Wizard's Hat 54-Ring Mega-Sampler

Another delicious-looking sampler I just ordered from Cigars International, the Wizard's Hat 54-Ring Mega-Sampler includes 20 beautiful 6" x 54 toros:

2 - A. Fernandez
2 - Felipe II
2 - Graycliff G2
2 - Gurkha's Castle Hall
2 - Gurkha's Cuban Legacy
2 - Gurkha's Park Ave
2 - Indian Tabac Classic
2 - La Cuna Habano
2 - Nica Libre
2 - Padilla Habano

Squeeee!!!!

5 Vegas Cask-Strength

After spending that insane amount of money on my new lighter, I just had to try it out, didn't I?  So last night I settled in on the porch with a mug of coffee, a good book and one of these beauties.

The 5 Vegas Cask-Strength (Toro: 6" x 52) is a gorgeous, box-pressed cigar, with a beautiful mahogany-colored Corojo wrapper.  Pre-light, it smelled wonderful:  smoky and leathery and spicy and flowery all at once.  It felt good in the hand, too: solid, evenly packed, slightly oily.  The construction was as close to perfect as I've seen yet.  It lit easily with my new lighter, and burned evenly and coolly and produced tons of smoke for a little over an hour.  Punch-cut, the draw was perfect.  The tastes were many and varied, but never muddled or overpowering - leather, smoky whiskey, oak and mild spices throughout, with a faint white peppery tingle in the first third and an unusual "red" fruitiness, like cherries or plums once I got past the halfway point.  It's marketed as medium-full bodied, but I'd say it's definitely closer to full.  In fact, it's a touch stronger than I normally prefer, but absolutely delicious nonetheless.

Appearance and Construction:  15/15

Flavor:  22/25

Smoking Characteristics:  23/25

Overall Impression:  31/35

Total:  91/100

My First (and Second) "Real" Cigar Lighters

I've been pining for a "real" cigar lighter for months now.  I do have one of those refillable flip-top Zippo's left over from my cigarette-smoking days.  They look and sound cool, but the fluid makes your cigar taste like gasoline.  Matches are too hard to use outside, where I am routinely and ruthlessly exiled by my otherwise wonderful wife. And sure, that disposable Bic makes fire, but that soft flame takes a long time to toast the foot.  And since that flame is a quarter of an inch from your thumb, by the time you actually finish lighting the stogie, your thumb feels like it's going to burst into flames instead.

So I've been looking for a good deal on a torch lighter for a while.  But I just couldn't bring myself to spend $20 (or $30, or $50!) bucks on a high-end model.

And then I found this in my local CVS last week.  Made by Elite Brands USA, it was selling for the princely sum of $4.19.  Not expecting much, I bought one.  And, I love it.  It fits comfortably in my hand, the thumb switch is easy to reach, and it has a nice, hot flame.  The jet flame is adjustable, and it's refillable with any brand butane-in-a-can.  At first, it didn't light reliably, but I turned the flame adjustment down a little and from then on it's lit every time.  The flame is still plenty long enough and hot enough to toast the foot of my 52 ring stogie in about 4 seconds flat.  And since that flame is pointed away from the actuator, I'm not burning my thumb, either.  So far, it's a great lighter at a great price!

{Edit - March 29th:   Well, it was a great little lighter.  I'm not sure what went wrong, but it's been nearly impossible to light lately.  I've purged and refilled, adjusted the flame, cleaned the nozzle... nothing helps.  I get a flame maybe one try out of eight.  Not good enough.

Luckily, I received one of these in the very first bomb I ever received, courtesy of Termite (aka Mark) from Puff.com:

It's a Ronson JetLite, and I love it.  In the same ballpark, price-wise, as the one above, but a whole helluva lot more dependable so far.  I've been using it for a couple of weeks and it hasn't misfired once.  My local CVS carries these too, so (if they ever get any more in) I'll stock up.  Thanks again, Mark!}

John Bull

Another "on faith" buy from Cigars International.  These caught my eye as I was looking through the latest CI catalog.  They simply looked like something I'd like.  I read two very favorable reviews a couple of days later, and suddenly they sounded like something I'd like, too.  And a few days after that CI put them on sale at a crazy-good price and I caved.  To be honest, if it weren't for those glowing reviews, I would never have tried them.  I mean, c'mon:  how good could I expect a $1.50 cigar to be?  And it's not at all like me to buy 20 sticks of a brand I've never tried, but I'm very glad I did.

The John Bull (Prime Minister: 7.2" x 54) is a big, hefty beast of a cigar.  The wrapper is Ecuadorian Connecticut, veiny but attractive, and inside is a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican long fillers.  The taste is better, and smoother, than I would have expected for the price.  At first it had a woodsy, almost earthy taste.  Unusual, but not unpleasant at all.  After the first few puffs it evened out and turned creamy and toasty, and from there it was cool, consistent flavor all the way to my fingertips.  I used a bullet cutter and had absolutely no issues with the draw, as one of the reviewers had.  The ash was medium gray and not very firm, but the burn was slow and cool and even.  The one I had yesterday lasted well over an hour, and I could have easily drawn it out even more.  Not the best cigar I've ever had, but very good overall and an incredible value for anyone looking for an inexpensive but smooth, mild-to-medium everyday stogie.

Appearance and Construction:  12/15

Flavor:  20/25

Smoking Characteristics:  23/25

Overall Impression:  30/35

Total:  85/100

H. Upmann

Fun fact:  H. Upmann cigars were originally produced in Cuba, and were a personal favorite of President John F. Kennedy.  He had his aide, Pierre Salinger, buy as many Cuban-made Upmann cigars as he could find (about 1,200 all totaled) the day before signing the Cuban Trade Embargo in 1962.

Even though the one I had wasn't Cuban, the H. Upmann (Churchill: 5.6" x 46) is a very pleasant smoke.  The construction was first-rate:  it drew perfectly and consistently, burned evenly and left a firm, gray ash.  Before lighting, it smelled... well, like a cigar should:  light and cedar-y and leathery.  Mild and smooth, and subtly flavorful, too; it had a roasted nuttiness to it, and a hint of chocolate as well.  The wrapper is an Indonesian Cameroon, and the filler is a Cuban-seed Dominican/Honduran blend.  A tasty, pleasant smoke that I can easily see myself enjoying again and again.

Appearance and Construction:  13/15

Flavor:  22/25

Smoking Characteristics:  23/25

Overall Impression:  27/35

Total:  85/100