Here it is
the beginning of the month once again and I only have five
cigars reviewed for you. Shame on me! Bad reviewer guy. I do
apologize for this heinous crime. In penance I will smoke my little butt
off over this month of the "silly season", and in January I will
bring you fine people the full complement of 10 cigar reviews. Hey if
Santa is particularly generous this year perhaps I will have even more
than ten cigars reviewed.
The Cigars Tested This Month.
The Machine Made Cigars:
Dutch Masters: Presidente
Antonio y Cleopatra (AyC): Grenadier
The Hand Rolled Cigars:
DS Bundles: Toro
Blue Ribbon Nicaraguan Bundles: Robusto
La Primadora: Starbrite
The Machine Made Cigars.
Dutch Masters: Presidente
Size: 5.5x40
Wrapper: Natural
Price: US$.$2.20 for a five pack.
There seems to be a certain consistency among Dutch Master cigar
construction. These cigars were quite attractive. Smooth seams, smooth
wrapper, though it is probably tobacco paper rather than leaf. These
cigars burned evenly. The aroma was rather unremarkable, neither
pleasant or unpleasant. The flavor of this smoke was acceptable through
the first third of the stick. The latter two thirds of the smoke picked
up an increasing degree of bitterness that became unbearable. The
cost/value rating on this cigar is fair. You don’t pay much and you
don’t get much. Though I suppose it would be an acceptable smoke for
gardening or mowing the yard.
Antonio y Cleopatra (AyC): Grenadier
Size: 5.5x40
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Natural
Cost: Box of 20/ US$9.00
The construction of these cigars was fair across the entire sample group.
All of the wrappers were very veiny with folds and loose wrapper
tags. These cigars burned a bit unevenly, but not to such a degree as to
hamper the cigar experience. The aroma of this cigar was strong but not
unpleasant. It's probably best to smoke these outdoors for consideration's
sake. The flavor of this cigar started out slightly harsh and slowly
continued to increase in harshness as it burned. It never got to a point of being
unbearable or unpleasant enough to toss the stick The cost/value rating
of this cigar is good.
The Hand Made Smokes.
DS Bundles: Toro
Size: 6x50
Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Natural
Cost: US$2.05 ea.
Construction on these smokes is consistently mediocre.
The wrappers of these cigars tend to be mottled. The bunch
often seems a bit loose leaving the cigar a bit spongy. However the draw on
these cigars is consistently good. I smoke this brand often, and
have yet to find one plugged. The flavor of these
cigars is always smooth, sometimes even slightly sweet. I would rate this as
a medium strength smoke. The volume of smoke produced by this cigar was
immense with a fairly light aroma that received a thumbs up from my
spouse (official aroma judge). The cost/value rating of this cigar is
excellent. This is a very cost effective smoke with lots of flavor and
consistent construction.
Blue Ribbon Nicaraguan Bundle
Size: 4.5x50
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Natural
Cost: US$2.00
The construction of these cigars was consistently good. The wrapper was
almost seamless on the samples. The filler was bunched very well, no
hard or soft spots, very even. The cap had been skillfully applied and
came up plenty high so that clipping easy. Unique quality when
considering this was a flat head Robusto. The flavor was excellent.
Smooth through the first two thirds of the cigar. The last third seemed
to pick up steadily on the spicy overtones that really seemed to help
the finish last a bit longer.
La Primadora: Starbrite
Size: 4.5x50
Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Maduro
Cost: US$2.00
The construction of these cigars was good. The wrapper was a smooth,
very dark maduro. I would call it Oscuro but I’ll stick with
the manufacturers designation. The cap was neatly applied and the roll
was firm without any soft or hard spots. The flavor was nice, but nothing
to get overly excited about. Smooth tobacco flavors all the way down
below the band. It started to get harsh towards the end, but due to my habit
of smoking a cigar until my fingers blister, most smokes do for me.
Next month.
I will be taking a look at some of the name brand smokes that are
available at the top of my price range of US$2.50 via mail order
companies or non-gouging tobacco shops.
This will also give you a more familiar landmark to base your
interpretations of my reviews of cigars you may not have heard of.
Drop back by in January to see what name brand smokes I’ve picked up and
see how my taste buds compare to yours.
