Category Archive: Cigars

La Bomba 601 Review

October 9, 2011

October 9, 2011

La Bomba 601

The La Bomba 601, by Eddie Ortega is an odd cigar. This was recommended to me by the folks at my local B&M shop (Watch City Cigar Co, in Framingham MA). This recommendation came as a response to my query about spicy cigars. I was looking for peppery stuff, similar to Don Pepin Garcia’s lines. From what I’ve read online this is actually made at the My Father factory. This cigar actually has a warning to dissuade newcomers. How can I  pass that up?It’s uniqueness is apparent immediately due to the long, fuse like tail off the cap. This is intended to look like an explosive. Gimmicky? Maybe, but still, I’m a sucker… It’s cool.

It’s 5×52. Quite large. It’s appearance is great. Slightly oily and smooth all the way through, with thin veins on the wrapper that are visible, but not detectable to the touch. It’s also extremly soft. Almost like a suede. The unlit draw tastes like normal cigarette tobacco, but the scent of the stick is pungent. It smells of strong earthiness at the head and the scent gets stronger down the length of the cigar until it ends with a stronger spicier kick at the foot.

The initial few draws taste full and smooth giving off massive plumes of smoke. It tastes very good. Within the first few minutes I can taste the spice picking up. The ring gauge is a wider than I prefer, and it hurts my jaw to hold it, and I can feel my teeth digging into the wrapper to hold it in place while I type this. The draw is light and easy, and about 10 minutes into the stick I had to relight the wrapper by holding my torch at a distance and rolling the head above it for a few seconds..

The ash is salt and pepper, fluffy and flaky. I can see bits of ash poking up from the head like snowflakes. Specks  have begun to fly off on my shirt.

So far, I am really enjoying this cigar. The spice is fantastic. My only complaint so far is that this is the only vitola the shop had, and I’d prefer it to be bit thinner. Obviously, not a strike against the cigar, more personal preference.

There is no doubt, it’s a full body smoke. It’s not just black pepper, but in the first inch, I’ve tasted several different spices, along with some leather. I ingest quite a bit of nicotine on a daily basis, and this thing is giving me a buzz for the first time in a long time.

About an inch in, the burn hasn’t been even, as I let the ash fall, I’m going to have to touch it up a bit. Not surprising considering the early relight.

Entering the second third the flavor changes a bit. It’s lighter… sweeter, and kind of.. almost… bready. The pepper is still there, and still strong, but not as intense as it was…  Like a pepper cookie. It’s awesome. My jaw is relaxing a bit and the larger ring is bothering me less. My shirt is now speckled with the flecks of ash that continue to drift off.

I’ve read elsewhere that this stick is not complex. It’s complex to me. I’m tasting a lot of flavors with a strong solid peppery base. Exhaling through the nostrils gives me a sneezing sensation. About an hour into it I’ve reached the halfway mark.

I’ve just realized that for a good 10 minutes, I’ve been staring at the screen, blank and thoughtless much like a drooling retard. My mouth is a bit dry with my tastebuds probably a bit dead from the prolonged spicy assault.  The stick is burning unevenly again and will require another touchup. I’m going to give it a little help, and set it down for a minute or too to give myself some time to recover.. and a few sips of coffee.

Entering the last third, it’s about what I expected. Strong and spicy, and there actually what is probably an induced sneeze. All through this cigar the draw has been perfect. Every draw produces a huge cloud of thick white smoke that results in good strong, full smoke rings.

My tastebuds may be shot at this point, but all I’m detecting now is consistent spice. I don’t imagine that’s going to change for the remainder of the stick, and honestly.. that’s not a bad thing. Maybe that’s why folks claimed this wasn’t a complex cigar. In the beginning… I feel that it was.

I don’t generally smoke my cigars all the way to the nub, I usually let them die out somewhere near half way through the last third, but this one was special. At no point did it become bitter or unpleasant or too hot. It stayed consistent and tasty, and strong as hell. When I decided to put this down to sleep I’d had a good solid buzz for quite some time. Total smoking time was 1:58.

This isn’t the kind of stick I could smoke every day, for obvious reasons, but I’ll definitely pick up some more for special occasions and nights when I want to veg out for couple hours without thinking about anything. Definitely recommended for pepper fans and those that enjoy full bodied cigars. Now I’m going to lay down on the couch for a while to recover and watch some Dr. Who.

WhooooWeeee

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Don Pepin Garcia Black Label Cuban Classic (Robusto)

October 6, 2011

October 6, 2011

I haven’t tried all of DPGs cigar lines as of yet (since he seems to put his name on everything lately) but those of which I have tried I enjoy very much. I think maybe because of his signature pepperiness. That might be the only I flavor that I can definitively identify in cigars with my relatively inexperienced pallet, so I gravitate toward it… and almost get excited like “YEAH! Pepper! I know what that is!”.

I’ve been smoking a lot of the Blue labels lately and this will be my first Black label.

The wrapper is a nice darkish brown. It has unusually thick veins. So thick in fact that they show through they crease the sticker. There are also quite a few abnormalities and bumps.  It’s not ugly, but it doesn’t look perfect. It feels tight and dense and smells, oddly, like an unlit Marlboro cigarette. The taste I get from an unlit draw is also that of unlit cigarette tobacco.

Upon lighting I was expecting a strong peppery blast, but it wasn’t there. There was some pepper, but not that blast you in the face DPG peppery start. I can also detect cedary notes.. I would say strong tobbaco and cedar. It’s quite nice, but not what I expected. The draw is a bit tighter than I prefer.. almost too tight, and I feel myself wondering.. Is that going to be a problem?.  Into the first third the flavor seems to settle on cedar, which I like very much, and the ash stays white and flakey.. clearly not strong. This is a smaller vitola, but it’s packed quite tight, so the burn is slow and even. The aftertaste is pleasant, woody, and short.

About 20 minutes into the cigar, it went out. Completely.. that’s disappointing. I tapped out the ash and relit with my triple flame torch. Relighting isn’t a huge problem, and doesn’t taste gross, but I do get that burning scent and sensation in my nostrils from the idling smoke, which may affect my senses for a while.

Entering the 2nd third I got that pepper that I expected. I really like that. It’s not as strong as I find in the blue labels, but it’s definitely there, and it goes well with the woody, cedary flavors which are dominant.

It’s still burning straight, but the amber appears to be receding inwards, which indicates to me that I’ll likely have burn issues later in the cigar. I feel it smartest to correct the issue now before it becomes a worse problem. Again I tap out the ash, relight the wrapper, but this time I’ll set it down to allow correction before I end up with a blast of burnt stink in my nostrils. Upon picking it back up again, I get a dry ashy taste on the first draw, but that does not persist.

The taste remains pretty consistent. I’m a bit sad that the pepper went away. So far I’ve had signifigant burn issues with this cigar, but the taste has been great, if not what I expected, and the annoyance doesn’t ruin it for me.

Passing the half-way point, the aftertaste length picks up. It’s nice and smooth, and exactly what I want it to be.. I do wish however that I had a nice dark roast coffee to go with it. Maybe that’s a indication that it’s picked up a creaminess or coffee undertone. At this point however, it is no longer burning straight, and the burn issues are beginning to frustrate me.

The final third starts out less creamy and smooth than the first and third, with a little more kick, spiciness, but not bitterness.  I’ve got a dominantly woody taste, no longer cedar specifically with some spiciness (but not the black pepper) , and stays that way.  Towards the end I started to get ashy tastes, probably from all the fixups required throughout it’s life.

 

I approve.

All in all, I had several serious burn issues, it wasn’t the prettiest cigar, the taste was fantastic all the way through to the end, although not what I expected, and it’s a good cigar. I wouldn’t seek out more of them, but wouldn’t run away either.. I’m sure it could really benefit from some age in the humidor. Based on this Don Pepin Garcia Black Label Robusto … I favor the Blue Label.

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.lukemacneil.com/2011/10/06/don-pepin-garcia-black-label-cuban-classic-robusto/

Arturo Fuente 8-5-8 Natural

October 5, 2011

October 5, 2011

This is my first cigar review.

A year ago, this was my favorite cigar. Unfortunatly (since I just bought a box of them) this is no longer the case. I am going to attempt to impartially review this stick now.

The smell of the unlit cigar when running the length of it under my nose is very pleasant. It smells like mild, subtle tobacco. Actually, it may be my favorite part of the cigar. The construction is solid and consistant. The cigar is well rolled,  and has been on every one of them that I’ve had.

The appearance of the cigar is very nice. The natural wrapper is a nice light shade of brown, slightly veiny, and much less oily than some of the other cigars I’ve been smoking lately. It looks, smells, and feels like a decent, quality, every day smoke. I can see no flaws on inspect.


I always go with a straight cut on all my cigars. Upon lighting this stick and entering the first third, I can’t honestly discern notes of anything inparticular. It just tastes like warm, smooth smoke. It’s not unpleasant, but there are no flavors that really stand out in any way. This is the reason it is no longer my favorite cigar.  I’d like to be able to identify something. All I get here is perhaps … light hints of leather. The draw however is, in my opinion, perfect.

About 1/2 way through the first third the flavor profile stays exactly the same.. kinda bland. The ash is white and wavy, but straight. It doesn’t feel solid, and I don’t feel very comfortable about not holding it over an ashtray.. yet despite my hesitance, it stays attached and doesn’t fall with a light tap. At the end of the first 1/3rd flecks of ash are beginning to break away.

Entering the 2nd 1/3rd, the ash drops. The cigar is noticeably stronger now, but the flavor hasn’t changed much. It’s light, a bit sweet.. maybe creamy.  So far the burn has been perfect. I haven’t needed to make any touch-ups, and it’s nice and straight.

At about the halfway point there is a change. The draw got almost instantly tighter, the smoke hotter, and the flavor .. almost harsh for a minute. Woody on the draw and the exhale but with a slightly bitter/burning aftertaste.. that lasts. As the ash grows back the bitterness tapers down and then comes back. Cycling between harsh/bitter and creamy/woody throughout the 2nd third.  The burn however, remains spot on.

Entering the final third, the draw remains tighter than normal. The flavor has been pretty consistently bitter for the last 10 minutes or so, which I don’t remember ever noting over the 50+ 858s I’ve smoked in the past, but then again, I’ve never paid this close attention before either. The smoke feels hot, leaves a burning sensation on my tongue, and the sensation of burning paper in my nostrils. It’s actually quite unpleasant, and I may be about through with this stick. I seldom smoke these to the nub anyway, but I’m hoping it pulls through into something nice again. Likely, this is just a wet cigar from a relatively new box. (3mos).

Halfway through the final third, I’m about ready to throw in the towel. This cigar now tastes like a burnt asshole 90% of the time, with a pleasant puff thrown in there once in a while to fake me out into thinking it’s going to redeem itself.

And this is about what my face has looked like for the last half hour.

So, what happened here?

  1. I’ve been confused about 858s for a long time
  2. I got a bum stick
  3. These need some time to age
  4. I’ve never paid this close attention to this cigar before.

In closing, the 858, a staple cigar, my favorite 1 year ago no longer is. The first half of the stick was unenthralling, but not unpleasant. The second half just sucked. The construction of the cigar is great, the appearance is quite good. Since I’m not a big fan of these anymore anyway, it won’t be a problem to let them sit in the humi for a year or so.

My taste is gravitating more toward full body cigars now, peppery, like the DPGs.

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.lukemacneil.com/2011/10/05/arturo-fuente-8-5-8-natural/

Xikar Xi2 Cutter and Xikar Customer Service.

October 5, 2011

October 5, 2011

I am impressed. I am really impressed. Sure. Xikar cutters are expensive. Cheap plastic cigar cutters are cheap. Personally, I wouldn’t trust cheap plastic cutters to cut expensive cigars without ruining them. My Xi2 doesn’t ruin cigars, but I have been having problems with it. The blades stick. You would think for a cigar cutter of this price and reputation that I wouldn’t have to pull the blades apart with both hands to use it. Unfortunately, I did.

Xikar, kudos to them. Their lifetime warranty on Xikar cutters is badass enough (ship it in at any time, no questions asked for repair or replacement), but it seems that in order to be an authorized Xikar dealer, Brick and Mortar shops must also honor the Lifetime warranty, immediately replacing any defective products (if the same model is in stock). If the model is not in stock, a B&M shop will send it out to Xikar for you.

Sure, other products offer lifetime support if you’re willing to ship off the product on your own dime, wait 2 months, and get it back refurbed.. but there are not many products that you can walk into a store with, say “This isn’t working right” and have them replace it on the spot, regardless of the place or time of original purchase.

That’s very impressive Xikar. I approve.

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.lukemacneil.com/2011/10/05/xikar-xi2-cutter-and-xikar-customer-service/

Loves me some cigars, loves me some vapor.

October 5, 2011

October 5, 2011

People that I talk to generally balk when I mention that I enjoy cigars. This is understandable. People are generally confused about why I smoke both electronic cigarettes and cigars. Obviously, if I still smoke cigars, electronic cigarettes must not be effective, right?

Not right. Both nicotine delivery systems meet different needs for me. For general day to day use, as a reduced risk (and price) alternative to smoking cigarettes, I vape. I take this further, much like I do with everything else to the point where it becomes an obsessive hobby. When I want to relax, test my palate, try to discern new flavor profiles and aromas, and dedicated 1+ hour to doing nothing BUT smoking… I smoke cigars. This falls into, I imagine the same category as wine tasting (which I do not do) for many people.

The point that I am trying to get across, if you haven’t picked up on it, is this:
There is a fundamental difference between smoking cigarettes (or vaping) and smoking cigars. All methods provide nicotine. This is apparent, but vaping serves the habitual need, and cigars serve no need at all. Smoking a cigar is itself, an activity.

When I am smoking a cigar I’ve never smoked before, I like to read others reviews of the same cigar, to see if I can pick up on and discern the properties described by others with more experience. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t, but the main point is… doing this is fun to me.

Cigars can quickly become a very expensive hobby, and while I do suggest that everyone at least try good quality cigars, I would never recommend them as a reduced risk alternative to smoking cigarettes. Totally different purpose.

Going forward I will write notes, reviews, tutorials, and other informative articles relating to both Cigars and Electronic Cigarettes, and I am open to your opinions, suggestions, or complaints on either subject.

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.lukemacneil.com/2011/10/05/loves-me-some-cigars-loves-me-some-vapor/

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