5 Vegas Classic

 

A very, very nice cigar, the 5 Vegas Classic (Torpedo: 6" x 52) appealed to me from the moment I removed the wrapper.  Beautiful, and beautifully made, it just... smelled like it was going to be good.  I lit it unevenly but it burned slowly and coolly and eventually evened itself out.  The taste reminded me of leather, hickory smoke and a little vanilla.  It was quite smooth for a medium-bodied cigar.  Minus just a little for an uneven draw - some parts were too easy, some too tight.  Towards the end it was difficult to keep lit.  But very enjoyable overall.

Appearance and Construction:  12/15

Flavor:  22/25

Smoking Characteristics:  21/25

Overall Impression:  30/35

Total:  85/100

5 Vegas Historical Collection

Another order from Cigars International, this 5 Vegas sampler contains 8 of 5 Vegas most tantalizing blends.  The sampler contains:

3 - 5 Vegas Classic (Torpedo: 6" x 54)
3 - 5 Vegas Gold (Robusto: 5" x 50)
3 - 5 Vegas Gold Maduro (Robusto: 5" x 50)
2 - 5 Vegas Cask-Strength (Toro: 6" x 52)
2 - 5 Vegas Series ’A’ (Archetype: 6" x 50)
1 - 5 Vegas Limitada 2010 (Belicoso: 6.25" x 52)
1 - 5 Vegas Triple-A (5" x 56)
1 - 5 Vegas Miami (M5: 5.5" x 55)

Graycliff 'G2'

The Graycliff 'G2' Pirate (Torpedo: 6" x 52) is a good cigar.  Very mild, but flavorful from the very beginning.  Creamy smooth, with lots of cedar.  I enjoyed this one while floating on my back, alone in my swimming pool, for a good, solid hour.  It had a slow, even burn, and a very easy draw.  Lots of thick smoke, which I like.

Appearance and Construction:  13/15

Flavor:  18/25

Smoking Characteristics:  22/25

Overall Impression:  27/35

Total:  80/100

5 Vegas Gold

A beautiful cigar, the 5 Vegas Gold Series (Robusto: 5" x 50) has excellent construction and a perfect Connecticut wrapper.  Mild, but chock full of flavors - nutty, peppery, smoky, and leathery.  It started off strong - almost too strong - but mellowed quickly.  After a half-dozen puffs, it was creamy smooth and actually got smoother and tastier as it burnt.  The burn was even and the draw was slightly firm.  I smoked this one until it was burning my fingers.  Very, very good and very satisfying.

Appearance and Construction:  14/15

Flavor:  22/25

Smoking Characteristics:  21/25

Overall Impression:  32/35

Total:  89/100

Rocky Patel 'R4'

The Rocky Patel 'R4' (Double Corona Corojo: 7.5" x 52)  is easily my favorite, so far.  This is a big, beautiful cigar that I loved smoking.  Earthy and nutty and flavorful - but smooth - from the moment I lit it up.  The flavors clung to my palette like a life preserver.  Perfectly constructed, it had a just-right draw, and a cool, even burn all the way to the nub.  I hated to put it out.  I will definitely be getting some more of these.

Appearance and Construction:  15/15

Flavor:  25/25

Smoking Characteristics:  22/25

Overall Impression:  30/35

Total:  92/100

Oliva Serie 'O'

The Oliva Serie 'O' (Robusto: 5" x 50) may deserve a better writeup than I'm going to give it.  At the time of smoking, I was working my way through my 5th, 6th and 7th servings of Jerry Gibson's dangerously good rum punch.  As a result, many of the details of the afternoon have escaped me.  I do remember that the Oliva had an easy draw and a consistent burn, and a solid salt-and-pepper ash.  The last third of the Oliva burned a little hot, but I may have been over-smoking it.  The flavor was... well honestly, I don't remember.  In any case, it wasn't remarkably good or remarkably bad.  In the spirit of fairness, I'm going to have to try another one sometime.  (Poor me!)

Appearance and Construction:  12/15

Flavor:  18/25

Smoking Characteristics:  22/25

Overall Impression:  25/35

Total:  77/100

Gurkha's Park Avenue

Gurkha's Park Avenue Series 44 (Churchill: 7" x 48) - This is a beautiful cigar, with a smooth, oily Connecticut wrapper.  It had a good, nutty flavor that started out very mild but intensified during the smoke; toward the end it was a little overpowering.  A shorter stick may have been more enjoyable.  The cigar had a good draw, even burn, and salt-and-pepper ash that flaked annoyingly in the light breeze.

Appearance and Construction:  13/15

Flavor:  16/25

Smoking Characteristics:  15/25

Overall Impression:  27/35

Total:  71/100

Bahia Blu

This little beauty surprised me.  I don't know why I wasn't expecting much, actually.  Maybe the plain, modernish-looking band threw me, but when I decided to try it I was prepared for disappointment.

I was wrong.

The Bahia Blu E652 (Torpedo: 6.5" x 52) is a very nice smoke, smooth and mild but consistently flavorful.  Lots of cedar and something sweet - honey, perhaps.  The clean, pleasant aftertaste stayed for a long, long time.  The draw was perfect; the burn was even.  The ash was firm and pale.

Appearance and Construction:  10/15

Flavor:  22/25

Smoking Characteristics:  21/25

Overall Impression:  28/35

Total:  81/100

My Humidor

A birthday present from my lovely wife, Kathy.  It's lined with Spanish cedar and it holds 100 cigars (not yet, but maybe someday...).  It has a lock, a small brass nameplate for engraving, a humidifier and a small hygrometer.  Kathy was also thoughtful enough to order me a bottle of cigar juice, a seasoning kit, and a calibration kit for the hygrometer.  The hygrometer that came with this humidor was way off (25% off!), and the set-screw adjustment didn't work.  I wound up using a sharpie to mark off an area that equates to between 65 and 75% RH.  But that's my only gripe.

The humidor itself is beautiful and solidly constructed.  It was hard to avoid playing with it during the seasoning process, which took two weeks with the seasoning kit, and I still open it too often just to stick my nose in and smell.  The seal is exactly right and it will serve me well for many years.

Note that this image is from Cigars International, but Kathy actually ordered this humidor from www.humidorvault.com.  The CI image is the nicest I could find though, and with all the free advertising they're getting from this blog, I didn't think they'd mind...

Graycliffe Profesionale

This was another great deal from Cigars International.  These 92-rated Graycliff Profesionales have an MSRP of $20 each.  CI usually charges $90 for 5 of the Torpedo (6" x 52) size.

I got 10 for $39.99.

I'll repeat that:  I got 10 for $39.99.

Four measly bucks each for 10 of the best cigars Graycliff makes!  And since it was a daily special, I didn't even have to pay shipping and handling.  And just like the first order, they arrived quickly (ordered Thursday night; arrived Monday morning) and in great shape.

The Graycliff Profesionale is superbly constructed, with a beautiful, oily wrapper that's a little darker than the picture makes it look.  It lights well, burns coolly and evenly and yields clouds of thick smoke.  The flavor is complex:  nutty, smoky and earthy, with hints of leather and cedar and pepper and other spices I couldn't even identify.

Despite all that, I probably shouldn't have made this plunge.  This cigar is a little too full-bodied for me to be 100% enjoyable.  If I had done a little more research, I probably would have realized that.

After handing a few out to friends, I still have five of these left.  I think I'll let them mellow in the humidor for a few months.  Maybe the flavor will settle down to something more suited for my beginner's palate.

{Edit, 18 November, 2010:  I finally tried another one of these a couple of nights ago, and it was superb.  Either four months in the humidor gave these babies time to settle, or my "beginner's palate" is starting to grow up.  Either way, I've upped the overall score from 75 to 85 as reflected below.}

Appearance and Construction:  14/15

Flavor:  20/25

Smoking Characteristics:  21/25

Overall Impression:  30/35

Total:  85/100

Puros Indios Viejo Maduro

The Puros Indios Viejo Maduro (Toro: 6" x 52) was the first cigar I tried from my Cigars International order, and I was... well... underwhelmed.  (To be fair, I didn't yet own a respectable humidor, so all of my cigars sat in a Tupperware bin with a small sponge soaked in distilled water until my "real" humidor arrived.  The other smokes fared well enough though, so it doesn't seem likely that I ruined just this one.) It lit well, and had a nice, easy draw.  The burn was even and consistent.  But the flavor was just OK - nothing I could describe as bad, but nothing memorable, either.  It was certainly no "dog rocket", but I probably wouldn't go far out of my way for another one.

Appearance and Construction:  12/15

Flavor:  17/25

Smoking Characteristics:  20/25

Overall Impression:  25/35

Total:  74/100