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Received FrozenPhoenix's box today and am quite excited.

1 bottle of Lucky 19 The Devil's Own Spicy Ghost Chili BBQ Sauce

And beyond the 3 unbandes (which look quite tasty):
A massive La Palina Maduro (nh)
Partagas cc (possibly Lusitania? - regardless nh

Will let them sit a few days and try to get a review or 2 done next week.

Thanks for the hit!

Yeah man, I think you're right, we probably do like the same types of cigars. I liked the MK Ultra way better than other Illusiones that I've tried, I could see myself buying some of them.

Thanks Shaun for the good smokes, thanks Chazbo for putting this on again, it was fun.

I look forward to reading the other reviews that are going to be coming in.

Finished up my reviews this weekend so here we go

#4 7x46ish oily milk chocolate colored wrapper with a sweet chocolate aroma coming from the wrapper. Just a slight toothiness to the wrapper as well.
1/3 starts off with leather the dominant note and hints of chocolate in the background. Short ways in a retro has some spiciness to it. The ash is tight and white and holds strong but I knock it off at around 3/4 inch. Pepper enters into the mix as it enters into the
2/3 Burn line has stayed pretty sharp. The pepper note disappears and leather is definitely dominating the profile again. As I burn through this 3rd the pepper comes and goes and further in the leather note becomes more crisp. I would call this a medium and maybe pushing into the bottom end of full.
3/3 The cigar smoke becomes a little airy which could just be due to the fact I don't normally smoke this big of a cigar and my palate may not be able to handle it. Close to the end the I did get some more leather but for me it was a struggle to finish this cigar because of the airy feel I was getting from the smoke but I would not attribute it to the quality of the cigar.

My guess for this cigar would be the top shelf smoke as it was decent until the final third and I think it was more me then the cigar that dropped in quality.

#3 5x50 dark chocolate in color single cap. I noticed some real dark leaves int he middle of the foot when looking at it which makes me think this might have some latakia in it. I don't get that aroma though that they say you would when smelling it.

Starts off real spicy which makes me think it really does have latakia in it as it has been a while since I picked my pipe up but if I can recall the blends I liked were spicy like this. Not much goes on in this cigar until I hit the midway point and start to get some of those maduro flavors like a sweet earthiness but it fades in and out with the spiciness. That spiciness tones down from what I would say was an 8 to a 5 while the earthiness fades in and out. It finished pretty much the same as the it was from the midway point on.

I am just guessing on this one and Tampatom has hinted that I am off on it but I would say this is the yard gar which if so I would definitely keep some on hand and the only cigar I know with latakia is Spectre.

#2 5x52ish Dark maduro wrapper almost black in color with a closed foot and pigtail cap. This is a pretty familiar look to me cause I like the Kristoff liger maduro and have a few on hand but only smoking it will tell if it is indeed a Kristoff.

Starts off with a deep dark chocolate taste right away and I enjoy that taste very much. Short way in I gets notes of earth, chocolate, and just a touch of cedar. Ash is a strong white color and nice and tight with a perfect burn line. Midway through cedar takes the forefront with chocolate and earth fading to the background. I have not picked up any pepper so I am thinking this may not be a ligero. Cedar fades a little towards the end but all three flavors are noticeable still. Pretty much ends that way and I really enjoyed this cigar.

I would say this the mid-range and am definitely thinking it was a Kristoff and lean towards the maduro line since I don't think there was ligero in it.

#1 7x54 Torpedo with a medium brown wrapper, nicely rolled no visible seems and smooth wrapper.

1/3 Starts off with a taste I am not too familiar with in cigars but best I can describe it is like a charred piece of meat. That taste falls off about 1/2 inch in. It gets mild at that point but I do pick up some leather in there. The ash is grey in color and is holding up nicely but I knock it off about 1 inch in.

2/3 Cedar makes an appearance for the first time. This flavor takes over the 2/3 but becomes bitter towards the end of this 3rd.

3/3 At this point in the cigar the smoke production dies way off. It isn't plugged but I just can't get enough smoke out of it to taste anything. I struggle with this for a bit but pitched this one a little early around the 1 1/2 inch left mark.

I would guess this one to be the $1 cheapo as there was not a lot going on in there for me and the quality seemed to have fallen off at the end.


Thanks TampaTom for the smokes and the fun you provided me in reviewing these. Now lets see how far off I am on this reviews because the only one I felt super confident in was the mid-range.

That's surprising lol. Shaun liked the torano more than the anejo

I think I've given more Anejos away than I've smoked, lol.

I like them, but I rarely choose them... probably why I haven't committed to a box (though I got quite a few).

The new Torano branding is laughably like the new Camacho.

Could be. It's similar enough, though, that you may see Davidoff file a legal complaint.

Back on topic......who is next going to give us some reviews???????

Dan's #1 was a 5.5" x 54ish x 40ish oval press with a medium brown wrapper and a two tone swirl of tobacco on the foot. V cut this one and am getting a bit of a sweet cocoa on the cold draw with a bit of pepper on the lips. On the first draw it was a bit harsh with a bitter pepper which calmed quickly to what i would describe as an oak flavor.

Through the first third im getting a nice long finish in my mouth with just a hint of pepper, a bitter chocolate and the oak flavor is still lingering. Lots of smoke output on this and a good burn without requiring any touch ups. Starting out as a medium, but can tell its building a bit.

The second third is still holding a nice long finish but it is holding more of the bitter chocolate or coffee flavor and a bit more pepper. Burning very well and holding onto the ash well. Gaining strength as it is going on through the halfway point.

The final third was still very good. Little shorter on the finish toward the end and more of a nutty flavor developed as it was getting to the end. One relight was required as i was watching hockey but just a touch of flame and it was back rolling smoke to the finish. Finished more medium than i thought it would but still a very tasty cigar.

Good burn throughout and lots of creamy smoke from this one. Im guessing this was the middle range cigar, as it had a good flavor profile but nothing that was over the top.

Thanks Dan for the good start to another round of reviews.

Interesting to read a review for the same line of cigar I did. Pretty sure ours were from a different batch. The one I reviewed, the dominating flavor for me was earth, and the wrapper was darker. I didn't catch any coffee or chocolate in it, though there was a hint of sweetness throughout.

Bought a bundle last spring, nowhere near what these from early '14 are.

Thats a bummer that they are not as good right now. I would have bought those up if they were consistent with aging.

I didn't touch that bundle for 14 months, When I tried em, I was impressed, but decided to wait a bit. Come tax return 2015, I blew through a bunch of money I shouldn't have, and bought another bundle among many others. That bundle has not improved much, and started off much worse than the original. I suspect the crop that produced the ringers is long gone.

Well... this was the mid range cigar and it is a Tatuaje Tattoo Caballero(robusto), and one of my favorite cigars. Good flavor to start with, but that sweetness that is there to start is always nice and I have had it linger into the final third if I am patient with them. Glad you enjoyed it and look forward to the other ones.

Hmmmmm.......I may have to revisit the Tatoo.......tried it but never hit with me before.

Oh crap, its happening again!!!

Well I obviously have a great treat in store later then. Absolutely excellent. Will be picking some up.

Here is my review of SmokeMonkey's #2.

I smoked the #2 first because I didn’t have enough time to devote to the larger #1 and #3. It was a 5x50 robusto, with a reddish medium brown wrapper covering similar hued wrappers with a few dark brown, nearly black leaves. There were two veins that ran the length of the solid, tightly rolled cigar. There was only a slight give when I pinched it. The fragrance was of sweet tobacco, cocoa and spice. The pre-light draw had some resistance and tasted of tea and sweet spice. I paired it with iced water, which I usually have when I want to concentrate on the flavors of the smoke and just cleanse the palate between puffs.

The first sensation after lighting the cigar was a dryness on the lips, and in the mouth and nasal passages. The primary flavors were cedary wood, cocoa and mild spice and pepper that left a little burning tingle in the mouth. I had to sip some water between puffs due to the dryness of the smoke. The cigar had a slightly tight draw, but produced a good amount of smoke and a nice sweet tobacco aroma.

A veggie brothy flavor combined with wood and sweet tobacco emerged as the dominant flavors in the second third. The cocoa, pepper and spice was gone. The dryness remained, but the smoke was cool and smooth. The pleasant blend of veggie broth, wood and sweet tobacco was the dominant taste. These flavors blended so well it was difficult to discern them individually. Near the last of the middle third, I tasted a few cocoa notes.

During the final third, the cigar’s feel got noticeably softer and spongy. There were a few mild pepper notes while the wood faded some, leaving the blend of veggie broth and sweet tobacco as the primary flavors. Near the end, the wood returned, but in a charred wood taste. I smoked it to a one inch nub, after an hour and fifteen minutes.

The burn wavered a bit in the beginning but straightened out in the second half. The light and dark gray ash was solid but flaky and held for about an inch. This was a good satisfying cigar, strong but not over-powering. It reminded me a lot of one of my fave “yard gars”, the Camacho Corojo. Though it produced a dry smoke, it was never hot or harsh. Although the Camacho Corojo is priced in the yard gar range, it compares favorably to cigars that are in the middle price tier.

Al, that was the high end - Davidoff Nicaragua. Interested for your take on the other two, mainly because while that was the most expensive, I don't think it was the best one I sent.

Veggie broth and soft and spongy are not terms that excite me.........I was curious about the Davidoff Nic but never pulled the trigger on one as it seemed to be a high price that might only be justified by glowing referral. Not as promising now. The description did not sound like a Camacho corojo either. Great reviews everyone. Keep them coming!

I've had two of the Davidoff Nicaragua, think a rob and a toro, and both were good to great. Nothing mind blowing, but definitely up there. Not sure if worth the cost of admission though.

Ya, I got a couple robustos from harleyd in a PIB. I Smoked one, it was an amazing smoke. Still got one in the wings.

Hmmm

You're just saying that because you're afraid I'll send you 37 more Perdomos and a 10 lb sack of grits

I do keep a few Davidoffs in my humidor, mainly Nicaraguas and a couple of Year of the Monkeys, but I agree I'm not sure they are worth the price. I do plan to pick up a few of the new box press, which allegedly has a little stronger blend.

Since they are discontinuing the Puro d'Oro I may pick up a few to try. It's been on my list but never seem to get around to it. I guess I should while I can.... Hmmm, I've felt the need to stop in at my B&M anyway.

I really haven't had a great amount of luck with the high end stuff. It never seems to be worth the exponential cost versus my every day. That said, watch FP's high end blow me away....

Seems to be my opinion too generally but i would add that my reluctance to try an expensive cigar lies more in the concern of whether it is in my wheelhouse or not.

I have had some super premium that i can say for sure were a great cigar but not always something that would send me back because it was too much this or that for my tastes. Others are definitely better but become a value question as Dan says and even others where your palette just isnt up to discerning the difference. I think that price/quality ratio always results in diminishing returns at the higher end - you pay increasingly more for every small increment of improvement that always at some point crosses your palette threshold.