Search the Community

I was in London for the HWD and launch of Trinidad 55 Cabildos, the most interesting part for me was the seminar where we heard that soon Habanos will come out with a super vintage (or grand vintage)... Just bullshitting marketing where they want to sell to young smoker a 5, lucky a 10 years old cigar and call it vintage overcharging it. My personal classification for Cuban cigars is My Classification of Havana cigars Baby directly from the roller Fresh < 1 year Young 1 - 3 years Mature >3 to 10 Aged >10-20 Vintage >20 over Historical >30 over Monumental > 50 Nothing below 20 can be called vintage . just my 0.2 cents.

I attended a big gala dinner a few weeks ago. Great wine, great food, great friends and off course I´ve brought some good cigars. Standing out smoking a Dip#4 later in the evening I started a conversation with an elder gentleman quickly realizing he was a true Brother of the Leaf. Tried to offer him a cigar but he regretfully told me he had quit smoking some years ago due to health issues. Then he told me that he had some boxes at home that he had tried to give away without luck. "You wouldn´t be interested to check them out some day? Maybe you find something of interest." So long story short, I took up on his offering calling him the week after. Stored in a humidor in his cellar, neglected for the last two or three years but still in a surprisingly good condition I found some Cuban orphans. He offered me to take what I was interested in, he just wanted the cigars to go to a new home. Now they are sleeping away in my humidor for some slow re-hydration. Bolivar Belicosos - OSO JUN01 White mold. Intoxicating aroma. Cohiba Coronas Especial - CLE LL00 Fonseca KDT - AEL JUN00 ? Fonseca No1 - TAECCLL HdM Double Corona - I have no idea on the code. Anyone? H.Upmann Monarchs - SLA AGO 0? Juan Lopez Coronas - SCO MAY 00?? La Flor de Cano Selectos - EOG CCUI La Gloria Cubana Medaille d´Or No.2 - Box code unknown These ones looks and smells like a dream come true. Oh Gloria!! Partagas Lusitanias - SUA 99??? Montecristo Tubos - RPO E??? Partagas 898 - Unknown box code Spotty mold. Smells terrific. The color of the bands has smudged over the years. PL Panetelas - VISU ????? Smells like a dream. Punch Double Coronas - ASU VC 3 ?? Punch Punch - REC?? Quintero Londres Extra - NISU CFGOS RASS - OSU JUL00 El Rey del Mundo - Grandes de Espana PEL LE00 RyJ Churchills - PL OSSU Oh the aroma in those tubes!! Pure love!! Saint Louis Rey Coronas - ??? Trinidad Fundadores - PLE? LRO00 Troya Universales - DGC CCUT strong barnyard smell. In one of the boxes I found a hidden gem... Montecristo Robusto Riserva del Milenio Please feel free to comment on the boxcodes. The notes on some boxes are my own best-guess from surfing Trevors site looking at codes. Note to self: If I some day (God forbid) end up quitting cigars I´ll be shure to pass whatever I have left to some new BOTL just the way this gentleman did. Cheers!

What an incredible time to be alive. I think the 1950s would have been incredible as well. Just think they actually had Federal customs officials who would sit in the Cigar factory and clear the Havana tobacco. The tobacco was not taxed until the cigars were rolled. This government system ensured that Havana cigars were of guaranteed origin. Before me is a beautiful claro wrapped clear Havana cigar. The American market was almost always claro selected. Prior to the Revolution Cuba sent certain types of tobacco out to different regions. The American market was mild Havana tobacco. I once read that Cuban farms would send the best wrapper leaf to the US. Such a fascinating time in history. Let's put this to rest and review for the FOH 1/3. Smooth mild Havana tobacco up front. Americans liked their cigars mild in these days. There is a light sweetness that is there. Probably the claro wrapper. A nice floral herbal bouquet is emerging now as it approaches the 2nd 3rd. 2/3. Retrohale has been smooth and highlights a nice graham flavor. This cigar is mellow no doubt. Slight notes of cinnamon mix well with the core floral tobacco flavor. It is hard to find a fault in this old cigar. Again the American market demanded mild Havana tobacco. As it approaches half way the flavor picks up. Of course the smoke is mild and light in body. Retrohale is absolutely necessary here. Halfway The smoke has taken on a bit of a grassy flavor. Hard to believe how much the claro wrapper is playing a part here. I wouldn't necessarily describe this smoke as complex. There are a few different flavors happening though. A nice coffe note has arrived. So to sum up the first half it started fully floral/herbal and has now gone towards a grassy coffe flavor. Final 3rd. Beautiful mellow smoke. The cigar has required a few touch ups. The smoke is just outstanding. Super smooth and the coffee is really coming through now. This is met with a certain creaminess to it. I should note that the draws throughout the entire stick were perfect. I take this down to the nub and it has turned into a delightful creamy coffe sweet smoke. Score: I won't even give it one. There were certainly flaws in the overall experience. A beautiful aged stick from yesteryear. I barely spoke about the album. The Many Faces of Oliver Hart. It was done by an artist named Micheal Larson. He passed away in 2010 from an opioid overdose. He had such a beautiful personality. It is a shame he left this world so soon. Any hip hop fans will really appreciate his talent. Arguably one of the best improv freestyle artists to date.

Hello fellow lovers of the leaf! Few of us in Hong Kong are trying to start some weekly ish reviews and figured some of the members here might find them informative/entertaining as you will. Cheers Nate

The transition of a friendship and thinking about my grandpa (long gone)... It was a dark and stormy night.. ...actually it wasn't, it was just dark, and bitter cold. Which sucked. Fortunately, I have access to a local Cigar Bar with terrible ventilation such that my hand still reeks of smoke for days after I'm done and my wife has me strip in the garage before I enter the house (Sorry ladies, no photos). I dont visit often, but my buddy does. My friend Tom is in his mid 60's and an interesting man who has lived more lives than I ever will. My wife and his really clicked too so the friendship works well. The very first cigar we had together was chronicled here: Tom and I enjoyed the last smoke we'll have for a while. I live in Kentucky and Tom is moving to Florida in a week.. (which is what many US East Coaster's tend to do when they get older) We began the night with a double date at a local restaurant (Louies Wine Dive). Food was good, not great, company was better. We laughed our asses off which is usually how it goes when we're together. At the end of dinner, the ladies retired to Toms place for some girl-talk (yuck), Tom and I hit up the Cigar Bar. Tom ordered a Michters Bourbon neat for the both of us and opened a tab, we sat down and clipped the cigars. Good ole faithful HDM Des Dieux from 03. Due to the smokey environment aroma at cold and all that blah blah blah was skipped. We lit right up. Tom (if you read the Bolivar Review above) is a Sommelier so we do enjoy discussing the flavors as the cigar progresses. Here she is.. Opening and 1st Third - Cream (as expected) meringue right out of the oven vacillating between a burnt marshmallow. Very nice. Impressive actually. Deeper down into the first third almost second third the flavor changed to toasted tobacco with light cloves, Ethiopian Yirga, burnt pecan shells strength starting to build. Into the Second Third The Des Dieux has begun to devolve regrettably. It's beginning to focus, less complexity. Strong coffee, toasted tobacco, and leather notes. Strength builds a bit more (as it often does). There is suddenly much less to talk about with it and we begin talking about life. (one of my favorite subjects frankly) We finish the Michters and Tom sends me to the bar to pick the second drink. I go to the bar and begin chatting to a gent next to me whilst I wait on the bar tender. Turns out the gent loves bourbon and runs a private bourbon focused FB page with 1,500 members. He adds me to his group and invites me to his home to sample one of his 250ish open bottles of bourbon (that's quite a lot). I deeply appreciate that hospitality. Those of you that know me, know I'm exactly the same way. I order the bourbon I picked, 2 fingers neat x 2 for Tom and I then sit down. I offer Tom the bourbon and dont tell him what it is. He immediately notices the dark rich color and takes a drink. Kind of lets out a wow and asks what it is. I say, "it'll surprise you." and tease him a little. He gives me a look like, "hurry up and tell me!". I LOL a bit and share that it's Knob Creek 120 proof. Regular production, available everyday, right on the shelf. He shakes his head in disbelief. He's quite the bourbon guy too but sometimes it's easy to get trapped in a certain corner of that universe and not venture out into some of the more common releases. We wrap up the second third. Final Third I must say I was hoping for better things with this cigar. Of the 2 cabs I owned I have about 20 left. I think they are slightly past their prime but still a great experience. Final third begins and the cigar is smoking very clean. Class act tobacco but not the complexity I expect. Toms is behaving the same way, we lose interest and let ole Dieux'y go mid final third before waving g'bye. You can see the '03 Des Dieux graveyard in the background on the ashtray a couple photos down. Enjoyable smoke but sometimes the myth of a cigar is greater than the cigar itself. At least for those two sticks. I had a few over the summer that were on point. If you've ever wondered why some cigars in a box are great and other aren't. Take a look at "The Noob Thread I Never Read" in my sig and it'll make perfect sense. I chalk these two up to the sorting and the age. FIN - (of the Des Dieux) I sort of sprung the next trick on Tom. Turned out he'd never smoked a Tobacco Pipe in his life. With all of his travels I couldn't believe it but saw it as an opportunity to try something new and make a new memory with my friend. I broke out my Pipe and Tobacco pouch and promptly produced an elegant Savinelli Dry System Billiard/Pot and a J. Boswell Freehand sitter (two of my favorites). Tom literally knew nothing of how to load the pipe so I loaded both with good ole Carter Hall and had Tom adjust his pack level for the draw he likes. .....Now many of you that smoke Pipe and Cigar may find it quite the step away from an HDM DD to Carter Hall. Truth is, I like Carter Hall. Easy to smoke, great viscous smoke and pleasant room note. Furthermore the nostalgia of Carter Hall is one I'll have till the end of my days. My Grandpa Bill smoked Carter Hall and the aroma produces rich memories of him, his stories, his laugh, family time together and my youth like some old-world catalyst for a time machine. We fire up the pipes and Tom begins to smoke, says he enjoys the experience as I advise him on the rhythm. We are both smoking 1/2 packed bowls and continue to talk. We lean back in the leather chairs. I found I missed the elegance to the pipe. Time slows between rhythmic puffs, sips of the Knob Creek 120 and conversation. We finish the bowls. I tamp them out into the ashtray and we head back to his place to link up with the Ladies reeking of cigar bar and smiling like cheshire cats. I thought I'd share a photo of my Grandpa Bill. I think this was taken in the 70's or early 80's. Seems like yesterday. Seems like a hundred years ago. The man could tell a story like no other. Most of it was BS but enjoyable nonetheless. I think he's smoking either a drinkless pipe or a cheap drugstore pipe like a Dr. Grabow. He never really smoked expensive ones. ...man I can still remember those huge tins of Carter Hall. He let me pack his pipe for him when I was around 6 or 7. I packed it so tight he couldn't draw through it. I remember his grin and his kind look as he unpacked it with a weathered old pocket knife. Said it was packed like concrete. I thought I was doing an extra good job for him and the best of it all, he didn't make me feel the least bit bad about overdoing it. That's a good grandpa..

The great book L'Histoire du Havane provides a nice list of the best vintages of cuban crops up to 1981. More relevant for me: Have any of you seen a similar listing for recent years? -The harvest of 2017 looks promising. Let us hope it will be as good as the harvest of 2012. Which the cubans denotes as cosecha 2011.

Anyone any deeper insight into the latest vintage? With the current price announcements and critic's notes having come to light, it is not a particularly hyped year, but most say, the best vintage since 2010, with the right bank having been particularly successful. While JRobinson sais it will drink "relatively early", but reports to be "glad to be able to report enthusiastically", I read one crtitics even speak of the "most beautiful year" in his 30-year career, Suckling calls it "extremely exciting"..... The typical "best vintage is current vintage"- gibbberish, or more flesh to it? My interpretation from what's published so far would be - at least heterogenous, and one will have to carefully select. Your take? Is it an attractive Bdx year? A solid or even good buy at prices up by about 15% on the 2014s? Perhaps even bargains to be had? Will it be a primeur buy? Cheers Paul

For this review I took the opportunity to revisit the king of kings from Hoyo de Monterrey: the Double Corona This cigar isn't called a Prominentes for nothing the Double Coronas undoubtedly represent the best of their marca's and are time-honored and honed showpieces of what a Cuban cigar should stand for. This particular example was boxed in 1998 and therefore the tobacco is approximately 20 years old. The 1998 cigar was made with the old Corojo tobacco and it shows in the small veins on the wrapper. Spidery and smooth with a slight reddish tint to it. Smoking time 2:30 of relaxed smoking. Tasting notes: Starting off with honey, sweet caramel, and a touch of dark chocolate and black pepper First third wonderful complex mix of: Honey - 2/5 Sweet creamy caramel - 3/5 Dark Chocolate - 2/5 Black pepper - 1/5 Second third the intensity picks up slightly (always does in older cigars) with some earth notes added Honey - 3/5 Sweet creamy caramel - 3/5 Dark Chocolate - 3/5 Black pepper - 2/5 Earth - 1/5 The final third ended intense and with a small peppermint surprise Honey - 3/5 Sweet caramel - 3/5 Dark Chocolate - 3/5 Black pepper - 2/5 Earth - 1/5 Peppermint - 4/5 at the flareup Rating 9.5/10 This wonderfully complex cigar is slightly more full-bodied than the current examples which are similar but a bit lighter in taste and lack the dark pepper/chocolate touch. A very, very enjoyable smoke.

Review: La Escepcion Coronas Extra Largas Release: 1974/75 Release Vitola: Lonsdale 44RG by 7.7inch Production: Regular. Discontinued 1970’s Box Code: UNK. Stamped 9/75 by tobacconist on underside. Paired with: ice water Date: Sunday July 30, 2016 Start Time: 3:37PM EST 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. Some History I bought two of these back in Montreal around 2011. They weren't the greatest looking cigars, one had two beetle holes, both seemed a bit crispy and possibly were bereft of all their oils. But at $15CAD per stick, that included the box , I couldn't resist. If even as an heirloom/showpiece. I doubted I'd ever see one of these again, let alone actually smoke one. Here it is, as is. Pre-light notes Visual: Light, milk chocolate wrapper with mottled repair patches of RACF wrapper. A good sized stick, closer to a Churchill than Lonsdale IMO. Here it is compared to the Selectos Finos. The darker patches are where I made the repairs to the beetle holes. Using donor tobacco from a horribly disfigured RACF, I ground up some of the smaller bits into dust via mortar and pestle and then filled in the beetle holes. Larger wrapper pieces were then affixed with Arabic gum. Not too pretty, but it did the job. Feel: Somewhat spongy. Took 3 years to revive from it's "crispy" state. Aroma at cold: Wrapper: light must, cedar, nutmeg Foot:pure cocoa old cedar box, 1st Third Applied medium punch, some of the wrapper below the head flaked away. Very frail cigar even after revival. Draw seems good though / Lightly toast the foot, smells like BBQ coals / good opening / slight mustiness / excellent draw hits of cedar / good hit of nutmeg and or baking spice / toasty tobacco / interesting tannic finish on the draw, like a dry red wine, similar to the grape stem / dark chocolate / nice tanginess / great burn / toasty tobacco, some baking spice / hickory like finish on the draw / wine tannins on two draws, so it has a slight bitterness to it, but not something i’d call unpleasant / bitter chocolate / nice sharp, tangy flavour / sipping this cigar as slowly as possible to catch the nuances / nice white ash / bit more dark chocolate / some vegetal notes / ash falls off easy as i place the cigar back on the rest / tannic, with slight cocoa finish / some ice water to clean the palate / sharp, bitter chocolate / some good hits of sweetness and cedar on a few draws / chocolate / toasty tobacco / vegetal notes / slight canoe developing / correct the burn, thought i hated to do so / nice creamy coffee / some ice water again / wine tannins again / dark chocolate, slightly bitter, ashy finish / sharp, tangy vegetal notes / blustery ash falls on my shirt before i can set it down / 2nd Third bitter chocolate / some very green vegetal notes which is surprising for such an old cigar / the cigar burns very cool i notice / a few deep draws helps keep the flame alive / more tannins but with a nice cedary finish / touch up- relight needed / bitter chocolate follows / more pleasant, creamy coffee flavour returns / cocoa / more cocoa / still some canoeing going on / bitter chocolate / very blustery ash / nice, smooth nutmeg draw / sweet, cedary notes / cocoa, flavours seems to be settling down / cocoa again, slightly dry finish / ice water time / coffee / chocolate with a coffee finish / yikes! Very strong, ashy flavour (dead beetle BBQ?) / quick touch up, nasty flavour gone, back to bitter chocolate / ice water to clean palate / a smooth coffee draw with a building ashy taste on the finish, not as gross, but odd / sharp tannic notes / ice water / chance of pace! Beans! Like a black bean in chili, minus the chili / shart, dark chocolate / burn corrected, nice white ash too / wine tannins return / 3rd Third hickory with a bit of char / ash falls off easy / holy crap! Tar buildup on the head? In a cigar this old? I did not expect this given that it was dry as a bone when I bought it. Going to have to guillotine the offending bit off / ice water / surgery successful, not too much damage / better draw, smoother flavour / nutmeg / cocoa / nice cocoa hits, cigar has smoothed out / maybe i shouldn't have smoked the damaged stick first? / wrapper starts to flake off and unravel i fix it with a bit of water / toasty tobacco / nice creamy coffee draw, very full bodied / more canoeing / beans again on the finish / really nice rich, tobacco flavour / touch up needed to correct burn / another tasty pull, coffee with a cedary finish / ice water / slight anise flavour / rich tobacco hit, like a spicy NC / increased smoke production / nice beany hit / cedar notes linger on the finish a bit / another spicy hit, with a strong bean finish / another good draw, cedar and cocoa, lost a bit more of wrapper though / lots of smoke, some white pepper and a nice lingering cedar finish on the tongue / ice water / beans again / peppery, cedar finish / a bit of anise with a hint of sweetness at the end / lots of smoke still / cedar seems to linger on the tongue / very rich cedar hit / a quick touch up to keep things inline / nubbing this for sure / more beans and cedar / this last third is really shining which i kind of expected/hoped (will explain more later) / mouthful of cedar / tangy tobacco / cigar has heated up / tangy tobacco / sipping cigar now / cedar returns / oily draw, full of toasty tobacco / nubbing now / beany hit / removed band, cigar splinters a bit / cedary draw / last puffs, some good old cedar with a nice peppery finish / FIN Done @ 5:22 EST Conclusions After many long years of trying to revive these two samples, I was finally able to smoke one. This one I call "the ugly one". Having smoked this, maybe the better one will get a long stay of execution? I didn't know what to expect with this cigar. Given that it was dry and that almost all of its' oils bled into the cellophane over the decades, I wasn't sure there would be much to taste. Much to my surprise and delight, the revival process showed some promise over time in that there was still a very pleasant aroma from the wrapper and foot of these cigars. That I was able to get as much flavour and enjoyment out of it at all is a miracle. I've been pretty fanatic about the Selectos Finos when they came out, so being able to go back in time with this cigar was a joy. Of course, I have zero idea on how these smoked fresh. From what I've read, the marca was on the very strong side and lost it's following over time. While this cigar was no powerhouse compared to the Selectos Finos and Don Jose, I could "sense" that it may have been there originally given that it still was a decent, medium bodied smoke after so many decades of rest. There's a belief that strong blends survive well over time. That may be the case with this particular release. I was expecting the complexity of a dusty, rolled up newspaper. What I experienced was far better than I hoped. Smoking this was a relaxing trip back in time. Outside of a couple of really harsh tasting draws, this was an experience well worth the wait. Thanks for reading. BW Bonus Pics.

REVIEW: 1982 Davidoff No 2 Tubo Note. I use the following double forward slashes to separate a tasting note, or general thought. "//" Vitals: Laguito No 2 Vitola. 38 by 152mm(6.0) First released in 1969 and discontinued in 1991 34 Year old sample. Prelight notes Smooth, claro wrapper. Floral aroma, pine, almost "perfumy". Hints of pumpkin spice. Baking spice on the foot. Yellowed band shows its age. Clean, smooth tobacco aromas all around. 1st. Third Woodsy // earth opening // cedar, hickory // slight astringent notes // Dark Chocolate // Very smooth // Hints of hickory // bubbly, champagne like flavour, almost dry and apple like(very odd, never experienced this before). 2nd Third Smooth tobacco // nutmeg // champagne // honey // sweet, bready, tobacco // honey // graham cracker // marshmallow on a few draws // showing some strength now // rich tobacco hit // back to honey // nutmeg Final Third Nutmeg // toasty tobacco // black pepper // nice strong hit, very rich // vegetal notes // good pepper hit // champagne again // rich, almost effervescent hit, hard to explain, almost bbq like in flavour // spicy cedar // nutmeg on finish // rich, dark flavour like a stout // anise // vegetal with a bit of espresso on the finish // coffee, cinnamon // this last third is exceptional // coffee grounds, Conclusion I'm no stranger to vintage Davidoff cigars. I haven't smoked as many as I would like to, but the ones I have had, have been excellent/intriguing. My high point still remains a 1970 Cuban Davidoff No 1 (a Lancero). A cigar that was a buffet of flavour and for it's age, a somewhat full bodied cigar. The No 2 is the No 1's shorter cousin and from what I recall, this blend is far different, but no slouch in comparison. It was predominantly medium bodied with a few good shots of boldness/strength strewn about. I took this beauty right to the nub until I could no longer hold it. Smoking time was about 65 minutes. As far as a vintage cigar goes, this was a winner. It was dynamic and took me on a journey. I can't imagine what this was like fresh but I'd assume it was medium/full bodied. Being sealed in a tubo since 1982 I'm sure has softened it's edges. Nonetheless, it was a brilliant smoke. At many times I was at a loss for words trying to pick out a flavour. This was totally worth the price of admission. Score: 94

Hello all, Like the title says, I was offered to take a look at some Davidoff cigars that a person is selling who shares an acquaintance with me. We have not yet talked prices, but these are the pictures I was sent. I do not have any experience with vintage Cuban Davidoffs, and am hoping those with experience can take a look at these and share your opinions on their authenticity, quality, etc. I know that a lot of advice given here is to "trust your source" and I agree with that. I have bought from our mutual acquaintance before and the cigars were legit and he seems to be a very good chap, but I want more opinions since this purchase could be very pricey and my lack of experience. If you have any questions for me, please ask away. Thank you in advance for your help!

Greetings all. Haven't posted much lately. Thought I'd try to stir things up a bit. As I sit here enjoying a 2009 P2, I've been thinking about what cigars I've enjoyed these past few years and from what year they came from with less concern on the specific box codes. If we treat Cuban tobacco crops the way vintners do with their grape harvests; which years in the last 10 years stand out for you? Don't dwell on the marcas but the overall sampling of cigars you've had from specific years that make you think. "This was a good year for Cuban tobacco." I've broken down the poll into two questions to cover two five year spans. As we are in 2015 now, I'll cite 2014 as the cutoff year for recent vintages going back to 2010. The second period covers 2005 - 2009. From each question, please select only two years that stood out for you. If you've been smoking for at least 10 years or have access to older boxes or singles in a fair quantity and have smoked your share, please chime in on Question 1 & 2. Question 2 is meant to cover the "newbs" with 1 - 5 years of CC smoking. If you're a new smoker but have had a good share of pre-2009 CC's then feel free to answer Question 1. Cast your votes, feel free to post follow up comments & questions in this thread too. I hope everyone is doing well.

For years I have collected everything from wind-up toys to antique quilts to vintage fishing lures. Of course now my obsession is Cuban cigars. With the cigars I have found some terrific collectible items to place around my cigar room. You?

1970's H Upmann Sir Winston Prelight notes: Lovely box pressed wrapper Light milk chocolate in color Light cocoa aroma on the foot It doesn't have that "aged" aroma I'm used to. If anything, it smells quite fresh The stick passes the pinch test easily. This cigar has been well maintained over the years. Cold draw is smooth. Just enough resistance to keep it from being a wind tunnel. Nicely packed tobacco. Please note: Whenever you see a "//" that is a visual cue that another draw has been taken or I've jotted down a thought at the time. First third Opening draw // Light toasty tobacco // Nice tangy notes on the finish with slight chocolate // More chocolate notes // Very smooth // Baking spice // Great burn // Dry walnut // Lovely white smoke // Some sweet notes // Nutmeg on the finish // Very clean tasting // Nutty // A sip to clear the palate // Cashew notes // Hardly get that // A bit faint though // Tangy tobacco // Nutty notes on the finish // More tang // Body is light, flavors aren't // This cigar has something to offer even after all these years // More sweetness // Cocoa powder // Tangy again // Flaky light gray ash // Very sweet undertones to the cigar but subtle // Very easy smoke // Ash twists and falls off into the ashtray // More smoke now // A hint of strength appears towards the end of the first third // It lasts a few puffs and results in a white pepper finish. More in taste versus potency// Second third A few sweet draws start things off // Burn line is great // Some flavourful toasty tobacco now // White pepper more prevalent // Earthy flavors // Very good evolution of flavour thus far // The finish is a nit tangy now // Nuttiness throughout in the background // Mild medium // No tobacco buzz at all // Ore sweetness // Ash drops unexpectedly // It misses me // A bit more strong notes ensue // Cocoa returns // The draw is perfect so far // More White pepper // Now with some oomph // Interesting how the stronger aspect of a cigar gets locked in deeper towards the head // Nuts and tangy tobacco // Nice earthy draws follow // Very little smoke production on the cigar // Nutmeg on the finish now // The next draws are tangy with // Hint of minerals // I take a drink to clear the palate // The sweetness i get is akin to light honey flavours // It sticks with me throughout // Another white pepper draw fives way to a mineraly finish // Final third A bit more strength in flavour in the past four draws // Earthy and tangy // White pepper returns // Wow // Bean // I get that s lot from Cohiba // Ash fell again // So brittle and powdery // Sweet and tangy notes // I’m reminded of a Trinidad Fundadores when i get that // The inner portion of the band is nicely yellowed // More beans // Not a boring cigar at all // So smooth // Nutmeg // Toasty tobacco // Throughout this journey // The cigar has burned at a low temp // More beans and white pepper // A bit more smoke now // I got a slight caramel note on the finish // I remove the band // It snaps off easily and intact // Nuttiness returns // Minerals and bean on the finish // Tangy tobacco // Toasty again // Feeling a slight nicotine buildup as i get halfway through the final third // More beany finishes the last two draws // Slight hints of anise with a sweet finish // Tangy and beany to follow // A few draws of toasty tobacco with a very dry finish // Mineraly again // Pepper finish // Very tart draw // Odd // Back to toasty tobacco // Beany once more // All cocoa and chocolate notes are long gone by now // Earthy again // So smooth // Nutmeg follows // Going to nub this // Very clean tobacco taste on the next two draws // No harshness to this cigar at all // He next few draws are light in flavour // Faint baking spice at best // Tangy tobacco // Toast // Light citrus note like an orange peel // Again! Even as i nub this its not very hot // It hasn't needed a relight either // Tangy tobacco // Anise surprises me again at this point // Lovely // My final draw is toasty tobacco with a sweet finish // It's done // Conclusions: Where to start? This cigar was amongst the best I've ever smoked. It was full of flavour and revealed some stealthy, tobacco strength progressively. The only modern day cigar that does that, IMO is the La Escepcion Selectos Finos RE. This not as powerful as that cigar but it made up in complexity. From the first to the last third this was a journey in taste. It won't "wow" you with very strong notes but it will draw you in slowly with delicate nuances throughout. The best cigar I've smoked thus far is the Cuban Davidoff No 1 (a 1970 vintage). It too was an interesting smoke. It's best quality was it's ability to deliver some really rich flavours past the second half. The Sir Winston was more subtle but doesn't lose marks for "strength". Like any aged cigar, you want to "sip" it. Take it slow and let it do the work. If you're paying attention and it's fared well over the ages, it can reward you. Given how well this smoked. From the variety of tastes, an near perfect burn, excellent draw and not needing a relight, I've got to rank this high up on my list of best smokes. It truly is a "Champagne" of cigars. And with that said, I give it a score of: 97/100

I smoked this beauty a few nights ago. It's been a long time since I've done a review. And for those of you that have never read one of mine, I tend to "dump" out what I'm tasting and any other thoughts in my mind as I'm smoking. This review is not as lengthy as my past efforts. I hope you enjoy it. Now, on to the review! Name: WM Penn Panatella Circa: 1943 Observations: Nice box press on the panatella, the tobacco passes the pinch test easily. This is not some dried out relic. The cigar is very much alive. Aroma at cold is floral with a hint of baking spice. That is promising. The cold draw is easy. A good sign for a cigar with such a small ring gauge. The pointed head clips off easily, no tearing or mangling of the cigar occurs. With aged cigars you always have to treat them with kid gloves as they can be fragile. This sample however, is solid. Review: First Third. Very easy draw. clean tobacco taste. Mint with some tangy notes . Very fresh flavors. Hints of nutmeg. Very good burn. Very floral in profile. Dry finish on each draw. Lemon zest sticks to the tongue. Very interesting start. Clove notes. More lemon. Very mild but flavourful smoke. Some slight acetic notes here and then. Must belong to the lemon taste I'm getting. Some more nutmeg and baking spice. Almost a candy like experience. Sweet notes coming through. Clean Tobacco. Very little smoke. Smooth. Still dry on the palate. Very refined. More lemon zest. In terms of citrus flavours in a cigar, I've had orange peel before, especially in Bolivar. Lemon zest, is a new one on me. I like it! Second Third: More smoke billows in the second third with each draw. Very clean tobacco flavour. Mint finish comes back. The sweetness ensures. This is a great aged cigar. Floral notes present as well. Tobacco flavour increases a bit. Some marshmallow flavours jump out. Awesome. That’s what was sweet all this time perhaps? Dry tannic notes on the tongue. I get hit with a bit of an unpleasant taste. Sour and mildewy in one brief, nasty moment. Thankfully, it only lasted one draw. Final Third: More clean tobacco taste. Nutmeg still present. Dry notes persist. Clove. Very flavourful, but dry. Slight metallic finish on a few draws. Clean tobacco taste returns. The draw is smooth. Smoke levels have picked up again. Some more sweet notes. The flavour range is mild but interesting. Not the most complex cigar in terms of body, but a worthy aged smoked. It must have been medium/mild smoke in it's day. Even with about 70 years of age this cigar impresses me. The WM Panatella finishes with a bit of spice hit towards the end. I've nubbed this cigar down to 3/4 inches. Total smoking time:35 minutes; Score: 92 Final Thoughts: When buying aged/vintage cigars whether they be Clear Havana's or Pre-embargo, I'm always concerned that I'll end up smoking a "dead" cigar. So far my luck has been good. And this little cigar was a very pleasant smoking experience. Probably the smoothest cigar I've tasted that held my interest from foot to head.

A recent little pickup. Clear Havanas from 1926. They smell pretty good. They had a long trip but after some humi time, I'm going to fire one up. Lovely workmanship on the package. The front of the box looks like hammered copper. A little bit of info on the back. The opened box. Cigars in cello and a little ribbon to act as a hinge. (Very nice touch) A closeup of the cigars along with the original inspection slip.

With the dust settled from the Montreal herf, I've had some time to take some shots of a little discovery we made while browsing an odd cigar store prior to the herf. We found some interesting sticks but this item in particular struck me. A box of 1970's era Le Escepcions. Coronas Extra Largas Here's the top. A close up of the label. The back of the box with the words "CLARO" and "9-75" which I am assuming could be the date September 1975 Side shot. Open box. Two surviving sticks in their cello. Unfortunately, there's a beetle hole or two. On the plus side, the cigars have some give to them when I pinch the foot. Perhaps they can be revived? A closeup of the cigar bands. An interesting label that may have been attached prior to sale to comply with language laws in Quebec or a standard item? The four languages are English, Spanish, French and German.