Reviews by Rick G.

It's been too long since I've reviewed a cigar. It's one of my favorite things to do when I'm running out of things to do in the office. That is, things I do to pretend like I'm working when I'm really just looking for an excuse to smoke cigars and get paid to do it. So to try and get myself back into the swing of things, I decided to pull the trigger and do another blind review. This cigar comes courtesy of my buddy Jason, so if it sucks, I'll be breaking down his door. 

At first glance, this cigar is relatively well made. While the wrapper leaf has a rough and rustic exterior appearance, the cap is perfect and there isn't a single blemish that would have me second-guessing the quality of this cigar. The wrapper leaf is a smooth Maduro with a bit of tooth to it, and a cut immediately reveals a bit of ligero throughout the center, so I'm guessing that this will be a fuller-bodied experience, just by appearance. The cold-draw is very distinct and unique. Normally I find a bit of raisin or dark fruit sweetness, but not with this bad boy. It's savory, a bit of minerally salt, and cedar. 

After lighting it up, Nicaragua is the first thing on my mind. Pepper immediately hits my tongue, and the retrohale gives off plenty of earthiness, salt, and oak that all take a backseat to the red pepper that pushes on all cylinders. I'm not usually one to comment on strength, but it may be too early in the day for me to be puffing on something like this. After a few more puffs, leather shows its gorgeous head and adds a nice balance to the heavy profile I've experienced thus far. I've also noticed that the wrapper is leaving a saltiness on my lips and distinct nuttiness and cedar appear on the finish. After about an inch, the flavor profile expands more, leading into black pepper and savoriness on top of the leather and red pepper that have dominated thus far. Calling this a pepper bomb would be an understatement. I might be screwed on my cigar selection for the rest of the day, because I don't have many cigars on me that I'll be able to taste after this thing. 

Guessing the blend, I feel like the only possibilities for wrapper leaf are Nicaraguan Habano or Criollo '98. Anything else just wouldn't make sense. If someone told me the long-fillers had anything other than Nicaraguan tobacco in them, I may not believe them. I'm going to be very surprised if this cigar doesn't have Aganorsa tobacco in it, it has the same bite and saltiness that I find in their Criollo '98. Regardless, the flavor profile continues in waves of pepper and earth with leather on the backend. 

So far, so good. The burn has been almost immaculate and the draw is just where I like it, with just a bit of resistance, but far from sucking a softball through a garden hose. At around the halfway point, just a hint of sweetness is left on the finish, barely enough to even detect through the pepper. I couldn’t even place what kind of sweetness, I just know it's there. Or maybe my tongue is so fried I'm starting to get sweetness out of the different kinds of pepper that have been bombarding my taste buds for the last 45 minutes or so. 

It's at this point that I've been told the details of the blend, but not the brand. Needless to say, I'm a bit shocked. I almost always get rich natural sweetness from Connecticut Broadleaf, and the lack of that in this blend up until the last third has me very surprised. The San Andres binder definitely shows, what with the pepper and whatnot. The long-fillers check out pretty well, and the bit of Honduran leaf that I didn't taste as much was likely a contributor to the earthiness got throughout the experience. The Nicaraguan Jalapa leaf lines up perfectly with the pepper and saltiness that I got, and the Esteli tobacco definitely contributed to the earthiness and leather. I have definitely smoked this cigar before, but it's difficult to place what brand. I have a feeling AJ had something to do with this cigar, but that doesn't really narrow it down, since he's made countless amazing blends for himself and others. 

Well, you've all known this entire time, and now I do too. I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't figure out I was smoking the Tabernacle, especially since I've smoked more than enough of them. The flavor profile was pretty spot on for me, but I think smoking it so early in the day had me tasting more of the pepper than I normally do, which is a wonderful thing. Just goes to show the value of a fresh palate. This is one of Foundation's finest blends, and it definitely shows. Even smoking it blind, I was amazed at the punch it has and the complexity it has underneath the heavy Nicaraguan characteristics that make up a quintessential AJ Fernandez cigar. This is, in my humblest of opinions, Nick Melillo's finest blend, and picking it up and loving it all over again through a blind smoking has been a fantastic experience. 

It isn’t much of a secret to anyone that I’m a fan of expensive cigars. If you tell me that someone made a limited-edition cigar that I won’t be able to find ever again if I don’t get some right there and then, I’m all over it. I love the serene wrappers, the beautifully embossed bands, and the overly detailed and pricy boxes. Now, you may be asking yourself: Is the Mark Twain Memoir one of these incredible, rare, and beautiful premiums this guy is droning on about? The answer is a resounding no. 

 The Mark Twain Memoir regularly sells for $4 apiece, making it a budget-friendly banger. Obviously, not my typical suspect, but it can’t hurt to try and find some new cigars that won’t empty my bank account on a weekly basis. The wrapper leaf is far from perfect, with not-so-tight seems and a few blemishes. With a quick straight cut and a slow toast from my Xikar Meridian, the Memoir is on its way. 

 Strength starts off at a true medium. Notes of earth, soft pepper, a light cocoa, and unidentified woodiness. I have to hand it to this cigar; it isn’t at all what I expected. With a plethora of Nicaraguan leaves within combined with a Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper, I expected an overpowering mishmash of unharmonious flavors. What I got, however, is a much better experience. The first third is surprisingly enjoyable, and while it doesn’t have the punch I was initially expecting, the notes that are there work wonderfully together. An impressive start. 

 The burn isn’t exactly what I’d call razor sharp, but it more or less corrects itself over time. As the second third begins, strength amps up just a bit. The pepper amps up and the woodiness takes a backseat to the cocoa and earthiness. The burn keeps ebbing and flowing, without need of a single touchup. After purging it to try and burn off any excess tar, even more intensity begins to build as I move into the final third. 

 The strength just keeps moving up and up with every puff. Like I said before, this is far from the most complex cigar I’ve ever had, but the notes that are there pack quite the punch. For just $4 a piece, and regularly discounted, this might just be one of my next regular humidor stuffers. It may not use the rarest tobaccos, have the highest quality, or look the prettiest, but it’s hard to beat the burn, draw, and flavor that accompanies the Mark Twain Memoir. If you haven’t tried it, be sure to pick a few up soon. I promise they won’t empty your wallet. 

Today I decided that I wanted to blindly review a cigar. I asked my buddy Scott to pick out a cigar that I would likely enjoy, but something that I don’t already smoke regularly. My typical rotation is made up mostly of full-bodied smokes, so I’m a bit taken aback when a few minutes later, he came back with what I can only assume is a shade-grown toro that was de-banded and ready to smoke. 

 At first glance, this is a beautiful cigar. It may not be the toothy maduro wrapper that I typically reach for, but there’s nothing wrong with shaking things up every now and again. The cap is perfectly even, and the seams are damn near invisible. The wrapper also has a nice oily sheen to it, something often not found in shade-grown leaves. The cigar comes down to a closed foot, something I have mixed feelings about. A closed foot gives an immediate punch of flavor from the wrapper, but it also tends to get ash all over my clothes and, in this case, my laptop. 

 After a clean straight cut with my Xikar Xi1, the cold draw brings a smooth mixture of hay, almond, and cedar. Those notes carry into the light-up alongside savory spices and surprising amounts of white pepper. The draw is perfect, just the right amount of resistance. Surprisingly, no new holes arise in my shirt from the closed foot. I won’t give it any actual points for that, but it wins an emotional point from me. 

 The first third continues to surprise. More nuttiness and white pepper, with the savoriness taking a backseat to a subtly sweet creaminess. The ash wants to do its best to hold on for dear life, but in the interest of keeping my keyboard clean and my lap free of hot ash, I knock it off into the ashtray. The burn has kept even, and the flavors are very well balanced. Strength level is just a hair above medium-bodied.

 The second third brings more flavor changes. The spice and savoriness has all but disappeared, allowing the creaminess, mixed nuts, cereal grain, and sweet cedar to shine. The strength has dipped ever so slightly, down to true medium. I don’t think that this cigar is a puro, but Nicaraguan flavor is what comes to mind first in this blend. As the second third progresses, the spice returns in a big way, balancing out the sweetness emanating from the graininess, cream, and cedar. 

 Entering the final third, the balance keeps on shifting. The savory spice is gone entirely, with white pepper, sweet grains, and nuttiness dominating the profile until the end. It isn’t often that I smoke cigars down to the nub because they tend to become bitter with less than an inch left. However, with this smoke I almost went so far as to grab a pipe to squeeze every last bit of flavor out of this cigar that I could. I definitely owe Scott a thank you, he really can pick ‘em. 

 Well, you’ve known what I’ve been reviewing this whole time, but I was just told. I’m a huge fan of Foundation, and the Charter Oak Connecticut and Maduro are two of my favorite daily smokes, but this was my first time trying the Habano. Needless to say, I think it just earned a spot in my rotation. If you had told me I was smoking a $6 cigar, I would not have believed you. Excellent flavor, excellent construction, just all around excellent. If you’re looking for a medium-bodied daily smoke to stuff your humidor with, I can’t recommend this enough. Looks like I’m going to have to find room in my humidors to stuff yet another Foundation blend.