Archive for Natural

La Vieja Habana Torpedo Natural (Drew Estate)

{ April 6, 2008 @ 12:06 pm } · { Budget, Natural }
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  • Blend: Nicaraguan Natural
  • Wrapper: Corojo Natural
  • Region: Nicaraguan Filler (rolled and prepared in the states)
  • Dimensions: 6 X 54
  • Price: Single: 1.90 – 2.65, Box: 35.45 – 48.75

Budget cigar, great humidor filler, and great project cigar. After a few months of time around piles of good maduros, they greedily assume lots of the flavors of their finer cousins. However, we didn’t find them the be very enjoyable fresh (in their retail, natural state). Hollow, empty, slightly bitter taste, with inconsistencies involving ember and flavor stability. Mildly sweet aroma, with bouts and fits of skunkiness. (Pre-aged)

After Aging: The natural wrapper aged with the maduros makes it into a light, pleasant smoke with an easy to maintain, slightly spicy, more full-bodied flavor. Slight hints of cream are detectable, but the surprising shift into spiciness is much more noticeable and preferable. Aroma is much improved, stable, and subtly spicy. All Drew Estate cigars come with their trademark ember issues. (spooning, unstable temp, gouging, flaking, etc.)

The wonderful selling point of these cigars is the ease of which they infuse, the variety of roll, and their decent price.

  • Flavor: (Pre-aged) 2/10, (Aged) 4.5/10
  • Aroma: (Pre-Aged) 2/10, (Aged) 5/10
  • Ember: (Pre-Aged) 1.5/10, (Aged) 2.5/10
  • Draw: 4/10
  • Maintenance: 4.5/10
  • Overall: Thirteenthcor 6/10, Weasel 5/10

Re-Buy? Yes

Duration: 30-45min

La Aroma De Cuba Immensa

{ April 4, 2008 @ 7:35 am } · { Cigars, Everyday, Natural }
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  • Blend: Natural
  • Wrapper: Natural(?)
  • Region: Honduran
  • Dimension: 5 1/2 X 60
  • Price: Single: 5.25-6.50 Box: 105 – 127.50

This cigar was awful! Very harsh start, with a short enjoyable smoking window. Very difficult to maintain ember, as well as maintain in a humidor (probably because of its gauge) not very spicy, but overpoweringly full-bodied. Halfway in, it jumps flavors ranging from the subtly spicy, to full-bodied almost-harshness, to downright assy! No notes of chocolate or nuts, no notes of woody, oaky or piney flavors. Aroma was mediocre at the best of time, foul at the worst. Don’t let the price, band, and well rolled look fool you! Would not recommend.

  • Flavor: 4/10
  • Aroma: 3/10
  • Ember: 1/10 (spooning, with no air current and proper lighting technique)
  • Draw: 5/10
  • Maintenance: 2/10 (attributed to the gauge)
  • Overall: Thirteenthcor 3/10, Weasel 2.5/10

Re-buy? No

Duration: 1hr (if you make it that far)