Cigar Reviews

Traficante El Paso – Cazadores

Traficante El Paso CazadoresAs the popularity of Traficante Cigar Company grows so does their line of available cigars. While they add new products to their catalog they also like to offer small batches of limited releases as well. The El Paso – Cazadores happens to be one of those pieces. Unlike most companies limited editions which are usually somewhere in the 10,000 range only 915 of these cigars will be produced.

The cigar is covered in a silky, oil rich wrapper that is the color of espresso and has medium veining but is smooth to the touch. The seams are nice and snug with a well-filled roll that felt consistent through the majority of the stick.

The odor from the foot is of heavy dark roasted coffee beans and from the body there are notes of wood and leather. The prelight draw is easy and offers a sweet fruitiness, which leaves me with high hopes for what the overall flavor of this cigar will be. The cap cuts with no problem and the cigar lights easily, the draw after being lit offers an appropriate amount of resistance.

The first flavors noticed are bitter dark chocolate and almonds with a long enjoyable finish that seems to last for days. As I continue through the stick the flavor intensifies offering some rich tobacco notes to the chocolate and almond. The burn is even, the smoke production is nice and full as well it produces a tight brownish grey ash that falls off easily when tapped.

As I approach the second half the flavor has really begun to intensify with the tobacco flavor becoming more noticeable and a dash of spice being added in. The finish is still long but now has an added sweetness to it helping to balance out the spice.

For a triple maduro this cigar isn’t for the casual smoker. It has a rich full-bodied flavor that is incredibly enjoyable. I would run out and grab some now while there’s still a few left, and don’t forget all DR members get 15% off on their website. Just contact us for the discount code.

 

Size: 6×52

Wrapper: Classified

Binder/Filler: Classified

Price: $10.08

Website: Traficantecigar.com

Rating: 4.4 pints out of 5

Alpha Cigar Co. Absinthe Infused Connecticut

Alpha Cigar CoNow I’m not normally an infused cigar kind of guy but since a few of our members are ambassadors for the company and a few of our DR Friendly Shops offering discounts on these cigars I figured it was time to give them a try.

The Alpha Cigar Co. Absinthe Infused Connecticut is their debut blend. Made from Cuban seed Piloto Cubano leaves make up the filler of these mild-to-medium bodied cigars, with the native Olor Dominicano leaf making up the binder and upholding Cuban traditions, the cigars are rolled in pairs, and bunched in the Cuban entubado style for optimal draw. Prior to rolling, a single leaf in each cigar is lightly infused with a premium French Absinthe.

The wrapper is milk chocolate in color. It is smooth and silky with very little veining, the seams are tight and feels well rolled and solid. No apparent dead spots and lite yield to pressure. The cap was easily cut with no damage to the delicate wrapper.

The smell from the body was a mix of botanical with a hint of sweet citrus like an orange blossom. From the foot the smell was less sweet and gave off the scent of sage and other kitchen herbs along with a punch of tobacco. The cold draw had the flavors of savory spices like rosemary and sage that was noticed in the smell.

The flavors from the first half are citric and salty with a bit of warm bread and slightly tannic. Over all it’s fairly mild smoke that, thanks to the difficult entubado rolling style they employ, it has an even easy draw with little resistance and rich lightweight smoke production.

Reaching the half-way point the botanical flavors start to jump in a bit more and help pull the flavor up along with a bit of pine but it keeps a solid citric flavor through the entire stick. While it does get a bit of spice towards the final third it remains a nice mellow smoke.

For everyone that might be worried about smoking this because it’s an infused stick don’t sweet it. Its very lightly infused and just adds a hint of flavor to the cigar, which I really enjoyed. The 15 different herbs used in the production of this Absinthe lend diverse botanical subtleties to the cigar, especially on the retrohale. Now until you’ve tried it I would run out and buy a box of them but I would say it’s a solid investment as a five pack to start. Check out the DR Friendly shop London Tobacconist to order yours with our 20% off code. (Contact us for discount code.) As always if you’ve ever had these sticks we’d love to know what you thought by commenting below.

 

Wrapper: Connecticut

Binder: Olor Dominicano

Filler: Piloto Cubano

Price: Around $36.00 for a 5 pack

Website: Alphacigar.com

Rating: 4.1 out of 5 pints

Cigars By Nicholas J: The Sea

Nicholas J CigarsWith all of the cigars out there being produced by what seems to be just a handful of companies it’s fun to change it up a bit and try something from more of a grassroots line. While rambling through various social media outlets I stumbled across Cigars by Nicholas J. After checking out their website I discovered that they are just that kind of company. They offer only two types of blends however they are available in a variety of vitolas and both blends have a story behind them. I chose to try The SEA, which is their Maduro wrapped medium-full cigar. This cigar was created to honor Nicholas J.’s father, Samy. The name, SEA, represents the initials for Samy’s first, middle, and last name.

The smell from the body is a mix of fresh cut pine and leather. From the foot there are much sweater notes, licorice and hay.

The overall appearance is a wrapper with a color of a dark roasted coffee bean and has a nice oily sheen to it, the seams are tight and well rolled. There is some veining but nothing that ruins the overall visual appeal of the cigar. The roll of the cigar feels full and even and it gives to pressure between the fingers without any damage to the structure of the cigar.

Cap cuts easily with no damage to the wrapper. Cold draw has a slightly sweet tobacco flavor, which always reminds me of fresh brewed tea.

It lights easily and my first impression is that it is a bit on the bitter side but within a couple of draws it quickly mellows to nice chocolate and citrus notes with a hint of leather.

Moving into the second third the flavor profile changes to a darker chocolate with a hint of pepper that starts to show up.

Reaching the final third the flavor deepens and becomes richer and the cedar notes become more apparent and more pepper starts to pick up on the back end.

During the course of the entire smoke the draw is easy and produces a fair amount of smoke that is light on the tongue. Ash holds tight until I knock it off and the burn is even without the need for a touch up.

Over all I enjoyed the experience. It was a good medium bodied cigar with some flavor profile changes that kept it interesting and easy to smoke. With the ability to buy sampler packs that contain 2 of each type of cigar ( The Sea and The Alma) for just a little over $30.00 its worth the investment to try a new smaller company that offers a more personal touch to their brand. In addition to reasonable prices customers can take advantage of the “Nicholas J Promise” where you can earn points with each purchase and once you’ve gained 70 points you get a free 25-count box! I recommend trying a couple and let me know what you think.

Filler and Binder: Dominican

Wrapper: Maduro

Price: $32.00 for a robusto sampler pack

Website: Cigarsbynicholasj.com

Rating 4.3 out of 5 pints.