Cigar

Leaf by Oscar: Island Jim #2

IMG_2679Until recently, in my area of Florida, it was difficult to find anything from Leaf by Oscar which of course included the Island Jim. Thanks to the cigar bombing list I’ve been lucky enough to try a few and this time when I was sent an Island Jim #2 I knew I needed to write about it for a couple of reasons. First, they are difficult to get around here, next they look amazing, and third I knew exactly which prop I was going to use, (come on you know my love of toys…excuse me deluxe action figures) and so the photos began. After the “photo shoot” with the cigar and its model it was time to smoke it. Luckily Distinguished Ruffian_Juice was free to go grab some drinks at one of our local hang outs, The House of Brews.

The initial look of this stick is delightful. The wrapper is smooth with light veining and none of it heavy. Its shape is that of almost a torpedo with an unfinished foot and an open head. The construction feels solid with no dead or open spots to be found. The smell from the body was not overbearing and gave off notes of leather, wet grass, and a bit of nuttiness. From the foot these odors were more prominent and gained slight spice and coffee notes.

Lighting is easy thanks to the “shaggy” foot that everyone seems to be referring to it as. I chose not to cut the head since it was already open. The draw offered little resistance and it was easy to get a nice, full mouthful of medium weighted smoke that delivered all the flavors this cigar had to offer.

From the first draw I immediately picked up the peppery taste that I noticed from smelling the foot. That flavor was well complemented by the taste of nuts and a distant flavor of hay. As I continued to smoke, the construction of this cigar held up to its looks. There was a consistent even burn with no runs and a tight greyish ash that held for 1.5” to 2” before falling off each time. I made it through the first half with virtually no change in flavor, which was fine by me since it was fantastic.

As I neared the second third of the cigar the spicy flavor started to take a back seat to new heavily roasted coffee tones and a bready taste becoming more prominent. While the change this late in the cigar was unexpected it was not detrimental to the smoke. It didn’t change my over all opinion of the stick rather it added a new dynamic to it that made me more interested. With this new flavor I smoked this cigar down to the nub until it began to burn my fingers and then used my knife to hold it until I could smoke no more of it.

In total this is a great cigar. Aesthetically it is a great looking cigar, the construction is phenomenal, the lighting is easy, the draw is comfortable, it provides plenty of medium weighted smoke and the flavor is well balanced and more than enjoyable. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a cigar in the medium to not quite heavy range and it is great for either daytime or a nighttime smoke.

 

Wrapper: Nicaragua Jalapa

Binder: Honduran

Filler: Unreleased

Honduras
Size: 6.5 x 52

Taste: Medium body.

Website: Leafbyoscarcigar.com

Price: Around $10.00 a stick depending on location.

Rating: 4.4 out of 5 pints.

Legendary Saxon Cigar Carrier

Legendary Saxon 1For a while I’ve been seeing these great looking leather cigar carriers from Legendary Saxon and was considering picking one up. They were kind enough to contact me and I chose their Premium Oil Tanned Leather 3 Finger Carrier in a tan color. (In addition to the cigar carrier they make loads of other great leather products.) From there the creation progress began. Total production time was only a couple of days and then was shipped.

The packaged was shipped USPS Priority and arrived quickly. I opened the package and was immediately met by the smell of rich leather. I think I stood there just smelling it for about ten minuets, it was… amazing. After getting over that I decided to take it for a spin since I was headed out that evening anyway. I quickly loaded the carrier with three sticks in the main pouch and tossed a lighter and cutter into the small front pocket. The leather feels heavy but soft in the hands but the way it is stitched together I felt confident that my cigars would be protected well. I wrapped the ties around it and off I went. When I reached my destination I opened it up and as expected my cigars were in perfect condition. As I sat there smoking I began wondering where the idea for it came from. I’ve seen leather carriers before but nothing like the looks of this one. So to find out I asked. I had the pleasure of speaking with Scott and this is what he had to say:IMG_1347

“I got into leather working in fall of 2013 as an art therapy for combat stress from Afghanistan and Iraq. I was hand sewing everything and just giving stuff away to my friends and family. Someone suggested I try to sell it, and I very skeptically put something online and it sold. As it started to grow I invested in an industrial sewing machine. I’ve since expanded and have my college friend Philip as a business partner. I do all the leather selection, ordering, designing, cutting and tooling. I also do all of our digital brand management. Philip does all the sewing, finances, packing and shipping. Our shop is very small and is his garage. I can’t tell you how many leather samples I have ordered from different wholesalers and tanneries in order to find just the right leather I like. My design philosophy is simple. I design the types of things that I would like to have myself. The rustic and rugged nature of my cuts, incorporating the asymmetric edges and natural flows of the hide, the original cattle brands and barbed wire scars, comes from how I see myself as a combat veteran. Scarred yet resilient. I look for the absolute best quality leather, combined with a IMG_1352unique rugged luxury look, in order to tell my story.  My satisfaction comes from customers loving their cuts, and from knowing that my cuts support the customer’s lifestyle aesthetic.”

I’ve had this carrier no for about two months and it has taken over as my everyday carrier this thing goes everywhere with me and has started many conversations due to its uniqueness. The leather continues to hold up well and any bumps or bruises that it acquires only gives it more character. If anybody is in need of a one of a kind custom made cigar carrier I highly recommend making the small investment in one from Legendary Saxon. At $55.00 it’s truly a steal.

 

Website: www.legendarysaxon.com

Cost: $55.00

Rating: 5 out of 5 pints.

Ventura Cigar’s PSyKo Seven

IMG_8394I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a two pack of the PSyKo Seven cigars from Ventura Instagram a week or so ago and had been anxious to try them. From what I had been hearing about them through other people and between what I had heard and the packaging (I’m a sucker for clever packaging) I wanted to see what they were all about.

The two pack arrived to me in the small wooden box with a Boveda pack in the bottom, which kept the humidity level in an excellent range. The cigar was still firm but easily pliable between the fingers. The cigars could easily be squeezed without the fear of cracking the wrapper yet, there were no noticeable dead or empty spots throughout the body of the stick.

The Maduro wrapper of this cigar is a nice rich brown nearly matching the color of coffee beans. The veining is minimal and the seam is almost invisible. The smell of the body is a bit of hay, earth, nuts, fruit and of course cedar. The foot reveals the same notes only stronger.

The light is easy and the draw was firm but not difficult and the cigar produced plenty of smoke from each pull. The smoke was not what I would call heavy on the tongue but still dense and full. From lighting it burned evenly and held a good solid ash. The flavor from the parade of tobacco used to make this cigar was excellent. While it shared a lot of the same flavors as it did in odor the nuttiness and fruit/citrus notes were more noticeable along with a spiciness. As I work my way through the cigar the flavor stays fairly even with little change. However, the flavor does become fuller putting this well into what I would consider to be a good medium to nearly full body cigar.

I thoroughly enjoyed smoking these cigars and can’t wait to pick up some more. If you are looking for something that has complex flavors and isn’t going to kill your budget look no further than the PSyKo Seven from Ventura Cigars. At $7.00 a stick it is really a cigar to beat in both price and quality.

Wrapper: Dominican Hybrid

Binder: Mexican Sumatra

Filler: Multiple Country Blend – Nicaraguan Ligero, Peruvian Pelo de Oro, Honduran Seco, Dominican Hybrid, Pennsylvanian Ligero.

Shapes: ROBUTSTO: 5.50” X 50 – TORO: 6.25” x 48 – GORDITO: 4.00” X 58 – GORDO: 6.00” X 60

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Taste: Mild-Medium with Distinct Transitions

 

Website: http://venturacigar.com/brands/psyko-seven

Cost: Around $7.00 a stick.

Rating 4.6 pints out of 5.