CAO -- Lx2 - Toro

While a great full-bodied cigar, the Lx2 should be renamed $x8.

OCCASION: Desert rain	PRICE: $8.09
BRAND: CAO - Lx2

GAUGE: 50	LENGTH: 6"
SHAPE NAME: Toro

FILLER: Nicaraguan and Dominican Republic (Ligero)
BINDER: Honduran	WRAPPER: Nicaraguan

APPEARANCE: Dark chocolate with an oily sheen. Minor veins.

CONSTRUCTION: No seams or bunches on body of cigar. The glue used to attach the double cap darkened the wrapper edges and really pointed out the sloppy cuts and a few minor bunches. Perhaps this was done so you could easily pick of the cap with your fingernail but it was unattractive to say the least. The last third of the cigar near where the band sits was a bit looser than the rest of the firm construction.

DRAW:
START: great	1/2: great	3/4: great

BURN:
START: even	1/2: even	3/4: even

TASTING NOTES: Woodsy and earthy with subtle pepper and leather hints.  CAO's process for fermentation, aging and blending was perfect because this double ligero was an extremely smooth full-bodied cigar.

OTHER NOTES: The smell of this cigar before lighting is an experience in it of itself. A rich leather and a hint of cedar filled my nostrils prompting me to take in many deep breaths. This is what you imagine Fidel Castro's walk in humidor would smell like (assuming he has a walk in humidor).

EVALUATION: While the Lx2 is a full-bodied cigar, there was no heavy lingering tar taste in my mouth. The burn and draw were perfect with the dense ash holding on for over 2 inches. Construction was good aside from the cosmetic flaws on the cap and the soft spot along the last 1/3 of the cigar body which didn't dampen the experience. The Lx2, while not my favorite CAO cigar, was an excellent cigar, and it should be for the price per stick I paid. I do recommend this cigar, but if you've got some $$ and want a full-bodied cigar I would suggest going another route, perhaps the Illusione 88.

Cuban Cohiba -- Siglo III - Gran Corona

Cuban Cohiba Happiness

OCCASION: Matty B's Birthday Bash	PRICE: $17 retail - for me free however (a gift)
BRAND: Cohiba - Siglo III

GAUGE: 42	LENGTH: 6.o (15.50 cm)
SHAPE NAME: Gran Corona

FILLER: Cuban Volado, Seco and Ligero
BINDER: Cuban Seco All Habanos are made from "Tabaco Negro Cubano" – native Cuban Black Tobacco	WRAPPER: Shade Grown Seco

APPEARANCE: This beauty had an oily golden wrapper with no blemishes that could be seen. The wrapper had very little raised veins, and oh how I love that Cuban Cohiba collar design - sort of Art Deco, and very classy.

CONSTRUCTION: The construction of this little stick was immaculate, complete with a triple-seam cap. There were no hard or soft spots throughout the cigar.

DRAW:
START: Great	1/2: Great	3/4: Great

BURN:
START: Even	1/2: Even	3/4: Even

TASTING NOTES: As soon as I took the stick out of the glass tubo it was packaged in, it's fragrance was immediate. Smooth, rich tobacco scent. From when it was first lighted, all the way to the end, there was an abundance of thick, creamy smoke. This was definitely a medium bodied stick, but was very complex with lots of flavors. The flavors of the cigar alternated between woody, earthy tone, to coffee flavors. However, there was always a wonderful cinnamon and nutmeg overtone, which gave the cigar a sweetness that was very unique. The cigar burned extremely even, and the draw was smooth and full. The ash was very tight, and held on for at least two inches before breaking off.

OTHER NOTES: Here is some additional info. that I learned about the Cuban Habanos. This Cohiba Siglo III is in the Linea 1492 cigar line, which is Cohiba's medium body Cuban line. The Linea 1492 was introduced in 1992 to mark the 500th Anniversary of Columbus’s epic voyage of discovery. The name "Cohiba" is an ancient Taino Indian word for the bunches of tobacco leaves that Columbus first saw being smoked by the original inhabitants of Cuba — the earliest known form of the cigar. The leaves for Cohiba are the “selection of the selection” from the five finest Vegas Finas de Primera in the San Juan y Martinez and San Luis zones of the Vuelta Abajo region. Uniquely amongst Habanos two of Cohiba’s filler leaves, the seco and ligero, undergo a third fermentation in barrels, which adds smoothness to the blend.

EVALUATION: I enjoyed this cigar immensely. It was possibly the best constructed cigar I have ever smoked, which speaks to the great history, and the love of cigar making in Cuba. Even though the cigar was medium body, it had lots of character with the sweetness on the wrapper, and I think I could almost taste the aged tabacco. Overall, a wonderful experience, and I am looking forward to my next Cuban!! Now that I think of it, I know someone who is planning a photography trip there next year. With that trip they will be in the country legally, which means....yep......they would be able to bring back lots of tasty Habanos with them!

EO Cigars -- Murcielago - Robusto

This bat produced a home run.

OCCASION: Lazy day	PRICE: $6
BRAND: EO Cigars - Murcielago

GAUGE: 52	LENGTH: 5 - 1/4 "
SHAPE NAME: Robusto

FILLER: Nicaraguan
BINDER: Mexican	WRAPPER: Mexican maduro

APPEARANCE: Dark, rich brown sheen. Bumpy with minor veins.

CONSTRUCTION: Great construction. No bunches, no wrinkles, flawless triple cap and box pressed. Firm to the touch with some give.

DRAW:
START: great	1/2: great	3/4: great

BURN:
START: good	1/2: good	3/4: good

TASTING NOTES: Peppery and hint of sweetness at the start. Smooth with a bite of pepper after-taste. Midway through I began to experience the initial sweetness fade to a toasty, then woody taste finally finishing off with a black pepper taste in throat. There was no long after-taste and no thick tar buildup in my mouth.

OTHER NOTES: Earthy and old leather scent before lighting. The draw was cool throughout and produced a decent amount of smoke.

EVALUATION: All in all I thought this was a very pleasurable medium bodied cigar. I have experienced others that were not as pricy that were just as good but I had to try the Mexican binder and wrapper grown in volcanic soil. Who wouldn't want to try that? For all the fuss out there about how horrible Mexican cigar tobacco is should try the Murcielago.

Illusione -- 88 - Robust

Let there be no illusion, the Cigar Log Book recommends this great full-bodied cigar.

Occasion:  Gift Cigar	Gauge:  52
Cigar:  Illusione 88	Length: 5"
Price:  $7	Shape:  Robusto
Filler:  Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper:  Nicaragua Corojo

Appearance: 
The 88 had a rich, mahogany and silky wrapper. The wrapping did look a bit like a barber's pole due to darker brown color where wrapper overlapped. Only imperfections came from minor veins and a rip and fold in one location. But in all the cigar's appearance was great.


Construction:
A very solid construction. Nice and compactly rolled but not hard as a rock. The head was triple capped and was nicely constructed and the foot was evenly cut. A top notch construction.

Draw	Burn
Start:  good	Start: uneven
Halfway:  good	Halfway:  canoe, relight
Three-Quarters: good	Three-Quarters:  even

Tasting Notes:

This was a definite full-bodied cigar with a spicy start and continued to hold on well after the draw. From the first draw there was a sweet taste that peaked through but quickly dissipated as a peppery taste held on well after the draw. As the cigar progressed the peppery and spicy taste gave way to a roasted and leathery taste. For a full bodied cigar the finish was nice and smooth.

Other Notes:
I smelled an earthy aroma almost like landscape mulch before lighting the cigar and  for a person that has worked in the landscaping business, this was actually a pleasant smell. The cigar produced a fair amount of smoke per draw. There was a real issue with the cigar burning evenly until the last 1/3 of the cigar.

Recommend: This cigar was given to me by one of my guest authors, Nathan Ambuehl, who swears by their quality. I'll have to admit, this passed my inspection and received my recommendation as a top notch masterfully constructed, flawless appearance with a wonderful full-bodied blend of tobaccos. The tobacco actually came from the Esteli and Jalapa regions in Nicaragua. While these locations are very popular sources for Nicaraguan tobacco, this is the same region the tobacco's for Cain's Straight Ligero come from. In comparison to Cain's SL, Illusione's 88 is a clear winner. Both started off with the distinct spice and full-bodied taste but Cain's tobacco put me down for the count. A cigar is something to be enjoyed  and to relax with, not deliver a knock out blow to your senses. I would definitely recommend this cigar to anyone looking for a complex full-bodied yet smooth cigar. The only issue, if you call it that, was that the burn was uneven until the last third of the cigar.

The Story of Perfecto Love - The Battle Between Arturo Fuente's Short Story and Romeo y Julieta's Reserva Real Love Story

This Arturo Fuente (AF) Short Story wasn't much to write home about.

Unlike Shakespeare's Love Story, this Romeo y Julieta (RyJ) cigar did have a happy ending.

Occasion:  Face Off	Gauge:  46 - 49
Cigar:  Short Story(AF), Love Story(RyJ)	Length: 4 - 1/2 "
Price:  $5.99(AF), $4.99(RyJ)	Shape:  Perfecto
Filler:  Dominican (AF), Dominican & Nicaragua (RyJ)
Binder: Dominican (AF), Nicaragua (RyJ)
Wrapper:  African Cameroon (AF), Connecticut (RyJ)

Appearance: 
RyJ:
The wrapper had a greenish / tan color to it and each wrapper leaf had a slightly different color than its adjacent one. No major veins or lumps were noticeable. The only real blemish was under the band where there was one minor green spot the diameter of a pencil lead.

AF:
There were minor veins in the wrapping and the color was a deep dark oak color. The African Cameroon wrapper had the characteristic bumps.

Construction:
RyJ:
The Love Story had pretty firm construction with one spongy dip near the foot. The cap and foot were well shaped and wrapped. No bunches or folds where wrappers overlapped.


AF:
I was a bit disappointed at the construction for this cigar because it was quite spongy in the perfecto end and rather tight at the head end. There were no bunches or folds where the wrapping overlapped and the cap was well constructed. This had a near perfect perfecto shaped foot.


Tasting Notes:

RyJ:
A very toasty, mellow cigar. There was a slight leathery taste that made its appearance  at once in a while throughout the cigar. This was light but still with a complex taste profile. I was able to enjoy this cigar down to the nub.


AF:
This was a medium bodied cigar with minor peppery taste to it. There was a simple toasty taste throughout the smoke however toward the end the taste became a bit hot and acrid. The African Cameroon did give each draw a sweet taste at the beginning of the puff which dissipated quickly. I wasn't able to enjoy this to the nub and disposed of it with about 1 - 1/2" remaining which makes up about a third of the cigar body.

Other Notes:
RyJ:
The ash held on for about 2" and was a bit frayed with a white / gray color. Each draw produced a good amount of smoke.


AF:
The smell before the cigar was lit reminded me of a field of hay being harvested. The African Cameroon wrapper felt like lizard skin. There was a fair amount of smoke per draw.

Draw (for both)	Burn (for both)
Start:  good	Start: even
Halfway:  good	Halfway:  even
Three-Quarters: good	Three-Quarters:  even

Recommend: RyJ: I would recommend the Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Love Story for anyone looking for a quick and light cigar that still provides a complex and enjoyable taste profile.  AF: This truly was a short story that I wished had a better ending.

Cain's Nicaraguan Ligero Tobacco

After enjoying the very able Cain Straight Ligero on Friday, I decided to conduct a geography lesson for myself. I looked up the regions the three ligero fillers came from on Google Maps as shown in the figure below.

The map above is centered on Nicaragua. Near the north (top) are three green call outs labeled A,B, and C which mark the three areas as follows: A=Jalapa, B=Condega, C=Esteli.  As you can see the tobaccos come from the northern region of Nicaragua. Below is a tiny bit of information on each of the areas and about the tobacco as described by caincigars.com.

Jalapa:

Jalapa is perhaps the smallest of the three locations with an elevation of about 2,300 feet above sea level. Jalapa provides the least amount of direct sun due to the valley the tobacco is grown in and the smoothest of the three ligero tobaccos.

Condega:

Nicaragua.com describes Condega as a tranquil area surrounded by mountains and beautiful valleys and is an important contributor to the tobacco industry. Here Cuban exiles perfected the skill of making cigars and relocated the craft to Esteli. Condega is slightly lower than Esteli and as a result a bit warmer. The Condega ligero tobacco is medium bodied with a complex richness.

Esteli:

According to Perelman's Pocket Cyclopedia of Cigars, Esteli is the location where the Cain cigars are handmade. Esteli is just over 2,600 feet above sea level in a cooler region of Nicaragua giving the town a nice and cool climate. Nicaragua.com mentions this region is a location where Cuban cigar makers sought refuge during the Cuban Revolution and could attribute to why the tobacco industry is such a large part of the area. Esteli ligero tobacco is the strongest of the three and must be used sparingly otherwise it could overpower the other tobaccos.

Clearly Cain selected areas deeply rooted with cigar history and an ideal climate for producing the full flavored and complex cigars we enjoy today.

Cain -- Straight Ligero - Robusto

Cain and VERY Able. Those guys at Oliva weren't joking when they described this cigar as "strength under cover".

Occasion:  July 1st	Gauge:  50
Cigar:  Habano Straight Ligero	Length: 5-3/4"
Price:  $6.25	Shape:  Robusto
Filler:  Ligero (Esteli, Condega, Jalapa)
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper:  Nicaragua Habano

Appearance: 
The Nicaragua Habano wrapper had a rich milk chocolaty brown color with a silky sheen. Each wrapper leaf had a prominent lighter colored vein and a small hole was present along one of the veins. Aside from the veins, the wrapper appeared flawless.

Construction:
A very firm roll with no spongy spots at all. The cap was extremely well constructed with only a minor bunch where the body's wrapper folded under. A thick vein became exposed at the middle after I punched out a hole in the cap. A v-notch punch could have had an issue but a guillotine would have cut right through. 


After about an inch of enjoyment the burn became uneven and lasted for the duration of the cigar. This did not reduce my enjoyment of the cigar and was only a cosmetic issue.


Tasting Notes:

Right from the get-go to about the halfway mark you get a nice peppery rush that fills your entire mouth. The peppery taste holds on for a bit before retreating and an earthy and then roasted flavor sets in. A very complex flavor profile with this cigar. Even though this cigar is a very full bodied smoke there was no harsh after-taste or unpleasant mouthfeel when finished. This must be attributed to the tobacco's triple fermentation process.

Draw	Burn
Start:  good	Start: even
Halfway:  good	Halfway:  uneven
Three-Quarters: good	Three-Quarters:  uneven

Recommend: Be ready for jaw dropping taste experience. While the cigar was complex and flavorful and remained smooth and consistent throughout, those triple fermented ligeros sat me down.

Other Notes: Got this at Tinder Box. What a great place with very knowledgeable and helpful staff. The guy asked many questions to learn what I enjoyed and what price range I was looking for and offered many great suggestions.