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Ok, so I figured I ought to do a Halloween review of a cigar, and since I just got the “Drac” review done yesterday, I figured why not throw up the review of the “Boris”.  I picked up this cigar at my local retailer, with a price point of $12.99 plus tax.  The box it comes in is very plain, but a nice looking box nonetheless.  After being disappointed in the “Drac”, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this cigar.  Tatuaje’s website says this about the “Boris”:

The Boris (The Frank out of Costume) 7 x 49 Churchill – Wrapper: Sumatra Ecuador Rosado – 1,000 boxes of 10 produced

So, I don’t know if essentially this is a “Frank” with a different band, or if its a different blend. I do seem to recall the “Frank” being quite a bit larger in ring gauge and length, but I could very well be wrong about that, as I’ve never had a “Frank” first hand.  Anyhow, on to the review!

Pre-Light:  Before I lit this up, I took a good look at it.  The first thing I noticed was this particular stick was really well rolled, with very little in the way of veins or any imperfections.  I ran this cigar across my nose, and got some of that typical Tatuaje spice, with a little bit of a sweet tobacco smell on the foot.  I clipped this cigar with the ever trusty Palio, and lit it up with my Ronson Jetlite.

1/3:  As I started in on this cigar, I got a nice blast of spice, typically found in most Tatuaje’s.  This was followed immediately after with some pure tobacco flavors, along with some nice sweetness mixed in.  The smoke was incredibly thick, and billowed nicely.  As I retrohaled on this cigar, I got ALOT of the spice that I was getting on the beginning of this cigar.  Not so much spice that it was uncomfortable, but just enough!  The burn is really straight on this one at this point, despite it being a bit breezy at the house today.  The ash is a nice white/grey color, but it very flakey, and tends to want to fall every 1/2″ or so.  That doesn’t really bother me, as I have an ash tray right next to where I am sitting.  So far, I am REALLY enjoying this cigar, and it reminds me a little bit of a larger Tatuaje Black Label, just a bit.  Not every flavor I am getting is the same, but it does have some of the same nuances.

2/3:  As I continued on this cigar, not a whole lot has changed.  I am getting a little bit more of that nice straight tobacco flavor, but other than that, this cigar is staying pretty consistent.  I am ok with that, because I am really enjoying the flavors I am getting out of this cigar.  The ash is still flaking off at about the 1/2″ point every time, and the burn is staying pretty darn straight.  At this point, I am seriously wishing I had a box of these to keep around for a while longer, since these are going to be difficult to find shortly.

3/3:  At the final third, the typical Tatuaje spice came back, this time full force.  The natual tobacco flavors have seemed to diminish a bit, and I am getting mostly spice.  It was a nice change, that I wasn’t expecting.  The smoke is still coating my mouth nicely, and the finish is fairly short on this cigar.  Now I am REALLY kicking myself.  I really want a box, but I have no room in the wine-a-dor, and I have no money.  Crappy predicament to be in, for sure,  but alas, such is life.

Overall Impression:  Overall, the “Boris” is hands down one of the best cigars I have ever had the pleasure of smoking.  I am very disappointed that I didn’t buy more of these.  I recommend these highly, and enjoyed it very much.  If you haven’t had the pleasure of smoking this cigar, start running around now to try and find one or 10.

Smoke Em If You Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!
Scott

Ok, so for anyone that follows me on Twitter, or any number of the cigar forums knows that I was not happy with the way the Drac/Boris rolled out.  I had mentioned I was boycotting Tatuaje, and a few retailers, simply because of the way things had been going down, with price gouging, and a few other things.  I am writing this review, because I simply felt it necessary.  I bought 3 dracs and 3 Boris at a respective price of $12.99 for the Boris, and $14.99 for the Drac each, just because I stumbled upon them.  I started smoking the Drac with an open mind, simply because I enjoyed most Tatuaje’s, and being as limited as this cigar is, I really wanted to keep an open mind regarding this cigar.  Let’s see how it went!

Pre-Light:  The first thing I noticed was that this particular cigar that I photographed was rolled pretty well, although it felt a little soft as I ran my fingers down the length of it.  I clipped the torpedo shaped head, and took a pre-light draw.  The first thing I noticed was that it was I got a little bit of fruity taste, with a little bit of peppermint like taste on the finish.  I clipped this cigar with my trusty Palio, and lit it up with the ever so trusty, Ronson Jetlite.

1/3:  As I toasted up this cigar, and took a few puffs, the first thing I noticed was that I was getting a little bit of a blast of a candy/peppermint flavor, along with some white peppery spice.  The draw was pretty much effortless, and the smoke was billowing nicely.  The finish on this cigar was heavy, and very long.  The taste of fruity/peppermint held on to my tongue like it didn’t want to let go.  At this point, the peppermint/fruity flavor is not a bad flavor, but overall not something I enjoy usually.  As I finish up the first portion of this cigar, some of the typical Tatuaje peppery flavors were ones that I was enjoying, but this taste of fruit/peppermint on the finish was not all that great.

2/3:  As I moved on to the second portion of this cigar, the burn was starting to canoe, and I attempted to correct it.  At this point, I am not really happy with the way the burn is moving along, but as long as I am getting the nice Tatuaje peppery spice flavors, I will keep smoking.  I was still getting a consistent peppermint flavor.  The smoke was billowing really nicely, and the smoke smelled great.  The burn just would NOT correct itself, and before I got to the last portion of the cigar, I had to correct the burn 2-3 times.  One of my biggest pet peeves on any cigar is one that won’t burn at least FAIRLY straight.  This cigar didn’t burn worth a crap.  It kept wanting to canoe, and I made SURE that I lit it correctly.  At this point, I am getting frustrated with it, but I keep with it, just because I want to see if there are any changes coming.

3/3:  As I finish up this cigar, I got more of the typical Tatuaje spice, which came on stronger than the last couple sections.  The peppermint flavors and finish started to die down a bit, and I was starting to really enjoy this cigars flavors, with the diminishing of the peppermint flavors.  The smoke is billowing great, and the burn seems to have straightened itself out quite a bit.

Overall Impression:  Ok, so as many of you have noticed, I mentioned I was boycotting Tatuaje and a few retailers because of the way they handled the Drac/Boris rollout.  I am using this review to say a couple things.  As I sat here smoking this cigar, I realized one thing.  Pete did what he could to release this Limited Edition cigar, and make it fair.  I, however, did not agree with the way a number of retailers handled the release, and gouged people.  That being said, I decided I won’t be boycotting Tatuaje products, as Pete still makes great sticks that are not Limited Edition, and he has said himself that there were problems with this release, and he is working to correct it for next year.  I will be boycotting certain retailers though, that had bogus ways of “allowing” people to get the Drac/Boris.

Ok, now, since that disclaimer is over, on to the impression of this cigar.  Overall, this cigar is not one for me.  I did get some flavors that I enjoyed, and the typical Tatuaje spice was there, but the peppermint/fruity flavors were not good at all.  I have one more that I will let sit until next halloween, and we’ll see how it does next year.  This semi fresh Drac, however, was not something I will hunt out anymore of this year.

Smoke Em If you Got Em, Buy Em if You Don’t!

Scott

If you are a cigar lover, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of the collaboration of Matt Booth of Room 101 Jewelry, and Camacho Cigars.  Camacho cigars blended and rolled a line of cigars for Room 101 jewelry.  I finally was able to find a few of these at a local shop, so I had to pickup a few.  For this review, I picked up 4 of them.  My friend Nick @pepinblue on Twitter and I decided we would both smoke them, and review them side by side.  The release of this cigar was hyped up, like most new releases, and now is the time to see if the hype is lived up to!

Wrapper: Semilla 101 (Honduras)

Binder: Honduras

Filler: Honduras, Dominican Republic

Pre-Light: I handed Nick his Room 101, and I took mine.  We both pulled them out of the cellophane, and rolled the cigars in our finger tips.  We both noted that they were just about perfectly humidified.  We both noticed that the wrappers on these cigars were very thick, which made for a nice roll of the cigar.  In my cigar, there were no noticeable veins, and there was one small vein in the one Nick was smoking.  We clipped both these cigars with my Palio and lit them up with my Ronson Jetlite.

1/3:  For me, the first third was a lot of black pepper spice, with a touch of sweetness.  Nick mentioned he got a lot of spice in his cigar, especially on retrohale.  We both noted that the smoke was thick, and coated our mouths nicely, which made for a longer finish.  We both also noted that the cigar, that the cigar was very smooth.  Nick’s cigar had a little bit of an ash explosion, and wasn’t burning that great, but with some touch ups, it seemed to correct itself.  So far, I know I am enjoying the spice and smoothness in this cigar, and I get the feeling Nick is doing the same.

2/3:  On this portion of the cigar, as it started up, Nick and I both looked at each other and he said “It’s getting strong isn’t it?” At this point, all I could do is nod in agreement.  I did not want to take the cigar out of my mouth, as I was enjoying the spice, coupled with the smoothness, and the nice sweetness on the finish.  The smoke still coated my mouth, and came out in huge volumes.  As mentioned earlier, Nick’s cigar burn problems started to straighten out, and my cigar only needed one minor touch up.  Its official, as this portion of the cigar ends, we are both impressed with this cigar.

3/3:  As we finished up this cigar, any chatting we were doing has stopped.  we are both fully concentrating on the end of this cigar.  The spice has calmed down for both of us at this point, and the cigar is still incredibly smooth.  The smoke is still billowing, and for me, as I hit the end of this cigar, it wasn’t getting hot at all, and still burning great.  Nick’s smoke at this point is still burning decent, and has corrected itself nicely.

Overall Impression:  I think Nick and I have come to the same conclusion on this cigar.  We both enjoyed this cigar a lot and would not mind having a few more of these in the humidor for smoking.  The general consensus between Nick and myself was that Room 101 and Camacho cigars have hit a home run with this cigar.  I will be looking for more!

Smoke Em If You Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!

Scott

I had been hearing a lot about the Marco V cigars on Twitter, from fellow cigar bloggers, as well as Marco V himself, who is on Twitter.  All the good words about this cigar had me really wanting to try one.  I sent Marc over at Marco V cigars a note, and bought 6 cigars from him.  I bought 3 of the Brazilian Grand Reserve, and 3 of the Platinum Label Grand Reserve.  I decided the first one I would write up for my readers is the Brazilian Grand Reserve, so here we go!

Filler:
Blend of three tobaccos: Esteli, Nicaraguan Ligero – Dominicano de Olor and Piloto Cubano from the Cibao Valley, Dominican Republic

Binder:
De Olor, Dominican Republic

Wrapper:
Arapiraca, Brazilian Maduro

Pre-Light: The first thing I noticed about this cigar when I took it out of the cello was that it was hefty.  Being a 5×60 stick, it had some girth to it.  My fear was that the cigar was going to be hard to draw from being so dense and heavy.  On pre-light smell, I got a lot of nice barnyard smells, with some slight peppery smells, as well as a nice leather smell.  I clipped this bad boy with my trusty Palio, and toasted/lit it with my Ronson Jetlite.

1/3:  As I started on the first third of this cigar, I was pleasantly surprised with many aspects.  The first thing I noticed was the draw was just about perfect.  Not too tight at all like I was expecting with a cigar of this heft.  It was producing MASSIVE volumes of smoke, and was burning straight and nicely.  I was getting some very slight pepper on the finish.  The predominant flavors I was getting were nice earth flavors, with some slight sweetness along with a hint of leather.  So far, I am really enjoying this smoke, and am glad I bought a few of these!

2/3:  As I continued into the 2/3 of this cigar, I was getting a lot of the same flavors of earth and leather, with slight pepper on the finish.  The smoke was still billowing nicely and the cigar was burning great.  So far, I am impressed with the construction of this cigar.  The ash is holding on nicely, and its tasting very good.  At this point, I am enjoying every aspect of this cigar.  While its not overly complex, its definitely tasty.

3/3:  As I finished up with this cigar, it did have a small construction problem down toward the head of the cigar, and cracked a touch, and the wrapper peeled up.  Out of the 3 of these cigars, this one that I photographed was the only one to have this problem.  I am going to attribute this to operator error.  I got the leather and earth flavors with a little more pepper on the finish toward the end.  It’s just as enjoyable at this point as it has been since the beginning.

Overall Impression:  Overall, for the price ( About $6-7/stick) I would say these are worth keeping a few around for something nice to smoke.  I enjoyed the smoke, and plan on picking more up now that I am out of them.  Now I am off to find a few more of these smokes to try.

Smoke Em If You Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!

Scott

I first heard about this cigar from @caocigars on Twitter.  I was really excited about this cigar.  With a price point of between $5.00 to $7.00 depending on size, this seemed like a nice price point.  After hanging around on twitter for a while, reviews started to pop up on this cigar, and the consensus was that the La Traviata was a VERY good cigar for the money.  After a few tweets on twitter, and reading through a few reviews on different blogs, I finally broke down and had a friend pick me up a few of these so I could review a couple.  I can’t seem to find them anywhere in California, so I had to rely on friends to grab me a few.  Thanks to Tim for hooking me up with these!  You can read about Tim’s take on the La Traviata over at Stogielife.com, another great BOTL’s cigar blog!

Wrapper: Ecuadoran Habano
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan ligero and Dominican blend
Size: Radiante 6″ x 52
Price:  ~$5.95

Pre-Light:  As I took a look at this cigar before lighting, the first thing I noticed was that the wrapper was nice and oily, and had a great sheen to it.  Oily wrappers for me are usually a double edged sword.  Usually, with oily wrappers, the cigar tastes really good, but I also tend to have trouble keeping it burning straight.  As I ran this cigar across my nose, I got hints of spice, with a pure tobacco smell.  I clipped this cigar with my ever trusty Palio, and lit up with my Ronson Jetlite.

1/3: As I started in on this cigar, the first flavors I got were some nice earth tones, with a little spice on the back of the pallete.  As I continued on this first portion of the cigar, I got some nice coffee notes, with some leather.  The smoke was very creamy, and coated my mouth nicely.  The smoke billowed nicely as well.  I was also very impressed with the draw on this cigar.  It was a bit tight, but not so tight that I wasn’t enjoying it.  It allowed just the right amount of resistance.  The burn was a little bit wavy, but not so wavy that I found it necessary to take out my lighter and touch it up.

2/3:  As I continued on this cigar, I went ahead and ashed the cigar, because I really didn’t want it getting all over me.  It was a bit flaky, but at the price point, I almost expected it, so it wasn’t bothering me.  At this point, I got some more of the earthy, leather flavors, with a little spice on the finish.  The smoke is still nice and creamy, and plentiful as well.  So far, for the price point, I am certainly enjoying this cigar.

3/3: As I finished up this cigar, I got more leathery, earthy notes, with the creamy smoke, and nice spice on the finish.  I smoked this cigar down until my fingers were burning, and finally decided I needed to put it down, even if I didn’t want to.

Overall impression:  Overall, this is a really good cigar. The price point is one that cannot be ignored.  While its not the most complex cigar out there, the flavors I was getting were very very good, and the construction was outstanding.  It is my opinion that the CAO La Traviata is worthy of a box purchase.  Since smoking this review cigar, I have smoked 3 others, and they have all been just as great.  I really enjoyed this cigar, and I recommend any cigar smoker, new or seasoned, give this cigar a shot!

Smoke Em If You Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!
Scott

As many, if not all of my readers know, I am active on Twitter.  As luck would have it, so is Bryan at Cigar Spike.  I started talking to him about his product, and lo and behold, he offered to send me a few for review.  So, without further ado, here is my review for my loyal readers.

The first thing I noticed about this was that its some sort of plastic.  Before receiving it, and looking at the pictures, I expected it to be some sort of metal.  Nothing wrong with plastic, it just threw me off a bit, because I was expecting metal for some reason.  I put the Cigar Spike onto my key chain, and went to work, knowing that at lunch, I’d get the chance to test this thing out.

Lunchtime came around, and I quickly walked outside to the truck, and grabbed a cigar.  Now, this tool is straightforward, and easy to use.  I simply stuck the head of the cigar into my mouth, to get the leaf a little wet before spiking it.  I gently pushed the spike into the end of the cigar, and it worked well, with one problem.  I pushed too hard, and heard a nice *CRACK* sound.  It did manage to split the head of the cigar a little bit, but did not mend it unsmokeable.

Even with the small crack, as I smoked the cigar, I noticed that the smoke was coming to me in full mouthfuls, but a lot cooler than when I use my Palio to cut the cigar.  Another thing I noticed with the use of this particular tool, is that I was getting a little bit of tar buildup at the head.  Not too big of a deal, but not something I am used to with a good old fashioned cut.

Overall, with a little practice, the Cigar Spike can be a very useful tool, that will yield mouthfuls of cool smoke.  Its a nice, light item to keep on a key chain, and contrary to my first impression, I have yet to stab myself in the leg with it.  I can’t see this replacing my trusty Palio for every day use, but for a change of pace once in a while, the Cigar Spike definitely has its place.  At a price of $2.99 for 3 of them shipped, they are certainly affordable.   You can check out more info on the Cigar Spike at www.Cigarspike.com.

Smoke Em If You Got Em, Buy Em If You Don’t!

Scott