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| The 2019 Marine Toys for Tots drive was another great success. Thanks to all who participated! We raised
a total of $1188.00 for the kids! A special thanks goes out to Emerson (McBryde) for stepping up to run the drive again this year. It was the way to earn the Toys for Tots badge for being a contributor. If you gave a kit for auction, win an auction, or donate at least $25 you were awarded the badge  |  |
| | | The points contest is under way for the month of May. The 26 members with the most points for the month have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Famous Smoke Shop. You can read the details HERE. To view the previous month's contest results see here. |
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| AVO LE 05 2017 (Lost Edition) | May, 2020 | 79
CG Rating |  | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: DRuff | | A well constructed, attractive cigar with no real personality. I imagined it would be good with a cu... Read More | | AVO LE 05 2017 (Lost Edition) | May, 2020 | 79
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: arrow34 | | A great cigar, initially a bit of a strange burn. But settled out. Overall a great cigar,... Read More | | AVO LE 05 2017 (Lost Edition) | May, 2020 | 78
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Brlesq | | I want to thank the critique sponsor, Privada Cigar Club, for the opportunity to try this cigar. Tot... Read More | | AVO LE 05 2017 (Lost Edition) | May, 2020 | 87
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Joe McDowell, aka MacMac (MacMac) | | The flavor progressed to an earthy flavor with a hint of minerals. The leathery hint remained in the... Read More |
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| Foundry Chillin' Moose Too Robusto |  | MOKnight | 5/26/2020 9:42 PM | | I've had a few of this blend in a couple different vitolas, but the first robusto was the best. All of them since that first have been less than ideal. Occasional whiffs of cinnamon and leather in the aroma, but the taste itself is what brings it down. With the exception of a little earth and dabs of sweet tobacco here and there the flavours are unrefined and not really developed very well. Kind of a mix between vegetables and some natural tobacco notes. | | Montecristo Crafted by AJ Fernandez Figuarado |  | Murphy223 | 5/25/2020 12:46 PM | Wow am I glad this was only a 4” cigar. It kicked my butt. Small in size but huge in flavor and full bodied from start to finish.
A beautiful little stick. Dark, oily wrapper with a spicy cold draw. There are 3 bands which just about take up the entire cigar 😀.
Initially spicy, it mellowed a bit and was an amazing smoke full of earthy flavors.
Lots of smoke. Nice grey ash which held the entire time.
Excellent smoke!! | | La Herencia Cubana CORE Toro |  | tuck0411 | 5/24/2020 6:54 PM | Humidor time: 352 days
Appearance and construction: A couple minor veins, an oily sheen, a smooth box-press, and a moderately soft pack with no soft spots... Gave it a punch and PLD was moderately tight. (12/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a full-bodied profile with a spicy retro and notes of leather, black pepper, and a hint of chocolate. The spice in the nose faded through the first third with the other flavors remaining consistent for the duration. Very tasty and about what I remember from smoking this blend in the saloman vitola last weekend. Strength was about medium or a bit better. (22/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn got lopsided in the first third and got a touch-up prior to the first ashing. The ash dropped past 2" with no cone left behind. More lopsidedness occurred in the 2nd third with another touch-up and then a third at the beginning of the last third. Draw and smoke output were at the low side of optimal throughout. (14/25)
Overall impression: Pretty decent smoke, construction issues aside. Flavor was close to my wheelhouse for a full-bodied stick and smoke output was adequate, so I'd smoke this one again and when I do I think I'll give it a straight cut to see if that will improve the burn and overall performance. I'm definitely an LHC fan and this one may have been a fluke in terms of the performance issues. (21/35)
Burn time: 1:23
Rating: 69 | | Oliva/ Studio Tabac Serie V Liga Especial Churchill Extra |  | druid | 5/24/2020 3:40 PM | | Solid & dark, the wrapper is slightly mottled & leather-looking, a couple small veins & somewhat uneven surface oils. PLA cut hay, green coffee & faint barn; PLT faint sour citrus & mild tobacco; PLD moderate. Fairly normal toast & light, the draw has a just-right resistance that stays all the way through, the burn is razor-sharp, & a pepper-tingly mild leather smoke. Spiced coffee, cocoa, & black & white pepper come on strong but not nasty. The body is immediately full & the retro blasts out the nose. Nuttiness & a myriad of spices emerge. The cigar settles in for the long haul, spicy but never bitter & with a pleasant oiliness to the flavors (the oils obviously run deep). The finish is surprisingly mellow for all the fullness. This is a must-smoke cigar! (95) | | Punch (Core Line) After Dinner Maduro |  | tuck0411 | 5/24/2020 12:47 PM | Humidor time: 350 days in mine, unknown in someone else's...
Appearance and construction: A couple of veins, an oily sheen, and a firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it a punch and PLD was tight and this also resulted in the cap cracking and the wrapper trying to unfurl at the head, but I managed to minimize it with a saliva application. I then clipped it with the guillotine, but this only improved the draw slightly. (12/15)
Flavor: Got nothing from PLA. The light gave a medium/full profile with notes of coffee and chocolate and a hint of black pepper. As the smoke progressed, the chocolate note gradually ramped up and became predominant by the 2nd half with the body reaching full territory. Quite tasty, but it could have used some spice to balance the sweetness. Strength was medium at best. (22/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced a moderately easy draw, OK smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn stayed even through the first third with draw and smoke output both reaching optimal and the ash falling just past 1" leaving a small cone. Things were then uneventful down to the nub. (23/25)
Overall impression: A very nice smoke, this one. More of an "after breakfast" smoke, in my case, but I didn't suffer any adverse nicotine effects from making it my first smoke of the day. Nice flavors, mostly great construction, not much here to dislike and I'd smoke it again. (30/35)
Burn time: 1:40
Rating: 87 | | Man O' War Damnation Torpedo No. 2 | | tuck0411 | 5/23/2020 10:49 PM | Humidor time: 351 days
Appearance and construction: A couple of minor veins, an oily sheen, and a firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it three clips with the guillotine and PLD was tight. (12/15)
Flavor: PLA gave whiffs of earth and barnyard. The light gave a full-bodied profile with notes of leather, black coffee, and black pepper and this stayed consistent throughout without much variation or transition. Fairly tasty and similar to the Man O' War core line with maybe a bit more body and intensity. Strength was medium or a bit better. (20/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced a tight draw, thin smoke, and an even burn to start. I quickly gave it a 4th clip and this improved things to an acceptable degree. The burn was wavy but self-correcting through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/2" leaving a small cone. The burn got wavy, then lopsided in the 2nd third and a touch-up was needed. The burn continued to misbehave and a 2nd touch-up was applied a bit further on prior to reaching the nub. Draw and smoke output were near optimal throughout following the 4th clip. (16/25)
Overall impression: Not the best Man O' War stick I've had what with the construction issues affecting the burn. A tight pack and the broadleaf wrapper, so issues are to be expected, I suppose, but I will update this review should the rest of this five pack perform any better. (21/35)
Burn time: 1:41
Rating: 69 | | Oliva/ Studio Tabac 2nds Liga M Churchill | | tuck0411 | 5/23/2020 6:39 PM | Humidor time: 351 days
Appearance and construction: A couple of minor veins, an oily sheen, and a moderately soft pack with a few soft spots near the head... Gave it a punch and PLD was moderately open. (11/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium/full profile with a spicy retro and notes of coffee and leather and hints of chocolate and black pepper. Apart from the spice in the nose fading and the black pepper ramping up a bit in the 2nd third, this stayed fairly consistent throughout. Quite tasty and about what I remembered from smoking other vitolas from this blend. Strength was a bit past medium. (23/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The wrapper split near the foot shortly after the light, but this didn't cause any problems and the burn line stayed razor sharp through the first third with the ash dropping at about 2" leaving a cone. Things were then very uneventful down to the nub. Draw and smoke output were optimal throughout. (25/25)
Overall impression: Another great smoke from Oliva and I was hard-pressed to figure out why this stick was a 2nd, at least at first glance, but the soft head may have been the reason, I suppose, although it didn't affect smokeability in any way. I think I mentioned in a review of another vitola from this blend that I thought this was probably the 2nd of the Master Blends III and this one didn't change that opinion. In any case the rest of this bundle of 15 will make great commute smokes. (33/35)
Burn time: 1:45
Rating: 92 | | Boneshaker Full Body Cast War Hammer | | druid | 5/23/2020 3:44 PM | | I only rested this a couple weeks, I was so anxious to try it: A large, fairly solid stick, an oily, very dark wrap & no veins PLA very barn-y; PLT dark, bread-y & raisin-y; PLD mod. An easy toast & light for the vitola, an even burn, a mod draw, & a sandy, peppery smoke. Full-bodied from the get-go with black pepper, earth, tangy leather & cedar leading. The pepper soon turns red & salt, dark chocolate, sweet berries & fruit, coffee & cream, nuts & lots of spices come on strong. The full flavors swirl & mix, varying the palette and the finish deliciously. Did I mention the full body? I mean ass-kicking full. This is the possibly the best $4 cigar I've ever had. (94) | | CLE Cuarenta Robusto | | mhuss | 5/23/2020 11:26 AM | I felt this cigar was a huge disappointment, even though I had no idea what to really expect. I hadn't really heard of this brand before I stumbled upon it at the shop. But ya never know until ya try. I found the flavor to be really bland throughout much of the smoke. The cigar turned fairly bitter toward the end. The burn was pretty quick too. I didn't realize just how short the smoke was until it seemed to end abruptly. I have another CLE branded cigar in my humi that I also just picked up. Hopefully that one will be better than this one.
| | Ventura Cigar Archetype Axis Mundi Robusto | | mhuss | 5/23/2020 11:23 AM | | This Axis Mundi is quickly becoming one of my new favorite cigars! This is the second one of these I've had in as many weeks. The first one was so good, I had to head back to the shop to pick up another just to make sure I enjoyed it that much. Sure enough, after lighting up a second one, it was confirmed. This stick is one delicious and enjoyable smoke! The construction is great, with a smooth, veinless wrapper. The lighting was easy and the burn was straight for the entire smoke. The aroma is so inviting and enticing, with notes of hickory wood, earth, light pepper, cream and cumin. The flavors are so well-rounded and balanced, as well. I tasted plenty of wood, earth, pepper, cumin, leather, cream and hints of herbs. The body is definitely full on this smoke and really satisfied my palate and nicotine urge. I definitely love a full-bodied and full-flavored cigar and this stick delivers. |
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