Reviews by Steve R

With CIGARfest this weekend, time is of the essence. We’re all pumped as hell to welcome 3,000 cigar lunatics representing all 50 states, but let’s face it: it’s a lot of work and takes a lot of prep time. Work that’s fully worth it, but work that leaves little time for a staff review. Fortunately, I have some added incentive to write this review. Some inspiration if you will.

You see, every time I drive to work I listen to ESPN radio. I’m a huge Mike and Mike fan. And not a day goes by that I don’t hear the same silly commercial. A winery comparing buying wines to buying cars. “You wouldn’t buy a new car without test driving it, so why buy a wine without tasting it?”

Really? Comparing a bottle of (soon to be gone) vino to a car purchase? Seriously? Let’s face it. A decent bottle of wine can cost you as little as $10, even less by the box....eh, eh? Then there’s the rule of permanency....since the first bottle usually doesn’t last past appetizers, is it really vital to taste the wine before breaking it open with a spaghetti dinner? If you’re buying wine that’s so expensive it must be tasted, no questions asked, this review probably isn’t for you. Surely you light your expensive pre-embargo Cuban cigars once owned by Mark Twain with $20 bills, and have no room in your household - let alone mind frame - for a solid, buck-and-change cigar with [gasp!] no band. If you’re in my camp, celebrating the success of finding a delightful bargain knowing you might hit a homerun, but strike out now and then....read on.

Onto my review: Blue Label ‘B2.’ Like the original Blue Label, this sales stud hails from the Gran Habano factory of Honduras. If you’re familiar with Gran Habano, you know they have a knack for bringing quality, Cuban-esque handmades to the table for minimal coin....they’re always consistent and always delicious. Despite the modest price tag, ‘B2’ is no different. Available in 4 generous sizes, Blue Label ‘B2’ is packaged up in aging room fashion: hefty Cuban wheels of 30 with no bells or whistles, just a simple blue ribbon for a band.

I have the 6”x60 Double Toro in my hand. The wrapper is silky to the touch, thick, and durable. Like a piece of leather hugging a truckload of Nicaraguan and Panamanian long-fillers. If you’ve ever held a Gran Habano cigar, you know they come packed to the brim, heavy in the hand, and solid from head to toe. I find this size to be very enjoyable. A tame, medium-bodied bouquet full of flavor and charisma.

The cigar opens with a rich, slightly peppery blast of tobacco flavors. Thick clouds of smoke fill my palate and the air above, releasing a lovely aroma that’s earthy and zesty. Awesome. After a few minutes of burn time, a dense core of earth presents itself. The spices move to the finish, complementing a lovely sweetness from the dark Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. Midway through, things really get interesting. The cigar becomes very complex, thanks to a thick 60-ring comprised of bold, contrasting tobaccos. Sweet cedar, coffee bean, and leather join the fray and hit different parts of my palate as a sweetness is left on the tip of my tongue. The velvety smoke clings to all sides of my mouth, leaving behind a tingly spice that lingers long after each exhale. Full-flavored and medium in body, a great combo you’ll find in the Double Toro size. While the other three sizes tend to gain strength as they burn, this 6”x60 beast remains mellow and tame, something you could puff on constantly without sacrificing balance for harshness. I love it. The quality, the flavor, the smoothness, the consistency....it’s hard to find a bad thing to say about this cigar, especially when you factor in price.

SPOILER ALERT: Rarely will you see me give a cigar a 94-point rating. But guess what, I just did. Here’s why.

Throw out what you think you know about Cuba Libre....even if you’re one of the many that enjoys this hearty stick on a regular basis. Cuba Libre One is bold, fresh, and entirely new. A bigger, darker, badder brother fully equipped to soothe your palate into submission. It’s rich. It’s eventful. And many will find it to be surprisingly potent.

Like its predecessor, Cuba Libra One is hand-crafted by Nestor Plasencia. However, it’s produced in his massive Nicaragua factory: a veritable fortress churning out delicious super-premium for more brands than you can even fathom. Fortunately, he has the manpower and the resources to make each and every cigar perfect; just as delicious as the last, thousands of cigars over.

This new breed of Cuba Libre is something I find gazing at for some time before even clipping the cap. The wrapper is dark, leathery in appearance, and oozing with oils. Then there’s the band....a crisp, glossy white band with impressive silver and blue accents – the band literally jumps off the dark Nicaraguan Habano ligero wrapper. A beautiful contrast. The pre-light aroma heightens the rituals, filling my nostrils with a warm, barnyard scent with a peppery tickle from the all-ligero blend of Nicaraguan and Honduran long-fillers. Oh yeah, this baby is a brute.

The cigar sits very heavy in the hand. Because, well, there’s a ton of tobacco rolled into each one. In addition to a thick wrapper leaf and heavy ligero long-fillers, each Cuba Libre One contains two binder leaves, a practice used not nearly enough in the industry - a feisty Habano leaf from Jalapa and a smooth Costa Rican leaf.

All these tobaccos produce an exceedingly complex cigar from first light down to the nub. Like most strong cigars, Cuba Libre One opens with ample spice. A big, peppery beginning coating the palate with spice and dark tobacco flavor. Flavors that linger long after each puff. Don’t worry, this opening merely awakens your taste buds, preparing them for a deep series of rich, velvety flavors. Roasted coffee tones meet bold earthy nuances, both of which are smothered in cream and delivered in chewy fashion throughout the burn. The finish is always spicy and sometimes sweet, while the bouquet is smoothly presented with perfect balance. And then, the power creeps in as the eventful array of flavor steals the limelight. What was once medium gradually approaches the full-bodied realm, just before a strong, spicy finish ices the cake.

Now that, my friends, is a cigar. I am well aware that not everyone will like this cigar. Hey, not every cigar is for every enthusiast. But I’ll be damned if 90% off full-flavored, boutique fans don’t add this meaty handmade to their regular rotation after trying just a couple.

(To Mr. Pete Johnson....I hope you enjoyed this review. Thanks for the request - keep'em coming.)

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.

A few days ago, my December issue of Cigar Aficionado was delivered. Today, I got around to leafing through it. Amongst the ads for countless items I’ll never be able to afford, something caught my eye, inspiring me to write this staff review. Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Dark Corojo received an ‘88’ rating. Wait a minute....

Let’s go back 10 years. An 88-point score would be a dynamite rating. I cry foul. Today’s rating system is seriously skewed – 91s and 92s are now commonplace, and we frequently see ratings as high as 93, 94, and even 95 – usually for the same brands or countries of origin, mind you. These new, bloated scores make an 88 seem so....well, mediocre.

So why was I inspired to write this review? Because the JdN Dark Corojo is a good cigar. A damn good cigar, and I disagree with the 88-point score in today’s rating scheme. I’ll explain....

Let’s face it, when it comes to full-bodied, full-flavored cigars, Joya de Nicaragua Antaño 1970 is a frequent mention. This Nicaraguan puro may not be the powerhouse it once was – due to the influx of some seriously full-bodied blends now on the market – but the Antaño cigar brings the brass in a smooth, velvety fashion that almost anybody can enjoy. And, after years of experimenting, blending, and perfecting, the folks at Joya de Nicaragua have released an even fuller variety in the Dark Corojo, and it’s flippin’ good.

As one would expect from Joya de Nicaragua, the Dark Corojo is a brute, sitting heavy in the hand and jam-packed big boy tobaccos. The Corojo-seed wrapper is grown in Nicaragua, and has been carefully fermented to achieve a super-dark color and excessively oily sheen. The Nicaraguan long-fillers within contain plenty of ligero aged 3 years prior to rolling and expertly blended, producing a bold yet bready-sweet pre-light aroma that’ll make your mouth water after just one whiff.

My 5.5”x54 El Martillo is cut, lit, and already producing a ton of dark, thick smoke. My palate is greeted by a rich and creamy core of dense, deep tobacco flavors. This initially rush of Nicaraguan tobacco goodness is soon met with a toasty blast of wood – an oaky influence that’s like velvet, sitting heavily on the palate and clinging to the taste buds. There’s an underlying spice at play that’s neither moderate nor overwhelming. Just a gentle touch of pepper that teases my taste buds. And then, just as I'm kicking my feet up to savor this slow-burner, the ligero-laced power kicks in, soothing my senses with the possibility of modifying my motor skills. Hang in there Steve. Stick around for the long haul, because I'm in for a treat at the end. While the power doesn’t instensify, the flavors do, becoming more complex toward the nub. Indeed, this cigar has taken yet another turn, becoming richer in character with a hint of roasted coffee mixed in about an inch before risking your fingertips. No doubt satisfying, the Dark Corojo is a powerful, flavorful handmade I'll easily find myself craving again in the near future....after my motor skills are back.

Yeah....that’s my take on Joya de Nicaragua Antaño Dark Corojo. 88? Please. Let’s get serious here, folks.

To be honest, I have no idea why I am even writing this review. Watching truckloads of Gran Habano Corojo Vintage 2002 cigars hit our docks (seemingly) monthly tells me you already know about the brand. Hell, this cigar is nearly impossible to keep in stock, and writing a review could potentially make it even more difficult to maintain a decent level of inventory. But, I’ve been burning these bad boys like crazy the past 2 months, and I’ve got a few minutes to kill, so I might as well tell ya why I like’em so much.

Reason 1: I have good luck with Gran Habano....

First off, I’ve always been a fan of everything Gran Habano. There’s just something about the cigars coming from this Honduran-based factory. They’re always well-packed, slow-burning, and dish out a ton of soothing, Cuban-esque flavors. Whether’s it’s the flagship Gran Habano line or 3 Siglos (now known as 3 SLS), G.A.R. or Blue Label....I could burn cigars from the Gran Habano rolling tables all day long.

Reason 2: I love Corojo-wrapped cigars....

There are two wrapper varieties that I love. The first, as you may know, is a dark and oily maduro leaf, especially of the Brazilian Arapiraca or PA Broadleaf variety. The second – you guessed it – is Corojo, grown just about anywhere. Gran Habano’s Corojo leaf is a gem. A thick, toothy wrapper loaded with hearty goodness. And since this Gran Habano Corojo Vintage blend employs a Corojo leaf cultivated in 2002, I pick up a uniquely creamy bouquet with all the zesty, Cuban-esque qualities I’ve come to know and love from the flagship Gran Habano line.

Reason 3: The flavor is always on point....

In addition to making some seriously well-made cigars that always feel heavy in the hand and come jam-packed with tasty tobaccos, every Gran Habano cigar tastes exactly like the last. And fortunately for us, that taste is....well, uhmm....tasty! Every single time I pick up a Gran Habano cigar, I know exactly what my palate is in for. A rich and flavorful array of familiar flavors that never disappoint. Consistency is key, and never an issue from this factory.

Reason 4: The uniqueness of flavors....

One might think a cigar with such aged tobaccos will be mellow. Tamer in nature. Especially a Corojo which is traditionally quite full in flavor. This is not the case. Rather, the flavors are more balanced and refined. The zesty, Cuban-esque nuances are still there, but they’re backed by a unique creaminess not found in the standard #5 Corojo blend. This creaminess is a wonderful addition to the hearty undertones. A silkiness that lingers long on the palate, mingling with the subtleties of coffee and nuts perfectly and complementing the peppery-sweet finish in delicious fashion.

Reason 5: It’s still a little powerhouse....

Don’t let the age full you. This vintage variety still packs a meaty punch. Remember, the tobaccos within the aged wrapper are the same, so the dynamics haven’t changed all that much when it comes to potency. These rich, heady tobaccos still deliver that medium to full-bodied strength you’ve grown accustomed to – it’ll just sneak up on you this time.

Reason 6: Price

If you’re one of the countless CI Lunatics that’s had the opportunity to buy this gem, you already know the deal. If you haven’t, click the link and check the price. Nuff said.

There you have it. Gran Habano Corojo Vintage 2002 – a winner, all around.