Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com and Davidoff
Connecticut, Connecticut Shade, Davidoff, Dominican Republic, Robusto Matt
9:58 am
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: USA Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: Robusto 47/8x50 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
The name Davidoff is nearly synonymous with luxury. The name also has a reputation for quality and excellence. There is a lot of great information about the man and the company on their website Davidoff.com. One other commonly held perception of Davidoff is mild cigars and there are many smokers in the cigar community that mistake “mild” to mean “flavorless”. The Special <<R>> is the first Davidoff cigar I have had the pleasure of trying. No matter what line of Davidoff Cigars you might be interested in, the fact is they are all pretty expensive, almost universally costing more than $10 a piece. With my predisposition towards strong robust cigars, I admit that I allowed their mild reputation and lofty price tag keep me away up until now.
I have a friend who is a fan of Davidoff and more precisely their blender Henke Kelner. I have listened to him rail against the the idea that Davidoff only makes mild cigars and one of the lines he liked to use as an example of a more robust offering is the “Special” line of Davidoff cigars. So I was happy to receive this particular Davidoff from CigarsDirect.com for one of my February reviews. The Special <<R>> is not a mild cigar. I found it to be a solid medium bodied smoke with robust flavors balanced by excellent subtleties making for an engaging smoke. A core of smooth and chewy flavors of espresso and earth were complemented by more subtle notes of oak and nuts and an almost buttery feel on the palate. At times I picked up flashes of slightly sweet, almost caramel like notes on the finish. The construction was exquisite with a prefect burn, nice ash, and a spot on draw. I found the Davidoff Special <<R>> to be a very enjoyable, elegant smoke.
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Features
Matt
2:40 pm
The White Band Project, the second annual blind review series between Matt’s Cigar Journal and Zen & the Art of the Cigar has come to a close. It is now time to reveal what all six of the cigars were in the project and discuss the results. If you want to read up on exactly what the White Band Project is just click here for the project criteria and rules.
In a nutshell, Jamie and I exchanged three cigars each. We re-banded the cigars with our own numbered white bands and told each other nothing about the cigars. This time all we knew was that we were each giving the other three cigars made by a single cigar maker. Neither of us knew what cigar maker the other had chosen. We smoked them and wrote reviews of our experiences with them, and then hazard a guess on what they were. Now we find out how we did… (more…)
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Blind Reviews and Cigar Reviews and Features
Cigar Review Matt
9:12 am
The White Band Project 2010 is the second annual blind review project between Matt’s Cigar Journal and Zen & the Art of the Cigar. You can read about the project, its criteria and rules by clicking here.
Cigar number 6 is a big beefy torpedo. The wrapper is very handsome. It is the dark brown of a leather bomber jacket with a very slight tooth and an oily sheen. A cold draw delivers some black pepper and musty earth flavors. Upon lighting it up it starts off with a sharp black pepper bite. It doesn’t take long for the black pepper to fade to the background and notes of warm hardwoods and dark chocolate dominate complimented by a subtle, sweet undertone of vanilla and spice. The draw is perfect and the burn jagged but even. Smoke has a rich, heavy, cedar aroma.It is a very robust smoke, not quite full bodied with a stout nicotine punch. (more…)
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Site News
Matt
2:57 pm
It is the year 2010 and if classic cinema is any indicator, we are lucky to still be alive. Anyway, with a new decade comes yet another change to my ratings system. Click here or the link on the left sidebar to read all about it.
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Blind Reviews and Cigar Reviews and Features
Cigar Review Matt
9:50 am
The White Band Project 2010 is the second annual blind review project between Matt’s Cigar Journal and Zen & the Art of the Cigar. You can read about the project, its criteria and rules by clicking here.
Cigar number 4 is a dark, oily, rustic cigar. It looks like a maduro or an oscuro wrapper and measures 5 inches Long. I’d say it is a 50 ring gauge, your standard robusto. The first inch or so of this cigar was very harsh and bitter and very powerful. Thankfully it mellowed out a bit after that. It was a medium to full bodied smoke with strong flavors of earth and leather and wood with a slight sweet undertone. At the halfway mark the smoke developed a chewiness to it but the flavors became a bit muddled. There is quite a bit of strength in this cigar, packing a fairly strong nicotine kick. The flavors and the strength have me thinking this is a Nicaraguan cigar. The last third was surprisingly mellow (considering how robust the rest of the smoke was) with flat notes of burnt wood.
The construction was excellent. A good draw, even burn, and a well formed ash that held well. It didn’t finish very strong but overall it was a very nice smoke. This cigar seemed very familiar to me. I could very well change my mind after smoking the third cigar but at this point I think these cigars may be made by Oliva. I’ll even go as far as to say this particular cigar, if it was indeed an Oliva may have been an El Cobre Robusto. It was far too robust to be an “O” Maduro and besides not really tasting like a “G”, it also isn’t box pressed like a “G” would be. That said, I’ll reserve my final verdict until after I smoke the last cigar. Boy this could get embarrassing if I’m wrong……
Check out the review of Cigar #3 on Zen & the Art of the Cigar.
You can also read Jamie’s review of Cigar #1 here and my review of Cigar #2 here.
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Blind Reviews and Cigar Reviews and Features
Cigar Review Matt
9:00 am
The White Band Project 2010 is the second annual blind review project between Matt’s Cigar Journal and Zen & the Art of the Cigar. You can read about the project, its criteria and rules by clicking here.
Cigar number 2 has a wrapper that is pretty easy to identify visually. It is a Connecticut Shade wrapper. I’m not sure if it is Connecticut grown or Ecuadorian. I measured the cigar and it is 6.5 inches long. The ring gauge appears to be about 44 or 46 which makes this cigar a Lonsdale. I guess it could be a Churchill but usually they are a full 7 inches and the ring gauge usually a little thicker so I am sticking with calling it a Lonsdale which just happens to be my favorite size. The wrapper is smooth and buttery looking. The color is uniform and it has very few veins on it. Looking at the cigar I immediately thought of an Ashton 8-9-8. Lets light it up and see what it tastes like. (more…)
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Features
Matt
12:00 pm
The time has come once again for me to team up with my friend Jamie of Zen & the Art of the Cigar for a series of Blind Reviews. Last January Jamie and I each exchanged three cigars for the other to review, but before we handed them over, we removed the manufacturer’s bands and replaced them with our own plain white bands numbered 1 through 6. You can click here to read about last years blind review series and you’ll find links there to the actual reviews. Last years series involved us each selecting 3 different cigars that were differentiated by price range. We each prvided the other with a bargain cigar, and mid-range cigar, and an expensive top-shelf premium cigar. This year we are changing the rules. Taking a page out of Camacho’s book we are going to run this series of reviews kind of like Camacho’s Black Band Project. This time we are each selecting one cigar maker and will then select three different cigars made by that manufacturer. For example, I could choose Camacho as the cigar maker and then I would provide Jamie three different cigars by Camacho. For the sake of this example lets say I would give him a Camacho Select, a Triple Maduro, and a Room 101. Then I’d remove the bands, number them and hand them over to Jamie to review. He’d select some other cigar maker, or the same, I’d have no way of knowing nor would he. He will give me three different cigars from whatever cigar maker he chose and I would review those cigars blind.
For those of you who might be unfamiliar with the concept of a blind review, all it means is that we will be smoking each of these cigars without knowing who made the cigar and what the name of the cigar is or anything else about it besides what we observe with our own eyes and tastebuds. The idea is that we will give unbiased accounts and opinions of the cigars without be influenced by any prejudices we might have about a particular brand or line of cigars. We had a lot of fun doing this last year. The results were interesting and it generated a lot of great conversation at the cigar shop. So here we are, doing it again. This time I cooked up a fancy new Logo for the series and some fancy bands for the cigars. Jamie and I meet tonight to exchange cigars. The reviews will be published on Thursdays over the next three weeks followed by a wrap-up that will include the big revelation of what each of the cigars actually was. Be sure to check back weekly to keep up with the project.
Here is a picture of the three cigars Jamie will be reviewing…
UPDATE[01/10/2010]:
Here is a picture of the cigars that Jamie gave me to review…
Below is a list of the reviews for this project. As the reviews are posted this list will be updated with links to each of the reviews.
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A.Fuente and Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com
A. Fuente, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Dominican Republic, Hemingway Maduro, Maduro, Perfecto Matt
3:01 pm
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: Perfecto7.0″x 48 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
With the Holiday Season just passing into the rear view I figured I’d wrap the festivities with a Hemingway Maduro Classic. The Hemingway Maduros always make an appearance on tobacconists shelves every year around the Holidays. The particular cigars for this review are from the 2008 run. The Classic seems to be one of the harder to find vitolas of the Hemingway Maduros. At least I rarely ever see them. More common at the shops in my area are the Signature Maduros and Works of Art Maduros. Even the Hemingway Between the Lines seem to be more common around here than the Classic Maduro.
I smoked two of these cigars for this review because I wanted to see if what I thought of the first one I smoked would remain consistent with another sample. The second cigar was identical to the first. There isn’t much I can say about the Hemingway Classic Maduro that I haven’t already said about the Signature Maduro. It has a dark leathery wrapper. Construction is impeccible, the burn perfect and it produces a tn of thick white smoke. It is a decently complex smoke with a heady aroma. The flavors are well balanced and defined. Rich creamy notes complimented by leather and a musty earthiness and a slight maduro sweetness. The only thing I can say that is markedly different about this cigar is that the larger size makes for a longer smoke. I always enjoy these cigars whenever I smoke them, but I feel the flavor profile is particularly well suited to the cold weather of the season. A cozy spot in a comfortable chair with a nice hot cup of coffee or even a hot chocolate makes for a great smoking experience with this cigar.
You can get Hemingway Maduros @ CigarsDirect.com
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Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com and Oliva
Belicoso, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Honduras, Ligero, Oliva Matt
1:25 pm
Country: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Habano Sun Grown
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Jalapa Valley Ligero
Size: Belicoso 5.0′ x 50 Ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
Two years ago when I tried my first couple samples of the then new Oliva Serie V, I was impressed by what I thought was a very tasty cigar but a little frustrated by construction issues I experienced with each one of them including the stick I smoked for my review of the Double Robusto. I didn’t let those construction issues turn me away though. Over time I kept revisiting the Oliva V in various different vitolas and ultimately the Belicoso really won me over to the point that the Oliva Serie V Belicoso was second only to the Tatuaje Havana Cazadores as my most often smoked cigar this past year. I guess that is a bit of a spoiler in terms of what is to come in this review but there you have it.
The Serie V Belicoso is a stout looking fellow. Its tapered head creates the illusion of it being shorter that it really is. At first glance you might suspect it is a relatively short smoke, but the truth is you’ll need more than an hour to work your way through this thick, slow burning stogie. It burns slow, cool, and and even with a firm, dark gray ash. I have found these to have a consistently nice draw offering up the perfect amount of resistance. They are impeccably constructed and consistent from stick to stick and box to box. The wrapper is a deep rich brown color and it is smooth and oily looking with only a few small veins. The wrapper on the Series V seems a little darker to me now than it was when they were first released in 2007.
The V Belicoso starts off with a blast of pepper and earth. It is a surprisingly smooth and creamy considering how robust it is. A Medium to full bodied smoke, it has an earthy twang complimented by leather, black coffee and oak. Mid way through it developed flashes of vanilla and nuts on the finish. The last third actually mellows a bit and is dominated by creamy notes of wood and leather. The V is a great complex smoke that never disappoints.
Rating – A
You can get Oliva Serie V’s @ CigarsDirect.com
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Features and Site News
Matt
10:00 am
OK. Not very original, but it conveys the message…
I am teaming up once again with Jamie from Zen and the Art of the Cigar to do another Blind Review Series. Last year Jamie and I exchanged three cigars each. The criteria for which was price range. We each selected one bargain cigar, one mid range, and one expensive premium cigar for the other to sample blind. We each removed the manufacturer’s band and replaced it with a plain white band with a number on it. Then we each went off, smoked the cigars and wrote our reviews. After that was all done, we got together and revealed what it was that each one of us actually smoked. It was a lot of fun, very interesting, and popular among our readers. We decided we wanted to do it again, but this time we are switching up the format a bit.
Taking a page out of Camacho’s book we are going to run this series of reviews kind of like Camacho’s Black Band Project. Again we are going to exchange three cigars each, but this time all three cigars are going to be from one manufacturer but they will be three different blends from that cigar maker.
All of this will be happening soon. The plan is to exchange cigars shortly after the new year begins so be sure to check back and follow the series. These are always a lot of fun and the results are always interesting.
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Matt's Favs and My Stuff
Nicaragua, Pete Johnson, Tatuaje, Tubos Matt
6:33 pm
The much anticipated Tatuaje Tubos cigars hit the shelves this week. The Tatuaje Blacks are a favorite of mine so I picked up a box of them and grabbed 2 of the Red Tubed Havana VI Verocus as well. The presentation of these cigars is beautiful. The boxes are huge (it didn’t fit in my converted wine fridge humidor)and the tubes are beautiful. I am going to give these a few months to acclimate to my humidor and them I’ll be firing a couple of these up for some reviews.
Here is one of each cigar outside the tubes.
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A.Fuente and Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com
A. Fuente, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Connecticut, Dominican Republic, Hemingway Maduro, Maduro, Perfecto Matt
10:20 pm
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Barber Pole – Broadleaf Maduro/Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: Perfecto 41/4 x 54 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
The Hemingway line of Fuente cigars are hugely popular and like a lot of other Fuente cigars, very limited. The Maduros are especially limited and are only released twice a year, one of those times being right around now, near the Holidays. One of the more rare of the rare is the double wrapped, barber pole Hemingway “Between the Lines”. Now plenty has been written about the background of the Hemingway cigars and I have written about them here before as well. So if you are interested to learn a little more about them, check out my review of the Hemingway Best Seller and the Hemingway Signature Maduro.
The Hemingway BTL is an eye catcher. The sharp contrast created by the light tan, shade grown wrapper and the dark, toothy broadleaf maduro wrapper intertwined like the stripes on a barber’s pole is a cool visual with a cigar. They stand out among the cigars that surround them and I think the perfecto shape only enhances the beauty of this cigar. Construction and burn characteristics are almost always a given with a Fuente cigar. The quality of their products are superb but I wondered how this stick would fare in the burn department. The shade grown and maduro wrappers are two very different beasts and have different burn characteristics. I was curious to see how they would play together with this smoke. Except for the normal oddities I experience with the burn at the beginning of a perfecto like this, the burn was even and without trouble for the duration of the smoke. The draw was excellent and it produced thick clouds of white smoke.
Flavor is where the BTL falls a bit short of its straight maduro brothers. I have always found the Hemingway Maduros to be delicious cigars, each one a treat to smoke. The introduction of the shade grown wrapper on the Between the Lines has a less than desirable effect for me. Some of the flavors I love about the Hemingway Maduros was still there. The slightly sweet maduro flavor complimented by a damp earthiness and a subtle spice were all there but often times they were over powered by a dry grassiness and an acrid finish that I am certain was coming from the Connecticut Shade wrapper. It really detracted from my enjoyment of the cigar. Given that this is one of the most expensive of the “Holiday Hemingways” it is disappointing that it just isn’t as good a smoke as the others are. It is a neat novelty, and the dual wrapper look makes it a visually appealing cigar, but flavor wise I just don’t think it lives up to the standard set by the rest of the Hemingway line.
Rating – C
Get your Hemingway & Hemingway Maduro cigars @ CigarsDirect.com
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Site News
Matt
4:00 pm
OK, maybe not BIG news, but it is kind of exciting to me. Matt’s Cigar Journal now has a new URL address. You can now access Matt’s Cigar Journal at http://mattscigar.com. Short, sweet, and to the point. I like it.
Feel free to update your links, bookmarks, etc. But no worries if you don’t. The original wordpress.com URL will still work. You will simply be redirected automatically to the new URL.
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A.Fuente and Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com
A. Fuente, Belicoso, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Dominican Republic, Opus X Matt
11:12 pm
a.k.a. The Power Ranger
Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Chateau de la Fuente Rosado
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size: Short Belicoso 45/8” x 49 ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
Probably one of the most famous and sought after cigars not made on the island of Cuba, the Opus X is the first Dominican Puro to garner such high acclaim. The various sizes consistently produce high ratings from cigar reviewers everywhere. And as is often the case when someone or something achieves such a high level of success, it has fostered a kind of love-hate relationship with avid cigar smokers. Like the New York Yankees are the baseball team so many love to hate, the Opus is a cigar that in addition to high praise, it also elicits some vehement dislike from some in the cigar world who believe the cigar is over hyped and over priced. I have never heard anyone say it was a bad cigar though. Like or dislike the line for whatever reasons, everyone seems to agree if you set aside the hype, the price, and all the other outside “stuff” and take the cigars just by themselves, the OpusX line of cigars are pretty good smokes. (more…)
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Camacho and Cigar Reviews and CigarsDirect.com
Camacho, Cigar Review, Cigars Direct, Cigars Online, CigarsDirect.com, Connecticut Shade, Dominican Republic, Honduras Matt
11:29 am
Country: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuadorian grown Connecticut
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran and Dominican
Size: 11/18 Toro 6.0″ x 54ring
Courtesy of CigarsDirect.com
When I first heard that Davidoff was purchasing Camacho Cigars, this cigar was the first thing that popped into my head. Davidoff and Camacho cigars had always occupied opposite ends of the spectrum. Everything Camacho put out under the brand name Camacho was a powerhouse cigar. All of their lines were robust, full-bodied smokes that tried to kick you in the gut. I know that they have milder offerings under different banners like Baccarat and La Fontana, but anything labeled Camacho was going to be a monster. SO when the announcement of the purchase became public, I immediately though to myself, “What would happen if Davidoff and Camacho got together and had a baby?” I said to myself a Camacho with a Connecticut wrapper and Dominican tobacco in the filler. Can you imagine! A Camacho with that makeup? And then a short while later we here about the Camacho Connecticut which is exactly the cigar I predicted. Now I don’t pretend that I had any great insight or any special talent in predicting what’s next in the cigar industry. Truth is a lot of people I have talked with had the exact same thoughts I did. It was easy to see this coming. SO I want to know, what exactly does a Camacho that uses a Connecticut Shade wrapper and Dominican tobacco taste like.
At the start, this cigar is a lot like its other Camacho brothers and sisters. The first few draws are full and spicy with black pepper and a slightly acrid dry wood flavor. It doesn’t take long to settle down. The Ecuadorian wrapper brings what you’d expect to the party. Creamy notes complimented by some coffee. It is nicely balanced by a bit of Honduran spiciness from the binder and filler. I think the Dominican tobacco kind of gets lost in the blend. Perhaps its function is just to help tone down some of the power of the Honduran tobacco. The result is a nicely balanced cigar with a medium bodied profile and just a touch of spice to keep it interesting. I was pleasantly surprised by this cigar and put it up there with Oliva’s Nicaraguan Connecticut Reserve as a good slightly more robust Connecticut offering.
Rating – B+
Get your favorite Camachos @ CigarsDirect.com
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