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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=5385... A special thanks goes out to Nathan (nwb) for running the drive again.
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| | The 2020 The 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 January. 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 2020 | September, 2020 | 90
CG Rating |  | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Joe McDowell (MacMac) | | The Camacho 2020 Liberty Cigar was a pleasure to smoke. The cigar presented well with its golden wra... Read More | | Camacho Liberty 2020 | September, 2020 | 49
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: nirab | | Well, I am disappointed with my first Liberty 2020. The construction issues took away the brief enjo... Read More | | Camacho Liberty 2020 | September, 2020 | 90
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Brian (ninfiction) | Thank you David at egars.com and to Kevin(wescat)for sponsoring this critique again this year.
Read More | | Camacho Liberty 2020 | September, 2020 | 89
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Don Miller (DonM) | | Once again, Camacho put out a good Liberty this year and it was an enjoyable cigar. In sc... Read More | | Camacho Liberty 2020 | September, 2020 | 92
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: klamm143 | | I liked this one a great deal - not what I expected, but sure glad I got a full box, because I see m... Read More |
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| Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez) Signature Series Corona Gorda | January, 2021 | 85
CG Rating |  | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Byron (Beegerply) | | Overall not a bad cigar. I’m a big Corojo fan and this one hit the spot. The draw issue took away th... Read More | | Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez) Signature Series Corona Gorda | January, 2021 | 88
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Brlesq | | This was a quite enjoyable cigar with its complexity. The flaky wrapper issue was only a ... Read More | | Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez) Signature Series Corona Gorda | January, 2021 | 95
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Kman | | This is an absolutely outstanding cigar, especially for the price point, around $10/cigar. It is def... Read More | | Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez) Signature Series Corona Gorda | January, 2021 | 86
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: arrow34 | | Overall a very enjoyable cigar from Aganorsa with a very lovely flavor profile (pepper, coffee, wood... Read More | | Aganorsa Leaf (formerly Casa Fernandez) Signature Series Corona Gorda | January, 2021 | 87
CG Rating | | | Written by Cigar Geeks Member: Nathan (nwb) | | Overall, I enjoyed this cigar. It wasn't overly complex, but the core flavor after the in... Read More |
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| La Rosa de Sandiego Habano Inmensio XO |  | druid | 1/15/2021 10:36 AM | | A solid, nice-looking oily brown wrapped stick, no veins. PLA faint earth & barn; PLT earh & wine; PLD mod. A typical toast & light, an even burn, a mod easy draw, & a rich leather smoke. Oiled leather, sweet & sour earth, slick greenery start w/very little pepper. Some coffee bean or very dark ground coffee appears. An herbal spiciness joins around the 1/2 and the earthiness gets stronger & deeper as the body builds. The finish is earthy & spicy w/notes of coffee & a cedar hint. The power has built over time & the body is full. Another very good La Rosa. (91) | | La Rosa de Sandiego Sumatra Toro |  | druid | 1/15/2021 10:32 AM | | Very firm, medium brown smooth wrapper, no veins & a high oil sheen. PLA sweet earth & grass; PLT sweet hay & earth; PLD easy. An easy light, an even burn, an easy draw, & a salty cream smoke. Spicy cedar & nuttiness lead the way, along w/some earth tones. The creaminess increases along with the body, so that, by the 1/2, it's like being hit in the face with a carton of whipping cream. Then the chocolate appears, first as a hint of baker's unsweetened, then by more robust notes of sweeter cocoa. The finish is very creamy, quite chocolate-y & nutty , & still a hint of earth. Full bodied & absolutely delicious! (94) | | Partagas Icon Robusto | | tuck0411 | 1/14/2021 9:56 PM | Humidor time: 419 days
Humidimeter reading: 71, foot - 60
Appearance and construction: A few veins, a light sheen, and a moderately soft pack with no soft spots... Gave it a punch and PLD was moderately open. (12/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a mild/medium profile with a note of light wood and nothing else... Later, in the 2nd third after I started getting more smoke, the retro turned spicy and spice and a hint of citrus also appeared on the palate. Nothing amazing, but it was quite nice especially in comparison to the very bland first third. The citrus disappeared by the last third leaving just the spice and wood, but it was pretty enjoyable, overall, for the last two thirds. Strength was medium at best. (20/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced a moderately easy draw, smoke volume shy of optimal, and an even burn to start. The burn stayed even through the first third with the ash falling at 1 1/4" leaving a small cone. Following the ashing, I gave it a single V-cut to try and open the draw and this succeeded with both draw and smoke output immediately reaching optimal. (As noted previously, this also had the side benefit of greatly improving the flavor.) Things were then very uneventful down to the nub. Draw and smoke output remained optimal from the 2nd third on. (23/25)
Overall impression: Well, I'll know with the next one to just give it a V-cut (or two) right at the start. As it was, this was a fine smoke once I started getting good smoke output. A bit on the milder side, but what flavors were there were quite nice with just enough spice to make it enjoyable. The rest of this five pack will now be put to commute duty where I expect great things out of them... (28/35)
Burn time: 1:25
Rating: 83 | | Don Porfirio Compacto |  | Lazaro Lima | 1/14/2021 7:46 PM | | Charuto Honesto. Bom Fluxo. Queima uniforme. Identifiquei uma presença de sabor apimentado. Sabor forte. Retrogosto marcante. Bom Custo Benefício. Não recomendaria para iniciantes. Fumaria novamente. | | Black Ops (by K. Hansotia) Rubicon | | tuck0411 | 1/14/2021 5:20 PM | Humidor time: 419 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 61, foot - 64
Appearance and construction: Several prominent veins, an oily sheen, a firm pack with no soft spots, and a large gold band covering the lower half of the stick... Gave it three clips with the guillotine and PLD was moderately open. (12/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of earthy tobacco. The light gave a full-bodied profile with a spicy retro and notes of black pepper, coffee, spice, and a hint of leather. The spice in the nose faded somewhat with the other flavors remaining consistent throughout. No variation or transitions to speak of with this one, but it was quite tasty and spicy all the way through. Strength was about medium or a bit better. (22/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced a moderately easy draw, OK smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn was wavy but self-correcting through the first third with the ash reluctantly falling at 1 1/2" leaving a small cone. The burn continued mostly evenly through the 2nd third, then got lopsided in the last third but self-corrected before the nub with no maintenance needed. Draw and smoke output gradually improved from the first third on and approached optimal in the 2nd third. (22/25)
Overall impression: Pretty good smoke for a Gurkha with both flavors and construction being completely adequate (or better) to get the job done. I'd smoke it again and will as I have a few more which will accompany me on the commute and no doubt get me to work all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed... (29/35)
Burn time: 2:04
Rating: 85 | | Xikar HC Series Habano Colorado Belicoso | | tuck0411 | 1/14/2021 12:16 PM | Humidor time: 419 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 64, foot - 64
Appearance and construction: A few veins, an oily sheen, and a firm pack with no soft spots... Gave it two clips with the guillotine and PLD was moderately open. (12/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a faint whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium/full profile with a spicy retro and notes of spice and tangy citrus. The spice in the nose faded a bit with the other flavors mellowing somewhat and then staying fairly consistent throughout with the spice ramping up and down both in the nose and on the palate and finally, I also got a hint of leather in the 2nd third. Pretty flavorful, although not amazing, but the spicy aspect is what kept it interesting as is always the case with my palate. Strength was about medium. (21/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced a moderately easy draw, smoke volume on the low side of optimal, and an even burn to start. The burn quickly got wavy, then lopsided in the first third and got a touch-up prior to the first ashing. The ash dropped at 1 1/2" leaving a small cone. The burn got lopsided again in the 2nd third with a 2nd touch-up and then again in the last third. I gave it a third clip after the first ashing and this helped a bit with draw and smoke output with both reaching optimal by the end of the 2nd third. (15/25)
Overall impression: This is the third vitola I've smoked for this blend and my reviews of the other two show a similar experience both with flavor and construction. These sticks just aren't rolled very well as they all seem to have burn issues while at the same time the flavor is pretty good. Not really good enough to buy more of them, though, especially given the poor burn performance... (21/35)
Burn time: 1:49
Rating: 69 | | Belmore Cameroon Selection Corona |  | landonariael | 1/14/2021 2:28 AM | | This cigar is delicious! It is smooth and a more mild cigar but SO very tasty the sweet spot in this cigar is shorter then the belmore Churchill which is also to die for I had to smoke many of each to determine that I do like the corona better.they are 5 star cigars for sure.they have a smokeability of a much more expensive cigar and so if you want a premo the best cigar ever for cheap cigar try this cigar! Buy a box You won't be dissapointed! You'll give all your other cigars away for Christmas and just smoke this one! -your welcome | | Obsidian Redrum Robusto |  | tuck0411 | 1/13/2021 11:22 PM | Humidor time: 418 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 67, foot - 67
Appearance and construction: Several prominent veins, an oily sheen, and a moderately firm pack with no soft spots... It also has a very large band covering most of the stick and when I took that off it took a patch of wrapper with it about 1 1/2" above the foot. Gave it a wide-ring punch and PLD was open. (10/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium profile with a slightly spicy retro and notes of light wood and spice. The spice in the nose faded quickly with the other flavors remaining consistent until the 2nd third when the wood note started gradually changing to more of a charred wood flavor and not in a good way. Normally I like a good woody, spicy profile, but this wasn't very pleasant, either at the start or after the charred wood took over. Strength was about medium. (10/25)
Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, OK smoke volume, and an even burn to start. Smoke output worsened through the first half inch and I thought maybe the missing patch of wrapper might be to blame, but covering that area with my finger didn't improve the smoke, nor did it improve after the burn line had passed that area. Smoke output did finally approach optimal at the end of the 2nd third, but this was way past the missing patch of wrapper. The burn was wavy but self-correcting through the first third and the ash dropped reluctantly at 1 1/2" leaving a cone. Things were then more or less uneventful down to the nub. (15/25)
Overall impression: I wasn't expecting much from this one based on my previous experiences with two other Obsidian blends so I wasn't surprised when this one didn't amount to much. Flavor, no check for that check box, nor for construction. Sadly, I have a few more of these and will update this review in the unlikely event those impress me any more than this one did... (10/35)
Burn time: 1:23
Rating: 45 | | Southern Draw Cigars LE 300 Manos Habano Toro | | HolySmokes | 1/13/2021 10:36 PM | Stored for 14 Days at 70% RH. Weighs 15.04g
Prelight: wrapper a nice chocolate brown color with great construction. Slight sweet raisin smell. Wrapper has a slight oil sheen. Cigar was evenly constructed with just the right squeeze throughout. Used a straight cut for the perfect draw.
Postlight: lights very easily with the quad torch. The burn line starts a bit wavy but probably due to the outside wind and the way it was lit. It appears to be self correcting at this point. Average smoke production. I am getting the typical tobacco earthly taste to start with a strong medium spice on the retrohale. First ash at 1” leaving behind a nice cone. Gray in color and a bit weak, broke apart while rolling off. Burning fine. Noticed a burn hole through wrapper that continues down cigar as smoked.
2/3: flavors beginning to develop but mostly semi-sweet earth and a slight floral. Retrohale a strong white pepper. As well as a crack in the wrapper about an half inch long midway. Next ash at 1” with a centered 1/4” cone. Past wrapper split without affect on smoke. Earth flavors turn a bit more nutty mid 2/3.
3/3:ash at 1.5” going into last third. Burning well. Flavors didn’t transition much through 2/3. Still picking up earth/nut/wood notes. Retrohale a strong medium. Band is hard to remove. Caught a piece of the wrapper trying to take off. Had to slide over ash revealing more wrapper damage. 1.5hr smoke. | | Espinosa Comfortably Numb Vol. 2 Toro | | tuck0411 | 1/13/2021 5:42 PM | Humidor time: 418 days
Humidimeter reading: Head - 64, foot - 47
Appearance and construction: A few veins, a light sheen, a moderately firm pack with no soft spots, and a very colorful band... Gave it a wide-ring punch and PLD was open. (13/15)
Flavor: PLA gave a whiff of tobacco. The light gave a medium/full profile with a very spicy retro and notes of black pepper, wood, coffee, and spice. The spice in the nose faded quickly with the other flavors mellowing to a creamy, woody mocha flavor. The pepper ramped in the 2nd third, then mellowed again with the spice in the nose and on the palate ramping up and down throughout the smoke. Very flavorful stick throughout and right down to the nub. Strength was in the medium/full range. (24/25)
Taken as it was tunneling and going out and right before the ash fell off...
Smoking characteristics: The light produced an easy draw, good smoke volume, and an even burn to start. The burn stayed even through the first inch or so, then started tunneling and went out prior to the first ashing. And then the ash fell on my shirt leaving a huge crater (another asteroid impact...). After the relight, things proceeded normally and evenly until the last third when the burn got lopsided and needed a touch-up. Draw and smoke output were optimal throughout apart from when it was going out in the first third. (18/25)
Overall impression: I'd previously enjoyed the first edition of this stick, which was a lighter-bodied smoke, so was looking forward to this one, and it was a fine smoke as well, at least flavor-wise. The construction issues were a surprise given who makes it, but I have a few more and will update this review should they perform any better, which I expect them to as this one was probably a fluke. (27/35)
Burn time: 1:56
Rating: 83 |
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