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Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Quick Review of the Davidoff 2000


Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Corona
Size : 127 x 17 mm (5 x 43)
Ring : 43
wrapper : USA/Connecticut Shade
Hand-Made
Value : ~$12-17 each



I enjoy a lot of these cigars from one of the most well known brands. Davidoff generally equals great quality and luxury and his cigars generally come up on the expectations. Davidoff 2000 can be a mild corona that delivers a ideal construction and exquisite (though not really detailed) tastes.

Appearance : 5
The 2000 feels excellent, this can be true for the cigar alone and for the tube. Astounding wrapper color, it’s shiny and enjoyable for the feel. Certainly Five out of Five.

Construction : 5
I was perfectly pleased by the build quality also, no difficulties whatsoever. Soothing, white smoke, normal burn and first-class draw all the way.

Flavor : 4/5
This is a extremely soft, delicate cigar. The elegant flavors it packs are creamy and buttery. While it may well seem almost too mild for some smokers, I feel that the Davidoff 2000 will be a single on the finest cigars for beginners. I didn’t notice any real evolution in the flavor, the stick usually stayed really soft and soothing no acidity and harshness at all, even close to the end.

Overall Rating : 4.5/5
If not for that cost tag, the Davidoff 2000 is excellent. I enjoyed it, and I especially recommend smoking this cigar with a glass of some nice Bordeaux red wine (if you’re searching for guidance, let me know) – since the cigar is really light, it will only underline the wine’s taste, without destroying it.

Isla de Cuba 376 Review

Wrapper: San Andres Morron
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras, Colombia
Shape: Panatela
Size : 5 1/2"
Ring : 50
Hand-Made
Price : You can find them here





Without boring you too much, the 376 piece of the name has to do with the owner of the company. Apparently he turned down 376 OTHER blends before finally settling on this specific blend, which was meant to be reminiscent of the old 56' Montecristo No 3. The cigar I reviewed sat in the humidor for about 2 months...I know, but hey...I got anxious.



Appearance: [5 leafs]

The cigar itself says power. With the inclusion of the 376, box pressed cigars are starting to grow on me more. Ergonomically I like how they fit in the hand more than I do regular cigars. The wrapper is an oily, dark, toothy Mexican grown leaf that's reminiscent of a Padron Anniversary. I would almost say I enjoy the wrapper on the 376 more than I do on the Padron however. The stick I sampled was pretty firm, I was almost worried about how the draw would play out because it was so firm.





Construction: [4 leafs]

Like I said earlier, the cigar itself is chock full of tobacco. This coupled with the fact that it's box pressed makes this a solid stick. You can see some small veins on the wrapper but if you were to close your eyes and hold this cigar, you would not be able to feel them. The 376 is definitely a stick that could take a beating in a golf bag and still be waiting for you, like new... after you triple bogey the last hole.





Taste: [3 leafs]

I'm only giving the 376 a 3 on taste because of it's simplicity, and take it for what you will because maybe I read it wrong. As for flavor profile..2 words: Wood and Leather. There were maybe some sweet(er) spots throughout but for the majority it was those 2 flavors. There was however a ton of spice in the first few draws that was almost overwhelming. After a few puffs the cigar started to fall into it's own. I don't know how to explain the flavor profile on how this stick played out so I created a little diagram to show you.


The beginning was very simple and very leathery. It reminded me of a slightly harsher Padron Anniversary. Then came a wave of woodsy tones, which I enjoyed very much. After about 10-15 minutes or so, this changed yet again back to the leathery notes of the beginning draws. After about 30 minutes the cigar began to mesh together and it seemed as if every other puff swapped back and forth between a heavy leathery taste and the creamy woody taste I enjoyed so much. This continued for the next 30 minutes of the cigar. It became so apparent that I began trying to guess what the next puff was going to be. Overall I really did enjoy the taste of the cigar, but as far as complexity goes I didn't get much out of it.





Value: [4 leafs]

I would love to see what some proper aging does for this stick. I know many of you out there will disagree that $6 is a value, but to each his own. A good friend of mine once said, "smoke less but smoke the best", and I tend to agree so the $6 isn't all that expensive in my mind. In reality, I could see with some proper aging time this cigar being pretty darn close to some fresh Padron Anniversaries.





Overall: [4 leafs]

Truthfully I really enjoyed this cigar. The burn was dead straight the entire time. The taste was simple but good. The smoke was full, creamy, and not harsh. It took me roughly a little over an hour to complete, all of which gave me time to finish a glass of rum and witness two shooting stars. I'd say it ended up being a pretty good cigar and a pretty good night.

Davidoff No 2 Review

Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Shape: Panatela
Size : 6"
Ring : 38
Hand-Made





First off, I have to put it out there: I love mild cigars...there I said it. Now, onto the review...

I picked these little guys up about a month ago and I've gone through 3 of them already. I've heard good things about this particular cigar circulating around the 'small ring gauge' aficionado groups (if that's not a jab at your manhood!). Since I love small ring gauge cigars I decided to pick up a box.





Appearance: [5 leafs]

This cigar has the trademark milk chocolate look and feel that makes up the essence of Davidoff Cigars. The only way you're going to find a more chocolaty wrapper is if Willy Wonka decides to start rolling. The wrapper has few if any large veins, if cigars were made of wood this baby would have been sanded down with 250 grit sand paper. The Davidoff No. 2 is firm but not too firm which I've found to be a problem with lancero type sticks. Lastly, I want to point out that the end if capped pigtail style.



Construction: [4 leafs]

This being the fourth stick I've smoked out of the box of 5 I recieved, only one had draw problems. The burn on the Davidoff No 2 was new perfect, one cigar I even lit as I was walking with 30mph+ winds and mucked the initial light. I decided for the sake of the review that I would see where my shoddy light-up would take me. It took a few minutes and some coercing but the No. 2 pulled ahead and evened itself out. Something to note, this cigar's lifespan is short, something around 30 minutes I think I averaged.



Taste: [5 leafs]

Since I've tried this cigar, I can't seem to get enough of it! It is mild I'll give it that, so if you're not into mild cigars then notch that rating down to a 2 leafer. Smelling the wrapper of this cigar you can definitely catch a strong sweet smell, chocolaty even. The initial third of the cigar is very mild. Hints of cocoa and nuts are strong here. The second third is where the cigar started to find it's calling. By now the cigar's juices are flowing and the wrapper, binder, filler are meshing quite well. I can still taste the nuts and cocoa but now a hint of roasted coffee is shining through. The cigar kept this pace almost to the nub. If I had to sum the taste of the No 2 up in one word it would "smooth" and "rich"...ok that was two words.



Value: [3 leafs]

This is probably the No. 2's only weak spot.If you follow the motto of "smoke less, smoke better" then this cigar is right up your alley...too bad for me I haven't realized that the "wise man" never said "smoke more, smoke better".



Overall: [4.5 leafs]

Overall this is one of my current favorites. During this last week of reviewing it got so bad that I stopped viewing the No. 2 as a cigar and started seeing it as a "snack". I remember sitting in a meeting thinking, "man...I can't wait to grab a No. 2 and a cup of coffee". So if you're anything like me, gather your "important phone call, I gotta take this" excuses because once you get ahold of this beauty you'll find yourself looking for reasons to escape for 30 minutes at a time!

Rolling a Cigar

You may have to have a previous for your dimension with the cigar you want to make. The previous is applied to retain the form of the cigars when you dried up the tobacco. The easiest way to make a original is always to nail strips of timber onto a item of board. For little cigars, use narrow strips of timber. For larger cigars, use greater strips. Use one more bit from the same timber to area the strips.

The multi-level cigar block or past proven on the best measures about 12 in. huge by 15 inches extensive and about 6 in. deep and holds 120 cigars. It had been developed to fit within my oven (see below), so in the event you want to create a big cigar block, bear the dimensions of the oven in brain. The reduce single item of wood is for smaller cigars, which I cut to length. I've other dimensions blockers for different dimension cigars. cigars will round away a little from the square shape whenever you fit the outer wrapper on.

It is possible to use whole leaves for larger cigars. Gather your simply leaves and draw them through your hands to take out any folds. This may let atmosphere to pass with the simply leaves unobstructed.

You now ought to make your binder leaf. It is preferable to utilize a Havana leaf to the binders as Havana is thicker and more powerful than other leaves. Eliminate the mid-rib using a knife or a couple of sharp scissors. Preserve your binder leaf moist and versatile when performing this to avoid it cracking. In the event you don't have a very large adequate leaf due to the dimensions in the cigar then use two finds.

Rolling Your cigar
Lay your shredded tobacco within the binder leaf as shown inside the image. The quantity of filler that goes inside your binder is really a matter of practice; also complete and you'll not get air through the cigar, also loose and it is going to burn as well rapidly and so warm.

You will should glue the binder leaf to carry it in area all over the shredded tobacco. You could use Tragacanth or Guar Gum if you could have them, but as these are relatively costly and not effortless to get carry of, you possibly can use egg white. Spread some glue alongside one edge from the binder leaf. You won't require any much more than that.

Position cigars into cigar former and trim the endsRoll the leaf circular the filler and spot as part of your previous as per the photograph. You will not need to be extremely neat at this point because the previous will produce the cigars form. Trim away from surplus leaf at this phase, as it is going to be incredibly brittle when it have been dried out.

Placing cigar original into oven to dried up cigarsNow put your previous into the oven on a average heat to dried up your cigars. 30 - 45 minutes on a temperature just comfortable sufficient to hot plates must be good.


Wrapping Your cigar
Use a thin tobacco leaf for that wrapper (that's the outdoors covering). Monte Calm Yellow is excellent; it handles effectively and includes a smoother texture than the other kinds. You may also like to smooth out the wrapper leaf prior to rolling it by pressing it having a comfortable iron as this may give a smoother finish.

First trim down the center rib or stems having a pair of scissors or blade, whatsoever periods assure the leaf is adaptable and never dried up. Cut out a rectangle and lay this strip diagonally from quit to perfect as from the picture for the perfect. Make certain the good ribs inside the leaf are vertical (going away from you). The vein ribs are a lot more pronounced for the underside from the leaf, so, possess the underside uppermost so the veins are hidden when the cigar is produced. This can give a smoother finish for a cigar. Use a smaller quantity of glue (egg white, tragacanth, guar gum etc) together the edge from the wrapper.

Now roll your cigar apart from you, leaving an overlap on the quit hand edge. Your choice now is do you close away from the ends or depart them open. Masking the end of the cigar using the leaf may be messy; consider, how normally would you buy a cigar that wants the conclusion cut aside? Not normally. The answer is to overlap the ends when placing the wrapper on, and trim away from when dried up. Only practice will close down the ends of the cigar, I've yet to be successful in producing a finish I am proud of, but then I'm rubbish at wrapping a parcel!

The Completed cigar
You'll be able to see my finished cigar inside the photo towards the proper. Will I ever before smoke a cigar of this size? I might have 30 many years ago when my lungs have been operating at full steam.

Storing Your cigars
On the concluded state of manufacturing you first cigar, you'll be tempted to light up. Will not, it will be also dried out. Store your cigars for a couple of weeks to enable the cigar to soak up humidity from the house. I find the lounge or residing room to become perfect because the humidity is close to 22 - 25%, wherever as your home could be as higher as 60%.

Storage of cigars is normally in cedar wooden boxes recognized as humidors. These can frequently be picked up second hand from vehicle boot gross sales or second hand stores. Keep your cigars in your residing room. A cigar will develop and mellow more than the years. The shop shelf existence of your cigar is 7 many years, but if you are cigars are kept at around 22% humidity, they will keep for numerous much more many years.

Issues with cigars
Making cigars is relatively simple. Creating great cigars that smoke well uses a bit of exercise. Don't be set away from if you are earliest attempts don't function out very effectively. Keep attempting. In the event you observe my guidance, you can't go far wrong. I'll give some more points for rolling your own cigars.

If you are cigars are so dried up, store them from the cooking area for a few days to take in much more moisture. This need to result in a smoother smoke.
In the event you cannot draw atmosphere or smoke through the cigar then you've rolled them too tightly. You could try out a strip of wire from the middle in the cigar on the filler phase, then removed this when the cigar is done. Better nevertheless set much less filler in.
If you are cigar tastes very strong in which case you have to allow your cigar mellow. Most cigarette tobacco leaf is stored for two ages after curing to mellow the leaf. From the situation of cigars this mellowing can take spot right after it is produced, so be affected person. It is possible to also adjust the blend within your next batch of cigars to produce milder cigars.
If you've issues putting the wrapper or binder leaf on your cigar, guarantee your tobacco leaf is moist, not dried out and not wet. The leaf need to be bendable, not brittle. To have your tobacco leaf bendable, spray it with warm water and location it in the plastic bag until finally it becomes variable. Always work on the flat area. Will not test to placed your cigar using the wrapper leaf back in the previous as it will be as well big.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Review

Winter stinks, that's no shocker. For those of you who enjoy a winter cigar on the porch this review is for you.

This cigar creates a silky smoke and comes bandaged in a cedar sleeve from foot to band. The sleeve slides off quickly to reveal a well put together Ecuadorian wrapper and a dark, sweet aroma that's characteristic of sungrown tobacco – no surprise thanks to Fuente’s signature black ribbon. You can get a box of 20 Double Chateaus from http://www.gjcigars.com

After clipping the uniquely huge cap and toasting the foot, the initial flavor is a tad salty, but evens out with some toffee undertones. Sweetened espresso rounds out the finish into the second third and, if you’re genuinely paying interest, you might pick up on various citrus.

Hot peppercorn, syrupy tobacco, and cedar tastes dominate down the stretch using a minor bitterness coming into play at the really end. All in all, this cigar’s Dominican binder and filler tobaccos nicely complement the sungrown wrapper – a pleasant pairing that produces volumes of thin, flavorful smoke.

The burn performs nicely during the hour and a half smoke, but a few Double Chateaus required touch-ups in outdoor conditions. The draw is typically good, if not slightly firm, nd the ash holds as properly as you would expect from a Fuente.

Overall, this is an impressive mild- to medium-bodied cigar using a lot of interesting flavor to offer at a reasonable price. It's well-balanced, smooth, relaxing, and satisfying.

Sungrown fanatics who need long pauses might do well to work this into their regular rotation. I give the Arturo Fuente Double Chateau Sun Grown a B+

Click here for more Arturo Fuente Cigars

Monday, July 6, 2009

My Weekend Smoke

I enjoyed a delightfully wonderful Davidoff Short Robusto this weekend. At around $15 per stick these are by far not an everyday smoke but I figured with the 4th of July and all that I should splurge and have a nice celebration cigar.

The Davidoff Short Robusto is a delectable little cigar; short, with a smooth rich wrapper. Lately alot of the millennium blend series from Davidoff have been arriving a littler darker than prior boxes I've seen. Davidoff cigars are known for their excellent quality control so I can only assume that this change is a calculated one.

The Short Robusto burned excellent and razor sharp. The rich creamy undertones were apparent throughout the entire cigar and not once did it become harsh. My girlfriend even loves this cigar!

Definately pick one up if you like a medium-mild, rich, creamy smoke.