Quick Smoke: Tatuaje Havana VI Angeles & Glenlivet 12 Year

As some of you may know, I caught a cold late last week. It made for a very unpleasant weekend. Well, I'm all better now! Last night was a rainy one here is Southern California, but I still managed to make room for a fine cigar and a few fingers of my first single malt scotch. The Tatuaje line is quickly becoming one of my go to smokes. I've been smoking many of the Havana VI vitolas lately. It seems to fit my flavor profile very well. The Angeles (petite corona) size offers very balanced notes of pepper, earth and wood. Through the nose the spice is medium in strength and smooth on the palette. The ash was long and white, and burned evenly. The aroma coming off of the cigar as very pleasant. Overall it was a very nice smoke that I think would benefit from some age.

As for the Glenlivet 12 Year, this was the first time I had tried the Glenlivet brand. I was at my local store picking up a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label, but they were out of stock. So I saw the Glenlivet 12 for a decent price and decided to give it a shot. I'm no whiskey expert, but I did enjoy it. I tried it with a splash of water, and decided I enjoyed it more with a few ice cubes. Nice notes of sweet smokey wood, with a sharp finish. I still enjoy my Johnnie Walker Black, but I normally add a touch of diet coke to that. I think I will keep both on hand for different occasions.

Hopefully I can get a full cigar review up by this weekend. I'm still working 2 jobs so it's very tough to post on a weekly basis, but I will do my best. Thanks for reading. Comment love is always appreciated!

Cigar Review: Tex Cigars House Brand

Cigar review time! Once again, this cigar comes courtesy of my good buddies over at Tex Cigars. Next time you need some cigars, check their site, they have some damn good prices.

The Story:

Not much is known about this cigar. The only information I was given was that it is made by PIO and will soon be Tex Cigars house brand with a price point from $3 to $4. I was lucky enough to smoke 2 of the Toro size (6 X 50) for this review. I am told the blend is from Nicaragua and the Dominican, and the wrapper is an Equadorian Criollo. Sounds like the makings for a nice smoke.

Construction/Pre-light:

The wrapper looked very rough with several veins, and the stogie was a little light for its size. I am told these are a few months from the factory, so they may be a little fresh. The pre-light draw was easy with slight resistance. Not too free, but not tight or plugged. The flavors I got from the pre-light draw was a slight spice on my lips and a nice woodsy/sweet flavor on my palette.

Flavors:

The flavors on this 6X50 Toro were consistent and pleasing. The smoke started with a nice woodsy flavor up front with a very subtle amount of spice. It produces lots of thick white smoke. After a few minutes the slight spice fades and a sweet carmel flavor shines through. This sweetness is more noticeable in the finish and stays on your tongue for sometime. My taste buds really enjoy this sensation. I found this cigar to be a solid medium bodied smoke. Towards the end of the smoke, a slight spice is introduced and a little bitterness. I believe if these are rested a couple more months that bitterness will disappear.

The Burn:

The burn started a little on the crooked side but it corrected itself very well. As you can see by the pictures this cigar had a very nice strong white ash. Only one touch up was required.

Overall:

This cigar was a nice daily smoke. I would recommend this cigar to people that enjoy Criollo wrappers and not so much spice in their cigars. For the price this is an awesome smoke. For that I give this cigar a deserving 7.5 of 10 rating. Solid smoke for a very nice price.

Cigar Review: Illusione 88 "Robust"

It's time for another cigar review! This cigar comes courtesy of my friends over at Tex Cigars. They sent me a package of several cigars to review, and this was the second I picked of the bunch. I can't thank Tex Cigars enough. Now, on to the review!

The Story:

The Illusione 88 is a 5X52 Nicaraguan Puro. I have tried a couple other sizes in the line; the 68 (Petite Corona) and it didn't do much for me, but the #2 (torpedo) was phenomenal. This line of cigars is made up of 1st Generation 99 Corojo, Criollio 98 seed, and wrapped in Cafe Colorado Rosado Wrapper. As I did my research, I find that the designation for the number "88" is for the year the owner of the brand Dion Giolito moved from Oklahoma to Reno to be closer to his home in Las Vegas. If you ever get a chance to visit their site, you should read about his story of how he came to make Illusione. It's pretty fascinating.

Construction/Prelight:
Looks nice, One large vein down one side of the cigar. It feels fairly heavy for its size. Nothing really to complain about. The prelight draw is free with the slightest hint of resistance.

Flavors:


Once lit, the first few puffs give off a mellow tip of the tongue spice, followed by that rich Nicaraguan tobacco taste. After a little over an inch I get a nice leather flavor with a slightly nutty back round. It is very enjoyable, the finish, in my opinion, is a tad too short. I wish the flavor would sit a little longer on my pallet. I smoked 2 cigars for this review, but I smoked 1 about 6 months ago and I found it too spicy for me. The two I received for this review were much more smooth and well balanced. I also believe my tastes have changed slightly since then. I now gravitate more towards spicy cigars.

Half way down I taste a slight earthy sweetness. Very subtle, but it's there. Actually, it is becoming more intense the further down I get. The more I smoke this the more I wonder why the first cigar that I smoked over 6 months ago was so different than the 2 I smoked for this review. It's very puzzling. The last third is right at the brink of overwhelming back of the throat spice. The 2nd cigar I smoked was more spicy on the last 3rd than the first. Maybe that's just my perception, or I might have smoked the 2nd cigar faster. The aroma that came off the cigar was very sweet and woodsy. Very nice.


The Burn:

The burn is pretty erratic, but I touched it up after the first picture. I've never really cared how a cigar burned, unless it's to the point of being a nuisance. Very Strong ash.

Overall:

I would say this is a medium bodied cigar that moves towards full the further you smoke it. All in all this cigar was a solid 8 of 10. With a price point of just over $7 per stick if bought by the box, this cigar is a little more than I would like to spend. If it were in the $5 range it might be a 9 of 10.

Cigar Review: PIO VI Overture 1996 #2‏

Here we go with another cigar review! This one comes courtesy of my
friends over at Tex Cigars. They sent me a package of several cigars to review, and this was the first I picked of the bunch. Big thanks to everyone over at Tex Cigars.

The Story:
The PIO VI Overture 1996 #2 is a Miami rolled boutique cigar made with a 3 country blend from Brazil, the Dominican, and Nicaragua, all wrapped in a very nice looking Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper harvested in 1996. The #2 denotes the Torpedo size.

Construction/Prelight:

This cigar looks good, no major veins to speak of, with a nice splotchy looking wrapper. The flavor I get from the cold draw is a straight tobacco taste with a nice peppery, spicy, burn on the lips.

Flavors:

The initial flavors this guy produce are back of the throat spice. Very nice dry woodsy flavors develop shortly after the initial spice subsides. I have read some other reviews on this cigar's woodsy flavors remind them of a nicely aged scotch. I can't say that I disagree. The longer you get into this cigar, the heavier the woodsy notes become. It reminds me of a campfire like taste. It's very pleasing. I smoked 2 of these cigars for this review, the first with a glass of water, and the 2nd with a cup of coffee. I seemed to enjoy the cigar with coffee a tiny bit more than the plain water. I would say this is a full flavored cigar with a medium-full body. I would not recommend smoking this first thing in the morning. This is definitely an after dinner smoke.

The Burn:

The burn on both of the cigars was very straight up until the half way point. Only 1 touch up was required per stogie. Nothing to be too concerned about.

Overall:

I found this cigar right in line with my flavor profile. I enjoy woodsy/cedary smokes. This cigar seemed to remind me a bit of the Padilla '68. I would give this cigar a solid 8 out of 10.

I did a little more research on this cigar after I had smoked it, and found the price to be very reasonable. If purchased by the box it comes out to about $6 per stick. A 5 pack can be purchased here for $35 plus shipping. For a cigar rolled here in the good ole' US of A, with some solid spicy wood flavors, and at these prices. I would say "this cigar is a great buy!".

Cigar Review: Perdomo Lot 23 Churchill

Finally! The review you guys voted for! With no further adieu....

The Story:

I got these cigars from a CI special for about $2.50-$3 a stick if I remember correctly. According to Perdomo's website this is a Nicaraguan Puro. The reason they named this stogie "Lot 23" is because the filler and binder in this cigar come from Perdomo's lot # 23. Pretty interesting if ya ask me. These puppies also come in a Maduro wrapper which I plan to review in the near future.

Construction/Prelight:

Looking at the cigar it was very well constructed with a strong compost smell which I didn't mind. A couple of veins, but nothing to be concerned about. I chose to pair this with a nice Captain and diet coke! Prelight draw was perfect, a tiny bit of resistance with a nice spicy flavor on the lips.

Flavors:

Very first puff was slightly spicy with a grassy earthy taste. Throughout the 1st third the slight spice fades and the grassy flavors stay put. They are very intense. Some people think of "grassy" as a bad thing, but this was a pretty nice flavor. Not something I typically enjoy, but this was a little different. Maybe the initial spice changed my perception. After the initial spicy and grass flavor subsides(about the half way point), I got a nice creamy hay flavor. The cigar changed from grassy to creamy woodsy from the half way point on to the nub.

The Burn:

The burn on this cigar was exceptional. Razon straight, with no touch-ups or relights!

Overall:

This cigar was a nice relaxing smoke. Nothing too complex about it, but not boring at all. I really enjoyed how creamy the smoke got after the half way point. I also enjoyed how the cigar got better as it came to a close. This cigar, in my opinion, was a solid 7 out of 10. To sum up the review I would say "Great burn, good flavors, and a great value."

Coming up:

I have just received a sponsorship from Tex Cigars so I suggest that you check them out and place an order. They have the best price on Tatuaje cigars on the net! My next review will be courtsey of Matt over there at Tex cigars. Thanks again Matt! http://www.texcigars.com/