tobacco

Romeo y Julieta House of Capulet

IMG_6714Most times when looking through the shop I tend to skip by Romeo y Julieta sticks. Nothing personal they just never grabbed my attention. Usually they have fairly unassuming bands and nothing flashy to really catch the eye. However I got a chance to try their House of Capulet made and available only through Famous Cigar shop. While this is a lighter cigar than I normally smoke I decided I’d have a couple and see if I liked it.

When I got the cigar the first thing noticed was that while the band was the same there was a new flashier exterior wrapper printed in silver ink on a nice translucent paper to show off the House of Capulet name. The band at the foot and the wrapper come off easily leaving the top band in place. The wrapper leaf is lovely golden Connecticut with very slight veining. The construction was solid but, to the touch the tobacco is soft . Although the tobacco was very yielding to the touch there were no dead spots to be found on any of the ones I tried.

Thee body of the cigar had your usual smells of leather and cedar but also and added smell of fresh mowed grass and a bit of sweetness. From the foot the smells were the same but stronger and a hint of dries apricot in the background.

I was able to cut the cigar without a problem and the construction held together with no problems for the duration of the smoke. It light easily and evenly using just one match and needed no relighting at any point. The draw was smooth and easy. The first third of the cigar was light and reminded me of fresh bread and butter with just a hint of nuttiness. The smoke was also light on the tongue but plentiful and rewarding.

The second third was similar to the first only now a bit of pepper was starting to work its way into flavor. Usually around this time most Connecticut’s start to get a little on the warm side however this one remained the same temperature as when I started.

In the last third most of the bread and butter flavor had dissolved into a fuller more pronounced pepper taste along with a more earthy/nutty tone. It was great to have a Connecticut with as much complexity as this one did.

Over all it was a great smoke and quite enjoyable, solid from the beginning to the end. This cigar could go well as your morning stick or while sitting back watching a movie (which is what I did). I’m a pretty fast smoker and I got well over an hour with each stick so make sure you’re ready to relax when you light one of these guys up.

 

Strength: Medium

Shape: Toro

Size: 6 x 52

Country: Honduras

Wrapper Color: Natural

Wrapper Origin: Ecuadorian

Wrapper Leaf: Connecticut

Website: Famous-Smoke.com

Price: $23.00 – $29.00 a five pack

Rating: 4.7 pints out of 5

Cohiba Black Supremo

IMG_6156Recently I was asked by to try out the Cohiba Black Supremo from General Cigars and see what I thought about them. I’ve never tried their Cohiba line so I was intrigued. I have other sticks from them before like Partagas Macanudo and Punch, which I had enjoyed so I thought, why not.

Cohiba Black cigars are wrapped in a hearty U.S. Connecticut Broadleaf aged on the plant to produce an exceptionally rich, dark tobacco taste. The filler is Dominican and Mexican with a sun-grown Dominican Piloto Cubano leaf, all of which are aged in palm tercios for three years.

Since it was my first time smoking them I decided to smoke a few of them before writing this article to see if everything stayed consistent or if there was variation between each ones. I am happy to say that construction and flavor are steady through several different times smoking.

From visual inspection the wrapper is mostly smooth with light veining and a good tight seal. The color was a rich dark chocolate that you would expect from a full matured leaf. Giving light pressure to the cigar showed that the tobacco was firm but gave to the light pressure with no cracking or breaking in the wrapper.

The odor from the body is reminiscent of barn yard hay, apricot and of course the typical cedar and leathery notes. From the foot the wet hay smell was more pronounced and then smell of just good rich unflavored tobacco.

The cap cut easily and the construction held well with no cracking and no signs of the wrapper beginning to unroll. The lighting was easy and even. The first few draws tasted light and a bit on the dry powdery side and my heart sank. I took a deep breath and had a few gulps of my water and tried another couple of drags, like magic the dry bland powdery flavor was gone and the flavor set in (this was the same with all the sticks the first few drags just didn’t do it for me but after that the stick is great)IMG_6158

The first third of the cigar was fairly medium in flavor with some notes of semi-sweet chocolate and coffee. The smoke was light on the tongue but provided plenty of it. The burn was even and consistent on each draw.

The second third was very similar to the first with nothing very noticeably different until
right past the halfway point and that’s when things really start to change. The somewhat light and sweet flavor is replaced by a fuller, darker, more peppery taste. This rich flavor remains through the rest of the cigar, as well as, the even and consistent burn.

This cigar was thoroughly enjoyable from right after the start to the finish and lasted well over an hour. It could easily be smoked with either a cup of coffee in the morning or with a glass of bourbon or couple of beers in the evening. As a very versatile cigar I recommend that you give it a try and see what you think.

Thank you Famous Smoke Shop for the opportunity to try these out.

 

Strength: Medium

Shape: Toro

Size: 6 x 54

Country: Dominican Republic

Wrapper Color: Maduro

Wrapper Origin: Connecticut

Wrapper Leaf: Broadleaf

Website: Famous-Smoke.com

Price: $17-$18 per stick or $57 per 5 pack

Rating: 4.6 pints out of 5

Sons of Anarchy

SOAEver been skeptical of a product that promotes a TV show or film. Well fear not when it comes to the Redwood original! The bad ass bikers “The Sons of Anarchy” have their own sticks for you to sample and enjoy. This truly is the easy way to meet Mr. Mayhem.

Let’s take a look at the branding on this stick. Well there’s no mistaking the Reaper on the band and a nice touch is the tyre track circling the cigar. Redwood Original since 1967 also features prominently.

A deep dark wrapper shows little veining and it lights particularly well. The draw is smooth and requires little effort in getting started. On to the main event and the first flavours to hit are a dark roasted coffee and leather, plenty of deep aromas that settle nicely on the palette. The cigar soon gets into its stride and doesn’t let up. A great ash and even burn give signs of a quality stick. The flavours have evened out and are reminiscent of dry cedar and a peppery bite that lingers at the back of the throat. This bad boy throws up great plumes of smoke and no let up in the flavour.

As the cigar burns down you are treated to more great tastes, the pepper is there and a creaminess hits you at the halfway point bringing a more mellow note to the proceedings. The ash has fallen away now, and there is almost a slight hint of dark chocolate that adds more to the complexity of this great stick.

As always, all good things must come to an end and this doesn’t disappoint. The final third has after notes of burnt coffee and the smoke doesn’t let up!

I thoroughly enjoyed this deeply flavourful cigar. Dark and brooding, I’d say this is more of a Clay Morrow than a Jax Teller. A quality aroma and finish that put to bed the misconception that all branded products aren’t worth their salt. Check out a Son’s if you get the chance, you won’t want to miss this Redwood original.

 

Article and photo by Distinguished Ruffian member @Ian300