Now till Retirement

Until I decide to make the investment and effort of building my own walk in humidor like Damon has with active humidification, I mostly stick to medium sized humidors and coolers.

When I first started smoking cigars I found humidification of these devices to be a royal pain in the ass and not always up to snuff using traditional means…. a sponge device with a liquid mixture of 50% Propylene Glycol and 50% distilled water added. For some reason I always had trouble keeping the humidity where I wanted it. Thats was then though, and I have been using humidification gel for quite a while now in my coolers and I must say I have never had a single problem since.

Make sure the water is to the fill line and you are good to go. The gel will regulate the humidity and will do a darn dandy job at that. If you also keep many smaller humidors as I do they also have the gel in cigar sized sticks called a DryMistat.

Cigar Name: Rocky Patel Vintage - 1990 Edition
Purchase Price: Gift from a Friend
Location of Purchase: Heroes and Legacies; Lubbock, TX
Beverage: Cosmopolitan
Cigar Size: 7×48 (Churchill)
Wrapper: Natural Broadleaf
Binder: Connecticut Shade.
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan Ligero
Appearance: Oily brown wrapper, smooth with few veins
Construction: Heavy wrapper, tightly rolled
Aged: 12 years
Pre-Light Aroma: Earthy and sweet.
Method of lighting: Non-torch flame from Colibri lighter, while heating the tip for approx. 10-15 seconds before allowing flame to contact cigar
Method of Cutting: V-cut
Burn: Almost perfectly even throughout entire cigar. Burned about 1/8″ off for around 2 minutes (only because I laid the cigar down while I left the room for a few moments)
Problems: None.
Ash Color: Light gray with few traces of black.
Ash Structure: Extremely tight. I was actually able to pick the fall off ash up in one piece with two fingers; ash was approx. 1 1/8″ before I tilted the cigar too high and had it fall off. No mess though, which was a good sign as well.
Draw: Extremely smooth. Did not struggle with a draw at all
Strength: Medium
Tasting Notes:

First Third: Creamy with hints of spices.

Second Third: Tapered down to a smoother, sweet taste with hints of coffee.

Finish: The coffee taste has now taken a large part, with light hints of spice.

Overall Impression: This was my first experience with a Rocky Patel, and I was privileged enough to have a Vintage reserve edition. It was a very enjoyable experience, and I couldn’t have asked for a better gift. Left a very pleasant sweet and coffee like taste in my mouth, which is always a good sign.The smoke was not too over-powering, and it had tremendous flavors and very pleasing draws. The consistency of the cigar was very thorough throughout the entire cigar. I smoked it down to the last bit, where it burns and permanently bonds with your mouth, which was no disappointment for me though. After all, what good is a cigar if you don’t take it to the limits? My chances of purchasing a box of these fine cigars is about 98% (in other words, should be in my humidor by next quarter)

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Cigar Name: Hoyo De Monterrey - Executive Maduro
Purchase Price: $2.00
Location of Purchase: JRCigars.
Beverage: Diet Coke.
Cigar Size: 7×54 .
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf.
Binder: Connecticut Shade.
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Dominican long leaf.
Appearance: Oily black wrapper with no trace of veins.
Construction: Heavy wrapper, decently rolled. Could have been tighter but did not really cause problems.
Aged: Fourteen weeks in well kept Humidor.
Pre-Light Aroma: Earthy and sweet.
Method of lighting: Pre cut method(10 inch match, flame tip just under cigar foot while rotating cigar, cut cigar after cigar is lit).
Method of Cutting: Large ring punch.
Burn: About a centimeters difference from top to bottom the whole length of the cigar.
Problems: None.
Ash Color: White.
Ash Structure: Tight and solid. Let the ash sit on for about two and a half inches before I tapped it.
Draw: Smooth and easy, delicious every time.
Strength: Medium, borderline heavy.
Tasting Notes:

First Third: Creamy, chocolaty, with coffee.

Second Third: Still chocolaty, but now more of a peppery taste, with hints of nuts.

Finish: Somehow the stick returns to cream, chocolaty, coffee though it is now much stronger.

Overall Impression: Hoyo De Monterrey is one of my all time favorite brands. The cigars they produce are reliable to always be a great smoke if well cared for. If you are willing to buy in quantity as I do they are also a fantastic value. This cigar was a fantastic value, worth well more then the paltry sum paid for it. It has complexity and great flavor that I believe even a novice could enjoy despite it being a heavier smoke.

If you like large clouds of smoke, great flavor, an excellent price point, and consistency I recommend this stick… or any other Hoyo De Monterrey for that matter. This will not be the last Hoyo reviewed by me for the purpose of this blog.

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Cigar Name: Astral - Churchill Crystal
Purchase Price: $1.70
Location of Purchase: Deal of the day on CigarMonster.
Beverage: Diet Coke.
Cigar Size: 7×48 .
Wrapper: Ecuadorian grown Connecticut Shade.
Binder: Nicaraguan and Dominican long leaf.
Filler: Nicaraguan and Dominican long leaf.
Appearance: Light tan oily smooth wrapper.
Construction: Nice solid stick. Sturdy, well rolled.
Aged: Two weeks in well kept Humidor.
Pre-Light Aroma: Earthy with the smell of coffee.
Method of lighting: Pre cut method(10 inch match, flame tip just under cigar foot while rotating cigar, cut cigar after cigar is lit).
Method of Cutting: Large ring punch.
Burn: Perfectly even from lighting to finishing.
Problems: None.
Ash Color: Light Gray.
Ash Structure: Tight and solid. Held on for two inches then I tapped it.
Draw: Smooth and easy, pretty darn close to perfect.
Strength: Medium.
Tasting Notes:

First Third: Creamy, buttery, sweet, with coffee.

Second Third: Creamy, buttery, sweet, with coffee. Starts to get a little bit bolder with a spiciness added in.

Finish: Still creamy and sweet, but now the coffee tastes and spiciness have taken the forefront.

Overall Impression: This cigar was great. Every puff was one massive cloud of sweet, buttery cream. I has absolutely zero problems with this cigar and hopefully the other eleven sticks aging in the humidor will turn out just as beautiful whenever their day comes. Based on this single one hour experience with this cigar, I definitely cannot wait until the next time. The stick was worth the sum paid for it and then some. I highly recommend this Astral to new and experienced smokes alike.

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Cigar Name: Garcia y Vega Cigarillo (Slumming it)
Purchase Price: $0.05
Location of Purchase: Smiths grocery store, Las Vegas, NV. Were discounted to a dollar a package and each package had a 75 cents off manufacturer’s coupon placed on its cellophane.
Beverage: None.
Cigar Size: 4.5×30 .
Wrapper: Candela.
Binder: Homogenized Tobacco Leaf.
Filler: Caribbean Basin Cuban Seed.
Appearance: Light green oily wrapper with many tiny veins visable.
Construction: Loosely machine rolled.
Aged: No idea.
Pre-Light Aroma: Sweetened tea.
Method of lighting: Small wooden match with two puffs of flame.
Method of Cutting: Not necessary.
Burn: Always uneven but alternated which side was burning faster.
Problems: None.
Ash Color: Medium gray.
Ash Structure: Flaky and loose.
Draw: Smooth and easy.
Strength: Light.
Tasting Notes:

First Third: sweet and uninteresting.

Second Third: sweet and uninteresting.

Finish: sweet and uninteresting with an added tar taste.

Overall Impression: This is the kind of cigar I usually avoid… not because they are horrible smokes (not saying they are that good either), but because you usually end up paying a price that would equal a much better the cost of a premium cigarillo. For a nickel a piece though I could not pass these up.

For fifteen dollars I purchased 300 of these consistently mild flavor machine manufactures, while normally these sell for anywhere from 2.50 to 3 dollars a pack in most stores. These are great for smoking when you want a smoke and don’t have the time or desire to treat a better cigar as it deserves… but only if you can get em cheap enough, otherwise you may as well just smoke the premium cigarillos as they will be better.

If no better smoke was available and offered a Garcia y Vega I most likely wouldn’t turn it down, which I can not say for most other gas station cigars.

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Cigar Name: Cigar Review: Partagas - Chico (Cuban)
Purchase Price: $0.80
Location of Purchase: Greece.
Beverage: Diet Coke.
Cigar Size: 4.12×29 .
Wrapper: Cuban.
Binder: Cuban.
Filler: Cuban.
Appearance: Medium brown and oily, smooth wrapper.
Construction: Well rolled Cuban machine made cigarillo.
Aged: 2 years in well kept humidor.
Pre-Light Aroma: Freshly turned earth.
Method of lighting: Small wooden match with two puffs of flame.
Method of Cutting: Not necessary.
Burn: Perfectly even all the way down to the nub.
Problems: Absolutely none.
Ash Color: Dark gray.
Ash Structure: Firm ash.
Draw: Smooth and easy.
Strength: Strong.
Tasting Notes:

First Third: Creamy woodsy taste with sweetness.

Second Third: Creamy woodsy taste with sweetness.

Finish: Still tasted like a creamy woodsy taste with sweetness… but started to get a little harsh at the end with the tar.

Overall Impression: Quite a good quick smoke. Lasted about 18 minutes and is a perfect in between time smoke. I have absolutely no complaints about this cigar save the fact each one I smoke is one less I will have aging in my humidor for future enjoyment. If ya can get em, I highly recommend them.

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Cigar Name: Aguilera - San Andres Caleria Veracruz - 1943
Purchase Price: $3.25(Free for me)
Location of Purchase: Co-worker gave me the cigar from box he just brought back from Mexico to review.
Beverage: Diet Coke.
Cigar Size: 5½ x 46 .
Wrapper: Mex.
Binder: Mex.
Filler: Mex.
Appearance: Light brown and oily, smooth wrapper with slightest hint of veins. Packaged in cedar slip.
Construction: Sturdy wrapper, well rolled. A little loose, but not enough to affect the cigar.
Aged: Absolutely no clue.
Pre-Light Aroma: Moist earth and wood.
Method of lighting: Pre cut method(10 inch match, flame tip just under cigar foot while rotating cigar, cut cigar after cigar is lit)
Method of Cutting: Large ring punch.
Burn: Perfectly even all the way down to the nub.
Problems: Absolutely none.
Ash Color: Medium gray.
Ash Structure: Firm ash, held on for about two and a half inches.
Draw: Smooth and easy.
Strength: Started out strong then went down to medium.
Tasting Notes:

First Third: Started harsh..but i gave it an inch as it was a gift… glad I did as it turned into the following. Roasted nuts, woodsy, spicy, sweet.

Second Third: Roasted nuts, woodsy, spices, sweet, sugary.

Finish: Still tasted like Roasted nuts with a woodsy bit mixed in all the way down to the nub, but it also just kept getting sweeter and sweeter with lots of spice flavors..

Overall Impression: This cigar was not a bad cigar. It started out as one, and if it had not been a gift specifically to have my opinion on it I would have probably thrown it out. That being said, giving it a chance it ended up being a wonderful smoke, Somewhere near the first inch of burn it became a completely different cigar with the $3.25 or more. I just wish the whole cigar had been that way… because I could never bring myself to pay that much for these sticks when I know better exists at a lower price point. That really wont be an issue anyhow as I can nay find any information about this brand what so ever on the Internet. Apparently it is a popular cigar in my co workers home town, but seem to be that it is not anywhere else. If I am handed any more cigars from this box I will gladly take them and age them a bit to see how the bite of the beginning ages.

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Cigar Name: JR Alternative - Punch PITA Maduro
Purchase Price: $1.35 Shipped
Location of Purchase: JRCigars in the JR Alternatives Punch PITA Maduro Bundle.
Beverage: Diet Coke.
Cigar Size: 6.12 x 49 .
Wrapper: Varied.
Binder: Varied.
Filler: Varied.
Appearance: Dark brown and oily, perfectly smooth wrapper. Looked delecious.
Construction: Sturdy wrapper, rolled perfectly.
Aged: Seventeen months in a well kept humidor in cellophane.
Pre-Light Aroma: Sweet chocolate and spice.
Method of lighting: Pre cut method(10 inch match, flame tip just under cigar foot while rotating cigar, cut cigar after cigar is lit)
Method of Cutting: Large ring punch.
Burn: Perfectly even all the way down to the nub.
Problems: Absolutely none.
Ash Color: Light gray.
Ash Structure: Tight firm ash, held on for over three inches and then fell off in a gust of wind.
Draw: Smooth and easy.
Strength: Medium
Tasting Notes:

First Third: Cocoa, sugar, sweet spices, nutty.

Second Third: Cocoa, sugar, light nuttieness, woodsy dark chocolate flavor.

Finish: Strong chocolate flavors while retaining the sugary taste I love, mixed in with a woodsy taste all they way down to the nub.

Overall Impression: This cigar was nothing short of perfect. I am a fan of the majority of JR alternatives I have purchased in the past. They are a great product for the money fresh and after beign aged they only get better. This stick was definatly worth more the $1.35 and I hope the rest of the bundle continue to age as well as this stick did. This stick reminded me why I buy a couple alternative bundles every month to throw in my humidor for aging.

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I like cigars. I like cigars a lot. Rather then be lazy and not share information that I acquire while smoking cigars, I have decided to write reviews for every cigar I smoke from now on… assuming I have not already written a review for it or my opinion has not changed.

After smoking this cigar I have come to the conclusion I would not purchase it unless in a package deal, such as the one in which I acquired this stick. That being said, I will however not turn it down if offered gratis. This stick had problems as you can see by the review given, but they may have been unique to this one cigar… I would be willing to smoke it again, just not with my hard earned money.

Cigar Name: Flor de Farach - Franciscos
Purchase Price: $1.50.
Location of Purchase: JRCigars in the NATSA Churchill sampler pack.
Beverage: Diet Coke.
Cigar Size: 7.25 x 54 .
Wrapper: Sumatran.
Binder: Honduran.
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran and Dominican long-leaf tobaccos.
Appearance: Medium brown and a bit oily, decent sized vein running the length of the wrapper.
Construction: Nice thick wrapper but too tight and too loose in places.
Aged: Eight months in a well kept humidor in cellophane.
Pre-Light Aroma: Strong earthy smell along with that of dark chocolate.
Method of lighting: Pre cut method(10 inch match, flame tip just under cigar foot while rotating cigar, cut cigar after cigar is lit)
Method of Cutting: Large ring punch.
Burn: Even until the 3/4ths mark, from then on about a 2 cm difference from top to bottom.
Problems: Started to unravel at the half way mark.
Ash Color: Medium gray.
Ash Structure: Not the tightest ash ever, though stayed on cigar unless tapped off. Held well over an inch.
Draw: Above average resistance.
Strength: Medium
Tasting Notes:

First Third: Cocoa, cedar, sweet spices.

Second Third: Cocoa, wood, hint of sweetness, much bolder flavor… until cigar started falling apart.

Finish: Never got here, ended up letting it die as it became unsmokable.

Overall Impression: Started off great sans the tough draw, was liking what I was tasting… but not even halfway through our journey together the cigar decided to bail on me. Falling apart and burning quite unevenly. The taste started to become rough and may as well have been grass from the lawn so I decided to stop with the memory of the beginning. I will not be purchasing this cigar again as you only have one chance to make a first impression, but if I am to receive on free of charge it will be given a second chance to win me over.