Blogs by Tag: creamy

Background:

I have to admit right off the bat that the ultra boutique Curivari line as a whole has really blown me away. It's the one of the first recommendations that I give to people lately who are generally looking for something new. Although I haven't smoked every vitola in every line, I've enjoyed most every Curivari I've smoked and here's why. Although they are Nicaraguan.. they are very much a change of pace for Nicaraguan cigars. You can tell they are short run creations, blended with quality tobaccos, and by someone who has quite a unique talent. It's almost as if they've blended a cigar for a Cuban or "European" palate, but with Nicaraguan tobaccos. The Cuban influence is everywhere, from the simple yet effective and elegant bands, to the small 10-count cabinet boxes. From a distance, they look Cuban, and at times to me, they share some very common flavors. The Selección Privada is probably one of the mildest of the entire Curivari range somewhere in the medium body range, a great morning cigar, with tons of flavor and a uniqueness all its own.

Appearance / Construction / Pre-light:

The Selección Privada Royales is a larger Robusto at 5 x 54, with a lighter Colorado shade Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. If you run your finger against it, the Habano leaf has a soft feel, upon further inspection if you look very close you can see small "hairs" covering the wrapper almost like peach fuzz. Like I stated above the band is very traditional red and gold, could easily be Cuban, very close to a Romeo Y Julieta band from the Island. The cigar is well packed with no soft spots. I'm not sure if it's attention to detail or just the fact that the batches are so small but, they are all very well constructed, and I've yet to have a draw problem. ( Very much unlike Cuba

) The pre-light draw does not give off too much, mostly a hay-like taste with some tobacco flavor.

First Third:

The Selección Privada fires up very easily, and has a nice draw, maybe a tad on the loose side. The initial flavor blast is very medium bodied sweet and creamy smoke. Although the smoke itself is thick and chewy, the finish is short to start but very clean, it leaves your mouth without any residue. The aroma is a very appealing sweet smoke. The flavor that takes center stage besides a light leathery, tobacco flavor is the sweetness. It's a really unique flavor, almost maybe a coconut or vanilla extract flavor. It makes the cigar really so enjoyable. One thing to note with the Curivari is the more advanced your palate may be, the more you will be rewarded. Most of the cigars I've smoke from this brand have been very well balanced and very complex flavor-wise. So while enjoyable for a beginner, the Curivari line is a treat for the true aficionado who is capable of identifying all the different nuances and flavors.

Second Third:

As the cigar moves into the second third, the body ramps up to a true medium body cigar with full flavor. The sweetness has taken on almost a maple syrup flavor. The finish is still a bit dry but clean, which I personally enjoy especially with a sweeter cigar. Sometimes cigars with a sweetness such as a cocoa maduro can leave a thick coating on your mouth which is heavy and unpleasant. The cigar continues to make subtle flavor changes, remaining light and earthy with a wonderful aftertaste of sweet leather. I start to wonder to myself while smoking this cigar, why don't all cigars who claim to be "sweet, smooth and creamy" taste like this? I touch up the burnline a bit as I've confessed in the past, I smoke a little bit too fast which has caused this stick to start a wide canoe up the side. A quick touchup, and we're back to a perfect burn. The ash on the cigar is very flaky. The first third held for about an inch, but it seems to want to fall off at half inch or so increments. So instead of wearing it, i've been letting it do it's thing.

Last Third:

In the last third or even a little bit before that point, the sweetness that was in the forefront of the cigar has fallen into the background. The earthy leather tobacco flavors that were in the background of the cigar up until now take center stage, and the sweetness falls to the back, almost non existent. It's actually pretty interesting to taste the core tobacco flavors that were the backbone of the cigar upfront. The cigar basically ends like this, burns a little hot at the nub.

Overall, if you can't already tell, I'm a huge fan of this cigar and this Brand. This is just about as mild as I go being a fuller bodied cigar smoker. I would absolutely look for this in the morning to start off my day, or if I was looking to change things up a bit to keep my palate fresh. If you like medium body cigars with smooth, creamy flavors you should absolutely try the Curivari Seleccion Privada. It will probably be one of the most full flavored, medium bodied cigar you'll ever smoke. My only complaint for this sample I smoked is that the draw was a little loose, but it never got bitter, so it really didn't present any problems. If your looking for a change of pace, some new flavors, something unlike anything on the market, try Curivari. The entire lines range from mild/medium to full strength, come in a variety of sizes and are packaged in boxes of 10.

Click to check out the Curivari Seleccion Privada Line.

Currently rated 3.7 by 10 people

Tags: curivari cigars, curivari seleccion privada, nicaragua, sweet, smooth, creamy, nicaraguan habano wrapper, ultra boutique cigars, havana cigars

Categories: Product Reviews

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601 Natural White Label Toro Review
By gc
8/31/2011 10:36:00 AM

Comments(0)

EO 601 Natural White Label Toro Review

Originally the mildest of the 601 Family by E.O. Brands was the Black Label Connecticut Blend. While being the mildest, I would not necessarily call it mild. More like a medium strength cigar wrapped in a Connecticut wrapper to tone it down a bit. The 601 Black was discontinued in 2010 and replaced by this new 601 "Natural", which happens to have a white band, so I'm sure calling it the 601 White Label is going to be pretty common as well. I love, love the fact that Eddie Ortega and Erik Espinosa decided to redesign the original departure from the 601 branding and go back to something very similar to the original, but with a modern twist. The last packaging attempt made the 601 Brands look cheap, which is definitely not the case. While the cigars themselves are not mega bucks by any means, they have a certain level of quality and flavor that people who smoke the brand know very well.. Still to this day, although blended by Don Pepin Garcia, I don't feel like 601 gets the accolades it deserves. Out of all the blends, Blue, Green, Red, and Now White, there is not one cigar that holds the pack back, they are all in great in their own ways. But I digress. Lets jump into the new 601 White label "Natural". The cigar uses Nicaraguan / Ecuadorian filler and binder with a Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. The Flavor Profile on the inside of the box is stated as "Mild Bodied. Smooth rich and creamy." Being a 601 / DPG Cigar I truly have a hard time believing this is a true mild cigar, but what the heck lets give it a try and see what happens.

Appearance / Construction / Pre-light:

As stated above, I love the new band, so much better than the in between phase, and the white really goes well with the golden brown light color of the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. The cigar is very well rolled with a standard DPG triple cap, and a consistent firmness throughout. No soft spots. The cigar gives off a sweet hay aroma especially at the foot. The pre-light cold draw gives off a ton of flavors of sweet tobacco flavors, some earthiness, and a bit of grassiness.

First Third:

Once clipped and torched the 601 Natural greets me with a bouquet of nice flavor. When I think of Mild cigars, I generally think of a cigar with much less flavor than this. The cigar is reminding me of the original 601 Black Label Connecticut, but scaled back a bit, with a creamier flavor. The retrohale through the nasal passage brings some spice into the picture, but nothing overwhelming. So far the cigar is very smooth and creamy, maybe a bit more flavor and a little bit more body than a Mild body cigar smoker is used to. While the ash is a bit frail, dropping off at 1/2 inch increments, the draw is just about perfect. As the first third comes to an end the vanilla creaminess of the cigar is really coming to the forefront. The 601 Natural is starting to show some real character in the flavor department.

Second Third:

I chose the Toro Size of this 601 so I could accurately determine each third's flavor characteristics. Sometimes a Robusto size just isn't enough. Buy the time you get to the last third of a Robusto, your really dealing with the very end of the cigar.. Which if the cigar is very good, is still ramping up flavor without getting bitter. Too often though, the last third is a only good for a handful of puffs before it becomes bitter and a bit to hot to smoke. The second third of this cigar is progressing very nicely. As a full body cigar smoker, I would enjoy this as a first cigar of the day, or if I was looking for something milder to switch it up. For smokers that want to try a milder Nicaraguan cigar, which equates to something really closer to medium body comparitively.. This is a great smoke.

Last Third:

The last third of the 601 Natural was very good, continued on very smooth. So smooth in fact that I forgot to take pictures of it! I went about my business, working, talking on the phone and generally enjoying the sweet, creamy flavors that this 601 was outputting. I did not notice any huge flavor changes in the the last third of the cigar, it remained very good throughout. The very end became kind of bitter, but that's to be expected for a Connecticut wrapper, especially at the speed I smoke (Too Fast!) For those of you who smoked the original 601 Black Connecticut and found it to be a bit too strong, I suggest you revisit the lighter 601's by trying the new White Connecticut. I found it to be a bit more refined, with absolutely less strength. The original was more of a spicy Nicaraguan Cigar with a lighter wrapper that functioned to calm it down. The new 601 Natural has more balance and smoother, creamier flavors, with the wrapper contributing more to the overall flavor of the cigar. While this is a morning cigar for myself, this may be a perfect cigar for someone who smokes milder stuff who wants to up the ante just a bit.

Enjoy and Keep on Smokin!

~GC

Click here to browse the 601 Natural Connecticut Line

Currently rated 0 by 0 people

Tags: 601 Natural, 601 white label, connecticut, 601 black label, discontinued, smooth and creamy, mild cigars, cigar reviews

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EO 601 Natural White Label Toro Review

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