ONYX

Last weekend I made the trip out to upstate New York to see some old friends from College. In fact, they were gracious enough to invite the whole crew over. It was great to see everyone all together for the weekend but of course when you take Josh and me, throw in the college crew, and even add mild mannered Eric to the mix, you're basically in for a weekend of abusing your body with the wonderful gifts of alcohol and tobacco.

Naturally, I bought a few sticks as I correctly predicted that I would be craving a smoke after drinking some delicious ales and stouts all day and night. The local liquor store had little to offer in cigars but I managed to find one I had actually not tried yet. So I did the only logical thing possible. I bought 4 of those cigars, passed them around, and completed the first group effort rating of the humidor. The cigar selected for the evening was ONYX.

Onyx cigars are made in the Dominican Republic with Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos, a Nicaraguan binder, and a Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. The size of the one I bought is called No. 4. It's 5 inches. 44 ring. $4.00 apiece.

The smokers taking part in the review were Myself, Eric, Jon, and Ryan all old friends but only Eric really has any experience in the cigar department. I didn't take too many notes for this smoke. Rather we just sat outside and threw out opinions as they came to us and tried to ultimately agree on a final rating.

Appearance: The ONYX is a particularly dark cigar. It's not exactly a set rule, but often times a dark color suggests a bolder spicier flavor. Eric agrees with me on this. Jon exclaims that it's much bigger than a cigarette. Ryan complains that he can't get the cigar out of it's plastic wrapper.

Cut & Light: Overall, everyone seemed to have a pretty smooth cut as well as no problem lighting their cigars. They burned evenly and the ash stayed on for a nice amount. Eric mentioned that having to relight cigars is a big pet peeve of his and I completely agree. Nothing can tamper with a flavor more than a stick that can't keep burning. Jon pointed out that cigarettes never go out then quickly followed that up with making it clear that he does not smoke cigarettes.

Draw and Fullness: Both were pretty average for this smoke. The draw did get a little tighter toward the end of the smoke but that's the only complain I heard. The fullness was good enough that we got enough smoke in the mouth to experience the bolder flavors we were meant to. All in all, it was a pretty well constructed stick. Especially considering the price.

Flavor: As we had expected, the tastes were more on the bold side. The prominent flavor was definitely leather. Eric said that you can taste it even more when smoked through the nose. His friend mentioned this as well in a recent post but I'm still working on that technique without killing my lungs in the process. After a while, there was some slight spice detected in the smoke but it certainly remained in the backseat to the leather notes. I can't remember having a cigar before that relied so heavily on spicy leather tastes but given the fact that this one was a quick smoke, I think it worked out nicely. Ryan said he tasted a lot of smoke while Jon took a sip of Bud Lite to get the taste out of his mouth. Did I mention these cigars were $4.00 apiece?

Finish: I feel like the spice notes picked up a notch in the final part of the cigar and the leather somewhat faded out. Eric nodded in agreement for one final puff before his wife snatched it out of his mouth. Ryan ended up successfully losing his cigar in the bushes while Jon got tied up in a heated game of beer pong.

Overall, Eric and I agreed on a score in the high 70's. There was no complexity to the cigar but the flavors present were good enough to make up for that. Also, the draw and smokability of the cigar added some points as well. It's not exactly something we're ready to label a favorite but still one we'd probably smoke again for a quick inexpensive and enjoyable smoke.

Overall Rating: 77

Arturo Fuente Hemingway

These cigars from A. Fuente were actually named after the famous author. Apparently he was a big smoker. Like all the sticks from this line, tonight's smoke features a blend of a West African Cameroon wrapper and Dominican fillers. Price was $6.00.

One of the most visually interesting things about this cigar is its shape. Though it is a Churchill in size (7 inches, 48 ring), it has the tapered end of a figurado, making it a little unusual looking. I worry about getting a good burn after lighting tips like this one. Sometimes the flame doesn't spread out like it should after the initial light. But we'll see how this one goes.

The cut on this one is fine leaving no frayed edges. The tip lights easily as expected. The draw is ok (if a tad on the tight side but nothing too major) with some good fullness to the smoke.
The flavors are mild to start. There is some citrus and vanilla notes which normally would be nice except they seem to be accompanied by an overly sweet almost syrupy taste. It's a poor texture and flavor comparable to cherry flavored cloves. Not good.

After a little while, some stronger wood and spice tastes emerge making the cigar a little bolder all around. At this point, I would probably categorize it as a medium bodied stick. However, as enjoyable as it could be, that cheap sickening sweetness is still lingering. The flavor certainly doesn't belong here and mixes quite poorly with the dominant notes. It tastes like they took a nicely constructed cigar and dipped it in some NyQuil.

Of course I need to give due credit where credit is due. Despite my initial concerns, the cigar is burning beautifully. The foot is evenly lit all around, the ash stays on for a few inches at a time, and the draw remains intact throughout.

After the halfway mark, things start to turn around. The cigar has developed into a nice combination of wood flavors and some simple pure tobacco tastes. The boldness picks up the longer it burns, and the sweet syrup texture finally fades away allowing me to enjoy the smoke.
As I get closer to the end, the flavors become much spicier. Some leather starts to come out here as well and even takes a front seat for a little while. All this along with a little pepper and the stick ultimately ends on a strong medium bodied note.

The tastes at the beginning bring down the overall score but it does develop into an enjoyable mild to medium bodied smoke. I don't want to rate this cigar too low just because I don't typically like fruit flavored smoke since I understand there is certainly a market for it out there. The second half of the stick was pretty good but a smoke needs to be enjoyable from start to finish for me to buy another one. I don't like lemons in my beer, and I don't like cherries in my cigars, especially if the cherry flavoring used basically resembles a cough drop.

Overall Rating: 69

The Bad

I'm always ready to post a review when I have a cigar that I really enjoy. Not so much when I pick a lousy one especially because sometimes there isn't all that much to say. So since I didn't want to spend a whole individual post on each of the lousy smokes I have come across thus far, (how many paragraphs can I go on for about a burnt molasses flavor?) I figured I would save my notes and do a post every once in a while reviewing those sticks at the bottom of the barrel. In my defense here, most of these were purchased on an impulse when I was just craving a cigar and didn't really have a good selection to choose from. I didn't walk into many of these with high expectations.

Macanundo Robust
Filler: Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua. Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
My girlfriend and I often take trips to Foxwoods Casino. While there, nothing makes me want to buy a cigar more than wandering around and seeing random people smoking at the craps tables. I usually bring a couple with me but when we made the trip for a day a few weeks ago, I forgot to grab something out of my humidor. Of course this begs the obvious question: You're in the biggest casino in the world. You mean to tell me there isn't a decent cigar store in the whole resort? I certainly haven't found one and always end up getting an overpriced stick at one of the convenient stores.

This one cut alright and I got a little excited until I lit up. The draw was too tight, the stupid thing wouldn't burn evenly, and the ash seemed to fall off after every puff. For a while the stick developed some nice coffee flavors but they were short lived as they ended up being overpowered by burnt, practically charred, tobacco. It seemed to fit the scene among people playing at my blackjack table. But not something I'd light up with a good scotch.
Overall Rating: 54

La Aroma De Cuba
Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran. Wrapper: Honduran
This one was purchased at random in the same batch that I discovered the Cusano C10 at Josh's barbecue. As I already wrote, the C10 was great, this one was not. The problem with this stick was keeping it lit. While burning, it was actually pretty even, but I actually had to light it 6 or 7 times as I smoked it. This prevented the cigar from being able to develop any flavors. I picked up on a little chocolate and spice here and there. But these notes weren't even very good. There was an occasional fullness to the smoke but since the cigar kept going out, it never really held up.
Overall Rating: 55

H.Upmann
Filler: Dominican. Wrapper: Dominican
I actually smoked a few of these from different stores to make sure it was really as awful as my first impression. The wrapper was dry and unravelled almost instantly. The smoke was bitter and even a little sour. The draw was insanely loose so my mouth was mostly filled with air. I think they were going for a spicy pepper flavor but they overloaded on it so once I did pick up on som pepper notes, it was way too much. This cigar was truly awful.
Overall Rating: 50

Baccarat
Filler: Honduran. Wrapper: Honduran
This cigar is rolled by the same company that makes Camacho so I had my hopes up a little despite the $3.00 price. It actually smoked decently with an nice draw and even burn. Other than that, this smoke brought nothing to the table. It just tasted like smoke. I couldn't pick up on a hint of anything. That is until the end when I actually got a taste of sugar. That's when I put it down and went inside.
Overall Rating 52

Romeo Y Julieta 1875

I've been smoking a little more often than I should lately. Sometimes it's just too hard to resist opening the humidor when you know there are still a few cigars in there waiting for you. My girlfriend seems to have been looking the other way lately. I can only take this to mean that I'm going to pay dearly for something in the near future. It's the calm before the storm if you will. Needless to say, my only option is to milk it as long as possible.

I had to light one up tonight because when I got home, the heat wave we had this week was finally passing making it comfortable enough to sit outside. I took out the last cigar I had, a Romeo Y Julieta 1875 Churchill.

This was the first cigar that I ever smoked. The guy who sold it me back then, recognizing I was inexperienced, took the Camacho Triple Maduro out of my hand (thank God! It might have killed me) and explained that it would be best to try a mellow tasting smoke. It's nothing too fancy, some mild Dominican tobaccos rolled into an oily Indonesian wrapper. It's the traditional Churchill size at 7 inches with a ring of 50.

I have yet to see a Romeo Y Juliet in a flawed wrapper. The cigar is a medium brown, perfectly uniform all the way down with no visible imperfections anywhere. The stick cuts pretty lousy as it's actually a challenge to slice the blade through. However, afterwards the cigar still seems nice and pliable. I've never figured this out but I do see it on occasion with different cigars.

It takes a little longer than normal to get the cigar fully lit but once it does get going, its burns very well. Ash stays on for a good 2 inches before falling off. I've always found the burn to be the most important quality of a mild cigar. With the flavors only coming out just enough to detect, there isn't much room for error. A slightly uneven burn can ruin the whole smoke leaving it completely tasteless. No problems like that here.

The draw is slightly on the tight side. Fullness is average but it is a mild cigar so I wouldn't expect too much smoke in the mouth anyway.

The taste to start with is very creamy and buttery, my favorite aspect of Romeo and Juliet. The longer you smoke, the more your mouth ends up feeling oily and sweet tasting. (sweet as in creamy not sugary). Unfortunately, this great texture and taste starts to fade after the halfway point and I definitely miss it.

Toward the middle of the cigar, some wood tastes start to come out. Again, nothing really strong here, just enough so that I know it's there.

As I get into the last couple inches of the smoke, a little spiciness emerges that mixes pretty well with the oily wrapper. In fact, at this point it brings itself almost up to the medium style. The flavors are still pretty delicate and I even opt to put my drink down as I'm worried about it overpowering the flavors.

I'm a little annoyed to find that the draw gets even tighter at the end of the smoke. The creaminess seems to reemerge but I need to puff on the thing a little too hard to taste it. It does however continue to burn well and even with the spicy notes, the cigar finishes off pretty mellow.

This cigar is a must try for anyone looking to start out smoking cigars as it will ease you into it. From there, you can work your way up into bolder tastes until you figure out what style you most like. I don't often reach for the mild cigars but I still enjoy one on occasion. Romeo Y Juliet is certainly a well crafted one.

Overall Rating: 84

Cohiba Red Dot

It's the most recognized cigar brand name in the world. After Castro took control of Cuba, this brand was commissioned by the Dictator to make the finest Cuban cigars available. Over time the cigars became available to a wider audience and are now considered the top cigar manufactured in Cuba today. The Cohiba Red Dot is one of the Dominican versions of Cohiba.

Over the long 4th of July weekend, I treated myself to a $24 Cohiba Red Dot Lonsdale Grande. The length of this size if 6 1/2 inches and the ring is 42. The filler of this stick is made with Dominican tobaccos, the wrapper is an African Cameroon, and the binder is made from a rare Indonesian leaf.

The smell of the stick suggests a medium to full bodied smoke which is pretty much what Cohiba advertises itself as. The cigar looks well kept. The wrapper seems to be in good condition and while the stick isn't as pliable as I usually shoot for, it seems good enough to give a try.
The cut is actually kind of lousy as the tip just crumbles off. I don't dwell on this too much since the rest of the wrapper remains in tact. The foot also toasts nicely and the cigar lights well. The draw is tight to start but the fullness of the smoke is still there. Not ideal, but still perfectly smokeable.

The flavors during the first third of the cigar are very mild but still pretty good. There are some light coffee flavors and a creamy texture. I also like the particularly oily wrapper which leaves the lips feeling coated. It's a mild beginning but I'm expecting a transition into something bolder as it gets going.

As I get into the next third of the cigar, the draw starts to loosen a tad. The creaminess remains but there are also some earthy tones that start to develop along with the taste of some spice that I just can't put my finger on. It's a mild transition to say the least and I'm really hoping things start to pick up. At this rate, this stick isn't going to justify it's price until the last two puffs.

At the halfway mark, I'm still waiting for that explosion of taste. The earthy tones have been around for too long and with the creaminess now fading out as well, the cigar just refuses to show any personality. It's still smoking well with the draw improving even more as the stick continues to burn, but I want more flavor here.

I will say this, the burn here is superb. A perfect ring has formed around the foot since I first lit it. The ash is almost white, and has yet to fall off past the halfway point. It's over three inches right now. Yes, I'm ecstatic about this. Yes, Cohiba is receiving some huge bonus points right now.

As I get into the final third of the cigar, the flavors finally start to come out. I'm so excited they could join us this evening. There are some great cedar notes here as well as some spicy leathery tastes.

The final third is really quite enjoyable. The draw has loosened up and the flavors are again full and now spicier than before which at least allows me to label this a medium bodied cigar. the wrapper is still deliciously oily at this point. sometimes the wrapper can really add a lot to a smoke and this is a great example. I end up finishing the cigar thinking much more highly of Cohiba than I did about 45 minutes ago.

This cigar ended up having some qualities on opposite ends of the spectrum so let's review the good and the bad.

Bad: Poor cut, boring earthy middle, tight draw for most of the cigar, high cost.

Good: Decent transitions, great tastes in the end, flavorful in the beginning, phenomenal burn, creamy oily wrapper.

Factoring in the cost, I'm not exactly ready to label this a premium smoke but overall it's a decent cigar. In fact, the cost ends up being what brings my rating down. I'd happily pay $8.00 for this cigar as the ending really was good. I wouldn't put down another $24 though.

Overall: 81

Cusano C10

Last weekend I went over to my friend's place for a barbecue. I'm trying to get my friends more into smoking cigars (It's pretty much a losing battle thus far) so naturally I brought down a few sticks to share. I actually sent my brother into the store and told him to randomly pick a few off the shelves and we'd see if we got lucky. Turns out we did.

Of the 4 that we sampled that night, one really stood out for me. I had been drinking all day and also switched back and forth between all the different sticks we had lit at once so I was in no shape to come up with an official rating but I made a note to buy another one soon. The next day I stopped into my store and pick up a Cusano C10 Corona ready to give it another test. Just as I had remembered, it was really quite enjoyable.

The C10, which commemorates the 10th anniversary of Cusano, is the first cigar created using four distinct wrappers, one as a binder and two included in the filler. Cusano combined a 1996 vintage Cuban wrapper from Ecuador with a spicy Mexican Sumatra binder and then added Jamastran from Honduras, Broadleaf from the USA and Dominican leafs as well. These four wrappers are complemented by two Dominican filler tobaccos. The size of the cigar is 5 inches with a 42 ring. The price was $8.50.

To start off, the cut is good, the toast and light are easy, and the draw is nice and smooth. An effortless puff produces a full mouth of smoke which allows me to really experience all the flavors. Immediately prominent are some sweet cedar notes and some faint pepper tastes. They seem to excite different taste buds in the mouth and so work well together. The cedar flavors pretty much control the cigar throughout but it's so well constructed that I enjoy it for the entire time.

The burn on the cigar was nice and even. I didn't have any problems with keeping the stick lit. The ash didn't hang on for as long as I would have liked but it didn't seem to compromise the burn too much. One thing I noticed a lot more the second time around with this cigar was that the smoke was very smooth. There were no biting flavors and no trace of burning in the mouth at all. This underrated characteristic kept the smoke tasking almost fresh with no obstacles interfering with the wooden flavors.

The cigar finishes off just as smoothly as it started with one last full puff of wood, citrus and pepper. In my opinion, this was an excellent example of a cigar that can be great without needing to be complex. I'd argue that too many flavor transitions here would have taken away from the enjoyment of the flavors brought out by the combination of those 4 wrappers. I'd probably categorize this one as a mild to medium cigar even though I think Cusano pushes the C10 as a bolder smoke. I don't think I buy that but I would definitely buy the cigar again.

Overall Score: 90