Saturday, August 25, 2012

Fernando Leon Family Reserve Corona Gorda Review

 
Fernando Leon Family Reserve Corona Gorda - 6 X 47. Wrapper - Dominican Republic Corojo, Binder - Dominican Republic Corojo, Filler - Peru, Dominican Republic, Brazil. Medium bodied.

Initial lighting taste - Pepper and a dry woodiness.

First third - Spice followed by a floral breadiness and wood.

Second third - Spice, creamy sweet breadiness, floral and wood notes. Nice balance.

Last third - Spice continues along with the sweet creamy bread, floral and wood notes. Long finish of bready spice.

Construction - Attractive light-brown bumpy wrapper with a few minor veins. Nice oily sheen and a good cap.

Burn - Straight burn with a flaky, dark-gray colored ash that holds on and inch or so at a time.

Draw - Very good draw that produces plenty of smoke.

Another excellent tasting cigar produced by the La Aurora Cigar Company that has an interesting, complex and unique flavor profile. I found the floral flavor to be an enjoyable and uncommon surprise. The complexity and balance was very good which I have come to expect from La Aurora cigars. MSRP for this size is $8.90 which is a good price point for this cigar. I found this cigar to be medium in body so anytime from midday on would be when I would look to fire one up. A definite recommend to try for yourself.

To read my other reviews and industry info click on:
http://www.examiner.com/cigar-in-long-island/scott-smyth

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

La Flor Dominicana Oro Tubo No. 6 Natural Review



La Flor Dominicana Oro Tubo No. 6 Natural - 6 X 54. Wrapper - Nicaraguan Habano, Binder - Dominican Republic, Filler - Dominican Republic. Full bodied.

Initial lighting taste - A dry woodiness and pepper.

First third - A wonderful chewy leather taste with citrus fruit followed closely by spice.

Second third - Chewy leather, tangy citrus fruit and spice. Flavors are very smooth.

Last third - Chewy thick leather, citrus fruitiness and spice. Long delicious finish of tangy spice and leather.

Construction - Beautiful reddish-brown wrapper with no major veins visible. Nicely made cap and an oily sheen texture to the wrapper.

Burn - Razor sharp burn producing a white colored, solid ash that held on for over an inch at a time.

Draw - Excellent draw with plenty of smoke.

A fantastic cigar with very good complexity and an amazingly smooth balance of flavors that lingers on the palate. I particularly enjoyed the thick leather and citrus. MSRP for this cigar is $12.00 which this cigar is more than deserving of. If you like the Coronado, you will love this amped-up version of that cigar. Highly recommended.

Xikar HC Habano2 (Squared) Robusto Review


Xikar HC Habano2 (Squared) Robusto - 5 X 50. Wrapper - Ecuador (Habano 2000), Binder - Sumatra, Filler - Honduras & Nicaragua. Medium bodied.

Initial lighting taste - A woody mineral taste with spice.

First third - The spice picks up a bit to a peppery spice with leather, wood and mineral notes.

Second third - Pepper, leather, wood and mineral notes. Nice smooth balance.

Last third - Pepper continues along with the leather, wood and mineral notes. Long finish of pepper and leather.

Construction - A nice looking, light-brown wrapper with some moderate sized veins and a slightly silky sheen. Decent constructed cap.

Burn - Sharp burn with a flaky salt and pepper colored ash that despite the flaky texture, manages to hold on over an inch at a time.

Draw - The draw was perfect producing plenty of smoke.

An impressive tasting cigar with very good complexity and excellent balance. Easily my favorite cigar from Xikar. The smoothness of the flavor profile makes for quite an enjoyable experience smoking this cigar. The MSRP for this vitola is $6.75 which is very good for a cigar of this quality. I just might have to include this into my regular rotation and I have to give this a "Recommend" status for you to try for yourself.