Sampling My Way Toward Enlightenment--Born to Be Mild

So I'm halfway through the First Class Premium Sampler which I had recently ordered from C-Bid and I thought it was worth an update.

My two favorite smokes, thus far, were surprisingly, both very mild. I found the Fonseca Connecticut 5/50 and the 5 Vegas Gold to be very comparable, as both were approximately 5 inches long with a 50 ring guage, in my estimation.

The 5 Vegas Gold had one of the more unique draws I've experienced as a fairly unrefined cigar smoker. The filler was packed so loosely that each draw had a sensation as though I was sucking through one of those big straws they have at McDonalds. It actually resulted in me getting a little larger draw than I am used to, especially after having recently smoked several box-pressed cigars. That was compounded by the fact that although the cigar was fairly mild, the resulting smoke was surprisingly potent. That did, however, result in a slightly spicier taste than I expected--resulting in a cigar that was "mild", but not "smooth". Prior to this cigar, I thought those two terms synonomous.

My ratings:

Appearance: 7 of 10
Construction: 7 of 10
Flavor: 6 of 10
Overall Experience: 6 of 10

The Fonseca, much like the 5 Vegas was quite mild, and the Connecticut Wrapper initially had me a little less than excited because it provided nearly no taste whatsoever. However, I found out that the filler provided my first smoke that I would actually describe as "creamy". There were also very woody undertones, but this is as a smooth as a cigar gets for me. After finishing it I told Luca that after having some less than desirable mild cigars in the past that the Fonseca had restored my faith in the "genre". I did have some small burn/construction issues and the wrapper loosened in some spots, but I'm willing to give Fonseca the benefit of the doubt as my humidor has been moved around a lot lately, although I have read of several people having similar problems with this cigar. I didn't notice any bitterness that some reviewers have cited, though.

Appearance: 6 of 10
Construction: 6 of 10
Flavor: 8 of 10
Overall Experience: 8 of 10

Reviews for the CAO Criollo and the Puros Indios are upcoming.

Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!

I picked up a 5 pack of Indian Tabac’s Cameroon Legend Maduro Gorilla’s early this year and have enjoyed each of them I have smoked. The Gorilla is a visually daunting stick, 6” long with a mammoth 58 ring gauge. The label is foil, in IT’s signature orange and black design, with the word Maduro printed below the company’s Indian head logo.

The four I have smoked have all burned quite nicely and created a great ash that holds up well despite the thickness of the cigar. The beautiful maduro wrapper is dark, oily, and sweet tasting. The smoke is plentiful, but not overpowering. In fact, the cigar is overall very mild mannered in terms of taste and “punch.” More of a oversized-stuffed animal than a 800 lb beast you envision pulling it out of the wrapper. The Gorilla did unleash spice throughout the second half of the cigar.

I’ve smoked each Gorilla to the nub, a considerable feat considering the size of the CL. That said, I may have to invest in a punch for these in the future as a cut from the guillotine revealed more exposed tobacco than I normally prefer to get a good draw, but otherwise these are great sticks at around $2.00 a pop. However because the last one I smoked started out slightly bitter (which was not something I recall from the other 3 I smoked), I’m going to rate this one a 3.5.

I’ll be interested in JMitch’s assessment Super Fuerte Robusto he has resting in his humi, before I decide if I will purchase another 5 pack of these or try something else in the Indian Tabac line.

Here is how other’s rated the Gorilla at top25cigar.com, currently holding a 7.16/10 rating.

Taking on the "First Class Premium Sampler Collection"

So, much to my excitement, last week I received my first purchase from www.cigarbid.com. I won the First Class Premium Sampler Collection which includes 8 cigars:

-5 Vegas Gold Churchill (I think I may have received the Toro)
-CAO Criolla Pampa
-Felipe Dominica "T"
-Fonseca Connecticut 5-50
-Gurkha Master Select Robusto #4
-Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Robusto
-Perdomo Reserve La Tradicion Cameroon "R"
-Reserva Maxima Media Corona by Puros Indios

Now I haven't reviewed them carefully to confirm there weren't substitutions on any of the above, as they were all quickly put into the humidor, but I'll update if necessary.

The only one I've had to date is the Gurkha. It had a medium Connecticut wrapper. I had some trouble keeping it evenly lit during the first 10 minutes or so, but after that it smoothed out nicely, and I found the construction and draw to be what you'd expect for a cigar labeled "Master Select". The cigar could probably be described as smooth, and at times, even too smooth. I found myself continually expecting a little more of a kick as the stick got hotter, based upon some hints of taste from the wrapper, but it didn't ever happen--it was very consistent from beginning to end, which I suppose may be a virtue.

I'd give it:

Appearance: 7 of 10
Construction: 7 of 10
Flavor: 4 of 10
Value: 6 of 10
Overall Experience: 5 of 10.

I took the time to check out the ratings from Top 25 Cigar of the remainder of my sampler--we'll see if I agree over the next few weeks:

Gurkha: 8.33
CAO: 8.30
Puros Indios Reserva Maxima: 7.67
5 Vegas: 7.54
Fonseca: 6.95
Indian Tabac: 6.57
Perdomo Reserve: 5.58
Felipe Dominica: NR

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Classic

Upon finding out I had passed the Bar Exam I marched over to my local cigar shoppe to pick out something special to smoke for the day. There's something special about going into a cigar shoppe and walking into the humidor. You catch that great scent of tobacco, and unlike the experience of opening your humidor, the perfume lingers because you're surrounded by cigars of every shape and size.

The hard part, especially for a newbie like myself, is picking which of these sticks you want to take home for the evening. I was targeting a Padron, but alas all he had was the 2000 and 3000 series, and I was looking for something a little more special. I glanced at the Opus X that he had in the special glass cabinet, but couldn't yet justify forking over $18 for one stick. However, right next to the Opus X were two boxes of Arturo Fuente Hemingways.

I grabbed the Classic (priced at less than half the Opus X at $8 a stick) and smoked it later that night playing poker and drinking whiskey with some friends.

Four years in the making, the premium leaves used in the Hemingway line are carefully fermented and aged tobaccos, specially selected from only the best crop years. The cigar is handmade the most experienced and skilled cigar makers in the Fuente factory, each of whom are limited to only 75 cigars per day. They are aged for six months to fully enhance the flavor and aroma in cedar lined aging rooms.

The Classic version of the Hemingway line is a 7" Churchill with a 48 ring guage. The wrapper is Cameroon, and the filler and binder is Dominican. The wrapper had good flavor and was a perfect medium strength cigar. The burn was even and excellent, the smoke was full, and the flavor was pleasant. I've heard the AFH's can be potent, but this Churchill was smooth to smoke (more research revealed that the shorter sticks pack more punch).

All is all this was a great smoke to celebrate one of my prodest achievements. I give this a strong 4 out of 5. I look forward to trying another.

See how others rated this smoke at top25cigar.com.

K.Hansotia Symphony Robusto

(2/3/2006)

Bittersweet Symphony:

Thanks to several successful bids at cigarbid.com, I've added a couple of new cigars to my humidor. I recently smoked a K.Hansotia Symphony Robusto. K.Hansotia is the maker of the Gurkha Class Regent line JMitch was raving about. So I was excited to try out his signature named line. I was not disappointed.

I pulled the K.H. out of the humi and was concerned that the cigar seemed a little smushy to the touch, especially at the head of the cigar. But, my hygrometer read a solid 68%, so I was hoping that it would burn ok. In fact, it lit and burned perfectly, probably the best burn I've every had for a cigar, no need to correct the burn the entire time I smoked. The ash was a medium gray and the draw was perfect, making this the "easiest" smoke I've ever had.

The Symphony has a Connecticut wrapper, Dominican binder, and Nicaraguan filler. The wrapper had a mild flavor, but, unlike the Fonseca I smoked recently, upon lighting the flavor was smooth, solid, and slightly spicy throughout. The Symphony produced volumous smoke and packed a little punch, so I would categorize it as mild/medium. The cigar's label is silver and black, with K.Hansotia's signature in script, with the words "A Century of Tradition, Silver Edition" below his name. This robusto measures 6" in length and has a 50 ring gauge.

I married my cigar with Boulder Beer Company's Mojo India Pale Ale, an enjoyable IPA that provided a nice bitter complement to this smooth, enjoyable smoke.

I imagine Tom Hagan would have a couple of these sticks in his humi to enjoy. I look forward to enjoying the other four in my humi, but won't hesitate to pass one to a good friend, especially if they enjoy milder smokes or don't have much cigar experience. Plus, at less than $2.50 a stick via auction, adding some more down the line is likely option.

On my scale, the K.Hansotia Symphony Robusto receives a 4 out of 5.

Here's how fellow smokers rated the Symphony Robusto at top25cigar.com.

Fonseca 5/50

(1/12/2006)

DISCLAIMER: I've recently taken up smoking cigars as a hobby and want to share my experiences with various smokes with all of you. Before I get to far into this review let me lay the groundwork for this and future reviews.

First, I'm a relative cigar newbie so read accordingly. I'm a big fan of top25cigar.com, and will be adopting their "no snob" approach to reviewing my smokes. Second, since a line of cigars can vary from stick to stick you shouldn't form an opinion on a brand unless you've smoked a couple of them. Third, inform yourself from a variety of sources. Read onlines reviews (like those at top25cigar.com), ask friends, and once you find a smoke you like ask your local tobaccanist for a similar cigar you would like to try.

I'm going to develop a scale for the cigars, 1 to 5:
1. "Hyman Roth" A dog turd of a cigar, one I won't smoke again, and would warn others not to try.
2. "The Fredo", this stick tries, but nothing I would actively seek out mostly because I'm unsure if it will result in a pleasing smoke.
3. "The Brasi" a solid cigar that will be a trustworthy smoke pulled from your humi.
4. "The Consigliere" a sophisticated smoke, one that I will smoke again and would recommend to friends with confidence.
5. "The Don" An exceptional cigar, worthy of purchasing by the box. A choice smoke that I would pass out at a daughter's wedding.

Now that the groundwork is laid, on with the review.


With the beautiful (for Nebraska) weather we are experiencing, I took the opportunity yesterday afternoon to light up a cigar while studying outside on my patio. I grabbed a Fonseca 5/50 from my humi. The 5/50 is a robusto, not suprisingly its 5 inches in length, with a ring guage fo 50. The label is gold with a distinctive script F in red with the word Fonseca running down the middle of the F.

The 5/50 has a connecticut wrapper, light in color. The wrapper had a creamy aftertaste, common with other connecticuts I have smoked. The 'gar lit nicely, the first third burned a little uneven, but was near perfect after that, and had good draw throughout . The taste was slightly bitter at first, but that quickly vanished, replaced with a nice mild and smooth smoke. This was a perfect afternoon cigar, because it was so smooth and light.

The stick had a woody tast, but no noticeable flavor; not bland, just unexciting. It produced a nice amount of smoke. The ash was was a medium gray and held together pretty well, however you could see it breaking apart in places.

Final grade: 3
I'll try the Fonseca again, under the right conditions. Perfect for a time when you want a cigar but don't want it to knock it off your feet.

Read how others rated of the Fonseca 5/50.