This is the other strong cigar from Arganese.
This cigar is a Corojo Puro, which means it will probably pack a punch. The wrapper felt like velvet though. Soft through the center, but not loose.
Firing this cigar up gave strong flavors. Some earthy flavors and nutty flavors, but a ton of spice. This is a very spicy cigar. The aftertaste is also spicy. This cigar has very simple flavors. Some hints of coffee, but mainly earthy and spicy with some nutty flavors.
The draw and burn were good on this cigar. Very even throughout.
The price on this torpedo is $10.00. Again, not too bad on the price.
The flavor is overly spicy without some of the other flavors to counter it. That leaves this cigar seeming unbalanced. Water helps separate the flavors, but not too much. Unless you like all spice and not much more, you probably will not like this smoke. Spice people, this smoke is B+/A-. For everyone else, a little lower.
Final Grade: B-
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Arganese ML3
This cigar came in a short time ago. At Little Havana Tobacco we had Arganese reps there, so I was given some free ones. I got an ML3 as one of them (also a CL3, which is the next post).
This cigar has a Brazilian Maduro wrapper with a Corojo filler and binder. The feel of this cigar was very even.
Before lighting this, the tobacco tasted like strong coffee. The smoke tasted similar with a nice earthy flavor. Very forward flavor. With water, this cigar breaks up nicely. You get a nutty flavor and a small hint of chocolate. That chocolate flavor came and went though. This cigar was very robust in its flavors. Nothing too subtle here other than the chocolate.
The burn and draw were good. I could not argue with that. I had to light it several times though. Even after it sat in the humidor for awhile, so I know it was not dry. That will bring it down in grading a little bit.
The price on this stick (torpedo size) was $10.00, which is not bad. This is a heavy smoke though. Nothing wrong with that. Have it with a water or Dr. Pepper.
Final Grade: A-
This cigar has a Brazilian Maduro wrapper with a Corojo filler and binder. The feel of this cigar was very even.
Before lighting this, the tobacco tasted like strong coffee. The smoke tasted similar with a nice earthy flavor. Very forward flavor. With water, this cigar breaks up nicely. You get a nutty flavor and a small hint of chocolate. That chocolate flavor came and went though. This cigar was very robust in its flavors. Nothing too subtle here other than the chocolate.
The burn and draw were good. I could not argue with that. I had to light it several times though. Even after it sat in the humidor for awhile, so I know it was not dry. That will bring it down in grading a little bit.
The price on this stick (torpedo size) was $10.00, which is not bad. This is a heavy smoke though. Nothing wrong with that. Have it with a water or Dr. Pepper.
Final Grade: A-
CAO MX2
Being that Maduro smoker I am, I took an MX2 for the tasting. Now, I had heard two things from this cigar. "Love it," or "hate it."
This cigar is made with a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, a Brazilian Maduro binder, and fillers from Nicaragua, Peru, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. This cigar had a oily wrapper that was a little soft. Firm feeling though as far as filling.
Torching this cigar, for me, was a treat. A rich earthy flavor, mixed with a taste of coffee. This cigar almost had a sweet undertone with the coffee flavor. It was like if you added just a hint of sugar to a French Roast. The Earthy flavor stayed balanced and did not over power the smoke. The aftertaste consisted of a nutty flavor with a hint of coffee or espresso. It is nice for the coffee flavor, but at times it seemed the earthy flavor was overshadowed at times, even nonexistent.
The burn was different. Instead of a nice white ash, it was as black as the cigar. I found this to be very interesting. It burned very evenly though until the end. The wrapper started to split. It was like watching an explosion in slow motion. I had to slow way down to avoid it getting worse. Once passed, the cigar finished just fine. The draw was a little firm, but consistent.
The price point for this cigar (double toro size) was $11.75, plus tax of course. Not a bad price for a hour long smoke. A Maduro usually costs more as well. So, for the what you are getting, the price is good.
The just missed explosion of my cigar will bring the grade down. The overshadowing of the earthy flavor will also bring it down, but not much because of what you get with the coffee flavor. Without the split and almost exploding, this cigar would be an A-/A.
Final Grade: B
This cigar is made with a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, a Brazilian Maduro binder, and fillers from Nicaragua, Peru, Honduras and the Dominican Republic. This cigar had a oily wrapper that was a little soft. Firm feeling though as far as filling.
Torching this cigar, for me, was a treat. A rich earthy flavor, mixed with a taste of coffee. This cigar almost had a sweet undertone with the coffee flavor. It was like if you added just a hint of sugar to a French Roast. The Earthy flavor stayed balanced and did not over power the smoke. The aftertaste consisted of a nutty flavor with a hint of coffee or espresso. It is nice for the coffee flavor, but at times it seemed the earthy flavor was overshadowed at times, even nonexistent.
The burn was different. Instead of a nice white ash, it was as black as the cigar. I found this to be very interesting. It burned very evenly though until the end. The wrapper started to split. It was like watching an explosion in slow motion. I had to slow way down to avoid it getting worse. Once passed, the cigar finished just fine. The draw was a little firm, but consistent.
The price point for this cigar (double toro size) was $11.75, plus tax of course. Not a bad price for a hour long smoke. A Maduro usually costs more as well. So, for the what you are getting, the price is good.
The just missed explosion of my cigar will bring the grade down. The overshadowing of the earthy flavor will also bring it down, but not much because of what you get with the coffee flavor. Without the split and almost exploding, this cigar would be an A-/A.
Final Grade: B
Friday, October 1, 2010
Gurkha Black Dragon
This is it. The Black Dragon.
This cigar is wonderfully made with a nice, soft, oily Maduro wrapper. Made with a Connecticut Maduro Wrapper, Cameroon Binder, Dominican Filler, this cigar sounded like it would be a great smoke.
The first puff gave me a nice earthy flavor. Behind this is a nice hint of spice. Almost like peppermint. Has a very subtle sweetness to it. The aftertaste is very coffee like. Rich with a mild spice. Starts with a mild nuttiness and ends with the spice. Coffee in the middle is just a bonus.
The draw and burn on this smoke are wonderful. Easy draw and an even burn. This produces and nice white ash.
The price is $25, plus tax. The price is steep, but it does not hurt this smoke much. If you are a Maduro smoker, and are celebrating something, this is an A+ cigar. For the average smoker, it goes down, but not much.
Final Grade: A
This cigar is wonderfully made with a nice, soft, oily Maduro wrapper. Made with a Connecticut Maduro Wrapper, Cameroon Binder, Dominican Filler, this cigar sounded like it would be a great smoke.
The first puff gave me a nice earthy flavor. Behind this is a nice hint of spice. Almost like peppermint. Has a very subtle sweetness to it. The aftertaste is very coffee like. Rich with a mild spice. Starts with a mild nuttiness and ends with the spice. Coffee in the middle is just a bonus.
The draw and burn on this smoke are wonderful. Easy draw and an even burn. This produces and nice white ash.
The price is $25, plus tax. The price is steep, but it does not hurt this smoke much. If you are a Maduro smoker, and are celebrating something, this is an A+ cigar. For the average smoker, it goes down, but not much.
Final Grade: A
M. Vito x Marco V Cuban Lancero Medium
This is another smoker from the Marco V line, and since I like what I have had (I have not put reviews for all of them yet) I decided to jump on this one and try it out. Usually I do not care for the Lancero shape (38 x 6.5") but I figured I would give it a go.
Now this is made with a Brazilian Maduro, Dominican binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan Esteli Ligero fillers. When feeling this cigar I could notice the rough, bumpy wrapper and the construction seemed a little soft. It brought my worries up on this cigar.
Once lit I got a mild earthy flavor with a hint of spice. A very mild hint of spice at that. It grew as you smoked, but not too fast nor too slow. A nice nutty flavor also came forth in the aftertaste of this. The mix of earth and spice was nice. The first reaction is to think it was creamy with how smooth this smoke was. The nutty flavor seems lost at times though.
The draw was great. Not too much and not too little. It was leaning towards more of an open draw though. The burn was great as long as you puffed slow. That brings me to my next point.
If you puff this cigar fast, it will turn on you. It becomes overly bitter and tart. Luckily, this can be solved (assumed you puffed too fast and are in a jam). This cigar, if you let it sit, and even go out, comes back to life. It is not like some where once it turns, that's it. Just let this one go out, blow the old smoke out, and tourch it. It will be good as new.
With an $8 price range, this is also good for the buck. Not the best Marco, but not the worse either. And even if the was the worst, it is a darn good worst. The only issue was how much the flavors could come out. One seems lost and makes the cigar seem a little off balance. Even with that, this is a good smoke.
Final Grade: A
Now this is made with a Brazilian Maduro, Dominican binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan Esteli Ligero fillers. When feeling this cigar I could notice the rough, bumpy wrapper and the construction seemed a little soft. It brought my worries up on this cigar.
Once lit I got a mild earthy flavor with a hint of spice. A very mild hint of spice at that. It grew as you smoked, but not too fast nor too slow. A nice nutty flavor also came forth in the aftertaste of this. The mix of earth and spice was nice. The first reaction is to think it was creamy with how smooth this smoke was. The nutty flavor seems lost at times though.
The draw was great. Not too much and not too little. It was leaning towards more of an open draw though. The burn was great as long as you puffed slow. That brings me to my next point.
If you puff this cigar fast, it will turn on you. It becomes overly bitter and tart. Luckily, this can be solved (assumed you puffed too fast and are in a jam). This cigar, if you let it sit, and even go out, comes back to life. It is not like some where once it turns, that's it. Just let this one go out, blow the old smoke out, and tourch it. It will be good as new.
With an $8 price range, this is also good for the buck. Not the best Marco, but not the worse either. And even if the was the worst, it is a darn good worst. The only issue was how much the flavors could come out. One seems lost and makes the cigar seem a little off balance. Even with that, this is a good smoke.
Final Grade: A
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