Staff Reviews

I decided to fire it up over the weekend. I couldn’t help myself. The year long nap caused the natural oils to soak through the wrapper covering it with toothy crystals. The pre-light aroma told me that the tobaccos picked up some influence from my humidor’s cedar. Sold. Although I didn’t know what to expect, my expectations rose each time I took a whiff before sparking up. Considering Cu*Avana is a gentler cigar. The first few minutes were surprising - off the bat, it produced a flavorful burst that quickly filled my entire palate. My confusion was soon put to rest as the aged blend of Dominican long-fillers came through with a smooth, deliberate flavor backed by mellow hints of cedar. Although these flavors were enjoyable, the wrapper easily takes the cake. It’s thick, juicy and adds a rich sweetness to the mix that proved to be extremely pleasant. An hour’s worth of enjoyment is the best way to explain this cigar.

The Cu*Avana Maduro surprised me for two reasons:

1. It’s smooth, and I liked it.
2. Whenever I see a dark, oily wrapper I always keep a lighter on hand to touchup any uneven burns. But not only did this thing burn evenly, it burned sloooow and super cool.

I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less from Manuel Quesada. After all, the man did make the original Dominican Romeo y Julieta and is the mastermind behind Fonseca. He took a thick Connecticut Broadleaf maduro, densely packed it with as much Dominican tobacco as humanly possible, aged it just right and came out with a pleasant smooth - bodied cigar that rivals Macanudo and Ashton, at $2-$3 a stick no less.

Fortunately for me, my every day brand has just what I need and it's called the Anomaly. I always thought Anomaly was a funny name, since I see the word in a negative light. But, ironically enough, it fits perfectly. Within the 5 Vegas Series 'A' line you will find five sizes. Four are standard, 50+ ring parejos. And then, there's the Anomaly: a small, 4.5” x 44 petite corona – when putting this cigar next to the rest one might think it'll have the least amount of flavor. But the amazing part is, after reviewing each size over and over, I constantly find this size to be the spiciest, and fullest (in both flavor and strength) of the bunch. Instantly upon lighting one up, a fiery assault of pepper hits the palate leaving your taste buds tingling after each puff. Although enjoyable, this assault tones down a bit, giving way to a rich toastiness, reminding me of the seared edges of a well-done steak. Weird, I know, but it's good nonetheless. Especially considering I like my steak as red as possibly. About midway through, an unexpected nicotine buzz relaxes me and fills my belly, leading into a robust (but oh-so smooth) finish filled with an explosion of rich, toasty notes and spice. A delicious and satisfying 20-minute investment of your time.

Bottom line, good things come in little packages and this Anomaly has become the ultimate bang for the buck this winter.

As the saying goes, "beauty may only be skin deep, but ugly goes right to the bone." But this is one beauty that's got a pretty face and delivers the goods, in all respects from substance to flavor to construction to price. Bold statement. If you're a maduro nut, the new El Mejor "Espresso" blend will wow you. I received a small advance shipment a few weeks ago (the full shipment to arrive next week) and I gotta tell you, I was blown away. Keep in mind, I approached this blend with caution at first based on my experiences with the old El Mejor. See, the old El Mejor - the original green label - always flummoxed me. When it was good, it was truly great....and if you were patient enough, 6-12 additional months of rest in your humidor without exception turned a great smoke into an almost legendary smoke. Yep, that's right old friend....bordering on legendary. But the thing is, it tended to be spotty. For some reason the consistency just wasn't there from shipment to shipment: see, some months they were simply stunning while others you went home disappointed. Inconsistency like that is a killer. A cigar can be the greatest in the world when it's on, but if it's only good half the time that's a sure way to frustrate a brand's loyal following (and I know because I read the countless letters!). Recognizing this, the green label has been phased out until those consistency problems were ironed down. No doubt it will be resurrected some day hence, but the point of my telling you all this is so you don't confuse the two.

Having bored you to tears, let's move on to the new El Mejor Espresso ("maroon label") line: Espresso is made by none other than Nestor Plasencia in Esteli, Nicaragua. At first glance this thing is really gorgeous: it offers a jet-black, smooth, chocolately Mexican maduro wrapper that's very appealing, thick, oily and black as night. And combined with its crisp, hospital-corner-esque, tight square-pressed finish, the Espresso series looks like a chocolate candy bar. Spark it up and it's got an initial smoky flavor and charcoal-like aroma. It settles down into a cool-burning cigar delivering deep, rich flavors including subtle nuances of cocoa and black coffee, even a touch of sweetness. smoother than you'd think, this lush, medium-bodied blend features a creamy texture and aromatic character. emitting incredibly viscous gobs of billowing smoke with each pull. The packaging? Well, it ain't sexy, just plain mazos of 20, nothing ornate. But the cigar speaks for itself and the incredibly reasonable price tag reveals nothing about the quality of the smoke inside. Highly recommended.

When paying this much for a cigar, I expect a lot. Especially when the band on the cigar says Montecristo, the brand regarded to be the best in the world. I’ll admit, they’re made well, are insanely consistent, and look good in and out of the box…but, I just don’t see the attraction with this new White Label. The ‘brown band’ Dominican is good, if you’re a fan of mellow, dependable smokes. I prefer medium to full, and the new White Label is considered just that, so I bit the bullet and bought a fiver of the No. 2 Torpedos. I’ve smoked each sample and I’ve got to say, it disappoints me. It’s smooth, somewhat flavorful, and slightly stronger than the traditional Monte, but it just didn’t WOW me like I was hoping. The Nicaraguan and Dominican fillers promote a cedary flavor that smokes smooth, yet remains one-dimensional throughout the burn. Also, the Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut wrapper doesn’t promote the robust flavor and strength that I expected. In all, it’s a well-made, good-looking premium that doesn’t do it for me.

I’d recommend this cigar to those looking for a well-made, quality cigar with a lot of money to burn. Or, if you’re looking to impress your friends that smoke cigars based on the band, this is a great choice. No doubt the name and the price tag that comes along with it will raise a few eyebrows. As for me, I taste the cigar, not the band, so I’ll be sticking with my current favorites for now.

My first sample was at the RTDA in New Orleans. After stopping by the Cusano booth for breakfast (in the form of a c10 Crown Corona), I felt I was ready to tackle the new Bolivar 2005. And so, we met with Marky-Mark, our favorite rep from General Cigar to have a sit down while burning through a sample or two. By looks alone, this new cigar could make a newbie run and hide. Dark, thick-ring, straight-barrel parejos adorn with the legendary Bolivar name. You instantly think you’re about to take a puff off the action end of a loaded shotgun. But fear not, this dog’s bite is not nearly as loud as its bark. While the flavor is nice, woody and sweet on the aftertaste, the smoke itself is a lot tamer than expected. A medium-bodied cigar from start to finish. No explosive introductions. No gradual buildup in intensity. No grand finale. I left my first sample in the ashtray feeling cheated and unfulfilled.

Fortunately, now that I know what to expect out of this cigar, I’ve come to enjoy it more. The construction is nice, delivering a solid performance with every burn, and the Nicaraguan and Dominican blend of long-fillers present a well-balanced, pleasant flavor that just about anybody can appreciate. It’s medium in strength and a super-slow-burner, making for a long-lasting experience. Unfortunately, it’s not the Bolivar I had hoped for. Maybe I just expect too much.