Trinidad Habana Reserve

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The Trinidad Habana Reserve is a cigar that my friend Joe has been raving about as of late. I decided to break down and give it a try because it is rare that he raves about a cigar that is not a VSG, Padron or Davidoff.

Cigar: Trinidad Habana Reserve
Size: 5 x 54 (Trinidad Tubo)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Cubano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaragua & Honduras
Strength: Medium

Appearance and Construction (17/20): The first thing that caught my eye with this stick is how much the band looks like the Trinidad Cuban. Upon further inspection there was a gorgeous pigtail cap that was perfectly placed. The wrapper of the cigar had one discoloration near the foot one noticeable vein present as well. The Trinidad Habana Reserve is packed with tobacco and has a great weight to it.

Flavor & Notes (26/30): During my pre-light ritual I was pleasantly surprised by the notes of caramel and raisins on the draw. As I smoked the first third the dominant note was cedar. There was a slight spice as well, and a sweetness that tried to surface from time to time.  The second third the sweetness became a more defined note of caramel. The cedar remained dominant however, and it was joined by some toast. The final third of the cigar continues to be dominated by the cedar notes and the spice returns along with some raisin. The finish of the cigar is an enjoyable caramel making this a very complex smoke.

Smoking Characteristics (24/25): The cigar had a salt and pepper ash that was flake free and held fairly well. What was a nice surprise here was how slow smoking this stick was while burning very even for the most part. The draw was perfect and there was a nice amount of smoke being produced.

Overall (23/25): This is perhaps the perfect cigar for when you don’t want to be bothered with something that will take control of your palate while you are performing your daily duties. Not once did I feel over powered or did I worry about the nicotine effect slowing me down.  This might be the best cigar that Altadis USA currently has on the market.

Rating: 90
Price: $6.00

Montecristo 75th Anniversario

My favorite B&M, Fume in Montclair, NJ recently got inthe Montecristo 75th Anniversario Desade 1935 in stock and I was happy to see the lancero included in this 5 pack sampler that has a beautiful presentation. The cigar is a celebration of this brands anniversary.

Cigar: Montecristo 75th Anniversatio Desade 1935
Size: 7.5 x 40 (Lancero)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Honduras and Nicaragua
Strength: Medium

Appearance and Construction (18/20): If not looking carefully one might think this is the Montecristo Cabinet Selection due to the similar band on the stick. The rich looking wrapper on this lancero is sweating oils that gives this cigar a wonderful appearance. The cigar has a seamless roll and a wonderful looking pigtail cap. There are no soft spots and the cigar has a nice weight to it.

Flavor & Notes (27/30): The prelight draw of this cigar has a delicious raisin note with some chocolate in the background. Once lit the cigar offers an incredibly sweet chocolate note along with some earth. As we enter the second third on this classy cigar the notes are that of raisins and earth with a little bit of mocha. The final third of the cigar was earthy with some enjoyable sweet notes in the background.

Burn/Ash/Draw (25/25): The burn line of this cigar was so incredibly straight that it might be the best burning lancero I have smoked to date. The ash is very tight and white that held on for almost half the cigar which is something I never experienced in a lancero. The draw was perfection making this an enjoyable smoking experience.

Overall (23/25): Hands down this was the best lancero I have smoked and best Montecristo as well. It was so incredibly rich and bursting with flavors that made the Montecristo 75th Anniversario a truly  memorable smoke.

Rating: 93
Price: $-

** Added 19:50 on 11/01/09 **

More information can be found at Cigar Law.

Vega Fina

As some of you know I am a member of the Altadis VIP program. Altadis supplies me with sample smokes and should I run a herf they will donate a box of cigars for that event. It’s a good deal, and I look forward to getting the cigars in the mail every 6-8 weeks or so. The cigars I got recently caused me to roll my eyes as they haven’t been anything to write home about. In fact I wound up giving them out. Well this morning I was looking for a quick smoke and I lit up the VegaFina and to my surprised I liked it. So I decided to light up a second one and formulate a review…

Cigar: VegaFina
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Columbina, Dominican, Honduran
Strength: Mild

Appearance and Construction (19/20): The cigar features a nice tan colored Ecuadorian Connecticut shade wrapper. In fact if you remove the simple band it would look like a Davidoff. There are some small veins and a little but of tooth on this well packed cigar. In fact it is very difficult to find a flaw on this smoke.

Flavor & Notes (28/30): On the prelight draw and the foot there are some well defined fig notes with a slight caramel. On the first third the notes from the prelight are gone. However what remains is some tea notes with an underlying sweetness. As we enter the 2nd third of the smoke some faint notes of fig return giving this cigar a nice distinct flavor. The final third of the cigar has some spices with a nice sweetness along for the ride.

Burn/Ash/Draw (18/25): Here is where the cigar runs into some problems. The burn of the cigar tends to get out of hand with some touch ups needed to prevent the stick from getting out of hand. The ash is a night light gray but it is weak and doesn’t hold on. You have to watch it to avoid a lap full of ash. The draw despite being well packed is a tad loose and it smokes fast.

Overall (22/25): If you are looking for a reasonably priced mild smoke this cigar is it. The flavors once lit are hard to realize without a season palatte but it smokes better then the price would indicate. A truly enjoyable smoke that did not disappoint.

Rating: 87
Price: $3.50

Siglo Limited Reserve VI

I got my hands on a pre-release of the newest cigar from Altadis USA which is a rip off of a Cuban line by Cohiba in name. The Siglo Limited Reserve is billed as an exceptional Nicaraguan cigar, handcrafted under the guidance of of celebrated master blender Frank Llaneza. The release goes on to state the cigars bold flavor is derived from the finest Broadleaf binder and hand selected Dominican and Nicaraguan log filler tobaccos and is highlighted by a robust Ecuadorian Cubano wrapper.

The Siglo Limited Reserve is available in ten sizes and have a MSRP of $4.00 to $7.50. They should start appearing in cigar shops sometime in late April or early May. According to the local rep they are being made in limited numbers and they might be a little difficult to find when they first begin to trickle out to cigar shops around the country.

Cigar: Siglo Limited Reserve
Size: 6 x 54 (Siglo VI)
Origin: Nicaraguan
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Cubano
Binder: Broadleaf (Nicaragua)
Filler: Dominican Republic & Nicaraguan

Appearance and Construction (15/20): The rip off of the Cuban cigar with the same name is evident in the packaging of the cigar. The VI comes in a tubo or in cello which is identical to the Cohiba brand. I am surprised that General which owns the Cohiba name is the United States has not yet launched a lawsuit to stop the cigar from being released. The band is similar to the Cuban counterpart with colors of gold, yellow, white and black. The wrapper has quite a few veins some of which stick out significantly above the cigar. The roll of the cigar has some gaps in it which make it look a tad bit amateurish. The cigar itself has a nice weight to it, and the foot is very well packed however, there are some stems visible. The cap of the cigar is a double cap, and upon cutting it with my Xikar scissor a significant number of stems are clearly visible as well.

Flavor & Notes (27/30): Prior to lighting it I was somewhat intrigued by the notes on the prelight draw which was a very distinct anise.. Upon lighting the cigar there are notes of pepper on the tongue and through the nose that fade giving the cigar a Pepin-esque feel to it. As we continue through the first third of the cigar there are notes of wood and anise that compliment the tobacco flavors.  The second third of the cigar the notes of anise begin to really shine on this surprisingly good stick and they are joined by some oak undertones. The final third gets a little bit bitter with some notes of spices, wood and leather.

Burn/Ash/Draw (25/25): The burn of the cigar is crisp, clean and very straight which is a definite plus, The ash is a nice and tight to the point where you can see the outlines of the veins and is medium gray in color. The ash also held strong through each quarter and I only lost the ash when I chose to do so.  The draw was perfect and I never needed to relight the cigar.

Overall (23/25): The local rep told me that this cigar was being compared to the Tatuaje and I told her to compare an Altadis USA product to something by Pete Johnson was an insult to him. I have seen some people on some of the cigar boards say this cigar compares to a Cuban and it is evident they were swayed by the power of suggestion with the cigars name. What you get with this smoke is a cigar that is very different than anything else produced by Altadis and the price point is right making the cigar well worth the purchase.

Rating: 90
Price: $6.00 MSRP

Mi Dominicana

It’s hard to believe that Altadis USA did not have a Dominican puro cigar on the market prior to the Mi Dominicana. Created by Jose Seijas  this cigar is  described by Altadis USA as a medium to full bodied smoke and it comes in 8 vitolas.

Cigar: Mi Dominicana
Origin: Dominican Republic
Size: 6 x 54 (Toro)
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic

Appearance & Construction (17/20): The color of a paper bag this cigar features an excessive amount of veins on the wrapper. The cigar has a nice heavy weight to it so it is full of tobacco waiting to be smoked. The band, is kind of plain and simple and it looks more like a bundle cigar then a premium cigar.

Flavor & Notes (25/30): On the pre-light this cigar offers some notes of sweetness on the draw. The initial third of the cigar starts off a bit harsh with a pepper in the back of the throat and through the nasal passages as well. As we progress through the first third the pepper slowly fades away leaving a very dry cigar to the palate. Notes of leather, and wood prevail here. As the second third begins the flavor profile remains very dry with some wood notes and an underlying sweetness. The cigar has begun to pique my interest at this point. The final third is wood, and leather with a slight sweetness to it.

Burn/Ash/Draw (24/25): An exquisite draw, with a decent burn line, that is pretty much straight. The ash is a medium gray and it holds fairly well.

Overall (21/25): I had high expectations on this cigar, and I might revisit it in a different vitola in the not so distant future. A lot of people love this cigar on the forums but it did not do it for me. Also keep in mind that a lot of people sitting around me commented on the “awful aroma” the cigar produced. So don’t smoke it in a closed location.

Rating: 87
Price: 6.75