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: Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 Gran Toro

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Davidoff’s black band series has sought to capture the essence of three unique tobaccos to create a blend that stimulates the palate. The 2022 Edition is made up of Brazilian, Nicaraguan, and Dominican tobaccos.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 Gran Toro
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian
  • Binder: Brazilian
  • Filler: Brazilian, Nicaraguan, Dominican
  • Size: 5” ½ x 58 (Gran Toro)

Blind Review: Davidoff LE 2022
Appearance and Construction

This cigar is large in its ring gauge and not the typical size I prefer. The wrapper is silky with veins running along the sides. It’s packed with tobacco as I squeeze the wrapper and rolling it in hand the construction is solid. The foot smells of leather, earth, and milk chocolate.

Taste and Smoking Characteristics:

I make a straight cut to the toro and take a dry draw that delivers salt and earth. With my torch lighter I toast the smoke and the first puff is leather and toast with a long finish. There’s chocolate and fruits moving in with leather on the back end. With a retrohale I pick up a vanilla sweetness and bakers’ chocolate with the exhale. The cigar is in the medium bodied range with a whitish gray ash. The burn line is excellent and I’m getting cedar and nuts as the cigar progresses.

Midway there’s peanut surrounded by toast and leather surrounding the insides of my mouth. There’s cinnamon and espresso coming through with a finish of leather that dries out the palate. Another retrohale where there’s more sweetness and nuts with cedar and cream on the end. The medium body remains right on delivering complexity without the strength becoming too overwhelming. Toast and cream permeate from the cigar as well as the smoke that is all around. Peanut and café au lait intermingle which gives a savory element to this toro as it burns through.

In the last third of this large smoke, graphite and oak develop with oolong tea on the finish. Creaminess returns with red fruits and leather which once again dries out the sides of my mouth. There’ a slight vegetal note that hits me which becomes bitter while the burn begins to get hot. I take a slow draw that gives some saltiness along with truffle and earth. The retrohale creates a contrast of spice followed by sweet with citrus that enlivens my sinus on the outro. More leather and wood keep this toro in its ever-consistent medium body. Cocoa powder, cream and peanut comes on strong with another draw. The burn line as the cigar finishes continues to be straight and my last draw closing out the smoke with a blast of chocolate, oak, and leather amongst the long finish.

Conclusion

Having smoked Davidoff cigars for over twenty plus years their quality has never been a question. At worst they can be uninspiring in a blend with little strength or taste. At best they can deliver nuanced flavors in an extremely well-balanced smoking experience with impeccable craftsmanship. The Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 Gran Toro brings medium bodied complexities with flavors of chocolate, cream, cedar, fruit, and leather. All the while the cigar’s notes were harmonious and satisfying. I only wish they were even more intense as the combination was enjoyable. For a person who does not love thick ring gauges, this gave so much that I didn’t mind the size. If you can afford to grab these, I would pick up one or more or a box as you will not be disappointed.

Final Rating: 91

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Blind Review: H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage Toro

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Master blender AJ Fernandez released his second interpretation of the H.Upamnn line, this time utilizing a dark Brazilian mata fina wrapper with Nicaraguan filler tobaccos. I’ve had many blends from AJ, and I’m always impressed that he can create such distinct and varied profiles.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage Toro
  • Wrapper: Brazilian
  • Binder: Nicaraguan
  • Filler: Nicaraguan
  • Size: 6” x 54 (Toro)

Blind Cigar Review: H. Upmann Nicaragua AJ Fernandez Heritage Toro

Appearance and Construction

This cigar has an extremely dark somewhat molted wrapper. It is very hard in its roll and there is no give when I put pressure on it. I notice the filler tobacco is much lighter than the wrapper which creates a contrast in color. There are some slight veins and the foot smells charry without much else to offer.

Taste and Smoking Characteristics

I make a precise cut with my guillotine blade and the cold draw delivers an overwhelming blast of red pepper. As I toast the cigar and take a puff I am hit with full flavors of earth and pencil lead upfront. A dark wrapper on a cigar does not always mean that it will be strong however this blend is doing just that. Taking a more cautious draw, there’s cocoa, raisin, and a barnyard finish. The retrohale on this toro stings my nostrils a bit with red pepper flakes, cumin, and earth.  The burn line is razor sharp and the quality in the construction is evident.  Chocolate begins to intermingle with oak leaving a short woody finish. The body is in the full range from the start.

The toro begins its journey midway with salt and leather toning down some of the more direct and intense flavors than previously. There’s gingersnap, coffee, and charred oak on the back end. The billow of smoke clouds in front of me as it burns is creating a dense setting. Another retrohale and the fullness returns with wood and earth dominating the flavor profile and leaves a bitter finish. I’ve picked up some more raisinated notes again which become more pronounced which each puff. Leather, oak, and cumin proceed with a slow draw that ends bitter. The short finishes seem to be commonplace with this toro.

The burn line remains even on the final third which is a nod to the construction of the cigar. There are more charry notes along with salt and oak that remains pervasive throughout. I’m picking up leather and burnt espresso bean which is intense and bitter. The retrohale has hay, toast, and an acidic finish. Spice adds to the profile picking a stronger end to the toro. The flame go es out on its own and I’m putting the cigar to rest.

Conclusion

AJ Fernandez has created an expansive profile of cigars and blends. This Heritage toro came on strong with pepper which was a little much to start off. There was some nice notes of cumin, earth, oak and hay although the finish remained consistently short not allowing a lot of lingering on the palate. The chariness also became acidic which left bitter taste on my tongue. I would suggest trying another of AJ’s blends however if you want a full-bodied cigar, A spirit pairing would help to round out this smokes rougher edges.

Final Rating: 88

Blind Review: Freud Superego Toro

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The newly formed Freud Cigar Company released their first cigar the Freud Super Ego Toro. For those who do not know, Austrian Dr. Sigmund Freud in his psychoanalytic theory devised three parts of the psyche: The Id, Ego, and Superego. The Superego being the moral learned consciousness between the Id and Ego. This toro pays homage to said part of the psyche.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed: Freud Superego Toro
  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian
  • Binder: Dominican
  • Filler: Dominican, Indonesian
  • Size: 6×52 (toro)

Appearance and Construction

This toro sports a tight pigtail cap with a silky wrapper. There are some notable veins along the sides and to the touch the foot has a soft spot as I squeeze it. Visually the cigar’s Colorado wrapper looks rustic however the feel is smoother than you would think. The foot is barnyard, black pepper, and cedar.

Taste and Smoking Characteristics

I make a straight cut clipping just a bit more than the pigtail off. I take a cold draw that gives me sweet and tangy along with distinct aged oak barrel. Using a long match, I toast the cigar and the first puff has vanilla, earth and leather drying out my mouth. There’s notes of fig and nuts with another draw and a salty finish. I take a retrohale where white pepper and celery seed meet with a waft of smoke exhaling through my nostril. The strength is medium in body and with another puff there is some minerality on the back end.

The ash is dark grey and is holding firm midway. With a slow draw cinnamon and milk chocolate come to the fore front and linger for a while. Cedar and nuts provide a pleasing mix to the smoke giving it a nice balance. The retrohale brings on vibrant notes of orange peel and lemon zest with a creamy texture rounding out the flavor profile. Another puff and cinnamon and cardamon are in the forefront with a bitter finish. The cigar continues to be in the medium profile and the ash has started to fall off.

There’s serious wood and earth dominating the last third with saltiness that lingers on my tongue. Leather returns much like the beginning of the cigar that is drying the sides of my mouth. The draw is splendid and is allowing me to get the most out the smoke. With a retrohale toast and nuts reveal themselves ending with spice which hits my nostrils on the way out. The cigar has burned rather fast, and I take a final draw that delivers a dry bitter finish.

Conclusion

This toro started off with sweetness that turned to leather and dried out my palate to start. While midway there were pleasant flavors of spice and cinnamon the finish was rather short throughout. The retrohale gave the most flavor with pepper and vibrate fruit notes. Finding out this was a Freud Superego I was glad I was able to try one and if you can handle the price point it would be worth it to check one out.

Final Rating: 89pts.

Blind Cigar Review: LCA Reserva Vintage 2021

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The Limited Cigar Association—a subsidiary of Privada Cigar Club—releases each year a single farm puro from a noted master blender. This 2021 release is a Honduran puro. Christian Eiroa—original creator of Camacho and now his own lines—is the man behind this blend. Honduran puros haven’t impressed me as much over the years, so this blind review was another test of what this region can do.

Blend Specifics

  • Cigar Reviewed- LCA Reserva Vintage 2021
  • Wrapper- Honduran Corojo
  • Binder- Honduran Corojo
  • Filler: Honduran Corojo
  • Size- 6’x 44’ (Lonsdale)

Appearance and Construction

The wrapper is light and silky with a noticeable thick vein on top. I can see the cap is crumpled looking and not very attractive.  There are noticeable soft spots as I squeeze the cigar which is concerning. The foot smells of barnyard and oak.

Taste and Smoking Characteristics

I clip the smoke with a guillotine cutter which takes a small piece of the lopsided cap. Taking a dry draw it’s sweet and salty with wood notes. Another puff and I’m picking up white pepper and almond paste. With a retrohale pepper and cedar come through with cocoa powder on the exhale. Thus far the cigar is in the medium bodied range with a nice whitish gray ash. With another draw there’s more toasted oak with some mustiness. More wood and light pepper on the sides of my palate are beginning to development in intensity. The second half of the smoke has some savory notes with nougat that ends in a creamy finish. With a slow draw biscuit and cedar keep the cigar well balanced to a medium body. The retrohale is creamy with cedar and earth coating the sides of my mouth as it wafts through my nostrils. A slight bitterness prevails on my next draw but saves itself with a rich earthiness on the back end. The ash continues to be straight, which was a concern with the soft spots I felt previously. Toast and oak prevail with an effortless draw that makes this cigar easy to smoke.

The last third gives off balsa wood, cherry and roasted nuts. Some bitterness returns with a slightly green taste from the tobacco. Just as quickly I take another retrohale and there’s a large amount of salted almonds and sweet cream. More biscuit and cream linger on the palate with a slow cool draw. I’m impressed at the end of this smoke there appears that the flavors are more pronounced. As I take final puff wood and cream created a long flavorful finish.

Conclusion

This was a wonderful medium bodied blend. The cigar had a balance of toast, oak, cedar with the right amounts of spice to keep you interested and along the way creaminess work its way through. The slightly green bitterness I picked up a few times was a drawback however it quickly corrected itself in the smoke. Finding out this was an LCA Reserva Vintage I was impressed that a Honduran puro had this much to offer. I would recommend a box or at least a fiver to let sit a few months.

Final Rating: 91

Blind Review: Patoro VA Extra Belicoso

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Dr. Pablo Richard of Patoro cigars introduced an XO VA line made up for tobacco over a decade old in a special aged blend. This newer vitola in the line is made up of those aged tobaccos rolled at the De Los Reyes famous factory. These are Dominican puros in wrapper, leaf and binder and from what I have heard are marketed as a boutique high end smoke with a price tag to match. I have not had this line before and smoking blind I appreciate this size and looking to see what flavors it delivers.

Blend Specifics

  • Blind Cigar Reviewed: Patoro VA Extra Belicoso
  • Wrapper: Dominican
  • Binder: Domincan
  • Filler: Dominican
  • Size: 5 1/5” x 55 (Belicoso)

Appearance & Construction

This wrapper is dark and veiny with an sheen to it. Squeezing the cigar it has several soft spots and is a bit spongy to the touch. The roll seems a bit lopsided and the wrapper has a honeyed smell to it. The foot offers stewed prunes along with oak.

Flavor and Smoke Characteristics

With a straight cut the dry draw is airy and dusty. Using my torch lighter I toast the torpedo and the first puff is salty and earthy. The draw is loose and seemingly under filled.  There is mineral and spice picking up with a short finish. The ash is dark gray and surprisingly firm given the less than tight roll. I’m getting a hint of cocoa and oak as I take a retrohale.  Thus far the cigar is in the medium bodied range.

Midway the smoke burns hot and I can see I need to slow the draw down a bit which difficult as it is so loose. There’s charred wood and red pepper with an earthy bitter finish. At this point I need to relight and take a retrohale that’s earthy with cashew on the back end. I’m picking up a meatiness that gives the cigar a little more weight in the mouthfeel. More oak and char pick up which put this stick in the medium to full range.

Toward the final third of this torpedo there’s a creaminess that rounds out the bitter finishes of the cigar. The notes of nuts and oak as I take a puff linger longer than before. With a retrohale minerality, earth and molasses come through as the smoke wafts slowly out my mouth. Another draw brings spice and bitterness which bites the tip of my tongue. The ash has flaked off significantly and as I take a final draw the earth and wood notes lead to a rather muddled finish.

Conclusion

With its loose draw and underfilled nature this torpedo was overall not the most exciting smoke. The start was salty and earthy and the spice and other notes were short. I enjoyed the nuttiness that came about midway and the best part of the cigar was the last third where it showed creaminess and molasses that helped balance out the smoke. The last few puffs finished short with a lackluster ending. The cigar was not bad in its tobacco however the blend did not do  much to entice me to smoke again.

Final Rating: 87pts

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