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Hi guys and gals, new to this forum but not to cigars, been into 'em for a hot minute now. I work in entertainment as a TV Host, Singer & Actor. Love food, wine and ofcourse cigars! Always looking to learn new things and to meet new folks who share the same passion from around the world! Stay smoky folks

Review: Diplomaticos Bushido Asia/Pacific Regional Edition Date Smoked: July 20, 2015 Vitals: Dimensions: 50 * 7.2" Vitola: Nro. 109 / Double Robusto Pre-Light Notes: Firm construction, no hard spots, no sign of knots/stems, spongy throughout. Smooth wrapper, light oils. Aroma at cold: When I first received this the aroma was reminiscent of an aged cigar. I let it rest a few weeks and that aroma has since dissipated. As I'm prepping to light up, I smell cedar, a fruity/nutty aroma some cookie dough and honey. Reviewers Notes: My style of cigar reviewing is “open”. I try to jot down what I’m experiencing with every draw. When you see a “//” consider that a break in between puffs. What I leave out in fancy prose is made up with observation. Consider each segment a play by play. This style works for me. I hope you enjoy it. First Third Start Time: 4PM EST Tangy smooth draw // herbal vegetal notes // woodiness, tangy finish // slight tannins, good burn // bready notes // wood again // excellent draw, decent amount of smoke // excellent draw, decent amount of smoke // dry on the palate thus far smoke // hints of fruit // light bodied smoke in this first third //a couple of hits of espresso // sweet like caramel for a draw // meaty flavour // ash is black & gray // tastes like popcorn on this draw! // very luscious smoke now // dry, chalky mouthfeel // soft, creamy flavour, similar to latte // latte again // feel a bit of a nicotine buzz take hold, very sneaky like the La Escepcion Selectos Finos // dry, toasty notes // hints of pepper and sharp cedar // ash still holding well // nutmeg & latte // nutmeg again // very smooth cigar but not much progression in terms of flavours // ash barely hanging on // a tangy draw with some pepper on the finish // ash falls right into the Stinky ashtray just as I'm about to set it down // grassy notes // nice, rich draw of coffee // tangy // good to see some changes towards the end of this third Second Third cedar opens things up // dry, tanniny finish // pepperagain // coconut?! (a first for me) // nuttiness // a very sharp hit of cedar, like chewing on a cedar liner // "chalky" mouthfeel persists // sharp cedar on the next three draws // strong espresso notes now // rough, tanniny puff // great burn, no touch ups needed so far // rich cedar with tanniny finish // more sharp cedar // starting to get banal // settling down into baking spice notes, much better! // nuttiness and hint of cedar // rich coffee grounds on the palate // cedar again // woody, though not cedary draw // cedar once again (it seems to rule this second third) // tapped ash // hints of ammonia in the cigar, I do a purge and sure enough the cigar looks like a roman candle as the gases burn off // cigar has calmed down, the purge seemed to help // slighty nutty/stone fruit tasting note // toasty/bready // toasted coconut finish (really nice) Final Third tangy sourdough // more sourdough // tanniny notes // cedar // did another purge as the cigar seemed bitter // strong coffee ground notes // coffee // cedar // nutty with a sharp, tanniny finish // lots of pepper in the back of the throat now, for a few puffs // toasty tobacco // latte // a few minty, herbal draws (that aged tobacco I smelled earlier on perhaps?) // perfect burn line // lots of thick, white smoke // toast // latte // minty draws // cedar // toast // rich, floral and minty draws // caramel sweetness // toasty tobacco // the chalky mouth feel is now an oily one // vegetal notes with tanniny finish // burn starts to go askew // ash off, do a touchup // mint again // latte // dry, cedary puffs // bready // baking spice with a mix of strong tobacco // wood // hints of tea // nicoting buzz creeping in // very meat, BBQ like flavours for a few draws // nub is hot // mint/baking spice finish // toasty tobacco // sweetness on the palate // my final puff is tangy, caramel FIN 5:52PM EST Final Thoughts Lots of interest in this cigar and it definitely was interesting. From the moment I received them (2 in total) the aroma threw me off. They smelled like an aged cigar. They had a bit of mustiness on the foot, in a good way, and less of those freshly rolled, "bright" aromas. The 109 vitola is rare these days so it's good to see a recent release sporting it. We've all seen the packaging on this. Very nice, though I must admit when I saw a few boxes in person at the LCDH they were not as impressive as I thought. And if that's what held up its' release, it wasn't worth it IMO. Too bad they didn't pimp up the band a bit, similar to what was done for the UK LGC regionals where they used deeper embossing and a richer color palate. The Diplomaticos band is pleasant but underwhelming. For such a grand release, a nicer band would have been cool. As to how it smoked. I enjoyed it though at times I thought it was stagnating. These are still relatively young and fresh I suppose. I won't touch my second stick for a good year or two. . Though I'm certain, if I wait too long and find that I enjoy them, the supply would be long dried up or secondary market prices would be ridiculous. A catch-22 scenario. As it stands, I'm glad to have a couple on me but don't think this is one I'd go deep on. At least not based on one initial sampling. And that's the problem with these RE's. If they don't knock your socks off initially, you may not invest in a box or two. And if over time they suit your palate more, they're probably gone. SCORE: 89

I just got a wonderful shipment in, (5) H. Upmann Mag 48s, and the Asia Pacifico Regional Release sampler(the contents and box codes are below). 1X BSB – TEB JUL 08 1 X SLR PAC – OSB AGO 09 1 X PL BEL – EMA NOV 08 1 X ERDM ANN – LAR FEB 13 1 X PL ENCANTOS – URG FEB 11 1 X RA ESP – TEB OCT 07 1 X PUNCH SAB – MCO OCT 11 1 X JL 4 – PRA JUN 10 Like the title asks, when will these cigars be hitting their peak? I know regional releases are especially known to get better with some age, but I'm not very well versed in these releases so your help would be appreciated! Also, I've heard that the Mag 48's are good to go now, but do you think there is any aging potential left in them? Thank you all in advance!