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|  | The Annual “Cigars for Troops” drive is under way. This is a great opportunity to give back to those who protect our freedoms and earn the coveted "Troop Supporter" badge at the same time. You can find information here: http://www.cigargeeks.com/community/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=5418... A special thanks goes out to Nathan (nwb) for running the drive again.
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| | The 2021 Marine Toys for Tots drive is under way again this year. This is the way to earn the Toys for Tots badge for being a contributor. If you give a kit for auction, win an auction, or donate at least $20 you will be awarded the badge A special thanks goes out to Emerson (McBryde) for stepping up to run the drive again this year.  |  |
| | | The points contest is under way for the month of August. 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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| Camacho Liberty 2021 | September, 2021 | 89
CG Rating |  | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Murphy223 | | Thanks to Kevin (wescat) and Bruce for allowing me to participate. This one was fun. Overall, I enjo... Read More | | Camacho Liberty 2021 | September, 2021 | 86
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: tuck0411 | | Pretty nice smoke, this one, the uneven burn and needed maintenance aside. Flavor for days and if I ... Read More | | Camacho Liberty 2021 | September, 2021 | 92
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: nirab | | I really enjoyed this cigar. The oak notes were perfect with the coffee and pepper, and the natural ... Read More | | Camacho Liberty 2021 | September, 2021 | 83
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Nick (nkowal) | | The Camacho Liberty 2021 was a bit of a disappointment given the high bar I have for the Liberty ser... Read More | | Camacho Liberty 2021 | September, 2021 | 87
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Steve Ladd (Caveman Steve) | | All in all, this was real pleasure to smoke. The performance of the cigar itself overcame... Read More |
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| Flatbed Cigar Co. Track 7 |  | HolySmokes | 8/7/2022 10:29 PM | Stored 132 days at 70%RH.
Prelight: This cigar is pretty ugly. The wrapper is rustic, with minimum sheen, veiny, and dark. There were some imperfections throughout but may have been from handling. The cap was not applied well. I didn’t pick up a distinct aroma. I used a punch to hog out a couple holes. The draw was super open with minimal resistance.
Postlight: As expected it was tough getting the cigar to light off. It started pretty wavy and required a few touchups. The smoke volume was decent put it took three to four puffs to get a good burn line. Flavors of a sweet nuttiness are dominant. There is an earth tone but not the front player. The retrohale is mild with no spice.
2/3: First ash at over an 1.5”. The ash is flaky but held on. The smoke output has increased drastically and the burn becoming more even. Retrohale remains smooth through second third. Body is medium-full. Flavors haven’t transitioned much.
3/3: Band was removed without wrapper damage. Cigar starting to smoke a bit hot. Flavors to intensify to full strength. Retrohale adds a touch of spice. Overall the cigar was decent. I had to touchup the burn more than I would have liked. It does hit hard if you are in for a full body and strength smoke. Final smoke time 1:31min | | Davidoff Winston Churchill The Late Hour Churchill |  | HolySmokes | 8/7/2022 8:58 PM | Stored 189 days at 70%RH.
Prelight: The cigar has a nice even chocolate bar tone throughout. The seams were near invisible although it didn’t take away from the overall appearance. There was noticeable tooth but it wasn’t a dry rustic look, there was a nice even sheen. The cap was applied well. I used a straight cut to produce a near perfect draw.
Postlight: Toasting took a little bit longer although it is pretty humid out. Once lit the cigar was self correcting. The smoke volume is plentiful. The cigar has a very clean earthiness. It doesn’t have a strong dirtiness. It tastes refined. First ash at about an inch. Ash is a bit flaky. The burn line started getting a little sideways on me.
2/3: The cigar is tasting great. Add some sweetness to the clean earth. So far Medium body. Retrohale is adds an additional layer of nuttiness with only a faint hint of spice. Towards the end of the second third the smoke volume increases substantially. The the Retrohale offers medium strength spice ramping up but still adding to the overall flavor profile.
3/3: The last third seems to have toned down a bit. The flavors have started to tone down from the last third. Both bands were removed with no wrapper damage. Overall great tasting cigar. I did have to touchup more often but the smooth taste and quality not the point. Final smoking time, 2hr8min. | | La Barba Ricochet Cru Mexi-Sol Gran Robusto |  | tuck0411 | 8/7/2022 3:48 PM | Humidor time: 522 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 72, foot - 66
Appearance and construction: A few veins, a light sheen, and a moderately firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it a wide-ring punch and PLD was open. (12/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a full-bodied profile with a spicy retro and notes of black pepper, leather, charred wood, spice, and a hint of sweetness. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors mellowing a bit through the first third and the body receding towards medium/full but otherwise staying consistent through the remainder. No transitions to note, but this was very flavorful with plenty of spice to balance the other flavors. Strength was about medium. (23/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an wavy burn to start. The burn quickly evened out and stayed that way through the first half of the first third, then started getting wavy and then lopsided before the first ashing, which left no cone to speak of. I let it go without a touch-up in hopes it would self-correct and it finally did and then continued more or less uneventfully down to the nub. Draw and smoke output remained optimal throughout. (21/25)
Overall impression: This was easily the best of this LB sampler I've been working through. Great flavors and still not the best construction, but it managed to escape needing any maintenance. Very good smoke and I'd definitely smoke it again. (29/35)
Burn time: 1:10
Rating: 85 | | Blackbird Cigar Co. "The Vince" Toro BP (Privada CC Exclusive) | | tuck0411 | 8/7/2022 11:21 AM | Humidor time: 522 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 64, foot - 61
Appearance and construction: A couple minor veins, a light sheen, a flat box-press, a pig-tail foot, and a moderately firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it a punch and PLD was open. (13/15)
Flavor: Got nothing from PLA. The light gave a full-bodied profile with a spicy retro and notes of black pepper, leather, chocolate, and spice. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors staying consistent throughout. No transitions to note, but this was very tasty with plenty of spice to balance the other flavors. Strength was about medium or a bit better. (24/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn was a bit wavy but self-correcting through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/2" leaving a cone. The burn continued a bit wavy, and even lopsided, through the 2nd third, but self-corrected nicely, and things were otherwise uneventful down to the nub. Draw and smoke output remained optimal throughout. (22/25)
Overall impression: This one came from Privada CC as one of their monthly selections awhile back and is a tweaked version of a previous exclusive Blackbird did for them called the "Fast Eddie". Vince and Eddie being characters from the movie, The Color of Money. At any rate, this was a fine smoke with flavor for days and pretty decent construction, which surprised me given the very flat and relatively dense box-press on this stick. It also had a closed, pig-tail foot, which seems to be unusual, or at least I've never seen it before. Nuff said, good smoke! (31/35)
Burn time: 1:23
Rating: 90 | | La Barba Ricochet Robusto |  | tuck0411 | 8/6/2022 11:00 PM | Humidor time: 521 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 65, foot - 62
Appearance and construction: A few veins, a light sheen, and a firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it a double shallow V-cut and PLD was moderately open. (12/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium-boded profile with a slightly spice retro and notes of dark wood and spice. The spice in the nose faded quickly with the other flavors staying consistent throughout. Not bad, but it missed my wheelhouse by just a bit as it was just a bit more woody and a bit less spicy than I like. Strength was about medium. (18/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced a moderately easy draw, thin smoke volume, and an even burn to start. I quickly gave it a single deep V-cut to try and open the draw, but this had minimal effect with no immediate change in smoke output. However, the smoke did gradually improve through the course of the first third and was near optimal by the 2nd third. The burn stayed even through the first third with the tight ash falling at 1 1/4" leaving a nice cone. Things were then very uneventful down to the nub. Draw and smoke output remained on the low side of optimal from the 2nd third on. (18/25)
Overall impression: I haven't been overly impressed with this brand through the first three sticks from this sampler and this one didn't change that. It's supposed to be a maduro with a San Andres wrapper, but I didn't get any of the usual maduro flavors that one normally associates with that sort of wrapper. It tasted more like a habano, and not a particularly good one. Not horrible, just not great. Oh well, it was the only one I had, so that's the positive. (21/35)
Burn time: 1:16
Rating: 69
| | Man O' War (Original Blend) Perfecto | | tuck0411 | 8/6/2022 5:08 PM | Humidor time: 521 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 70, foot - 64
Appearance and construction: A few veins, a light sheen, and a moderately firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it two clips with the guillotine and PLD was moderately open. (12/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium/full profile with a spicy retro and notes of black pepper, leather, spice, and a hint of chocolate. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors remaining remaining consistent through the first third after which the chocolate hint faded and gradually disappeared shortly into the 2nd third with the rest maintaining through the remainder. Very tasty, overall, and similar to the other vitolas I've had from this blend. Strength was about medium. (23/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced a moderately easy draw, smoke volume on the low side of optimal, and an even burn to start. I waited a bit to see if smoke output would improve, but it didn't, so I gave it a third clip about a half inch in and this succeeded in bringing the smoke up to optimal. The burn stayed even through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/2" leaving a cone. Things were then very uneventful down to the nub with draw and smoke output remaining optimal from the first third on. (24/25)
Overall impression: This was the third vitola I've smoked from this blend, the first two being the robusto and torpedo, and this was a very similar experience, flavor-wise, to those. Very peppery, which is right up my alley, and great construction, too, so it's a winner in my book. (32/35)
Burn time: 1:16
Rating: 91 | | Caldwell Cigar Co. The King Is Dead Premier | | tuck0411 | 8/6/2022 12:44 PM | Humidor time: 521 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 71, foot - 66
Appearance and construction: A few veins, a light sheen, a pig-tail cap, and a moderately firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it a double shallow V-cut and PLD was moderately open. (12/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium-bodied profile with a slightly spicy retro and notes of wood, butter, and hints of spice and citrus. The spice in the nose faded quickly with the other flavors staying consistent through the first third after which the citrus started ramping until it became a full note shortly into the 2nd third and then stayed predominant along with the wood note through the remainder. Pretty tasty, overall, but it would have been better with more spice in the mix. Strength was about medium. (22/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced a moderately easy draw, good smoke volume, and a wavy burn to start. The burn quickly evened out and stayed that way through the first third with the flaky ash falling at 1 1/4" leaving no cone to speak of. Things were then uneventful down to the nub. Draw and smoke output remained optimal throughout. (24/25)
Overall impression: My lucky streak with the Caldwell smokes continues. I'd previously had this blend in two other vitolas, those being the Supreme (7.5x52 double corona) and The Last Payday (6x52 torpedo) and neither of those sticks performed very well or impressed me, flavor-wise, but this one was pretty much hitting on all cylinders if still a bit lacking in the flavor dept. what with the relative lack of spice. Great smoke, though, and I'd easily smoke it again. (31/35)
Burn time: 1:17
Rating: 89 | | Caldwell Cigar Co. Midnight Express Robusto | | tuck0411 | 8/6/2022 12:03 AM | Humidor time: 520 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 72, foot - 67
Appearance and construction: A couple prominent veins, an oily sheen, a pig-tail cap, and a moderately firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it a double shallow V-cut and PLD was open. (12/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium/full profile with a spicy retro and notes of charred wood, spice, and salt. The spice in the nose faded quickly with the other flavors gradually mellowing through the first third and the body receding towards medium. The charred wood faded to more of a normal wood note in the 2nd third, then ramped back up in the last third with the charred aspect returning. Quite tasty, overall, with just enough spice in the mix to keep things interesting throughout. Strength was about medium. (23/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn stayed even through the first third with the tight ash reluctantly falling at 1 1/4" leaving a small cone. Things were then uneventful down to the nub with draw and smoke output remaining optimal throughout. (25/25)
Overall impression: Wow, two nice Caldwell smokes in a row. If this keeps up, I may have to rethink my previous opinion of this brand. I'd previously had this blend in the toro and wasn't blown away by it, but this one was much better, both with flavors and construction. Would definitely smoke this one again. (33/35)
Burn time: 1:19
Rating: 93 | | Jas Sum Kral Toothpick 2.0 Barberpole | | ntanner | 8/5/2022 6:32 PM | I like the 2 tone wrapper which is relatively smooth and dry in appearance. Cannon feels solid and the cap is well attached. It takes a punch well and the draw is good with a earthy tobacco flavor prelight.
Takes to the fire well enough. It starts fairly simple with cream, toasted sugar cane and a decent amount of spice in the retro.
The second third has a little more going on with some espresso joining the mix and a almond note also and the balance has gotten better.
The espresso gets a bit bolder and the cream fades some going into the last third and the flavors are blending well. Definitely the best part of this one.
Good cigar, decent flavors and good smoke production but nothing to complex. Good for yard gar but nothing I would go out of my way for. | | Espinosa Hialeah Gardens LE Toro BP | | tuck0411 | 8/5/2022 5:57 PM | Humidor time: 520 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 71, foot - 61
Appearance and construction: A couple minor veins, a light sheen, box-pressed, and a moderately soft pack with no soft spots... Gave it a punch and PLD was moderately open. (13/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium/full profile with a spicy retro and notes of black pepper, wood, spice, and hints of leather and chocolate. The spice in the nose faded after a few puffs with the other flavors mellowing through the first third and the body receding towards medium. The pepper and wood faded into the 2nd third with the chocolate hint ramping to a full cocoa note which became predominant through the 2nd third followed by the spice and pepper ramping back up at the end of the 2nd third and both sharing predominance through the remainder. Very flavorful, overall, and somewhat complex. As is usual with this type of smoke, there seemed to be more going on here than I could pick out, but suffice to say it was very enjoyable. Strength was about medium. (23/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced a moderately easy draw, smoke volume on the low side of optimal, and an even burn to start. I quickly gave it a wide-ring punch on top of the initial punch, which improved smoke output just slightly, but it was still just below optimal. The burn stayed even through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/2" leaving a small cone. Smoke output continued to gradually improve and reached fully optimal part way through the 2nd third. Things were then uneventful down to the nub. Draw and smoke output remained optimal from the 2nd third on. (23/25)
Overall impression: This one came from Privada CC as one of their monthly selections awhile back and may be an exclusive to them, although they didn't advertise it as such. Great smoke in any event with great flavors and nice construction. (31/35)
Burn time: 1:24
Rating: 90 |
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