Staff Reviews

It almost feels a little weird to say this, but I actually like Magellan Dominicans.

If you had told me that I would actually enjoy a 55-cent, mixed filler, small corona that comes wrapped in a map (yes, a freaking map), I would have told you that you were crazy. But the truth is, Magellans are pretty good....actually better than a bunch of brands that cost a whole lot more.

When I first came on board at CI, I couldn’t believe how well they sold. Magellan easily ranks as one of our top-selling bundles and they’ve held that spot for years. At a glance, this brand looks like a turd. There’s even a note in the description that says the ring gauge is “sometimes as low as 38 and sometimes up to 44.” So my mind says - if the manufacturer can’t even get the size right, this cigar has to taste horrid. But the truth is, it doesn’t. Not one bit. I’ve burned through quite a few bundles to date and I’ve honestly enjoyed them. Don’t get me wrong; Magellan Dominicans won’t be winning any awards. But for a short smoke with smooth, decent flavor at a throwaway price, Magellan is a perfect fit. Great for 20-minute car rides, dog walks, or a post lunch break snack. 

Made with a somewhat decent looking Connecticut wrapper and a mellow blend of Dominican mixed-filler tobaccos, Magellan is mellow and smooth. This is actually one of the only cigars that I punch (I normally use a guillotine). The reason being, if you cut too much, you’ll get some loose tobacco pieces in your mouth. But a small punch or a really shallow cut gets the job done with no mess. Overall, they burn well, draw well and are consistently tasty. They’re cool, but not bland – creamy and smooth, with notes of cedar, pepper and a slight sweetness on the finish.

If you don’t like mellow, hate small cigars or otherwise, maybe Magellan isn’t for you. But if you’re looking for a something that burns well and tastes pretty good for just a few cents more than a postage stamp, give Magellan Dominicans a whirl.

Finding a mellow-bodied cigar with substance can be tough. Tougher still is finding a mellow-bodied handmade with enough gusto to rival the likes of Ashton and Davidoff, without the hefty price tag. Well, one has arrived from the most unlikely of sources: Graycliff.

First some info on Graycliff. This Bahamas-based factory is tiny, housing a mere dozen Cuban-born rollers that – combined – craft just a couple thousand cigars each day. A drop in the bucket compared to a brand like Macanudo, where daily production is well over 100,000 cigars. These rollers were trained by none other than the late Avelino Lara, the Cuban-born cigar legend known best for creating the original Cuban Cohiba. To this day, Graycliff utilizes the rarest, aged tobaccos in uber-small-batch fashion to craft some of the world’s most prestigious blends and priciest cigars. A veritable breeding ground for luxury, including award-winning cigars ranked among the world’s finest.

Enter Graycliff ‘G2,’ the factory’s pioneer blend into the realm of mellow-bodied boutique handmades. Each cigar is seamless in appearance with a chestnut, chocolate brown hue. The blend is comprised of Connecticut wrappers grown under the natural valley mists of Ecuador and aged, Cuban-seed long-fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican. The aroma is soft but pleasant – some barnyard, but mostly sweet tobacco and cedar.

Off the bat, the smoke is notably rich and creamy in nature. Very creamy, in fact. The smoke is thick and heavy, leaving a velvety texture on the palate with each puff. The aroma is toasty and woodsy, enjoyable. After a few minutes I get into the meat of the cigar, and pick up a distinct doughiness, like baked bread....something I have only found in one other cigar – that I can recall. I love this nuance, and if you read through my past reviews you’ll know what I am talking about. It’s coupled with a toasty, nutty note from the Ecuadorian wrapper and a rich, leathery flavor from the Nicaraguan tobaccos. The Dominican tobaccos lend a sweet tobacco flavor that complements these unique flavors quite nicely. For a mellow-bodied cigar, the ‘G2’ is complex....these flavors are not subtle, nor are they overpowering. And the best part is, they are presented throughout the entire smoke in a balanced and soothing fashion. This truly is a full-flavored, mellow-bodied cigar with rich, satisfying qualities....but one that’s mellow enough for anytime enjoyment. The bouquet does not get harsh or grow more intense at any point during the burn. There are no twists or turns....just a solid, straightforward cigar that’s flavorful from start to finish.

I am impressed and – to be honest – surprised. Many mellow-bodied cigars are just that: mellow airballs with nothing more than tobacco flavors going on, which is why I lean more towards medium and full-bodied blends. This is not one of them, and considering the price per box I can easily find myself adding Graycliff to my regular rotation – something I never thought I’d say.

Rarely do I have a chance to sit down and truly enjoy a cigar. As a member of the CI Merch Squad, I am constantly testing samples for potential blends, writing descriptions for new brands, or providing feedback for upcoming new releases. Yes, I enjoy many of these cigars and some are true gems, but having the freedom to dig deep into my humidor to find something I’ve been craving is rare at times.

Sunday was one of those rare occasions. I spent the better part of my day painting doors while listening to Peyton Manning graciously give Mark Sanchez a mere glimpse of an AFC title before ripping it away from him like the true, cold-blooded champion and football technician he is. After Peyton marched his team down for their last touchdown, I headed to the humidor for a quick cigar before Brett Favre took the field. To save time, I chose the cigar to be during halftime: Cuba Libre.

Cuba Libre is one of those cigars that cigar purist love. Traditional and simple, yet attractive packaging. No bells, no whistles....it’s all class. The same goes for the blend. This cigar does not contain 12-generation Cuban seeds grown in the virgin soils of a tiny Honduran valley bordering Nicaragua. Cuba Libre does, however utilize quality Cuban-seed tobaccos from the Jalapa Valley of Honduras inside a toothy Corojo wrapper. An expertly blended recipe of hand-selected tobaccos chosen to achieve a satisfying balance in flavor and strength. No promises that cannot be kept, just a good Honduran handmade for the cigar purist to enjoy.

This particular Cuba Libre has been aging in my humidor for some time now – probably a year - so consider this when reading my review. I will say, Cuba Libre is great off the rolling table, issuing a raw, earthy profile replete with heady spices and a feisty Cuban-esque character. However, as you know....not every cigar ages well, and the power of a full-flavored cigar can easily be lost after spending a significant amount of time in the humidor.

The first light offered a ton of earth and leather, followed by a toasty, charcoal-like aroma. Lots of flavor off the bat, just like I expected. However, it’s not until I broke the half-inch mark when the true character of this cigar came out. I picked up a solid dose of oak and toast, with some notes of pepper hitting the back of my palate and through the nose. Not scratchy, ‘this is harsh’ pepper....rather, a ‘freshly cracked black pepper’ pepper. The smoke was creamy and heavy, filling my entire palate and leaving behind a long, woodsy aftertaste. Midway through it became clear that Cuba Libre still possessed the same power one would notice right off the factory floor. And thanks to the tamed-by-time bouquet, the gradual increase in power is easily discernable – and actually quite enjoyable. The final third contains no pepper on the palate (exhale through the nose, it’s still there) but offers an increased array of earth, leather, and toast. Then, rather than ending will a full-bodied, full-flavored display, the flavors wind down a tad, becoming mellow in nature only to dish out large volumes of creamy, soothing smoke without losing the power it’s known for.

Cuba Libre offers no frills and requires no marketing. It’s just a solid, no-nonsense cigar that customers re-order after sampling just a few. It’s one of those, ‘the proof is in the pudding’ handmades that customers constantly recommend to others in the deepest corners of our Super-Store....as if they want to save them all for themselves. (Don’t worry folks, they’ll make more.) And now that I took the time to sit back and enjoy a finely aged Cuba Libre I can honestly say, it’s even better after a long cedar nap.

Gonz, the bargain barrel shopper of the century, finally coming out of a long slumber away from the famed Gonz Live studios, present to you, my loyal listeners, viewers, and readers, a deal of the century.  I couldn't get the video recording apparatus together quickly today, but I felt morally obliged to present you this opportunity before it was too late.  The cigar is not well known, in fact I never heard of it either, it's the Carlos Torano Dominco, but it's flying out of colossal CI warehouse faster than Martha Coakley from Massachusetts.

Let me first start by wishing everyone a prosperous 2010, hoping that the woes of 2009 are far behind us.  We live in interesting times, filled with economic uncertainty, an unbridled passion of our government to expand its reach into every part of our lives, thereby leaving us with fewer and fewer opportunities to take time away from the mayhem that surrounds us to enjoy a few of the simpler pleasures in life - family, friends, a nice Kentucky Bourbon, and of course, cigars.  The most significant downside, everyone's pockets, yours much like mine, are feeling a bit lighter these days.  The expansion of the government run SCHIP program, taxing cigars to unprecedented new heights, pushed cigar prices into the stratosphere in 2009, blowing out the cigar budget at every corner.  No doubt, that has made my job harder, finding needles in the proverbial cigar haystack.  Worry not, my friend, I and my tireless colleagues at CI have got your back.  And this deal is no exception.

Here goes:  Carlos Torano makes a litany of remarkable puros for makers like Gurkha, CAO, 5 Vegas, Alec Bradley, and a slew of their own highly rated cigars.  So what are these Carlos Torano Dominicos you ask...simple, they're good and they're cheap.  At about $1.50 per cigar for a mellow yet full flavored masterpiece that I can't stop smoking, load up quickly mi amigos b/c you'll be kicking yourself with the spur end of your cowboy boots if you don't. 

The maduro is the most lovely, I'm smoking the toro size right now, it starts out mellow and sweet, hinting toward a slight cappucino flavor on the wrapper.  It quickly evolves to offer a hint of spice (and a slight tartness on the top of your mouth) that never truly shows itself.  The body is smooth but lends a full-flavored smoke experience that fills the room.  Very well constructed, it never gets soft (like my big bald dome) and delivers a pleasant experience of cream with a touch of dark chocolate goodness from beginning to end (well, at least to about the last 3 inches, then it does start to burn a touch hot, but I'm not sure if that's the cigar or me as I drag ferociously....I can't get enough of this.)  The finish is soft, disappears and never outwelcomes its stay.

The stats are interesting - a blend of Mexican, Costa Rican, and Honduran tobaccos (apparently whatever they could find left over in the factory) but no matter, whatever they've done they've done it right, the blend is deliciously mellow.  And the wrapper, a Criollo maduro wrapper, cements the flavor providing a medium to full-flavored smoking experience.  Don't get it wrong, it's far from strong, but you clearly know you're not smoking a creampuff.  I love it.  You will too.  Do it 'cause Gonz told ya so.

Enjoy and Spark'em up,

- Gonz
 

La Aroma de Cuba was always a decent smoke in my humblest of opinions but it lacked that certain something that could take it from simply “decent” to a whole lot more…and then some. The folks at Ashton seemed to agree with this as was evidenced by their recent factory change for production and subsequent re-blending of the La Aroma de Cuba. Now made by Pepin Garcia in his shiny new Nicaraguan factory, La Aroma de Cuba has allegedly taken on a brand new personality. So, without further delay, I’m off to the humidor to grab me a 5-pack of the 6x52 Monarch. Sit tight, I’ll be back in a few…

Alrighty then, I’m back with my Monarchs along with a few other tasty treats I snagged during the trip, but more on those later. As you may recall, the previous blend of La Aroma de Cuba was produced in Honduras with a Cuban-seed wrapper and a blend of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan and Honduran long-fillers. The result was a medium-bodied cigar that was pretty one-dimensional in flavor and yielded a lingering spice on the finish. Take my word for it, I’ve still got a couple boxes of the old blend and am smoking them side by side to compare. The new Pepin Garcia-made La Aroma de Cuba, by comparison is a few shades darker and oily enough to bring a tear to the eye. It literally glistens in the light! Oooooooohhh…..Aaaaaaaaahhh…say it with me now! The new blend boasts a combination of select Nicaraguan long-fillers all brought together with a ruddy and oily Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The end result is a dramastic (term coined by an excited CI staffer. It is believed to be a combination of the words “drastic” and “dramatic”) improvement over the old blend with the new delivering distinguishable cedary notes up front followed by a host of earthy and nutty flavors throughout as the cigar develops. The spice is still there by the boatload but if you need an extra helping just try blowing the smoke out through your nose! For my palate the new La Aroma is a great smoke and a vast improvement over the old blend. If you haven’t had the new blend yet you should give it a shot right now without delay. If you’ve had the old but not the new, well what are you waiting for? Go on and git some!