Ok, so I thought this review would be up sooner, rather than later, but its here now, and I guess thats all that matters. I thought I would put this up for my readers to digest over the weekend. I am leaving tomorrow for a trip up to Northern California to visit friends and family, and I wanted to get one more review in before I left. Here we go!
Pre Light: As I ran this cigar across my nose, I got a lot of the same hints of cedar and wood that I got with the Corona size of this cigar. I got a bit more spice out of this one on the pre light than I did with the corona size. I have no doubts at this point, that this one will be as good, if not better than the corona size.
1/3: As I started on this cigar, It was very familiar to me. The basic tones of this cigar were just about the same as the corona size, with the one difference being that I got a bit more spice out of it on retrohale. The nutty and almond flavors were pronounced nicely in this cigar as well. The smoke is billowing great, and the ash looks to be a bit flaky but is holding strong at this point. As with the corona, I am really enjoying the flavors of this cigar as well!
2/3: As I continued this cigar, I got a lot of earthy and leathery flavors, and the nutty flavors faded into the background. The ash was holding really nicely, and the burn was perfect. The smoke was billowing really nicely. I loved it! I was really enjoying the smoke at this point.
3/3: As I finished up this one, the spice came back full force, especially on retrohale. I was still getting a lot of earthy and leather flavors out of this one. All in all, the ash is nice and firm, and the smoke continued to billow nicely out of this smoke. I really really enjoyed this smoke.
Overall Impression: Overall, the flavors I got out of this cigar were very similar to the corona size, with the exception of a bit more spice. I really enjoyed this cigar as well. I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t want to put it down. I usually do these reviews on my lunch break, and my lunch break is only an hour long. Well, the lunch break that I took for this cigar was almost an hour and a half. Needless to say, my boss was a bit upset when I got back to work, but it was worth it! This is a good smoke, and if you need a decent inexpensive stick, check out Leaf and Ale and reach for those Regalo House brand smokes!
Smoke em if you got em, buy em if you don’t!
Scott
So it seems as if most people in the cigar blog world have a day when they
decide to do a quickie review of a certain smoke. I decided I’d join in the fun, so for today, my first “Quick Smoke” review is of the Esteban Carreras Habano Maduro.
The first thing I noticed about this smoke is that it was very oily, and very rich looking. As I lit up, I got lots of earthy tones, with some spice, and a touch of sweetness. The flavors were consistent through the entire smoke, and I enjoyed them very much so. The cigar itself is one I would classify as medium-full bodied. This is not an overly complex cigar, but if you are looking for something that you can smoke, enjoy and not have to pay too much attention to, then the Esteban Carreras Habano Maduro is one definitely worth looking into.
Smoke em if you got em, buy em if you don’t!
Scott
This cigar is one I have had my fair share of, but realized I don’t think I’ve ever formally reviewed. I decided what better place to review it, than here on Cigar Choice for my loyal readers.
Pre- Light: Upon pre-light, the first thing I noticed was that this was one of the few cigars I’ve had that actually had two bands on it. One was on the foot, and the other was in the traditional spot, about 2/3 up the length of the cigar. The bands are very artistic and very nice looking! I cut this one with my ever trusty Palio, and lit it up with a nice Ronson Jetlite that I borrowed from a friend of mine, while my trusty Lotus is in the shop. As a sidenote, I forgot how great these little lighters are! Well, now that that’s over, lets get on to the cigar!
1/3: As I toasted up the foot, I got a nice aroma of cedar and spice, with a slight earthy tone to it. The first few puffs unveiled a nice nutty flavor, with earthy undertones. As I retrohaled through my nose, I got a slight hint of the spice that I could smell from the smoke. So far, all the flavors I am getting are very enjoyable. The burn is pretty even, and the ash seems to be holding very solid. The smoke is billowing, although the draw is a bit tighter than I like. So far, this is a good smoke, but nothing really to write home about. It’s really just a good solid tasting smoke, that just about any cigar smoker can enjoy.
2/3: As I continued on this cigar, the first thing I noticed was that the draw loosened itself up quite a bit, and the ash is still holding strong on this cigar. If there is one thing I like about cigars, it’s seeing how long the ash will hold on until falling to the ground. In this respect, this cigar did not dissapoint. 2/3 of the way in, and the ash is still holding strong. The flavor is still constant with a nutty flavor, with earthy and slight spice undertone, and not much has changed there. The smoke is billowing nicely, and tastes great. One thing I love about most cigars is that they let you have a nice mouthful of great smoke with every puff. Something about that just really makes me a happy camper!
3/3: As I finished this up, not much is changing. The ash dropped off shortly after the 2/3 portion was over, but I half expected it, and got lucky. It didn’t drop all over my nice work clothes! The smoke is still billowing, and the flavors are still good, but there is nothing earthshattering about the complexity. So far, enjoyable.
Overall Impression: As I put this cigar down, I continued to be impressed with the construction of this cigar. The burn was perfect, and the ash held firm for good lengths of time. Overall, this is a good solid cigar. I haven’t bought many of them, but I recall them being a $6.00-$7.00 price point for this stick here in CA, where everything is overpriced. I would say its worth the price of admission, if you like solid, nice flavors, and consistency. Very nice smoke for my lunch break!
Smoke Em If you Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!
Scott
As some of my readers may know, Leaf and Ale is one of my favorite online retailers. What some of you may not know is that Mike, the owner of Leaf and Ale, has cigars rolled specifically for his shop. The Regalo cigar is blended and rolled by Eddy Fontana of Zarzuela cigars for Leaf and Ale. I got my hands on a couple of the corona size, and a couple of the Extra Toro size. I have smoked both of the corona size cigars, and here is my review of them.
Pre- Light: My “trusty” Lotus 21 dual flame lighter decided it wanted to take a crap, but luckily, I had some back up matches to use. As I ran this cigar across my nose, I got strong nuts and leather smells. I had a feeling I was going to enjoy this one! I cut it with my trusty Palio, and lit it with my “backup” matches. As I toasted the foot, I got more of the the leather and nutty smells, as I smelled the smoke coming from the tip.
1/3: As I started to puff on this one, the first few puffs were STRONG nutty flavors, almost like an almond flavor. Upon retrohaling this cigar, I got a tiny bit of spice coming through. There was also just a hint of sweetness on the pallette as I exhaled back through my mouth. So far, the first portion of this cigar does not dissapoint. The first one of these I had burned straight as an arrow. This second one, which is the one you see in the pictures, is not burning perfectly, but I am going to attribute that to the fact that the wind was blowing pretty good, and as usual, I was smoking outside. So far, I am really enjoying the flavors I am getting out of this cigar!
2/3: As I continued on this cigar, the nutty almond flavor faded a bit into the background, and I got a bit more of a leathery and earthy flavor. The burn is starting to straighten itself out a little bit, and the smoke is still billowing. The ash is pretty solid on this smoke, and I really was impressed with the construction on this cigar. So far, this cigar is is defenitly something I could see myself buying a few boxes of to smoke on a regular basis.
3/3: As I finished up this smoke, I got more of the leathery and earthy flavors that I was enjoying, and the almond flavor seemed to fade a bit into the background. The burn has straightened itself out at this point, and the ash is pretty straight, solid and thick. All in all, the flavors on this last third are similar to the other portions of the cigar, but thats ok, because I like them!
Overall Impression: Overall, this cigar was VERY enjoyable. I found it to be a solid medium smoke. Not too powerful, but not too mild either. Great smoke. This is definetly a cigar that I think I would try again in a heartbeat. I urge anyone that orders from Leaf and Ale, to at least pick up the sampler of Regalo sticks to give them a shot. If you have never ordered from Leaf and Ale, its never too late, and he’s got some great prices on some great sticks!
Smoke em if you got em, buy em if you don’t!
Scott
Wrapper: Connecticut Shade
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Pre-Light: As I took this cigar out of the cellophane, the first thing I noticed was how incredibly light the wrapper was. I don’t smoke many Connecticut wrapped cigars, so I knew I was in for something a little different when I pulled this one out of the humidor. Diamond Crown’s name is synonymous with luxury, and a high end cigar smoking experience. I guess its time to see if the name lives up to the expectations! I cut this cigar with my Palio cutter, and lit it up with my Lotus 21 dual flame lighter, which, by now, most of you should know, is my go to stuff when it comes to lighting and cutting a cigar. Let’s get on to the important part of the cigar!
1/3: As I started in on this cigar, the first thing I noticed was that the ash had a slight flaky feeling to it. It wasn’t as solid as most cigars, which concerned me just a little bit, but not enough to stop me from enjoying the flavors. Upon the first few puffs, I was getting some nice mellow spiciness, followed by a hint of sweetness. The smoke was billowing nicely, and the draw was pretty decent on this stick.
2/3: The spiciness has now mellowed out a bit, and the ash is still being flaky, but its nothing I can’t deal with. The burn is fairly straight, which is saying a lot, since its windy outside where I am smoking this one! The tastes remain about the same. The spiciness calms down a little bit, and the sweetness takes over for a few minutes, but both flavors are both still there, and I can definetly taste them both. So far, an enjoyable smoke!
3/3: As I finished up this cigar, the spice came back full force, and the sweetness faded away into the background. The burn at this point is still fairly straight, even given the windy conditions, and the smoke is still billowing nicely, with a nice draw coming from the cigar. I put this one down with about ½” left on it, simply because I didn’t want to burn myself.
Overall Impression: I enjoyed this cigar, but I don’t know if I would ever buy one, or a box, given the price point. With the name of Diamond Crown on the box, you know its expensive. The Diamond Crown website flaunts that its aged for 5 years, made with various tobaccos, but in all honesty, I was fairly underwhelmed with this cigar. There were a couple of different flavors there, but for what I know this cigar costs, it should be a lot more flavorful, and a lot more complex. As far as strength goes, I give this a 9 out of 20. It was really mild, but well built. As far as complexity, I would have to give this probably a 5 or 6 out of 20. There was no complexity in this cigar. The only thing complex about it was the fact that I managed to get more than one flavor out of it. It just wasn’t a “WOW” cigar. I don’t think I’ll be running out to buy a box anytime soon, but I wouldn’t turn one down either, if given one.
Smoke em if you got em, buy em if you don’t!
Scott
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Size: 7×48
Pre-Light: I pulled this cigar out of its cellophane, and ran it across my nose. I got some notes of deep chocolate, with earthy and leathery smells as well. The first thing I noticed after taking it out of the cellophane was how dark and oily this cigar was. I proceeded to clip the cigar with my ever trusty Palio and took a pre-light draw, just for the fun of it. On the draw, I got more of the chocolate and earthy notes that I was detecting in the smell. I have had this cigar before, so I knew I was in for a treat!
1/3: As I lit up, the first thing I noticed was that the draw was GREAT! I was getting a lot of billowing smoke, light gray in color. I got a huge smack to the mouth of chocolate and leather flavors, along with a little bit of spice on retrohale. The ash is holding firm, and the oils are shining on this cigar as it burns. So far, this cigar is very enjoyable!
2/3: As I continued on this cigar, some of the leathery notes came to the forefront. I was still getting some great billowing smoke, and the ash is holding strong. This cigar is obviously well constructed. The draw is still outstanding, and the smoke is still billowing nicely. As I got toward the end of this portion, for some reason, the leathery and earthy notes calmed down, and the spiciness made itself more apparent. As I finished off the 2/3 portion of the cigar, I am reminded of the last time I had one of these smokes, and I really enjoyed it. These are just consistently GOOD smokes.
3/3: As I finished up on this cigar, I am still getting a ton of great chocolate flavors, with the spiciness and earthy leather flavors with lots of billowing smoke. The ash is still solid when it falls to the ground, and the cigar never gets hot on the draw, all the way until my fingers burnt. I absolutely nubbed this cigar, and forgot how much I enjoyed these smokes.
Overall Impression: Overall, I really enjoyed this cigar. I would this as a medium-full stick. I enjoyed just about every second of this cigar. As far as strength, I found it to be closer to the medium range rather than full. It wasn’t really strong, or overpowering, but it sure was tasty!
Smoke em if you got em, buy em if you don’t!
Scott
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Size 5.5×52
Shape: Belicoso
I pulled this cigar out of the cellophane, and cut it with my ever trusty Palio cutter with the original finish. I keep this cutter, and my Lotus 21 dual flame lighter in my pocket at all times, and they have been the most trusty cigar tools I have ever owned. I did not have a beverage accompanying me with this cigar, since this was my first Bauza cigar, and I wanted to taste the entire cigar, and not have a beverage skew my perception of it.
Pre-Light: As I took this cigar out of the cello and inspected it, the first thing I noticed was that there were virtually no veins in the wrapper. The cigar appeared to be well constructed, although the band was a bit loose on the cigar, and came off a bit too easily. When I took the band off, I noticed there was a rip in the wrapper of the cigar that was hidden by the band. At first this concerned me, but as it turned out, it did not affect the burn or the taste of the cigar once I got down to where the rip was. As I smelled the cigar, I got hints of leather, cedar and a slight hint of tangy citrus. At this point, I was intrigued by this cigar, as I don’t get many cigars with a hint of citrus in the pre-light smell.
1/3: As I lit up this cigar, the first thing that hit me was the citrus that I was smelling upon pre-light. It was very tangy, and I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like that. With nothing to drink, it was giving me a bit of dry mouth. As I continued on this cigar, I was finding myself enjoying it very much. As I said earlier, I’d never had a Bauza cigar before this one. I was getting some nice leathery spice with some wood undertones to it. The ash was holding strong, and the burn line was perfectly straight. The draw was PERFECT as well. So far, I am pleasantly surprised.
2/3: As I continued on this cigar, the ash dropped off at this point. When it dropped, and hit the ground, the first thing I noticed was that the ash stayed in tact. This is the sign of a well built cigar. I am still enjoying this cigar. The tangy flavor remained on the forefront, but the other flavors of leather and wood were still there as well. The burn is still perfectly even, and the smoke is billowing nicely. The draw on this cigar is still very nice, with no plug areas so far. I am really surprised by this one!
3/3: As I finished up on this cigar, not much has changed, but that’s ok because I am enjoying the flavors very much. The tangy citrus flavor is still on the forefront, with the wood and leather flavors in the background. The ash dropped off once again, but solidly, indicating that this cigar is very well constructed. The smoke is still nice and billowing, and the draw is still holding strong. I am enjoying this cigar quite a bit at this point!
Overall Impression: Overall rating on this cigar is definitely something I would smoke again, but given the price point, I don’t necessarily know that I’d make a box purchase. I would rate this a mild-medium cigar. It was a very nice, high quality cigar, with a lot of unique flavors that I really enjoyed.
Smoke em if you got em, buy em if you don’t!
Scott
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