Cigar Review: Oliva Serie V

Now here is a cigar that needs very little introduction. The Oliva Serie V from the Oliva Cigar Co. This Nicaraguan puro tastes even better than it looks. And it looks beautiful!!! Cuban seed binder grown in Esteli, Nicaragua along with long fillers and ligero fermented from the Jalapa Valley, this combination is always a hit. Just look at all the awards Oliva gets each year.

I had the pleasure of enjoying this at my friends house in Green Valley. It was a perfect night that capped off a dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Sweet fall off the bone ribs complemented with a Serie V. Yes it was a great night.

The ash was nice and white. Had it not been for the wind, I could have kept the ash for the whole time. Great construction. The wrapper was nice and chocolate brown. Mine was a little dry so I had some unraveling issues. But the perfect burn took care of the stray tobacco. It was not spicy at all. In fact, right after I smoked the cigar, there was no after taste whatsoever. A cigar should not have an after taste. Even strong ones like the Gurkha Beast, or their Triple Ligero, does not leave one. (See those reviews.) While smoking I was looking for the "kick" from the ligero. I could not find it. This was supposed to be the strongest of the Oliva line. I am a fan of the fuller bodied cigars, but I think there will always be a spoot for this guy in my humidor. Hopefully I can keep finding this 56 ring torpedo at under $10. The sweet spot did come after the first half. I could not put it down.

The one problem I had was it did not produce a lot of smoke. I know that it was a bit dry, but it never got too hot, nor did it tunnel. The draw was a bit tight, but again I think that was due to the dryness. Or perhaps it became dry, someone before me perhaps tried to rejuvenate it by over humidifying it. I don't know. I have heard that with torpedos you need to be ready to loop off most of the torpedo if the tight draw it something you can't live with. Whatever the case, the cigar was resilient. (Many other reviewers commented on the same phenomenon of the binder ripping.) Excellent cigar. Can't wait to have another.

Cigar Review: CAO Black

Not being a big fan of CAO, I thought I would give the brand a chance with one of it's best. I recall CAO when I first started getting into cigars. They had a cool look, nice band, and I did enjoy their Soprano Cigar. But I found that they were bought out from another company and things started to change for CAO. (I could be wrong in my estimation, but I thought they sold out.) I liked the marketing technique of packaging sets with a DVD. It is actually a pretty good DVD. Then they began selling flavored cigars and having scantly dressed women visit shops to promote it. Cano Ozinger, please stick to cigars. That is my humble opinion.

Back to the review. This Black is their trademark brand. They built their brand off this cigar, so I decided, I might as well try it...WOW. I am not a regular fan of mild-medium bodied cigars but you can really taste the quality of the cigar here. The tight ash lets the smoker know that it is well wrapped. It's very flavorful tabacco reveals the care of selecting only the best Honduran tobacco. Great cigar from start to finish. Again, little too mild for me, but it is one that I would buy again.

Cigar Review: Litto Gomez Diez

This Dominican Republic puro is smooth from first light to nub. I had the pleasure of enjoying this with my friend Skeet in Monterrey. Walking down the downtown area, I stopped by my favorite cigar shop, Hellams, and then walked to the water front. The cigar only made the experience better.

This full bodied cigar is one that you need to really enjoy slowly. Litto Gomez is famous for calling his cigars a "No more Mr. Nice Guy Cigar" and this cigar lives up to that reputation. I always hear of people saying they taste licorice, chocolate, or flowers. Although I must agree with the chocolate, or cocoa, the rest I am just dumbfounded about. When I smoke a cigar, especially this one, I taste tobacco. And that is what I wanted to taste. So if you are looking for a nice tobacco flavored cigar, you will not be disappointed. If you want licorice or flowers, go to a candy store or a florist. I am sure they can help you out there. (But to completely negate my previous comment: You will notice a peppery and spicy taste at the beginning, but that will dissipate quickly. The sweet spot for the cigar came quickly and never left. Guaranteed finger burner on this one. You'll smoke it till you burn yourself.)

Enjoy the pics I found over the internet. See all that tobacco, I am salivating just looking at it.

New Tatuaje shipment...

And a work conference in a Reno resort casino; great timing!!!

Cigar Review: Gurkha Sherpa

$2.50 a stick. Come on! The "Rolls Royce" of cigar world, creating $500-$1000 per cigars such as His Majesty Reserve and Black Dragon, has made a cigar for less than 3 bucks!?!

Well I took the challenge. Combining Cuban seed long leaf tobbaccos from Esteli, Nicargua and the Dominican's Cibao Valley, wrapped with an oily and dark Habano wrapper from Nicaragua, this medium bodied cigar was a suprize. There was a bit of a peanut taste, and I believe the ash was a bit dark. Some reviewers noted that it "fizzles out." Stating that the flavor that was once there in the beginning leaves either after first ashing, or halfway through the smoke. I agree that in the end, you forget you are smoking anything. There is a lack of flavor and the initial smoke and peppers diminish towards the end. Personally though, I think that this cigar is appropriately priced. Well, perhaps another quarter or dime, but overall it smokes and tastes like a sub 3 dollar cigar. That being said I will try it again. At $2.50 it can't let you down that much. It is pretty after all.

Validation

There are times in life when the little foot prints you leave in the sand is recognized. This moment marks the pitter patter of my feet in the sands of cigar reviews. (Don't get all excited, its really not that big of a deal to many except to me.) I featured a cigar back in August last year. It was an excellent smoke that bears the name Casa Magna. I thoroughly enjoyed this Nicaraguan puro and have been looking to get my hands on one ever since. Well if you care to visit this link

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1312377041?bclid=1078629812&bctid=6801894001 you will find that Cigar Aficionado agrees with me. They actually found it to be the 2008 cigar of the year. Funny that it took them 8 months to realize that this cigar is something to write about. Perhaps they should have read my blog, or did they... Thanks loyal readers, and fellow aficionados. It seems our pallets and opinions are not that far removed from the so-called experts.

Keep it lit my friends.

Cigar Review: Gurkha Black Dragon Imperial Presidente

I had the chance to enjoy a stoggie with my good friend Skeeter in the AC. It was a bit cold but the BBQ and the great cigars helped warm us up. Looking at the picture a very lucky few will recognize the cigar. Although this does bear the same name, it is not the same Black Dragon that premiered at $1150 per stick, this is part of the 2007 remake. But I wish it was!!! (I don't think I have a pallet yet that could discern a $1000 quality cigar. I don't think anyone can. But if anyone wants to donate one to me, I would not mind seeing if I am wrong...)

Anyways, back to the review. This version of the Black Dragon does not boast rare tobaccos from the four corners of the world, but it does provide an excellent blend of a Nicaraguan, Pervuvian fillers, Dominican binder, and a tasty Cameroon wrapper. Much like coffee can be categorized as rich due to its strong, not powerful coffee bean taste, the Black Dragon has a rich tobacco taste. It is not peppery or spicy, but best described as creamy. It is almost as if my tongue was swimming in fresh tobacco, ripe and ready for wrapping. As you can tell from the before and after pictures, I wanted to enjoy every centimeter of this masterpiece. (The burns my fingers suffered due to smoking it down this far was well worth the pain.) I have always loved Gurkha and I always will. This creation will not disappoint. I have read other reviews for this cigar and some say that it is not worth the price. I doubt there are many things in the $12-$15 range that will be just as rich, creamy, smooth and will last an easy one and a half to to hours. If you know of one, please let me know. I'll make a blog about that.

The smoke was plentiful, the burn we even, the ash was powdery white, and the after taste was non-existent.  There is only one thing that would have made this cigar better, another Black Dragon attached to the end of it. (But the Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon you see in the picture was not a bad second choice.) Thanks Mark for giving me this for my birthday. You are a friend, a gentlemen, and a great cigar aficionado. Wish you were there to enjoy it with me.