Size: 6 1/4 x 58
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Oscuro
Binder: Nicaraguan Ligero
Filler: A blend of 4 Nicaraguan Ligero tobaccos
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Flavor: Full
Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

Construction and Appearance: The Los Blanco Nine JT Limitado has a milk chocolate colored wrapper with very slight veins. It is slightly rough to the touch with a triple cap, and very well packed. The band on it is beautiful, centered on it is what appears to be a family crest of sorts. The crest features a classic shield with a crown atop it and two lions on the side. The crest is traced in silver on a black background. Above this crest is the word “BLANCO” written in black on the embossed silver, and below is the word “NINE” written in silver atop the black background. There is silver tracing below the crest and on the left side the factory of production is listed, Gran Fabrica De Tabacos. On the right side the place of production is listed, Esteli, Nicaragua.

Flavor and Notes: The wrapper of the Nine JT Limitado had notes of sweet cocoa and leather. The foot also had notes of cocoa and leather, but also notes of coffee, natural tobacco, and hay. On the cold draw I’m met with notes of cocoa, espresso, tobacco, and hay.

Smoking Characteristics: Due to the 60 gauge I decided to go with a V-Cut for the Nine JT Limitado. Upon lighting it up I’m met with notes of cocoa, leather, rich spices which included coriander, and a bit of hay. Uniquely, it starts out with a distinct crisp freshness similar to biting into a piece of celery. It doesn’t have its own flavor, but is very refreshing. The body starts around the medium range, but opens up to full during the first third. The smoke is rich, cool, sweet, creamy, and a bit dry. The strength starts out around medium to full, a nice buzz setting in during the first third.

Into the second third the cocoa flavors really start to develop and dominate the flavor profile. Also in this third new notes of coffee and espresso start to emerge, and all of the leather, spices, and hay notes remain. The flavor is very well balanced, rich, and complex. The burn required a bit of a touch up during this third, but the body and draw really opened up. Each puff of off the Nine JT Limitado produceses a full body of rich, cool, delicious, creamy smoke. The strength in this third remains steady around medium to full.

During the final third the flavor becomes simply wonderful. The rich espresso notes really develop and blend with the cocoa notes. The leather and hay flavors fade out completely, but the rich blend of spices remain. It is very complex, well blended, and balanced. After savoring each puff off of the JT Limitado, I immediately start to crave the next. The JT Limitado smokes cool and delicious to the nub. During this third I notice it has been almost two hours time well spent.

Conclusion: The Los Blanco Nine JT Limitado is certainly a fine cigar. I smoke with David A Blanco, the Executive VP, about the JT Limitado and he told me about the two years he spent blending the cigar. He painstakingly worked on the blend with fermentation to ensure the combustion rates would equal out to create a clean smooth burn. All his hard work has certainly paid off. The JT Limitado is rich, complex, and delicious.  With about a two hour smoking time it certainly is worth the price of all his hard labors. It required basically no attention for the draw and burn, and smoke cool all the way to the nub.

Rating: 93

MSRP: $10.30

May 11, 2012

We are extremely excited for the launch of the new Romeo by Romeo y Julieta cigars, which are now starting to arrive at tobacconists across the country. To celebrate the launch we are holding a Romeo y Julieta photo contest to win a box of Romeo by Romeo y Julieta cigars.

Enter the contest by taking a picture with any Romeo y Julieta cigar, preferably a new Romeo, and submit it on The Cigar Life Facebook page. Submissions will be accepted from May 14th through May 31st. The winner will be selected by a panel of judges and be announced on June 4th. We love to see creative photos, but for your photo to qualify, make sure we can tell the cigar in your photo is a Romeo y Julieta.

Romeo by Romeo y Julieta is different than every other Romeo y Julieta cigar before it. It is a bolder, more robust smoke full of rich flavors. Romeo is crafted with a Select Dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper handpicked for its dark, rich color and robust taste, a slightly sweet Dominican Olor binder, and a unique filler blend of Dominican Piloto and Olor tobaccos.

I have yet to have the opportunity to enjoy one of these cigars but hope to soon. If you see the new Romeo in the humidor next time you visit your local tobacconist, pick one up and give it a try. Let us know what you think.

Good luck to all of those who take part!

In Altadis’ own words the new ROMEO would be “Robust, full-bodied and rich in complex flavor nuances, Romeo is meticulously crafted at the famed Tabacalera de Garcia in the Dominican Republic by the skilled hands of the factory’s most accomplished artisans, each with decades of expertise, chosen specifically to create this uncommon cigar.”

With all of the fanfare that took place to introduce this new line, I must say I was excited to try out Altadis’ newest offering. It has been a good year for Altadis thus far, the Vega Fina Sumum, and Jose Seijas both being excellent releases. As a result, I’ve started to expect alot more in quality from Altadis. ROMEO certainly has a big role to live up to. You can follow Altadis on Twitter (@thecigarlife) and on Facebook.

Size: Toro (6 x 54)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano-seed
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Medium to Full
Body: Full
Flavor: Medium
Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

Construction and Appearance: The box for the new ROMEO has a very sleek post-modern look to it which really catches the eye on the shelf. The band also has a nice look, the letters ME featured most boldly, and the letter RO written much smaller up top with the last O written even smaller near the bottom. All the letters are written in white with gold tracing. The wrapper of the ROMEO is a reddish brown with little in the way of veins and a moderate amount of oil. It is fairly smooth to the touch, features a tight small cap, and rolled used the booking method.

Flavor and Notes: The wrapper of the ROMEO has a bit of a mineral scent to it along with notes of leather and hay. The foot has notes of leather, hay, cocoa, and a bit of salt. I go with a V – cut to prepare for smoking and take a cold draw which has notes of tobacco, cedar, and hay.

Smoking Characteristics: ROMEO starts wit a bold flavor profile. The first third has notes of natural tobacco, cedar, leather, and cinnamon. The flavor is very rich and well blended. The draw is perfect, each puff producing a full body of rich, cool smoke with ease. The burn likewise is perfect, the line holding as tightly as the ash.

The strength starts out medium to full with the flavor initially being bold, but not very complex. Each draw does leave a light cedar flavor on the tongue but not much else.

Going into the second third the strength starts to kick up a bit moving towards the fuller side of things. In this third the tobacco flavor eases off a bit, but there are more cinnamon, cedar, and leather notes than before. Now a rich pepper spice has also joined the profile. It is a mix of both black pepper and a bit of cayenne as well. The pepper flavor really does lend a bit of complexity and balances out the flavor profile. The smoke is still very cool, yet it warms the palate slightly between draws.

During the final third the strength continues to build. Both the draw and burn have remained excellent during the entire smoking experience. The black pepper note starts to ease off during this third, but the cayenne flavors hold on strongly, as do notes of leather, cinnamon, and cedar. The ROMEO smokes cool to the nub and took almost an hour and forty minutes to finish smoking.

Conclusion: The ROMEO is certainly a solid offering from Altadis. Do I enjoy it as much as the Vega Fina Sumum or Jose Seijas? No, not really, it lacks some complexity in the flavor profile. That being said, it is a good stick which has a nice balance to the flavor, and a good blend. It is a bolder offering in the Romeo Y Julieta line, and I certainly prefer it over several of Altadis’ current offerings.

Rating: 88

This week at www.gcpuffs.com sees change. Starting this week, Joe Di Eduardo takes over as site and content manager for GCPuffs as well as being a lead reviewer.

I can’t think of anyone more suited for the job than Joe, and I am honored to have him on board. Joe has been a contributing writer for the site for some time and this change is wise for the future of the site.

There are more changes coming, and you will see over the next few months the site growing in the array of content. I still own the site and will be writing reviews as well as manage advertising, but the growth of the site and the plans for the future expansion dictate that change was needed.

The site was started with the simple idea of writing a few reviews after thirty years of enjoying cigars and I sincerely thank everyone for all their support, but over time the vision of where the site should go took form.

Eventually, it will be more than a review site but those items will be discussed at a later date and the plans as they unfold should be very pleasing to all.

For now, please make Joe feel welcome in his new position at GCPuffs and lets look towards the future.

Peace and Smoke,

G.C.

You can follow GC still at @GCPuffs and Jo Di Eduardo @smokin_Joe_

Email gcpuffs@gmail.com

Joe Di Eduardo

The press release for the announcement of this exclusive line last year explained the background of why this cigar is being made:

The Q d’etat line represents a symbolic revolt against the unfair taxation practices and mistreatment of the premium cigar industry.  The brand is intended to create awareness of the dangers increased government regulation and taxation will produce, specifically the FDA’s desire to regulate premium cigars. There will be three sizes, released at different dates, of 1,000 ten-count boxes.  Each box will contain a form to register for membership in Cigar Rights of America.

Size: 6×60
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Flavor: Medium
Cigars Smoked For Review: 1

Construction and Appearance: The Howitzer is a nice looking cigar with double bands. The primary band is black with the Quesada ‘Q’ tobacco leaf in silver and gold and small Q’s around the band. The second band says Q d’etat Howitzer. It is an attractive brown wrapper but a little uneven in color and slightly bumpy. It is firmly packed and has what I would describe as a small triple cap. As a result I elect to use a v-cut to preserve as much of the cap as I can for what I anticipate will be an hour plus smoke.

Flavor and Notes: The wrapper of the Howitzer has an acidic note with floral or citrus hints and an earthy foot with a similar floral or woody note. There is a notable absence of pepper and a presence of what I would describe a cilantro heat to the nose. The cold draw has the same notes with a gentle pepper left on the lips.

Smoking Characteristics: After taking a v-cut, the initial light produces a nice amount of woody notes with hint of charcoal and a gentle cilantro heat evenly fills my mouth. The Howitzer has a sharp flavor profile that is complex but with no dominating flavor. There is a slight mineral note that increases slowly but steadily as the cigar heats up.

The first third continues this way with a firm gray ash that has the slightest tinge of brown to it. There is a very sharp burn line and an abundant amount of smoke is produced. The flavors are predominantly woody and cedar with a dry leathery finish. The mineral notes subside and are replaced with a black pepper and mixing with the still present cilantro heat. Flavors are centered in the middle of my tongue and roof of my mouth.

Towards the end of the first third, the burn is slightly uneven but corrects itself without intervention and is more that acceptable but worth mention. Continued retrohales at this point reveal the floral notes initially detected before lighting and mixes with the mineral note that lingers.

The second third sees the spiciness die down but the ash is still holding firm and true. The ash is now white gray and very firm and hols past the two inch point. An increase in leather and charcoal notes begins and is joined by a dark espresso.

The last third remains pleasant but does not reveal any new notable flavors. The Howitzer continues to produce abundant smoke with a draw that is not loose, but satisfying. The mineral flavor continues to be present with leather notes and the strength builds through medium. The entire smoking time is in excess of seventy-five minutes.

Conclusion: The Quesada Q d’etat Howitzer is a nice smoke, fulfilling, and definitely a cigar to try. I was disappointed that there were not some more prominent flavors that developed but that did not take away from the overall enjoyment of the cigar. I am sure that this will be an appealing cigar to many smokers and it will only be available for a limited amount of time.

Rating: 89

MSRP: $9.50

Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Dark Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Undisclosed Nicaraguan
Filler: Undisclosed Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium
Body: Full
Flavor: Full
Cigars Smoked For Review: 2

Construction and Appearance: The Rocky Patel Burn has a dark, almost milk chocolate colored Ecuadorian Sumatran Wrapper that has almost no veins at all. The wrapper is fairly smooth to the touch, but not overly so, with a generous triple cap. The Rocky Patel Burn features two bands, the first has the Rocky Patel logo on the back, and the word “BURN” on the front written in white with a red background. The foot band has the words Special Reserve written in red with a black and silver pattern in the background.

Flavor and Notes: The wrapper of the Rocky Patel Burn has notes of molasses, and a bit of a deep hay. The foot has notes of sweet molasses as well as raisins. The cold draw on the Rocky Patel Burn has deep molasses, raisins, and some cocoa.

Smoking Characteristics: Preparing for the Rocky Patel Burn Special Reserve I go with a small guillotine cut. Lighting up, I’m first hit with some flavor of rich molasses and a bit of a dark, dried fruit like raisins or dates. During the first third there are notes of molasses, raisins, hay, and cocoa. The flavor is rich, complex, delicious, and very smooth. The burn on the “Burn” is excellent, keeping a tight burn line, and holding ashes an inch or over in length with ease. The draw on the Rocky Patel Burn is also perfect, a great full body of cool smoke is produced on each draw.

During the second third of the Rocky Patel Burn the flavor remains fairly consistent. The molasses flavor develops a bit more fully, and the notes of raisin, hay, and cocoa all remain. The flavor is still very rich, well blended, and complex. During this third I’d place the strength at medium, the retrohale confirming the strength and flavors.

Into the final third the rich cocoa develops more fully and moves into the foreground of the profile. The notes of molasses, raisins or dates, and hay all remain. During this third the rich cocoa and molasses flavor lingers on the palate, and is quite delicious. The burn remains excellent, still holding ashes over an inch in length, and requiring no touch ups. The draw is still excellent, the smoke is cool, rich, delicious, and complex. I smoke the Burn all the way down to the nub enjoy each and every last bit.

Conclusion: The Rocky Patel Burn is certainly a hit. I hope that the blend of Burn that will be available at regular retailers will be similar in taste since I’ve fallen in love with this stick already. It is fairly complex, rich, delicious, and well blended. Out of the recently Rocky Patel releases I’ve smoked this is certainly my favorite. Find a Rocky Patel Lounge and try this stick. One of the most pleasant smokes so far in 2012!

Rating: 92

MSRP: $7.60

Rocky is releasing a special blend called Burn Special Reserve just for his exclusive store sponsored lounges. The name Burn comes from his ultra cigar lounge concept. Rocky Patel opened his Burn Lounge in Naples Florida in November 2010 and has plans to open more at locations on at least two continents. The theme of opulence exudes from this almost mystical lounge and is one of the hotspots in Naples. He uses the lounge as a studio to associate the upscale image of the Rocky Patel brand.

Burn by Rock Patel

Most of his ads featuring the sophsticated upscale backdrops have been shot at this beautiful venue. You can visit their website here.

The new blend will be on the shelves at Rocky Patel Lounges throughout the US within the next couple of weeks. To find a lounge near you, the Rocky Patel Website has a retailer finder here.

The cigar will have three vitolas, Robusto (5×50) – $152.00 Toro (6×52) – $162.00 Titan (8 ½ x 60) – $186.00 and come in 20 count boxes. It is billed as a medium to full bodied smoke with an undisclosed nicaraguan filler and binder. The wrapper is Dark Ecuadorian Sumatra.

There is also another Burn blend scheduled for release later this year that will be available at all Rocky Patel retailers.

For this Microblend installment Smoke Inn played no part in the creation of the size or blend. When Smoke Inn Proprietor Abe Dababneh approached the Fuente Family about making a Microblend, they decided this would be a perfect project for a small batch of cigars made over 6 years ago. Carlos Fuente Sr. had produced a small batch of belicoso cigars made from Ecuadorian Sun Grown wrapper that was uniquely light in its complexion. The cigars sat and aged for over six years. When smoked, we found the flavor mellow yet complex. One could definitely taste the quintessential Fuente flavor profile behind the elegantly aged smoke. Solaris will delight the palate of Fuente fans and collectors; especially those who like to age their cigars.

Due to the limited number of cigars made, Solaris will come in 10 count boxes and only 550 boxes are being released. The 6×49 belicoso will retail at $89.50 a box. Pre-orders are being taken with a special offer of a free limited edition Solaris tee shirt with every pre-order (a $15 value, while supplies last). All pre-orders will be shipped on the release date, Monday May 28, 2012

The Fuente Solaris is part of the Smoke Inn Microblend series which includes the Tatuaje Anarchy, the Padron 1964 Anniversary SI 15, and the My Father El Hijo all of which have been reviewed here..

Size: 6 x 49 (Belicoso)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sungrown
Binder: Unknown
Filler: Unknown
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Flavor: Full
Cigars Smoked For Review: 2

Construction and Appearance: The Arturo Fuente Solaris comes with two bands on it, the classic Fuente Gran Reserva band you find on many of their selections, and a second band with the word Solaris written on it. The second band is a slightly dull gold color with a double patterns above and below it. The word solaris has a line passing through it, and the O on solaris looks sort of like a sun. The namesake for this cigar is latin and means “of or pertaining to the sun.” The Solaris comes in only a single vitola, the 6 by 49 belicoso, and ends in a neat torpedo cap. The wrapper is a light reddish brown, unusually light compared to other sun growns, and features only very light veins. The wrapper is silky smooth to the touch, with a bit of oil to it as well.  The one smoked for review was evenly packed with no notable defects.

Flavor and Notes: On the wrapper of the Fuente Solaris there a notes of cedar and hay, and the scent as a light sweetness to it. The foot also shares these notes of cedar and hay, but also has an added distinct citrus zest. I go with a medium guillotine cut for the Fuente Solaris due to its slightly smaller gauge, on larger gauge torpedos I prefer to clip only a very small amount. On the cold draw I’m tasting the same notes of citrus zest, cedar, hay as I found on the foot.

Smoking Characteristics: Upon lighting the Arturo Fuente Solaris it has a familiar Fuente profile. In the first third there is a fair amount of complexity with notes of cedar wood being the most pronounced,  yet a bit of oak as well. These woody notes are joined with a blend of  soft spices, hay, a slight bit of coffee, and some citrus zest.  The cedar flavor is what really lingers on the palate during the first third, and is very enjoyable making me salivate lightly. In the first inch or so of the Solaris the draw is what I’d consider to be a bit tight, one of the reasons I made sure to take a slightly generous cut, However, it starts to open up and become full after that. The burn is excellent and there is a tight line forming around the solid ash which is easily holding up to the inch mark. Towards the end of this third a light nutty flavor also joins the profile.

During the second third the woody notes intensify even more so, dominating the flavor profile. That is not to say that this cigar lacks complexity, the rich notes of soft spices, hay, citrus zest, and coffee all lend a pleasant balance to the profile. During this third the wood flavor has lost its oak tones completely, which suits the flavor profile well. The draw has remained consistent and the smoke is very flavorful remaining medium in strength. There are no burn issues, however the ash will not hold over one inch.

In the final third the soft spices have completely diminished from the flavor profile. The woody cedar flavors and light roasted coffee (think blonde roast) dominate the flavor completely. There are still notes of hay, nuts, and citrus zest, but they have become undertones. During this last third there is a bit of a toasted note as well which has joined the profile. The flavor is still very rich, complex, and delicious. The strength actually seems to decrease a little bit during this third, toning down to a mild to medium. The burn and draw remain excellent, but I’m still having issues keeping an ash on anywhere over the one inch mark.

Conclusion: The Arturo Fuente Solaris will certainly be a big hit with any Fuente fan. The flavors are perfectly balanced, complex, rich, and delicious. It seems to finish on the mild to medium side in terms of strength, and really instills only a very mellow buzz while smoking. If you are interested in purchasing these, they are only available from Smoke Inn here, they are currently on pre-order but will ship on May 28th. I’d like to thank Smoke Inn for the sample for review. It was truly a pleasure, and without a doubt is worth purchasing.

Rating: 91

MSRP: $8.95 (10 count box for $89.50)

 
Silo Cigars, Inc. is pleased to have been named the latest My Father Cigars Lounge!  We at Silo have had a long relationship with the Garcia family (Since 2007) and are very excited about this new level of commitment.  We are expecting the new My Father Lounge Cigar to be arriving this week, and let me tell you, it’s worth the wait!  This cigar is exclusive to the handful of retailers who have earned the trust of the My Father Cigars organization.

.  Silo is open M-Th 8-8, F-Sa 8-9, and Sun 12-6, all times EDT.  I’ll be happy to call you if you want to send your phone# and a good time to reach you to cigarsales@silocigars.com if that works better for you!

While we’re on the phone, we will confirm availability of the cigars, and give you the prices for your selections.  All orders will be shipped USPS Priority Mail or UPS Ground at our choice based on weight and distance.  The PDF will show you the MSRP and regular box-price as well as description/size and boxes available at the time of this email.  Many boxes have discounts up to 40% off.  These are first rate unopened boxes that may have been ‘lost’ in the humidor and are no longer stocked, simple overstocks, closeouts, whatever.  We are only offering these deals to our online customers.

2012 Pre-Lounge Sale PDF

Of course, you are not limited to the items on the PDF – we have gobs of other big name and boutique brands (actually right around 800 facings displayed in our humidor and a few dozen we can’t fit on the shelves) that we will be happy to add to your order!  We just received the new Flor de las Antillas as I’m typing…making Silo one of the first retailers to get this release!

The Lounge Grand Opening party planning is underway – this may be a great opportunity to get a signed box…more details on the lounge and our website rebuild will certainly follow!

Thanks for all your support for the last 5 years!
Paul Warner
Silo Cigars, Inc.

Maybe you were promoted at work. Maybe you just completed another day. Either way, it’s a moment that deserves to be marked with a quality cigar. Hoyo de Monterrey is the premium cigar with the everyday price. Celebrate your everyday success with a Hoyo de Monterrey.

CELEBRATE WITH A BOX OF REPOSADO EN CEDROS
Enter our box-a-day giveaway and you might be able to celebrate with a box of Hoyo de Monterrey Reposado en Cedros.

For your chance to win just go to this site here. Good luck winning one of these great sticks!

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