Just Bad: Perdomo 2 Limited Edition Cameroon epicure

I smoked a Perdomo2 Ltd. Ed. Cameroon (epicure size) last night and wondered if my humidification had gotten away from me: It tasted hot and dry. This is NOT what you expect from Perdomo, which makes several wonderful blends.

Luckily I found another review at a site called One Cigar a Week and it confirmed that the problem lies with the cigar, not my humidor: The Perdomo2 Ltd. Ed. Cameroon is simply a failed blend. Here is excerpt from One Cigar a Week and it is right on the money:

"Expect harsh tones of spice and earth upon lighting. The cigar was very bitter all the way through. There was some complexity to the cigar; however, the strong and bitter dirt notes made it hard to distinguish and enjoy."

To create gems like the Lot 23s and the Reserve Ltd. Oscuros, I guess you have to knock out a dog or two along the way. The Perdomo 2 Cameroons really should be pulled from the market or dumped at extreme discount. Buyer beware.

Very Good Boy: Rocky Patel Olde World Maduro robusto

I finally nabbed one of these on a "singles" auction at cigarbid. What they say is true: This is a wonderful cigar, encapsulating all the best traits of maduro richness and flavor.

Like its corojo sibling, the Olde World maduro robusto draws with a cool lushness that few rollers are able to master. The flavors are complex and bold with a hardwood edge and tinges of coffee, grain, spice and semi-sweet chocolate. You know the deal: Everything that makes little Jack Horner puff like a maniac and say, "what a good boy am I." The performance is flawless down to the last inch. No bitterness, only satisfaction from beginning to end.

I kept comparing this favorably to other great maduro cigars such as Oliva Series G, Camacho Triple Maduro, Perdomo Lot 23 maduro and even Indian Tabac maduro boxers (which can be excellent, though not always). The RP Olde World Maduro is a winner and worth the $5 minimum with which you will be hopefully be lucky enough to win at cigarbid. I've seen them bid all the way up to $9 apiece and even at that price they would be worth it.

Less than wow: Rocky Patel Olde World corojo toro

Now that I've tried both the corojo and maduro Olde Worlds in the sqare pressed toro size, I can confirm that my theory is correct: The toros are rolled tighter than the robustos and torpedos, making them firmer in the draw and weaker in flavor. The corojo corroborates my similar exerience with the maduro.

Smoke fans, if you want the full body, astonishing flavor and lush draw which the Olde Worlds (both maduro and corojo) can provide as well as any cigars on the marketplace, avoid the toros.

The toros are good if you prefer medium to mild. However even as mild cigars, I wouldn't say they are competitive. Stick to your expensive Fuentes and Padrons for similar but better-performing profiles.

The Olde Worlds are expensive too, so it helps to know what you're in for before you buy. In summary:

Robusto and torpedo - Full body, easy draw, bold flavors.
Toro - Tighter draw, milder strength, subtler flavor.
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The name doesn't lie: Cu-Avana Intenso robusto

The Cu-Avana intenso robusto lives up to its name: It's a hearty, strong, effulgent cigar that delivers a consistent if somewhat uneventful performance. If you like deep, earthy flavor with a mineral or even charcoal undertone, this cigar will probably satisfy you. It reminded me of blends such as 5-Vegas Series A or Monetcristo Media Noche, only stronger. The smoke is so thick it almost has a chalky consistency, which I find rather pleasant, especially because it never veers into bitterness (often a drawback of strong cigars).

By the time you get to the end of this stick, you are either cheering for more or ready to hang it up. I was in the latter camp, the way you might feel after gulping down several slices of pizza or chocolate cake. Great in the beginning but a bit stultifying in large doses. This cigar does not "develop" at all - it maintains the same texture and flavor from beginning to end.

I was lucky to win a 5-pack of these on cigarbid for only $7.00. For that price it is a wonderful cigar, and at its normal box price of $60.00 it is still an excellent value. A little too heavy and one-dimensional for my taste, but it just might be up your alley if your preference is a notch higher on the strength-o-meter.

It takes a lot for me to call a cigar "strong." This one truly is, and it earns the name "intenso."
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ITC 10th Anniversary robusto

Just a brief note while it's still fresh in my mind:

The Rocky Patel ITC 10th Anniversary is an excellent mid-strength robusto, and not deserving of the lackluster reviews I've seen by others on the web.

If you like Indian Tabac and Rocky Patel blends in general, you will probably like this cigar. I myself am definitely in the target market.

This cigar tastes great from the get-go, like a cross between an Indian Tabac "classic" corojo and the earthier, stronger blends from the Vintage and Super Fuerte series. It has subtlety, body and a smooth, long finish. Flavors are a nice balance between wood, incense, and earthy spices. It has an easy draw and a warm richness not quite as dense as the super-expensive Olde World corojo, but softer and just as satisfying in its own less intrusive way.

Another way to think about it might be: Indian Tabac maduro with extra silk and cream stirred into the mix.

My only complaint was that about halfway through, the wrapper started to flake and unravel near the head. This might have been because I set it too close the grill while barbecuing. However, a little shaggy-head is not enough to bring this cigar down: I smoked it to the nub. Sometimes I welcome a little warmth and loosening towards the end.

I won a this robusto for $3 on cigarbid singles. I would love to smoke more and will probably bid on a five-pack soon. In any case they are worth their list price, which is about $100 per box.
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Distant Runner-Up: Rocky Patel Olde World Maduro toro

Update 10/4/2009: The robusto is much better than the toro, see my later review.

First let me clarify that I find the Olde World toros (both maduro and corojo) to be tightly wrapped and somewhat mild. That explains the negative tone of this review. I recommend the robusto size instead, because the robustos are easy-drawing, lush, and full of intense flavor.

I was wrong below to insist that the corojos are "better" than the maduros. Both blends are excellent in the robusto size, just not the toro.

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The Rocky Patel Olde World maduro toro is a good cigar with typically identifiable Rocky maduro flavors. Yet in comparison to the fuller-bodied Olde World corojos, it seems dainty and disappointing. I know this is bucking the trend of general opinion, but it's the conclusion I draw based on my experience.

First, the flavor was too tranquil and subtle for my liking. Second, the cigar went out several times during the course of the evening. Third, it never developed or strengthened as I would expect a cigar of this length (6.5 inches).

I've found that square-pressed toros of almost any brand tend to be less intense than round vitolas of the same blend. I'm guessing this is because most squares are narrower than a circular 50-ring robusto or toro. Also, the act of box-pressing probably tightens the draw and reduces the strength of the smoke. I will test this theory when I smoke the square toro of the Olde World Corojo: If it too is wispy and placid, I will know that it's a result of the shape, not the blend.

Don't get me wrong, the RP Olde World maduro toro is a fine and enjoyable cigar. It is better than nine-tenths of the competition, and a worthy mild-to-medium smoke. If your tastes lean more to the medium than the strong, you may rate this cigar at the very top of the scale.

But I'm not a mild to medium guy. I like 'em strong and full. For now I will continue to insist that the Olde World corojo is better than the maduro, and is in fact one of the best blends in the universe.
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Camacho SLR Maduro Gigante

The Camacho SLR Maduro Gigante is a wonderful cigar with plenty of rich flavor and smoke, medium in power and verging on strong as you burn down the pole. Although called "Gigante," it is shorter than a Churchill - about 6.5 inches long and 52 ring in width.

Although full-bodied, this specimen is in no way harsh or bitter, unlike it's stubby little brother, the SLR Rothschild maduro. Also it will not knock you for quite the nicotine loop as, say, the 10th Anniversary series. The SLR is a bit more suble, more woody and leafy, less peppery.

The light was easy, the burn was fine and only one touch-up was needed -- and this only because my wife called me away to dig up some plants in the back yard. If you're a Camacho fan, you know that you can't leave one untended for more than 3 or 4 minutes. They simply burn out. An occasional relight is a small price to pay for the flavor and consistency this brand provides.

There is nothing quite like a big ol' Camacho maduro to cheer you up and get you looking on the bright side of life. From the first puff to the last stubby inch, the SLR Maduro Gigante provides excellent flavor and performance. Another winner from one of the true kingpins of powerful cigars.

Holds Its Own in a Wind Storm: Punch Magnum

Every time I grab a non-maduro cigar, I'm always afraid it will be wimpy and weak. Not so with the Punch Magnum, a fat, light brown robusto (sumatra wrapped) that lives up to its name.

All the elements were against me on the evening I smoked this: The wind was howling outside (but Cigar Jones was calling, and I had to heed) and as soon as I lit up, feeling like King Lear on a deck chair, my wife informed me that the hot water wasn't working and could I please boil some water on the stove to warm up her bath...

I said yes, always up to the challenge. Taking a few puffs on the Punch (which from the very first was full and spicy), I raced back into the kitchen, filled four pots of varying sizes with water, and set them on the burners. Then I raced back out to the deck to drag a few times on the Punch and exhale into the howling wind. The Punch was good and held its own.

From then on it was mad hectic race, emptying pots in the bathtub, filling them again, stealing back out to the deck for a Punch break, and ferrying fresh pots of hot water back to the tub, where Sally soaked languidly. I was a man on a mission, like one of those plate-spinning wretches that used to pass for entertainment on the Lawrence Welk show. Run, fill, dump, smoke. Run, fill, dump, smoke.

Key takeaway from all this: The Punch remained excellent. I look forward to smoking the other four in my humidor, and giving a proper review after sampling under prime lounge-by-the-pool conditions.

Not that I have a pool.

I do have a deck, strewn with ashes from last night's Punch magnum. And a water heater that needs to be replaced.

Thank God my humidors are full--and that my last cigarbid win included the Punch magnum 5-pack--because it looks like I won't be buying any new stogies for a long, long time.

Camacho Steamroller: 10th Anniversary 11/18

The Camacho 10th Anniversary 11/18 is a powerhouse of a cigar that is identical in flavor to its smaller sibling, the robusto (see review from 3/16/09). The only difference is, the 11/18 is much bigger and lasts 45 minutes longer. That's nearly two hours of wanton, peppery smoking pleasure that will leave you blubbering in your deck chair, ready to slither back to your humidor for a repeat.

Do eat a meal before you smoke this cigar, and go easy on the alcohol. You want to enjoy this bomber with your wits about you and your memory of the experience intact.

The burn, as with many Camachos, will need two or three touchups. On the upside, once you touch up, the flavor bursts with double power and doughy lushness before it returns to "normal" blast furnace strength.

Highly recommended.