Cigar Of The Day (COTD)

[The Dean]

I tried two new (to me) cigars over the past few days, and I was impressed with both.

First up a few days ago was a Cuban Stock Royal Selection Toro. It caught my eye in a head shop/smoke shop hybrid I had never visited, For a head shop-heavy establishment they actually had a decent number of quality cigars and they all looked to be in good shape. They were kept in cabinet humidors, which can be a big dicey I find. Still, these dark, box pressed beauties struck my eye. The cigars they had with which I am familiar seemed a bit overpriced and I was cash-strapped. I'm glad this set of circumstances led me to try these cigars. Really nice smoke with a pretty complex flavor profile. I think each third of the stick had it's own profile, and it smoked cool and perfectly all the way until I was burning my fingers. I went back and bought a few more (and passed a couple to my cigar smoking buddies.). I think this will be something I will revisit more than occasionally.

Then, while at my regular shop, I noticed a few sticks on the counter and know this typically means these are samples from the distributor/manufacturer. I had just helped the owners out with a cell phone issue and cleaned up and updated their computer and they typically spot me a couple of good smokes for my trouble (I don't charge them for the PC work). So in addition to my Padrons he gave me the new La Gloria Cubana Serie R Esteli #54. He knows I like em full and dark and that I will give him an honest evaluation after trying any free sample. The Esteli is a Nicaraguan puro with plenty of pop. Another relatively complex smoke with a changing profile as I smoked it down. I like the regular Serie R well enough (though it is far from one of my favorites) but this is in a higher class, IMO.

I picked up one more new-to-me stick, East India Trading Company Red Witch MMXII toro. It is from Gurkha---a company whose cigars I typically do not really care for. But what the heck? Sometimes you have to put your preconceptions behind you and experiment a bit. I will report on this sometime in the next day or two. (I'm working from home tomorrow morning and perhaps I'll smoke it on the porch with a nice dark roast coffee while I tend to the weekend email.)

 

[wurglehound]

angel 100 (olive)

 

[The Dean]

angel 100 (olive)

How was it? I have yet to try it. I know these are from the Oliva growers, not Oliva cigars--but both have great reputations. Very curions.

BTW, I have not yet tried that Red Witch, but i will soon. I did try a Swag cigar, gifted by my nephew-in-law. I was entirely unimpressed. Perhaps the cigar was stored improperly (it was a bit dry). But I'm not sure this blend is for me. (And i hate the name.)

Had my second Cuban Stock Royal Selection today. Almost tossed it as it would not draw, despite cutting it more twice and trying like hell to loosen it up. It eventually came around. Not as good as the first (this is why I smoke Padrons) but turned out fine. More investigation is necessary.

 

[Boro62]

had a la palina goldie no 5. might delicous lots of smoke nom nom nom

 

[Tim_McD]

Liga Privada No 9 with a glass of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked bourbon

 

[Headcharge]

Perdomo Lot 23 maduro.

 

[shavious]

La Duena Belicoso

 

[The Dean]

How was it? I have yet to try it. I know these are from the Oliva growers, not Oliva cigars--but both have great reputations. Very curions.

BTW, I have not yet tried that Red Witch, but i will soon. I did try a Swag cigar, gifted by my nephew-in-law. I was entirely unimpressed. Perhaps the cigar was stored improperly (it was a bit dry). But I'm not sure this blend is for me. (And i hate the name.)

Had my second Cuban Stock Royal Selection today. Almost tossed it as it would not draw, despite cutting it more twice and trying like hell to loosen it up. It eventually came around. Not as good as the first (this is why I smoke Padrons) but turned out fine. More investigation is necessary.

Finally tried the Red Witch the other day. First of all I have to admit, I made an early rookie mistake--followed by a mistake rookies and vets alike make.

Rookie mistake: I started smoking this cigar and went "all in" as if it was one of my usual smokes. Immediately I noticed I was not really enjoying this smoke. The draw was fine, so there was no need to be aggressive with it. And I wasn't taking the time to meet the cigar on its own terms. After a couple minutes of this I snapped out of it and started slowing down. (I have a bad habit of smoking a bit too quickly--I'm working on it.) As I slowed down, I started enjoying what it had to offer.

Second mistake. Not so much a mistake in general, as it is a mistake for a new cigar you are attempting to evaluate. I was watching my beloved Buffalo Bills (who eventually lost--God hates me) and I couldn't really concentrate on the flavors of the cigar. But I can tell you I enjoyed the smoke. It may have been the perfect smoke for a time when you are otherwise a bit preoccupied. It wasn't quite as strong and flavorful as the cigars I typically smoke. But it wasn't as worthless as some other mild cigars I get nothing from. If this one-off experience is what I can expect in the future, this might be a perfect cigar to smoke when I am otherwise too preoccupied to pay strict attention. I think if it was spectacular I would have noticed even though I was paying attention to something else. And I know I would have stopped smoking it if it was sub-par.

Overall, I'm thinking this was a nice, medium-bodied (at best), stick with a great draw and no offensive flavors. I will try another and try to smoke it under better circumstances to get a feel for exactly what is going on. But on that night, i was very happy to have smoked it.

 

[wurglehound]

ave maria churchill

 

[shavious]

ave maria churchill

What are your thoughts on the Ave Marias? I've got a 5 pack resting in my humidor and don't really have much to go on about them.

 

[wurglehound]

I've liked all of the ones I've tried so far. I won and 8-stick sampler on cbid a while back, and I only have one left. construction is good, they burn well, and they've got a lot of flavor without being intimidating. I'd say they were a medium to a medium-full, which tends to be right in my wheelhouse. most of the aj Fernandez blends seem pretty good. I liked the pinoleros as well, although in the smaller vitolas instead of the 6x60s I usually like. if you don't like them, maybe we can arrange a trade of some sort.

today's cigar was a tatuaje noella, an excellent little firecracker.

 

[Headcharge]

Black Pearl in toro size.

 

[GA Gator]

MUWAT Bait Fish

 

[kowalzekc]

No cigar tonight. However last night was my first candela wrapper cigar, a Fuente 8-5-8 Candela (Corona) (6.0"x47). I must say is was very smooth but really lacked in the intensity or flavor I wanted. I would take a free one, but I doubt I will spend money on another.

 

[wurglehound]

as part of their corojo line, Camacho made a candela wrapper cigar a few years back. it was an interesting contrast between the candela grassiness (not a bad thing) and corojo bite. I only had a couple of them as part of a sampler, and they discontinued it pretty quickly. the fuente is probably the best of the remaining bunch (although I have a friend who swears by the Thompson candelas--not for me!).

 

[wurglehound]

How was it? I have yet to try it. I know these are from the Oliva growers, not Oliva cigars--but both have great reputations. Very curions.

sorry dean, I just saw this post this evening! I got four 5-pack boxes a few years ago, and i'm down to my last box. they're excellent. you need to let them rest for about six months, but if you can wait (I usually can't), you're rewarded with a smooth rich full-bodied smoke, coffee and leather and a hint of spice. really good. and great construction, too. I have no idea if they're even still available; the name commemorates angel oliva's 100th birthday, and you're absolutely right, they're the growing family, not the makers. whew, that was a long sentence. anyway, I think they were a limited production run. If I remember right I got mine from cigars international. again, sorry I took so long to reply.

as an aside, my last post was in response to kowalzekc candela post. I happened to be in my local tobacco shop today (sidetrack in Bristol, va, great place) when I saw a clearance sale on illusion candelas! I had no idea illusione even made a candela. anyway, I bought one. i'll post impressions as soon as I smoke it, which will be soon, because the wrapper looks like it might fall apart if someone even utters a harsh word.

 

[Hangten]

A bit busy and haven't been able to post. Last night I had a Liga Privada No9. Wonderful smoke! Becoming a huge fan!

 

[Boro62]

as an aside, my last post was in response to kowalzekc candela post. I happened to be in my local tobacco shop today (sidetrack in Bristol, va, great place) when I saw a clearance sale on illusion candelas! I had no idea illusione even made a candela. anyway, I bought one. i'll post impressions as soon as I smoke it, which will be soon, because the wrapper looks like it might fall apart if someone even utters a harsh word.

The candela's that I'm aware of that Illusione makes is the 888, 88, and the holy lance. the 888 is a 6.75 x 48. the 88 is a 5 x 52. the holy lance is 7.5 x 40. Which one did you end up with?

 

[wurglehound]

the 88. i'll probably smoke it on the way home from work tomorrow night (1 hr commute, cigars are a nice fringe benefit), so i'll let you all know. have you had any of them?

 

[Boro62]

the 88. i'll probably smoke it on the way home from work tomorrow night (1 hr commute, cigars are a nice fringe benefit), so i'll let you all know. have you had any of them?

I haven't tried any of the illusione candelas. But I have tried a few other candelas, and wasn't too thrilled with them. The flavor profiles just weren't my cup of tea. So I never really bothered to track down any others. I would definitely smoke them, just not sure if I would spend my money on it.