Brickhouse Toro

Brickhouse Toro

Size: 6"x52
Wrapper: Havana Subido
Filler: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan





Pre-Light


the wrapper is medium brown in color with a sheen that adds a beautiful look to the stick.  I used a medium punch and toasted the end.

1st Third


The Brickhouse lights easy and has a great smooth, cool draw.  Right away, I got a rich, clean tobacco flavor with a hint of tea flavors.  It is very soothing to the palate.  The first third was very consistent throughout.


2nd Third

The flavor of the cigar intensified slightly.  The rich tobacco and tea flavors did not overpower.  This is a very nice part of the cigar.  Soothing, rich and cool.  There was a slight build of mild spice, but very slight.





Final Third

Once again, the cigar intensified, but did not overpower.  The tea flavors faded leaving a rich tobacco flavor.

Overall


I love this stick.  It is medium to full body with a great balance.  The oils from the wrapper give it a brighter and brighter sheen as you smoke it.  It has a great draw and is very well constructed.  It left a soothing tobacco/tea flavor on my palate after I was done.  At around $5 a stick, I highly recommend this cigar!

OMAR SAYS:  17/19

5 Vegas Apotheosis

5.5 X 55

Pre-light

The stick has a dark chocolate appearance, sweet smell, smooth flawless wrapper.

1^st 3^rd

It has a sweet nice maduro dark chocolate taste.  I punched it and it is a super easy draw.  It is medium to full body with a nice full smoke.  There is a little spice but does not overpower the sweetness.  The burn is quite even in the 1^st third.

Dark chocolate notes come through in the end of the 1^st third.  There is a deep rich full smoke on the palate.  A sweet pepper rears its head at the end of the 1^st third.

The pepper disappears to more sweetness and the aftertaste is filled with cedar and sweetness (dark chocolate).  A leather background also appears.

2^nd 3^rd

Dark chocolate wraps around the sides of the tongue and spices leave to sweetness and leather.   Leather becomes dominant in the aftertaste.  The smoke remains full thick and white.  Coffee becomes a dominant flavor with a sweet chocolate finish.  A leather taste diminishes to coffee, chocolate, and spice.  The burn is even.  The after-taste is very pleasant.  The ash lasted to the half-way point of the cigar.

The after taste is still rich in cedar and sweetness.  Smoke is very thick and rich.

The same flavors persist as the 2^nd 3^rd comes toward the end, but a little more spice comes back into play in the finish, especially in the sinus.

3^rd 3^rd

Spice fades and sweet leather comes back.  Sweetness and spice are on the sides of the tongue with a slight spice on the front of the tongue.  The end of the final 3^rd has a strong leather but still a sweetness taste.  This cigar is good to the end, I nubbed it.

Jester says….

This is a great smoke.  If you like maduros this is a great everyday smoke.  This is well worth the price of admission!  Beginning to end this is a fun ride!

16/19

Gran Habano 3 Siglo

I got 5 of these at a good price from CB and decided to give them a whirl.

PRE-LIGHT/LIGHT
It was a 7"x50 Churchill with a good look and a pleasant aroma.  I used a medium punch and toasted the end.
Upon lighting, I noticed a very tough draw with little smoke.

1ST THIRD


I struggled to get any smoke out of this stick.  It was a tough draw with little rewards in regards to smoke.  Hence, finding flavors out of this stick was very difficult.  It as tough to figure out what this cigar wanted to do.  Spicy/cocoa?  Spicy? Cocoa?  Who knows at this point.  It tried to come to it's own, but not until the second third.

2ND THIRD


In the second third, the stick started to come through.  There was a taste of sweet cocoa with a hint of pepper spice.  At this point, I thought It was going to turn pleasant.  I was getting plenty of smoke in the latter half of the second third.  The flavor of cashews started to come through.  I was thinking the final third could be good.

FINAL THIRD


The final third began with a .......... well, nothing!  The flavor left and the stick started to heat up.  In fact, it just got flat out hot.  So much so that after four puffs, I was done.

OVERALL


I was very pleased when I finally got through all five of these "cigars".  The other four were pretty much the same.  The only saving grace of this "cigar" was that it had some flavor during the middle of the 2nd third.

OAR SAYS: 8/19

Cu-Avana Intenso Gordo

Pre-Light

The stick is 54x 4.5.  It is a nice medium to dark chocolate like brown.  The wrapper is mostly smooth, but has some veins.  As you look at the filler you see dark and light tobacco, almost swirled.  The stick has a nice earthy tobacco smell, you can pick up spices and a slight sweetness.  The stick is nice and heavy in your hand.  It is almost like that shorter stature type of guy in the gym you see putting up 300.  I used a medium punch.

1^st 3^rd

It is a nice firm draw, needing just a slight pull.  This is how I do like my cigars.  It feels like a nice firm wrap.  It has a nice rich dark coffee flavor with almost a subtle dark chocolate sweetness in the background.  At first a slight bit of spice hits the sinus.  It certainly has a nice full smoke.  The spice really begins to pick up after the first few puffs.  Black Pepper begins to show up.  The spice blends with a nice sweetness.  It has a very intense spice as the first third rolls in….it gets you salivating like a dog looking at a raw steak.  A beautiful smooth sweetness hits the palate right after spices….all I can say is YUM!  Already in the first third this stick keeps the tongue on edge.  The burn is nice and even, no big problems here.  Toward the end of the 1^st third a great slight cocoa flavor with dark chocolate comes through.  I lost the ash at the end of the first third.

2^nd 3^rd

I begin to pick up Cayenne Pepper!  The stick then has a mellowing of sweetness and spice again.  A nut rears its head about half way through the stick, like a dark angry Mr. Goodbar…..a little nut, dark chocolate and add spice.  Black Pepper comes on strong in the last part of the 2^nd 3^rd, before yet another smoothing out with sweetness again.  It is a nice slow even burn. 

3^rd 3^rd

The final 3^rd stays with the spice, but it is a little more mellow.  You get bursts of flavor including cocoa, but the cigar is certainly mellowing out.  It does not burn too hot, but the flavors are not nearly as strong and begin to fade.  It is a little more earthy and a tad leathery in the final 3^rd.

The Jester’s Performance

This will move into my regular rotation.  It is not over the top in respect to sitting down and trying to figure out the flavors, but it has a nice mix of flavors to keep your palate salivating.  It is a well constructed cigar.  If you like spice and a hint of sweetness this is for you, but you must like spice.  It is a very enjoyable smoke.  The final third just mellows a little too much, which hurts the rating.  This stick has a Napoleon complex that not only talks the talk, but it walks the walk.  Keep this little bad boy on your side, it is worth it, it will deliver.

Jester says 14.5/19

Carlos Torano 1916 Churchill

Carlos Torano 1916 Churchill
7"x48
Wrapper: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan/Honduran long filler
Drank water with it

This is just a sleek, good-looking cigar.  It has two band and stored in cedar.  It is a rich looking Cameroon wrapper with a few sun spots.  since I ordered them, I was itching to try one.  If you read any of my other reviews, you know I love a full-bodied, robustly spiced cigar with a large ring gauge.  Now it was time for something different.






1st Third


I used a medium punch and toasted the end.  Upon lighting this stick, I noticed the flavor coming through very nicely.  It had an easy draw with a good cool burn.  As I smoked the first third, the tobacco mellowed slightly allowing the wood and slight spice flavors to come through.  the flavors melded well together, creating a very nice mild to medium flavor.  Now back to the cool burn ....


I was amazed as every draw actually gave me the sensation of cooling my tongue.  This was not like the cooling effect of a breath mint or menthol, just an effect of cigar flavored air passing over my tongue.

The cigar burned evenly with a razor sharp edge on the ash.


2nd Third


I had some trouble in the second third.  The thin wrapper started to peel away from the stick a little.  I had to touch it up a bit and it was fine.  However, it did go out once.  I re-lit it right away and then, no problem.

During the second third, I got exactly what I expected.  A gentle progression to a little more wood and spice flavors.  Still, I was amazed at the "cooling" effect I described earlier.


Final Third

The intensity of the smoke picked up again, however, gently.  At this point, the "cooling effect" was still there, but fading somewhat.  I smoked this one to the nub, enjoying every soothing draw.


Overall


This is a tasty smoke.  It is the type of stick that a veteran smoker can enjoy and appreciate, yet at the same time, a novice smoker can enjoy.  I would definitely like to try this smoke after a nice light dinner (grilled halibut with a tropical salad of some sorts) and a Roussanne wine.


Also, I plan having this stick with various other drinks.  My guess is that this stick brings out the flavors of different liquors, changing the mood of the cigar based on the drink.  Let's see, I am going to smoke several of these and try different drinks with each one I smoke ... look for some drunken posting soon!


OMAR SAYS: 14/19

Renee

Thanks to Renee http://twitter.com/#!/bbmobad for following us on Twitter!

La Aurora Preferido #2 Ruby Edition Tube - Maduro

Size 5"x54
Wrapper Maduro (Connecticut Broadleaf)
Drank Jim Beam Rye on the rocks with Pelligrino and a lemon wedge.

I was so excitied about this stick.  I have had the La Aurora Gold (Corojo) and the Platinum (Cameroon).  I absolutely loved both of those sticks and could not wait for the Ruby.  the look of the cigar is what you would expect out of a La Aurora Preferido.  A great looking cigar with small veins in the wrapper.  Wrapped to perfection.  I snipped the end less than 1/4".

1st Third

 When I lit the cigar, the flavors came through immediately.  there was no waiting for the tip to burn.  I got the taste of rich tobacco.  Plenty of smoke filled my mouth on every draw.  This was a very smooth stick with a nice easy draw.  As I continued in the first third, I got a progression to a slightly spicy flavor, but not peppery.  Did I mention the incredible boneless New York Strip I had that night?  I was so freakin' good.  I had it with grilled asparagus.  Both of them were brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with Weber's Chicago Steak seasoning.  I digressed.






2nd Third


In the second third, the stick transitioned into a cigar with the same flavors as the first third, but much bolder.  The consistent flavor of the ruby had me smiling for about 30 minutes, and then there was the final third.



Last Third


The ruby began to get harsh.  It left a residue on my tongue.  In fact, this turned into exactly what I never want from the final third of a cigar.  It gave me a little bit of ammonia flavor.  I was extremely disappointed in the final third.  So much so that I threw it out before I even got through the first half of the final third.



In General

I love the La Aurora name and every stick I have smoked by them ... except the Ruby.  I would not buy this again.  I would rather spend the same amount of money on two less expensive, better sticks.

OMAR SAYS:   11/19