Mi Querida Fino Largo 11/19/16

 

Appearance 

The Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper is slightly mottled and has a couple prominent veins but mostly capillaries. The seams are tightly wrapped. It has a good bit of tooth and a nice oily sheen. The cigar is well packed with no soft spots. 

Aroma 

Earthy tobacco, cocoa and a hint of spice on the wrapper. Earth, fruity sweet, cedar and spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw 

Earthy,fruity,light cocoa,cedar,leather,warm cinnamon spice and a pinch of black pepper. 

1st

The initial draws find earthy notes with oily tobacco undertones. The finish is long with sweet fruity notes and a cinnamon spice lingering with a pinch of black pepper at the tail end. Burn so far is nearly perfect. Draw is perfect. The ash is salt&pepper gray and stacked. The fruity notes join the profile about a 1/2" in. The spices taper back around the 1" point. Ash becomes a bit tighter and a little flaky. A leathery texture joins the profile alongside some cedar. The black pepper works it's way back into balance in the profile. 

2nd

The 2nd/3rd begins with very well balanced notes of earth,cedar,leather,fruit, cocoa,cinnamon spice and a pinch of black pepper spice. The strength which started at medium is now medium+. The body is full. Midway in the 2nd a nice espresso joins the profile. Smoke production is at the low end of high. The black pepper fades again. The cinnamon becomes more like a pimentón(Spanish paprika) late in the 2nd. A nice cashew note makes its presence known. 

Final/3rd

Perfect burn,draw and balanced flavor profile continue into the final/3rd. The strength moves to the low end of med/full while the body remains at full. The spice moves to the low end of crushed red pepper near the nub. 

Overall the Mi Querida Fino Largo provides a wonderful smoking experience. A very complex, very well balanced and very flavorful profile with a perfect burn & draw. Another home run by Steve Saka @SteveSaka 

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Nomad Martial Law Toro 11/14/16

Appearance 

A medium brown colored wrapper with a few prominent veins. The seams are tightly wrapped. The filler bunch appears to be well packed with no soft spots.

Aroma 

Cedar and Sweet tobacco with a hint of spice on the wrapper. Cedar, fruit and a hint of spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw 

Sour tobacco and spice.

1st

The sour note from the prelight comes through in the initial draws(maybe Fred used skittles for fertilizer?). There is a little dry toast flavor as well. The spice is a cinnamon/white pepper mix. The draw is perfect. The burn has a slight wave. The ash is light gray & stacked with a bit of flake. There is a little black pepper registering in the back of the palate. About midway in the 1st/3rd the sour note fades and a nice leather texture appears. There is also a graham crackerlike note. The burn has self corrected. I removed the ash at 1 3/4" as it was looking suspect. Very well balanced profile so far.

2nd

Strength so far is at medium+. Smoke production is in the medium range. The finish is long with notes of cedar, warm cinnamon, graham cracker, black/white pepper and leather. Burn is back to wavy but begins to self correct just past midway in 2nd/3rd. Crushed red pepper joins the profile. Strength is at the low end of med/full. The flavor profile is still well balanced. 

Final/3rd

Burn has fully self corrected again. The ash is mostly tight with no flakes. The flavor profile remains consistent through the final/3rd. 

Overall the Nomad Martial Law provides a very enjoyable smoking experience. A well balanced and mildly complex flavor profile. 

Another fine blend by Fred Rewey @GodFadr 

I recommend you give it a try. 

GTO Pain Killer Maduro Box Press Toro 11/13/16

Appearance 

The wrapper is dark and a bit mottled with tight seams and a couple prominent veins. It has a nice soft box press and a light oil sheen. The bunch is well packed with no spongy areas.

Aroma 

Dark chocolate, earthy with a hint of spice on the wrapper. Chocolatey, earthy, fruity with a hint of spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw 

Earthy, dark chocolate, dried fruit, molasses and a very faint hint of spice.

1st

Initial draws bring notes of earthy, sweet dark chocolate and a very faint hint of cinnamon spice. The draw starts out a bit snug. The burn has a slight wave. The ash is medium gray and fairly tight with a few flakes. The fruity note is there but in the background. There is also a chewy seared beef type of flavor present in the profile. The draw has opened up nicely late in the 1st/3rd. 

2nd

Just into the 2nd/3rd the chewy meaty flavor fades and the fruity flavor moves up a tic. The spice has finally become more prominent. Smoke production is in the high range. Several draws later the meaty, earthy note returns(not a bad thing). Strength has been mostly medium till the mid point of the cigar when it went to medium+. The finish is long with notes of earth, cedar, chewy meat, cocoa powder, fruit and cinnamon spice. Draw is perfect and the burn which has been wavy from the beginning has almost fully self corrected. 

Final/3rd

About a 1/2" into the final/3rd the spice moves from cinnamon to warm cinnamon then to crushed red pepper. The burn is razor sharp. The strength finishes at a strong medium+. The well balanced flavor profile 

remains consistent through the final/3rd.

Overall the GTO Pain Killer Maduro provides a very enjoyable smoking experience. A very well balanced, flavorful and somewhat complex flavor profile. 

Thanks to Oscar @GTOCigars for the samples for review.

The Tabernacle by Foundation Cigar Co Robusto Maduro 11/10/16

  

Appearance 

The dark wrapper has a couple prominent veins but is fairly silky other than that. The seams are tightly wrapped and nearly invisible. The cigar is well packed with filler with no spongy spots. It has a nice oily sheen.

Aroma 

Earthy, cocoa and a hint of spice on the wrapper. Chocolate, cedar and earth at the foot.

Prelight Draw 

Earthy, cocoa, cedar, a hint of fruit and a bit of cinnamon spice on the lips and tongue.

1st

The initial draws bring lots of earth, cedar and cocoa with the cinnamon spice. You can really see the oily texture in the early morning sun. Strength is medium+ and noticeable. The burn is spot on and the draw is perfect as well. The ash is light gray and slightly stacked and tight. The fruity notes come to the surface and blend nicely with the earth, cocoa, cedar and cinnamon spice. As it burns the ash becomes more tight and holds strong till removal at the 1/3 mark. 

2nd

I'm noticing the chewy texture which is typical of Conn. Broadleaf Maduro wrapper. The flavor profile is very well balanced. The smoke production is at the low end of high. The spice moves to a warm cinnamon with a pinch of crushed red pepper albeit still well balanced. The finish is long with all of the aforementioned flavors being well balanced. 

Final/3rd

The burn gets off a bit but nothing to write home about then quickly begins to self correct. The crushed red pepper becomes more prominent but still within balance. The cigar finishes at the low end of med/full.

Overall The Tabernacle provides a very enjoyable smoking experience. A very flavorful, complex and very well balanced profile with a great burn and draw.

Well done Nicky! A must have in your humi. 

Wait 4 It! Wait 4 It! BOOM™!! The Tabernacle gets the Chairmans BUY Signal™!! 

It's available at B&M's as well as Famous and CI.

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Follow Nick @FoundationCigar

Sindicato Masters Series by Rocky Patel Toro 10/30/16

Appearance 

The dark brown colored wrapper has a couple of prominent veins and a minor imperfection below the secondary band. The seams are tight. The orange color on the bands provides a nice contrast to the wrapper leaf. It has a light oil sheen. 

Aroma 

Very earthy, espresso, cocoa, charred wood on the wrapper. Dried fruit and spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw 

Black licorice, molasses

1st

The initial draws bring forth notes of cedar with spice. There are notes of cocoa and light roast coffee bean joining the profile. The draw is a tick snug but I'm confident that will change. The burn line is spot on. Ash is medium gray and tight on one half and stacked on the other and a bit flaky all over. Strength is at medium+. A very light molasses note joins the profile. Ash dropped into the tray at 1 3/4". Draw has opened up nicely.

2nd

Upon removal of the secondary band I notice an imperfection in the wrapper which was previously hidden. The finish is medium in length with a sweetness that lingers. Smoke production is medium.  The profile is very creamy at the midway point then goes to back to woody & spicy. 

The burn gets a bit wavy right before reaching the primary band. Spice transitions from a mild cinnamon to a crushed red pepper. Strength has moved to the low end of med/full. 

Final/3rd 

Ash becomes a little tighter after the halfway point of the cigar. The spice tapers back to a warm cinnamon midway in the final/3rd. The flavor profile remains woody with a pinch of sweetness.

Overall the Sindicato Masters Series by Rocky Patel provides a very enjoyable smoking experience. A complex and well balanced flavor profile. A must try! 

There are 3 Stealth blends produced and sold to beat the 8/8/16 deadline. The collaborations are with

Perdomo, Quesada and Padron. The production runs for each blend are 2000 boxes of 10. As with the other Sindicato blends they are available at TAA tobacconists. Keep an eye out for them.

GoGetchasome™!!