Staff Reviews
CAO OSA Sol
OSA Sol marks CAO’s first major release in a couple of years – since La Traviata. And naturally, people are pretty excited about it, including myself. Well, I was excited….
Here’s what I liked about it: the construction, the burn, and the draw were perfect. Honestly, as good as it gets.
Here’s what I didn’t like: The flavor was ho-hum at best. An attempt to please palates of all types (my guess), leads to a flavor that’s lacking, and just boring in general.
Here’s the quick backstory: OSA Sol takes its name from the proprietary tobacco leaf which serves as its wrapper - a sun grown leaf from the Olancho, San Agustin region of Honduras. The guts are comprised of a Connecticut Broadleaf binder and a Nicaraguan and Honduran long-filler blend. Interesting enough.
Aesthetically speaking: OSA looks pretty good. Firmly packed, neatly capped, and boasting a medium-brown wrapper leaf that’s just slightly splotchy and slightly dry in appearance. The boxes are pretty attractive too (if you care).
Here’s what I got out of it: It begins with a noticeable herbal, woody character that’s interesting, but not necessarily to my liking. The flavor overall is very mellow and clean, just a few clicks shy of medium-bodied. Flat’s a good word, I guess. It’s not that the flavor is bad, it’s just missing something. And muted to a degree that makes it uninteresting. But as it burns, it does get better. Approaching the halfway point, I hit a little bit of added sweetness and richness to the original core flavor. And a touch of pepper too. But still, nothing overly exciting. Nearing the final inch, the bitterness built up quickly and I called it quits.
Overall: The flavor just wasn’t for me. It’s safe, and I know it has a place in the cigar world for that reason. Although considering CAO’s past, I guess I just expected more. But as I stated above, the burn, draw, and construction were paramount. The amount of smoke was perfect, the draw was just right, and the burn was straight all the way down - which definitely counts for something.
You’ll like it if: you prefer easy-going, mellow to medium-bodied cigars. And if you think construction and draw are the end-all, be-all. Just don’t expect a ton of flavor.
87
Cohiba
We just finished up our Christmas catalog, and added a nifty little gift-buying section for all types of buyers. Some of us were chosen to play the role of everyday characters folks can relate to. Characters you work with, associate with, are related to, etc....characters best described as, ‘that guy.’ My character, in a word, was superficial. Makes a lot of money (completely false), prefers name brand stuff (depends on what I’m buying), and spends a lot of money (busted). Anyhoo, the cigar for ‘that guy’ is Cohiba Robusto. I lit one up for my photo, and decided to keep it burning to double-up on a review. Multitasking, check. Efficiency, check. Cutting costs, check. Yeah, I’m also ‘that guy’ - where you at, boss?
First off, this Cohiba certainly ain’t the prettiest cigar. The wrapper is mottled and marbleized. No biggie, sometimes I prefer a cigar rustic in appearance. It’s more genuine - more authentic - and seems less fabricated. It’s solid as a brick, though. No soft spots anywhere throughout the barrel. A slight barnyard aroma on the pre-light, a quick toast, and away we go.
There’s a good amount of rich, raw tobacco at play here. Not bad. But the thing that I enjoy most is the salt and pepper flavor I’m getting. Salt up front, pepper on the exhale. Not a spicy, lingering pepper. But a quick, cracked black pepper that diminishes with ease on the finish. Through the nose I get cedar and spice. Actually, if I exhale through the nose that black pepper on the palate lingers much longer. An enjoyable little discovery. After about an inch, the salt-like influence fades, the pepper remains, and a sweet, woodsy nuance takes center stage along with a softer hint of almond. Who knew Cohiba was this complex?
This is where the cigar remains ‘til the end. I’ll be honest, it burned a little fast but the flavors were pretty damn enjoyable....especially on a fresh palate paired with a cream and sugar ‘Great One’ from Dunkin. I’m drinking Dunkin, fool. This is a tasty, medium-bodied cigar with some good flavors at play. Now....mind you, I probably wouldn’t find myself buying a box of these anytime soon, but for the right price, this is a good buy. And we have enough ways to save on this brand to make them more reachable for the common man.
I have to say....I am pleasantly surprised. Don’t be fool by my 89-point score. Remember the days when 89 was ‘outstanding?’ Indeed, 92 seems to be the new 89. And if you compare this score to my previous scores, know that price is always a factor with me. If this were a $5 stick, we’d be playing a much different game.
89
Dark Shark
For the last several years one of the most popular week-long segments on television is “Shark Week.” Something I’ve learned from the ominous documentaries of these man-eating monsters is that they can literally smell fear.
Normally, the fear is detected through the substance commonly known as “shark sugar”. This, of course, is when the individual bobbing up-and-down haplessly in the murky shark-infested waters become so nervous about their fate that they essentially…well, you figure it out.
The key to survival in this precarious situation would be to remain calm (easier said than done) and not create “shark sugar”. By nature, sharks generally do not favor the taste of human meat.
On the flipside, we humans tend to dine on the fine delicacy of shark steaks and filets while finding the flavor to be quite rich and plentiful. Since we watch sharks on television and feast on them in restaurants, why not take our obsession of sharks into the cigar world?
I get it…ridiculous segue from sharks to cigars. But the Dark Shark is THE BEST moving bundled cigar in the CI Super-Store and I’m going to tell you why.
This blend is quite different than the other cigars which comprise “The CI Unsmokeables.” Many of the anonymous cigars that are categorized into the ‘Liga Unsmokeable’ I would describe as “vomit-inducing” or “capable of gagging a maggot”. However, regarding the Dark Shark, this is an obscure gem.
Let’s take a look at this Nicaraguan handmade. The Dark Shark has a solid midnight-black maduro wrapper that hails from Brazil. The “Brazilian Aripiraca” wrapper takes on its oily, dark characteristic during fermentation, where the tobacco leaves change from a chestnut to a darker hue as the sugars extract from the tobacco. Typically, Brazilian maduro tends to have a full, peppery flavor although the wrapper on the Dark Shark possesses a smooth, natural sweetness. The shiny, Brazilian Arapiraca wrapper encompasses aged, Cuban-seed Nicaraguan fillers, giving the blend a rich, sweetness with just a touch of black pepper.
I hope you’re not looking for a quick smoke in this Nicaraguan-made cigar; the Dark Shark is only offered in a Churchill (7.0”x50). However, for a churchill-sized cigar, they don’t burn particularly slow either. Out of a bundle of twenty, you may find a few under-filled. Overall, the Dark Shark is fairly weightless in the hand, but, despite my criticism, has moderately good construction.
To put it bluntly, there are certain cigars for certain occasions. My Man O’ War Armadas, Puro Authenticos and Ave Marias are normally for the balcony with a glass of rum in hand. My 5 Vegas Golds, Rocky Patel Connecticuts and Morro Castles are the everyday “go-to” sticks. Then, there’s those grass-cutting, pooper-scoopin’, take-my-dog-out-for-a-walk-cigars. Inappropriately prejudiced toward the Dark Shark, I brought one with me to the “place where all bad nights end,” R-----‘s Pub in Bethlehem.
I’m with my friend (for sake of argument, let’s call him Qbert) and after a long night of striking out with the young ladies, we end up at R-----‘s (yes, I’m censoring myself because a good friend of mine works at said “Hell on Earth”).
Upon sparking up the Dark Shark with dirt cheap lager in hand, I’m pleasantly surprised as a giant cloud of white smoke fills the air and my palate is surrounded by a subtle coffee bean flavor. I know I had myself a few ‘Stoli and tonics earlier but I’m not even half in the bag so I confidently stand by my current notion.
Throughout the middle third and finish on the cigar the Dark Shark remained fairly consistent and I don’t notice much change in flavor. However, something notable about this blend is that, strength-wise, it touched medium bodied after about the first half inch. My pre-conceived thoughts were that this blend would be fairly mellow.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised as the Dark Shark surpassed many expectations. The Shark was a solid smoke, decent flavor, above-moderate construction and dirt cheap. At a buck a piece, this is one of the best values CI has to offer.
Qbert was fairly confused as I declared the Dark Shark as “a tasty morsel”. Of course, he had loaded up on Vodka and Rhino Energy Drinks before we ventured about town so he was quite bewildered beforehand.
I reviewed the ambiguous Dark Shark because I can’t keep them on the shelves. Customers are buying them two and three bundles at a time! If you happen to stop by the CI Super-Store in Bethlehem and pick yourself up a bundle, you will be greeted with an uproarious "SHARK ATTACK!" declaration by the expert-friendly staff. Anyway, maybe there’s something I’m missing, but if you’re looking for 20 cigars for dirt cheap, buy these bundles and see for yourself!
Expert thought for the day: “Why do they call it a drive-thru if you have to stop?”
79
Alec Bradley American Classic
You don’t make great cigars sitting behind a desk and Alan Rubin will be happy to tell you that. Alan Rubin started Alec Bradley Cigars (named after his sons, Alec and Bradley) in 1996. Since the company’s inception, they have garnered several 90+ ratings. To say that I’m excited to try this blend would be an understatement.
Alec Bradley’s American Classic intrigued me from the beginning. Being a red-blooded, gun-toting, beer drinking, flag flying, truck-driving....well, you get the picture. I consider myself a patriot. So what goes well with my patriotism? An American cigar, of course! Well, sort of American....the American Classic is made in Nicaragua utilizing a Connecticut-seed wrapper grown in Honduras. The fillers are a blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan long-leaf tobaccos. So really, there’s nothing American about it except the band. What is American about the blend is that it’s a throwback to the cigars that were rolled in Tampa in the early part of the 20th century. You know, back in the good ol’days of homogenized wrappers and machine made brands. Huh? Whatever. At least his intentions were good, I hope. So let’s just take the cigar for what it’s worth – about $4-$5 in box....not bad.
I picked up the Robusto for the review. At first glance, it seems like this stick is going to be a light-weight. I generally prefer a fuller cigar, and American Blend’s pale, tan wrapper doesn’t raise my pulse in the slightest. Upon lighting, I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, it’s no powerhouse, but it actually has some pretty good flavor right out of the gate. For about the first inch it comes off as a medium-bodied cigar. Up front, there’s a creamy, cedary flavor that turns to spice as it finishes. You definitely feel the spice on the back of your palate. As the cigar progresses, the spice subsides and the creamy, cedary flavor is more pronounced.
I won’t lie, this isn’t the most complex cigar you’ll ever smoke and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it’s nice to not have to think about all the changes in a blend and just smoke. The American Blend provides and all-around tasty cigar at pretty reasonable prices. I’ll give it a 90 (including a couple of bonus points for the name).
90
La Herencia Cubana CORE
Just when I think A.J. Fernandez has finally put together a cigar so grand that I consider it his pièce-de-résistance he puts together a new blend that proves me wrong. How can this one guy make so many terrific cigars, really? Never before have I become so fond of a cigar that falls near my upper price-range of my cigar budget (that price is at the $10.00 mark if you’ve read my AVO 85th review) that I’ve purchased so many 5-packs & eventually a box of the new La Herencia Cubana CORE cigars. And not only have I purchased so many of these cigars, but instead of taking them home to put in my aging humidor, I’m enjoying them one after another. I honestly do not know if these cigars will benefit much from aging them because they are made using such quality, well-aged tobaccos that they are in their prime as soon as the shipment came in. If these cigar do get better with more age I will not only eat my words, but I’ll certainly be buying even more of these!!
After trying every size, it was tough to pick one. There are 3 classic vitolas & one that’s pretty unique – The Dagger (which, unlike the rest of the lineup, is a round cigar with a chisel-type torpedo head.) Just to be fair, I randomly picked - and I blindly chose the Belicoso for this review. The hearty torpedo measures a healthy 6.25” x 52 that’s gently box-pressed, being more rectangular than it is square which then rounds out as you approach the cap of the tapered head. The cigar is beautiful - solid in my hand with considerable heft and ‘gift-wrapped’ in a toothy, oily, dark-brown Habano sun-grown Ligero wrapper that’s almost oozing with oily goodness. And it’s packed with 3 different Nicaraguan ligeros as well as a little PA Broadleaf tobacco making this one of the most unique blends out there.
Upon toasting the foot & lighting up I’m met with chewy, dense smoke that fills my mouth causing my salivary glands to kick into overload. It’s as savory as a dry aged, N.Y. Strip Steak from the finest steak house. Its initial flavors stand out as rich, toasty with sweet spice. It produces a very “chewy” plume of smoke that’s starting to form a beautiful blue-white cloud all around me with a nice oaky aroma. I’m in sheer bliss at the one inch point, and the ash is light gray, rock-solid & hangs on until almost the 2-inch mark when I gently tap it off into my tall Stinky Ashtray. As I’m getting down into the ‘meat of it’ now it’s gaining flavor with each puff and the spicy-sweet, leathery character I love about fine, aged Nicaraguan tobacco is coming out along with a creaminess that complements the strength & flavor - bringing together a harmony of rich-toastiness that I’ve never experienced with any other cigar. The flavors are so unique that I know my description isn’t doing it justice, but it’s the best that words can do.
I’m into the last third of this incredible cigar now, and I’m in a very relaxed, almost trance-like state. A few guys hanging out at the shop are laughing at me because I’m talking so slowly & typing much more deliberately at this point. I pay them no attention; nothing can separate me from the enjoyment that this cigar is giving me at the moment. The flavors are quite intense now, but still not overbearing & still amazingly balanced. The creaminess is still present, but the predominant flavors are toasty spice & leather. I finish the cigar with less than an inch of it left & leave it in the ashtray to extinguish itself gracefully, with dignity.
94