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wrapper on the 262 revere robusto is a smooth looking maduro with a semi gloss and a few veins the rounded head is topped with a functional single cap some of the robustos i ve smoked have had some soft spots but these have not affected the draw or the burn which has been consistently good i m not sure who cares about or even notices the odd soft spot in a cigar if you see someone in the cigar shop palpating the cigars i suggest a discreet exit and perhaps a word with the manager overall construction very good tasting notes the revere robusto opens with leather and spice in a moderate and balanced dosage there are notes of bittersweet chocolate and cinnamon on the nose and gradually a mild bite on the tongue develops after an inch or so the leather deepens a little edging into musky territory the smoke texture is in the medium range with a strength to match the spice comes and goes through the middle section of the cigar and there is more cocoa on the nose it does develop more of a bite toward the end of the cigar but it never reaches full power the complexity of the flavor muddles a bit toward the end when the pepper grinder takes over and the muskiness turns to earth and char conclusion the revere is a nicaraguan puro and it has the pepper and tannins to prove it but it has a muskiness that i often associate with honduran cigars the wrapper is very aromatic for such a dark leaf the combination of cinnamon and leather and coffee is quite tasty at times the pepper threatens to overcome this delicate combo but it perseveres perhaps the 262 revere is best summed up this way after i smoked one i happened to find a box at a ridiculously low price online and snapped it up immediately i haven t been disappointed final score 90 262 cigars jalapa nicaragua nicaraguan puros 3 comments posted on january 29 2017 january 29 2017 by cigarfan cigar reviews cohiba macassar toro grande cohiba macassar is the latest edition to general cigar s cohiba line which is sometimes called the red dot cohiba to distinguish it from the famed cuban cigar the macassar joins four other cohiba blends currently in production the black dominican nicaragua and xv lines macassar otherwise known as diospyros celebica is a variety of ebony that grows in southeast asia particularly on the island of sulawesi in indonesia it s a visually striking wood especially prized by luthiers for fingerboards and evidently it is also good for turning like all ebony it is rare and expensive a 6 x 6 x 2 block of macassar ebony runs about 60 usd the tree itself is endangered largely due to the conversion of its natural habitat to crop land the macassar is a super premium blend presented in 10 count boxes that incorporate a veneer of this elegant and expensive wood i know i should appreciate the beauty of this but my first thought is actually where is lew rothman when we need him lew ran jr cigars for years and was massively successful he was also a great defender of the working man s right to smoke a decent cigar at a decent price he used to say that the difference between a 2 dollar and a 10 dollar cigar is 8 bucks i appreciate that sentiment but i ll also tell you right now that cohiba s macassar is no la finca the wrapper is a habano strain grown in a part of the connecticut river valley where the conditions aren t as conducive to tobacco agriculture as others but the result is a more flavorful leaf the binder is a connecticut broadleaf that has been aged for 6 years and the filler is a blend of dominican leaf from the mao region and nicaraguan jalapa all of these tobaccos are aged at least 4 years the binder for 6 and then aged an additional year in rum barrels surprisingly this is not a limited edition it s a regular production addition so it should be around for as long as people are willing to buy a cigar at 20 bucks a pop it s available in 3 expensive sizes toro grande 6 x 52 gigante 6 x 60 double corona 7 1 4 x 54 construction notes the macassar toro grande does not look like a super premium cigar but it is built like one the colorado maduro wrapper is thick and veiny and the rounded head sports a functional but less than attractive cap the roll is solid and the draw is spot on it burns evenly and slowly while it builds a solid gray ash overall construction excellent tasting notes the toro grande opens with chocolate and coffee on the nose and a dash of pepper on the tongue after half an inch or so the pepper grows in balanced intensity without overpowering the other flavors at this point i m getting a whiff of charred oak barrel with some fruitiness maybe a touch of cola the smoke is smooth and medium to full in body about half way through this cigar i notice what it is lacking tannin this is surprising especially with the woody note that emerges at this point it s fairly rare for a cigar with a woody flavor profile to lack tannin especially the big woody nicaraguans that have taken over the mainstream but the macassar manages fine without it the coffee and chocolate flavors soften to cocoa in the second half the aroma is complex woody with dark spices and a musky note that suggests leather but doesn t quite get there this cigar begs to be savored towards the end rushing it results in char and bitterness make time for this big boy conclusion rough edges often accompany complexity in full bodied cigars but the cohiba macassar sidesteps all that there is a price for this of course an msrp around 22 usd part of this price covers the rare wood used to decorate the box which is unfortunate i d be perfectly happy with plain old spanish cedar and a break on the price then again cohiba spanish cedar doesn t have the same ring to it maybe they could call it the antimacassar instead thank you folks i ll be here all week final score 89 cohiba macassar 1 comment posted on december 24 2016 by cigarfan 90 cigars cigar reviews el galan reserva especial it was william faulkner who said the past isn t dead it isn t even past with the death of fidel castro and the relaxation for now of relations between the u s and cuba it would be good to remember what old faulkner said regardless of what happens in the near future what happened to cubans during and after the revolution will continue to have an effect on thousands of cubans and cuban americans there s no escaping history the cigar business brings that history to the present from seed to smoke take the subject of today s little examination the el galan reserva especial the founder and blender in chief is felix a mesa who is originally from the cabaiguan region of cuba he comes to the industry with some familiar credentials three generations of ancestors who worked the fields of central cuba and made their names in the business look carefully at the band and you ll see in the center el galan himself the gentleman flanking him are two small photographs on the left is felix mesa s mother ana nancy working in the tobacco field removing tobacco buds and on his right mesa s grandfather francisco working on his farm check out a fine interview with felix mesa at hoochly for more like many cigar makers with cuban roots mesa eventually made his way to nicaragua and today he operates a factory in esteli where about half a dozen different blends are made for many of today s greatest cigar makers cuban roots now flower in nicaragua el galan reserva especial is a nicaraguan puro made in four sizes airosos 5 x 52 gallardos 6 x 52 torpedo apuestos 5 3 4 x 54 obesos 6 x 60 construction notes i test drove el galan reserva in the apuestos size a square pressed cigar with near toro dimensions the wrapper is a dark colorado maduro rich and slightly rough there are a few prominent veins and the triple cap is not quite perfect but definitely serviceable the cigar is rolled well with a good draw and a slow burn that meanders a bit but corrects itself each one of the three i smoked for the review was consistent in this regard so there s good quality control here overall construction excellent tasting notes there s a nice blend of sugar and spice here the apuestos open bright and peppery with a citric bite but this is balanced by cedar and a touch of graham cracker on the nose the body is medium growing to full and the strength is around medium to medium full the pepper diminishes as the cigar develops and more savory flavors appear on the palate the smoke becomes meaty with an earthy aftertaste a few sweet notes continue to dance on the n ose but they deepen a bit as the cedar loses its edge and becomes more oaky a finale composed of increased earthiness char and pepper closes out the cigar conclusion i don t usually expect a lot of complexity from cigars with wrappers this dark but el galan reserva delivers it s well built consistent and in the 6 7 usd range for all four sizes it s nicely priced this is one to check out if you re looking for a complex and meaty maduro but don t take my word for it ask jeff writing for casas fumando early this year final score 90 el galan cigars felix a mesa nicaraguan puros 1 comment posted on november 28 2016 november 28 2016 by cigarfan 90 cigars cigar reviews partagas ramon y ramon i remember my first partagas a no 10 if i recall it was a smooth mellow mildly spicy cigar that tickled my virginal taste buds and left me a believer in the brand from that moment on eventually i learned that the active ingredient in that blend is a cameroon wrapper for me partagas is cameroon and the partagas benji menendez master blend is the best of the lot okay the cuban partagas is something else entirely but the partagas black no man i don t know what that is but to me it s not a partagas cameroon wrappers came into popularity as a substitute for cuban wrapper after the embargo was enacted in 1961 while many cigar manufacturers gave up in despair at the loss of cuban tobacco stanford newman founder of the j c newman cigar co and maker of cuesta rey and diamond crown cigars found that cameroon wrappers might serve as a good alternative cameroon is certainly not identical to cuban tobaccos but it has a similar earthiness plus an additional spiciness the newmans and the fuentes have done amazing things with cameroon but the folks at general cigar have kept up with them the cameroon wrapper they are using for the ramon y ramon is a high priming sungrown leaf cultivated in the belita region by the meerapfel family who seem to have a monopoly on the choicest leaf in africa the heart of the cigar is blended with a proprietary tobacco developed as a hybrid agronomists crossed a delicate vintage strain with a more robust and disease resistant variety to create the romantically named pm01 pair this with some nicaraguan tobacco hold it in place with a dominican wrapper and finish it off with that belita cameroon and voila it s a partagas ramon y ramon four sizes are in production robusto 5 1 2 x 50 maxim grande 6 x 52 gigante 6 x 60 fabuloso 7 x 54 construction notes cameroon wrappers add tremendous flavor and complexity to a blend but they are rarely pretty they tend to be brittle dry and they don t look terribly appetizing this one is a case in point the wrapper is rough and dusty looking a pale yellowish brown almost grayish on the positive side the wrapper is strong and so far i haven t had one split on me the roll is solid and the head is finished in a rounded cullman cap the ramon y ramon draws very well burns evenly at a moderate pace and leaves a firm light gray ash in its wake overall construction excellent tasting notes the ramon y ramon opens with the leitmotif that recurs throughout this cigar earthiness with a minty tang it s not the same earthiness that you find in a cuban cigar it s not as subtle not as bready and it s spicier but it s vaguely similar the spiciness takes the form of cedar scents white pepper and cinnamon on the nose in the mid section of the cigar there are bittersweet chocolate notes a little more pepper and a continuing eucalyptic mintiness the body of the smoke is about medium with a strength to match the complex and alluring aroma of this cigar never lets up so i m willing to forgive the excessive tannins that sneak in at the end keep a drink handy to cure your pucker conclusion the partagas ramon y ramon has a cuban style earthiness at its core it s similar to the toraño cameroon in this respect but it s more complex the aroma alone is worth the price of admission which is around us 7 50 for the moment this cigar is a brick and mortar exclusive but it s well worth a trip to the shop for me it doesn t quite beat out the benji mendendez but it creeps up awfully close final score 91 cameroon partagas ramon y ramon leave a comment posted on october 20 2016 october 20 2016 by cigarfan cigar reviews drew estate herrera esteli taa exclusive several drew estate blends have put the spotlight on connecticut broadleaf most notably the liga privada no 9 but the herrera esteli taa is the first cigar blended by willy herrera for drew estate to use a broadleaf wrapper the original herrera esteli utilizes ecuadorian habano and the norteño uses san andres maduro before joining drew estate in 2011 herrera was known for his work at el titan de bronze in miami but he has also created blends for ernesto padilla nestor miranda la palina and others the taa was designed as an exclusive to members of the tobacconists association of america and was released at the taa convention in april of this year beneath the broadleaf wrapper is a brazilian mata fina binder and the filler is a blend of the usual nicaraguan suspects esteli surprise jalapa and condega only one size is in production a 6 x 52 toro and the cigar is sold in 12 count boxes the cigar is made at the drew estate factory in nicaragua construction notes the broadleaf wrapper is a little rough but it oozes oil and has every appearance of richness the head of the cigar is rounded perfectly symmetrical and the cap is almost seamless the roll is solid and the draw is firm but easy the cigar burns evenly and leaves a solid light gray ash the rollers in la gran fabrica have clearly taken extra care with this one overall construction excellent tasting notes the taa exclusive takes broadleaf seriously and it takes full advantage of the woody sweetness of this stellar leaf from the first puff this is a very smooth smoking toro it develops a little bit of spice in the last third but up to that point it really focuses on the strengths of its broadleaf wrapper the cigar is earthy on the palate but the aftertaste is quite mild the mouthfeel is somewhat waxy the earthiness on the tongue sweet woody char on the nose and the waxy texture combine to create an effect that reminds me of a freshly extinguished candle the cigar develops a little more body and picks up some spice and some coffee notes in the last third it isn t a particularly complex cigar and the flavor transitions are not dramatic the flavors are focused and tend not to stray too much from the ones that it opens with conc...