Foundation Cigar El Güegüense Corona Gorda 10/15/15

Appearance 

Beautiful Colorado Rosado color. Nice oil sheen w/no visible seams and only a couple tiny veins. A beautiful silky looking wrapper.

Aroma

Earthy,grassy on the wrapper. Honey sweetness with a cedar background. 

Prelight Draw 

Honey sweetness with a hint of spice on the lips.

1st

The first few puffs bring notes of spice to the tongue and palate. A cayenne pepper type spice. It has a nice draw and slightly uneven burn to start. The ash is light gray and fairly tight. Honey sweetness comes forward as the spice mellows a bit. Maybe even an herbal note trying to surface. Burn has self corrected already by 3/4" point. The cigar produces a good volume of smoke. There is a nice cedar note on the finish. Late in this 3rd there are cashew notes joining the mix. 

2nd

The spice returns but more like warm cinnamon. The strength started at medium+ and has moved to medium/full already. Draw & burn are perfect since starting the 2nd/3rd. 1/2 way in the 2nd the spice has faded leaving a creamy sweet flavor w/ a mild cinnamon spice on the long finish. 

Final/3rd

The spice comes back as warm cinnamon but the sweetness has faded. Overall the cigar provided an enjoyable smoking experience. A great start to this new venture by Nick Melillo @FoundationCigar formerly the Master Blender at Drew Estates. 

Acme Premier Ecuador Habano 10/12/15

Appearance 

Silky light brown wrapper w/ a few prominent veins. Seams are tight. The cigar has a light oil sheen.

Aroma 

Barnyard on the wrapper. Sweetness at the foot.

Prelight Draw 

Citrus and earthy

1st

Initial draws reveal citrus notes with some herbal and floral notes. Interesting start! Had to ash at about 5/8" in due to the ash flowering. Draw was a bit snug at start but is already loosening. The burn is near perfect. Ash is medium gray and semi tight. Near the end of this 3rd a spice note enters.

2nd

The spice has taken on the paprika sensation. The citrus,herbal,floral and earthy notes are still present albeit in a lesser prominence. 

Final/3rd

The spice has tapered off a bit bringing a better balance with the other flavors. The strength has been medium to this point where it is now leaning to medium+. Overall this Acme Premier Ecuador Habano has been an enjoyable smoking experience. 

Thanks again to my brother JD @HN_JAD for sending the samples for review.

Acme Premier Maduro Robusto 10/11/15

Appearance 

Dark chocolate San Andrés Maduro wrapper with a couple thin veins. The seams are tight and invisible. No visible oils on the wrapper.

Aroma 

Cocoa powder and earth on the wrapper and molasses at the foot.

Prelight Draw 

Cocoa and molasses

1st

After the first few puffs, notes of wood join dark chocolate notes. It has a pleasant draw and the burn at 3/8" in is almost perfect. At about 1/2" in a spice note begins developing. Shortly after the spice emerged there is a citrus note that takes center stage. The ash is light gray and mostly tight. By the end of the 1st the flavors have melded together. 

2nd

The flavors from the 1st/3rd continue on into the 2nd. Midway through some cashew notes join the mix. The strength of the cigar started as a mild/medium and at the 1/2 way point has developed to a medium+. The ash holds strong for each 3rd.

Final/3rd

The flavors continue on through the final/3rd of the cigar. The strength peaks at medium+. Overall the Acme Premier Maduro was a pleasurable smoking experience. 

Thanks to my brother JD @HN_JAD for providing the Acme cigars for review. Acme @Acme_Cigars is a sister brand of AKA Cigars @AKAcigars . Try both brands for yourself.

Royal Agio Cigars Balmoral Añejo XO Petite Robusto FT 10/9/15

Appearance 

The wrapper is dark brown in color w/ a few prominent veins. It's a bit mottled. The seams are tight and virtually invisible. It has a very light oil sheen.

The FT on the foot band is in reference to the FlagTail on the cap. An interesting twist. 

The bands are very attractive.

Aroma 

The wrapper smells of a barnyard aroma while the foot has a sweet decadent aroma.

Prelight Draw 

Cocoa powder, raisins and cedar

1st

The first draws produce the woody notes of cedar. The draw & burn are very good. The ash is medium gray and tight. Some of the sweetness comes through midway of this 3rd. 

2nd

A hint of spice emerges. Unfortunately for me it leans toward black pepper. About 1/2 way the spice develops to a black/red mix which is good for me. The red pepper lingers on the long finish. After taking a sip of water during the finish the cocoa and raisin notes are clearly noticeable.  

Final/3rd

The flavors become more balanced throughout the final/3rd. The strength was medium most of the way finishing at medium+. Overall the cigar is an enjoyable smoking experience. The Royal Agio and Balmoral Añejo lines are distributed by Drew Estates and can be followed on Twitter @balmoralcigars albeit they have no tweets at this time.

Kuuts Cigars Nicaraguan Blend 10/8/15

Appearance

A slightly mottled medium brown wrapper w/a few prominent veins. The seams are tight and almost invisible. Very little oil sheen. 

Aroma 

Earthy aroma with a slight barnyard hint on the wrapper. Graham cracker and sweetness at the foot.

Prelight Draw 

Cocoa powder, raisin and a hint of spice.

1st

The first puffs are very sweet notes of chocolate covered raisins. The burn line got very wavy. At about 3/4" in a spice note entered. The ash is charcoal colored and flaky. The draw is nice. By the end of 1st/3rd the burn line had just about fully self corrected. 

2nd

As we roll into the 2nd there is a distinct graham cracker note which gets covered by the evolving spice notes. Some of the sweet notes from the 1st/3rd have resurfaced. As I'm smoking I can't help but notice the beautiful band which has copper foil over a black & gray background. The colors really work well together. The burn line which got wavy again early in the 2nd has now fully self corrected near the end of the 2nd. The strength has been medium so far.

Final/3rd

The final/3rd begins with nutty espresso notes that are very creamy. The spice has been like a wave rising and tapering off in strength. The finish has been short with sweet notes. 

Overall this was a very enjoyable complex medium strength cigar. At $6 per stick it's something U should definitely try. I'll be keeping some in my humi for sure. Follow @KuutsCigars on Twitter. GoGetchasome™!!

Crossfire Cigars Habano Figurado 10/6/15

Appearance

Milk chocolate brown wrapper w/ a couple prominent veins. Seams are tight. There is a nice oily sheen on the wrapper.

Aroma 

Chocolatey with a slight espresso note on the wrapper and foot.

Prelight Draw 

Dark chocolate and espresso.

1st

Starting off the draw is tight perhaps due to the shape of the cigar with both ends being smaller than the middle. The espresso note is balanced a bit by the dark chocolate notes. Halfway into this 3rd there are some nice almond notes mixing in well with the chocolate & espresso. The burn has a very slight wave to it. A nice mild spice has joined the mix.

2nd

The spice and almonds begin to dominate the flavor. The burn is off by about 45 degrees. The ash is a light gray w/ charcoal and is pretty tight and strong. By the end of this 3rd the burn line has fully self corrected.

Final/3rd

The dark chocolate came back to join the spice and almonds. The strength started medium and went to medium+. Overall it was a nice smoking experience. This stick was at the bottom of my review bin in my humi since 2013. 

Thanks to my brother Ryan @cigarnscripture for giving up one of his samples for review. Follow Crossfire at @CrossfireCigars 

Neya Cigar Co. F8 Typhoon Ligero 10/5/15

Appearance 

Nice looking medium brown wrapper w/ a few prominent veins. The seams are fairly tight. It has a slight oil sheen.

Aroma 

Earthy on the wrapper. Earthy and molasses at the foot.

Prelight Draw

Black Licorice

1st

The initial flavors are wood & leather. The draw is a bit snug. The burn is nearly perfect at the 3/4" mark. The ash is salt & pepper gray. Late in this 3rd a spice note begins to develop. 

2nd

About a 1/2" in the spice begins to build. The flavors remain the same thru the end of the 2nd/3rd.

Final/3rd

The spice, leather and wood notes remain consistent thru the final/3rd. The strength was med/full from start to finish. The draw remained a bit snug and the burn was perfect all the way thru. Overall an enjoyable smoking experience.

Thanks to Carolee Martin Southwest Rep for Roberto Duran Cigars  50calcigargal on Instagram for the samples for review. 

Virtuoso Cigars Dual 10/2/15

Appearance 

Barber pole wrapper. A little rough. A few prominent veins. The seams are tight. It has a very faint sheen. 

Aroma 

Hay and light cocoa powder on the wrapper. Molasses at the foot. 

Prelight Draw

 Light molasses, black licorice and a touch of spice.

1st

Tobacco notes are the first notable flavor. Shortly after there is a candy sweetness that softens the tobacco notes. Draw is good. Burn has a slight wave to it but not bad. The ash is a charcoal gray and is semi tight. Near the end of 1st/3rd there is a spice note developing.

2nd

The flavors from the beginning of the cigar continue into the 2nd/3rd. The spice has developed into a crushed red pepper(that's good). Strength is at medium+. Some wood and coffee notes have joined the mix. Burn line has fully self corrected.

Final/3rd

Ash holds til I remove at each 3rd but would probably hold a bit longer. Flavors are well balanced. The finish is long with spice and wood notes and a faint coffee note. Overall a pleasant smoking experience. Virtuoso Cigars are a house blend at The Smokers Hut. They are sticks U should try. Contact Rob@TheSmokersHut.com to order. 

Thanks again to Rob @TheSmokersHut for the samples for review.

MBombay Cigars Mora Salamon 10/1/15

Appearance 

Light brown in color with a few prominent veins. Seams are tight. Not much visible oil in the wrapper.

Aroma 

Very light aroma of barnyard and leather on the wrapper. Candy and spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw

Floral, citrus and sweet notes with a pinch of spice.

1st

The first few puffs bring an explosion of flavor with the citrus and floral notes and underlying sweetness exciting the palate. The draw is a bit snug, while the burn is spot on. The ash is a dirty gray and fairly tight. At about 1" in the spice kicks in. It's a nice allspice flavor. Draw has loosened up some by late 1st/3rd. 

2nd

The cigar was reluctant to give up the ash but realized who was in charge. The strength is at medium+. It has a nice long tasty finish with a hint of spice. As the flavors have melded together the spice now picks up some strength. 

Final/3rd

As the cigar continues to shrink in ring gauge as it gets closer to the head the spice becomes more of a cayenne pepper spice(never a bad thing). The floral & citrus notes are still there but in reduced amounts. Overall the Mora Salamon provided a very nice smooth captivating smoking experience. A stick U should keep several of in your humi. 

Thanks again to Mel @mbombaycigars for the samples for review. 

GoGetchasome™!!