Padilla Habano

Some cigars just grab you, you know?  You take that first puff and everything is just right - body, flavors, smoke, draw. And you think, "Oh, yeah..." and you just know that you're going to love the rest of it, too.  That's happened four, maybe five times since I started this hobby, and it happened again last week.

I obtained this Padilla Habano (Toro: 6" x 54) in a wonderful sampler from Cigars International.  It's a good-looking cigar, with a not-too-fancy label over a smooth, oily Habano wrapper.  Construction looks excellent - the Nicaraguan binder and filler is firm and evenly packed with a nice, tight cap.  After clipping, the unlit draw had a nutty, woodsy sweetness to it that made me want to fire it up all the more.

I toasted the foot and lit it up and from the first puff I knew I was in for an enjoyable ride.  It started off medium-bodied and very flavorful.  I immediately picked up the nuttiness that I'd detected before, and also a sweet (almost citrus-y) spice and smoky, salty leather that perfectly complemented the sweetness.  It was very, very smooth, even when retrohaling.  The finish was short and crisp, with a slight, white-pepper zing to it.  In the second half, I picked up a little cocoa, too.  Not a lot, and it would come and go, one or two puffs out of every ten, maybe.  Unusual, but not unpleasant at all.

It seemed to me that it got stronger as it burned.  It never reached what I would consider full-bodied, but it definitely picked up steam.  That didn't interfere with the flavors, though which were mostly consistent from one end to the other.  The cigar gave off nice clouds of sweet-smelling smoke, and the burn was cool and even and razor sharp - no touch-ups required.

All in all I'd have to say that my first impression was the right impression on this one.  A very smooth, flavorful, enjoyable cigar.

Appearance and Construction:  14/15

Flavor:  22/25

Smoking Characteristics:  22/25

Overall Impression:  32/35

Total:  90/100

I've been OutmaNOOBered!

Last week I put together a "welcome aboard" package for tstein (aka Philip) at Puff.com.  Yesterday, I got counter-punched...

Four great sticks:
- My Father Le Bijou 1922 (Toro: 6" x 52)
- Tatuaje Miami (Regios: 5.5 x 50)
- Nica Libre (Torpedo: 6" x 52)
- Coronado by La Flor Domincana (Double Corona: 7" x 50)

And a "proper" Cohiba ashtray, apparently in response to this photo I posted last month with a smart-ass comment about my "high-tech" ashtray...

Totally unnecessary, Phil, but totally appreciated!

Cuba Libre

Cigar bigwig Nestor Plasencia once said that the Cuba Libre is the finest blend he's ever made.  I don't know about that, but I know a good cigar when I try one.

The Cuba Libre (Epicure: 6" x 50) is a hefty, firmly-made, box-pressed beauty of a cigar.  The rich brown Corojo wrapper is smooth and satiny, like well-cured leather, and firmly packed.  The cigar is firm to the touch and feels heavy in the hand.  Once cut, the unlit draw was easier than I thought it would be, but I couldn't get any flavor yet - just a vague woodsiness.

Lit, however, this thing is full of flavor.  Lots of leather, and lots of pepper on the finish.  The draw is a little firm, but not enough for me to monkey around with.  The burn is nice and slow and cool, but it got uneven and I had to touch it up with the lighter right around the one-third mark.  Tons of thick smoke from start to finish. 

The ash was medium gray and very firm, contrary to at least one review I've seen, and stayed attached until nearly the halfway point.  Everything about the Cuba Libre had stayed pretty much the same up until that point - still medium bodied, still very smooth and tasty.  But once the ash fell, I began tasting a little cocoa.  Maybe the burn heated up a little when that happened - I don't know - but it was a welcome addition to an already good smoke.

From there on out, things stayed pretty much the same.  The cocoa faded slightly as the burn cooled, but I could still taste it all the way down to the end.  If Mr. Plasencia was going for consistency with this blend, he nailed it.  A very good cigar, and a great choice for someone looking for an affordable "go-to" smoke.

Appearance and Construction:  13/15

Flavor:  22/25

Smoking Characteristics:  22/25

Overall Impression:  32/35

Total:  89/100

Yours Truly

Hopefully this won't scare off either of my readers...

I'm usually not a big fan of self-taken pics, but I thought this one came out OK.

Oliva Serie V

Last month I received this princely gift as part of a prize package for winning a Star Trek contest sponsored by Tritones (aka Mike) at Puff.com.  Last night I decided I'd waited long enough.

The Oliva Serie V (Lancero: 7" x 38) is the first cigar of this vitola that I have tried, and I have to say I'm impressed.  The high wrapper-to-filler ratio really allows the sweetness of the gorgeous Habano sun-grown wrapper to come through.  The construction is good, but the lancero feels a little light, as if it's loosely packed.  It appears evenly rolled, though - no bumps or weak spots.  The firm cap came off cleanly with my guillotine cutter and the unlit draw yielded hints of leather and cocoa and a sweet woodiness.  The foot toasted easily and I lit it up.

It takes a few puffs before I pick up the same flavors I detected in the unlit draw.  They're there, and now there's a creamy toastiness to them, but for a while they're almost lost behind the full-flavored ligero background.  It takes a while for my beginner's palate to pick them out again.  And I don't mind - just the strength of the ligero and the sweetness of the wrapper would have been enough by themselves.

The rest of the first third was pretty much the same.  Simple but delicious.  Creamy, and smooth, smooth, smooth.  The ash was medium gray, and rarely got even an inch long before falling off on its own.  Moving into the 2nd third the lancero gets a little stronger - closer to full-bodied now.  The taste is thick in the back of my throat.  It's still silky smooth, though, and with the added strength comes a new flavor - an earthy, woodsy, mushroom-y-ness that blends perfectly with the leather and cocoa already there.

Spot.  Probably wondering why I'm drooling.

At the halfway point I notice that it's getting a little warm - I'm not used to smoking this shape so I may have been overdoing it - so I put it down for a minute or two and it cools off nicely.  Continuing, I have the same great flavors as before, but the strength and body continue to grow - this thing is definitely getting stronger and more flavorful every minute.  There a tangy spiciness now - minty, actually - and my lips are tingling as I get closer to the big, big finish.

At this point every puff is a burst of flavor and a cloud of thick, sweet smoke.  I continued for another half-inch after snapping that last pic, all the while wishing I had a pipe to drop the nub into so I could steal just a few more blissful puffs.  A truly wonderful cigar that started off great and finished greater.

Appearance and Construction:  13/15

Flavor:  24/25

Smoking Characteristics:  23/25

Overall Impression:  33/35

Total:  93/100