Wild Hunter Maduro Toro by Oscar Valladares 7/28/19

 Appearance
A dark brown colored wrapper with a few prominent veins and some mottling. The seams are tightly wrapped and difficult to find if not for the mottling. The wrapper has a slightly oily sheen. The filler bunch is well packed with no apparent soft spots.

Aroma
Earth, chocolate, cedar and spice on the wrapper. Cedar, wheat and spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw
Earth, cedar, espresso, faint dried fruit and spice.

1st
The initial draws bring notes of earth, espresso and cedar with a mild cinnamon spice in the background. The draw is a bit snug. At 1/2” in the burn is slightly wavy. The medium gray ash is blooming and flaky. Dark chocolate notes join the profile. Ash remains straight and firm until removal.

2nd
Strength is medium. Smoke production is at the high end of medium range. Just into the 2nd/3rd the espresso becomes dominant. The draw opens up. The burn is still a bit wavy. The spice gets more bold, becoming more like a crushed red pepper spice. The smoke production is at the high range. The finish is long with dominant notes of earth, espresso and crushed red pepper and secondary notes of chocolate and cedar.

Final/3rd
The bold flavor profile rolls into the final/3rd. Strength moves to med/full. The profile remains consistent right to the nub.

Overall
The Wild Hunter Maduro Toro provides an enjoyable smoking experience. A flavorful profile with a good draw after the 1st/3rd and a mildly erratic burn.

SuperFly Toro by Oscar Valladares 7/27/19

Appearance
A dark chocolate colored wrapper with a couple of thin veins and relatively smooth in texture. The seams are tightly wrapped and difficult to find. There is an imperfection in the wrapper leaf that has a piece of the wrapper leaf applied over the top of it. The wrapper leaf has a matte finish but feels oily to the touch. The filler bunch is well packed with no apparent soft spots.

Aroma
Floral, earth, cedar and spice on the wrapper. Cedar, dry cereal and spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw
Earth, floral, black licorice and spice.

1st
The initial draws bring notes of earth and cedar. There is a pinch of black pepper spice on the back end of the finish. The draw is a tick snug. The burn is wavy. The ash is medium gray and stacked. The burn is self correcting. The ash holds firm and straight until removal.

2nd
The draw opens up at the start of the 2nd/3rd. The black pepper spice fades and cinnamon spice takes its place. Strength is at medium. Smoke production is at the low end of high range.

Final/3rd
The finish is long with notes of earth, cedar and cinnamon spice. The burn has fully self corrected and the draw is spot on. The flavor profile remains consistent right to the nub.

Overall
The SuperFly Toro by Oscar Valladares provides an enjoyable smoking experience. A well balanced flavor profile with a great draw after the 1st/3rd and a mildly erratic burn.

Prometheus God Of Fire Serie B 2011 Robusto Gordo 7/21/19

 

Appearance

A dark brown colored wrapper with a few prominent veins. The seams are tightly wrapped. The cap appears to be very well applied. It has a nice oily sheen. The filler bunch is well packed with one soft spot. We’ll see if it’s an issue.

Aroma

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

Prelight Draw

Cocoa, cedar, earth, dried fruit and spice.

1st

The initial draws bring notes of espresso, earth and black pepper spice. Cedar notes also join in. The draw is a bit snug. The burn is near perfect at 3/4” in. The ash is light gray and tight. Smoke production is at the high end of medium range. Strength is leaning to medium+ already. There is a bit of a wave developing in the burn line. The ash held firm and straight until removal.

2nd

Upon inspection of the working end I find a 1/8” diameter tunnel which is causing the burn issue. About a 1/2” later the burn fully self corrects. The draw opens up nicely. Strength moves to med/full. Cashew notes join the profile. The finish is long with well balanced notes of espresso, cocoa, earth, cedar, cashew and black pepper spice.

Final/3rd

The flavorful profile rolls into the final/3rd unchanged. The flavorful profile remains consistent right to the nub.

Overall

The Prometheus God Of Fire Serie B 2011 Robusto Gordo provides a very enjoyable smoking experience. A well balanced and flavorful profile with a perfect draw(after the 1st/3rd) and a mildly erratic burn. The best of the God Of Fire blends that I have smoked.

 

A Big Thank You to my brother Rob Ciaschini @RCiaschini for the cigar which was part of a full of cigars, many of which I had not tried at the time I received it.

 

 

Padron 1926 No.48 Natural 7/20/19

 Appearance
A medium brown colored wrapper with very thin veins. The seams are tightly wrapped. There is a nice oily sheen. The filler bunch is well packed with no apparent soft spots.

Aroma
Earth, hay and cedar on the wrapper. Earth, cedar and cooked meat at the foot.

Prelight Draw
Dried red fruit, earth, black licorice and a mild cinnamon spice.

1st
The initial draws bring notes of cedar, earth, cinnamon and a pinch of black pepper spice. The draw is effortless from the first draw. Smoke production is at the high range. The burn is spot on so far. The ash is salt&pepper gray and stacked. Almond notes join the profile. The burn gets a bit wavy. The ash holds firm and straight until removal.

2nd
Upon inspection of the working end the 2 small tunnels on opposite sides were short, have already ended and the burn has fully self corrected. Strength is medium. Body is medium+. The flavor profile is perfectly well balanced. The finish is long with notes of cedar, earth, almond and a cinnamon/black pepper spice combo.

Final/3rd
The flavorful profile continues into the final/3rd. The profile remains consistent right to the nub.

Overall
The Padron 1926 No.48 Natural provides a very enjoyable smoking experience. A very well balanced and flavorful profile with an effortless draw and near perfect burn.

 A big Thank You to my brother Joe @joe_boca for the cigar.

Davidoff Florida Selection LE 2018 Belicoso 7/15/19

 Appearance
A medium brown colored wrapper with a few prominent veins. The seams are tightly wrapped. It has a nice oil sheen. The filler bunch is well packed with no apparent soft spots.

Aroma
Barnyard, earth, faint molasses and a faint hint of spice on the wrapper. Cedar and spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw
Earth, molasses, licorice and spice.

1st
Initial draws bring notes of earth and cinnamon spice. The draw is snug. The ash is very light gray, almost white and tight. Strength is in the medium range. A tiny tunnel came up through the binder leaf causing a large U shape in the burn line. I ramp up the physics to correct the burn. Licorice notes are detected in the background. Smoke production is at the low end of medium range. The ash held firm and straight until removal.

2nd
About a half inch into the 2nd/3rd the burn fully self corrected. Some fruity notes appear midway in the cigar. The draw opens up and cedar notes join the profile at the end of the 2nd/3rd.

Final/3rd
The finish is long with notes of earth, cedar, fruit, licorice and cinnamon spice all well balanced. Strength moves to med/full. The flavorful profile continues right to the nub.

Overall
The Davidoff Florida Selection LE 2018 Belicoso provides an enjoyable smoking experience. A complex, well balanced and flavorful profile with a snug draw thru 2/3’s and a mildly erratic burn. Knowing Davidoff construction I’m going to assume the draw and burn issues are not typical.

Montecristo (Cuban) Open Master Robusto 7/13/19

 Appearance
A light brown colored wrapper with very few veins. The seams are tightly wrapped. There is a light oil sheen. The filler bunch is well packed but there are a couple of soft spots.

Aroma
Not much if any aroma as it does not have cello.

Prelight Draw
Cedar, caramel and a hint of spice.

1st
The initial draws bring notes of cedar, caramel and a nice mild spice all wrapped in a nice leathery texture. The draw is spot on. The ash is med/dark gray and stacked. The draw is off about 10*. A very light coffee note joins the profile. Ash holds firm until removal.

2nd
With the aid of some simple physics, the burn begins to self correct. Strength moves from medium to medium+. Smoke production is at the low end of high range. The finish is long with notes of cedar, coffee, caramel and nutmeg spice all wrapped in a leathery texture. The coffee notes become more like espresso notes.

Final/3rd
The strength moves to med/full. Burn has fully self corrected. The espresso notes taper back to regular coffee notes. Profile remains consistent right to the nub.

Overall
The Montecristo (Cuban) Open Master Robusto provides a very enjoyable smoking experience. A mildly complex, well balanced and flavorful profile with a perfect draw and mildly erratic burn.
A Big Thank You to my brother Bob @BobbyZ256 for the gift which was part of a cigar !