Serino Royale Maduro Toro 7/31/16

Appearance 

A dark chocolatey brown wrapper with 1 prominent vein. The seams are tight with the cap being the typical 3seam type. It has a nice oily sheen. It has a very attractive band which also says 20 Anniversary at the bottom. The foot band carries the blend name. 

Aroma 

Earthy, chocolate and hay on the wrapper. Earthy, chocolatey, fruity at the foot.

Prelight Draw 

Chocolatey, earthy, fruity with a very faint hint of spice.

1st

This is a beautiful cigar and the presentation by Serino is outstanding. Now on to the business at hand. 

A very earthy chocolate shows itself on the initial draws. The spice begins developing after the first few draws. The burn has had a slight wave from the start. The draw is perfect. I'm noticing some woody notes joining the profile. There is a slight fruity note in the profile. The spice to this point would be mild black pepper. The strength is in the medium+ range. I removed the ash early as it was starting to curl a bit.

2nd

The smoke production has been of very good volume. The ash is a medium gray mostly tight with a little stacking. The chocolate fades somewhat as a nuttiness and some leather enters the mix. The nutty notes lean toward almond. The finish is long in length with notes of hay,earth,fruit,almonds, cedar and mild black pepper spice. The ash held strong til removal.

Final/3rd

The smoke production is up a tick. The strength also increased to med/full. Burn and draw are still spot on. The flavor profile is well balanced. The black pepper fades and is replaced by a warm cinnamon. 

Overall the Serino Royale Maduro provided a very enjoyable smoking experience. A complex well balanced flavor profile. I recommend u give it a try. 

A big thank you to Carson Serino(brand owner) @SerinoCigarCo for the samples for review. Follow on Twitter if you're not already.

This is 1 of 4 blends he sent for review. Stay tuned for the other 3. 

OM MANI Habano Toro 7/10/16

Appearance 

The wrapper is milk chocolate in color with a couple prominent veins. The seams are tight and nearly invisible. There is a matte finish in regards to the oil. It has a simple but well done 2 seam cap. The primary band while simple has an enlightening verse on the reverse.

Aroma 

Earthy leather is how I would describe the wrapper aroma, while the foot has the earthy leather plus a sweetness and a hint of spice.

Prelight Draw 

Leathery, cedar, sweetness and a hint of cinnamon

1st

Initial draws bring earthy notes alongside some smooth leather and cedar. The ash is light gray and mostly tight. Burn is near perfect and the draw which started a touch snug is loosening. The ash dropped at about an inch. The hint of cinnamon spice is still there but still very much in the background. The burn line gets off about 5*.

2nd

Strength is at a low medium so far. Smoke production is about medium as well. The finish is medium in length with the cinnamon spice holding til the next draw. Flavor profile remains consistent with the exception being the cinnamon spice comes into balance with the earth, leather & cedar. The burn line has fully self corrected.

Final/3rd

The burn goes off again. The flavors stay consistent to the nub with the cinnamon becoming warm. The burn self corrected again. 

Overall the OM MANI Habano provided a pleasant smoking experience. Consistent flavor and nice balance.

Thanks again to Mark @iRobusto and Peter @ommanicigars for the samples for review. 

Available at ommanicigars.com

OM MANI Maduro Toro (Gold Series) 7/9/16

OM MANI Maduro Toro (Gold Series) 7/9/16

Appearance 

A nice dark chocolate color wrapper with a couple prominent veins and tight nearly invisible seams and a light oil sheen. It's also a bit toothy but that's not a bad thing. 

Aroma 

Barnyardy with a sweetness on the wrapper. The same with a syrupy sweetness at the foot. 

Prelight Draw 

Black cherry, molasses and a hint of spice.

1st

Initial draws yield notes of cedar and a dark fruity sweetness. There is a hint of spice in the background. The draw is a bit snug but I'm sure that will loosen up. The burn is nearly perfect. The ash is light gray and mostly tight. Strength is in the medium range. 

2nd

The draw opens up nicely in the beginning of the 2nd/3rd. The spice becomes more prominent and is like a warm cinnamon. The cigar produces a good amount of smoke. Midway through the 2nd the strength moves to med/full. The finish is long with notes of cedar, dark fruit and warm cinnamon, with a hint of espresso. 

Final/3rd

So far the flavor profile has been very well balanced. Burn and draw are still spot on. Flavor remains consistent through to the nub.

Overall the OM MANI Maduro provides an enjoyable smoking experience. 

A Big thank you Mark @iRobusto for hooking me up with Peter @ommanicigars . Thanks for the samples for review. 2 more blends to review. Stay tuned.

The cigars are available at ommanicigars.com in small quantities and sampler packs so u can try them for yourself. I recommend u give them a try.

GoGetchasome™!!

MonteCristo(DR) Private Batch 7/2/16

Appearance 

A milk chocolate brown wrapper with a couple prominent veins. The seams are tight. It has a little tooth. There is a light oil sheen. 

Aroma 

Barnyard on the wrapper. Bread & light graham cracker at the foot.

Prelight Draw 

Almost no flavor 

1st

Not a lot of flavor in the initial draws. Very bland. About 1/2" in a light wood note comes to the surface,followed closely by a hint of spice. Draw so far is firm(my cheeks are feeling it). The burn has a slight wave. Ash is medium gray and mostly tight. There was a sour note briefly late in the first. 

2nd

At this point I'm still only getting dry cedar and some white pepper. Draw has loosened up a bit to the snug range. All I can say is this profile reminds me of plain rice cakes with a dash of white pepper. 

Final/3rd

The strength has been mild/medium til now as it settles at medium. The ash gets a bit flaky on one side. The profile is consistent from start to finish. 

Overall the MonteCristo Private Batch was a disappointing cigar. I had high hopes due to the $15 price point but they were dashed in the 1st/3rd and never recovered.