Staff Reviews

I don’t have a very specific taste in cigars. My mantra is ‘smoke what you like, like what you smoke’, and I have very rarely met a cigar I couldn’t enjoy. The only cigars I’ll pass up if there’s nothing else available are sticks that are too heavily sweetened, with a sugary cap. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these sticks, and I’m definitely not the kind of guy to say they’re not real cigars, but they’re just not my bag. I prefer heavy stuff. Strong stuff. Mineral and earth and dark chocolate and black coffee. I had a cigar the other day that tasted like motor oil, and loved every second of it.

I’ve had a sample of the new Lars Tetens Steam Punk on my desk for a few days now. I’m a little too young to remember Lars and the cigars he made in the ‘90s, but I knew that he pioneered some popular infusion & conditioning processes used by a lot of the brands that are too sweet for my palate. I also know that his cigars were somewhat polarizing, seeing that many loved them and many… felt differently. 

Now I try not to judge based on other people’s opinions, preferring to formulate my own as objectively as possible, and it wasn’t the reputation that was keeping me from firing this stick up sooner (but the crazy bands certainly didn’t help). Instead, it was a misguided assumption that it would be very sweet. Au contraire. From start to finish, I really couldn’t tell if this thing was infused. It’s definitely different. Wood forward, slight pepper, some leather, a few papery notes, on the surface not a particularly unique profile. But there’s just… something extra. An extra bit of spice most noticeable if you breathe in through your nose while puffing, and in the retrohale. 

Lars doesn’t say much about the cigar & its blend on his website, describing it as a ‘medium-bodied palate stimulator’ and a broad statement on the site claims ‘Lars Tetens is recognized as the authentic and original cigar maker to reintroduce the world to a unique conditioning process technique, using essential oils and botanicals.’ I don’t taste any essential oils & botanicals. Or, at least, I don’t think I do. Certainly not anywhere near as heavily as ACID.  

I can say that I enjoyed the Lars Tetens Steam Punk. The description is accurate, this is a medium-bodied cigar with a full-flavored profile, with varying strengths and abundant complexity. The flavors are fairly run-of-the-mill except for that very interesting savory spice note, which is its redeeming factor. If not for what I assume is a result of the proprietary ‘conditioning’ process, it likely wouldn’t stand out a whole lot. By the end of the cigar, I’m impressed. And left with a nub that’s too small to hold. This is absolutely a cigar worth at least a fair shake.

Sadistic satisfaction for the serious stogie chomper.

Look, I’ll be honest. I love tobacco. I smoke pretty much constantly from when I wake up to when I go to bed, and I like to follow the great Mark Twain’s advice when it comes to cigars: “Eating and sleeping are the only activities that should be allowed to interrupt a man's enjoyment of his cigar”. If it’s waking hours in Pennsylvania, you can bet I’ve got a cigar or a pipe fired up in my hand. 

Naturally, this means I generally gravitate to more full-bodied selections. I’ve been smoking for a good long time now, but until I got snagged by Cigars International from a small b&m in Arizona I haven’t tried too many of the CI Nation favorites. It’s not that I had anything against them (we’re all just retailers trying to bring an amazing product to people who will appreciate it, after all) it’s just that they had never really crossed my radar. Fast forward to March of 2019, and I’m pretty much settled into a great new career with CI when the Man O’ War Ruination 10th Anniversary crosses my desk. I knew this brand had a reputation for being on the stronger side, so I couldn’t wait to get it lit.

Before this, I had never tried the original Ruination, or any Man O’ War for that matter. I knew they’re made by AJ Fernandez, and AJ had already scored a few places in my ‘Top 20’ regular rotation list (it’s hard for me to pare it down to less than 20). I also knew as soon as I cracked the cellophane that I had been doing myself a major disservice by not seeking this brand out sooner. The wrapper is a deep hickory-brown Ecuador Habano leaf showing an almost perfectly uniform color, with very finely gritty oils and almost no veins or seams to be seen. It’s almost hard to get a good look at because this things absorbs light like a black hole. My sample is very hard to the touch with a fairly sharp box-press, showing corners but no hard edges. I like candy-bar box-pressed cigars so sharp you could cut yourself on them, and this isn’t quite that defined but it is close. 

The aroma from the foot is surprisingly muted, with some dark fruit and leather just barely apparent. Ditto for the wrapper, but with more of chocolate-wood note. It also made me sneeze, which is always an indication that a cigar will suit my tastes. I opted for a straight-cut, and the cold draw is creamy with a touch of vanilla sweetness, and a background of chocolate, leather, and earth that leaves a peppery sensation on the lips. 

This stick takes a bit of patience to light, but your patience will certainly pay off. I lit carefully to avoid overheating the foot, and was greeted right off the bat with a fair amount of spice at the tip of the tongue, slowly radiating to every part of my palate with every subsequent puff. The flavor profile is dominated by a sort of woodsy-savoriness, with lots of tree bark and barbecue notes and a constant undercurrent of pepper and earth. The smoke production is solid, and I can retrohale about half the smoke for a distinctive extra dimension of charred wood and cream.

The profile loses a lot of its edge and the strength begins to dwindle approaching the second third. There's a nutty note that slowly moves toward the up-front flavors, and the toastiness evolves into more of a smooth graham-cracker note. 

The dense white & black stacked ash clung for an impressive 2 ½ inches before falling with an audible plop into my ashtray, the burn remained razor sharp while building the next 2 inches. I’m very happy with the quality of construction of this sample, especially considering the larger ring gauge, since 60+ usually gives me less-than-stellar performance. No touchups or relights required at all, making this a very relaxing cigar conducive to kicking back and getting comfy. 

Past the halfway point, the flavors are mostly savory and earthy, with a deep chocolatey finish. There is also a subtle emergence of mineral/graphite notes, which is a common thread among almost all of my favorites. The profile in the final third of the Ruination 10th Anniversary exhibit a perfect balance of cream, earth, and graphite. I’m surprised toward the nub by a bit of an herbal, almost tea-like note, seated firmly in the background and barely detectable.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a cigar that burns well all the way down to the finger burnin’ nub, but I found myself poking a match into the side so I could keep on puffing on it after it was too small to hold. I finally toss it in the ashtray with about a half inch left, an hour and 45 minutes after I first put the flame to the foot.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed my experience with the Man O’ War Ruination 10th Anniversary, and can now safely say that I’ll be putting in an order for the some of their other lines.

CigarFest 2019 was a great weekend for me. I had just moved to Pennsylvania from Arizona to start at Cigars International a month or so before, and it was the perfect way to get to know a lot of my coworkers. Sure, maybe I got to know a few of them a little too well, but it was mostly a fantastic time for us, the vendors, the customers, and I suspect even some of the resort staff witnessing the debauchery. I also got to meet a lot of prolific master-blenders and company owners, one of whom was Robert Holt, head of Southern Draw Cigars.

Holt's a pretty pleasant guy to be around, with a firm handshake and a good sense of humor. We spoke briefly about a common interest, good bourbon, and at the end of the conversation he handed me a pre-release Southern Draw Jacob’s Ladder Brimstone. I decided to let it rest for a while, and when I saw that the Brimstone started arriving on our docks, I decided it was time to fire it up and tell the people what it’s all about.

The first thing I noticed is the aroma. This stick is pungent, always a harbinger of great flavors from well-fermented tobacco. It sort of smells like freshly-baked gingerbread, with a bit of heavy earth, and a little cocoa. It surprises me to pick up so much from just the wrapper and the tapered foot, because I know I’m hardly even smelling the filler at all. The cold draw is nice and toasty, with a good amount of sweetness over a solid backbone of earth and spice. 

It's not often you can tell that you’ll like a cigar from the first few puffs, but the Brimstone is an exception. The earth, leather, pepper, cocoa, and espresso beans are perfectly balanced from the get-go, an impressive feat considering the high ligero content. Even more surprising? I was called away from my desk for about 15 minutes and had to leave it, and when I got back the burn was still going strong!

The cigar continued to show a really excellent balance in the second half, with a bit more body and depth while keeping the same levels of spice & pepper. I took it down to about an inch left, and chucked it into my ashtray with satisfaction. That was a really good cigar. I unfortunately haven’t quite made my way through Southern Draw’s entire portfolio, but they’re absolutely on my radar after the great experience I had with the Jacob’s Ladder Brimstone.

A few months back, I did a quick review on all of the Oliva 2nds blends that we carried and told you my favorite. It’s one of my shortest reviews ever, but has a ton of views. Since then, the review has become a little dated (we get new sizes and versions of their 2nds all the time), but it remains one of the most useful pieces I’ve penned. Two lessons from that write-up: 

1.) I write too much in these things. (Gotta put this Bachelor’s in English Literature to work somehow!)
2.) People like when you compare stuff. 

True scientific conclusions there. And as a man of the people, it’s my duty to take these lessons to heart. So, today, we’re going to take a quick glance at all four of the current Macanudo Inspirado releases, focusing on the latest blend to hit our shelves (Orange) and trying to help you decide where to jump in on this fan-favorite line. 

Let’s start with a little context: Inspirado is a relatively recent set of releases from the famed Macanudo brand. While they’ve long been known for their uber-popular Café line, Macanudo isn’t a one trick pony, and Inspirado proves that. By taking a more “boutique” approach to their blending and focusing on sourcing the best, aged tobaccos, they’ve produced a line of cigars that both small batch and big brand lovers can agree on. Without further ado, let’s check ‘em all out. 

Inspirado Black: Black was the Inspirado that arrived first on our docks, and my introduction to the brand. And at the risk of sounding corny, this one ain’t your daddy’s Macanudo. Weighing in at a medium to full-bodied profile, Black utilizes a proprietary growing technique to showcase a dark and oily Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Lighting it, you’ll find a lot of dark chocolate, accented by some black pepper and roasted nuts. Classic maduro. I’d happily enjoy one if somebody handed it to me, but it’s not my favorite of the lot: 3.5 out of 5 stars. 

Inspirado White: Oh yeah. Now we’re talking. Wrapped in a six-year-aged Ecuadorian Connecticut leaf, Inspriado White is the closest to the classic Café brand. But while Café remains smooth and mellow throughout, this is more of a “new age” Connecticut flavor. The creamy, toasty notes you love are there, with spikes of white pepper and cedar. An easy one to recommend, especially in the Churchill size. My humidor now always contains a couple of these sticks. 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

Inspirado Red: If you blindfolded me, I’d never, ever guess this is a Macanudo. Full-bodied, dark, and box-pressed, Red has more in common with CAO Flathead or Rocky Patel Decade than it does Café. But that’s not a bad thing! The fullest cigar to ever bear the Macanudo Name, Inspirado Red offers a bold mixture of dark fruit, red pepper, cedar, and leathery notes. A must-try, especially for the uniqueness of the product. 4 out of 5 stars. 

Inspirado Orange: My other favorite. To give you a peek behind the curtains here, we were accidentally shipped a ton of Inspirado Orange torpedos in a tube back when these were a retail exclusive, and (luckily) the folks behind Macnaudo told us to keep them. So I did what any cigar lover would – grabbed a couple handfuls and went to town. Spicy and complex without being overbearing, Orange delivers a flavor that reminds me most of Espinosa Laranja (maybe I’m just stuck on the orange theme here). Slight fruitiness mixes with a cedar spice, in a soft, creamy profile that’s just as good at 9 AM as it is at 10 PM. Another easy recommendation. 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

If you can only try one Inspirado, Orange or White are my frontrunners. From there, it depends on you – if you’re looking for the best cigar to accompany your morning coffee, White is a no-brainer. If you want a blend with a little more body that you can burn all day long, go for Orange. Or, pick up a 5-pack of each and take them all for a test drive… I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. These four Inspirado releases are truly some of the best Macanudo cigars to date. 

The CAO brand holds a special place in my heart. In the early 2000s, as an amateur looking for his first cigar, the bright green and yellow of the CAO Brazilia caught my eye. I mean, how could it not? And fortunately, my choice paid off. I picked up a few sticks and never looked back. Now, nearly decades later, I’m picking up CAO Nicaragua with the same youthful excitement I had in the past. How can this possibly live up to expectations?

In terms of looks, CAO Nicaragua isn’t much of a departure from Brazilia (or any of the other “World Series”). Even so, it feels so fresh. How it took so long to incorporate Nicaragua into this series is anyone’s guess, but it’s long overdue…and welcome. The core of the blend are well-aged long-fillers from the Jalapa Valley, Esteli, and Condega. This beauty is then finished with a smooth, dark Honduran Jamastran wrapper leaf. Ok, CAO. You’ve passed the looks test. Now let’s fire it up…

Lighting up the Tipitapa size (4.8”x50), I’m met with a smooth spice and notes of cedar and earth. As the cigar progresses, the spice subsides a bit and the cedary and earthy notes become more pronounced with additional notes of almonds coming through. Damn, this thing is good.

What struck me the most is the cigar’s balance. I burned down three sticks for this review. The first cigar I finished felt like it only lasted 15 minutes. In reality, it was closer to 45 minutes. I wanted more. Nay, I needed more! And that’s what makes this so great. You can sit around with a more complex - and more expensive - blends and fret over the subtle changes and seemingly made up tasting notes (see: strawberry milk, ketchup, or Sour Cream & Onion Pringles). But that’s not what CAO Nicaragua is. It’s a cigar that allows you to get lost in your thoughts, sit back, and most importantly: relax. After all, isn’t that what cigars were made for?