I smoked some samples from IPCPR and I was impressed, but I never reviewed one til today. While rearranging my humidor I found 2 more sticks at the bottom and decided to smoke them and compare them to the initial sample I smoked. According to the website, “REINADO® is a premium blend of Nicaraguan tobacco aged up to five years and uniquely fermented to deliver the highest quality smoking experience.” Do we agree, read on for our opinion.

Cigar: Reinado
Size: 5.5 x 50
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Facebook: Reinado Cigars
Twitter:@reinadocigars

Reinado Cigars

Appearance and Construction: The first thing that caught my eye is the band which has some similarities to another, yet remains original at the same time. The colors of maroon and gold with a crest and a tobacco leaf in the center is very appealing to the eye. Outside of that the cigar sports a beautifully aged wrapper that glistens with oils. There are only the finest of veins present and a hint of magnesium spots on the wrapper which is usually a sign of good things to come. The cigar has no soft spots, a decent weight and the foot reveals a nice bunching. Perfect.

Flavor & Notes : I easily clipped the cap on this cigar with my Xikar scissors and prior to sparking up the foot served up a rich molasses note while the draw served up much of that same sweetness. It was easy to see this cigar has been in my humidor for over 5 months and the tobacco was firmly marinated. As I lit up the cigar I was surprised by how smooth this stick has become. There were some subtle spices and leather present before a subtle sweetness begins to emerge near the transition into the second third. As we enter the second third there are subtle cherry notes with a touch of coffee and nuts. The final third serves of notes of coffee and leather with a creamy finish.

Smoking Characteristics: While I am not sure who is making these cigars for Reinado one thing is for certain, it is exquisitely constructed. The burn was crisp and even from start to finish and the ash was was solid as they come. When I decided to ash at the half way point it was evident I could of kept this going another inch or two. The light color ash has little to no flake which is always good. The draw was ideal and the cigar produced a nice amount of smoke with a good aroma.

Conclusion: Age definitely did this cigar wonders as the strength that was present in my earlier versions was toned down. The cigar was medium with a slightly full finish and a nice profile. Reinado is a brand that should be around for some time as it definitely has all the elements going for it, taste, body and construction. On a side note early versions scored a 90, these aged versions got a 2 point bump to 92.

Price: $7.95
Score: 92

Disclaimer: We received samples compliments of Reinado Cigars but as always we did not let free samples sway our opinion one way or the other.

Today’s smoke was pretty much off my radar until a certain magazine named it the #2 cigar of the year as they are produced in limited quantities and I never see the brand at any location in New York City which is very frustrating because for the most part the Viaje cigars I have smoked I have enjoyed. But like many cigar smokers I had to ask is this cigar really worth the #2 slot? The cigar is produced at the Raices Cubanas cigar factory which also makes illusione and has had some success lately. The brand owner is Andre Farkas and this our take on the Viaje Reserva VOR #5.

Cigar: Viaje Reserva VOR #5
Size: 5.5 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaragua (Double Binder)
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Facebook: Viaje Cigars

Viaje Reserva VOR #5

Appearance and Construction: A gorgeous looking box pressed cigar that has a nice weight to it, and no soft spots. The foot of the cigar reveals a nice bunching and the wrapper has a nice amount of oils showing with some thin veins interwoven throughout. The cigar  is well constructed and utilizes a two band system. The first one is the Viaje Oro label and the second one denotes Reserva in gold on a black background. Overall the A&C is not the best I’ve seen but it is in the top percentile.

Flavor & Notes: The foot of the Viaje Reserva serves up some nice spice to the nose with some floral similarities. Once the cigar is clipped with my Xikar scissors the draw serves up some wood notes and a touch of cocoa. Once the cigar is lit there are some initial notes of leather and spice. As the first third continues the notes of leather and spice are joined by a nice cocoa note. As the cigar enters the second third the leather note remains but begins to play second fiddle as the cocoa turns it up a notch with a nice touch of warm spices and well defined cinnamon. As we enter the final third of the cigar some of that floral I tasted on the pre-light draw begins to tease as the cigar takes on a nice sweet cocoa and caramel on the finish of this absolutely delicious cigar.

Smoking Characteristics: This stick smokes nice and slow so make sure you have the time set aside to properly enjoy it. The dark color ash is light and flaky and it never really held on for more then an inch at a time for me, so be sure to smoke it slow. Smoking it fast can make it burn hot without the ash in place to help keep it cool. The draw offered a slight resistance which is how I like it and the cigar had a wonder chocolate graham cracker aroma that was heaven.

Conclusion: When I saw this cigar listed at #2 in that cigar magazine I scratched my head and was pretty irate over it. Had I smoked it prior to my top 15 list of 2010 this cigar definitely would of cracked the top 10, possibly the Top 5. While I still feel that list was a great injustice to some brands that came out this year, it seems they hit the mark on this wonderful cigar that was definitely worthy of greatness. My only complaint is I wish that Viaje was more available especially in NYC.

Rating: 93
Price: $10.80

Disclaimer: As always all spelling, typographical and grammar mistakes have been left in place for you amusement and/or to annoy my good friend Gary J. Arzt.

Back in April Bruce M. Lewis, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, explains the birth of the concept: “I have always had an interest in the single region concept and how crucial it is to wine and coffee. In early 2008, I suggested to President Charlie Toraño that we experiment with blends of tobacco from only one farm. We soon realized blending such a cigar was not an easy task. Now, however, I know we have truly captured the characteristics and taste profile of tobacco grown in Jalapa.”

The Single Region – Serie Jalapa’s three sizes are: 5″ x 52 Robusto, 6″ x 54 Toro Grande and 7″ x 50 Churchill, with a suggested retail of $6.50-6.95.

Cigar: Torano Single Region Serie Jalapa
Size: 5 x 50 (Robusto)
Wrapper: Nicaragua (Jalapa Valley)
Binder: Nicaragua (Jalapa Valley)
Filler: Nicaragua (Jalapa Valley)
Twitter: @ToranoFamCigars
Facebook: Charlie Torano
Official Site: http://www.torano.com

Appearance and Construction: The wrapper of the Torano Single Region had a nice color to it with a seamless roll and only a few ultra thein veins. The stick had an abundance of oils showing and felt heavy to the touch. Upon inspection of the foot I was impressed with this bunching of the tobacco and how well packed it appeared to the naked eye. There is a dual band system in place with both of them being simple.

Flavor & Notes: The prelight draw offered up a syrupy sweetness with  touch of raisin and a subtle cedar while the foot offered a soft cedar to the nose. Once the cigar was lit (today, I used sulfur free matches) the first third of the smoke had a sweet maple syrup no to it was a touch of chocolate and wood that lingered in the background. As we progressed to the second third of the cigar the sweetness faded away leaving a dominant note of leather and mocha. The final third of the smoke continued with leather and mocha with a touch of cedar.

Smoking Characteristics: The Torano Family Single Region Serie Jalapa reveals a stong firm dark ash and a razor sharp burn line. This time around the draw was perfect. The cigar produced a little bit less of a volume of smoke I personally prefer but it was adequate to say the least. The aroma was spicy and inviting.

Conclusion: While not as good as the Master by Torano the Single Region is an enjoyable cigar that experienced cigar smokers might find a little bit to one dimensional. For me this medium bodied smoke was enjoyable and while not being complex it left me satisfied in the end.

Rating: 88
Price: $6.50

Disclaimer: I was gifted many samples by Torano at IPCPR and they were nice enough to send me a second batch to use for this review. As always the typo’s and spelling mistakes have been left in this review for your amusement.

Thankfully I got my hands on some at the Twitter BOTL Cocktail Hour in New Orleans as Viaje was nice enough to donate some to the event.

The idea of the 50/50 is placing of two blends within one cigar. The first creation, the 50/50 Black was full and fuller, while this red is supposed to be more of a balanced smoke. The cigar comes in 3 sizes and are called the No. 1 (5.6 x 46), No. 2 (6 x 50), and No. 3 (7 x 47). Each cigar is a Nicaraguan Puro.

Cigar: Viaje 50/50 Red Label
Size: 5.6 x 46 (No. 1/Corona)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Twitter: N/A
Facebook: Viaje Cigars
Official Site: http://www.viajecigars.com/

Appearance and Construction: A gorgeous looking reddish brown wrapper  that has a nice amount of oils showing. The Corojo ’99 has no veins and a gorgeous roll right down to its pig tail cap. The cigars has a red and gold band that I will be honest is quite hard on the eyes. There is a nice weight to this corona sized cigar with no soft spots and a well packed foot.

Flavor & Notes: Prior to lighting up the cigar had some delicious notes of cocoa and a faint cedar. Once the cigar is lit there is some nice wood notes from the first light along with some spice. As we work through the first half of the cigar the notes of cedar, and nuts are the primary notes here but every now and then I get some warm spices through the nose that are a cinnamon/nutmeg but it is far and few between. The notes on the first half are dry, so make sure to have a beverage handy. As the cigar begins to transition to the 2nd half the tease of cinnamon I experienced the first half becomes more dominant with a hint of cocoa along for the ride. The cigar finishes with some cocoa and leather on the finish and picks up in strength.

Smoking Characteristics: The dark gray ash on this stick held on exceptionally well as it didn’t fall off til I smoked about 60% of the cigar. Sadly when I removed the label the ash wound up on the floor much to the dismay of the kid working at my local tobacconist as he had to break out the broom. The draw was idea and the cigar didn’t produce a lot of smoke but it did have a nice hearty aroma.

Conclusion: I know many people didn’t like the Black Label 50/50 and to be honest I never tried one as I never came across it but but that being said the 50/50 Red is a deliscious smoke with a nice body and medium strength. The second half is my favorite half and since this cigar is 2 blends in one smoke I am going to give it a double rating to reflect the first half/second half and to piss off the people who hate I give my cigars a score doubly so. In the past I was worried about what people thought of the site and what have you. Not anymore and to quote a good friend, “if they don’t like your methods let them start their own”.

Rating: 87/90
Price: $9.00

Disclaimer: I got some of the samples for review at the Twitter BOTL Cocktail hour and as always the typo’s and spelling mistakes have been left in this review for your amusement.

Cigar: CAO Criollo
Size: 4 7/8 x 50 (Pato)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo ’98
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium
Twitter: @caocigars

Appearance and Construction: When I first started smoking these they came wrapped in tissue paper in a vertical slide box. Today the CAO Criollo comes wrapped in cello in a gorgeous wood and leather box. The cigars still feature a band that reminds me of worn parchment with the name Criollo under the CAO logo. The stick features a pig tail cap and is rolled to perfection. The wrapper is flawless and virtually vein free. Well packed, with no soft spots this beauty has the appearance and construction of a cigar that is just right for the smoking.

Flavor & Notes : The prelight of the cigar offered some sweet cocoa notes with a rich tobacco flavor on both the draw and foot that left me eager to reacquaint myself with an old friend. As the cigar & I catch up with each other during the first third I realize things have not changed much over the years and with this I find great comfort. The notes are a mocha like sweetness with some wood and a touch of licorice on the finish. The second third the wood notes begin to emerge as the dominant taste but the sweetness of mocha remains in the background. The final third of the cigar the notes of licorice return in full making this an incredibly well rounded cigar.

Smoking Characteristics: An incredible stick to smoke that featured a flawless burn that was straight from start to finish. The medium colored ash held on fairly well for about a third at a time with only the slightest bit of flake. An exquisite draw added to the enjoyment of the CAO Criollo that produced a nice amount of billowing smoke and only the slightest bit when resting.

Conclusion: To be honest I am not sure why the CAO Criollo and I parted ways but I am glad we were able to reconnect. With all the attention on boutique blends lately I have lost track of the core group of cigars that helped mold my cigar lifestyle. While I remember the cigar being more woody in terms of notes it was nice to see this cigar had some complexity to keep me satisfied and it left me wanting to hang out with this old friend again.

Price: $20.85 a 5 pack @ Famou Smoke Shop
Score: 90

El Baton

Today’s cigar is the perfect example of how powerful the cigar websites can be. The El Baton is a cigar I never really went out of my way for, but after seeing various reviews (some negative, some positive) I had to pick up a few to review. I believe I picked this up at my home shop of Fume Cigars in Bloomfield, NJ. The one negative is the only had one size in stock, a 60 ring gauge which I am never a fan of but I will keep an open mind for the purpose of the review.

Cigar: El Baton
Size: 6 x 60 (Toro Gordo)
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Strength: Medium to Full

Appearance and Construction (17/20): Made by JC Newman this stick is both toothy and oily. The wrapper has some minor veins and is well rolled with the exception of the cap, which is somewhat sloppy. The foot of the cigar is loosely packed, but the rest of the cigar is well packed and somewhat firm. The band of the cigar is a bit busy with colors of blue, silver and yellow with the words El Baton in script. This stick so far seems to have a split personality.

Flavor & Notes (26/30): The cigar offers prelight notes of mocha and wood on the draw while the foot has notes of wood and spice. The first third of the cigar is similar to that of the prelight profile with notes of mocha easily identifiable. There are also notes of wood and pepper in the background on this enjoyable smoke. The second third is much of the same, with nice notes of mocha as the continuing primary note.  The final third of the cigar picks up a little in the spice department with notes of leather and oak.

Burn/Ash/Draw (22/25): The cigar started off with a horrible V style burn, but it corrected itself on its own and remained wavy all the way through. The ash was a light gray in color but it failed to hold strong and it was flaky at best. The draw was perfect.

Overall (22/25): The cigar is labeled as medium to full bodied though I would not label it beyond medium. The cigar was a little one dimensional but for the price it was very enjoyable and something I would revisit in the 54 ring gauge belicoso.

Rating: 87
Price: $6.00

Esteban Carreras 10 Anos

Yet another story with a Philadelphia connection. Once a month I find myself in the city of brotherly love and one of our stops is the twin shoppe on 10th and Tasker. Our last visit down there, they had today’s cigar on the shelf. I originally passed on it for some reason, but when my business associate enjoyed it I decided to pick up a couple f them. Once I got home I placed them in the humidor almost forgetting about them. I decided it was the right time to smoke 2 of them, and below are the results.
Cigar: Esteban Carreras 10 Anos
Size: 5 x 50 (Box Press Robusto)
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua Maduro (Aged 10 Years)
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

Appearance and Construction (15/20): Another box pressed cigar, which are amongst my favorites in terms of size coming in a close second to the perfecto. The dark chocolate like maduro wrapper is aged 10 years. There are no major veins on the cigar. Upon inspection the wrapper had some nicks on it. These nicks are along the cut lines of the wrapper and appear to be pre-production. The cigar is firm with no soft sports until you get to the foot where a huge soft spot exists. The colorful wrapper is a bit large for the robusto sized cigar, but is an eye catcher on the shelf.

Flavor & Notes (26/30): The foot of the cigar has some notes that reminds me of a summer morning in the country. It’s a bit earthy, but it is also very fresh. The prelight draw however offers notes of spices with some citric like notes. The first third of the smoke  started off as uneventful for me. So I opened up a bottle of water and my palate quickly opened. The cigar was earthy, but there was an occasional wisp of cinnamon as well. The cinnamon is very much noticeable on the exhale and it only lasts for a quick second. At the 2nd third of the smoke, the wisps of cinnamon remain, but are annoyingly faint. The dry earth remains as the focal point on this cigar. The final third of the cigar and the finish are both earthy.

Burn/Ash/Draw (25/25): The cigar has a crisp even burn line with a nice medium gray ash that holds fairly strong. The draw of the cigar was perfection.

Overall (22/25): At times I found the flavors to be annoying as I wished the cinnamon notes were more then quick little hits. The cigar though was an enjoyable experience. I’ll revisit these again before deciding if they are worthy of a box purchase.

Rating: 88
Price: $7.50 a stick

Tatuaje Cojonu 2009

Christmas came in April for me this year. Peter Cottontail played the roll of Santa Claus and delivered to me 2 boxes of the new Tatuaje Cojonu 2009 cigars. Released in a new size every three years, the 2009 follows the 2003 and the 2006. Every cigar is made from first generation Cuban seed. I’ve seen multiple sizes listed for the 2009 however, using a rule and a ring gauge measurement tool it comes out to 7 x 49. It’s basically a churchill with a belicoso cap.

Cigar: Tatuaje Cojonu 2009
Size: 7 x 49
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Appearance and Construction (19/20): The wrapper of this cigar is very toothy with a lot of veins but finding the seams of the roll were virtually impossible. There was one small imperfection on the wrapper with a slight circular tear. It was the only one in the box with an imperfection. The triple cap was flawless and the foot was packed with tobacco. And the cigar had no soft spots at all.

Flavor & Notes (28/30): The foot of the cigar offered some pepper notes which sent me into a sneezing fit. The prelight draw offered some coffee notes. Before lighting the cigar up there was a saltiness to the wrapper that I picked up during the prelight draw. The first third of the cigar is incredible. The cigar has some salty notes from the wrapper, but the smoke is a little bit earthy with some nuts and coffee. There is some pepper here as well, but I don’t think it’s as potent as the previous versions. Either that or I am just more used to it. The cigar during the second third is more leather than earth with some nice nuttiness that is easily defined. The final third of this delicious cigar is very nutty with hints of earth and cedar.

Burn/Ash/Draw (24/25): The burn on all the cigars I smoked so far out of the box were fairly even. There was a slight jaggedness but to mention it is nitpicking. The ash was a mottled gray with some flake but I was impressed at the ash. On this review cigar I kept the ash for 4″ which was slightly more then the norm of others I have smoked. The draw was impeccable.

Overall (23/25): The majority of people I know prefer the 2003 over the 2006. And the question asked of me is how does the 2009 compare. Hands down it is better than the 2006. There is no comparison. However, when it comes down to the 09 vs the 03 the answer is more complicated. I like it better, but the difference is so close I am not even sure if a winner could be declared. I am curious to how I will feel in a few weeks when the cigar has been around for a while.

Have you had the 2009 yet? Which Tatuaje Cojonu do you prefer the 03, 06 or the 09?

Rating: 94
Price: $15.00 (NYC)

G.A.R. Lux

Back in the days of the old Cigar Live, I was introduced to a cigar by the brotherhood that made up the user base. The cigar was simply called G.A.R. and it was very well liked by me and a few friends. Yesterday I found out that George A Rico has a couple of new cigars coming out and I manage to obtain a few samples to try. Today’s smoke is available as a bundle cigar and should start to appear in stores in the not so distant future….

Cigar: G.A.R. Lux
Size: 5.0 x 52 (Robusto Grande)
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Appearance and Construction (19/20): Looking at this cigar it does not look like a bundle cigar. The cigar features a gorgeous milk chocolate looking wrapper that has no veins and a flawless roll. The foot is well packed and the cigar is topped off with a beautiful triple cap. The band is green and silver and features the G.A.R. logo crest on the main band, while the bottom features name of the cigar, LUX.

Flavor & Notes (25/30): The foot and the prelight draw offers some exotic spices that can be found in Indian food. Upon lighting this cigar you are hit with massive amounts of smoke and notes of spices, and a lot of earth. About an inch into the cigar, the earth notes subside and the spices come to the forefront. The second third of the cigar maintains the spices while adding some coffee notes. The final third of the cigar has notes of earth, spices, and a touch of leather.

Burn/Ash/Draw (22/25): The burn of the cigar had a nice even burn throughout, with a strong ash that held on for inches at a time. The white ash was with very little flake. The draw of the cigar was fairly loose which caused it to smoke a little fast.

Overall (22/25): For a bundle cigar this smoke is a good cigar. It will however not be confused with the regular G.A.R. white label. A good cigar for an every day smoke if you are a full bodied smoker.

Rating: 88
Price: Unknown

My Father

I decided to do a little impromptu review tonight while chatting with some cigar bloggers on stickam. It’s amazing how the love of a good smoke can bring people from across the USA together. Joining me tonight was Justin from lasvegASHtv.com, Tom from TomsCigars, Stew from The World According to Stew, Mike aka Agent 6 from TheCigarSpy as well as some StogieReview regulars. We chatted about cigars, music, and general nonsense as I smoked my My Father Lancero.

Cigar: My Father #4
Origin: Nicaragua
Size: 7.5 x 38 (Lancero)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua

Appearance & Construction (20/20): The one thing that struck me odd about this cigar is no matter how hard I looked I could not find the roll lines. There were no seams on this cigar other than at the triple cap. I actually spent 15 minutes looking for the seams and I was totally dumbfounded. The cigar had some veins but nothing out of the ordinary and the oils were plentiful. The cigar had a small pigtail at the cap as well which was a nice touch, and for those that care about the band when these first came out the pink left me undecided but the smaller size on the lancero it looked pleasing to the eye.

Flavor & Notes (23/30): Compared to the #2 which I reviewed earlier in the year, this cigar was short on flavor. The smoke was very mild and despite offering mocha on the pre-light it was almost non existent for the duration of the smoke. The 1st third offered some slight notes of sweet spice. In the 2nd third it was more defined but still short. The notes of caramel were joined by some pepper, and we closed out the cigar with some pepper with a trace of mocha and cinnamon that disappeared rather quickly.

Burn/Ash/Draw (23/25): I rarely smoke in the house, so I had the fan on exhaust in my room. The burn line was slightly jagged but I will attribute that to the fan. It was never out of hand, but it was noticeable enough to be slightly annoying. The ash was full of ridges and a tad flaky but it held on rather well considering the gauge of the smoke. The burn was a bit too lose which shocked me considering it was 7.5 inches long.

Overall (18/25): I was really disappointed from this smoke as I expected more in terms of flavor and strength. I am very glad this was not my first venture into the stick as it could of been a huge turnoff to the brand. Add into the equation I am not a huge fan of lancero smokes. Thankfully I had some good company while smoking this cigar and some great tunes from knac.com

Rating: 84
Price: 9.00