Lately I've been humbled by some very kind words from my readers - wink wink - please keep them coming so I can continue to forward them directly to my boss with the hope that I'll get a little more cha-ching so I can buy me some bling-bling.  Let me share a couple with you before getting into my latest masterpiece of literary contribution:

MC of Sioux City, IA writes "Gonz, you call yourself a connoisseur, are you serious with these picks, your palate blows, I just wasted 5 minutes reading your reviews that I'll never get back." - wait, not that one.  How about this one:

AP of Anchorage, AK writes "Gonz, your reviews blow colder than the wind drafting across the Alaskan bay in January." - wait, I'm sure I have a good one in here somewhere.  OK, here it is:

IK of Jarrettsville, MD writes "I haven’t disliked a cigar that you have recommended and I hope you keep up the great reviews."  Ahh, thankfully there's a shill in every crowd.  Thank you Irvin, you made my day, my week, and my year.

Outside of the emails that continue to build my confidence that I'm indeed doing something worthwhile here, the rest of you guys are crazy, nutso, looney, headed for the room with wall-bumpers.  I've gotten some crazy suggestions in the past, but the most frequently suggested cigar of late is....and you're really not going to believe this....Isla del Sol.  Yes, no sh*t, yeah, you read that right.  Isla del Sol, Island of the Sun, more like Desert Frozen Over before Gonz, connoisseur extraordinaire, smoker with a moral obligation to the heritage of a traditional cigar, shall put forth a little hard-earned cha-ching for an imbued "mocha-infused" thinga-ma-bob that happens to look like a cigar.  That's right, I'm not a follower, I 'm a leader dammit, and I won't sacrifice my morals (or is it my ethics, or is it my....or never mind, you know what I mean).

Well....on Valentine's Day I got a little gift from the boss-man....a 5-pack of Isla del Sol with a love note attached "Gonz, review this cigar...NOW."  Yessir, whatever you say sir, you lead, I follow.  So much for my moral integrity.

Alrighty then, have I wasted enough space yet on this review.  Let's see, snip, draw (very easy and effortless by the way), torch...torch....torch....damn, I'm outta fuel, oh well, can't review it today.  Crap, boss-man gave me a case of butane in December, guess I can't use that excuse.  Alright, torch it up.

Calling this a sweet cap is probably the understatement of the year 'cause I gave up sweets for lent and I must now go to confession.  The first inch or so, a mouthful of coffee-flavored creamsicle is all that penetrates your tastebuds.  The next inch, hmm, now we're getting something a little interesting.  Have you ever had one of those mocha java capa-frappa-ccino-latte-with-extra-whip at your corner Starbucks (are they on every corner or what?), well, this is the cigar version of it.  Uh, huh, would I kid?  I'm not sure how the fellow lunatics at Drew Estate come up with this sh*t (damn, that's like the 4th time I've cursed in this review, like I said, off to confession) but this is a concoction that I never would've thought possible in a cigar.  What I want next is a fruity margarita cigar that plays Buffett's Margaritaville as you smoke it, topped with one of those umbrellas for good measure.  Mr. Jon Drew, I want royalties on that suggestion, you know it, it's a good one!

OK, enough of the joking for just a second.  I'm blown away by how much this cigar sells and I'm blown away by how much people love it.  I can't say it's completely my cup of coffee (get it?), but I have never had a request to review a cigar more than this one.  And while I've done a horrific job reviewing it, it's a very well-made handmade mixed-filler cigar with a delicious Sumatra wrapper (my favorite of course since it's the same wrapper that hugs my beloved 5 Vegas Classic) and an infused mocha flavor that is one of the most flavorful things I've ever smoked.  Better yet is that it's an easy draw and smokes even and flavorful from start to finish.  My favorite part starts about 2 inches in, the extreme sweetness of the cap is gone, and you get a richer tobacco flavor yet it's still masked by the coffee notes.  So, if you're looking for a traditional cigar, don't buy this.  But, if you're looking for something different, sweet, and inexpensive for those in-between times, go nuts.  You'll love it.

Light'em up,

- Gonz