Thunder by Nimish Robusto

I had Thunder sitting in my humidor for awhile. I smoked one of them, and let the other one age. I thought it time to write up the review.

This Robusto (with a very nice spiral pigtail at the top) has an Ecuadorian habano wrapper, Nicaraguan and Honduran binders (yes, that is two binders), and Nicaraguan, Honduran and Costa Rican fillers.

Tight feel to it, and slightly oily.

This cigar started out with a blast of salt. It was very salty, but not to the level of being overpowering. That went down a little bit and hints of pepper, a little earthiness and nuttiness came through. During the second third the salt remained, but the the other flavored shifted to more of a coffee and leather mix (mainly coffee). The last third had the spice, nutty tones, and salt. The salt got less though, which let the nutty tones come out more. The aroma on this one was sweet and rich, which complemented the flavors.

This cigar was well made, only needed one correction. It produced a big smoke and the draw was not too bad (a little firm, but not much).

This Robusto (which is 4.5 x 54) will run around $7-$8 in Minnesota. All in all this was not a terrible smoke, but not great either. At the end when the salt went away some nice flavors came out, so that is redeeming. The price will not break your wallet, which is also a plus. This had decent construction as well which brings things up. The issue I see with this one is the one overpowering flavor, and the others in the background too much. This might be only for this vitola though. I would not say this was a bad smoke, it wasn't. This smoke is above average and I might give it another shot in another size. Unless I have a medium roast coffee, or a dark soda pop like Dr. Pepper, I would not pick this one up. You need something to accompany this cigar. Though, I think the blend has a lot of potential and I will possibly try it again in another size. With that, this cigar is on the boarder.

Final Grade: B-/C+

Aging Room M356 Rondo

It has been a good long while since I posted. I have been very busy, but during that time I have been smoking and taking notes. Let's get back to it.

The cigar I had was an Aging Room M356 Robusto. This cigar is a Dominican Puro, the wrapper being a habano.

The cigar was a little soft to the squeeze, but did not feel loose. The wrapper was very oily.

This cigar starts out with a spicy flavor. A few puffs in it becomes more nutty and is starting to give off hints of coffee. They did not just pop up either, but transitioned well into adding each flavor.In the second third of the cigar the coffee started to drift away, as well as the nutty flavors. These were replaced with more of a wood flavor and hints of roasted nuts. These flavors stuck in your mouth, but in a pleasant way. In the last third the spice changed to be a little bit more like a white pepper, and the flavor became more toasty. The roasted nut flavor fell off, but the wood remained the same.

This cigar had great construction. The burn was very good, the draw was smooth, and the ash was perfect. Held on about halfway before I knocked it off.

This cigar will run around $8-9 in Minnesota, maybe as high as $10 in some shops. Considering the complexity of this cigar, and the time it took to smoke it (about 50 minutes), it is a good buy. This cigar was well made, had great flavors, and was enjoyable the whole way through. I would buy these, easily. I might even be willing to pick up a box in the future. This cigar goes great with a dark roast coffee.

Final Grade: A+

Authors note: I am aware of the error in the numbers I wrote. I was typing faster than thinking. I apologize for the mistake.

Erez Cigars Habano

Next one in the Erez line is their Habano edition.

This cigar is wrapped in a Criollo 98, has a binder of Olor Dominicano, and has filler of Cubano San Vicente, Olor Dominicano and Criollo 98.

This cigar started off with a smokey oak flavor and just your average woody notes. A short while in hint of leather and bitter cream added to it, along with a very subtle spice similar to paprika. Getting closer to the end I got more leather and cream, with the spice getting less. At the final moments, the oak flavor came back and dominated the pallet. The aroma for this smoke was mildly sweet.

The construction on this smoke was pretty good. Produced a good smoke and had a fair draw. It burned uneven but corrected itself each time. I noticed to splitting a little, but it burn right past it with no problems and it did not get larger.

This Robusto will run around $7-$8, maybe as high as $9 depending on where you go, which is pretty good for something this complex. The only thing that brought this down was the splitting. Granted, it did not cause an issue, but it is still unpleasant when it happens. I would say this is a good smoke and it should be tried at least once, if not twice, by those who see it on the shelves. Thank you to Erez for sending this in for review.

Final Grade: A

Vegas de Santiago D8

I had one of these and decided to have another and write up a review for it.

This cigar is made with Habano 2000 wrapper from Ecuador, a bind from Ecuador, and filler from the Caribbean.

This cigar started out with a light chocolate flavor, mixed with some black pepper and a straw/leaf type flavor. After the first quarter the pepper dropped and notes of tea and pecans entered the mix, which blended very well with the chocolate. At the end there were notes of fruit, adding a little sweetness. The aroma was a sweeter aroma. I know those around me really liked it.

The construction on this was very good. Even feel and even wrap. The draw was a little firm, but the smoke was still good. The burn on this cigar was razor sharp.

I had this cigar in the Emperador size (6x60) and it would run around $10, probably closer to $13 here in Minnesota, which is still a great price for a smoke that lasts over an hour. I would say give this cigar a go. It is unique and there are flavors that I could not quite describe. This cigar has a great price point and is very well made.

Final Grade: A+