This well packed Salomon from Gurkha is part of their new cellar reserve line up which uses a 98 Criollo wrapper, a Dominican Olor binder, and a 15 year old Criollo, Nicaraguan filler.

(Sorry about the washed-out pic, did not know I had the flash on)

This large Salomon looks like one hell of a smoke right off the bat. It’s got a nice pigtail cap and a shiny cocoa colored wrapper, with some medium sized veins running through it. The cigar has a solid feel with a bit of give when squeezed. The wrapper gives of a pleasant smell of baking spices and a bit of hot chocolate. The prelit draw is very tight but has some earthy hints with a nice note of cinnamon.

The first third of the cigar starts off, like many other Salomons, with a very uneven burn and a tight draw. I am getting some decent smoke volume though so I’m not concerned. The flavors consist of toasted oats and earth with a tangy citric acidity on the finish. The smoke has been at about a medium body and has been relatively smooth from the first puff. The aroma is a very pleasant bittersweet chocolate and towards the very end of the first third some wood notes are coming into play.

The draw opens up nicely coming into the second third and provides ample amount of smoke. The burn still requires a lot of touch ups but with a lighter at hand it’s really not a problem. Notes of oak have joined the main profile in this third as well as some mild spices, including vanilla and cinnamon, which play nicely off of the oak notes. The finish is a bit drier in this third but is still very much a citrus acidity. Some elements of spice join the finish but it’s still a mostly smooth medium bodied smoke with a dark gray ash that only holds about an inch at a time.

In the last third the oak notes take the main stage as well as the notes of cinnamon and vanilla. This smoke has reached the lower end of full bodied and at this point I am getting tons smoke with each puff.

All in all this stick had a great flavor progression, a very slow burn, a mouth watering finish, and great aroma. While the burn may have been a bit ugly it was nothing that I couldn’t keep under control. Gurkha is definitely adding a strong new line, which is sure to please any cigar smoker.

Cheers-

Mr. Penny

The Fausto is one of the latest releases from Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje Brand. Based on the exclusive T110 (Thermonuclear) Blend, which was created for a brick and mortar shop in Hawaii a few years back. This cigar has been greatly anticipated by all the Tatuaje fans out there and likely fans of ultra spicy full-bodied smokes will find themselves really enjoying this cigar. The Fausto contains all strong Nicaraguan fillers (mostly ligero) from the Jalapa Valley and Esteli areas and is wrapped in a very dark Ecuadorian Habano Maduro wrapper. I’m smoking the Robusto Extra Size – (5 1/2 x 52) named the FT140.  As much as I want to hoard it away, a review is in order, so here goes…

The cigar is very dark in appearance, the Ecuadorian wrapper is very toothy and seems very tough and rugged.  The cigar is very well packed, no soft or hard spots and very well constructed, as most cigars that leave the My Father Factory. The dark spicy smoke gives me a little apprehension as I chose this for the first smoke of the day, but what the heck I’m a full body fan and hopefully this cigar is more then just power. The cold draw has a nice earthy taste with a bit of spice already tingling the back of my throat.

After lighting up I am greeting with copious amounts of spice. The initial retro hale puts almost too much spice through my nose, which I usually like but I may have to scale back a bit to start here. The draw in the sample I’ve received is very good, not too loose, not to tight. The burn is also very straight without much wavering at all. Luckily the cigar is not all spice, I’m starting to pick up some nice flavors that accompany the spicy finish.  The most prominent flavor next to the peppery spice would be a cocoa sweetness. This is one of my favorite combinations if it is done in a complimentary way, which the Fausto so far seems to be doing. The chewy smoke is very enjoyable as its spicy sweet qualities tingle my mouth slightly. My worry about the power of this cigar has been quickly squashed by the smoothness of the body. While packed with ligero, the cigar has a very elegant way of delivering the spice and power without being overpowering or overwhelming.  This cigar is approachable by anyone that enjoys Medium to Full or Full body cigars. 

As the cigar moves into the second third, the spice still tingles on my tongue on the finish, but overall the cigar has been tamed a bit. This sets the stage for a more balanced earthy taste; with the cocoa and coffee finish still hanging around. I’m actually getting a nutty flavor barely coming through that is interesting. The cigar remains very enjoyable throughout the second third, with the body slowly building.

In the last third the cigar is building back up in strength and spicy mouth feel.  The finish is very spicy, almost reminds me of the aftertaste of eating a spicy meal.  It ended very much the same way it started, similar flavors with more body, but never got bitter or harsh. Smoke time ended up being somewhere around an hour and a half. While the body and finish of the cigar was full and spicy, the cigar itself was not a huge Nicotine bomb. I definitely felt it a bit after the Fausto was finished. Overall this is a great, full-bodied treat. For you guys out there that love a true full body, spicy smoke with depth of flavor this is going to be right up your alley. Tatuaje’s loyal fans are going to love this one, not only the fact that it’s a limited release turned full-production, but it’s a great go-to smoke when your reaching into your humidor for a nice strong smoke.

Keep on smokin!

-GC

UPDATE: These are now in stock and can be purchased here: Tatuaje Fausto Cigars

I’m assuming that the GC in the new Kristoff GC Series stands for Glen Case, President of the brand. After the experience I had with this cigar, you can attach my initials to it anytime. This new release from Kristoff is a flavor bomb and is sure to be a hit once it reaches store shelves.

Taking off the cello this dark, oily, behemoth of a robusto immediately intimidates me. Measuring in at 5 ½ x 54 this robusto is a hefty smoke, moving my fingers across the cigar I can feel this is very well packed. The wrapper has a very rustic look, which is dominated by two shades of dark brown and is practically oozing oils. The wrapper is very aromatic and has a classic barnyard aroma with a sugary hint of molasses and spice, which reminds me of a good barbeque sauce. This cigar is topped off with a pigtail and a closed foot.

The cigar lights very easy and the first few puffs reveal warm earthy notes with hints of french press coffee. The finish has strong notes of molasses; slightly malty, sweet, and savory. This cigar starts as a very smooth medium bodied smoke with a creamy mouth feel. The draw is tight for the entire first third, there is a lot of standing smoke but I'm still getting a decent amount of smoke volume. The draw problem does not effect the burn which is rock solid with a nice burn line. By the end of the first third, sweet hints of cocoa fleet in and out of the main flavor profile.

Coming into the second third the draw really opens up and the body starts its crescendo into the  medium-full range. This is when the Kristoff GC really starts to shine. A lot of complexity starts building, the main profile is still earthy and loaded with notes of coffee but the second third really brings a lot of new flavors to the table. Roasted nuts and wood with hints of cloves and some mild baking spices join the main profile creating a smoke with tons of flavor. The finish is long and rich and still consists of that mouthwatering molasses taste. The ash holds almost the entire way through the second third and is colored a light gray. Just look at that ash! The burn is perfectly slow and even.

The last third steps up to the full body range and the cigar opens up even more giving me loads of smoke with the lightest of puffs. The woody notes have evolved into what I would call sandalwood and is becoming more dominant in the finish. A bit of black pepper is coming into play adding a nice spice element to a smoke that has been silky smooth up until this point. The wrapper is really leaving a nice sweetness on the lips and really just rounds out this smoke making it extremely balanced with a very extensive flavor profile. The last couple of puffs really coat the mouth and coming to the end of the smoke I feel a healthy dose of vitamin N making its way through my body.

This smoke lasted for a wonderful 2 hours and 15 minutes and I really have to say it was like smoking a barbecue dinner. The Kristoff GC Signature Series Robusto is complex medium to full bodied smoke that really packs a plethora of flavors while keeping a very consistent and balanced profile of earthy notes, coffee, roasted nuts, wood, and mild baking spices with a rich and sweet molasses finish. Glen Case definitely has a winner with this one!

Pairing note: I paired this cigar with a Hung Shui Oolong from Feng Huang Taiwan. The floral sweetness of the tea blended well with the malty sweetness of the cigar and brought forth a more well rounded character of sweetness which was pleasantly smooth and refreshing on the palate.

-Mr. Penny

Casa Fernandez Miami Reserva Toro Review

Another one of my favorite relatively new Brands / Manufacturers is Casa Fernandez. From the Arsenio to the Aganorsa Leaf to their Core Lines, Casa Fernandez has made a very strong imprint in the past couple years with their impressive Nicaraguan blends. Being one of the largest growers of tobacco in Nicaragua puts the good people at Casa Fernandez at a wonderful advantage when it comes time to blend. These guys are not just growers though, as we’ve seen over the past couple years; they can definitely blend a terrific cigar. The new Casa Fernandez Miami is a made at their Miami factory, hence the name and was just released at the IPCPR in July.

The Casa Fernandez Miami sample I’ve received is specifically the Toro Reserva shape. This cigar has some serious heft to it, very well packed and near perfect construction. This CF Miami sports a secondary band indicating the “Reserva” blend. The cigar has some great aromas from the foot, cold draw has some spice, earthy and sweet flavors.

Wow! After lighting this up I am immediately greeted with a blast of flavors… Nice spicy, chewy smoke with a great sweet tobacco finish. I can tell right off the bat this Casa Fernandez is going to be packed with flavor. The draw is effortless despite the amount of tobacco in this Toro. I probably should have had a bigger breakfast! I can feel the power of this cigar even in the first third, luckily I’m partial to full body sticks. Although strong, the cigar is blended with perfect balance and is extremely smooth. Winding up the first third, the spice has all but disappeared, leaving a rich, sweet flavor behind.

There is definitely a flavor that I can’t quite identify yet; so far the cigar is smooth and complex. The second third introduces more of a sweetness that I would say is more of a sugary vanilla then a cocoa flavor that a lot of cigars put off. There are definitely some leathery, tobacco flavors identifiable in the second third.  This cigar is easily identifiable in thirds, as the flavors change almost exactly as each third starts off. The last third picked back up with some more body and mouth feel. The spice came back, and the cigar returned back to the medium-full area of body. I pretty much nubbed this one, the flavor and body just continued to build without ever getting bitter. Smoking time was near 2 hours.

Overall this is a great cigar! Very complex, lots of great flavors from start to finish. Although it may not seem so because of the smoothness it's probably medium – full in body and with the nicotine content considered sometimes falls into the full category. The folks at Casa Fernandez continue to make quality Nicaraguan cigars with lots of flavor and lots of character. Definitely highly recommended, keep reading to see when this brand arrives at Atlantic.

Keep on smoking!

-GC

This Casa Miranda exclusive was blended by Titan de Bronze’s master blender Willy Herrera and is rolled exclusively by level 9 rollers. This cigar features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with binder and fillers from Nicaragua.   

      
Looking at the cigar my eyes are instantly attracted to the rich mocha brown wrapper which has a couple of thin veins coursing through it. The cigar has a decent weight in the hand and lacks any hard or soft spots. The wrapper smells distinctly of warm bakers cocoa and is very smooth and velvety to the touch. After clipping the well applied triple cap I take the pre-light draw which is very open and has nice mild baking spice notes with some black pepper on the tongue.

The cigar lights very well, the first few puffs have a nice spice but that dies down quickly into very smooth earthy flavors with sweet cocoa notes. The smoke starts off around the lower end of medium bodied. One of the best qualities of this cigar is its aroma, it’s a very sweet chocolaty aroma with some cinnamon mixed in. Absolutely great.

The first third consisted mostly of those earthy flavors with cocoa as previously mentioned. Occasionally a nice note of toast or wood would appear intertwined with vanilla. The smoke volume is great, this is a “one sip puff” type of cigars. The burn was okay all though a touch up was needed here and there. The finish is long and sweet with a dry tingling in the cheeks.

The second third was very much a replica of the first on taste with a bit of a build in body and mouth feel. The ash held about an inch and a half and fell coming into the second third. The only real difference in the second third was the finish, which was a very mouth watering caramel flavor.

The end of the cigar was a bit dryer than the rest but the flavors still held, the burn however got a bit wavy, needing touch ups here and there but this is understandable considering these cigars only came in recently and probably need to rest a bit more.

Overall this was a dessert of a cigar, sweet chocolate and earth with nice dry woodnotes coupled with an awesome draw make this medium bodied cigar a real treat. Miami Cigar has a tasty and flavor-packed cigar that medium body cigar smokers will very much enjoy.