2 Cigars A Month: A Cigar Review Blog

My family and a couple friends (30) to be exact went to Mendocino County to do a little camping. It was great. There is no better way to get away from work than to go to a place that has no cell phone coverage. Plus we escaped 100+ degree weather by going to Mendocino that boasted 76 degrees at the warmest part of the day. Well, there was one thing that made it better. The Cusano Corojo 1997. This full-bodied cigar features a nearly 10 year old Corojo wrapper and is one of the best values in cigars.

I have been a little hesitant to try this cigar bacause of its cheesy design and $5.00 price tag. But after scoring a 91 from Cigar Insider I thought I would give it a try. My buddy and I went into town to check email and sit on the cliffs overlooking the pacific. IT WAS GREAT. Oh the views were good too.

This cigar made its debut in 2004. A dark and smooth blend of wrapper, binder and filler makes this cigar a must try. Cuban seed grown in Ecuador, a Sumatra binder, and Dominican fillers. I also had bias before trying this cigar. I originally thought have so many different tobaccos was due to the maker not having enough or just putting any available/on sale tobacco together. Boy was I wrong. The Cusano Corojo is dark, yet smooth and spicy with a full-body and robust flavor. It has a wet and somewhat sweet finish. Superb Mr. Mike Cusano, superb!

Cigar.com calls this Nicaraguan puro the finest maduro on the market. I must agree. I had this to celebrate as today is officially the beginning of my summer vacation.

This perfecto was wrapped in a maduro wrapper, a process that ages and extends the fermentation process, so a natural sweetness is drawn out of the tobacco leaf. I could taste caramel notes. This blended with medium fillers, makes this cigar a sweet complement to the filet minon wrapped in bacon and a cup of 100% pure kona coffee. It was a great night. The perfecto shape is a personal favorite. Due to the complexity of wrapping this style, it of course comes with a heftier price tag. But at $5.75, it was worth every penny. I most note that this size and shape is unique to Cigar.com, so if you want one you'll have to order from them. But as everyone who reads this blog knows, they are my first choice to buy cigars. Cheap, high quality, quick and friendly service, plus a SATISFACTION GUARANTEE!!! I never had to use the guarantee, and I hope to never use it, but my friend did and they not only gave him a replacement, but more cigars to boot. Cigar.com, you guys rock!

My friend came over and I offered him a La Aroma de Cuba, churchill. He loved it. La Aroma is a rejuvenated brand from Ashton. They take Cuban seeds and replant them in Honduras. It once received a 93 from cigar aficionado. (In case you are wondering, I did smoke this cigar till my fingers burned.)

My friends that know me knows that I love my cigars with a kick. Smoothness is always a factor and so is the after taste the next day. Call me a light weight, novice, or what have you, but I do not want to experience my cigar in the morning when I wake up from bed. Gurkha has never failed me, and after a night in Bodega Bay, Gurkha are still batting a 100.

I was a bit leary though. I have been on a Cuban cigar fix so I knew that my next cigar had to be one of my all time favorites. It is like doing karaoke after Michael Buble, the next singer better be good or everyone will notice. Well this Gurkha was not bad as I said. It was a bit on the lighter side though (typical of a Connecticut wrapper). What was not typical was the binder and filler both came from Nicaragua (these regions typically produce stronger, yet blanaced cigars). I would have to say this was a bit unbalanced as it was too light for me. Good nonetheless. However, my particular stick was a bit dry and therefore it burned very unevenly. I actually had to sell my humidor so I have placing a couple smokes in bags. I guess having the Spanish Cedar really helps to give that flavor. I have a couple travel and small humis. I could just use those so I don't damage them before I get a new one. I am picky about my humidors so I am taking my time. The "bad" part is that I have to smoke all of my old stash soon and buy more when I get a new humi. (What a hard life I live...) Enjoy, and if you think that I am off on this commentary, please let me know. I wouldn't mind buying another Gurkha, the Rolls Royce of Cigars.

Last night was a good night. Barbecued ribeye steaks and asparagus. Garden salad with seseme seed oil dressing. Strawberry pound cake, and champagne. Topped off with a fine Cuban pinar. The only thing that could have made the night better was my Lakers to win and push a game seven! My hat goes off to the Celtics. They were the better team. Danny Ainge pulled off a late in the season miracle with acquiring KG and Allen. That alone brought 32 years of experience to a team that won less than 30 games last season. Plus getting PJ Brown, Cassell, and Posey, that added another 30 years of experience. Don't get me wrong, they won very convincingly. They wanted it more. But with a team stacked like that no wonder they had the best record and beat the "new" Lakers. Kobe, although he is somewhat of a veteran, is only 29. Pao, 27, and everyone else is younger than them. Including a big piece that we went without for the post season, Andrew Bynum. So Laker fans all over the world, rest at ease. We did win! We gain experience and we have youth on our side. Our Laker Dynasty will be revived once again. Plus, aren't we Western Conference Champs!?! Hold your head up, it was a great season. Even better next year!

Ok, sorry. Back to more important things. This cigar of course was cuban so all the cuban characteristics were there. Triple seemed cap, excellent construction, intoxicating smell, and just a hint of cuban spice balanced with a smooth draw and finish. Unfortunately the cigar was a bit wet. My friend is still getting used to properly aging and storing a cigar. Due to the high moisture it was hard to keep the stick lit, and the draw could have been more easier. It was no fault of the cigar though, so I am sure the rest of the beauties are just waiting to be ripened perfectly. The ash was very dark, and there was a bit of tunneling. But the taste was great, and the flavor it left on the pallet was spicy smooth. The after taste the next day, even right after was very minimal too. Had we waited to smoke these beauties it would have been up there on my favorite list. But with steaks, champagne, a game, and beautiful wives, we had to cap it off with a cuban.

A soldier from Iraq just commented on my blog and I wanted to let him and everyone that is fighting for the freedom that we are enjoying know that I appreciate you and the risk you are taking for this great country. From the bottom of my heart, on behalf of my family, my wife, and children, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR BRAVERY, WE THANK YOU FOR OUR FREEDOM!

I am really not a band wangon smoker. I tried for years to stay away from Cohiba for that reason. Ask any newbie smoker and they will just name the first cigar brand that comes to mind...Cohiba. That and since Cohibas are the most imitated cigar, led to me stay away from this brand. Until...My good friend and fellow cigar aficionado just came back from Jamaica. He recounted his visit to an Indian owned cigar shop. As he walked through and was smellign and pinching the cigars the owner came up to him and said these are for real. Then he did the unbelieveable. He reached into a box, took a cigar, cut it and lit it and said, "Here you go, I stand by my products." Not being a sucker for free99, my friend proceeded to smoke the Cuban Churchill, Romeo and Julietta in 10 minutes. He said it was the smoothest cigar that he ever had in his life. My all time favortie was the same brand, and size from Cuba. See an earlier posting for that. So I had to come over and see for myself.

My friend was kind enough to give me a Cohiba, Limited Edition, Cuban! It was hands down the BEST CIGAR I HAD IN MY LIFE!!! If I could cuss I would, it was so great! The draw was perfect from this double corona size. This pinar was Cuban built so you expected that. I did taste it in my mouth for a bit before lighting and it was a dream. If I could I would have just chewed on it like it was gum. The really incredible thing was that after I lit it, it was just as smooth. I could not tell the difference in taste, heat, or flavor. Usually when you lite a cigar, the flavor changes a bit to when it is not lit. Not this Cuban master piece. The smoke was nice and white and the ash would not fall off. It was so smooth and creamy that I really took my time for the first time. Here is my analogy, you know you are experiencing a great meal when half way through the meal you are already thinking about the next day when you can eat this dish again. I was like this with this cigar!!! From the moment I lit it I was already thinking about the next time. Fortunately that next time is TOMORROW! I will let you know how that goes.I smoked it till my fingers got burned.

I recently came back from Oregon, home of the largest humidor in the western states and 2nd largest in the whole nation...With that introdution let me just say that it was a disappointment. I mean the selection was top notch but the prices were terrible. All very over priced. It was an experience, that I chose not to have because there are great places like cigar.com that also has a great selection and they are cheaper. Plus they deliever to your door. It sounds like a no brainer.