The Cu-Avana Intenso 1/30/11

The other night I smoked the Cu-Avana Intenso cigar, it provided lots of flavor, spices, and an overall pleasant smoke. I had the Toro Intenso, it was 6" long and had a ring size of 52, a fair sized cigar. The wrapper wasn't exactly a dark color, more of a medium dark, and it was a fairly strong cigar, not the strongest but definately alot for a beginner. The Intenso was a great smoke, it lit up perfectly and kept a nice even burn for the entire cigar. It had a strong and piercing aroma that let you know just what kind of cigar it was going to be: spicy. Right off from the first puff you get a flood of flavor that is filled with lots of spices, and the spices go and sit right at the back of your mouth allowing you to savor them even after the cigar. As I have said before, I love a spicy cigar, and I believe the Intenso was named that for the intense amount of spice you get. That is what makes this cigar a bit dangerous for a beginner, most beginners aren't ready for or don't enjoy a spicy cigar because it can taste too harsh. However, if you know you like spice in your cigar, the Intenso is a must have. The rest of the flavor goes right along with the spices and acts to inhance them. One area of the cigar that I thought was somewhat lacking was the amount of smoke produced by the cigar. It wasn't a problem of a bad draw on the cigar, it was rolled excellently and didn't have any hard spots, nor did it have a tight or loose draw. It just wouldn't produce very much smoke, and the smoke it did give out was a rather light and wispy smoke that wouldn't sit around and permeate; rather it would disolve somewhat fast or float away in different directions, I was a little disappointed in that respect. Other than that, the cigar was great, it lasted me for a little over an hour at a fairly medium pace, allowing me to thoroughly enjoy it. While I smoked, I was drinking a berry-pomegranate water flavoring; at first it didn't seem to go very well together, but after about a quater of the cigar the berry-pomegranate started to go very well with the flavor of the cigar. So, I would definately warn beginners to get some experience with other cigars that aren't as spicy before trying the Intenso, and if you know you like spice in your cigar definately give the Intenso a try. Well, thats my review for the Cu-Avana Intenso, hopefully it was helpful for you.

The best of smokes to you gents,
Shane

The Puros Indios Viejo 1/17/11

Yesterday I was able to thoroughly enjoy the Puros Indios Viejo cigar. It was an excellent cigar that was a pure delight to smoke, it was amazing. The Viejo has a dark rich taste like a strong dark chocolate, it lasted for quite a while, but on of the best parts was the aroma it put off, simply amazing! I believe mine was the toro, as it was 6" long and had a ring size of 53, making it a good sized cigar, on the higher end of a medium sized cigar. The wrapper was a somewhat dark leaf, with an earthy look to it; it was a medium strength cigar, maybe a bit much for a beginner, but not too much. Before I even lit the cigar, it was giving of such a sweet/earthy aroma, a strange mix of words I know, but it worked. When I first lit the cigar it started up very nicely, but had a little too loose of a draw, but that soon faded within the first inch of the cigar, and after it kept a good consistent draw. Right off the bat the flavor of the cigar was deep, rich, and heavy; it tasted like letting a good piece of dark chocolate melt on your tongue. I experimented with the taste and kept a drag in my mouth for a minute, and the longer I left it in my mouth the richer the flavor became, and would start to tingle the end of my tongue. It also had a hint of spice in it which helped compliment the heavy richness of the cigar. The smoke itself was a thick and creamy white that lingered in the air for a second before floating away, and it gave off the same smell of the cigar that was just intoxicating; I recieved compliments on the smell from anyone that was able to get a whiff of it. Now, if it sounds like I am praising this cigar without giving any criticism, its because there wasn't really anything bad about this cigar. It has deep earthy tones of flavor with some dark chocolate thrown in, has enough strength to be enjoyed, and gives off the most superb smell you can get from a cigar. As mentioned before, the only problem I had was with the beginning of the cigar being packed too loose, but even that got better within the first inch of the cigar.The cigar also lasted me nearly an hour-and-a-half, and that was at a medium pace of smoking it. I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar and was very pleased with it overall, definately going to be exploring more from Puros Indios. I would say that this cigar would be accompanied well with a good hearty meal, such as a good steak. Though I wasn't able to try it, I think that coffee would a good compliment to this cigar as well; I'll have to check that out and get back to you on it. So obviously I would recomend this cigar to people, an experienced smoker will definately enjoy the tastes and smells that come from this cigar, though it may be a little strong for a beginner. If you are a beginner, don't be afraid of it, just be aware that you may find it overbearing if your not ready for it. But absolutely worth a try at least once, you won't be disappointed. So thats my review for the Puros Indios Viejo, hopefully it was helpful for you.

The best of smokes to you gents,
Shane

The Padilla Hybrid 1/10/11

Tonight I enjoyed smoking the Padilla Hybrid. Overall it was a good cigar, it had excellent flavor and taste, it didn't last very long, and had some trouble with going out, but overall a good cigar. It was 6.2" long with a 52 ring size, making it a fairly averaged sized cigar. It has a light wrapper and is a medium strength cigar, maybe a little less than medium. When I first lit the cigar it lit well and evenly, but the impressive part was the taste and the way the smoke felt. I took my time and savored the first few puffs, and was almost taken aback by the creaminess and smooth flavor it had. I told my roommate that it felt like velvet in your mouth, thats really the only way I can describe it, velvet. Again, preferring spicy cigars this one doesn't deliver the spicey taste I enjoy most, but definately has taste enough for me. As far as tastes and textures of the cigar go it's definately worth smoking for those alone, one of the best cigars I've had in those respects. It has a sort of creamy taste that is sweet but not overbearing. Now, that being said, there were definately some disappointing factors of the cigar. I was somehow able to make the cigar last almost an hour, but that was taking it very slow and going easy. If I had smoked it how I normally do, I would have finished it before half-an-hour was up. Another problem was that it almost went out on me a few times, which I didn't leave it alone long enough for that to have been a concern, but it happened. The last problem I encountered was about half way through the draw on the cigar became difficult, It seemed as though the cigar had a little bit of a hard spot there because after a few more puffs it was ok again. One feature I liked was that the smoke never got hot, it stayed cool and velvety for the entire cigar. I would recomend this cigar to just about anyone, a beginer or a seasoned smoker; the seasoned smoker would be able to enjoy it for the amazing tastes it delivers and how sweet it is. A beginer would be able to handle this cigar no problem, and the velvety texture would allow for alot more enjoyment by a beginer. So this cigar is worth a smoke at the least, just don't expect it to last for a long time or to hit you really hard, it didn't have a whole lot of strength. The Padilla Hybrid is a very tastey cigar that would be a quick light smoke enjoyable to both beginers and seasoned veterens. Thats my review for the Padilla Hybrid, hopefully it was helpful for you.

The best of smokes to you gents,
Shane

El Mejor Emerald 1/9/11

Today after lunch I had the El Mejor Emerald. Overall it was a very good cigar, it had good flavor, lasted for a good amount of time, and was a pleasant smoke. It was about 5.5" long with about a 50 ring size, meaning its about an average size cigar, a little on the shorter side. It has a light corojo wrapper, and is said to be a medium-fullbodied cigar, but I would say that it is more on the medium side. The Emerald had an interesting smoke, it was fairly thick yet very light at the same time. I could hardly tell that I had any smoke in my mouth before releasing it; which can be very nice if you don't enjoy a really strong cigar. A very strong point of the Emerald was the temperature of the smoke, it stayed very cool for the entire cigar! I really enjoyed that, it only got hot for my lips once the cigar had about an inch left; even at that the smoke was still cool in my mouth, that was impressive. It had a very good taste to it, it was smooth and creamy, not harsh in the least; though I do prefer my cigar to have a good amount of a spicey taste to it, the Emerald only had a little bit of spice in it. The taste was also very natural, a good earthy taste that wasn't overbearing, a good natural tobacco taste. The cigar lasted me for at least 45 minutes, maybe a little longer as I forgot to look at when exactly I lit it, it lasted enough to sit around with friends and not be done too early. The foot of the cigar is left unwrapped giving it a shaggy rustic look. I had some trouble lighting it at first (I was using a box I hadn't used before, pretty junky matches to say the least), so I would call that user error and not a problem with the cigar. Once it was lit she burnt good, slow but not so slow that it would last forever, so don't expect this one to last you the whole night. It burnt a little uneven, but nothing to worry about, there weren't any fingers sticking in or out during the smoke. It had a good draw on it for most the entire smoke, during the last 1/4 of the cigar it got a little harder to get a draw, but it was because the tip had moistened, so again that would be user error. I used my pipe tool to move the moist tobacco and it was fine again. Overall I would definately recomend this cigar, it was a very pleasant smoke. It would be best suited for following a light dinner or lunch, or even just following a snack; if you smoke it after a big dinner it might not be enough of a smoke. So, if your still a light-weight smoker this one won't be too much for you, but will still give you a little kick when your done. If you are used to heavy cigars this will be a nice cigar for a bbq or just an easy smoke if thats what your in the mood for. Thats my review of the El Mejor Emerald, hopefully this was helpful for you.

The best of smokes to you gents,
Shane