A Cigar Smokers Journal

Cigar Review: Camacho Diploma Scorpion

March 2, 2009

Camacho Diploma

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not the biggest fan of Camacho cigars in the world. I did however enjoy the 11/18 when it first came out, but I slowly began to wander from the cigar and I rarely visit it. A few months ago I got the Camacho Diploma Scorpion in a cigar pass with the intention to review it, but I kept putting it off. So today I am smoking this stick with an open mind, and the mantra of don’t put off for tomorrow, what you can do today.

Cigar: Camacho Diploma
Size: 6 x 54 (Diploma)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Authentic Honduran
Binder: Authentic Honduran Corojo
Filler: Authentic Honduran Corojo

Appearance & Construction (17/20): This stick sports a very toothy looking wrapper, that has veins galore, some of which are very prominent. The wrapper is virtually seamless, the roll is exquisite. The cigar which feels light in the hand, has a nice band with colors of gold, brown, and black. On the side of the band is the words, quinto corte which means fifth priming. These are the top most leaves of the corojo plant which receive the most sunlight.

Flavor & Notes (26/30): As I light the cigar I am greeted with a nice volume of smoke from this cigar which features some nice nutty notes with a touch of pepper on the back of the throat, nothing overpowering here, but it is noticeable. When the smoke is exhaled through the nose there are some wonderful mesquite notes that become stronger as we reach the second third. As we reach the mid way point the cigar begins to lose some of its flavor as notes of leather begin to emerge which overpowers the mesquite notes. I found this to be extremely frustrating. As we reach the final third of the smoke, thankfully the leather notes fade and the notes of nuts taking center stage, with some leather notes through the nose. It is ashame the cigar finished this way because it was heading toward a 30pt section.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): This cigar smokes fast to start, but it slows down some at the midway point. The burn line is surprisingly straight, and the ash is a medium gray that is slightly flaky but manages to hold on fairly well. The draw is very loose which is a tad disappointing.

Overall (22/25): This cigar was the tale of two halves. The first half of the smoke was an amazing smoke with some great notes, that quickly went down hill. It did do enough though to rekindle and interest in Camacho cigars for me, but it left me a little disappointed as I finished the smoke.

Rating: 88
Price: $11.00

5 Comments | Cigar Reviews | Tagged: camacho, Diploma, Honduras, Scorpion | Permalink
Posted by Barry

Sunday Links!

March 1, 2009

Arganse Golf Event

There is a saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. That is the case here in the Northeast. Monday they are predicting 8″ of snow, and I for one welcome it. Winter does not feel right to me without a major snowstorm, and NYC has yet to have one this year. Once it is out of the way I will be ready for spring and I will feel complete.

Arganese Cigars: The great people over at Arganese are hosting a Golf Outing at the Winnapaug Country Club in Westerly, Rhode Island. For $150.00 you get to golf, the use of a cart, lunch, dinner and of course cigars. Having met Gene Arganese, as well as Angel & Sandy I can tell you they are a blast to be around. If you enjoy cigars, golf and good people this event is for you… For more information call Angel or Sandy at 401-622-4505.

Oliva Cigars: Oliva has finally launched a cigar for the mild cigar smoker out there. The Oliva Connecticut Reserve comes in 6 vitolas, with an Ecuadorian Shade wrapper, and Nicaraguan binder and filler. The cigar features no ligero tobacco and the filler is seco and visio tobacco. I should have a review posted next weekend on this smoke.

And now on to the links.

Stogie Review had a review on the Oliva Connecticut Reserve and he was very happy with the stick.

Nice Tight Ash has a review of the Xikar Travel Humidor which I also use to transport my sticks.

In The Humdor gives the Padilla Achilles Salomon 3.25 stars out of 5.

Hope you have/had a great weekend….

1 Comment | Cigar Ramblings | Tagged: arganese, snow, spring, sunday links, winter | Permalink
Posted by Barry

Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Vintage 1990

February 28, 2009

Rocky Patel Vintage 1990

I ran into the Rocky Patel representative today and she gifted me with the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 after I mentioned I just reviewed the 1992 this past week. So I figured I would continue the vintage trend and cross this one off my list.

Cigar: Rocky Patel Vintage 1990
Size: 5.5 x 50 (Robusto)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Broadleaf Honduran Leaf Aged 12 Years
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican & Nicaragua

Appearance & Construction (18/20): The Vintage 1990 is a slightly box pressed cigar is a seamlessly rolled cigar with only a trace of veins on the wrapper. The simple double band sports colors of red and maroon that fit this classic Rocky Patel stick. The cigar has a nice weight to it and the foot reveals a well packed stick to it.

Flavor & Notes (28/30): The notes one gets when inhaling the foot of the cigar is what sets the 1990 apart from others. The sweet cherry and caramel notes are a delicious treat to the sense of smell, that continue on to the palate with the prelight draw. The initial third of the smoke has some nutty caramel notes that take you away to another place and leaves the days troubles behind. The second third of the cigar, cherry notes join the caramel, and the nuts remain but in the background. The cigar concludes with some nice nutty notes and a caramel finish.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): The burn of the smoke is clean and crisp all the way through. The ash is a tight and gray and holds on forever. The draw has a slight resistance but does not require any hard work.

Overall (24/25): My favorite cigar from the Rocky Patel family, with a consistent flavor profile.

Rating: 93
Price: $94.99 box of 20

2 Comments | Cigar Reviews | Tagged: robusto, rocky patel, vintage 1992 | Permalink
Posted by Barry

Cigar Review: Davidoff Reserva 12

February 27, 2009

Davidoff Reserva 12

A friend in a cigar shop I spend some time in gifted me with today’s smoke, the Davidoff Reserva 12. It amazes me how often someone will gift me a cigar, but I am totally floored when it is a cigar of this nature. Five different filler tobaccos were used to produce Davidoff’s Reserva 12 limited edition cigar for 2008. As the name suggests, the cigar’s blend of filler tobaccos were seasoned for up to 12 years in the Dominican Republic. This limited edition Robusto-size cigar measures 5 ½ inches in length with a ring gauge of 52. The Reserva 12 is available in wooden boxes of 10 from selected tobacconists. Here is a breakdown of the blend:

Cigar: Davidoff Reserva 12
Size: 5,5 x52
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper:Ecuador Special Sun Grown
Binder: Dominican Olor
Filler: San Vicente Ligero, Piloto Seco, Jalapa Especial Ligero, Corojo/Olor

Appearance & Construction (20/20): A typical looking Davidoff with the exception of a slightly darker wrapper with minimal veins and an exquisitely placed cap. The cigar sports the classic Davidoff label, with the secondary band stating ‘Reserva 12′. It is virtually impossible to find a flaw on this cigar.

Flavor & Notes (29/30): The flavor profile on this cigar is totally different than a regular Davidoff cigar with the exception of the prelight draw which was typical of a Davidoff offering notes of earth/grass. Once lighting the smoke the sun grown wrapper is evident as there is a slight pepper, which during the first third of the smoke is joined by notes of wood. As we approach the middle portion of the cigar some feint grassy notes begin to emerge with nice toasted wood notes and a touch of leather. As we finish the final third of the smoke, notes of wood remain with some leather.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): The burn is as always for a Davidoff flawless. The ash started off with a huge flowering effect, that after an 1/8th of an inch the ash corrected itself and remained strong and tight. I only had to ash 3 times. Once at the half way point, once at the label and I had an ash left when I put the nub down. The color of the ash was a very light gray with some dark spots here and there.. The burn started off jagged, but it too corrected itself rather quickly and remained straight throughout the smoke.

Overall (25/25): This cigar is hands down the best Davidoff that I have ever had, and it is easily in the top 10 cigars that I have ever smoked. From the initial light to the last puff, the cigar was just what the Doctor ordered. A relaxing journey to good mental health. Even with the high price tag of $18.50 a stick this cigar is well worth the price but it should be saved in your humidor for those days you need to wash the stress away.

Rating: 97
Price: $185.00 a box of 10

1 Comment | Cigar Reviews | Tagged: davidoff, Domincian Puro, limited edition, Reserva 12 | Permalink
Posted by Barry

Cigar Review: Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte

February 25, 2009

Today’s review comes courtesy of TriMarkC, one of the regulars readers of acigarsmoker.com as well as a follower on Twitter. He recently contacted me asking if I could post a guest review from him, and I agreed. His guest review of the Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte pretty much fits my own thoughts on the cigar.

Cigar: Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte
Size: 6.25 x 54 (Toro/Madrid)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper:Honduras
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua

Sancho Panza cigars have this image for me as designed for “experienced smokers only”. A few months ago I purchased a “90+ Sampler” box of four Sancho Panzas to give this brand a try, and today I’m having the Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte Madrid. It is a 91-rated cigar, and right out of the box it looks like it might live up to its rating. While a larger, darker cigar than I generally would buy, its a beautiful cigar – dark reddish-brown wrapper, hardly any veins, and a smooth, velvety feel to it. Pre-light, it has an earthy smell, different than any cigar I’ve had before.

When I lit up the Madrid today, I immediately tasted pepper and spice. Not unpleasant, but surprising. I’m newer to cigars, of only about three years. It started with an easy draw, maybe a bit too easy, but good so far. Quite a bit of smoke, which is producing a nice aroma.

As I continued to the halfway point, the burn is off. I’ve had to relight it three times – once when it went out and twice to correct the burn as one side is having a hard time staying lit. The pepper taste has mostly mellowed, and its become a nice medium cigar now. I can easily imagine enjoying this cigar next time with cognac, a nice straight scotch, or even a smokey sherry to offset some of spice.

With two inches to go, say about an inch of smoking left, the peppery spice is back again. I’m also picking up some leathery tones on the backside, too. The volume of smoke has reduced, while the draw is a little tighter now.

At the finish, the Madrid was becoming acrid, and once again, one side had gone out. So I let it die out with about 1 1/2 inches left.

The Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte Madrid is definitely a medium-to-full bodied cigar, with a lot of variety in flavor as you progress through the cigar. The inconsistent burn was an issue, and the constant relighting might have added to some of the bitterness I tasted at the end.

Overall, I would still give this cigar another try, but, as I noted before, with an adult beverage to smooth it out a bit.

Rating: 87
Price: 52.99 @ Famous Cigars (Box of 20)

Thank you Mark for a great review, your contribution is appreciated!

2 Comments | Cigar Reviews | Tagged: Extra Fuerte, guest review, Honduras, Sancho Panza | Permalink
Posted by Barry

Contest Winner: CAO America Bottlerockets!

February 25, 2009

CAO America Bottlerocket Contest Voting Results

Congratulations to our winner, to see the winning entry click here.

3 Comments | Cigar Ramblings | Permalink
Posted by Barry

Cigar Review: Rocky Patel 1992

February 24, 2009

Rocky Patel Vintage 1992

It’s hard to believe that 10 months into acigarsmoker.com that I have yet to review the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992. One of my first go to smokes, I lost my way and started smoking new stuff every time I lit up. Today I decided to take a trip down memory lane. While I prefer the 1990 I found this stick in the back of my humidor and I decided to share the experience on the Internet.

Cigar: Rocky Patel Vintage 1992
Size: 5.5 x 50 (Robusto)
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra Aged 10 Years
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican & Nicaragua Aged 8 Years

Appearance & Construction (18/20): This slightly box pressed cigar has some thin veins adorning the wrapper, and virtually has no seems. The foot of the cigar reveals a well packed stick that has a good weight to it. The simple double band sports colors of red and maroon that fit this classic Rocky Patel stick. The only flaw was the slightly week cap, that has a tendency to unravel a bit from time to time, stick to stick.

Flavor & Notes (27/30): The prelight draw on this stick reveals a sweet black cherry note that reminds me of a Dr. Browns soda. It is a note I always get from these sticks, yet I have not found a reviewer to make reference to it. Once the cigar is lit, there is a totally different experience. Right off the bat you are hit with notes of earth, which is normally a note I am not a fan of. However, on the Rocky Patel Vintage 1992 the earth has a richness to it which makes it enjoyable. As we reach the transition point to the 2nd third of the smoke notes of coffee and nuts. The final third of the cigar has some really nice coffee notes making this the perfect cigar to enjoy after dinner.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): The draw of this smoke from prelight, to toasting, to nub is perfect all the way through. The ash was a little flaky and it could of held a little better but the ash was a very light shade of gray almost bordering on white. The burn was very straight which is always a nice thing.

Overall (23/25): Even though I prefer the Vintage 1990 the 1992 remains one of my favorite Rocky Patel cigars. A great flavor profile, and a nice draw made this cigar a perfect way to end the day.

Rating: 91
Price: $122 a box at TS Cigars

4 Comments | Cigar Reviews | Tagged: 1992, Aged, robusto, rocky patel, vintage | Permalink
Posted by Barry

Trip Report: Barrister Cigars Visits Rocky Patel

February 23, 2009

Barrister Boys In The Field!

About a week ago my friends at Barrister Cigars went to the Rocky Patel factory. Ever the gracious host the owner of Barrister invited me to go on the trip but due to certain circumstances I was unable to commit to the trip. Dave was nice enough to file the following report for the website.

Rocky Patel 2009 Honduras Trip

As we leave Barrister Cigars at 3:00 a.m. for our 5:45 flight, there is an equal sense of excitement and exhaustion. Sleeping on the flights gets us into Tegucigalpa ready to go. We are met by Nimish Patel, Rocky’s cousin, who will be our host for the trip as well as Oscar, our bus driver, jack of all trade helper. The bus is stocked with cigars, beer, soda and water which makes the 2 hour drive to the new hacienda quite enjoyable.

When we arrive at the hacienda, we are provided a fabulous Spanish food lunch followed by an afternoon of lounging by the pool, poker and dominoes. Dinner is a beautiful barbecue after which we all turned in early.

We awoke to a fantastic home cooked breakfast after which we piled into the bus to head to the tobacco fields. The tobacco fields are owned by Nestor Plasencia and we were able to see the growing process from seed to leaf including plantation, replanting, harvesting, sorting and fermentation. Over the course of time, a tobacco leaf is touched by more than 100 pairs of hands from plantation to finished cigar. To say it is labor intensive is an understatement.

After a stop for sweet corn on the cob on the side of the road, we went to see the box making factory. The factory is essentially a lumber yard where all of the boxes are made by hand from start to finish. We then returned to the hacienda for more food, drinks and relaxation.

The next day, after yet another great breakfast, we went to see Rocky’s factory. We saw how Rocky does a resort of the incoming tobacco leaves and ferments them a third time. We were shown how to construct a cigar and then given the opportunity to make our own blend which was then rolled for us. (they even gave us a five pack of our own blend to take home!) The thing that impressed me the most is the quality control. Each cigar is checked and rechecked and every cigar is draw tested to ensure that every Rocky cigar will smoke well.

The last night, they hired a band for a party at the Hacienda. At the party, we had the opportunity to spend time with Nestor Plasencia and learned a tremendous amount about growing tobacco.

In conclusion, the trip was a tremendous learning experience that we all enjoyed. If you get the opportunity to go with your local B & M, I highly recommend it.

David Mallow
Barrister Cigars

To view more photos of the trip check out Shutterfly

2 Comments | Cigar Ramblings | Tagged: 2009 Barrister Trip, Honduras, rocky patel | Permalink
Posted by Barry

Sunday Links

February 22, 2009

Another week has come and gone and my personal highlight of the week was attending last nights Islanders vs Devils game and watching the game from a luxury box. A friend from Cigar Outcast gave me 2 tickets and I had a blast. I took some amazing photographs which I should have on-line in about a week and the Islanders won 4-0. I couldn’t have asked for a better night. Then to top it off last night I had numerous Margaritas with a friend to start the celebration early. You see today 2/22 is National Margarita day, so break out the tequila and have a drink!

Also thanks to the few who entered the contest all but one entry was allowed due to copyright issues, and those of you who had multiple entries I had to choose the picture I thought was best that didn’t have other people in the picture due to the lack of a release. So please view the pictures below and vote in the poll. The poll will be active til Tuesday night 2/24 at 11:59pm.

Cigar Inspector has a really nice video on their website with the gorgeous Aria Giovanni showing how to cut a cigar.

Keepers Of The Flame has a really nice review of the Camacho Havana Monarca.

Smoke Signals has a great posting about The Brotherhood Of The Leaf.

Choice: A

Choice: B

Choice: C

Choice: D

Winner: Choice A

19 Comments | Cigar Reviews | Permalink
Posted by Barry

Cigar Review: Montecristo Reserva Negra

February 21, 2009

Montecristo Reserva Negra

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest this week, the images will be up for voting on Sunday with the Sunday Links. Today’s smoke comes courtesy of the Altadis VIP program and according to the Altadis website all cigars in this line come “square pressed”.

Cigar: Montecristo Reserve Negra
Size: 6 1/8 x 52 (Belicoso)
Wrapper: San Andres Morron (Mexico)
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Honduras & Nicaragua

Appearance & Construction (18/20): A “square pressed” cigar with a nice amount of oils sports a chocolate colored wrapper with minimal veins. The foot reveals a well packed smoke with a nice weight to the cigar. The label is the classic Montecristo logo in black and gold and it is evident that the color combination is the best of the Montecristo line.

Flavor & Notes (28/30): I love a cigar with a strong scent from the foot and this cigar does not disappoint. The stick has strong notes of a very sweet caramel on both the foot and the prelight draw. The first third of the smoke is wonderfully rich and pleasant with notes of chocolate and caramel that explode on your palate. The notes of this smoke remain strong in the second half with chocolate becoming the dominant note with a hint of caramel. As we approach the final third of the smoke there are some really incredibly defined notes of licorice that were pure heaven.

Burn/Ash/Draw (18/25): The cigar has a draw with a slight resistance that is amplified somewhat from the fact is a belicoso and pressed. The ash is a dark gray that is flaky and doesn’t hold well, as I lost a 1/2 inch ash a couple of times on its own accord. The burn was uneven at times and needed a couple of corrections, which is annoying and reflects in the point total for the category

Overall (22/25): It is a shame this smoke had some serious burn issues and the cigar has a really nice flavor profile. The price point is a little high, and you can find a similar profile in other cigars, but there is something about this smoke that I really like. The flavor profile suits me really well, and the cigar is on the stronger side of medium bodied so it is for the seasoned cigar smoker, not the cigar newbie.

Rating: 86
Price: $11.00

1 Comment | Cigar Reviews | Permalink
Posted by Barry

A Cigar Smokers Journal

Cigar Review: Camacho Diploma Scorpion

Sunday Links!

Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Vintage 1990

Cigar Review: Davidoff Reserva 12

Cigar Review: Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte

Contest Winner: CAO America Bottlerockets!

Cigar Review: Rocky Patel 1992

Trip Report: Barrister Cigars Visits Rocky Patel

Rocky Patel 2009 Honduras Trip

Sunday Links

Cigar Review: Montecristo Reserva Negra

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