Blue Mountain El Threesome

OK, this review is going to be a little different. This cigar is a triple wrap, and it is sectioned off into thirds. I will write about each section as their own smoke. Please note that this cigar is only available at Little Havana Tobacco in Anoka, if you live in Minnesota. Other states you will have to check with the company. They are not sold online either, last I checked

Now, to make this easy, all of the tobacco is from Nicaragua. Easy part of describing it. The first section is a Connecticut shade wrapper, while the second is Habano, and the third is Maduro. Each section has a different blend of ligero filler.

This cigar looked well made. It felt like it had a very nice and even wrap. The sections looked a little separated, but that could be due to different wrappers.

This cigar starts off with a nice creamy flavor with hints of butter. About one-sixth into it you start getting some cedar in there. There is a subtle spice throughout this section. The aftertaste was a spice with a mild cream.

The next section has leather notes too it and a nice toasty flavor. The spice from before is more pronounced in the Habano section. The aftertaste on this one was mainly toasty with a little pepper. This section was a little tart for two to three puffs, but that disappeared.

The last section kept the toasty notes but instead of leather the flavor was earthy. The spice became more like a light black pepper in flavor about halfway through this section. The aftertaste was earthy.

This cigar had a good draw and was well constructed. No issue producing a good smoke. It needed two corrections in the Habano section.

This Double Toro runs for around $9, which is a great price. The flavors are pretty standard, and nothing to write home about. What gives this cigar marks is how good it is for price, and the uniqueness of the smoke itself. Three wrappers with three different blends is something you do not see often, and the skill to make that is impressive. This is a great cigar to try if you are curious about different strengths, or if you cannot choose what kind to have. The tart area and corrections knock it off the top bracket, but not too far due to value.

Final Grade: A

Blue Mountain Rum Dipped

I stopped by Little Havana Tobacco, Inc. and Steve pointed out a new cigar from Blue Mountain, so I decided to give it a try.

Note: I got it at the only shop in MN that sells these cigars. As far as I know, no other shop sells Blue Mountain. Also, they are not sold online last I checked.

Now research on this cigar is tough, but what I know is it is a Connecticut shade Nicaraguan puro. This tobacco is dipped with rum to add flavor.

The tobacco in this cigar has a mildly sweet taste to it, and when lit it becomes much more powerful within the smoke. The cigar is a creamy smoke with the sweetness of rum. Behind all of that is a hint of pepper. It mixes very well to produce a flavor of spiced rum that would be mixed with a cream. That same flavor remains as the aftertaste, though that can linger and change at times. The flavor did get a little dull and tart towards the end.

The draw on this smoke was very good, with no problems producing a good smoke. The burn was even and consistent.

This cigar (a torpedo shape) runs around $8, which is very good for a 50 minute smoke. For a rum dipped smoke on the affordable range, this is very good. Usually the quality is low, whereas this was rather high. This cigar had its problems, but still came out darn good.

Final Grade: A

Blue Mountain Connecticut

When I had this cigar, I thought about Little Havana Tobacco. They have this nice poker table, and this made me think of a poker type cigar.

Note: I got it at the only shop in MN that sells these cigars. As far as I know, no other shop sells Blue Mountain. Also, they are not sold online last I checked.

This is a Connecticut shade, Nicaraguan puro.

It felt a little soft and the wrap was even. There were a few veins here and there, but nothing that made you think it would burn badly.

Lighting this cigar, the flavor came off very generic. A few puffs in and I got a bitter cream flavor. A little further and some cedar and light tobacco flavors came in. Also, the aroma was a light sweet tobacco, which would balance out the bitter if it was just as strong. It didn't. This cigar had a small bite too. I could feel the edges of my tongue tingle from this smoke.

The burn on this was good. I had to even it out once. The draw was really good. No trouble getting a good smoke.

This cigar runs about $9. Not bad for a double toro. The only downside was with the flavor. To get anything other than the bitter cream and the bite, you really had to pay attention. Not much popped out at you. That is why this is a good poker game type smoke. The burn and draw is good, so you do not have to worry, and the flavor simple, so you do not miss anything. For the average cigar smoker, it is just that: average.

Final Grade: C+

Blue Mountain Double Wrap

Note: I got it at the only shop in MN that sells these, Little Havana Tobacco. As far as I know, no other shop sells Blue Mountain. Also, they are not sold online last I checked.

This cigar is a Nicaraguan puro. The wraps are Connecticut and Habano Shade.

This cigar felt firm and well made. The wrap seemed a little separated but I would have to see how it smoked and burned to determine if this was an issue.

When lighting this cigar I got a terrible taste. Very tart and papery. The cigar was not dry, so I was thinking I had a dud, or that it was just a poor cigar. About 1/5 of the way through, that changed. Flavors started coming in. I got a creamy flavor mixed with one that could be described as something like oak. Underlying all of this was a hint of spice and cedar. The aftertaste was of a bitter cream. It lingered a little bit, but the taste remained consistant. Throughout this cigar, no flavors really came out though. It wasn't bad, but nothing to make you amazed. It was a more subtle flavor.

The draw and burn were good. It started to split and burn uneven at the end, but it was around the time of it being finished anyway, so that did not cause a problem. The separation in the wrap caused no issue either.

This cigar, for a double toro, was only $9, which is pretty good. This cigar does not have the some mix as other double wraps, as it is not as bold with its flavors. As I said, it is more subtle. The mix of flavors is good though, I just wish they came out more. All in all, not a bad smoke.

Final Grade: B

Blue Mountain Maduro

These cigars were ones I never saw, and in keeping up, I gave one a go. I picked the Maduro because I like Maduros.

This cigar had an even wrap on it. No soft spots. The wrapper felt soft, yet a little paper like. This is a Nicaraguan Puro. All of it is from the Esteli valley.

The flavors on this cigar were pretty simple. It had an earthy flavor followed by the smallest bit of nuttiness. Towards the end was a hint of what could be described as a peppery coffee like flavor. With the aroma it had a nice toasted flavor underlying all of it, except during the first moments of the draw. The aftertaste Was a little bitter, still toasty though.

The draw was good and it produced a very nice ash. It started even, then random holes were popping up, and it was burning through places before the end could get to them. This should not have happened considering I was puffing about once every forty five seconds to a minute. About halfway through the smoke got warm, then hot. At this point all the flavor became bitterness. The cigar turned into Mr. Hyde.

The price on it was only $8. Several people have not had the problems I had with them, so I will dismiss them for the most part. It could have been a number of things. I got the bad one in the batch, which happens, or it could have been a little dry, which in Minnesota during the winter could explain it. The price helps keep this cigar out of my "F" or "D" range. If had burned proper, and not turned, I would give this cigar a solid "B+" for it had good flavoring for such a price. This one, gets less.

Final Grade: C-