Rocky Patel Cigar Smoking World Championship Toro 9/25/20

Appearance 

A dark chocolate colored wrapper with only a couple of visible veins and tight seams. It has a nice oily sheen. The filler bunch is well packed with no apparent soft spots. 

Aroma

Earth, cedar and a very distant spice on the wrapper. Earth, faint raisin, cedar and a hint of spice at the foot. 

Prelight Draw 

Earth, faint raisin, cedar, dark chocolate and a hint of spice. 

1st 

The initial draws bring notes of earth and a distant spice. About half a dozen draws in some mild raisin notes join the profile. The draw and burn are spot on. Unsalted, creamy cashew notes join the profile. Strength & body are at mild/medium. Smoke production is at low end of high range. The spice, still not fully developed is kind of like allspice(think jerk chicken). Cocoa powder notes join the profile. The ash is medium gray and stacked. The burn is off 7*at 1.75” into the 1st/3rd. The ash held firm but was beginning to lean to one side at removal. 

2nd 

Upon inspection of the working end I find a short but wide tunnel causing the uneven burn line. The burn line self corrects immediately. Smoke production is at the high range. A half inch into the 2nd/3rd some black pepper notes join the allspice. Halfway into the 2nd/3rd the burn goes off again. After ashing & inspection I find a 1/4” diameter tunnel. Brown sugar notes become noticeable. The finish is long with notes of earth, cedar, brown sugar, creamy cashews, cocoa powder, brown sugar and an allspice/black pepper spice combo. 

Final/3rd 

The well balanced and flavorful profile continues into the Final/3rd. Espresso notes join the profile. Strength is at medium. The profile remains consistent right to the nub. 

Overall 

The Rocky Patel Cigar Smoking World Championship Toro provides an enjoyable smoking experience. A complex, well balanced and flavorful profile with a good draw and mildly erratic burn.

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Lost & Found B/C/S Holy Braille by Chico Rivas Robusto 8/30/20

 

Appearance

A dark brown colored wrapper with tightly wrapped seams and a few prominent veins. It has an oily sheen. The filler bunch is well packed with no apparent soft spots.

Aroma

Barnyard and tobacco on the wrapper. Not much aroma from the foot.

Prelight Draw

Cedar, paprika spice.

1st

The initial draws bring notes of cedar, faint dried fruit and paprika spice. The draw is very snug. Notes of coffee join the profile. The burn was a bit erratic but with the help of simple physics it is self correcting. The ash is blooming and flaky. Strength and body are medium+. The draw has greatly improved but is still a tick snug at the 1.25” point. Smoke production is at the medium range. The ash held firm and straight until removal.

2nd

Upon inspection of the working end I find the filler cone is off center which is the cause of the uneven burn. Cocoa powder notes join the profile. The profile is creamy yet also has a meaty texture and is well balanced. Smoke production is at the high range. Draw is spot on as is the burn line. The finish is long with notes of cedar, faint dried fruit, coffee, cocoa powder and paprika spice.

Final/3rd

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

Overall

The Lost & Found Holy Braille Robusto provides an enjoyable smoking experience. A complex, well balanced and flavorful profile with a great draw in the second half of the cigar and a mildly erratic burn for most of the cigar.

Micallef Grande Bold Mata Fina Robusto Gordo 8/29/20

 

Appearance

A dark brown colored wrapper with tight seams and a few prominent veins. It has a light oil sheen and also a bit of tooth. The filler bunch is well packed with no apparent soft spots.

Aroma

Earthy, tobacco and a hint of spice on the wrapper. Earth, dried fruit, almond and spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw

Earthy tobacco, dark dried fruit, almond and spice.

1st

The initial draws bring notes of earthy tobacco, dried fruit and a mild cinnamon spice. The draw is a tick snug. The burn has a slight wave. Almond notes join the profile. The ash is medium gray and stacked. Strength is medium. Smoke production is at the medium range. The draw opens up. The ash held firm and straight until removal.

2nd

The flavor profile takes on noticeably more toasty notes. A pinch of black pepper joins the spice department giving a nice warm cinnamon/mild black pepper spice combo. The almond notes are joined by creamy cashew notes. The burn is nearly perfect at the midway point of the cigar. The finish is long with notes of earthy tobacco, dried fruit, almond, creamy cashew and a warm cinnamon/mild black pepper spice combo all wrapped in a toasty texture.

Final/3rd

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

Overall

The Micallef Grande Bold Mata Fina Robusto Gordo provides an enjoyable smoking experience. A well balanced and flavorful profile with a nice draw and a mildly wavy burn.

Prohibition Cigars Batch ARI23 Toro Extra 8/23/20

 

Appearance

A medium brown colored wrapper with a few prominent veins and tight seams. The cigar has a nice oily sheen. There are a couple of imperfections on the wrapper leaf so we shall see if anything develops. The filler bunch is soft packed as opposed to hard packed with no apparent soft spots.

Aroma

Faint barnyard on the wrapper. Cedar and spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw

Cedar, earth, sweetness and spice.

1st

The initial draws bring notes of cedar and spice. The draw starts out snug. The burn is erratic. Smoke production is at the low range. The ash is dark gray and stacked. The ash held firm until removal.

2nd

Upon inspection of the working end I find 2 tunnels side by side, 1/8” under the binder which are responsible for the erratic burn.

Coffee and roasted peanut notes join the profile. The draw has opened up nicely. Smoke production increases to the high end of medium range. With the help of simple physics the burn has almost fully self corrected. The finish is long with notes of cedar, sweetness, coffee, roasted peanuts and a cinnamon/mild black pepper spice combo all well balanced.

Final/3rd

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

Overall

The Prohibition Cigars Batch ARI23 Toro Extra provides an enjoyable smoking experience. A well balanced and flavorful profile with a great draw after it opened up and an erratic burn.

Thanks again to brother Ari @arithepoet for the samples for review.

Prohibition Cigars Batch SC53 Torpedo 8/22/20

 

Appearance

A medium brown colored wrapper with a few prominent veins and tightly wrapped seams. It has a nice oily sheen visible to the eye and especially to the touch. There is also a bit of tooth. The filler bunch is well packed with no apparent soft spots.

Aroma

Tobacco, light earth, cedar and a very faint spice on the wrapper. Light brown sugar, cedar and light spice at the foot.

Prelight Draw

Cedar, sugar, almond and a mild spice on the lips and tongue.

1st

The initial draws bring notes of almond, cedar and a mild spice. The draw is snug. Smoke production is low. The ash is salt&pepper gray and stacked. The burn line is razor sharp. Near the end of the 1st/3rd the draw begins to open up. The ash holds firm and straight until removal.

2nd

The spice becomes more noticeable as the draw opens up more, reminding me of warm cinnamon. The stack lines have disappeared leaving a nice tight ash. The finish is long and dominated by the warm cinnamon spice with very faint notes of cedar, almond and sugar.

Final/3rd

The draw has fully opened up. Smoke production is at the high end of medium range. The profile remains consistent right to the nub.

Overall

The Prohibition Cigars Batch SC53 Torpedo provides a somewhat enjoyable smoking experience. A nice flavor profile with a snug draw until the final/3rd and a great burn.

A big thank you to brother Ari @arithepoet for the samples for review.

Prohibition Cigars Batch EM21L Lancero 8/16/20

 

Appearance

A medium brown colored wrapper with only a couple of thin veins and tightly wrapped seams. There is a very light oil sheen. Filler is well packed though there isn’t much there.

Aroma

Barnyard and cedar on the wrapper. Nothing at the foot.

Prelight Draw

Dried white fruit, cedar and a hint of spice.

1st

The initial draws bring notes of cedar, dried white fruit and a faint spice. The ash is light gray almost white and tight. The draw is a tick snug. The burn line is razor sharp. Strength is medium. The ash held firm and straight until removal.

2nd

The draw opens up and smoke production increases to the high end of medium range.

The spice which was tasty like cinnamon early in the cigar has taken a turn and begins to taste like black pepper. The finish is long with well balanced notes of cedar, dried white fruit, almond and a mild black pepper spice.

Final/3rd

The well balanced and flavorful profile continues into the final/3rd. Crushed red pepper notes join the spice portion of the profile. The well balanced and flavorful profile continues right to the nub.

Overall

The Prohibition Cigars Batch EM21L Lancero provides an enjoyable smoking experience. A well balanced and flavorful profile with a nice draw after it opened up in the beginning of the 2nd/3rd and a perfect burn from start to finish.

A big thank you to brother Ari @arithepoet for the samples for review.

Well done brother Ari.

Prohibition Cigars Batch 777 Toro Extra

 

8/9/20

Appearance

A dark brown colored wrapper with tight seams including the cap. It has a couple of prominent veins and a little bit of tooth. There is a nice oily sheen. The filler bunch is well packed with no apparent soft spots.

Aroma

No aroma on the wrapper. A hint of cedar at the foot.

Prelight Draw

Cedar, cocoa, dried red fruit and cinnamon spice.

1st

The initial draws bring notes of almond and cedar. The draw is a tick snug. Smoke production is at the low range. Burn is perfect at 1/2” in. Vanilla notes join the profile. The ash is medium gray and stacked. The draw opens up and smoke production increases to the medium range. The burn line goes off about 30*. I immediately implement simple physics. The ash holds firm and straight until removal.

2nd

Upon inspection of the working end I find a 3/16”diameter tunnel on the faster burning side. An inch later the burn has fully self corrected and the tunnel is gone. The spice ramps up to a warm cinnamon spice. Dried red fruit notes join the profile. The finish is long with notes of cedar, almond, vanilla, dried red fruit and warm cinnamon spice.

Final/3rd

Moving into the final/3rd the profile remains unchanged and well balanced. Black pepper spice notes join the profile. The profile remains consistent right to the nub.

Overall

The Prohibition Cigars Batch 777 Toro Extra provides an enjoyable smoking experience. A well balanced and flavorful profile with a great draw after the 1st/3rd and a mildly erratic burn until late in the 2nd/3rd.

A big thank you to brother Ari @arithepoet for the samples for review.

Well done Ari!