Di Fazio Connecticut Torpedo

I am doing another Di Fazio cigar, this time the Connecticut shade.

This cigar uses a Connecticut shade Ecuadorian wrapper, and Indonesian binder (from what I could find) and fillers from Nicaragua and Honduras. Little veins and smells like creamy and straw.

I got a creamy straw flavor out of this cigar on the first puff. The cream took over and started giving off hints of sweet butter, slight hint of nuts, and a touch of oak. The oak flavor goes away and a sweet nut flavor comes in. It is almost like a sweet peanut butter made from roasted nuts. The cream and sweet butter stay with this. The aftertaste is creamy and of light tobacco flavors. You get a hint of straw in the aftertaste as well.

The construction on this cigar was very good. The draw was a little loose, but not too loose. This cigar burned even, it only needed one correction thanks to wind, and produced a large amount of smoke.

This cigar, in Minnesota, would run aroun $8-$9, and that is for the torpedo vitola. I could not find much wrong with this cigar. If you want a mild smoke, this is a good one. Complex, smooth, and mild. I would suggest this smoke to anyone who likes them light. It goes great with a cup of coffee.

Final Grade: A+

From Connoisseur to Cremo

I have been honest with my reviews, being as straightforward as possible, and now I must be straightforward with you on something else. I now have a job within the cigar industry. There are many reasons I bring this up, and I want to go through them.

The main reason I bring this up is because I feel full disclosure is a good thing. People should know a little of the reviewer. That is something that comes with the territory. A reviewer that is distant and unknown is hard to connect with. Though doing that through the review site itself seems like a moot point thanks to social media.

Another thing is the potential conflict of interest. To avoid that, I will tell you I am Chief Marketing Officer for Cremo Cigars. I had come in contact with the owner, Walter Santiago, a couple months back. A new company brings new, and sometimes more interesting, smokes. So, I decided to give it a try.

Now, I have been offered to do sales for cigar companies, and have done some freelance work for others (usually involving writing and ads, but I tell them if they make crap, I will let them know). Half the time, if they had a good product, I would let them know and post it (if B- or above) on my site. If it was less, I would tell them. Believe me, I still got arguments on a B rating. I told them why and I would not back down. But, to work for a company, I have to be blown away. I needed a cigar that would be worthy of an A+, and I would want a box, which is rare. So, I gave Walt some advice, helping things flow, giving my take on some pictures. Nothing big. Nothing I hadn't done for others. Companies like feedback and I figure to want me to review their smoke, it is the least I could do. I tried the cigar and I wanted a box,and I wanted one right after I finished that one, which is even more rare. I offered to work for him, not vice versa. I tell you this because there is a review of the Cremo cigar on this site, and I do not want to seem bias. I reviewed that smoke first. I have not put that review on the Cremo website, nor anywhere else since it was official I was working for the company.

Now, since then, I have posted reviews and not mentioned this. Several reasons are because things were started up, and I was very busy. Another was timing. I did not feel it was time to bring this up yet. I did not even bring it up after I reviewed the Cremo cigar. I did not know how to word all of this. I had to think about it for a long time.

I still have reviews to come too. I might work for a company, but I love the cigar. I know there will be cigars better and worse than what Cremo makes. What I want is for people to enjoy a great cigar. My cigar will please many, I am sure of that, but not everyone. Maybe there is something else they look for and in a review of mine they might find it. I review because I love new things all the time and I love sharing that with you. I am not going to give low ratings because the cigar is not one I work for, or a company I do not like, but because the cigar is bad. The standard has not changed. Construction, draw, burn, taste, and price point will always dictate ratings.

I thank you again for reading the reviews I post, and I hope you keep reading them. More will follow, I promise that.

Thank you again.

- Josh