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+

Erez Cigars Connecticut

I picked an Erez cigar out of my humidor for review. I figured I should because the day was nice and I have a feeling there will be less of those.

This cigar is make with a Connecticut shade Ecuadorian wrapper, a Criollo 98 binder, and Cubano San Vicente, Olor Dominicano and Criollo 98 fillers. The wrapper on this looked even and had some veins; nothing too out of the ordinary. The construction felt nice and firm.

The first puff of this smoke offered a toasty flavor followed by a bitter cream. About a fourth of the way through the creamy drew back and became similar to a salty butter. At about the halfway point almonds came into the mix, which added a very nice touch. To make this better, the cream and butter aspects evened out. The after taste of this smoke was a simple toasted and creamy flavor. The aroma was toasty and had a hint of sweet throughout.

The draw on this was nice and even. The burn started off uneven, but corrected itself about a third of the way through.

In my state this cigar would run around $8, and that is for the Robusto size. The price is a little steep, but within range. Nothing to get in a tussle over. The smoke was plain, yet good. It had little complexity, but the flavors it gave off were pleasant. I did enjoy this cigar. This is one I would have while reading a book or something. Nothing to write home to mom about, but nothing to shake a stick at either. I want to thank Erez Premium Cigars for sending this sample in for review.

Final Grade: B

JD Cigars Temptation Lancero

After a long day I decided to go up to my local smoke shop and have a cigar. I found a JD Cigars Temptation Lancero and decided to give that a go.

This cigar is made with a Habano Claro (Connecticut shade) wrapper from Ecuador. The filler and binder are Nicaraguan.

This cigar started out rather simple. The flavor was that of a heavy cream and a light butter. About a third of the way through there was a straw type flavor, and some leaf tones. It had a subtle earth flavor similar to some teas. The aftertaste produces hints of pepper, while the main flavors were that of butter and almonds.

This cigar was well made. The wrapper was even which made this cigar nice to look at. The roll was tight and even, but that caused no issue with the draw or smoke for both were very good. This smoke never got hot. The burn on this was consistent and even, requiring no corrections.

This Lancero (7 1/2 x 38) was a very good smoke. Usually I do not like this shape for you have to puff extra slow and it can become hot or tart very easily. I did not have an issue with this at all. For $7, this is a very good smoke.

Final Grade: A+

Alec Bradley MAXX Connecticut

So, I met up with my friend Mike, who also runs a review site called Old Cigar Box, and we decided to review a cigar together. We had some differences, but our final take is not too far off. Let's get to this review.

This cigar is made with a Connecticut wrapper leaf grown in Ecuador, a binder from Costa Rica, and filler from Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico, and Honduras.

This cigar started out with a creamy flavor, hints of spice, cedar, and butter. The butter flavor made the cream slightly bitter, but not bad. The aftertaste was of cedar, spice, and cream. About halfway through the cedar flavor left the taste and it became toasty in flavor. This also goes for the aftertaste. Shortly after that it became tart, and I set it down to see if it would come back. Needless to say, it didn't. The taste, and aftertaste, became very tart for the last fourth.

The construction looked good, with a slight veiny appearance. It had a good draw to it throughout. Towards the end the draw became hot, the cigar was splitting, and it was unraveling. The burn started uneven and corrected itself, then went uneven, the corrected, and so on.

The size of the cigar was The Freak which is just a little bigger than a Double Toro. The cost was $11 and it was not worth it. This cigar, no matter how it was smoked, was terrible. It turned and never came back. Also with this one, when I thought it couldn't get worse, it managed to find a way.

Final Grade: F

Puros Indios

This was sent by the company for a review. Now, I did a cigar of their before (the Miami), so I was looking forward to this.

The cigar is made from an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper and binder, and filler from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Brazil, and Nicaragua.

This cigar was evenly constructed, and there was little in the way of veins. The wrapper was tight and even. It felt like a fine, little bit rough, velvet.

The first draw tasted the same as the tobacco on my lips, woody. There was a strong wood flavor and a hit of bitter earth. Over the whole thing was a peppery flavor. Now, this cigar had bitter flavors, but not in a bad way. It mainly held a strong woody flavor though. The aroma was mildly toasty.

This cigar had a very, very good draw. The burn was very even and had no issues. The only correction I had to do was when I had one outside, and that is not the fault of the cigar.

I had the Piramide #2 and Gordo sizes, which can range from $6-$8, depending on the area. Now, for the price, this is not too bad. It is kind of a one note act, which is disappointing, and people say the aroma is best left outside. I found this cigar to be a good one of reasonable price that is good in a setting of golf or poker. This is not one to sit and soak in, for it is not overly complex, but you can still get the main good flavor while doing other things. So, I think since it is a one note, grade goes down, but quality and price bring it up.

Final Grade: B+

Note: The manufacturer states that retail price should be $5 for a Gordo size. Now, I am including tax and mark up. Without any markup, it would be around that. If they did no markup, their profit would be nil in the state of Minnesota.

I would also like the thank Reyes Family Cigars for sending me a sample.

Rocky Patel Decade

Now, what is known about this cigar is little, other than high ratings from many cigar sources. The binder and filler are even secret (according to the Rocky Patel website). The only thing known is that this cigar was made to celebrate ten years in the cigar business, and that the wrapper is Sumatra (Cigar Aficionado says Ecuador for the wrapper and Nicaragua for binder and filler, yet the Rockey Patel site says Sumatra).

The wrapper on this was very even, a little rough feeling, and tight. Very dark as well.

This cigar has a wonderful nutty flavor when lit. That flavor comes with a nice woody and earthy flavor. Together you get hints of rich coffee. The aftertaste leaves with that same nutty flavor. It stays with you a little while, but never gets bad. This cigar is strong, but it never got harsh.

The draw and burn were good. The draw seemed a little firm, but you always got a great smoke out of it. The burn was even all the way through.

This hour to hour and a half smoke costs about $18 (this is the double toro, or Emperor). That is a steep price, but the quality is amazing. Rocky Patel says on his site that this took ten years to make, and it shows. This is a cigar to have when celebrating something. This is one to remember.

Final Grade: A+