Cigar: Perdomo Reserve Limited Oscuro
Wrapper: Nicaraguan sun-grown broadleaf
Binder: N/A
Filler: Nicaraguan ?
Size: 'E' (toro) supposed to be 6x50, but was more like a 6x48 or 6x49
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Price: $2-$3
Smoking Time: 50 minutes
Appearance: 9/10
Construction: 7/10
Burn: 6/10 Corrected burn issues on 2 of them.
Aroma: 8/10
Draw: 4/10 Too tight of a draw on all five cigars.
Flavor: 3/10 A times the cigar was great, but about half the time the cigars had a charred tasted that was not all that enjoyable.
Availability: 9/10 Cigarbid, CigarsInternational, Cigar.com...
Personal Overall Experience: I think I bought a five pack on CigarBid for $9 looking for another bargain cigar. Not a bargain. Not for me. 10/30
Total: 56/100
Take care-Joe
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Short Ash Review
Robin picked up an Alec Bradley Tempus for me while she was in Dallas. I guess she wowed the person working there b/c she asked specifically for a cigar with plume. Anyway, I wanted to throw this out there b/c I had previously written off Alec Bradley cigars for a couple different reasons:
1. I wasn't that impressed with the previous smokes I have had of his
2. Good Lord man, button up your shirt on those advertisements. Ugh, I hate those ads.
Anyway, what a great cigar. I had the Terra Novo (robusto) 5x50 and it was spectacular. Great construction, draw, flavor and just the right amount of spice.
Once my self imposed ban on purchases is up in January, expect a full review.
Matt
1. I wasn't that impressed with the previous smokes I have had of his
2. Good Lord man, button up your shirt on those advertisements. Ugh, I hate those ads.
Anyway, what a great cigar. I had the Terra Novo (robusto) 5x50 and it was spectacular. Great construction, draw, flavor and just the right amount of spice.
Once my self imposed ban on purchases is up in January, expect a full review.
Matt
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
August OCCS Night
Another fine night of cigars and friends at Jeff's place.
Jeff, Adam, Matt, John and I were in attendance. Rich was mysteriously unavailable (not sure what could be more important than an OCCS night) and we all hope he is doing well.
We had Dickey's BBQ for dinner and it was delicious as always.
The cigar for the evening was the Casa Fuego churchill (I just posted a review of the cigar on the blog as well and look forward to every one's thoughts).
Movies on hand for the night were American Gangster, True Grit and Patton. The thunderstorm that swept through the area was the other entertainment for the night, which caused us to call it an early evening and only watched about an hour or so of Patton. American Gangster and Patton are good flicks, but I'm still not sold on John Wayne. However, I am looking forward to the Cohen brother's version of True Grit, which comes out Christmas Day.
We talked about working on Jeff's bathroom during one of our meetings and determined that Jeff needs to pick out the tile and that the rest of us should have the rest of the other materials already. Jeff-pick out the tile and name the day.
I beleive John or Rich is the host for September.
Take care-
Joe
Jeff, Adam, Matt, John and I were in attendance. Rich was mysteriously unavailable (not sure what could be more important than an OCCS night) and we all hope he is doing well.
We had Dickey's BBQ for dinner and it was delicious as always.
The cigar for the evening was the Casa Fuego churchill (I just posted a review of the cigar on the blog as well and look forward to every one's thoughts).
Movies on hand for the night were American Gangster, True Grit and Patton. The thunderstorm that swept through the area was the other entertainment for the night, which caused us to call it an early evening and only watched about an hour or so of Patton. American Gangster and Patton are good flicks, but I'm still not sold on John Wayne. However, I am looking forward to the Cohen brother's version of True Grit, which comes out Christmas Day.
We talked about working on Jeff's bathroom during one of our meetings and determined that Jeff needs to pick out the tile and that the rest of us should have the rest of the other materials already. Jeff-pick out the tile and name the day.
I beleive John or Rich is the host for September.
Take care-
Joe
Cigar Review: Casa Fuego Churchill
Cigar: Casa Fuego
Wrapper: Habano (Nicaragua)
Binder: (N/A)
Filler: Corojo (long fillers from Nicaragua)
Size: Double Corona (Churchill) 7 x 50
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Price: $2-$3 on Cigarbid or Cigar Internal web sites
Smoking Time: 1 Hour
The Casa Fuego cigar comes in the following sizes: corona, robusto, belicoso, toro and double corono (not sure why they don't refer to these as churchills). They are made by Jesus Feugo in Honduras. Jesus Fuego also makes the Gran Reserva and 777 cigars (have not tried the 777 yet, but have been wanting to for some time) and is the President of Tabacos SA. Jesus has been accredited to many blends including, but not limited to, Rocky Patel's 1990 and 1992 cigars and Xicar's HC cigars. I guess Jesus is considered a boutique cigar maker, but he has made this mass production exclusively for Cigars International. I bought these on one of my Cigarbid orders taking a chance on a cheaper cigar that could be good enough to buy again.
Appearance: The habano wrapper is slightly oily with some small-medium veins and I found small tears and nicks on some of them. Tripple capped. The band was black and gold with some red and was slightly embossed. The gold on the band flaked off on all of the cigars and left gold glitter on my hands every time. 6/10
Construction: Again the wrapper was constructed very well and the seams were hardly noticeable. The triple cap held strongly after clipping. The cigar had a decent weight to it and had a slight give when squeezed. 10/10
Burn: The Casa Fuego easily lit every time. The burn line wasn't exactly straight, but I do not remember having to relight or touch up a single one. 10/10
Aroma: The aroma was not bad. Of course tobacco and a slight wood-burning smell. 7/10
Draw: Great. Slight resistance, but ample smoke with each puff. 10/10
Flavor: The flavor was consistent from foot to nub: coffee and a sweet spiciness that was very pleasant. Some hints of that wood-burning (like a campfire...this was a good thing). 7/10
Availability: The cigars are available at anytime on Cigarbid or Cigar International web sites. 10/10
Personal Overall Experience: I initially bought a 8 cigar flight sampler on Cigarbid which had all of the sizes except for the corona. I liked the churchill the best and have since bought several 5-packs of them for about $9-$12. I'm always looking for a inexpensive cigar to throw in my humidor and I've found one here. I don't think it will win any awards, or is strong enough to match up to an after dinner cigar, but I think it is very enjoyable. 24/30
Total Score: 86/100
Thanks for reading and take care-
Joe
Wrapper: Habano (Nicaragua)
Binder: (N/A)
Filler: Corojo (long fillers from Nicaragua)
Size: Double Corona (Churchill) 7 x 50
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Price: $2-$3 on Cigarbid or Cigar Internal web sites
Smoking Time: 1 Hour
The Casa Fuego cigar comes in the following sizes: corona, robusto, belicoso, toro and double corono (not sure why they don't refer to these as churchills). They are made by Jesus Feugo in Honduras. Jesus Fuego also makes the Gran Reserva and 777 cigars (have not tried the 777 yet, but have been wanting to for some time) and is the President of Tabacos SA. Jesus has been accredited to many blends including, but not limited to, Rocky Patel's 1990 and 1992 cigars and Xicar's HC cigars. I guess Jesus is considered a boutique cigar maker, but he has made this mass production exclusively for Cigars International. I bought these on one of my Cigarbid orders taking a chance on a cheaper cigar that could be good enough to buy again.
Appearance: The habano wrapper is slightly oily with some small-medium veins and I found small tears and nicks on some of them. Tripple capped. The band was black and gold with some red and was slightly embossed. The gold on the band flaked off on all of the cigars and left gold glitter on my hands every time. 6/10
Construction: Again the wrapper was constructed very well and the seams were hardly noticeable. The triple cap held strongly after clipping. The cigar had a decent weight to it and had a slight give when squeezed. 10/10
Burn: The Casa Fuego easily lit every time. The burn line wasn't exactly straight, but I do not remember having to relight or touch up a single one. 10/10
Aroma: The aroma was not bad. Of course tobacco and a slight wood-burning smell. 7/10
Draw: Great. Slight resistance, but ample smoke with each puff. 10/10
Flavor: The flavor was consistent from foot to nub: coffee and a sweet spiciness that was very pleasant. Some hints of that wood-burning (like a campfire...this was a good thing). 7/10
Availability: The cigars are available at anytime on Cigarbid or Cigar International web sites. 10/10
Personal Overall Experience: I initially bought a 8 cigar flight sampler on Cigarbid which had all of the sizes except for the corona. I liked the churchill the best and have since bought several 5-packs of them for about $9-$12. I'm always looking for a inexpensive cigar to throw in my humidor and I've found one here. I don't think it will win any awards, or is strong enough to match up to an after dinner cigar, but I think it is very enjoyable. 24/30
Total Score: 86/100
Thanks for reading and take care-
Joe
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
OCCS Bookkeeping
I'd like to see us get back in the habit of posting pre and after meeting information on the blog. This is, after all, one of the reasons we created this thing. The meeting host should at least post the pre meeting info on the blog, and ideally he should be the member putting up the after meeting info.
Pre meeting info can be as simple as the time, date, location, and featured cigar (makes it easier than digging through emails if we forget to put it on the calendar). After meeting info can be as simple as club notes (if any), maybe what movie we watched, what we thought of the meeting host's featured cigar, etc.
I'm looking forward to seeing the first Alcorn's Feature Cigar Review (for the August meeting) by Joe, and many thanks to Matt for getting this sweet deal set up.
Hope everyone is doing well.
Adam
Pre meeting info can be as simple as the time, date, location, and featured cigar (makes it easier than digging through emails if we forget to put it on the calendar). After meeting info can be as simple as club notes (if any), maybe what movie we watched, what we thought of the meeting host's featured cigar, etc.
I'm looking forward to seeing the first Alcorn's Feature Cigar Review (for the August meeting) by Joe, and many thanks to Matt for getting this sweet deal set up.
Hope everyone is doing well.
Adam
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Cigar Review: Blue Label Corona
Cigar Name: Blue Label
Wrapper: Habano (Honduran)
Binder: Corojo
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan and Domincan
Size: Corona (6x44)
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Price: $2.xx depending on website or about $45 for a box of 20.
Smoking Time: About 50 minutes
Blue Label cigars are made by Gran Habano in Honduras and come in churchill, corona, torpedo and robusto sizes. I've bought a sampler (8 cigars) on Cigarbid, which contained all of these sizes. The corona was my favorite and I've since bought a couple of 5-packs and I just finished my last one tonight.
Appearance: Medium-brown colored wrapper with some veins that didn't cause any worries. The band is black and gold but mainly blue and slightly embossed-simple and good looking. I think they were triple capped none had visible wrapper tears or holes. The cigars had a slight bumpy look to them. Nothing special, but a decent looking cigar. 7/10
Construction: I believe they were triple capped. When squeezed, the cigars were solid and had a slight give that promised a solidly rolled cigar. No soft spots were found on any of the cigars and the foot of each looked great with tightly packed tobacco. 9/10
Burn: I had to re-light a few here and there and had some uneven burns, but overall a good burn. (The one I had tonight I had to re-light once and do a touch-up.) 7/10
Aroma: Great aroma. Scents of cedar and spice (cinnamon???) and a light sweetness (vanilla???). Very pleasant. 10/10
Draw: Great. Fantastic. Draw of thick smoke with every puff. 10/10
Flavor: Cedar, that spice (cinnamon???) and a slight vanilla taste. Great balance and consistent from start to finish. 10/10
Availability: I've never seen them in a brick-and-mortar, but they can be found on Cigarbid.com and CigarsInternational.com at all times. 10/10
Personal Overall Experience: Great. The price, quality, and the cigar's consistency make this a great cigar to keep on hand. An overall very relaxing smoke. The burn issues weren't that bad and I really enjoyed every one I smoked. I will try my best to buy more with every Cigarbid purchase I make as you can't go wrong with the Blue Label. 25/30
Total Score: 88/100
Take care-
Joe
Wrapper: Habano (Honduran)
Binder: Corojo
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan and Domincan
Size: Corona (6x44)
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Price: $2.xx depending on website or about $45 for a box of 20.
Smoking Time: About 50 minutes
Blue Label cigars are made by Gran Habano in Honduras and come in churchill, corona, torpedo and robusto sizes. I've bought a sampler (8 cigars) on Cigarbid, which contained all of these sizes. The corona was my favorite and I've since bought a couple of 5-packs and I just finished my last one tonight.
Appearance: Medium-brown colored wrapper with some veins that didn't cause any worries. The band is black and gold but mainly blue and slightly embossed-simple and good looking. I think they were triple capped none had visible wrapper tears or holes. The cigars had a slight bumpy look to them. Nothing special, but a decent looking cigar. 7/10
Construction: I believe they were triple capped. When squeezed, the cigars were solid and had a slight give that promised a solidly rolled cigar. No soft spots were found on any of the cigars and the foot of each looked great with tightly packed tobacco. 9/10
Burn: I had to re-light a few here and there and had some uneven burns, but overall a good burn. (The one I had tonight I had to re-light once and do a touch-up.) 7/10
Aroma: Great aroma. Scents of cedar and spice (cinnamon???) and a light sweetness (vanilla???). Very pleasant. 10/10
Draw: Great. Fantastic. Draw of thick smoke with every puff. 10/10
Flavor: Cedar, that spice (cinnamon???) and a slight vanilla taste. Great balance and consistent from start to finish. 10/10
Availability: I've never seen them in a brick-and-mortar, but they can be found on Cigarbid.com and CigarsInternational.com at all times. 10/10
Personal Overall Experience: Great. The price, quality, and the cigar's consistency make this a great cigar to keep on hand. An overall very relaxing smoke. The burn issues weren't that bad and I really enjoyed every one I smoked. I will try my best to buy more with every Cigarbid purchase I make as you can't go wrong with the Blue Label. 25/30
Total Score: 88/100
Take care-
Joe
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A match made in heaven...
Big news boys. Big news.
Friday night I went to Alcorns to look for a cigar for my host night coming up in October. I went in and while I was looking around Harold came up to talk and see if I needed anything. I explained why I was there and he asked a couple of questions about the club and invited us to host some of our meetings at his store. He pointed out he just opened up a bar (actually a VERY nice selection of beer, liquor, Scotch and wine) and that we could just about count on having the lounge to ourselves. Well, one thing led to another and Herold said he would have "No problem" sponsoring our club with 5 cigars a month. All we have to do is link our site to his (thank you Adam or Joe for doing that already).
Harold did say "Now, I can't give out Padron 1926 every month". I told him that our budgets don't allow for that either so no harm, no foul. Alcorn Cigars will provide us with five cigars per month (actually supplied by the cigar reps so who knows, we may get some special stuff) to review on our blog.
We will rotate the privilage each month with the understanding of whoever reviews the cigars must do these things:
1. By law, as a review, we must state the cigar was a gift from Alcorn cigars and whoever the manufacturer is.
2. Post the review on our site
3. That's it. I will contact Herold in a couple of weeks to pick up our first selection. Can't wait!
Oh, by the way, the cigar for October will be the Camacho Corojo Figurado. Just a couple of tidbits on that:A 93-rated knee-knocker with a remarkable, potent flavor. Camacho Corojo is the Eiroa family’s flahship brand, and known for capturing the true, bold tastes of old Cuba. The secret is the tobacco, a robust blend of 100% Jamastran Corojo leaf grown in Honduras, coated with beautiful, reddish-hued wrappers of the highest primings. The result is a feisty, Cuban-esque flavor layered with deep, earthy undertones delivered in a powerful, yet balanced and smooth manner. -Earned a spot in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 50 Cigars of the year with an impressive ’93’ rating.- SMOKE Magazine awards the Corojo Toro with a well-deserved 4.4 rating!- After testing over 100 different brands (including Cubans), Cigar Cyclopedia named the Camacho Corojo as the top full-bodied cigar.
Matt
Friday night I went to Alcorns to look for a cigar for my host night coming up in October. I went in and while I was looking around Harold came up to talk and see if I needed anything. I explained why I was there and he asked a couple of questions about the club and invited us to host some of our meetings at his store. He pointed out he just opened up a bar (actually a VERY nice selection of beer, liquor, Scotch and wine) and that we could just about count on having the lounge to ourselves. Well, one thing led to another and Herold said he would have "No problem" sponsoring our club with 5 cigars a month. All we have to do is link our site to his (thank you Adam or Joe for doing that already).
Harold did say "Now, I can't give out Padron 1926 every month". I told him that our budgets don't allow for that either so no harm, no foul. Alcorn Cigars will provide us with five cigars per month (actually supplied by the cigar reps so who knows, we may get some special stuff) to review on our blog.
We will rotate the privilage each month with the understanding of whoever reviews the cigars must do these things:
1. By law, as a review, we must state the cigar was a gift from Alcorn cigars and whoever the manufacturer is.
2. Post the review on our site
3. That's it. I will contact Herold in a couple of weeks to pick up our first selection. Can't wait!
Oh, by the way, the cigar for October will be the Camacho Corojo Figurado. Just a couple of tidbits on that:A 93-rated knee-knocker with a remarkable, potent flavor. Camacho Corojo is the Eiroa family’s flahship brand, and known for capturing the true, bold tastes of old Cuba. The secret is the tobacco, a robust blend of 100% Jamastran Corojo leaf grown in Honduras, coated with beautiful, reddish-hued wrappers of the highest primings. The result is a feisty, Cuban-esque flavor layered with deep, earthy undertones delivered in a powerful, yet balanced and smooth manner. -Earned a spot in Cigar Aficionado’s Top 50 Cigars of the year with an impressive ’93’ rating.- SMOKE Magazine awards the Corojo Toro with a well-deserved 4.4 rating!- After testing over 100 different brands (including Cubans), Cigar Cyclopedia named the Camacho Corojo as the top full-bodied cigar.
Matt
Monday, August 2, 2010
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