Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Camacho Triple Maduro Torpedo (Redux)

(Has it Ben Mentioned That The Band Is Real Pretty??)
Vitola: Torpedo
Country: Honduras
Wrapper: Maduro
Filler: Maduro
Size: 6" X 52

I posted my initial opinions on this cigar once before. . .

BUT

In Lieu of my current opinions of this cigar the ultimate review of this line may have been wriiten by my pal, Rob the Long Island Cowboy!

Okay, I am not going to spend a great deal of time on this cigar, because frankly, it does not deserve it. In my opinion this cigar pretty much failed on all fronts. The burn was dicey my cigar actually went out halfway through (though that could have been because I lost interest in it). the draw was okay and produced a lot of smoke, but the thing is, the smoke didn't taste like much of anything, at all. It felt like I was smoking a nicotine cloud. In the last third of the cigar a little flavor came through, but it was in turns bitter and then sour. This cigar has a nice long finish on the tongue that lingers forever, but the problem is, that that is bitter and sour as well. This is probably the worst cigar I have tasted that I can guarantee was stored and smoked properly. I would take a Te Amo any day over this. Or even a Phillie Blunt.

This cigar definitely had a strong nicotine presence, and I did get a little buzz from it after a while. the thing is, if I wanted to smoke crap tobacco to get a nicotine buzz I would give up, sell my humidor, and go with these:



CRAP CRAP CRAP!!!!!!!! NOT RECOMMENDED!

TomC

Monday, January 28, 2008

Oliva Serie V Ligero Especial Lancero

Vitola: Lancero
Size: 7" x 38
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Habano Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Jalapa Valley Ligero

I reviewed another vitola in this line, the Special V, in August. Well in lieu of my recent review, and commentary regarding how enjoyable that a lancero sized cigar can be, as a special occasion smoke, I thought I would revisit the lancero of this line as well, and give some impressions.

As was the case in other lancero cigars I have had the opportunity to smoke, the vitola cuts a unique and sophisticated visual. Long and thin and oily, without visible flaws, the cigar looked about as classy in its makeup as it did in shape. And thankfully, when it came to burn and draw, it lived up to my construction standards. The burn was slow and cool and the cigar lasted well past the ninety minutes. The draw had the tiniest bit of resistance but produced plenty of rich, flavorful smoke. The ash was very light grey and held admirably. This cigar, like the other lanceros I have had, really lived up to the luxuriant experience I expected. It really is a rather cool shape.
As for the flavors of this cigar, they were very much the same as the Special V. . .but different. Sure the cedar, notes, along with the coffee notes and rich earthiness were still there, but the shape of this cigar concentrated the strength of flavor of these notes across my palate. I clipped a rather decent sized cut into the head of my cigar the last time around. Over the last three inches of this cigar the flavor really amped up to a great spicy, woody tangy finish. With the caveat that this is a strong cigar and you should have a meal before smoking, I can RECOMMEND this cigar as another great vitola it what seems to be a very good line.

TomC

Sunday, January 27, 2008

La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Lancero Cameroon

7 1/2" x 39, Cameroon

Appearance: This lancero is one sophisticated looking cigar (well, actually I think lanceros in general are very sophisticated looking). Long and thin, it really cuts a distinctive visual in comparison to the robustos and coronas one might see otherwise. Evenly packed and draped with a beautiful, oily, rich ever so slightly reddish hued wrapper, just added to the luxuriousness of the experience. There was nary a flaw or vein to be seen.

Pre-Light: Clip was easy and the pre light draw seemed just right. This alleviates one of the few fears I would have with a vitola such as this, that the thin ring gauge might cause the draw to be on the tight side. The pre light draw was earthy and tangy and begged for the cigar to be lit!


Burn/Draw: Never an issue with this cigar, which added to the overall sophistication of this smoke. The burn was "set and forget", burning razor straight down the entire length of this cigar, never really wandering at all. The draw was equally as exquisite, allowing this cigar to burn long and slow, and producing a great volume of rich round, full bodied, flavorful smoke. The ash was firm and rather bright white, and held on to the cigar as long as I wanted it to. This cigar was one well constructed, and great burning smoke.

Flavors: Well this cigar was bound to be good because it had a good base to work off of. The "Double Ligero" like are a bunch of tasty sticks, no matter what the variation. This little twist on the line is no different. After an initial burst of strong black pepper, This cigar settled into its groove. Base notes of sweet tobacco and a rich earthiness ran down the whole length of this stick, along with this delicious sweet tanginess I almost always derive from a Cameroon wrapper. During the course of this smoking experience I caught many other notes, among them cedary woodiness, leather, and deep dark roast coffee, wafting in and out over that very tasty base. This is a strong, full flavored, full bodied cigars that pleases at every turn, one of the finest cigars i have had in quite a while. If you can run one down, I highly RECOMMEND it!

VIVA LITTO!

TomC

McDonald On Target As Hoops Grind Out Win


Clydesdale Bank Premier League
Sunday, January 27, 2008

Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk


FALKIRK…0

CELTIC…1
(McDonald 45)

FALKIRK (4-5-1) Olejnik; Ross, Barr, Scobbie, Holden (Milne 37); Arfield, Riera, Cregg, McBride (Latapy 81); Moutinho; Barrett (Finnigan 86)
Subs not used: Barclay, Aafjes, Bradley, Stewart

CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Hartley (Caddis 75), Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura (Sno 68), Brown, Donati, McGeady; McDonald (Killen 90), Vennegoor of Hesselink
Subs not used: M.Brown, Riordan, Pressley, Zurawski

Celtic ground out a precious 1-0 win against Falkirk to close the gap at the top of the table and stay in the hunt for a third successive SPL title.

Sitting seven points behind leaders Rangers before the match, the Hoops knew that a victory was vital to maintain their championship challenge and they delivered. Scott McDonald, with his 19th goal of the season, gave Celtic a narrow win.

It wasn’t a classic match by any means, but at this stage of the season all that matters is that Celtic picked up three points. The Hoops also recorded a fifth successive clean sheet, which equals the club’s best run since October 1999.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink was able to take his place in the Celtic starting line-up after recovering from a head injury suffered against Kilmarnock last week. However, Andreas Hinkel missed out, with Paul Hartley filling in at right-back.

With a heavily-sanded surface and a strong wind blowing, the conditions were far from ideal but both sides started the match in a committed fashion, with players flying into tackles all over the pitch.


(Article)

It wasn't pretty, but three points is three points!

HAIL! HAIL!

TomC

Fishies!!

(PLECKY!!)(Betta-Man!)

I'm not sure anybody cares about this too much, but its what I feel like writing about right now. For me, the majority of my cigar smoking time is quiet and contemplative. I often have my cigar late in the evening after Carrie goes to bed. While I don't get the social aspect of herfing as much as some, it can be a very relaxing and refreshing experience for me. One of my favorite things to do while having that late night, meditative smoke, is to watch our fish tank. As dorky as that may sound, I spend a lot of time doing it. We have a 25 gallon tank with 7 fish in it right now. We have two male Black Mollies, and three female gold mollies, as well as the Plecostomus and Betta Fish pictured above. Now if I could only convince Carrie to let us get some Dalmatian Mollies and a couple of little catfish (either Pictus, or Cory), life would be complete!!

LOL

TomC

Friday, January 25, 2008

"The Kids" Take On The Juan Lopez No. 2

Another great video review by "The Kids!" I did review of this vitola, if you would like another point of view:









Enjoy, (especially that last segment!)!

TomC

Monday, January 21, 2008

Bolivar Inmensa (A Supplementary Review)

Manufactured: Totalamente a Mano (Made totally by hand; a description found on cigar boxes. Much better than Hecho a Mano [made by hand, which can sometimes mean it is filled with machine-bunched filler], or Envuelto a Mano [packed by hand].)
Length: 6 3/4"in. (170mm)
Diameter: 17.07 mm
Ring: 43
Format: Dalia (Dalia was the name of the galera, "factory", in which the cigars were produced. Its popular name 8-9-8 is derived from the original box in which they were packed forming 3 rows of 8, 9 and 8.)
Weight: 11.86 gr.
Tobacco Country: Cuba
Tobacco Procedence: Vuelta Abajo (a district in the Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. It lies in the west of the island, in the southern part of the Órganos Mountains. A great deal of tobacco is grown in the district, and "Vuelta Abajo" can also refer to the high-quality type of cigar tobacco from Pinar del Rio in general. The tobacco industry in this district dates from around 1830. The district itself is 90 miles long and 10 miles wide.)
Factory: Partagas
Presentation: 2 Layers in a Box of 25

Preface:
I have kind of designed this review to be supplementary to the great video review I posted by "The Kids" earlier in the week. I really suggest you check that out before coming to this review. I will give you my opinion on this stick, because I have also indulged in one this week. The idea of this review, though, is to give you some of the technical specs, and information that wasn't provided in the Kids broadcast, so you can have the whole picture (see all the info provided above). I plan this to augment their review, as opposed to eclipsing it.

Appearance: This cigar, while rather rustic looking in initial appearance (which seems to be a common trait amongst cigars from this region, and does not seem to affect the cigar in any way), was graced with a lovely cassia hued wrapper. This cigar was evenly filled and only gave just a little bit to a light squeeze. The wrapped had one minor vein, but otherwise looked beautiful.

Pre-Light: The clip was easy and the pre light draw was exactly how it should be, providing just a little bit of resistance. The pre light notes were distinctly Habano, with that horse barn earthiness we all love along with a light cedar note.


Burn/Draw: While not absolutely perfect, the burn on this cigar is above average, and not really much of an issue. When the burn line wandered it generally corrected it self, I think I only touched up once. The draw was a dream, providing just the slightest bit of resistance. The burn was nice and cool and slow, producing cool round, medium full bodies white smoke by the billows. This cigar burned forever, I got about two hours out of this smoke. The ash on this cigar was dark and mottled and held on as well as could be expected.

Flavors: I have to say, Sergio & Jeebus have this cigar pretty much pegged right on! This is a pretty straightforward, and tasty Cuban smoke. It starts with a nice little burst of black pepper and then soon afterward it settles in to a nice, rich, earthiness that lasts throughout the length of the cigar. Over the final third of the cigar, in a rather unusual move, the cigar mellows a bit and a woody cedar note creeps in, just to liven things up a bit. This is a pretty consistent cigar, which I don't mind at all. Not every cigar has to be a constantly developing masterpiece. Some cigars can just start off well and stay that way. This is one of those cigars. Recommended.

TomC

Sunday, January 20, 2008

"The Doc's" 100th Stogie Fresh 5 Podcast!


I just want to take this moment to congratulate my buddy the DOC on his 100th podcast, which will be released this Sunday. Along with StogieChat.com, the Doc is one of my most important influences when it comes to experimenting cigars, and especially when it comes to keeping up with the blogging about them. His podcast inspired me in part to start this BLOG and hes had been more than helpful, any time I have questions or need suggestions.

So check out his site, http://www.stogiefresh.com/ , and his podcasts, because not only are they informative, but they are a lot of fun to listen to!

Here's to HUNDREDS MORE, Doc!

TomC

The Kids Take On A Bolivar Inmensa!

It's another fabulous installment from my good friends Sergio & Jeebus!!











ENJOY!

TomC

Own Goal Nets Bhoys Three Points. . .


Scottish Premier League
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Celtic Park, Glasgow



CELTIC… 1
(Corrigan o.g. 64)

KILMARNOCK… 0

CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Hinkel (Killen 16), Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura (Sno 89), Brown, Donati, Hartley; Vennegoor of Hesselink (Riordan 16), McDonald.
Subs: M Brown, O'Dea, Zurawski, Conroy.

KILMARNOCK (4-5-1) Combe; Corrigan, Ford, Wright, Hay; Hamill, Bryson (Gibson 80), Fowler, Di Giacomo, Harpur; Invincible (Fernandez 87).
Subs: Harpur, Johnston, Morgan, O’Leary, Clancy.

Celtic returned to league action with a 1-0 victory over Kilmarnock, although the one-goal margin fails to tell the true story of the match.

This was a game that the defending SPL champions completely dominated and during the course of the 90 minutes, Artur Boruc did not have a single save to make while his opposite number Alan Combe was the busiest man on the park.

As it transpired, Celtic faced more than their fair share of trials and tribulations in this opening half and by the 16th minute Gordon Strachan had been forced to make two changes, with Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Andreas Hinkel both picking up injuries.

The Dutchman’s certainly looked the nastiest, with the Celtic No.10 leaving the field covered in blood after a clash of heads with Simon Ford. However, such setbacks did little to break the stride of a team who played with some style in this half and completely dominated their opponents.

(Article)

Three points today is a good result (even though they couldnt capitilize on their many chances), but at what cost??

Hail! Hail!

TomC

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Tatuaje "Retro Cuban" RC184

Country: USA
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 7.25″x57


Presentation: These guys are presented as though they are something quite special. Dressed in a manner reminiscent of the Cuban Bolivar Gold Medal, with a foil wrapper covering half the vitola, and the band in the middle securing it, at least aesthetically, this cigar looks like it should be something special.

Appearance: The cigar itself was something to look at itself. The wrapper, cinnamon hued and glistening, without a vein or noticeable flaw to be seen, was begging to be sparked up. Overall initial impressions was that this cigar looked to be a great example of a well rolled figurado, firm and evenly filled with no noticeable soft spots.

Pre-Light: The clip was nice and easy and the pre-light draw seemed just right, offering the tiniest bit of resistance needed to be a good smoke. The pre light draw consisted of light earthy and woody notes.


Burn/Draw: The draw on this cigar was just right, the burn was cool and this cigar produced plenty of cool, flavorful smoke. Now the burn, on the other hand, was another thing entirely. Specifically, it was a disaster! It started burning lopsided and never really recovered. It got really bad at time but with some judicious touching up I kept it from being completely unsmokeable. Overall I found this to be tremendously annoying and detrimental to the overall experience, but bad burns bother the heck out of me. The ash was rather dark and mottled and firm, and this was a bit of a plus because the longer I left the ash on the more it helped the horrible burn.

Flavor: This cigar, from the flavor aspect, was something special. The two halves were like completely different cigars! The first half was mild/medium in nature and very very refined. Notes of wood, sweet tobacco and almond. The smoke was rich and round and flavorful despite the mellow nature.

During the second half of the smoke, this cigar decides to remind you that it is a Tatuaje! The power level kicks up like three notches and the flavors get big and bold. At the halfway point the spice and earthy notes ramp up decidedly, followed by the cigar increasing in complexity. Pepper and sage burst to the forefront, followed by sweet tanginess and leathery notes. Over the last third of the cigar, a charred oak woodiness comes to the forefront which hits the magic four notes my friend MikeD and I determined you find in almost every Tatuaje cigar in some amounts (Tanginess/Pepper/Wood/Leather). This is in no way a bad thing, this is one delicious cigar.

As a final summation, I found the wonderful flavor experience of this cigar tempered by the dreadful burn. I hope this was just anomaly was just specific to my cigar, but I can't answer that question for sure. If you don't have a problem with a funky burn I say go for it, this cigar tastes great. Me, as much as I enjoyed the flavor, at the asking price, I kind of expect a better burn and might be hesitant to invest in the cigar again. My verdict is, the Jury is still out.

TomC

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Grow My Own. . .

As anybody who has read my post on the Tobacco Plants I ran across in KY knows, I am interested in the agricultural aspects of tobacco production as well as the cigar smoking aspect. Well thanks to a generous fellow Buckeye, I will be able to experiment with plant growth myself. This post is just the beginning, I hope of several during the course of the warmer months, chronicling the growth of my own plants. I dont necessarily intend to do anything with the plants grown, other than gain some appreciation of the process involved in making the cigars we all know and love. The one thing one can glean from this early post is, isn't it amazing how small the seeds are??

TomC

Monday, January 14, 2008

CAO Maduro Robusto

5" X 50, Maduro

Appearance: This was a rather pretty looking cigar. Wrapped in a very dark, almost dark, glistening wrapper, this cigar was a thing of beauty. The one thing of concern was, upon initial perusal, I noticed that this cigar was very firm, almost hard. Hopefully it would not affect the draw.

Pre-Light: The clip was easy as pie with the Palio pictured above. The pre light draw was a little tight but not horrible, and there were notes of sweet chocolate and rich coffee. The flavors before light had this cigar shaping up to be something pretty darn good.


Burn/Draw: The burn on this cigar was perfect, razor straight and with no need of correction. The ash on this cigar was bright white, and firm, and provided me with a great visual contrast while examining this stick. The problem is, that is where the good aspects of that cigar ends. The draw, unfortunately, was tight to the detriment of the cigar. It was hard to draw a decent amount of smoke from this stick, and I believe that caused the cigar to burn a bit hot. Very disappointing.

Flavors: I know a few people who really like this cigar, and because their opinions are quite reliable, i will try this stogie again before passing final judgment. That said, this cigar was not very good at all.after a nice burst of mocha at the very beginning, the draw became an issue early on. I always felt I was fighting the cigar, no matter what I tried to loosen it up. This cigar in return hot and produced very unpleasant flavors. Strangely I got both a burned charcoal note and a soggy vegetable note at the same time. Not pleasant. I gave up about halfway through, life is too short for crap cigars. I will give this stick another chance in the future but my initial impressions are just not good.

TomC

Summer Glau

Summer Glau (born July 24, 1981 in San Antonio, Texas) is an American dancer and actress, best known for her role as River Tam in the short-lived science fiction series Firefly and follow-up movie Serenity.

Glau was classically trained as a ballerina and also studied tango and flamenco. A professional dancer since age 12, Glau relocated to Los Angeles in 2002. She appeared in a few television commercials, but Glau's first television credit was a guest role as a ballerina on the 2002 episode "Waiting in the Wings" of the television series Angel. There she caught the eye of producer Joss Whedon, who later cast her in Firefly as River Tam.

Glau appears on the episode "Love Conquers Al" of the TV series Cold Case. She has a small role in the film Sleepover, in which she plays a high school senior named Shelly. Summer appeared in the CSI episode "What's Eating Gilbert Grissom?", and the second season of The Unit; portraying Crystal Burns, the girlfriend of Jeremy Erhart (Daniel Wisler).

Glau plays Tess Doerner, a paranoid schizophrenic returnee in the second season premiere of The 4400 (episode "Wake-Up Call"), and the season three episodes "The Ballad of Kevin and Tess", "Terrible Swift Sword" and "Fifty-Fifty". Her character has the power to compel people to do whatever she wants.

Glau stars in the science fiction film, Mammoth, which was filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S., and Bucharest, Romania.

Glau was voted Best Actress of 2005 by readers of SFX magazine for her portrayal of River Tam in Serenity. Glau also won a 2006 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in Serenity and was runner up for Best Actress/Movie in the SyFy Genre Awards for 2006.

Glau was cast in a TV movie on ABC Family called The Initiation of Sarah.

In The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a series that debuted January 13, 2008, Glau plays the role of Cameron Phillips, a Terminator infiltration unit sent back to protect John Connor and Sarah Connor from Skynet.



TomC

Sunday, January 13, 2008

The Kids Take On The San Cristóbal Classico!

"The Kids" return, with their take on a fine addition to the Ashton Cigars Line:











Hope you enjoy their take, I know I do!

TomC

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Scottish Cup/Fourth Round

Scottish Cup – Fourth Round
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Celtic Park, Glasgow


CELTIC…3
(Vennegoor of Hesselink 37, McDonald 70, Nakamura 75)

STIRLING …0

CELTIC (4-4-2) Boruc; Hinkel, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor; Nakamura (Hartley 76), Brown (O’Brien 76), Donati, McGeady; McDonald (Killen 82), Vennegoor of Hesselink
Subs not used: M.Brown, O’Dea

STIRLING ALBION (4-5-1) Christie; Nugent, Ellis, Graham, Devine; Harris (Walker 71), Hay, Aitken, McBride (Lilley 79), Forsyth; McKenna (Rodriguez 65)
Subs not used: Hogarth, Taggart

ANDREAS HINKEL made his Celtic debut and Shunsuke Nakamura returned to action with a bang as the Hoops began their defence of the Scottish Cup with a routine 3-0 win over Stirling Albion.

The German produced an excellent display at right-back and linked up well with Nakamura, who provided the goal of the game with a trademark left-foot effort. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Scott McDonald were also on target.

On a freezing day in Glasgow, Celtic fans turned up for the club’s first game of 2008 perhaps expecting a glut of goals. That never materialised, but most importantly the Hoops progressed into the next round, where they will meet either Airdrie United or Kilmarnock.

Manager Gordon Strachan gave Stirling huge respect by naming a strong starting XI for the match. The First Division outfit fielded a young side but did have an ex-Celt in their starting line-up in midfielder John Paul McBride, who was with the club as a youngster during the 1990s.

Article

Got a positive look at the bhoys new signing and Naka seems healthy, a success all around in this cup match!!


HAIL!HAIL!


TomC

Friday, January 11, 2008

JRCigars.com Calls This "Plume"

JRCigars.com Tried to tell my girlfriend that the pictures above were cigar plume and that an experienced cigar smoker would enjoy the chance to smoke them (and tried to bully her out of return and replace). You wanna smoke em??



TomC

Sunday, January 6, 2008

The Feast of The Epiphany Of The Lord

Epiphany, meaning 'appearance' or 'revelation', is a Christian feast intended to celebrate the "shining forth" or revelation of God in human form, to the Gentiles, in the person of Jesus. Some Christians commemorate the visitation of the Magi to the child Jesus on this day, while others use the day to commemorate the baptism of Jesus as an adult. It is also called Theophany, especially by those commemorating Christ's baptism.

The observance had its origins in the Eastern Christian Churches, and was originally a general celebration of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and included the commemoration of: his birth; the visit of the Magi, or "Wise Men", who arrived in Bethlehem; all of Jesus' childhood events, up to and including his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist; and even the miracle at the Wedding of Cana in Galilee. However, it seems fairly clear that the Baptism was the event predominantly commemorated.

The date of the feast was very early fixed on January 6. Ancient Liturgies speak of Illuminatio, Manifestatio, Declaratio (Lighting, Manifestation, Declaration); cf. Matthew 3:13–17; Luke 3:22; and John 2:1–11; where the Baptism and the Marriage at Cana are dwelt upon. Christian Churches have traditionally emphasized the "Revelation to the Gentiles" mentioned in Luke, where the term Gentile means all non-Jewish peoples. The Biblical Magi, who represent the non-Jewish peoples of the world, paid homage to the infant Jesus in stark contrast to Herod the Great (King of Judea) who sought to kill him. Saint John Chrysostom identified the significance of the meeting between the Magi and Herod's court: "The star had been hidden from them so that, on finding themselves without their guide, they would have no alternative but to consult the Jews. In this way the birth of Jesus would be made known to all."


Pretty much the end of the Christmas Season today, hope yours was well!

TomC

Saturday, January 5, 2008

SPL Postpone Motherwell Match With Celtic



The Scottish Premier League have agreed to postpone Motherwell's home game with Celtic at Fir Park Sunday in the wake of captain Phil O'Donnell's death.

Motherwell's match with Hibernian, (as well as Celtic's Match with Rangers) which was scheduled for Wednesday, was cancelled after O'Donnell, 35, after suffered a suspected seizure in their contest with Dundee United Saturday afternoon.

Now it has been agreed that their game against the champions will also be rearranged following a plea from the O'Donnell family.

SPL chairman Lex Gold said: "We understand from Phil's family that they would appreciate it if the Motherwell v Celtic game scheduled for Sunday January 6 could be postponed.

"Both clubs are happy to meet the request and we have called the game off."

The decision has been given the full backing of Motherwell manager Mark McGhee.

(Article)

It seems more than appropriate to postpone this match as well, as O'Donnell played for both clubs, and because of its proximity to the funeral.

RIP Phil O'Donnell,

YNWA.

TomC

Thursday, January 3, 2008

The Smoking Lounge Review: Juan Lopez Seleccion No 2

It is now time for the return of one of my favorite parts of this BLOG. My ongoing series on Cuban Robustos, "The Smoking Lounge Review":

Size: 4 7/8"(124 mm)
Gauge: 50
Weight: 11.66 grams
Vitola: Robusto
Tobacco Country: Cuba
Tobacco Procedence: Vuelta Abajo
Factory: El Habanero

Appearance:
This was a rather rustic looking cigar, toothy and there was a noticeable vein on one side. Not a big deal, I have had rather rustic looking cubans before and they have been some of the tastiest i have tried. What really drew my attention to the this cigar was the wrapper. With its rich reddish brown hue and oily sheen (there was even a light crystilization on the wrapper), it was the picture of inviting.

Pre-Light:
The smell of the wrapper itself was amazing. A beautiful rich brown sugar sweetness. Made my mouth water. Clip was easy and produced a clean hut. The pre light draw was just perfect, and it had notes of tangy sweetness, as well as cedar woodiness.

Burn/Draw: The light was easy and without incident, the burn was more of the same "light and forget" goodness, with only a few minor touch ups needed way down toward the end of the stick. The ash was mottled (which seems fairly common in habanos) and VERY firm, when I tried to knock at one and one half inches in length, it was actually a bit of a fight to get it off. As for the draw, it was just perfect, and the cigar burned long and cool and produce pleasant volumes of medium bodied, flavorful smoke. A very pleasant, meditative experience.
Flavors: Up until a recent gift by a very kind Brother Of the Leaf, I really had not thought much of the Seleccion No 2, which is a shame because this cigar was quite the revelation. Upon lighting, there was a nice little burst of white pepper. This was great because I could still smell the fragrant sweetness of the unburned wrapper at this point in time, and the dry spiciness contrasted the rich sweetness of the oily wrapper perfectly. The interesting part to me was, that the sweetness I smelled in the unburned wrapper never really came through in the smoke. This was a nice woody cigar over the first half, with notes of cedar and burning oak, while being underpinned by that great Cuban Horse Stable earthiness we all know and love. The smoke was soft and smooth and hung in the air, enveloping you in the experience. Over the the final third or so it did kick up in strength to a staunch medium and get a bit spicier, black pepper notes replacing the woody notes floating upon the earthiness. Overall a very nice medium/medium cigar. People who like, for example, the Hoyo Epicure No. 2, will most likely enjoy this cigar. I know I did!

TomC