Christian

About Christian

Christian offers a perspective of cigars ranging from vintage pre-embargo smokes, hard to find cigars as well as current releases. His 22+ years of smoking and love of travel have taken him on cigar journeys here and abroad. From smoking HERF’s in friends backyards to smoking Montecristo No. 2s on the terrace of the Hungarian Palace Hotel in Lido Italy, Christian takes the “everyman” approach to cigar smoking being it all about taste and enjoyment of where you are or who you are with.

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Blind Review: Yagua Toro by J.C. Newman Cigar Co.

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J.C. Newman is a long standing family company known for their innovations and for producing cigars for all tastes and budgets. The Yagua, released in 2020, represents a tradition of making cigars sans molds and rolling them with the palm leaf of the Yagua tree. The cigars are then bound together in bundles with said leaf and packed “wet” (as soon as they are rolled off the table). When ready to smoke you untie the bundle where the cigars have naturally formed individual shapes. This makes for a truly unique smoking experience while getting to sample a tradition of rolling mostly lost to the past. Smoking this blind, the unusual shape was evident as well as what appeared to be a “wet” wrapper.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Yagua
  • Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: 6″ x 54 (Toro)

Appearance & Construction 

The cigar is veiny and rustic in appearance with a triangular shape to it. The wrapper is smooth to the touch and as I give it a squeeze I’m feeling a lot of soft spots. I’m getting the impression the cigar is “wet’ despite sitting in my temperature controlled humidor for quite some time now. The foot smells of intense barnyard and hay. 

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Not having my Xikar cutter handy I opt for a double guillotine cutter that slices straight and clean.  I take a cold draw that delivers raisins and spice with a mustiness at the end. With my Lamborghini lighter in reach I toast this “wet” cigar and try to take a puff unsuccessfully as it’s giving me problems lighting. Giving it another go the wrapper ignites and I am getting some grittiness with earth and raisins. And just like that it’s out again and I’m pushing my Lambo torch to get flame back to this stick. Finally another light and fruits are coming forward with some chocolate and a musty finish. The cigar isn’t coming off as raw despite its wet character, but the relights are suggesting young tobacco leaf. The smoke has gone out once more and I am finding myself working on another relight. The ash is dark as my flame ignites the stick once again and earth and plum take shape. I take a retrohale and must/funk along with some pepper rush through my nose. 

The cigar appears to become spongier as I am smoking midway through.  Another puff and cocoa, earth with tropical fruit on the back end appear with a medium length finish. The body of this cigar as well seems to align itself to a medium body at least at this point. Unsurprisingly the cigar ceases to stay lit forcing me to grab my torch once again. A quick blast of flame and the cigar ignites with black pepper, fruits and a grittiness that resonates on my palate. Amazingly, the burn line isn’t too off even with all these relights. The flavors of fruit become more dominate with earth and traces of cumin hitting the tongue. I go for a second retrohale and the pepper and earth tingle my sinus while I blow out the smoke. The ash flakes off a bit and fortunately its managing to stay lit.   

Despite my reservations regarding this cigars repeated combustion issues, I take a measured puff where sweet cocoa comes together with cedar notes. Unfortunately I see the smoke petering out again which causes me to grab my lighter and work on a relight. Once again I torch the stick and immediately get earth and some coffee on the finish. As I take a retrohale there’s damp wood and spice coming through with a long finish coating the palate. I struggle to take a final draw on this smoke as it’s looking like it’s extinguishing.  I’m managing to get some more chocolate notes which makes for a pleasant end to this cigar.

Conclusion

This was a “wet” cigar for certain.  If any stick needed a “dry boxing” this one did. To be fair when I smoke a stick for a review I feel it needs to be gauged like any cigar I’d take from my cabinet and light up. Despite this concern, the filler tobaccos produced some wonderful flavors of earth, fruits, chocolate and cedar. The issue that really hurt the cigar were the constant relights from the wrapper which made for an inconsistent and frustrating experience. Finding out it was a Yagua from J.C. Newman now made sense as it’s packed “wet”. I would certainly try another knowing this and I would recommend anyone to try at least one as well.  I would suggest dry boxing first if your cigar is like the one I smoked.

Final Rating: 85

Blind Review: Macanudo Inspirado Green Toro

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Macanudo from General Cigars is known for offering blends in many styles and tastes using tobaccos from regions all over the world. Their new Inspirado Green released earlier this year is billed as a fuller flavored cigar featuring a Brazilian wrapper, Indonesian binder and Dominican fillers. This was the first chance I had to try this cigar and, smoking this cigar blind, the flavors offered a unique though less than harmonious profile. Read on.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed Macanudo Inspirado Green Toro
  • Wrapper: Brazilian
  • Binder: Indonesian
  • Filler: Dominican
  • Size: 6” x 50 (Toro)

Appearance & Construction

The Macanudo Inspiratdo Green Toro sports a veiny maduro wrapper that is dry to the touch. As I squeeze the cigar, it is very firm and almost over-packed with tobacco. The roll is solid and the foot smells of white pepper and rustic notes.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

Using my Colibri V-Cutter I cut the cigar and with an airy cold draw some dark chocolate and pepper is evident. I bring flame to the foot and the initial puffs give earth, fruits and graphite. Despite the maduro wrapper, the cigar begins mild in body with stone and minerality on the finish. The retrohale delivers wood and smoky notes along with cedar. The body becomes more medium with coffee and earth on the palate, though the flavors are not very pronounced.

At midway, the burn line is straight, with a weak, flaky ash. The white pepper that I smelled on the foot comes on strong along with more earth and a medium finish. Another retrohale falls short on taste with just a bit of hay and a slightly sour note. The stony minerality is strong and unappealing absent any secondary flavors to balance it out. As the cigar burns at a steady pace, coffee and earth emerges which helps give a little more heft to the smoke on the mouthfeel. At this point the cigar maintains a solid medium body.

In the final third, the Macanudo Inspirado Green Toro starts to rally with spice and chocolate that delivers a longer finish than before. There’s an additional toast and black pepper note that intermingles with dried fruit and nuts. The body on the Macanudo Inspirado Green Toro is consistently medium with more wood, cocoa and earth in a subtle fashion. As I reach the final puffs of the smoke the wood and smoke linger to a surprising lengthy finish.

Conclusion

If the Macaudo Inspirado Green is indeed intended to be full bodied, it never came through in what I smoked. The cigar began mild and then maintained a medium body with stone, minerality and earth at its start. These flavors of earthiness and stone did not complement one another throughout most of the cigar. The Macanudo Inspirado Green Toro was at its best when it developed chocolate, dried fruit and toast. Unfortunately, it only happened in the final third, which is too long to smoke a cigar to garner pleasant flavors. Perhaps another size may yield better results which is what I’d recommend trying from this line.

Final Rating: 88

Blind Cigar Review CAO Bones Blind Hughie

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The CAO Bones is a new line paying tribute to the game of Dominos. Blender Rick Rodriguez gained inspiration from the game and created a blend that can be enjoyed casually while hanging out with friends. The names of the vitolas are in line with phrases and games that are played using dominoes and such is the case with Blind Hughie (a Domino game type) in the toro size.  It seems that this line is not intended to be a sophisticated smoke. Instead, it is built as a cigar that can deliver easily recognizable flavors while the smoker is preoccupied with other events in life. Since I smoked blind I merely tried to analyze the flavors as they are.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed CAO Bones Blind Hughie Toro
  • Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
  • Binder: Connecticut Shade
  • Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan, Honduran  
  • Size 6″ × 54 (Toro) 

Appearance & Construction 

The dark, veiny wrapper of the CAO Bones Blind Hughie Toro is thick and oily, visually and in hand. The foot is spongy while the rest of the cigar is solid to the touch. The foot smells of dark fruits, earth and pepper. It’s a bold looking cigar and would stand out on a retail shelf.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

With a Lamborghini Guillotine I manage a straight cut. The draw is a little loose with cold draw flavors of chocolate, pepper and cashew. Using a cedar taper I toast the CAO Bones and begin puffing, and with that earthiness and white pepper comes on strong. After a few moments, I pick up impressions of toast, milk chocolate and coffee that quickly fade into a bitter finish. The retrohale is mostly nutty with cedar that is underwhelming. The profile overall falls in the medium full range in the first half. 

Towards the center of the cigar, oak and nuts surface which really don’t seem to develop any further. Another retrohale yields similar tones with light notes of wood, toast and a touch of pepper. I detect vanilla and more of a toasty impression while slowly puffing the cigar so as to get more intensity. The profile remains medium bodied and the ash is whitish gray. Near the end of the second third, the chocolate returns, more akin to cocoa powder than milk chocolate leaving a bitterness as it dissipates.

In its final third, the CAO Bones Blind Hughie takes an earthy turn with allspice and more bitterness on the finish. The retrohale gives some pepper and cedar with a slightly sour note as I release the smoke. The ash is flaky and burn line wavers at this point, though not so much as to affect the smoke production. Interestingly, as the cigar nears its end I pick up some vanilla and toffee supplemented by a blast of earth which I think is a pleasant ending to the smoke. A less than multifaceted medium bodied experience.  

Conclusion

The CAO Bones Blind Hughie is certainly more of a care free smoke with flavors that are fairly straightforward. This would be great for playing a game or multitasking where your focus is not as tuned into your cigar. For me the smoke borderlines on boring as the flavors were not just lacking complexity but appeared rather muted. The wood, nuts and pepper seemed light and the short finish left nothing on the palate. Even when spice and earthiness appeared, the CAO Bones Blind Hughie didn’t leave a lasting impression and at its end the sourness dampened the experience further.

If they were looking for a smoke just to have in mouth they’ve found it as it was never offensive, just lacking. If I was playing a game or working on other things that garnered my attention, I would still prefer a milder smoke with more nuances .

Final Rating: 86

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Blind Review: Patina Maduro Oxidation

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In 2020, Mo Maali of Patina Cigars and Claudio Sgroi of Mombacho Cigars added a maduro blend to the Patina lineup: the Patina Maduro Oxidation. For those who don’t know, patina is the oxidation process that occurs on certain metals that creates a greenish look (for example, the Statue of Liberty).

I’m a fan of Mombacho cigars and this was my first time smoking this collaboration Patina brand.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Patina Maduro Oxidation Double Toro
  • Wrapper: Undisclosed
  • Binder: Undisclosed
  • Binder: Undisclosed
  • Size: 6” x 56 (Toro)

Appearance & Construction

The Patina Maduro Oxidation Double Toro is a large cigar with a dark wrapper and a raised vein running along the side. The cigar is stuffed with tobacco and has little give when squeezed. The roll is solid on this impressive sized toro. The foot smells of black pepper, hay and cocoa.

Flavor & Smoke Characteristics

After a straight cut, the dry draw produces raisin, forest floor and musty oak. Once my torch flame fires up the Patina Oxidation Maduro, I get grittiness which quickly transforms into berries and chocolate. Billows of smoke waft from the cigar rather quickly along with graham cracker and leathery notes that hit both sides of the mouth. As I take a retrohale I pick up bakers chocolate, leather and citrus through the nostrils. The burn line progresses straight with a solid white ash.

As the cigar progresses, bing cherry and milk chocolate emerge with a short, vegetal finish. There is a celery like character on the Patina Maduro that gives a grittiness and turns the cigar sour and bitter. Another retrohale delivers leather, black pepper and a tingling in the nostrils. Continuing on, the vegetal notes subside as coca and earth rise to the forefront and give a medium to full bodied sensation. The feel of the cigar in mouth is a bit overwhelming due to the weightiness of the filler tobaccos in the smoke. Despite this, I’m able to draw on it easily and graham cracker and yeasty notes swirl around leaving a vegetal finish.

Grit, dirt and earth dominate the final third of the Patina which gives the cigar a medium bodied rustic character.  The burn and ash continue to be razor sharp as wood notes of oak and must appear with a ginger snap finish. Earth and wood intermingle, leaving a drying sensation on the palate. Even as the cigar winds down in size, the heft of the cigar still feels imposing.

The last few puffs of the Patina Maduro Oxidation Double Toro bring forth cherries, chocolate and leather with yet another short finish. 

Conclusion

I’ve enjoyed Mombacho cigars and this creation from Mo Maali did not achieve the complexity of the Mombacho brand. That said, when the tastes came through they were quite enjoyable. The cherry, chocolate and leather complemented each other rather well along with citrus on the retrohales. In contrast, the finish on most of the cigar was short which was disappointing and the vegetal notes were displeasing on the palate.

The size and heft to the Patina Maduro Oxidation Double Toro was not to my liking as it wasn’t the most comfortable for me in hand. If you enjoy larger cigar formats then the Patina Maduro Oxidation Double Toro should be of interest.

Final Rating: 88

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Blind Review: Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua

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Altadis USA boasts an enormous array of brands, with many lines within each. In fact, the company overseas so many cigar lines that it can be a challenge for each cigar to stand out among the rest. To make the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua released earlier this year, Rafael Nodal enlisted the talents of master blender/grower AJ Fernandez to create a Nicaraguan puro using tobaccos from AJ’s farm.  

These two men have crafted many wonderful cigars that have received numerous accolades in the industry. Having smoked this blind I was not surprised to find out that they were at the helm. The quality was evident.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua
  • Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size 6″ × 54 (toro)

Appearance and Construction

The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua toro is covered in an oily wrapper with some accented veins. When I squeeze the cigar, I feel a little give, but there aren’t any soft spots and the filler tobaccos seem sufficient to the touch. The foot smelled of leather and slight barnyard notes.

Flavor & Smoking Characteristics

The cap on the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua clips perfectly. The cold draw is loose, airy and has a some must to the taste. Using a cigar taper I gently toast the stick and the first puffs deliver salt and cedar. The Reserva Real Nicaragua has a medium body to start and with a retrohale raisin and oak waft through the sinuses. The smoke intensifies, with rich tobacco notes that become sweet with cinnamon toast on the finish. The body at this point is medium and the burn line is a bit crooked.

Thankfully by midway the burn line has corrected itself. Almond and spice become the dominated flavors, with secondary cashew and oak notes. I take another retrohale and find a sweeter touch as well as raisinated flavors. Construction wise, the ash is white and flaky, falling off in small pieces as I taking draws from the cigar. From oak to cedar, the wood notes on the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua come on strong as the cigar progresses.

As I reach the last third of the cigar, leather and spice intertwine with a drying sensation on the mouthfeel. The body continues to be in a solid medium range, never reaching anything fuller. The woodiness in the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua is really oaky, like the smell of fresh cut wood. What began as raisinated flavors are now more dark plum along with spice finishing with leather.

The final puffs of the Reserva Real Nicaragua deliver a vanilla sweetness that ends with hay and freshly tanned leather.  

Conclusion

The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Nicaragua is another fine example of the talents of AJ Fernandez and Rafael Nodal. The tobaccos are well processed and offer lots of wood, toast and sweetness while maintaining a steady medium bodied profile. The nuttiness that developed along with raisins and spice added to the balance of the cigar. This would be a great midday smoke when perhaps your palate is fresher to appreciate the flavors as well as build your way up to a fuller cigar later on.

With a catalog as large as Altadis USA has, it’s nice to see a smoke that stands out in its quality and profile. I would recommend picking up a few as they’d be a pleasant addition to the novice and aficionado alike.

Final Rating: 89

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