Bolivar

Once again, it's a nice Saturday morning and I'm sitting on my trusty couch with a delicious cup of coffee and wonderful cigar. The Dominican Bolivar is one beautiful cigar. The Honduran ligero wrapper is a deep, rich brown color. This particular toro that I'm smoking this morning has been sitting in my humidor for a couple of months and it's perfectly moistened. After the first light, this cigar is just a pleasure to smoke. The aroma and flavors are of rich tobacco, exactly what I desire when I light up any cigar. Basically the cigar tastes as it looks: luscious. The burn was slightly uneven, but nothing that can't be easily managed. This is a great cigar, and at $84 for a box of 25, you can afford to smoke these everyday!

Rating: 8 out of 10

La Caya

As a veteran of thousands of cigars, I usually don't like mild cigars as they tend to be too bland for my palate. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the toro-sized La Caya cigar I smoked this evening. La Caya is a mild Domican cigar made by Luis Tomas Mendez (to be honest, I have no idea who he is). The cigar's construction was impecable. The draw was solid and the ash held very well. Despite the cigar's mildness, there was a pleasnt mellow sweetness in its flavor and aroma. This is a cigar that all of you Macanudo smokers would love. The best part of this cigar is it's price. You can buy a 20-pack sampler for only 40 bucks. 40 bucks!!! That's almost 20 hours of smoking pleasure for the price of 2 lap dances.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Oliva Series G

I'm usually a big fan of the Oliva Series G but the toro I smoked tonight was a real disappointment. The draw was tight from the very beginning and the flavors were well to mild for my palate. It seemed as if the creamy and earthy aroma and flavors were struggling to break through. It could have been due to the tight draw, as the cigar seemed to have opened up as I got towards the end. Before I banish this Nicaraguan cigar to the ash bin, I'll probably smoke another one in a few days to see if I just got a bad stick. One thing I can't complain about is the price. You can buy a box for $78.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Cuba Aliados

This is a Honduran cigar made by Rolando Reyes Sr. (of the Puros Indios fame). After I first lit the cigar, I hated it. It was too earthy, too grassy. I actually put down the cigar and planned on lighting up a different cigar from my humidor. But after a few minutes, I decided to give the cigar another shot. After lighting it up for a second time, a new layer of flavors started to emerge from the cigar. While the earthiness still dominates the palate, hints of chocolate started to come out. The burn was even and the draw was nice. The best part of the cigar is the way it looks: it just has that old school cigar look, down to its simplistic brown band. After a second chance, this turned out to be a decent cigar. The best part is that you can buy a box of the Corona de Lux size for about $92.

Rating: 7 out of 10

La Aroma de Cuba

This is one of my favorite everyday cigars. Consistantly scoring in the high 80's, low 90's by Cigar Aficionado, La Aroma de Cuba is a wonderful yet very affordable cigar made in Honduras. The silky smooth brown wrapper is simply gorgeous and the cigar band is one of my favorites. But all those asthetics don't mean a damn thing if the smoke sucks but this cigar also delivers a wonderful dose of flavors and aroma. The sweet tobacco flavor has touches of chocolate and a slight spiciness. I'm smoking the churchill version I got from the Las Vegas big smoke but I've tried a number of sizes, including the mongo Immensa, and they're all just as wonderful. You can buy a box of the churhill for $105.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Hoyo de Tradicion

From the makers of Hoyo de Monterrey comes this yummy Honduran cigar. There's a wonderful richness with hints of woodines and nuts. The cigar construction is beautiful. The combination of Dominan, Honduran, and Nicaraguan filler is wrapped in a luscious, dark Honduran wrapper. It's almost as good to look at as it is to smoke. I'm smoking the Epicure version on a grey Saturday morning with sweet cup of coffee. Life is beautiful. You can buy a box for just over $100.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Alec Bradley MAXX

Boy, was I in for a surprise. With a name like MAXX, I was expecting an overpowering cigar that would make my stomach churn and my head spin. This was not the case with this tasty and surprisingly smooth cigar by Alec Bradley. The filler is a combination of Columbian, Nicaraguan, Mexican and Honduran tobacco wrapped in a Nicaraguan wrapper. While the construction of the cigar is good, the burn was a bit uneven and I had trouble keeping the cigar lit throughout. The cigar had a rich tobacco flavor with hints of cocoa. MAXX comes in a number of sizes, all fairly big. The one I smoked was the Culture which measures 6.5 x 54. You can pick up a box for about $90.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Great article on cigar flavors on Cigar Reviews

Here is a great article on describing cigar flavors on Cigar Reviews.

Te Amo World Selection Series

When I think of Te Amo cigars, I usually think crappy Mexican cigars. That's why I was pleasantly surprised when I lit up the Nicaruguan blend Te Amo World Selection Series that I got as part of the Las Vegas Big Smoke. I had less than an hour before I had to meet up with some friends for dinner and decided to pick a cigar that I thought I wouldn't mind if I had to toss half way. When I lit up the cigar, I was expecting the bland, card-boardy flavor that I remembered from Te Amo's of the past. This one was different. There was a pleasant, sweet tobacco flavor that lasted through the whole smoke. The aroma is nice and woodsy. The burn was slightly uneven, but manageable after a few adjusting lights. If you haven't smoked a Te-Amo in a while, I suggest that you give this one a shot. You can buy a box of 15 for around $38.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10.

La Flor Dominicana Ligero

This is a full-bodied Dominican cigar rolled in Ecuadorian tobacco. It's a strong cigar that you should definitely not smoke on an empty stomach. I smoked the #300 which measures 5.75 x 50. The construction of the cigar is good but the one I smoked burned a bit unevenly. The damn thing also kept on going out on me. That was a bit annoying. However, overall it wasn't a bad cigar with a good, rich flavor. A box of 24 cigars go for $114.

Rating: 7 out of 10

The Showstopper Special Holiday Sampler at Holt's

Check out this sampler at Holt's Cigars:

1 Fuente Fuente Opus X Belicoso XXX
1 Ashton Virgin Sun Grown Robusto
1 Padron Anniversary 1964 Torpedo Maduro
1 Don Pepin Garcia Black Label Churchill 1997
1 San Cristobal Monumento

These are great cigars, all for only $50. Would be a great stocking stuffer for Dad.

La Aurora 1495 Series

This is a wonderful Dominican cigar that has an Ecuadorian wrapper and filled with Dominican and Nicaraguan wrapper. I'm smoking a robusto that I got from the Big Smoke in Las Vegas this past November. The cigar is a medium to full bodied smoke that has a nice creaminess that I thoroughly enjoyed. The burn is fairly even, although I had a little issue with the cigar going out midway. Boxes of 25 go for about $160.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10