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| Belinda Black Exquisito | February, 2010 | 90
CG Rating |  | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Mike Huss (mhuss) | | After hearing Bob talk about his Belinda Black's for so long, I finally know what he's talking about... Read More | | Belinda Black Exquisito | February, 2010 | 90
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Richard Favreau - ratboy (ratboy) | | I really enjoyed this smoke. As I had stated previously, I wasn't a customer of JR's but that is goi... Read More | | Belinda Black Exquisito | February, 2010 | 82
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Rich Fry (lowpro75) | | Overall this was an enjoyable smoke. The draw and wrapper issues I had marred the experie... Read More | | Belinda Black Exquisito | February, 2010 | 90
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Jason Sherlock (Jackal) | | This particular flavor profile is not one that I am particularly fond of. However, I beli... Read More | | Belinda Black Exquisito | February, 2010 | 88
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: David Robinson (gitfiddl) | | This was a very enjoyable cigar, worthy of a spot in anyone's humidor. It's not an early ... Read More |
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| Gran Habano GH2 Corona Gorda |  | whodeeni | 3/10/2010 1:33:55 PM | Prelight Draw: Pepper, Raisins, Tobacco & some barnyard musk
Appearance/Feel: Mottled, Kind of ugly wrapper that's oily. It has several obvious veins and a rich copper hue almost akin to a fermented rosado wrapper. This cigar is very firm to the touch with little or no give. Hell it's a value stick
so what can you expect?
1st 3rd: Strong flavors of leather, cedar, and pepper that bunches up on the front of my tongue! The burn is uneven, and this stick is producing tongs of smoke. i now notice coffee mixing in with the leather and pepper is still present on the finish. After about 8 mins, the burn is starting to correct. It's windy outside, butt not overly and very chilly. Cedar, leather, and oak come through and the pepper has subsided. The smoke is kind of dry on the palate right now. The ash is firm and brownish black in color, reminds me of the (Viaje) Exclusivo ash. Cedar and leather come forth as we near the end of the first 3rd. Cedar, caramel, and a hint of pepper is resting on the tongue. Now it playfully transitions into leather, cedar, and nuts. Black coffee essence is now a part of the potpourri of flavors.
2nd 3rd: Burn-wise it's canoed/burning unevenly but not to the point of being corrected. Nuts and leather is what i taste and cream is in now in the mix too! It switches to pepper, leather and espresso as we approach the final 3rd. This reminds me of Ashton's Benchmade (by Pepin). The flavors of leather, nuts, and cream run rampant. The smoke is now oily, and causing my mouth to water for the first time. I think these can only get better with more age.
Final 3rd: Coffee with cream dominates with leatehr on the finish. This is supposed to be considered full bodied, but to me it's medium at best. The burn line has self corrected and it hasn't burned hot at all. Pepper and cedar comes to mind as i continue puffing on this stogie. The body increased to med-full as this one approaches the "nub state". i can finally feel it in my chest. The pepper is gone and the flavors of burnt caramel and cedar intertwine. The ash is now blackish brown. I taste pepper, coffee, nuts, and cedar. Lot's of complexity of a $1.25 stick! The body kicked up a notch to full at the and coffee, cedar, and nuts finished this one off!
Quite Enjoyable! | | CAO Black Lonsdale |  | DocJazzRH | 3/10/2010 12:42:39 PM | | A fine construction with exceptional pre-light aroma, the wrapper was dark with a few light veins with a very nice feel between the fingers. The initial flavor was creamy wood, cedar I am sure with some pepper over the top. The flavor was full, clouds of billowing overhead. The spice built all along the stick but did not turn bitter, the last 1/3rd got a little hot so I did not smoke it to the nub… | | Padilla Habano Torpedo | | cmmayo | 3/10/2010 12:10:29 PM | This is a decent, one-dimensional tasting cigar that can be had on the cheap. It's not exactly mild, but smooth enough for a decent morning smoke.
Almost every Padilla Habano I've smoked has had a fragile wrapper that tends to shatter as I smoke it. However, I really can't complain too much because the near-Habano flavor is pleasant and I don't think I've ever spent more than around $2 on one. | | Don Kiki Brown Label Toro |  | tazmo77 | 3/10/2010 10:36:24 AM | | This is just one fine cigar. The construction is very nice. It lights easily and produces volumes of white/gray smoke. The flavor is slightly chocolate with a woodsy background flavor. It burned well and required no correction during the smoke. Overall, just a great smoking experience. I have only had these in my humidor a couple of weeks and would like to let them rest a bit longer, but am having a hard time doing it due to the great smoke they produce. You just can't go wrong adding this somewhat hard to get cigar to your humidor. They are ususlly available only for a short while, once a year from Cuban Crafters in Miami. | | CAO Maduro Robusto | | Brattapuss | 3/10/2010 7:30:29 AM | | Great Smoke! Smoked this whilst Les smoked the Belicoso. Great, full flavored cigar. I look forawrd to smoking this one again. This vitola doesn't do justice for this cigar, IMHO. I think I need to smoke a longer one to appreciate the taste. Great room note, however. I would definitely look at buying a 5-pack or 10-pack of these. Great dark maduro taste throughout. The wrapper looks MUCH darker than a maduro, however. I would call this an oscuro. I've only had a couple of CAO's, but this one takes the cake for me so far. | | El Rey Del Mundo Olvidados Chateaux X | | southernpacifico | 3/10/2010 7:24:56 AM | I and a BOTL smoked one of these BEAUTIES JOTT.
This is one TOTAL CIGAR PACKAGE!! A sweet looking stick, great smooth Sumatra wrapper, gleaming with oils.
The per-light aroma was woody/spice with sweet tobacco. The light-up was flawless, easy, clean and even. The cut was clean and sharp, no crack-age here.
The Draw was 1st rate with pillows of fluffy smoke clouds. So much so, the room filled quickly with smoke. The draw was right on the mark and countine through out the cigar. The 1st puff, of creamy tobacco and a ever so slight spice.
As I continue to enjoy this most grandest of smoke. A bit of wood came into play, cedar I believe.
As we turn the final corner and had for the finish line. A bit of coffee and coco notes came into the running. The ash held tight and strong with no unsightly flakes.
This is one of the easiest and most enjoyable cigars I have smoked. They are a bit expensive, purchased at 4.50/stick. I'm DAMN glad I purchased a BOX!
Overall, A SOLID 4.5! In time with a little rest, possible a 5 star. That is, if I can keep my hands off them!
Smoke On BOTLs | | CAO L'anniversaire Maduro Belicoso | | Hot Stuff x | 3/10/2010 6:55:27 AM | | This is a beautifully constructed cigar with a very dark (almost an oscuro) wrapper. With about a year of rest, this cigar is medium bodied but full flavored with a light finish. Burn is excellent with no re-lights required. The light gray ash was firm and held well. Draw was also excellent. A bit one-dimensional, I would have liked it better if it was a bit more creamy, but overall a very enjoyable cigar. I think the retail $$ is a bit high for this cigar, but if you can catch them on sale I would recommend going for it. | | Macanudo Cafe Port | | ljlemer | 3/10/2010 2:43:05 AM | | A low 3.5. Fat and short, but slow burning. The flavor was on the bland side and I find fat cigars uncomfortable to smoke. The draw was a little tight and the burn was pretty much even. I didn't taste anything complex. A decent mild cigar, but not special at all. | | Jersey Joe's Robusto Sumatra |  | ljlemer | 3/10/2010 2:35:32 AM | | A high 3. A difficult smoke, medium to full. Presmell is seductive, but the interesting wrapper greets the tongue with bitterness. I never detected any complexity, per se, and the flavor is rugged and even harsh. Both pleasant and unpleasant notes combine to make it a mixed blessing. Greenness is detectible, suggested the maker should age his cigars longer before releasing them. I let it go 3/4 of the way down, tired of the bitterness. Then again, some like it bitter. | | Fonseca 5-50 | | DocJazzRH | 3/9/2010 10:46:52 PM | | Very fine construction a few slight veins in the wrapper, nothing to disturb the burn that was even with a slightly tight draw. The pre-light was mildly sweet and once lit the smoke cloud was pretty full, a blue tinge to it. Initial pepper to the tongue followed an inch later with a good amount of wood. The spiciness withdrew to be replaced with leather and soon after that some solid Maduro sweetness; there was little build in the smoke it was mild to medium throughout the cigar…. | | Rocky Patel Edge Toro Maduro |  | Valdi | 3/9/2010 10:11:45 PM | | This is my 5th cigar from 5 pack sampler I bought back in august 2009 so it is not fresh cigar. The cigar was the worst one from pack of 5. It started very, very strong. After an inch of smoking I felt like somebody put boiling water into my mouth. Right from the beginning I had problem with uneven burn and tight draw (vary unusual for RP). Second third was milder and more pleasant, dark coffee and tobacco taste. In the middle of the second third I did notice strong salty/soapy/citrusy thick film on my lips. Very unusual but very prominent sensation. Strong salty flavors went till the end of the cigar. I have to admit I did like the saltiness. Serious burn issues thru entire cigar. Frankly speaking it was a chore to smoke the cigar to the end. Lately I do not have any luck with RP cigars. | | Tatuaje Cojonu 2006 | | nwb | 3/9/2010 9:41:19 PM | Prelight - A great looking cigar that had my mouth watering. The dark wrapper was smooth, seamless, and oily. It was also very firm and heavy in hand, and looking at the foot, I could tell it was heavily packed. The prelight aroma had a very peppery smell, and the prelight draw tasted rich and peppery as well.
1/2 - Wow, this one almost lifted me out of my shoes. It starts off with a lot of power, but it was very balanced as well. Heavy notes of white pepper, cedar, and leather. The construction was great, and each draw allowed for a cloud of white smoke. The burn started off razor straight and never deviated.
2/2 - The second half really showcased this blend well as it became extremely smooth and complex. I picked up on more cedar, oak, and caramel. A lot of flavors going on here. Construction remained flawless. Toward the nub, a definite sweetness entered the mix as well.
Overall, this cigar was a pleasure to smoke. This one is almost 5 stars. | | Perdomo Grand Cru Maduro | | nwb | 3/9/2010 9:26:43 PM | Prelight - This Nicaraguan puro is a nice specimen, with a dark maduro wrapper and beautiful construction. The wrapper is oily, has few veins, and no noticeable seams. It is also heavy in hand and has a firm bunch. As far as aroma, the foot smells very earthy and has hints of cocoa. The prelight draw is kind of muted, but it tasted earthy as well.
1/2 - Opens with a rich earthiness and a slight bite of black pepper. The draw is superb, allowing copious amounts of deep, creamy smoke that coats the palate. The burn was also exceptional and required no touch-ups.
2/2 - Notes of leather, cocoa, and caramel with spicey nuances throughout. Toward the end, the black pepper made another appearance, which was a nice offset to the mild sweetness of the maduro wrapper.
Overall, this is the best Perdomo I've had to date, and probably the only one I would buy. Nice complexity, great flavor, and typical Perdomo construction. Easily 4 stars. | | Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story | | lowpro75 | 3/9/2010 8:39:35 PM | | The construction was perfect, the ash held firm and the burn stayed lit but it did burn a bit hot. This cigar started off great with some ceder and leather notes. About an inch in it got a bit harsh and I had to back off a bit, maybe I was smoking it too fast. It settled down again but it got harsh on me two more times. The last time I only had an inch and a half left so I tossed it. It took about 30 mins to smoke. I enjoyed the bigger sizes better than this size in the past. | | La Aroma de Cuba Immensa | | southernpacifico | 3/9/2010 8:37:39 PM | I smoked this cigar at my local B&M 2nd Annual Freeze Your Ash Off event, and won.
This was a nice constructed, firm with a nice heft in the hand. The smooth wrapper and dark brown color was eye appealing.
The pre-light aroma was of a spicy barnyard. The head cut clean with no cracks. The light-up was nice and even. Even though I had to use a cigar match, outside with a slight breeze.
It draws nice and easy with a ever so slight drag. The cigar starts out a little spicy, but mellows out nicely. The cigar produces pillows of cool flavorful smoke. There was no maintenance required at any time during the smoke.
The ash won me this competition with the ash measuring 3 3/8".
I enjoyed this mild/medium smoke. The next time I smoke one, I will give it my whole attention on flavors offered. A solid 4. |
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