Flor Fina 8-5-8 Claro by Arturo Fuente

Flor Fina 8-5-8 Claro by Arturo Fuente

Mostly firm, few soft spots

Slightly veiny

Multiple areas of discoloration

Bumpy

Slight oil sheen

USA Conneticut Wrapper

Dominican binder

Dominican filler

Background: "The Arturo Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8 is one of the best sellers of the Arturo Fuente brand. This cigar is not bitter or harsh, and features excellent construction and well balanced flavors. These cigars represent four generations of tradition, pride and sacrifice for the Arturo Fuente family(havanahumidormiami.com)."

First Third: Upon lighting the cigar, I had high hopes. The last Candela I smoked was the Rocky Patel Edge Edge Candela. The Rocky Patel version was excellent. My first initial puffs gave off hints of hay, florals, and a white pepper. The white pepper gives of subtle spice. The florals add to the aromatics of the smoke but are not as pungent. The hay is slightly sweet and gives off a pleasant flavor. I have noted slight hints of earth and leather. However, the burn is uneven and the ash is weak falling off in quick intervals.

Second Third: Much more of the same during this third of the cigar. A little more sweet hay flavorings during this third. New notes include that of a mild coffee bean. However, this is just a spark here and there; nothing consistent. The white pepper took a more front sitting role along with more earthy flavors. After this third i find myself longing for a more creamy smoke.

Final Third:  During this final third the flavors were degraded. Moreover, the sweetness that was present was all but gone.The pepper and spices were a little more present as well. Overall the hay and earth still remain the mainstay of this cigar. The burn of this cigar eventually evened out, however, the end this cigar really burned hot and slightly bitter.

Final Thoughts: Overall my hopes of this cigar equaling or surpassing the Rocky Patel Edge Candela, did not come to pass. Moreover, there were many structural and aesthetic discrepancies with this cigar. It smoked average, nothing to me really stood out among the flavors. The highlight was the pairing between floral, earth, and sweet hay. All in all i think this cigar is exactly average....5/10.



Red Witch Double Fuerte by Gurkha



Red Witch Double Fuerte by Gurkha

• Box pressed
• Minimal veins
• Even coloration
• Firm build, no soft spots
• Hint of spices in dry draw
• Extra ligero included in Double Fuerte version
• Nicaraguan long-fillers from region of Jalapa
• Dominican binder
• Ecuadorian Rosado wrapper

Background: "Red Witch is the newest everyday premium cigar from K. Hansotia of Gurkha, and boy does it look good. Named after the famous East India Trading Company ship, this lovely handmade is gorgeous from head to toe. Medium to full in body and exceptionally well-balanced, this handmade takes you on one memorable voyage. Plus, they’re reasonably priced too. All courtesy of K. Hansotia (Cigarinternational.com)."

First Third: When I first lit this cigar I was hit by a complexity of flavors that were previously not well known to me. It was truly difficult, at first, to separate one flavor from another. My pallet was pleasantly overwhelmed. At first explanation I can only say that the notes I am receiving are those of earth and spices. Although that comment is vague I can tell you that it is a very unique combination. I am slightly surprised because this smoking experience is very different from my other Gurkha experiences. The burn on this cigar is excellent and has a nice thick smoke. I really believe, in this case, the box pressed shape is really adding to the experience. It has a perfect draw and the flavors are exploding with the slower burn allowed by the shape.

Second Third: After enjoying and savoring the flavors for an entire third of this cigar I can now begin to pick apart the flavors that I am tasting. The rich earth flavor I am tasting pairs well with the following spices: pepper, bay leaf, and nutmeg. Nutmeg for its nutty, warm, and spicy characteristics. bay leaf for its woodsy strong notes, and white pepper for its more mild biting characteristic. Moreover, I do notice slight hints of sweetness constantly on my exhale not to mention maybe a little coffee bean. However, this coffee bean hint I notice is not always present or as noticeable. So....as you can tell by my description, this cigar truly is a complex flavor blast. The cigar continues to burn very even with a ton of creamy smoke billowing from both ends of the stick.

Final Third: The flavor profile remains just as complex , however, it has become more seamless and smooth. In other words, it has mellowed some. The tingle of coffee has returned. One that is more dark and bold. I also begin to notice this on my exhale or when i press my tongue to the roof of my mouth. Everything remains pleasant and consistent. Ash is very strong only falling because i flicked it at the beginning of this portion of smoke.

Final Thoughts: It is no secret to many who know me that I am not the biggest fan of Gurkha cigars. By no means does this imply that their cigars are bad, I just usually prefer the taste of cigars under the name of AJ Fernandez, Alec Bradley, and Arturo Fuente just to name a few. However, this smoke was very different to the other Gurkhas I have smoked. It was not only unique to their cigar resume but unique to my personal taste buds. The complexity was excellent and each flavor worked in concert with each other.  Moreover, the beautiful artwork on the cigar band was truly an eye catcher. To me this cigar was a 6.9/10. This was very close to being an exceptional cigar in my book and really a exceptional cigar within the plethora of different Gurkha cigars.

AVO Heritage

Avo Heritage

• Rich colored wrapper
• Slightly veiny
• Light oil sheen
• Bought and smoked at cigar parlor
• Firm build, slightly squishy at foot
• Toasty, woody hint in dry draw
• Ecuadorian wrapper
• Dominican longfiller

Background:  "The Heritage Series of AVO is a remarkable, medium to full-bodied blend that pays homage to the farmers, blenders, and rollers responsible for making AVO one of the industry’s premier, super-premium brands. Avo Uvezian worked side by side with cigar-making legend Hendrik ’Henke’ Kelner to select the finest Cuban-seed, Ecuadorian sun-grown wrappers attainable, and combine a robust mixture of Cuban-seed Dominican long-fillers inside. AVO Heritage Series was awarded a 90-point rating (Cigarinternational.com)."

First Third:   After being recommended this cigar many times, I decided to give it a try. Almost immediately after lighting this cigar, a rush of creamy smoke enveloped my pallet. I could immediately tell this cigar was medium to full strength by the flavors exuding from the cigar. The flavor notes are pleasantly toasty giving a very relaxed feel to the smoke. Other notes include a heavy cedar and a touch of sweetness. The sweetness tastes like a sweet fiber. The burn is even and the ash is strong with a dark gray hue.

Second Third:  The smoke from this cigar is exceptionally creamy and thick. Moreover, the draw is effortless. When put to the mouth, the smoke freely envelopes your tongue in flavor and smoke. During this third the flavors mellowed some. However, that did not detract from the overall experience and enjoyment of the cigar. More tasty wood notes dominated this third along with a slight sweetness in the background. This sweetness complimented the mainstay flavors in such a way it was seamless. Ash is still even and holding strong.

Final Third:  Unexpectedly the cigar became a little more robust during this portion of the smoke. All flavors really intensified. The spice nuances that were not as noticed before moved to the forefront of flavors. Here now, the peppery spice began to overshadow the sweetness I noticed before. However, still pleasant. Moreover, more earthy flavors and small hints of leather entered the flavor pallet. An already complex taste exploded with flavor during this final stage of the smoke. Ending with a bang, this cigar kept a solid even burn throughout.

Final Thoughts: This cigar lived up to the hype that was pushed my way. The flavors were pleasantly complex and delivered by a creamy smoke. The aromatics created by this cigar really set the stage for a pleasant smoking environment. The harmony of the great flavors and nuances gives this cigar a 7.1 in my book. An exceptional cigar that i would gladly smoke again. A slight edge over the La Duena here on my blog.

Perla Del Mar



Perla Del Mar

• A little squishy, not a very solid build
• Goldish brown wrapper, color relatively smooth
• Minimal veins
• A few blemishes on the wrapper
• Slight sweetness in dry draw
• Ecuador Connecticut wrapper
• Nicaraguan long filler
• Nicaraguan binder

Background: "Now made in Nicaragua, Perla del Mar is a long discontinued vintage Cuban brand resurrected and rebranded for this release. The old artwork is mostly intact, though slightly updated to reflect its new ownership and identity. It’s rolled at Fabrica de Tabacos San Rafael S.A.—the same Nicaraguan factory that makes J. C. Newman’s Brick House and El Baton lines. Perla del Mar’s blend consists of Nicaraguan filler tobaccos from four different growing regions, a Nicaraguan binder and an Ecuadoran Connecticut wrapper that makes the cigar “smooth and creamy” in character (cigaraficionado.com).

First Third: I bought this cigar out of quick impulse. I was walking out of my local cigar shop's humi and spotted these in their display. The name and cheap price intrigued me so I decided to go for it. It was not an expensive stick so I thought it a great smoke to relax and enjoy the company of my three friends who were going to smoke in the parlor with me. As I conducted my initial inspection of the cigar I noticed a light oil sheen across the cigar. Upon lighting the cigar I tasted almost zero pepper whatsoever. In fact throughout the smoke I received very little spice. It was a creamy, easy smoke. However, I could tell right away that this cigar would not have much to it, kind of like a one trick pony. The flavor notes I received were sweet and slightly nutty. In the background mixed their were notes of creamy earthy flavors. To this point in the smoke it was very mild and burned slightly uneven. However, the ash coloration was nice but the smoke billow was a little weak. Aromatics coming from the cigar were pleasant and matched the flavor notes I was receiving.

Second Third: Not much new arose during this third of the cigar. Flavor profile remained mostly the same. The strength remained mild with no swings. Still no pepper evident in the smoke and at times slightly bland. The burn eventually evened out and the ash fell off during this third of the cigar. It was a weak ash that didn't stay together very well and puffed like dust after falling a short distance.

Final Third: I received a little more flavor towards the end of the smoke. You could say it was almost a vanilla like flavor which complimented the nutty hints I received throughout the smoke. It was a pleasant and welcomed addition to this smoking experience. The cigar remained smooth and easy throughout, however, I did have to relight towards the end. Furthermore, the cigar began to burn very hot on my fingertips on the last inch of the smoke.

Final Thoughts: As the cheap price indicated, this was an average cigar. However, based on its mild, sweet, and creamy profile, I would recommend this to the cigar smoker who is just beginning. By no means is this a bad or unpleasant cigar. Moreover, I could see this as a good cigar to give away or smoke when in large groups and not much attention is being paid to the smoke. I enjoyed the creaminess of the smoke, however, for one that enjoys deep complexity, this cigar becomes bland to the overexcited taste bud. Not much to this cigar making it far from being a standout. I rate this cigar a 5.2/10, i may get a couple to hand out when hosting guests.

Flor de Las Antillas

Flor de Las Antillas

·  Boxed Press

·  Minimal veins

·  Firm build, no soft spots

·  Excellent even color

·  Nicaraguan Sun Grown wrapper

·  Nicaraguan long-fillers

·  Nicaraguan binder

·  Medium bodied

·  Number one cigar 2012 according to Cigar Aficionado

Background: Introducing the Flor de las Antillas, the first entirely box-pressed line from My Father cigars. Meaning ’Flower of the Antilles’, the Flor de las Antillas represents Cuba, the largest island in the Greater Antilles islands, and home to the Garcia family’s rich cigar making heritage. Traditionally focused on more full-bodied cigars, Flor de las Antillas ventures into the company’s untapped niche of a true medium-bodied experience (Cigarinternational.com).

First Third:  As I lit this cigar i was very excited. My Father cigars are some of the best in my opinion. Moreover, expectations were even higher as this is Cigar Aficionado’s 2012 cigar of the year. I quickly gave this cigar my usual visual inspection, cut it, and gave it my quick cold draw evaluation of flavors. On the cold draw, nutty hints hit my tongue. As I lit this cigar, I almost regretted that I was not smoking this cigar alone giving it the attention is deserved. No matter I pressed on with a childlike excitement. As I took my initial puff the first note I tasted was that of a light white pepper. It was nothing overpowering and remained very gentle on my taste buds. As the third of the cigar went along, notes of wood and earth fill my pallet. In the background of the flavor symphony the slightest sweetness was present. This smoke had a perfect burn and the smoke billowed like a chimney. Moreover, the aromatics produced were very pleasant and true to its name.

Second Third: As my smoke continued, all flavor notes only increased in enjoyment. This already complex cigar added more additional flavors.  Sweetness and spices such as nutmeg were present alongside the mainstays of earth, wood, and light pepper. Moreover, the cigar remained the perfect strength. The smoke billow remained thick and full of pleasant scent. The ash continued its even burn and color.

Final Third: During this final third the smoke remained as flavorful, creamy, and easy as the rest of the smoke. At this point I began to give the cigar my full attention and began to ignore my guests a bit. In doing so I noticed the slightest it of cocoa and would like to identify the sweetness almost as sweet hay. Overall this smoke ended as well as it began if not better. The cigar was strong in every facet with the ash not falling off until the final third and the scent competing with that of the candle burning nearby.

Final Thoughts: What an amazing smoke. This was one of those cigars that I wish never ended.  My already high regards of My Father Cigars increased dramatically. Smooth through and through and nothing short of one of the best cigars I have smoked. Such complexity working in such harmony I equate to fine art. Even in the presence of company and at times in deep conversation, this cigar shone through allowing me to taste every flavor note, never losing my attention. I rate this cigar an 8.9/10, truly an elite cigar.