Matt's Cigar Journal

Country: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Long filler
Wrapper: Cameroon
Size: Corona Minor 4.0″x42 ring

I got this cigar from the guys at BuyMyCigars.com. It is a very well constructed little cigar. The Cameroon wrapper has a rich brown color with a little tooth. It has a well made cap that cuts nicely and the small ring gauge lights easily. The first few puffs were harsh with a metallic, acrid flavor. It mellowed up quickly and smoked pretty smooth the rest of the way. I don’t commonly smoke these small ring gauges so I had to remind myself to take my time so it didn’t burn to hot. It was worth being patient about it. It had a strong woody flavor with a long smoky finish. The burn on this cigar was perfect, keeping straight for the entire smoke, and the ash held it’s shape perfectly. The ash also seemed to have a death-grip on the cigar. I probably didn’t need to tap it at all but when I did it was difficult to get the ash to let go. If you’re interested in trying this cigar one place you can pick them up is where I got mine. Just click here.

BuyMyCigars also has a blog with cigar/smoking realted news and topics. I’ve added links to the BuyMyCigars blog and the BuyMyCigars retail shop in the links menu on the left.

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Country: Honduras
Wrapper: Oscuro
Filler: Dominican, Honduran and Nicaraguan long fillers
Size: Robusto Larga 6″x54 ring

These ERDM’s are one of my most favorite cigars. I love these things. It is one of the very few cigars I will buy a box of. I had one of these that I bought about two and a half years ago. It has been sitting in the bottom of my humidor resting. I decided to smoke it this weekend and see how the extra humi time effected it.

When I smoke these fresh, I find that they have a peppery bite to them and they have a strong woody flavor with a long peppery finish. They also have a decent buzz factor too. This aged stick changed a lot and I was pleasantly surprised.

The peppery bite was gone. The cigar mellowed out quite a bit but was still very delicious. The strong woody flavors had changed over to a smoother more earthy flavor. It was fantastic and I loved the way it tasted. The finish changed too. If you have ever chewed a freshly roasted coffee bean, that is exactly what the finish on this cigar was like. It had a slightly bitter coffee taste that left a slight burning sensation on the tongue. Strength wise it mellowed out a bit too. The buzz factor was noticeably reduced but the flavors were so smooth and delicious, the loss in strength didn’t bother me.

I really like how well this cigar aged and I think I’m going to set aside a few more of these to age. It seems to be well worth the time.

If you’d like a second opinion on the ERDM, check out Richards thoughts on BlankMind.

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Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Filler: Dominican Long Filler
Size: Grande 6.0″x52 ring

This was a very smooth and enjoyable, mild smoke. The wrapper gleamed with oils and was slightly toothy with very few small veins throughout. It is a very pretty cigar. The flavor was woody and creamy. It created lots of thick white smoke. The burn was good. It stayed pretty even the whole way, about what you’d expect from a $5 stick. The ash was little loose and fell off easily. Overall it was a nice smoke but for my money, the 5 Vegas Gold is still the best mild smoke in this price range. Actually, the 5 Vegas Gold comes in a bit cheaper.

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I smoked one of these a while back and was not overly impressed with it. You can find my thoughts here.

Cigar Envy has an update on this smoke that is a bit more favorable. Here’s an excerpt:

The December 2005 issue of Cigar Aficionado has another review of the Maria Guerrero Belicoso. This is a cigar that I reviewed here at Cigar Envy last month, rating it a 95.

They still rate the cigar a 90, remarking on its “perfect draw and even burn.” They also mention “light coffee, tea and cream notes,” and “a kick of black pepper and toast on the finish.”

My local shop is having a Maria Guerrero Event on December 14th. I’ll smoke another one then and see if my opinion changes any on this stick.

Update 12/14/2005 Maria Guerrero Tasting at TOC:

Well, I tried another Maria Guerrero tonight at the Altidas event at my local cigar shop. I am still not very impressed by this smoke. I found it to be bland and unremarkable. It’s smokeable when your given one for free, but there are much better choices available for your $5 – $8.

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Country: Honduras
Wrapper: Cameroon
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan and Peruvian
Size: Toro 6”x56 ring

I thought this was an enjoyable smoke. It has a pretty brown Cameroon wrapper. It had a good draw and burned evenly for the most part. Twice the burn started to drift a bit, but both times it corrected itself with no help from me. The ash was a little flaky but held well. The flavor started out a little spicy but then it mellowed out and what I’d describe as a woody flavor. It was a smooth enjoyable smoke, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about it.

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Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Filler: Brazillian/Dominican Long Filler
Size: 7″x50 Ring

This is a monster smoke. Took an hour and a half to burn this one down. That was an hour and a half of ecstasy. I smoked this cigar last night after I got knocked out of a poker tournament one position shy of the final table. It made for a great consolation prize. It was a mild to medium bodied smoke. It had a good classic cigar flavor with oak and cedar undertones. The draw was perfect. Not too loose and not too tight. The smoke was a thick creamy white smoke that danced gracefully through the air, holding together for a good amount of time before dissipating. It had a dark grey ash, and I was surprised it didn’t hold better than it did. The cigar was beautiful and you could tell it was very well made. The wrapper was near flawless and had a silky, buttery look to it. So I was surprised when I had to tap it with only an inch or so of ash on the tip or risk it falling into my lap. It was like that for the whole cigar. Everything else about this cigar was perfect. I got this cigar from a friend on a trade. I think I may have gotten the better half of that exchange.

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Country: Honduras
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican (Piloto Cubano)
Size: 6.1″x48 ring

I love these cigars. They are the perfect balance of flavor, medium bodied and smooth smoking. The taste has a hint of cedar with a smoky finish. It has a perfect draw and burns slow and even all the way to the nub. The cigar is consistent from when you light it all the way down to when your fingers are starting to get hot holding it. The smoke is thick, creamy and beautiful. The ash is firm but it is a kind of unattractive grey. Some cigars have that nice almost white ash but this one doesn’t. It’s the only bad thing I can say about it, and it is such a minor thing it is hardly even worth mentioning (but for some reason I did anyway). Heck, it’s not even really a bad thing, it’s just ash after all.

It’s a great cigar. A bit pricey but worth every penny.

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I decided to enjoy a smoke this evening while grilling in the back yard. I smoked one of my Cu-Avana Robustos. Here are the cigars vitals.

Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Filler: Dominican Long filler
Size: Robusto 5.0″ x 50 ring

I really enjoy these cigars for a few reasons. They are mild in taste and smoke great. It has a nice slow, even burn and generates a lot of nice thick creamy smoke. I have smoked enough of these now to say that they are pretty consistent. I did have one that wouldn’t draw but you can run into that once and a while with any brand. This isn’t a top of the line cigar but it is a good quality smoke especially when you take its price tag into consideration. These robustos come in around $2 a stick retail, lower if you nab a box off of Cigarbid. That makes it a great cigar for the price conscious like me. They have a nice mellow flavor that doesn’t hang around past its welcome. If you are looking for a quality cheap smoke on the mild side I recommend these cigars.

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