Saturday, February 25, 2012

La Sirena The Prince

I've got a La Sirena "The Prince" here that has a band that nearly runs the 5 inch length.  Certainly eye-catching.  A guy in the humidor said he really liked them, and the dude behind the counter had good things to say too, so I gave it a straight clip with my xi2 and toasted the foot before drawing on it.  This "Pepin" Garcia and Miami Cigar stick has a nice chocolate bar appearance to it.  The double cap is noticeable but straight.  The band has a nautical theme going on here.  While sitting in one of the old barber shop chairs at Cigars & More, the guy in the chair next to me tells me that he had a hell of a time removing the band when he smoked this cigar.  It didn't give me any trouble though, and while I did have to remove it early (for obvious reasons), I was surprised to see another band beneath it at the halfway mark.  Interesting...  I wonder how much of the cost of this cigar came from the bands.  Underneath the large band, is a rather large vein - fortunately, it doesn't cause any issues with the experience, and it does not extend to the cap.

1/3: Initial blast of pepper on the light.  The strength is evident right up front.  It is full-bodied and full strength, undoubtedly.  After the first inch, it maintains its profile, but really smooths out.

2/3: I'm liking this cigar in part because there are certainly twists and turns, and each puff seems to be better than the last.  This section is predominantly woody, transitioning to rye toast. 

3/3: Additional smoothness and flavor changes into the final third.  Interesting floral notes are present.

I didn't have any expectations going into this smoke, other than that it would be full-bodied, but it was very enjoyable.  You can't complain about a cigar that starts out good and gets progressively better for over an hour.


Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler:  Nicaragua

Friday, February 17, 2012

Four Kicks by Crowned Heads (robusto)

I'm a little late getting this post up, but better late than never!

I've been wanting to smoke this cigar for some time now, yet I kept finding others to smoke first.  This is a boutique cigar label that had generated some buzz several months back.  It was early in the day, so I decided to pair my cigar with black coffee.  I used a V cut, and my usual method of lighting with a torch. 

On the light, some mild pepper to get me started off.

1/3: The first flavor that I recognize easily is wood.  An inch or so into it, and I've got a little bit of irritation on the back of my throat.  Medium strength cigar, I think.

2/3: The volume of smoke has been pretty decent.  The cigar is mellow and enjoyable.  Although the flavors don't exactly jive with the Curivari smokes, for some reason this cigar reminds me of them.  Maybe it's because there was some hype ahead of trying it for myself, but like the Curivari, it's nothing all that special to me.  I'd smoke more, but doubt I'd ever be saying to myself, "Damn!  I sure have a taste for a Four Kicks!"  Anyways.....on with my notes.

3/3: The strength has increased slightly - no big surprise here.  Not a lot of flavor variation in this one.  In the final third, there's a hint of charred flavor.

This smoke was decent.  Just decent.  It didn't wow me, but I was a little surprised to see that it took me nearly 1.5 hours to smoke. 



Size: 5 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Online MarketingAdd blog to our blog directory.