Review of Nestor Reserve Maduro Torpedo:
Recently I was able to get my greedy hands on a five-pack of Nestor Reserve Maduro torpedos for only 7 bucks in an online auction. Good thing too, because they're not worth a penny more.
The creative marketers at Cigars International certainly hype up these black beauties, using enticing phrases such as "chocolate thunder" and "rated 93 by Cigar Aficionado." Well, how long ago was that? 1998? And which size was it? Funny how the distributors are always vague about that, as if every size in the whole darned line won the super rating. Could you tell us, please? Pretty please? Cause this Nestor torpedo sure as hell doesn't rate a 93 today.
My first concern was that despite their enormous size, these torpedos weigh little more than a feather. Sometimes that's a good sign, as with Padrons, but usually it just means you're in for a cheap ride.
And cheap it was: I couldn't get this thing to light straight, and it never evened out. The smoke was ample and billowy, but had a nondescript taste. To paraphrase the late Lloyd Bentsen, I know chocolate. I've eaten chocolate. I'm friends with chocolate. And you, son, don't taste like chocolate.
But then again, what cigar ever does? I wish reviewers would quit using the word chocolate and come up with something more accurate like "dark, billowy, burnt-toasty flavor." That's about what it comes down to. Some people actually like burned toast. Why not let them know about it?
For a cheap cigar, the Nestor Reserve Maduro Torpedo is fine if you're doing something else and not really paying attention. If you're mowing the lawn, or fishing, or golfing, stick one of these feather-lite pylons in your mouth and puff away. But if you're hoping to sit, relax, and enjoy the pleasure of a great cigar that hardly cost you anything, don't bother. With this one, you're only getting what you pay for.
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7 comments:
I won't debate the relative merits of the Nestor Reserve, as I'm not the advocate to do it.
The chocolate thing is another matter. When folks mention chocolate in a review, they're not talking about namby-pamby Hershey's Milk Chocolate chocolate, they're referring to a high cacao content chocolate. Dark chocolate, with a bitter tang.
You taste the difference between coffee/espresso flavor and dark chocolate, right. But those flavors are both a burnt-tasting and bitter to some degree, but they are slightly different, and different enough to single out.
But, it's neither here nor there, as the Nestor Reserve had little discernible quality to it.
I would not trust anything CI, Cigar Bid or Cigar.com says. They LIE! They knowingly mislead customers on products such as Gurkha Titan/Beauties and Grey Cliff. They use deceptive descriptions such as "only 500 boxes made" but don't count bulk units of the "same cigar." I know for a fact they sell phony Beauties and Titans. They have offered cigar manufacturers large sums of $$$$ for their ring labels only w/o the cigars!!!
I buy these when on a budget. Only a moron would think they are getting a king's cigar for a peasant's price. At about $2 a stick, they are GREAT cigars.
Pedantic, whiny children like you, who pretend every cigar must be a cuban-of-old but for 50 cents each need to grow up. Don't like cigars, don't smoke em.
In response to the previous harsh comment: There's nothing wrong with searching for excellence in cheap cigars. Good cheap cigars DO exist, and one of my passions is finding them and recommending them to others. It's also wise to remember that my tastes don't necessarily match yours. If you don't like many of the "best cheap cigars" in my labels list, my blog probably won't be much use to you. But calling me names doesn't help anybody.
I enjoyed the sweet prelim aroma and taste and the rather consistent cocoa flavours, however the uneven burn and tunneling were horrendous. I also had to work hard at keeping it lit.
Too bad and so sad, cause it would be quite enjoyable without the effort
I'm smoking one now and funny how the last comment was spot on - after just 1" the foot looks like a lava bed with glowing crevices popping up. Taste was at first more cardboard that tobacco but evening out to mild and pleasant, just simple. I don't expect to be wowed by a $7 5 pack but burn problems like these are a complete waste.
Good example of same price but good value is La Perla Habana Black Pearl. Rick
Well put. Thanks for your honesty.
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