TacoSauce NC Diary

[TacoSauce]

23 hours ago, Odessa said:

what is your opinion Lagunas vs. Clementes? Thank you.

The Lagunas is the only vitola I've tried to date. I've got a 5-pack of Juniperos (fat lanceros) resting. Their down-time should expire soon. That size will be the next I try.

[TacoSauce]

14 hours ago, KCCubano said:

These along with Tat Black PC (Perla size) and any of the Roma Craft 46×4s are all good NC short smokes

Completely agree on the Roma Craft shorties being excellent NC short smokes. I haven't tried the Tatuaje Black PC -- I'll add it to my next order. Thanks!

[TacoSauce]

Regius Red Exclusivo Red USA Toro (++): Picked up this stick at a local lounge based on a recommendation from the manager. It is a nice looking stick with some sheen on the wrapper and a pigtail. After lighting, the cigar opens at a medium body and a nice toasted grain flavor presents itself. A smooth sweetness joins shortly thereafter along with a light woodiness. The flavor profile was unchanged for the entire stick. I couldn't pick out any other specific flavors, other than "sweet rosado." A very nice rosado experience indeed, but not a complex stick by any stretch.

[TacoSauce]

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial Belicoso (+): A light-colored Nicaraguan belicoso apparently made by the My Father company. Not much off the pre-light aroma and the cold draw had a light barnyard note. After lighting, the cigar opened with a mild-medium body and a nice, but pretty generic tobacco and wood flavors. The one thing that stood out as interesting was the very tamed Nicaraguan spice that popped at the edges. It was not intense in the least, but provided some character to an otherwise monotonous smoke. The cigar became bitter at the inch and a half point and was tossed at this point.

[TacoSauce]

El Septimo The Sacred Arts Collection Raphael (-): A toro with a dark wrapper with a nice-looking sheen.  A faint varnish smell coming off of the wrapper and not much on the cold draw. After lighting, the cigar opens above medium and the first 1/2 inch is intensely bitter wood with a hint of chocolate at the edges. It was awful and I almost tossed the stick at this point. I stayed with it, however, and by the end of first inch the bitterness had subsided to a much less intense level. The flavor, however, was still just bitter wood, albeit with a milder delivery. By the start of the second third, the woodiness had disappeared and all that was left was just "slight bitterness." It was the mildest experience I think I have ever experienced from a cigar. It was as if instead of smoke, it was only emitting slightly bitter steam. I tossed this stick before the half-way point. Rubbish.

[TacoSauce]

Davidoff Millenium Petite Corona (+): A beautiful looking small stick. Faint wood on the wrapper and the faintest hint of fruit on the cold draw. After lighting, the delivery is immediately smooth, mellow and refined. It opened at a mild body. The flavor was a very mild pencil shaving-like cedar. It reminded me of the Alma de Fuego, but with the flavor dialed allllllllllll the way back until it was just barely present. There was a hint of bitterness at the edges for the entire cigar -- always threatening to get stronger and turn the experience into a Dominican Nightmare. While the bitterness never did strengthen, it made me nervous for the entire smoke. Construction and performance were flawless. This experience was consistent until the final third where I got my first above-mild flavor note of baking spice. Unfortunately, the smoke started to get hot at roughly the same time and this wasn't enjoyed for much longer. Overall, great construction and a very refined mild to mild-medium delivery. However, this cigar isn't big or interesting enough to justify an $18 price tag.

[TacoSauce]

Davidoff Winston Churchill Late Hour Robusto (+): This is the third and final Davidoff single from my effort to re-explore a brand that I wrote-off a long time ago. This is the darkest stick I've seen from Davidoff. The pre-light aroma has a faint note of wood and popcorn. The cold draw has a light note of dried fruit. After lighting, the cigar opens at medium-full and the flavor is dark wood, some light pepper, and an occasional cedar note. This is a very different profile form the other Davidoffs: much stronger and it tastes more Nicaraguan than the others. The first inch maintains this profile. If you gave this to me without the band I would say that this was any number of other Nicaraguan cigars -- reminds me closely of some of the darker Warped cigars. Starting at the second inch, the body drops to medium, the wood note disappears and a cooling sensation joins with the occasional butterscotch note. This only lasts for about 3/4 inch and then all the nice flavor disappears and the dark wood comes back at medium-full. In this segment a dark earthiness joins. This profile reminds me somewhat of the final inches of the Casdagli Daughters of the Wind, but much less refined. The smoke started to get hot at the last inch so I stopped it there. Really nothing special about this cigar and certainly nothing that justifies the $25 price tag. Of all the Davidoffs I've smoked to this point, only the  Signature No. 2 seems worth revisiting.

[TacoSauce]

Black label Trading Co. Royalty Corona (+++): Getting a corona-sized stick from a NC manufacturer is rare, but here we have one! I was put off by the band art, which has a skull, a crown, and many old-style crosses. I would never have bought a cigar with this type of branding, but getting it online took that part of the decision process out of the equation. The pre-light aroma has some pepper and reminds me of the smell of the you-lick-it adhesive on the back of manilla envelopes from yesteryear. The cold draw has the faintest hint of white wine. After lighting, the cigar opens at a medium body and the flavor opens up right away with some mild pepper, light wood, and some earthiness. This flavor profile and delivery is consistent for the entire smoke and is best experienced on the retrohale. For a brief period in the middle of the cigar, there was a void/ open channel in the filler. In my experience this can easily derail the smoking experience, however, this cigar handled it beautifully -- it didn't even affect the excellent burn. While the flavors were not Cuban per-se, the constant flavor delivery at a medium body made this a Cuban-adjacent experience. Despite the apparent mundane nature of the flavors listed, the overall experience was great and I have already ordered more of these.

[TacoSauce]

Ozgener Family Cigar Bosphorous B52 (++):  This appears to be the robusto-sized cigar in this blend. The cigar is oval shaped -- very much like the Oliva MasterBlend 3. Pre-light aroma had a zesty shoe leather character. Nothing notable on the cold draw. After lighting, the flavors present immediately at a medium+ level. I get mostly leather with some sourness. The sourness points toward citrus, but I can never convince myself that I get an actual citrus note. After the first 1/2 inch the retrohale quiets down to a level where is is easy and enjoyable. In the second third there is a light coffee note that joins along with an occasional nuttiness. This profile lasts to the end of the cigar with the body ramping up to just under full by the end. A very satisfying smoke. I will be trying other vitolas in this line.

[TacoSauce]

Warped Edition One Cloud Hopper No 485 (++): My second time trying this blend. First time was the 42 rg version. I liked it a lot. For this new cigar, the pre-light aroma and cold draw were both very light and mostly just woody. After lighting, the cigar opens at medium body and the predominate flavor is woodiness. I don't know my types of wood well enough to say which one, but a different woody character than most cigars. There is also this wispy cotton candy nuance that comes with each draw. it is not sweet, but maybe slightly burnt sugar. It is subtle but makes it quite nice. The draw and smoke output were top notch, elevating the smoking experience. In the second half the body creeped closer to medium-full and light earthiness and slight charred wood flavors joined. It got hot at the inch point and I stopped there. The second experience with this blend cements its position as my second favorite Warped stick behind the Maestro -- slightly edging out La Hacienda (at least for now).

[TacoSauce]

Room 101 Farce Nicaragua Toro (-): This stick has a sophisticated woody sweetness coming off the wrapper and the cold draw. After lighting, the stick opens at a medium body with a charred cedar flavor that is reminiscent of the Rojas Barbacoas and the Plasencia Almas. Even thought the draw seemed wide open for this cigar, I had trouble getting enough smoke on the draw. After the first inch, the body dropped below medium and the flavor became muted. I couldn't find any reason to continue smoking this stick so it was tossed at roughly the 2-inch point. "Farce," indeed.

[TacoSauce]

Lars Tetens Phat Royal (++): I remember the brand name "Lars Tetens" from back in the early 2000s, but don't remember any other details from that time. Pre light, the aroma off the wrapper is earthy and floral. I think this stick might have been infused with patchouli oil, but it is subtle enough to be nice instead of disgusting. The cold draw is slightly sweet, but otherwise nondescript. After lighting, the cigar opens just below medium body and the initial flavor is nuts and woodiness. This profile is pretty consistent throughout, but with some sweet notes popping in and out. I don't get the impression that this is an infused cigar while it is being smoked. From start to finish, this cigar reminds me of a Fonseca No. 1. Nothing fancy or complex with this stick, but an enjoyable smoke regardless.

[TacoSauce]

Cavalier White Series Corona (++): A muted zinginess coming off the wrapper pre-light and nothing but a mild wood note on the cold draw. After lighting, the cigar opens at a mild-medium body. The flavor and retrohale are immediately sweet and nice. The profile is that of a wafer cookie. The kind with multiple layers of crisp wafers sandwiched around a creamy vanilla filling. As it transitions to the second third, a very bitter wood flavor becomes dominant. The unfortunate type of experience you get from Dominica puros. This lasts for an inch and half before receding. Once that fades we are back to the creamy wafer cookie experience, except this time with some white pepper and additional baking spices. This final third has some similarity to an HdM. With an inch and a half remaining, I noticed that there was a big stem poking out from the head of the cigar. Unable to resist, I pulled the stem from cigar and with it a significant amount of leaf. D'oh! I just couldn't leave it alone. This caused the cigar to burn hot and I had to end it there. If you like HdM you should definitely try this cigar. The reason that this doesn't get a '+++' rating is the bitter interlude as well as the fact that I've had the Viso Jalapa version of this stick and it is even better!
 

[TacoSauce]

Puro Desnudo Carlota N3 (++): A novel sized stick. Feels great in the hand. Pre-light aroma had a touch of Perique twang that reminded me of the Nudie Lancero and Petite Corona. Not much coming from the cold draw. After lighting, the cigar opened at medium body with an initial pepper blast that faded after the first few puffs. While the body remains medium for the duration of this cigar, the flavor is delivered at a stronger level than you would expect: very punchy. I think this is what Rob means when he says "bloody rich." In the first half, the flavor is that of a not-too-sweet chocolate brownie with occasional blasts of pepper spice in the background. The pepper adds nicely to the flavor delivery and isn't harsh. The retrohale is nice throughout. In the second half, I get the same flavors but with some extra wood and a little leather added in. With each puff I am impressed by the intensity of the flavor, yet at no point would I say the cigar is over medium bodied. This is a unique and nice experience. 

[clickbangdoh]

On 7/29/2024 at 1:09 PM, TacoSauce said:

Cavalier White Series Corona (++): A muted zinginess coming off the wrapper pre-light and nothing but a mild wood note on the cold draw. After lighting, the cigar opens at a mild-medium body. The flavor and retrohale are immediately sweet and nice. The profile is that of a wafer cookie. The kind with multiple layers of crisp wafers sandwiched around a creamy vanilla filling. As it transitions to the second third, a very bitter wood flavor becomes dominant. The unfortunate type of experience you get from Dominica puros. This lasts for an inch and half before receding. Once that fades we are back to the creamy wafer cookie experience, except this time with some white pepper and additional baking spices. This final third has some similarity to an HdM. With an inch and a half remaining, I noticed that there was a big stem poking out from the head of the cigar. Unable to resist, I pulled the stem from cigar and with it a significant amount of leaf. D'oh! I just couldn't leave it alone. This caused the cigar to burn hot and I had to end it there. If you like HdM you should definitely try this cigar. The reason that this doesn't get a '+++' rating is the bitter interlude as well as the fact that I've had the Viso Jalapa version of this stick and it is even better!
 

The lancero in this series is quite nice, recommended.

[TacoSauce]

12 hours ago, clickbangdoh said:

The lancero in this series is quite nice, recommended.

I think I tried to get the lancero as the stick to try, but it was sold out and so I ended up with the corona. Next time it will be the lancero.

[TacoSauce]

Quesada 1974 Corona (+++): Really enjoyed the robusto version in this line so ordered the corona as a single. This is a great sized stick. The pre-light aroma has a spicy wood note. The cold draw  is slightly sweet. After lighting I immediately get a blast of interesting flavors delivered just under a medium-full body. The flavor is walnuts, wood, and a toasted note that intensifies as the cigar progresses. Really top notch flavor delivery for the entire time. My only complaint is that you have to smoke this very slow to keep the body below medium-full. If you speed up, the body shoots towards full and is less enjoyable. Still a fantastic cigar and I liked the corona size better than the robusto.

[TacoSauce]

Cavalier Genève White Series Limited Edition 2023 (-): A 6 1/4 x 48 toro, and my fourth sampling from this brand. The 48 ring gauge of this "toro" makes it much nicer than your standard >50 gauge toros. It feels nice in the hand. Pre-light aroma off the wrapper is of shoe leather and a sweetness reminiscent of a sugar coated candy. The cold draw has a sweet note and not much else. After lighting, the cigar opens with a mild-medium body. The initial flavor has the cereal note that seems to be common with the Cavalier sticks I've tried. There is also some sweetness. A nice opening. This lasts until just before the 2 inch mark where the cigar start to have trouble staying lit. After ashing, I see three separate empty channels running through the filler. I give the cigar a good torching to see if I can revive it and the smoke output comes back, but the flavor has gone dark and slightly bitter. It now tastes like a cigar that was extinguished and re-lit a few hours later. The channels seem to close up after another inch, however the cigar is still a chore to keep lit and the wrapper burns quite unevenly. Given that the the flavors don't improve much by this point I tossed the stick at the half-way point. Aside from the voids in the filler, this burned like a stick that was over-humidified. However, this stick had been sitting for a few months in my humidor along with sticks performing well, so I'm not sure how the humidity could have been off.

[TacoSauce]

Illusione Original Documents Habano Robusto (+): The big, elaborate band on this stick took me by surprise given my familiarity with the simple, thin bands of Illusione cigars. I felt cheated that I was given this ridiculous band. This stick had a pungent and spicy pre-light aroma. The cold draw gave a muted note of popcorn. After lighting, the cigar opens at a medium-full body and there is some good flavor right away. A lot of woodiness and a slightly sweet zesty tingle that I sometimes associate with Habano wrapped cigars. Initially the retrohale was too strong to enjoy. By the second third the body had settled to a just above medium and the retrohale was now manageable with every other puff. The flavor kept the core profile and a coffee note joined. By the time I got to the final third I was bored with this cigar and I tossed it. Not a bad cigar by any means, but clearly this flavor profile didn't speak to me. Maybe I was just subconsciously pissed off by the stupid band.

[TacoSauce]

Arturo Fuente Gran Reserva Rothschild Natural (+++): I love a Cameroon wrapped Fuente so there is a strong bias going into this review. I get a slight candy note coming off the wrapper similar to other Cameroons as well as the CloudHopper from Warped. The cold draw is tighter than I would like and has  a slightly sweet wood flavor. This is a well (over?) packed stick, which I find is common for Fuentes. After lighting, the body is mild-medium and the flavor is mostly wood with a bit of sweetness. I also get that slightly green bitterness that comes with a draw that is too tight to give a proper level of combustion. After roughly 3/4 inch, the draw opens up and the flavor improves. Now I get that perfect combination of sweet leather, Damson plum, and a hint of coffee. These flavors meld together and present as a single meta-flavor for the remainder of the smoke. It is excellent!

[TacoSauce]

Cavalier Genève Inner Circle Robusto Grande (-): A heavy stick in the hand, with two nice looking bands. Not much coming from the pre-light wrapper and cold draw. After lighting, the cigar opens with a mild body and I immediately get that cereal grain flavor that seems to be common among Cavalier's cigars. The cereal flavor fades quickly and the flavor profile settles into a mild expression of sweet cream and cedar. There are similarities to an Epi 2, but without the baking spices. At the start of the second third the cedar morphs to a slightly bitter wood flavor -- suggesting that the Dominican tobacco is dominating at this point. It isn't quite as bad as a Dominican puro, but it isn't nice either. At the start of the final third, the bitter wood flavor dominates and I tossed the stick at this point. This is a mild stick that might appeal to Epi2 lovers who also like Dominican tobacco. All others should stay away.

[TacoSauce]

Dapper Desvalido Dilsa Lonsdale (+++): I have no idea where this stick came from. can't find any record of purchasing it. But hey, it is a Lonsdale, so no one is complaining! The pre-light aroma has a slight furniture polish aroma and the cold draw doesn't give much at all. After lighting the cigar opens just above medium bodied and the flavor is a familiar combination of light pepper and charred wood bark. This is a similar flavor to what I get from some of the more intense Warped sticks. After a half inch, the cigar settles to medium body with a nice retrohale. The flavor profile keeps the wood bark and adds a very nice toasted peanut note. This peanut note is strong and reminds me a bit of a Cuaba. There is also a nice sweetness rounding out the experience. The overall flavor reminds me of a Rosado wrapper, but I couldn't say that there was a reddish hue to the wrapper. This profile stayed constant for the remainder of the cigar. Really a great experience and the nicest peanut flavor I've had from a NC. Recommended.

[TacoSauce]

Crowned Heads Mil Dias Limited Edition Belicosos Finos 2023 (++): Love the name and the shape of this cigar. A hint of leather coming off the wrapper pre light. The cold draw had a slight note of wood. After lighting, the cigar opened at a medium body and the first inch had only a light flavor of dry wood. While the flavor was mild, the mouth-feel was more intense since there was a rich, oily taste coming off the wrapper that boosted the overall intensity level. After the first inch, the cigar transitioned to a nice combination of wood, walnut, and cherry/blueberry. Again, the flavor intensity from the smoke remained mild-medium, but was bolstered by the tanginess coming from the wrapper. It has been awhile, but I think I liked this LE stick better than the standard Mil Dias blend.

[TacoSauce]

Perdomo Cabinet Series Cameroon Reserva Petit Corona (++): In my dreams, I've always imagined that the most amazing NC cigar would be a Perdomo BBA blend wrapped in a Cameroon wrapper. It turns out, however, that Perdomo doesn't do Cameroon wrappers. After some searching I found a few singles of a long discontinued Cameroon Perdomo that was released years ago. I was excited to finally give it a try. Pre-light, there isn't anything notable coming off the wrapper or the cold draw. After lighting, the stick opens at a mild-medium body and there is immediately a nutty sweetness typical for a Cameroon. This light experience lasted for the first inch and then the body ramped to just under medium-full and the flavored became darker and muddled. The draw was somewhat restricted and this may have been the driver of this experience. From this point forward, the flavor on the palate remained unimpressive, however the retrohale had an amazing savory nuts and umami flavor that was excellent. Overall, this was decent, but I felt like the restricted draw held it back from its full potential.

[TacoSauce]

Espinosa Laranja Azuejo Corona Extra (+): I picked up this single after having enjoyed the standard Laranja blend from Espinosa. This stick has a much darker wrapper. If not a true maduro, I'm guessing it is close. Pre-light the wrapper gives off an aroma of spicy chocolate and the cold draw tastes of wood bark. After lighting I get a modified version of the Espinosa opening that I have come to expect from this blender: an initial blast of black pepper flavor (without the spice) and pencil shavings. In this stick, however, the flavor is much more muted than in the non-maduro lines and it is rounded by a slight sweetness. The black pepper note fades quickly, but the slightly sweet pencil shavings is maintained accompanied by a light earthiness. The retrohale is too strong to enjoy to any significant amount. The body was maintained at medium-full for the entire time. This stick wasn't bad at all, however I'm not a maduro lover so I will stick with the natural wrappers from this blender.