Life Goes On

As always, I do things differently than most other reviewers. My top 15 of 2013 list is comprised of the top cigars smoked for the first time in the past year, not released. So don't be surprised if something older made the list. Every one of the cigars listed here are fantastic smokes and recommend that everyone give them a try! #1 Cigar 2013 1502 Ruby #2 Rodrigo La Fortaleza Absoluto #3 Ezra Zion Eminece #4 Sam Leccia Black #5 Ezra Zion Tantrum Prensado Pequeno #6 Rodrigo La Fortzleza #7 1502 Black Gold #8 AKA Nth Degree #9 1502 Emerald #10 Herederos De Robaina #11 AKA Respect 2013 # 12 Cuban Stock Chubby #13 Sam Leccia White #14 Emilio Cigars Draig K #15 Man O' War Maduro

I'll sum this cigar up right here, then tell you about the rest as we go, this cigar was delicious! Quick Details Cigar Size: 4.4 x 44 Origin: Nicaragua Wrapper:  Vintage Nicaraguan 99 Corojo Rosado Binder: Nicaraguan 98 Criollo Filler: 5 to 7 year aged Nicaraguan Lligero Construction of the Tantrum was superb. Feeling down the body, it was firm, in fact very firm, with no soft areas. The maduro colored wrapper contained only the finest of veins and was rolled on with nearly invisible seams. Cold aromas from the body and foot were that of toasted tobacco and once the end was clipped the free cold draw had the same rich flavor notes.  I toasted the foot with the first match and then lit it up with the second. The first two draws had a good dose of full bodied bold black pepper but it quickly left and never came back as the strength settled down into the medium range. What I found most interesting about this cigar was that I couldn't pin down a flavor in the f

Since the Sam Leccia Black with dark fire cured tobacco is one of my favorite cigars this year, it's about time that I gave the white a shot too. The buzz going around told me that the Sam Leccia White was much stronger than the black and it also contained a fair amount of pepper in the flavor mix. I am not that fond of pepper so hearing that made me a bit apprehensive to try the white. But once again, I should have know better and smoked the white long ago since this cigar is far from being a pepper bomb. Read on and you will find out what I think of this cigar. Quick Details Cigar Size: 5  x 50 Robusto Wrapper:  African sun grown Cameroon Binder: Ecuadorian Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero, Dominican and Pennsylvanian seco Cutting Method: Vertigo guillotine Paired with: Diet Pepsi Price: $7.99 purchased at Cigar Train Overall this was a great cigar with a semi-complex flavor profile of brown sugar, molasses, earth, tobacco and nuts. It had a nice burn and the ash held on

Several weeks ago Kyle Hoover from the Ezra Zion Cigar Company asked  me to review some of their products. I have wanted to try out the Ezra Zion line for some time so I gladly accepted the offer. When the cigars first arrived I was impressed by their appearance. The black and silver double band really stood out against the dark maduro wrapper. Looking at the cigar through the cellophane it was also apparent that the construction of this cigar was top-of-the-line. After letting the cigars acclimate in my humidor for a couple of weeks it's time to give the first stick a go. Quick Details Cigar Size: 5 1/4 x 50 Wrapper:  Mexican San Andres Maduro Binder: Double, Cuban Seed Nicaraguan Filler: Grade AA Nicaraguan Tobaccos Aged 5 to 7 Years Price: $11.50 - Sample provided by Ezra Zion Cigar Company After removing the cigar from the cellophane wrapper the high quality construction really showed itself. Visually inspecting the cigar, the Mexican San Andres maduro wrapper w

When my new humidors arrived they worked perfectly except the stock foam filled rectangle humidifiers. The stock models came with stick on magnetic plates that stuck well to the humidifier, but would not stay attached to the Spanish cedar lined interior of the lid for more than ten minutes. This problem sent me on a mission to find a replacement that would not only stay attached to the lid, but one that was filled with beads or gel instead of foam. After several hours of research I decided upon the  Cigar Mechanic  rectangle humidifier that use bi-directional Nano-Beads. The bi-directional humidifier in theory will absorb excess humidity or release moisture as needed to keep the humidity level constant. Quick details: Dimensions: 6 1/2" L x 3 1/2" W x 5/8" H Durable Polystyrene Molded Plastic Stainless Steel Screen Filled with 40 grams of Humidity Beads Tape & Velcro for Easy Attachment Price: $16.99 - $20.99 Once the Cigar Mechanic rectangle humidif

The other night during my weekly visit to Cigar Train , my favorite local cigar store, Brian gave me a sample cigar that he picked up at IPCPR show this year. The cigar just happened to be a Rodrigo La Fortaleza Absoluto. I told Brian that I would make a post about it then next day, thanked him, paid for my other sticks and headed for home. It's rare for me to review a cigar while driving, however, with the first draw from this stick I knew that I had to write a review. Since this review was done while driving I didn't do many of the things that are normally done during my review process, but the vital information is all here. Quick Details Cigar Size: 5 1/8 x 43 Origin:  Dominican Republic Wrapper:  Dominican Oscuro Binder:Dominican Republic Filler: Dominican Republic Price: $5.40 You can see in the picture that the Rodrigo La Fortaleza Absoluto has a very nice wrapper with very small veins and top of the line construction. I had clipped the end while in the store a

Back at the end of February 2012, Cuban Stock Cigars approached me about reviewing their line of cigars. Of course I accepted the challenge by first reviewing their Exqisto Limitado and Royal Selection blends, which by the way are top shelf cigars. So here we are on the third blend from their line-up the Cuban Stock Extra. The Cuban Stock factory was established in 1995 and it is located in the Dominican Republic. Cuban Stock Cigars was originally known as Crown David Cigars. They now use the DBA Cuban Stock Cigar Company for better name recognition for their first cigar the “Cuban Stock”. According to Cuban Stock Cigars the Cuban Stock Extra is manufactured using tobaccos grown only in the Dominican Republic from Cuban seeds and “the tobacco is aged for many years in oak wine barrels.” Since I am a huge fan of the first two blends I reviewed, I am anxious to light up this Cuban Stock Extra. Quick Details Cigar Size: 6.25 x 52 Origin: Dominican Republic Wrapper:  Domini

One of my favorite things to do when time allows is pair my favorite cigars with my favorite coffees to see how they change the flavor profiles. Sometimes the pairing will change the flavor nuance of the cigar, sometimes the coffee and sometimes both. When I'm reviewing cigars, diet Pepsi is my drink of choice. By using the same beverage for most cigars the flavor shifts remain constant. For this pairing I picked one of my favorite cigars, the  Sam Leccia Black  and favorite coffees Milton Made Sumatra Mandheling. From the first draw and sip this pairing caught me a bit by surprise. The Sumatra Mandheling when sipped alone had nice mocha flavor notes throughout, but when paired with the Black, it brought out very noticeable notes of toast from the coffee, while at the same time changing the flavor profile of the Black a touch. Over the past few months I have smoked several of the Blacks and it seems one thing is constant, the flavor from the dark fire leaf increases