Tag Archives: Churchill

Jan 18 2013

Cigar Review: Nicarao Seleccion

Vitola:

I’m not sure what to expect of this particular stick, simply because I’ve never heard of it before. After all, I am still an amateur. I have here with me the Nicarao Seleccion, supposedly a very underrated cigar. From what I’ve read, it has a connecticut oscuro wrapper of Cuban seed (which is an extensively aged connecticut that has taken on a darker hue), which I find to be quite appealing. I’ve had one other connecticut oscuro, and it was the phenomenal Gurkha Black Beauty, a delicious cousin of the Beauty (which I had reviewed just yesterday in fact). Anyway, back to the cigar of the evening. Its dimensions are eight inches by a 49 or 50 ring gauge, a churchill, and the wrapper gives me high hopes. Let’s get this guy cut and toasted.

First Third:

Punch cut again. Right from the first puff, no starting bitterness. Begins very smoothly. Sweet tobacco, leather, and nuts in the bouquet. Slightly bitter on the palate. After a little bit, I’m about three-quarters of an inch in. Now I’m starting to get a little bit of smooth cream, which I wasn’t really expecting from a connecticut oscuro. Nice touch.

I’ve smoked about an inch and three-quarters down at this point. The flavors are very smooth and the smoke is nice and thick, but surprisingly light on the nostrils. Once in a while you’ll find that certain cigars do not give you that intense burn in your nose when you take a whiff at the wrong time. Even smelling fairly concentrated smoke doesn’t cause that bad of a burn. This is one of those cigars. I’ll be smelling a lot more of this smoke. It’s terrible for my health, but this should be a very nice smoke session.

It’s a fairly quiet night. I can hear the crackle of my cigar every time I puff. It’s a comforting feeling.

Second Third:

A very interesting change in the flavor profile upon entering the second third. The introduction of coffee. It’s very light and creamy, not like espresso or java.

How very odd… Now all the tastes are suddenly gone. I’ve taken about seven or eight puffs, but still nothing. Just a little bit of sweet tobacco in the nose and bitterness on the palate. Very strange. Hopefully the flavor will be coming back soon.

This is very odd. Ten more puffs and still nothing. The burn is pretty even and the draw is good, but the flavor just isn’t there.

An entire two inches, and I am still sensing nothing. I am starting to think that this particular stick may be a dud.

Geez, finally. I’m starting to taste a little bit of cream again. Now the coffee, and now a little hint of vanilla. A welcome apology. For others’ sakes I just hope mine was just a bad egg. Unfortunately, I’m almost done with the second third, and this stick better take it up a notch to impress me.

Final Third:

Now I am thoroughly confused. I don’t know if my nose is screwed up, but upon double, triple, and quadruple checking, I must confirm that there is a certain…sour tartness? in the aroma? It’s a very odd but strangely appealing scent. I’m still trying very hard to identify it. I think it’s the most similar to the sort of cinnamony, citrusy scent of dry, whole cloves. I will also venture to say that the scent is sort of doughy as at the same time. It’s a far-fetched comparison, but it’s the closest I can get. I am enjoying this scent immensely and it’s really sparking my curiosity. Of course (though highly unlikely), I haven’t completely ruled out the possibility that I’ve been catching secondhand marijuana smoke from downstairs and I’m just imagining things.

Surely enough, the strange myriad of aromas is still present and the one-half mark of the final third. The finish has gotten a little toasty as well. The flavors are the same, but something about the finish is a little more substantial. So that you, the reader, could imagine this sensation, I will recap one more time: I smell a little bit of cream, coffee, vanilla bean, and that mildly-sour-cinnamony-citrusy-bready-clove scent. On the palate, I taste what is clearly nuts and a dash of pepper. The finish lingers on a little and finishes off toasty. The palate is otherwise very clean.

This is indeed a very odd combination and I think I should get my nose checked. But what counts is that I am enjoying this scent very much. Alas, time has run out, and I must put this down before I burn myself.

Verdict:

I honestly don’t know what to think of this cigar. Nevertheless, here I go.

1. I should get my nose checked.

2. The construction was pretty good and the burn was fairly even and self-correcting when necessary.

3. WTF in regards to the complete absence of flavor in the majority of the second third.

4. Another huge WTF in regards to the flavor that defies classification in the final third, though I thoroughly enjoyed it.

In conclusion, this was a very strange smoking session. I don’t know how good of a review this will make, but nevertheless this is what I smelled and tasted. I’m pretty good about picking flavors out accurately, but now I’m starting to doubt myself. The mystery flavor smelled nice, but I don’t know if it’s supposed to be there (or if it even WAS there for that matter). Hence I do not know if I would recommend this cigar to another person, since I am pretty convinced that my cigar was a mistake. But all that aside, this smoking session wasn’t all that bad, minus the flavor taking a short-notice vacation in the second third. If you even get a chance to smoke this cigar, any corrective, enlightening comments are welcome.

Total Smoking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Jan 15 2013

Cigar Review: Genesis: The Project by Ramon Bueso

Vitola:

Genesis: The Project. A small batch of super-premiums rolled in the Honduras. I have here with me a 6.5 x 50ish stick. It is very dark, definitely an oscuro wrapper. It is very smooth and shows no blemishes whatsoever. Hopefully this cigar is as oily as they say it is. It is packed a little on the tighter end, but we will see if the draw will be alright with a punch cut.

First Third:

A simple punch cut will do. The draw is good, so no need for a guillotine cut. The smoke output is fairly good. The smoke itself isn’t too thick, but it is heavy. It leaves me with a set of pleasantly scorched nostrils. As for the smell, it is fairly light and a little difficult to discern, but upon smoking a little longer I can tell that it’s the aroma of espresso beans. Hopefully, the flavor will become richer as we move on. There is a tiny bit of cream in the scent too, and it complements the coffee notes very well.

About an inch and a half into the stick I just got a huge whiff of coffee and cream. It is very pronounced and frankly I was a little surprised. The taste on the palate is very, very subtle — the simple bitterness and nutty taste of the aged tobacco.

The burn is a little uneven, but again, I think it may be my fault for not rolling the cigar onto its other side. However, this is a very oily, slow-burning wrapper and I will have some faith in the roller and allow the cigar a chance to correct itself. There is no sheen of the oil on the lip of the burning end, but it may be due to the cold. But the taste and burn speed of the cigar tell me that the wrapper is in fact very oily.

The burn is correcting itself nicely. The flavor profile has not changed much from the bold coffee notes, save for a fleeting savoriness that comes and goes.

Second Third:

The second third kicks off with a very distinct spike in creaminess. There is also a pronounced nuttiness in both the bouquet and on the palate.

The savoriness seems to have picked up, but so has the wind, unfortunately. It pains me to think that a warm, summer night would have given me the chance to enjoy the flavors at their peak. The coffee notes are very bold though, and luckily even the wind is having a hard time keeping it from me. Oh and I should also mention that the burn has corrected itself completely.

Final Third:

The final third starts off with a kick of spice and bitterness (and thankfully the wind is taking a break). The cream is pretty much gone at this point. The aromas and taste combine to form sort of a spiced coffee and dark chocolate feeling. Very nice. But I feel like there is a flavor profile I am not able to identify yet on my palate. It’s sort of a lingering nuttiness and bitterness that isn’t just a simple combination of the two. This must be the flavor profile of nutmeg, as the smoker is supposed to taste a whole lot of it. Also very nice. Though the taste is slightly bitter, it isn’t the sickening and lingering bitterness of cheap tobacco. It has a distinctive bite and smooth finish and it is definitely meant to be there.

The predominant aroma is a very interesting one. It is a mellow sweetness (from the dark tobacco) which kicks off with the bite of spice (probably nutmeg or cloves). The spice dies almost instantly and the sweetness finishes off with a distinctive bitterness on the palate which also in turn tapers off nicely, leaving me with a nuttiness on the palate. These are all flavors I have experienced before, but not in this particular combination and order. Quite a new thrill. It’s also a challenge for me to pick up the scents and flavors, and it’s a nice reminder of the long way I’ve come and the many cigars I’ve smoked to arrive at this level of experience.

At this point I’ve got about two and a half inches to smoke on this stick. The flavor has changed significantly as well. The smell is now predominantly of coffee and a very subtle saccharine breadiness (I think). My palate is overrun by a myriad of spices and the bitterness of coffee beans. From what I’ve experienced so far this is a very complex cigar. I am again pleasantly surprised. Also, though this may or may not have been intended, the mellow heat of the nub is giving me a very toasty finish as if I’ve literally had a sip of espresso. It adds very nicely to the nicotine rush. Excellent.

The smell of coffee and spice is very distinct now. The palate is still very pleasantly bitter. The smoke is still very rich and oily, full of flavor. I’m still smoking with an inch and a half left, but the heat is still not bothering me, thanks to the cold, I suppose.

Now the flavor is predominantly coffee, nuts, and spice. The bitterness has toned down. Seems like we’re coming in for a smooth landing.

Verdict:

Wow. Very nice cigar. Definitely super-premium. This is a degree of complexity I’ve never experienced before. I was typing almost nonstop about this session as you can see (save for the flavors lost in the second third due to the damn wind). Any experienced smoker would enjoy this stick immensely, as the flavor combinations are bold, complex, and very oily. I feel like the spice on the palate would really bring out the flavors in a nice glass of scotch. Excellent smoke. Whoever is reading this, do yourself a favor and grab a stick.

Total Smoking Time: 1 hour 6 minutes

Jan 10 2013

Cigar Review: Black Crown

Vitola:

I have here with me a Black Crown Churchill. At 7 x 49, it’s a little smaller than the churchills I am used to smoking, but I have been meaning to smoke this one for a while. Very nice toothy Honduran habano wrapper. No obstructions in the cigar which are visible at this point.

First Third:

For this cigar I’ve made a punch cut. For cigars of larger gauges (which have rounded caps, of course) I like to make punch cuts. They’re much cleaner, meaning less tobacco pieces flying down your esophagus, and good puffs without putting the entire cigar in your mouth. I also like a little bit of resistance in my draws, and a punch cut usually gets the job done. Just some food for thought. Anyway, time to light up.

Right from the first puff, light coffee and cream in the scent. Some subtle woody cedar on the palate with a toasty finish (I’m usually reluctant to use this term as it is ambiguous and very hard to explain, but as of now there is a unique roasted aftertaste that aptly fits this description). Very nice.

There is a little bit of an unevenness in the burn, and it requires a minor fix.

Second Third:

The second third is not quite as creamy anymore, although the sweetness of the tobacco is still present for the most part. There is also another kind of sweetness—sort of a grainy, nutra-sweetness that you get from bread. I am very fond of this doughy scent and it reminds me of the Gurkha Legend and its cousin, the Gurkha Legend Vintage. Makes for a very nice complement to the coffee notes.

Upon entering the middle of the second third, a savoriness makes its presence known, and every puff ends with a slightly salty, savory finish. I am also very fond of this flavor as well, probably more so than the aforementioned breadiness. Though the scent is on the fuller side, the palate is still left relatively clean, save for the subtle notes of cedar. This savory flavor reminds me of the Partagas 1845 or even a lesser Liga Privada T52, which I will be reviewing later.

Final Third:

The flavor picks up in the final third, and I am mainly picking up the savoriness of meat, and light notes of roasted coffee beans.

Unfortunately, the burn has been a constant problem for me, and I think it is because only one side is properly seasoned. I do like to have the labels facing up in my humidor, so I can imagine that the less exposed sides are seasoned less, causing them to dry out and burn faster than normal. For all the smokers out there, perhaps it might not be a bad idea to turn your cigars once in a while so they can season well on all sides.

The meat is more pronounced now and the flavor is very savory. A very slight peppery bitterness has taken its place on the palate along with the wood, complementing the savoriness very well. I also daresay I’m picking up a very light vanilla scent, although I don’t find it to be very common in unflavored cigars. After a double take, a triple take, and confirmation from my compatriot Kyle, I can say with confidence that I was picking up hints of vanilla bean.

The flavor is dying down now, and the palate is clearing up as well. My last puff has a fleeting savoriness and a lingering woody, sweet scent.

Verdict:

This was an excellent smoke. The flavor profiles of the thirds were almost like those of a three-course meal: a toasty appetizer, a meaty entrée, and a vanilla-sweet dessert (though I must stress that the flavors were very subtle). If it weren’t for the uneven burn (which is to no fault of the roller, but actually mine) this would have been a very pleasurable smoking experience. I just wish I had taken the time to season this cigar properly. Otherwise, very tasty and complex flavors, excellent construction, and overall a very nice smoke.

Total Smoking Time: 1 hour 6 minutes