Staff Reviews

Being in the CI retail stores for many years now, I noticed that I get a lot of requests for specific styles of cigars & one of the most popular requests in general is for “Good, BIG, mellow, cheap cigars that are reasonably priced.”  Some of these guys don’t want to pay much more than a Buck-a-Stick for anything 8” or bigger, but then again they’re probably not smoking for the taste & pleasure that so many fine, lesser expensive cigars can bring.  So I’m focusing on one of the best cigars to fit that bill (while still being priced at a helluva value) that I’ve seen come along in a long time – Mark Twain cigars.

Rich B, of Bethlehem, PA was one of the very first customers that walked through our doors over 10 years ago and he is still coming in to this day.  A true-grit type of guy. He’s a decorated WWII veteran, father of many, & grandfather to even more (there's a small town in Florida comprised solely of his progeny).  He’s been everywhere & done everything & he’s not easily impressed.  But I digress.  He has always been very specific about what he wanted from when I first met him, and that’s still exactly what he’s looking for in the 10+ years that I’ve know him.  Great, BIG, MELLOW cigars that are around $3.00 each.  I’ve delighted him with so many treasures over the years (and some clunkers too) but all-in-all I have become his go-to guy when he comes in and wants to try something new.  On his last visit in we were just then getting the Mark Twains into the store for the very fist time so as I opened up a box of the Churchill size No. 1.  Now 7”x50 surely is one of the larger vitolas of cigars on the market, “But wait,” I said, “There’s more.  And you’re going to LOVE these cigars!”  With Rich B. somewhat intrigued, but still more annoyed that I hadn’t yet filled his half-dozen lighters that he brought in for me. He said, “That’s great, if they’re under 3 bucks each I’ll take a box.”  I didn’t even mess around with opening a box of the No. 2 (a 7.5 x 52 behemoth) but skipped directly to the box of No. 3’s (a whopping 8” x 54 tree-trunk of a cigar.)  I saw his face light up when I pulled one out and handed it to him.  When I told him it was the same price for any size he just about hugged me (well, I think I caught a faint smile anyway) & since that day he’s been back once a week for a box of his new favorite cigar.  Mark Twain No. 3.

Now, as you may or may not know smoother cigars aren’t usually my thing.  But this one I had to try, and I figured “Go Big or Go Home.”  So I sparked up one of the 8” x 54 No. 3’s yesterday morning.  It had just snowed a few inches the night before & I wasn’t going to be too busy that morning with the icy roads & school closing so I started my day out with a 2+ hour commitment of a cigar.  It was nice and firm in my hand with a smooth-as-silk Connecticut wrapper & it lit up quickly & evenly for such a large cigar.  The draw was perfect & I got creamy puff after creamy puff of thick, billowing smoke.  As I sat at my computer working and helping out the customers that came in I laid it down very infrequently & at about halfway through I discovered that I was really enjoying this cigar.  It was as creamy & smooth, with a lot of good flavor throughout & it hadn’t changed a bit since I lit it over an hour before.  I paid more attention to the 2^nd half of the cigar, and although the flavor increased & it became a bit oaky it still retained that rich creaminess and I enjoyed each & ever puff from that beauty.  I finished the Mark Twain No. 3 after about another hour or so & I was so delighted that I had the opportunity to enjoy this very well made, Good, BIG, mellow, cheap cigar & if this is what you look for in a cigar then put this one on your next order.  You won’t be disappointed!

After spending more than a decade in the cigar industry I’ve seen tons of cigar brands (and “Cigar Super-Stars” come & go. Don Juan, Don Smith, Don This & Don That…the list just never seemed to end. Now, long after the dust has settled from the Cigar Boom of the 90’s we’re well past the end of the Don’s & only the strong are left standing. Survival of the fittest. The way I think the world is meant to be, it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there....but I digress.

One of the fellas who's never been voted off of the island is Rocky Patel. And because The Edge is Rocky’s #1 selling cigar, I thought I’d take a look at it’s less-expensive clone. As I clip the head I’m very impressed with the oily dark Corojo wrapper on this “Counterfeit.” Not a soft-spot from head to foot, and it’s got a little resistance in the pre-light draw that opens up beautifully upon lighting producing thick, creamy white billows of smoke throughout my side of the store. Spice & leather is the primary taste that I’m picking up in the beginning & I like it. I like it a lot.   I’ve always been a huge fan of Rocky’s Edge & Edge Counterfeit maduros, but today I’m taking a closer look at their Corojo cousins. Edge was introduced right here at CI’s Downtown Bethlehem Store in September 2004 and I instantly became a fan of these full-flavored un-banded, non-celloed cigars in big boxes of 100. The current day Edge cigars have cello & a pretty band on their feet, but true-to-their-roots, Edge Counterfeits still come naked & sans cello. And speaking of the Edge Counterfeit, I’m at about the one-third mark now & the spice has given way to make for a very complex, full-flavored creamy taste & I can almost literally chew on the smoke from this cigar. So far - SO GOOD!

The Edge Counterfeit is actually no counterfeit at all. Edge’s “from-the-factory” look of raw cedar aging boxes of 100 filled with tough-looking, naked & unbanded cigars was copied by a handful of cigar makers. Not a single one of them I can even think of right now, but there were a bunch of look-alikes (but none came close to the taste of Rocky’s.) Fed up with all the Edge look-alikes these other companies were spinning Rocky decided that if anyone was going to make a counterfeit Edge cigar – it was him. So he took off to Nicaragua with the same exact recipe that makes an Edge an Edge & put cigar-roller, hall-of-famer A.J. Fernandez to work to make the same exact cigar that was being made in Honduras. After all, if anyone knows what an Edge is made out of it’s certainly Rocky himself. Using the same wrapper, binder & filler tobaccos, Rocky, along with A.J. Fernandez created their own version of the Edge & since each cigar factory implements slightly different methods of drying, aging & fermenting their tobaccos, there are ever-so-slight differences between the Original Edge & the Edge Counterfeit. I can’t really put into words the differences, but one thing I know is that the Edge is quite a bit more expensive with absolutely no difference in quality, construction, or anything other than a bit of flavor difference than the Edge Counterfeit – And I still can’t even figure out how to put that ever-so-slight difference into words. 

I’m just now finishing up this 6” x 52 cigar which has become much more flavorful with intense leather, nuts & the spice has kicked in again at the last third of the cigar. I can honestly say that I’d be in trouble if my life depended on making the distinction between an Edge and an Edge Counterfeit.

In 2010, Rocky Patel cut the ribbon on his very first factory. Wait, I can hear some of you saying....hasn’t Rocky Patel been selling cigars for years? Indeed. But until this point his production had been contracted out. Rocky would work to create new blends, and then farm out the work to various well-established factories across Central America. Now he’s begun shifting to his own facility, a small startup operation in Esteli, Nicaragua. This factory’s first release: Rocky Patel 1961.

RP 1961 is made with an oily, reddish-brown Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and a blend of Nicaraguan long-fillers. Judging by looks alone, expectations are high. Unfortunately, the flavor profile and overall experience is very deflating. The high points: smooth, medium-bodied, draws well, and has a pleasant sweet-cedary taste. Sadly, this is where the fun stops. I kept puffing, and waiting, and waiting some more....but was wholly underwhelmed. RP’s 1961 is a perfectly acceptable cigar with some favorable qualities, but overall, especially considering the $7 to $8 cost per stick, it needs a lot more. Let’s hope this is just a hiccup and not a glimpse into Rocky’s future output.

I’ve long been a fan of Alec Bradley Tempus. This 94-rated stud is damn tasty and always well-made. Especially the Quadrum size, which sits heavy in the hand and comes jam-packed with delicious tobaccos. I just received a Tempus Maduro in this very same size: 5.5”x55 Quadrum. It looks and smells amazing, offering a sweet tobacco pre-light aroma and a bready pre-light flavor that’s making my mouth water. I’m expecting good things here....and decided to write a review to let you know how my first experience with this new blend unfolds.

Side note: I was shocked to see I did not write a review on the original Tempus. I be slackin’, yo!

As I said before, the pre-light characteristics of this cigar really captured my attention. Upon inspecting the foot, I notice a modest mix of darker, ligero-esque tobaccos throughout the blend – foreshadowing of some strength ahead.

The smoke begins with a warm, roasted flavor. Almost like dark roast coffee, with a dry but toasty backbone of dark tobacco flavors beneath. This initial bouquet fills the palate with thick, creamy smoke. The exhale through the nose is surprisingly smooth. However, this all changes after an inch, as red pepper enters the fray....this pepper coats the back of the palate in smooth fashion and becomes a dominate flavor through the nose shortly thereafter. Interestingly enough, I am also picking up a slightly sweet touch of – what seems to be – caramel on the finish....just on the front of the palate. I don’t notice this new intricacy with every puff, but it’s certainly there.

I am midway through, and the power behind those darker tobaccos I mentioned earlier are shining through. This cigar is meaty. Rich, toasty to the core with dark tobacco flavors and a dash of pepper....the caramel is gone as the strength reaches my gut. I wouldn’t call this a full-bodied cigar (not yet, at least), but it is certainly satisfying on many levels with two thirds remaining.

The final stretch is pure maduro. A bold display of strong, but properly cared for tobaccos dishing out impressive flavors that linger long on the palate. Even the aroma has intensified. It was toasty and charcoal-like at first, but has now evolved into a zesty, somewhat oily aroma.

Wow. The darker side of Tempus has many faces. All of which are presented in balanced fashion despite their contrasting attributes. From spicy to sweet, dry to rich, the Alec Bradley Tempus kept me on my toes from start to finish.

Just to prove that I actually do read the ol’ e-mails that people send, I’m going to do this review based on a request from Jack W. who hails from Marysville, MI. Jack e-mailed me saying that he enjoyed the La Flor Dominicana Air Bender and wanted to know my thoughts, specifically on the Maestro Size. So I moseyed on out to the humidor and picked up a 5’er of these 5.5”x52 sized cigars. The first thing I noticed is the oily Ecuadorian Habano wrapper that encompasses the all Dominican blend which is sure to packed full of usual ligeros that are the hallmark of blender Litto Gomez.

The cigar itself is heavy in the hand and has a pre-light aroma familiar to blends that utilize well fermented tobaccos. As I light up one of these puppies I’m reading about the history of La Flor Dominicana… Turns out founder Litto Gomez started up the company after his jewelry store was robbed of about $400,000 in merchandise! Go figure…

Right about….now, I’m about half an inch in and I am noticing a light spice on my palate as well an enjoyable flavor upon exhaling through the nose. I’m not that far into the cigar and already I can tell that it is going to be full bodied – something that the bulk of La Flor’s releases are known for.

I’m about half way through this here Bender of Air and I’ve noticed that the spice has dissipated, but there is a nice amaretto like finish that I am actually finding myself enjoying. The strength hasn’t let up at all. In fact, I am having trouble typing at this point.

One thing that I should point out about this cigar is that I’ve had to relight it a few times and the burn I found to be less than perfect. Aside from that, I am enjoying the blend which seems to pair well with my ‘Best of Johnny Cash’ collection that I have pumping through the headphones. As far as price goes, well, the MSRP may cause a few folks to take a second glance, ranging from $140 - $165 a box.

I’ll wrap up this review since I’ve gotten near the end of the cigar. I must say, the blend does seem to be heading south a bit. I’m starting to get some harsh flavors that are turning me off to the cigar. I found this same characteristic to be present in each of the Air Benders that I burned through. So, to sum it all up – I enjoyed the first half, but the second half – not so much. Was that first half worth $7+? To me…no. But as always, taste is subjective. So pick a few up and try them for yourself!