What did you smoke today?...short and sweet review.

[cohibacal]

Padron 1926 #9 natural......... sweet black cherry start with lots of coffee and cream in the middle with a bold strong sweet finish .....just DEVINE !!! Best non cuban ive had in 2011 !! 95 points

[JohnnyB]

Cohiba robusto tubo. Quite smooth for a cohiba. Nice spices and a great draw. This was a birthday gift and was throughly enjoyed.

[stickman]

2009 Tatuaje L'Esprit de Verite. Excellent, unique stick. I like these a bit more than the 2008. I feel that the 'pepper blast' associated with Pepin's cigars is sometimes overstated, but not with this one. The beginning of the last third showed a wonderful complexity with some sweet flavors that are new to me. A pricey robusto, but I'm tempted to buy more. Thumbs up.

[stickman]

Oliva Serie V, 'short diadema': as tasty and complex as a Maduro Torpedo and with more elegance; my favorite Oliva. How I wish these were regular production. As is, they are only available in the vintage sampler boxes.

[stickman]

Liga Privada T52 Flying Pig. Smoother than I expected from what I had read and heard, but definitely a big, full-bodied smoke. 'Love the sweetness this brings from the very beginning. Not for the faint of heart, and don't let the short length fool you; it burns exceedingly slowly and packs a real punch. Thumbs up, but with caveats.

[JohnnyB]

COHIBA ESPLENDIDOS. Great cigar with cappuccino. Smooth and a touch of spice.

[stickman]

Over the last few days I've tried each (3 total) of the vitolas of Tatuaje's new La Casita Criolla. I'm a fan of CT Broadleaf, and these definitely have plenty of broadleaf character (they ought to; they're 100%!), but I don't personally think they're as good as the Tat 7th Reserva (with a broadleaf wrapper). Too monolithic and not deep enough to my taste. No slam really, as I find the 7th Res to be an outstanding cigar, but I expected more from the hype I've heard/read about La Casita. Anyone else try these yet?

One thing that really put me off was how easily the ash fell, often with less than an inch of ash. Most Tats (and Pepin/My Father, which are rolled by the same folks) have nearly flawless construction and certainly no ashing problems. Is this simply a characteristic of the tobacco used? Fwiw, I found the construction to be excellent otherwise.

[biligang]

Just finished a R&J Habana Reserve Corona. I just found these on the bottom of my box. Man I forgot how good these are with some time on them.

[stickman]

My Father Special Robusto: I've had a few of these now, and this was the best yet - such an elegant, sophisticated aroma, bordering on floral but still anchored in sweet tobacco. Thumbs way up!

[stickman]

Introduced a fellow stogie-lover to the Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios (box code from '08) - in a very, very good place right now!

[stickman]

Padilla Dominus Robusto: lots of chocolate in this stick, not terribly complex, but some cedar notes joined by a nice, minty spice well into the last third. Very full-bodied and potent - a bit more so than I prefer, but overall enjoyable.

[stickman]

Had my first BHK 56 (TEU OCT 10). While it was surely outstanding, I've enjoyed the couple 52s I've had much more. The 56 didn't approach the degree of deep flavors and complexity of the 52 until about the last quarter, and even then I'd still prefer the 52. I'll age my remaining 56s for at least a year or more, but I can't see these ever being as good as the 52s, IMHO. Anyone else tried these?

[stickman]

Fuente Añejo 50. Perennial favorite; always well-executed, sweet but complex. Thumbs way up.

[stickman]

Fuente Añejo No.77 (The Shark). Incredible construction: ashed at about the half-way point, and the rest held on as I smoked this to the end. Sweet, complex, vanilla, impeccable tobacco flavors throughout, finishing with an excellent menthol tingle. Must get more!

Just a heads-up: if you're going to find these at a reasonable price (or at all), keep an eye out between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

>C'mon, folks! Am I the only one puffing these days? Do share your input.

[youngcollectorsf]

Had a 1999 Romeo y Julieta Cazadores. Very beautiful cigar. Perfect draw and burn. Floral, cedar, rather light in strength. 94 points. Good cigar for the money (5-6 euros).

[stickman]

The RyJ Cazadores sounds delightful; thanks for the short review.

I tried my first Fuente Short Story: excellent little smoke, but a bit of a harsh edge in the first third, despite the underlying soft sweetness. Perhaps it needed some significant humi rest. 'Will try again.

[youngcollectorsf]

Smoking a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 from a 2011 box (english market selection). All I have to say is wow! 4.5/5. Excellent for such a young cigar. 95 points in 3 years.

[stickman]

Smoking a Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No.2 from a 2011 box (english market selection). All I have to say is wow! 4.5/5. Excellent for such a young cigar. 95 points in 3 years.

Always a winner; thanks for the word on the current release - sounds fantastic!

[Gino]

Just finished a 2003 Hoyo Des Dieux with a mediocre syrah to cleanse the palate. 60 degrees on the deck. Nir-f'n-vana! I can't even begin to describe the flavor.

[stickman]

Recently had another Liga Privada Dirty Rat, which is shaping up to be one of my top sticks for the year, the only caveat being the variation in the boxes I bought. The lighter-colored wrappers have been uniformly better than a box with darker wrappers. I plan to let the darker box rest while I smoke the lighter box, and see how the darker ones develop.