Gran Habano - Azteca

My first cigar from this brand and it had its good points and bad.

First the good. One can tell that the quality of tobacco leaves were very good, there was something genuine about this cigar. I never had a cigar of the 50s or early 60, but some reason this cigar represented what I imagined a Cuban cigar of that period tasted like. The cigar had a tad bit of a pepper flavor, but nothing overwhelming...it just had a solid tobacco taste. Toward the end of the cigar, it produced perfume type flavors that caught me totally off guard. Not every drag had it, but a few. It has a nice drag, relatively even burn and no re-lights were necessary.

Now the bad, the cigar (especially for the first half) had an after tasted that I don't particurly care for and produce a small desire to spit, not to spit it out, but just caused the saliva glands to become active. I got that same affect in a big way when smoking the Por Larranaga-Cabinet Seleccion, but that was a bit over the top and failed to enjoy that cigar. Lastly, towards the end, the cigar became a bit harsh, always a bummer for me...I like to smoke one to the end.

All in all I enjoyed the cigar and it earned a

Diamond E CS Score of 3.5

Hoyo de Monterrey - Excalibur Dark Knight

As I continue my random testing of the HdM line of cigars, this one came up next.

This 5.75 x 54 cigar was the smokiest one I have tried to date, or maybe there was no wind, but at the beginning the cigar smoke got annoying. All in all though, it was not very much different than the HdM - Excalibur Epicure, just smokier, did not burn as nice and left me with a want for more espresso flavor. None the less, I did enjoy the cigar and it earned a

Diamond E CS Score of 3.5

DIAMOND CROWN MAXIMUS = CHOCOLATE TORO

Rating this cigar was an agonizing ordeal. Not because of its quality- it's a first-rate baton with an exquisite Oliva El Bajo wrapper, terrific drag and burn, and lots of smoke. So what's not to like? Nada.

Then there's the taste. Robust full-bodied flavor, yet never harsh. Nice spicy taste, but not "in your face" like the nasty RP Prodigy. And then there's the chocolate. Yep, real chocolate. Rich, dark chocolate. Crazy chocolate! Not the imaginary chocolate you read about in hyped cigar reviews. Authentic, certified, guaranteed chocolate. Who needs a bogus flavor-infused cigar when the Real McCoy tastes like this? Not I, says Mr. Mamey.

But here's the thing. How do you rate a great cigar that's not in your wheelhouse? My preference is for Cubanesque sweet, creamy, toasty cigars like the Padilla 1932, Padron 1964, Man O' Wars, rum, baseball, and movies. The DC Max isn't that, but Oh! the chocolate! So if you like cognac, soccer, opera, and the Opus X, meet your new BFF. You could rate the DC Max a 5 and I'd be powerless to quibble. But for me, it's a 4.5 unless, of course, I'm having a chocolate craving with no Mrs. Field's cookies in sight. By the way, the chocolate doesn't come cheap. Be prepared to pay a Godiva-like $10 for the robusto and $13.00 for the toro.--Mamey

CS Rating 4.5

Don Pepin Garcia - Cuban Classic

This cigar was chosen because of the praise given to it by Mamey.

The cigar is rich in flavor, it has some sweetness and a touch of spice (mostly in the beginning) and some eathiness. As I first smoked it reminded me of other cigars, good but not really special, but as I continued the cigar kept bringing a richness of flavor that separated it from the others. In some ways it reminded me of the HdM - Excalibur Epicure, but because of it fullness of flavor it began pulling away.

The cigar had an average drag, but it did not burn very evenly and then the wrapper started to do a little cracking and slight unravelling. In addition, the cigar had to be re-lit, which I was happy to do. It was worth it. Maybe the cigar was not stored correctly which caused some of the extra attention, but regardess it took away from the experience.

That being the case, the cigar in terms of flavor is wonderful and subsequently earned a

Diamond E CS Score = 4.0

Hoyo de Monterrey - Excalibur Epicure

Hoyo de Monterrey seems to be my go to brand.

Another spontaneous purchase, but not on a whim, this time I was looking for another Hoyo de Monterrey to try as I visited the cigar store. Saw this 5.25 x 50 cigar and picked it up.

It has more spice than the HdM PO3, but still smooth and consistent. It starts off with some noticable spice then mellows a bit but still keeps a touch that is enjoyable.

Very nicely constructed cigar, burned evenly, but not at even as the PO3, never had to relight, and was smoothy good to the (not bitter) end. The draw was good, but not great.

I wonder if Mamey and Danno the Oil Barron smoked this one, would they don't give it a .5 rating higher than the Siglo? It has the same tendencies, just taste better and has better construction.

Diamond E CS Score = 4

Gran Habano Vintage 2002

This cigar is like your hot friend you bring to all the parties.

The Gran Habano Vintage 2002 is Gran Habanos Corojo#5 cigar with a wrapper aged since 2002.

The cigar comes wrapped in a classy cedar covering with the word "Vintage" emblazoned on it. In addition to the cedar this cigar sports the intricate gold, red, and white Gran Habano band which really sets it off.

Not only does the cigar dress in nice clothes, but when you take off all of the accessories you are left with a gorgeous oily wrapper that hints at the pleasures to follow.

In order to get the best burn out of the cigar, light it slowly. It's like foreplay, if you don't rush it you will reap the benefits later.

The cigar is not complex. In fact the only main tastes are spice, the flavorful nicaraguan tobacco, and a little bit of sweetness. Even though it isn't complex, the cigar is anything but boring in that each of the flavors are very tasty, as well as full.

In addition, this cigar produces more smoke than pretty much every cigar I have smoked. After every exhale you see the volume of smoke and can't help but feel satisfied.

And the best part about this cigar? You can have her for 2 bucks. American. USD. 2 dollars.

This is a cigar that can be given to someone, and they will think it's an expensive stick because of the cedar. And even if they know cigars, they would be impressed by how good it smokes.

In summary: Gorgeous, expensive looking, tasty, lots of smoke, and CHEAP.

Danno the Oil Baron CS rating: 4

Siglo II Limited Reserve

Another cigar I picked up on a whim.

This cigar was a pleasant surprise. It was fairly smooth with a bit of pepper taste. Draw was fine, but it did not burn very evenly and needed a couple of torch blasts. It did give a bit of a buzz.

Diamond E CS Score = 3.5

Punch - Champion

The Punch Champion is a damn good smoke. Stress on the word "smoke" because this one burns nice and heavy. I used a v-cut and the drag was very satisfying. It is robust and the taste is ...well, tobacco. Earthy tobacco. I would have preferred a bit sweeter but the great mouthful of smoke made up for it. A half-point was deducted because the burn was uneven and it did get a bit hot toward the end, preventing full enjoyment to the last puff.

CS Rating: 3.5

El Alcalde

Padron Delicias Maduro

This cigar was recommended to me as a short smoke, it sure was, lasted about 10 minutes before I let it go out. Just tasted bad, don't know a clever phrase to use or how else to articulate it, just tasted bad.

I read the reviews and wonderered what were the reviewers smoking, it must be advertising dollars or free samples. We pull no punches at Cigar Saloon, and this cigar was knock out early.

Diamond E CS Score = 1

THE PARTAGAS SPANISH ROSADO IS A LOSER

My how the mighty have fallen! I tried this during an afternoon escape from the Houston heat. It comes in a nice tube and wrapped in a darkish wrapper. The first taste is earthy and toasty. Later it becomes earthy and toasty. But the final third is earthy, toasty, and a little harsh. It's not as toasty as the Hoyo de Monterrey and a little more flavorful, but not by much. On the plus side, the draw is good, the burn is even and it produces lots of smoke, so it doesn't totally suck. The Partagas is, of course, one of Cuba's legendary labels, but this Dominican stick would need to improve considerably to become a shell of its former self. Too bad. The current Cuban Partagas is inconsistent and overpriced, so there's a void in the market for a classic smoke. Unfortunately, this reincarnation isn't up to snuff. Fortunately, I was able to take a page from Diamond E's book, chase it with a Padrón 1964 Principe and return to the Havana summers of my youth. If you want the classic Cuban corona smoke that the Partagas used to deliver for under ten bucks, instead try the Man O' War, Padilla 1948, 5 Vegas Miami, or even the uber-cheap Finck 1895. As for the Partagas, we'll always have Havana.--Mamey

CS Rating- 2.5

Punch - Rare Corojo

This is becoming one of my go-to cigars (I used it to chase away the skanky RP-Prodigy Torpedo taste). It is just a great cigar, burns well, no re-lighting and burns fairly evenly. It has a slight peppery taste, but never over powering.

I tend to buy Robusto size cigars, but with this one, that I will start buying a larger size. It seems to burn rather quickly or myabe just time flies by because of the enjoyment, but I'm bummed each time when I come to the end of the cigar. Speaking of the end, this is the only part of the cigar I don't like as the flavor tends to get harsh. Other wise, great cigar.

One last point, the RARE Corojo seems to only be released once per year, I am guessing that where it gets its name from.

Diamond E CS Score = 4

A TALE OF TWO CUBANS

Last night I smoked a real Cuban Romeo y Julieta Churchill. It was a quiet evening, so I could really hear Winston Churchill turning in his grave when he asked me, "How could a cigar named after me be this awful?" I answered, "What can you expect from Communists?" The beautiful wrapper concealed a criminally miswrapped and poorly constructed cigar which drew a little better than a 2" x 4", but not by much. I say let the Europeans and other status seekers continue to get fleeced by buying these absurdly expensive, inconsistent, and overrated sticks while we in the USA continue to enjoy the best cigars in the world made by Cuban experts!

CS Rating - 1.5

I had to recover from the above experience real fast, so I reached for a Man O' War Torpedo made by Abdel "AJ" Fernandez, the hottest cigar maker in the biz and justifiably so. The MOW is toasty, sweet, creamy, and very flavorful. It tastes more Cuban than the Communist Cubans and the draw is terrific. If you want the authentic taste of a 1959 Cuban cigar, the MOW is the way to go.--Mamey

CS Rating- Rock Solid 4

Rocky Patel - Prodigy Torpedo

Tried one of these today, started off really bad...a musky peppery taste, but then it work its way up to a smoother taste. It had a fairly even burn and the draw was average.

Diamond E CS Score = 2

Oliva Series G - Churchill Maduro

Another cigar that was purchased on a whim and had not tried an Oliva cigar. It was relatively smooth, just a touch of spice, it burned relatively well, just one re-light, but the draw made you work a bit. The tough draw and and the incident of the uneven burned caused it half a point so my:

Diamond E CS Score is 3.5