapper is a silky smooth texture and a beautiful dark brown color. No blemishes on mine. It smells suspiciously like a cuban. But of course it’s not. Or is it?

Pre-Light: As all cigars should be it is triple capped and it guillotined without a shred or tear. Draw is perfect and I know I say this about alot of cigars because I’m really not that picky, but with this cigar it truly is as smooth and easy as ever. Before lighting it tastes of heavy tobacco, maybe hints of nutmeg.

Taste: The first inch or so is strong tobacco and spice right out of the gate. But then, almost instantly, it hits you with this sweet, caramel taste for a bit. Around the halfway point heavy tobacco notes come back framed by that same candied sweetness. You really don’t want it to end. The finish is long and spicy, coming back full circle to the taste of the cigar at first light.

The ash is not strong at all, it can and probably will fall into your lap if your not careful, but really who cares? This cigar is really something special. Just after burning my fingers on the nub I ran upstairs and ordered myself a box from the place I ordered the samples: New Havana Cigars. I love this company, the cigars came completely sealed in plastic with a humidipak for freshness. Great guys there, always ship my order same day. After smoking this cigar I am not one bit surprised it was rated up in the top ten cigars of the year by Cigar Aficionado.