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Monday, January 14, 2013

5 Vegas Series 'A' Atomic Cigar Review

I originally tried one of these cigars back in the beginning of November 2012 right when I got them and didn't like the cigar very much, maybe I was expecting better characteristics from it in comparison to all the Cubans and finer brands I had enjoyed that month. I had gifted a handful away and had one more left, so here I am puffing away at it before dinner out.





Maybe two months of rest did the cigar some good or maybe it was the mood or timing. But I enjoyed it a little bit more this time but had some of the same characteristics from two months ago.





Vitola: Robusto Gordo (4.5" x 54RG)
Price: I managed to grab my cigars at $2 a stick but read they can go for $3-$4

Wrapper: Costa Rican (Maduro)
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran

Aged in Humidor: 2 months


Appearance and Construction:

Very presentable packaging, but I am not a marketable person. Presentation means very little if the material inside of the book's cover is bland. The band is golden with black and white tones. There is a thin piece of cedar wrapped on the foot of the cigar. The wrapper is toothy and deep dark, true Maduro. The cap blends right into the body like a fat reminder of R2D2's (from Star Wars) head.

Draw: Smooth, just right
Aroma: When burning it smells like grilled meat or charred meat, not strong, you'll have to bring it close to the nose
Ash: Dark grey and holds an ashy cone that falls right on end of 1st third and doesn't develop long afterwards
Fumes: Somewhere in the middle of light and medium
Burn: Even throughout
Boldness: Very
Harshness: 3 short spots throughout
Strength: Medium
Complexity: Not much

Tasting Notes:

The wrapper gives off a lightly sweet cinnamony note on hay incorporating a dark chocolate earthy scent. The cold draw is of earthy hay. I remember the first one I smoked to have very dark notes, as a matter fact it started with a bit of bitterness and tangy leather. This one initially gave off dark earthy notes followed by the following: light hints of sweet earthy spice, very little hints of coffee, sweet nice leather (not the harsh kind), liquorice, cocoa hit once and never appeared again in the first third. Just because I mentioned subtle changes the cigar is not very complex.

The second half evolves only slightly composing of the following interchanging or mixed nuances of: hints of tobacco, hints of coffee, hints of toffee, occasional sweet leather but mostly sweet yet dark earthy notes.

The final third stays the same composing of dark earthy notes but still includes tang, not spice. There's a natural cocoa nuance (not Dutch cocoa) one time appearance and then never again. Several notes of sweet leather hit and basically earthy, coffee, dark notes.

Basically if you like a Maduro this is for you: bold, deep, dark and strong notes but I didn't find it strong. In terms of complexity not much so even though my taste buds sensed the subtle changes here and there throughout the portions of the cigar. In terms of harshness it's all about one's taste, I like dark notes that aren't harsh. I did find three minor points of harshness but they were not extensive. I liked this cigar. Smoke time is short, only an hour and a half. It is great for the price. I am rating it a 88 out of 100.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Rocky Patel Decade Cigar Review

As the first cigar for 2013, I felt like grabbing the Rocky Patel Decade out of my humidor. This cigar was blended to mark the 10th year existence of Rocky Patel in the cigar industry. I have many other "anniversary" cigar blends in my humidor, many cigar companies produce a blend for these occasions, but I decided on this one because I received it recently and have a few more that I will let age. Hey, why not use it to bring in a new year. 


The Wikipedia page on the brand:

As you can see, Cigar Aficionado rated it a 95 out of 100 in 2008.




Vitola: Robusto (5" x 50RG)
Price: $8-$10 stick

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Secret
Filler: Secret

Aged in Humidor: 1 month


Appearance and Construction:

The cigar looks vintage. Even the band has a yellowish hue with brown stars and lettering. The double bands below the cap were glued on tight. The wrapper is an oily black brown (almost oscuro), like a leather coat. It is constructed with noticeable veins right into the cap but it is rolled well. I love rustic toothy cigars like this that don't have this smooth mold look to the wrapper. My stick had no construction flaws. It wasn't bunched super tight and bounced back only slightly. It's squarish but not to proportion. Hey!, numerous retail vendors did not indicate it was box pressed, especially where I bought it. The only way I fount this out was a little further research after I noticed it's squarish shape.

Draw: Even and easy throughout
Aroma: From two or three feet away there is this sweet musky, slightly stinky aroma of wet leather, an unrefined wooden barrel of fermenting rum or skunk like scent
Ash: Very ashy throughout, not wavy or cone like
Fumes: The beginning had fumes coming out but once it got going it streamed only when lit and when puffed on, otherwise if left alone: mellow
Burn: Consistent and slow
Strength: Medium

Tasting Notes:

The scent that comes out of the foot while still in the cellophane cover is of a chocolate tea mix. The wrapper's scent is lightly cinnamony with oak and hay notes. The cold draw is a lighter version of that, like tangy hay.

On the initial light, I get a bit of ammonia but it quickly dissipates. Two flavors hit me as I give it a minute to burn: a milk chocolaty creaminess and dark tobacco. I get a mouthful of smoke.

1 cm in: the cigar has flavor notes of dark coffee, as I take a sip of my coffee, it matches. My first retrohale is very toasty.

1 inch in: I get toasty oak. 

By the end of the first third a chunk of the ash falls but a smidgen remains. Holding the cigar upward gives it a crown of ash. Along with toasty oak and the aforementioned notes, I got a lightly sweet tangy tasting profile I can't associate with anything, it's like an odd tasting floral spice.

The beginning of the second third I get a bold note of the wrapper's Maduro. I think it's because I scorch it just a little bit with my butane lighter to even out the little pieces of wrapper bits hanging. After a few minutes in: toasty bread followed by sweet tangy almost spicy good earthiness. By the middle of the 2nd third, the ash crown falls completely off. At this point I get notes of grilled meat and hints of wine like flavors. By the end of the second third the musky aroma disappears. This is when it begins to get really good.

Between the end of the second third and beginning of the final third, without the musky aroma and the notes of unrefined fermented flavor notes, the cigar comes together to smoke great. With light hints of sweetness, floral, tangy, oak, earth and grill-like notes, it is now tasty and creamy.

My final thoughts on the Rocky Patel Decade is I think the rest of those I have will need more aging for the profile to get a little better. I thought this was a great cigar except for the musky aroma that again smelled similar to at it's best burnt vanilla to an unrefined barrel of rum or reminiscent of skunk. This aroma was also present on other cigars I have smoked including being even stronger on the Ave Maria Lionheart (also a box pressed). So the first two thirds were enjoyable except for the aroma and the final third was just great.

Complexity: Just a little bit with changing tasting notes throughout

I rate this a 90 out of 100
It took me a little less than two hours to finish the cigar up to the final inch.
It gave me a mood for getting a cheeseburger.