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