Davidoff Nicaragua Robusto

The Davidoff Nicaragua Robusto measures 5x50 with a Nicaraguan tobaccos, and a Habano leaf wrapper. This is only the second Davidoff I have ever smoked, and the first that I have reviewed. I'm sure there will be more to come in the future. This was a gift from a friend and I'm super excited to review it. Let's get it started.

You get this cigar lit, and a smooth rush of pepper comes in. It isn't black pepper, it's more of a sweet pepper with some deep earth on the finish. The aroma of the cigar brings some roasted nut notes, which makes it enjoyable to smell if you near someone smoking this cigar. The burn is semi-even, nothing that needed to be fixed. The draw is perfect and it produces thick creamy smoke.

The 2/3 point of the cigar mellows out. A sweet nutty flavor comes into play which removes the pepper flavors. The finish is still a little spicy, but it has calmed down. The construction of the cigar is great. No problems with the wrapper. A great stick so far.

3/3's to the end of the cigar builds on the 2/3's point. Creamy smoke, nut flavors with a sweet coffee finish, a nice draw, and an even burn. This cigar has everything that I look for in a cigar. Flavors, balance, complexity, and good construction. Very enjoyable. Pick one up. 

Stogie Rite score: 100

Room 101 Namakubi Tiburon

The Room 101 Namakubi Tiburon measures 44x6 with a sweet earthy aroma to the tan wrapper. A blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos and an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper makes for a really nice smoke. Let's get this lit up and start reviewing.

When you are lit up, you get a rush of blackpepper. It's not overwhelming, but it is close. The cigar brings very creamy oily smoke, a perfectly even burn, and a lot of smoke. On the finish you get deep rich earth flavors with very little spice. It's the amount of spice, where you can tell there is going to be some more coming later in the cigar.

2/3's point brings a few changes to the flavors and finish. You start to get a wood flavor with an oaky finish. A nice change. The burn is still very even, great draw with just the right amount of resistance, and still great smoke output.

3/3's to the end has more of a nutty flavor than a wood. The spice has become stronger with more earth notes than oak. The cigar stayed the same with the construction (even burn, good draw, nice smoke output), just an overall basic, nice smoke.

Stogie Rite score: 93

Weekend Suggestions

The weekend is finally here, and here are 3 weekend smoke suggestions from Stogie Rite.

1). Nording Toro Grande by Rocky Patel - This 6x58 stick brings everything you are looking for in a cigar. A nice even burn, perfect draw, and great smoke output come together with a creamy coffee flavor and a dark chocolate finish to make a fantastic smoke.

2). Ambos Mundos Robusto #2 Sumatra - A great cigar that won't burn a hole in your wallet. With this cigar you get leather/coffee flavors with some spice on the finish. Coming in at about $5, this makes for a great Saturday afternoon cigar.

3). Flor de las Antillas Toro - Being the #1 top rated cigar by Cigar Aficionado isn't an easy achievement. This cigar had what it takes to take home such an achievement in 2012. If you happen to pick one up this weekend, you're sure to see what the hype is about.

July 13, 2013

Romeo y Julieta Havoc Magnum

The Romeo y Julieta Havoc Magnum is a double toro cigar that measures 6x60. The cigar features a Nicaraguan Habano wrapper with a smooth feel to it and a loose pack. Really, it's a pretty basic cigar, the size is the only thing really going for it. Because it's a big cigar you may think it's going to be a long smoke, but it burns through a lot faster than you may think. Let's get it lit up and start reviewing.

When you get the cigar lit up, you immediately get a sweet/earthy nut flavor with some pepper blended in there. On the finish, I couldn't make out exactly what the flavor was, all I could pick up was that it was sweet with very little spice. With this cigar you get a decently even burn, not perfect, a good amount of smoke, and a perfect draw. So far so good.

The 2/3's point of this cigar loses the sweet nut flavor and brings in a toasty earth flavor. The burn has become a lot more uneven during this section of the smoke, but the draw and smoke output have stayed the same. On the finish, the spice has become more prevalent, and lingers in the back of your throat.

3/3's to the end of the smoke loses the toasty flavors and brings back the sweet earth flavor you get at the beginning. The burn has become more even, but that's after me touching it up. This cigar is a good stick overall. You get high quality taste at a great price ($6). An everyday smoke if you have the time for it.

Stogie Rite score: 95

La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra Robusto

The La Reloba Seleccion Sumatra Robusto measures 5x50 with a very dry feel to the wrapper. It has a basic tobacco aroma to it along with a tight pack and a very nice band. The cigar features Nicaraguan binders and fillers and an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. Like my last review, this cigar is also made My Father cigars. Let's light up.

The first flavors you get when this cigar is fully lit is definitely something different. It's a spicy chocolate flavor with a coffee on the finish. Those are normal flavors except for the spice. I've never had a spice mixed with a chocolate or coffee flavored stick. Unique, but good. The cigar has a nice even burn, a perfect draw with a good amount of resistance, and great smoke output. It's a smaller cigar so it burns pretty quick.

When you get through the 1/3 point, the 2/3 point brings a little change mainly to the flavor. The chocolate flavor fades as an earth/dirt flavor comes in. The finish is still bringing notes of coffee. The ash is pretty strong, but the cigar does go out really fast, so you need to keep puffing on it. I had to re-light it about 2 times throughout the review.

3/3's to the end brings back the chocolate flavors and the spice goes away. So you end the cigar with a chocolate flavor and some coffee on the finish. A very nice smoke. This cigar is easily an everyday smoke, especially because it's around $6. Medium bodied.

Stogie Rite score: 88

Flor de las Antillas Toro

The Flor de las Antillas Toro measures 6x52 (box pressed) with a very smooth, tan wrapper. It features a sun-grown Nicaraguan wrapper and Nicaraguan Cuban seed tobacco blends. These cigars are made by My Father cigars and are dedicated to the Cuban heritage... a highly respectable cigar company. This specific cigar has a ton of hype, not to mention the fact it was rated #1 by Cigar Aficionado's Top 25 cigars for 2012, so naturally, I'm anxious to start reviewing. Let's light up.

When you get the cigar lit up, you get a sweet rush of black pepper with an earthy/sweet/spicy finish that lingers on your tongue. The stick is much sweeter than I anticipated, especially on the finish. It doesn't have a perfect burn, but it's not a problem, has a nice draw, and great smoke output. Good so far.

The 2/3's point of this cigar brings more of a soil/earth flavor and reduces the sweet pepper notes (not all the way). The finish stays consistent throughout this point. Burn is still a little uneven, draw is great, and it's producing nice, thick smoke. I've only had one authentic Cuban cigar, and this has been the closest to it, in it's taste and feel. It performs really nicely.

3/3's to the end of this smoke stays relatively the same as the 1/3 and 2/3 points of this cigar. It's a very enjoyable stick, and it's possibly one of the most natural tasting cigars I have ever had. It has almost flawless construction (a slightly uneven burn), a perfect draw, and it produces a lot of thick smoke. They are by no means expensive ($8). I highly recommend you go pick one up if you haven't already.

Stogie Rite score: 99

Esteban Carreras 10 Anos Maduro Toro

The Esteban Carreras 10 Anos Maduro Toro measures 5.5x54 with a smooth, tan wrapper. The cigar has mainly Nicaraguan features (a Nicaraguan Maduro wrapper and Nicaraguan binders and fillers). It has a tight pack with only one or two loose spots, and a very sweet aroma. This was a cigar I have never heard of before, so I was interested to try it. Time to light it up.

When you get this cigar lit up, all I could think of is tea leaves. The smoke that the stick was creating smelt like tea leaves, and it had a very mild flavor resembling tea leaves. I have never had a cigar that smelt or tasted like tea leaves... very unique. About 1/4 through the 1/3 point, the tea leave flavor mellowed out and chocolate notes came rolling in with a mild earthy finish. The tea leaf flavor was quick, but was interesting while it lasted. The stick has great smoke output, a decently even burn, and a nice draw with little resistance.

The 2/3's point brings a sweet oily smoke along with a few changes to the flavor. I started to pick up a earth/soil flavor with a mild spice/pepper finish. The cigar is mild to medium bodied at the most with great construction and a nice strong ash that holds on for about an inch and a half at a time. Around this time the uneven burn fixed itself without me having to touch it up. So I was glad about that. So far so good.

3/3's to the end of the smoke brought a smoky flavor to blend with the notes of earth on the finish. The finish stayed spicy the whole time, but it was a mild spice, nothing overpowering. Good construction, even burn, perfect draw, and nice smoke output makes this a very enjoyable smoke. I recommend you go pick one up.

Stogie Rite score: 93

La Bomba 601 Atomic

The La Bomba 601 Atomic measures 6x60 with a pretty smooth wrapper, although rough at some points. The cigar features a Nicaraguan long-filler and a Habano wrapper. Side note: When I was getting the specifics for this cigar (size, wrapper, fillers, etc.), I came across a few people saying that the cigar is "extra strength". So, after smoking it I will warn all of you reading this that they were definitely right. This stogie is a strong one. Let's get into the review.

When you get this stick lit up, you get a pretty basic tobacco flavor with a black pepper spice on the finish. I did have a few construction issues with the wrapper, but they didn't affect me as bad as I thought they would. The cigar still had an even burn, a perfect draw, and medium smoke output. Flavors do change within the first third of the smoke. About halfway through the 1/3 point, you get notes of maple syrup mixed with the tobacco flavors, which blend smoothly. So far so good.

The 2/3 point of the cigar overall is the same as the 1/3 point. You still get the tobacco flavor, but the maple syrup notes have gone away. The finish is still spicy, the burn is still even, and the draw is still great. I wasn't quite getting the "extra strength" at this point, but I could sense that it was getting a little tougher on me.

3/3's to the end brought a lot of strength. This is probably one of the strongest cigars I have ever smoked. I didn't smoke it too far past the band point because of an incredibly uneven burn and tons of strength. Not too big a fan of cigars that are based on strength, and no flavor. But this one had a lot of strength and a lot of flavor, so I really enjoyed it.

Stogie Rite score: 89 (because of the construction problems).

H Upmann Havoc Toro

The H Upmann Havoc Toro measures 6x54 with a smooth, oily dark tan wrapper. The stick has a sweet, earthy aroma. It has a tight pack, with only a few veins throughout. The cigar features a Mexican San Andres Cuban seed wrapper, a Dominican piloto binder, and Nicaraguan fillers. This cigar has a really nice feel to it. Time to light up.

When you get this cigar lit up, you get a sweet chocolate flavor with a woody finish, a very nice blend. It has a nice even burn, a draw with medium resistance, and decent smoke output. This is a very natural tasting cigar that brings a lot of flavor changes. Just within the 1/3 point, the cigar already went from the sweet chocolate to a bitter tobacco flavor. The finish stayed the same. Interesting flavor change.

The 2/3 point of this cigar brings even more changes to the flavor. This time the flavor changed from a bitter tobacco back to a sweet flavor. This time it wasn't chocolate, it was more of a sweet soil flavor. Construction-wise, the burn has become just a tad uneven, smoke output has increased, and the draw is the same. The cigar has a pretty strong ash that holds on for about an inch and 3/4 at a time.

3/3's to the end of this cigar keeps the same flavor but brings a different finish. The woody finish went away and an oaky finish with just a little spice was brought in. The flavors and finish stayed the same from then on. I love a cigar that has constant changes to the flavor and finish. This cigar is probably the best you can get at it's price ($6). It has fantastic construction, decently even burn, nice draw, and good smoke output. Definitely in my top 5, if not my favorite.

Stogie Rite score: 98

Carlos Torano Signature Robusto

The Carlos Torano Signature Robusto measures 5x52 and features a very dark, dry wrapper. The stick has a tight pack with a lot of veins up and down. It has a deep oaky/wood aroma which blends very nicely. With Dominican and Nicaraguan Cuban-seed Ligero longfillers and a sun-grown Brazilian Maduro wrapper, this cigar seems to be a high quality smoke. Time to light up.

When you get this cigar lit up, you get a very woody flavor with a spicy nut/oak finish. The spice is barely there, but there's enough to notice it. One thing to point out before I get into the review, when I cut the cigar, the wrapper fell apart on top... which is a very stressful thing to happen when you smoke a cigar. Back to the review. The cigar keeps the same flavor through 1/3 of the smoke. Construction-wise, the cigar has a terribly uneven burn, a good draw, and reasonable smoke output. Wasn't quite sure what to think of the cigar at that point.

The 2/3 point of this cigar brings changes only to the flavor and finish. You start getting a very deep earthy flavor with a spicy tobacco flavor on the finish. It's that kind of spice that lingers in the back of your throat (pleasant for some, unpleasant for others). It's definitely a full-bodied cigar that packs a punch.

3/3's to the end of this cigar stays the same as above, except the spice on the finish is dying out. The burn stayed uneven but the smoke output and the draw were still satisfactory. The only problems that I had with this cigar were all construction issues. An uneven burn and a weak wrapper. Flavor-wise it's a great smoke which I recommend to those who like full-bodied, earthy cigars.

Stogie Rite score: 90

Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary Robusto Natural

The Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary Robusto Natural measures 5x50 with a dark, oily/leather wrapper. This cigar features Nicaraguan fillers, a Jalapa binder, and an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The wrapper has a nice leather aroma, and a few veins which are very visible. It has a nice tight pack with a triple cap. Time to light up.

When you get this cigar lit up, you get a nice smooth nut flavor with a leathery finish, which is what I expected. The finish doesn't have any spice on it, but feels like there could be some spice to come later on in the smoke. The cigar has a perfectly even burn, an excellent draw, and nice smoke output. Definitely a medium-bodied smoke... full of flavor with a little strength. So far so good.

The 2/3 point of this cigar was interesting to me. I felt as if the flavor on the finish swapped with the flavor on the initial puff. So I was getting leather flavors with nut on the finish. Also, some black pepper came into the finish, adding a little spice. Very nice transition/addition.

3/3's to the end of this cigar stayed the same for the most part. The leathery flavor stayed but the hints of nut went back and blended with the leather making for a very nice smoke at the nub. The smoke stayed cool all the way until the end. Even burn the whole way through, perfect draw, and nice smoke output made this a cigar that I will definitely buy again. This is the second Rocky Patel in a row to impress me. I hope he keeps it up.

Stogie Rite score: 98

Mi Barrio Robusto Dark Natural

The Mi Barrio Robusto Dark Natural measures in at 5-3/4x52, featuring a nice dark wrapper with a sandpaper feel to it. The aroma has notes of coffee, leather, dark chocolate, and wood. Construction-wise, the cigar has a very loose pack with a few visible veins. This cigar came with a sampler I ordered from Famous Smoke Shop, and had the most hype out of every cigar in the sampler. Let's see if it's worth all the hype it's getting.

When you first light up this cigar, you get an almost overwhelming rush of dark chocolate with notes of coffee and leather, accompanied by a nice black pepper spice on the finish. During the 1/3 point of this cigar, I noticed something that was causing some problems. The burn has no resistance whatsoever. I'm not a big fan of that. Yes the pack was pretty loose, but I wasn't expecting the draw to have no resistance at all. That's just me, if you like very loose draws, then here's a great stick for you. On the plus side, the burn is dead even and the smoke output is tremendous, so I would say that makes up for the bad draw.

The 2/3 point of this cigar didn't bring many changes to the flavor or construction. The flavors are still a blend of coffee, dark chocolate, and leather. The finish has toned down a little bit... there's still a black pepper taste, but the spice has cooled off a little. Burn is still perfect, the smoke output is still great, and the draw has stayed the same.

The 3/3 point to the end of this cigar, like my last review, ended quickly. When I got to where the band would have been, the smoke became very hot, too hot to continue smoking. Overall, this was a decent cigar. If it had a better draw, I would have enjoyed it much more. The construction was great, the burn was even, and it produced a lot of smoke. If what I described in this review sounds like something you would enjoy, I recommend picking one up.

Stogie Rite score: 90

Alec Bradley Sun Grown Blend Robusto Natural

The AB Sun Grown Blend Robusto Natural measures 5x50 with a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper and Nicaraguan Esteli and Jalapa longfillers. The cigar has a nice tight pack with a very deep earth/chocolate aroma. It features 3 caps with a few visible veins here and there. Alec Bradley cigars have always been a favorite of mine.. let's see how this one goes.

When you first light up this cigar you get a pretty good rush of a dark coffee blended with an earthy flavor. On the finish I got a semi-sweet nut, which isn't surprising because of the fact that it is sun-grown. This cigar has great smoke output, a very even burn, and a perfect draw. It's definitely medium to full bodied. The only thing I don't like so far is the cigar has a very flaky ash that will only hold on a little less than an inch at a time. Otherwise, so far so good.

The 2/3's point of this cigar brings change, but mainly to the finish and flavor. One little thing is the burn has become slightly uneven, nothing severe. The coffee flavors disappeared and the earth flavoring became much deeper along with the semi-sweet nut on the finish changed to a leather sort of flavor with a lot of spice. At this point I developed a pretty good buzz from this cigar.

3/3's to the end of this cigar was a quick one. Meaning, the cigar became very hot to the point where I ended about halfway through where the band was before removal. Although the stick did get hot at the end, I had no problems with this cigar. It provided a perfect draw, great smoke output, and a decently even burn the whole way through. Another great smoke from Alec Bradley.

Stogie Rite score: 96