Gasp!! Two reviews in as many nights from the Czar? What is going on here you might ask? Nothing I say! I have just started to get around to some cigars that I have had that were in need of evaluation. Everything takes time my friends, and now is the time to review another off the beaten path smoke.
This cigar continues my tour of the Curivari frontmark and I can only hope that it will be as impressive as it's cousin from the evening last. It presents with more tricky band work, from a distance you will think Cuban Hoyo de Monterrey, again be not fooled. While the band is similar this is no Cuban, besides you silly sots, where would you find a Cuban in a B&M anyway? The cigar presents well, with a wrapper that is couple of shades lighter than being a standard maduro. There are some visible veins, but I don't think any of them have achieved a level of prominence that would cause concern. The construction bothers me a bit as I find some areas that seem too loose to me, but I make the decision early to smoke this slowly so I won't have any issues. The pre light aroma is of clover and spice. The pre light draw shows some dark wood flavors and maybe a touch of honey.
The cigar opens with a profile that is decidedly flat for me, there are some nice flavors of wood and spice, but they are lacking in depth and character. Wispy flavors tend to upset me when they happen during the introductory period of the cigar, they remind of the woman that you take all night to gather courage to talk to and she politely lets you know she is not interested. At the back of the palate there are some interesting earthy intepretations, but again the depth and character are not what I would like. The draw is too loose for me and I have to slow the smoke down to keep the appropriate combustion rate. The burn is a touch off, but it is not anything to be overly concerned with at this point.
The first half of the cigar begins to warm up nicely. The core profile shows some excellent dark wood, cream and honey presentations that are more deep than earlier in the smoke, but still a bit shallow for me. At the back of the palate the earthy tones are accompanied by some spice and clover flavors, but again are not particualrly deep. The draw has come around as I pass some of the loose areas of the bunch and the combustion is now proper. The burn is everning out nicely as the cigar proceeds.
The final half of the cigar is coming on strong, this is starting to be what I look for in a smoke. The core profile takes on a core of toasted marshmallow and cream that leaves me yearning for more, the depth here is progressing, but I would like these flavors to be more robust at this point in a smoke. At the back of the palate there are still some nice earthy flavors, but some dark chocolate notes start to creep in here as well. I just wish this had happened earlier in the smoke with some further depth. The burn is now fine and the draw continues to perform well after the initial looseness.
The finish was a touch weak, but showed some nice earth and wood flavors. This was not as good as last night's smoke, but it was a nice smoke.
Appearance- 88 a nice looking smoke, but some veins hurt the visual
Taste- 87 some depth and character issues here, but all in all above average
Construction- 85 average is all I can do here, the draw was too loose early and it caused early issues
Strength- 86 medium for me, but a nice smoke strength wise
Overall- 86.25 slightly above average, but $1 more than last night's 91...You do the math
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Curivari Selccion Privada Robusto (5x50)
I have been on a review hiatus for awhile and it has vexed me, but sometimes the working to pay the bills thing gets in the way. When this happens I smoke old standbys that I know I have reviewed before because it's not like I'm a gonna stop smoking.
This particular cigar was discovered in a sweet little B&M in New Orleans and I had never, ever heard of it. The proprietor there clued me in and it was the beginning of a nice friendship between he and I. As for the relationship with the cigar, well the review follows.
The cigar presents well with a nice medium brown wrapper that has little veining and nice oils. From a distance the back will make you think RyJ or Partagas, but do not be fooled this is neither of those. The construction is flawless and I detect nary a tight or loose spot in the body of the cigar. The pre light aroma is of light spice, wood and vanilla. The pre light draw shows flavors of vanilla and wood.
The cigar opens with an unexpectedly smooth, but full, presentation of white pepper and wood flavors. There is depth aplenty here and the flavors are bold and really delivering. At the back of the palate there is a sharp spice and some nice flavors of anise. The draw is cubanesque, in that it is slightly tight, but it delivers ample smoke without too much effort. The burn is a bit akimbo but I don't have any concerns about it as the cigar will progress.
The first half of the smoke continues to show very nice flavor. There are still some excellent strains of white pepper, but a creamy vanilla note has entered the smoke here as well providing a fantastic counterpoint to the pepper flavors. At the back of the palate a very nice wood flavor dominates the profile, but there are still some very nice hints of spice playing with the pepper and vanilla from the front of the smoke. The draw loosens some, but is still a touch too tight without causing issues. The burn has evened out nicely and the cigar is booming along without any concern on my part.
The final half of the cigar continues to be strong. The main profile shows vanilla and spice notes that are complemented by an undertone of wood. At the back of the palate there are still some excellent notes of spice that have mulled some, but they are replaced by a finish of anise that checks the palate the nicely. The draw continues to be a touch tight, but it is performing well. The burn is excellent at this point.
The finish is smooth and long showing some nice anise notes well after the end is deposited into my ashtray. All in all this is an excellent find and I bought the rest of what he had in the store, and I purchased several of the other blends Curivari offers.
Appearance- 91 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 92 some very nice depth and the flavors were all complementary of one another
Construction- 89 some tightness in the draw and early burn issues lead to the deduction
Strength- 93 a very nice medium that lends to smoking early in a lineup without killing the palate
Overall- 91 a very solid smoking experience
This particular cigar was discovered in a sweet little B&M in New Orleans and I had never, ever heard of it. The proprietor there clued me in and it was the beginning of a nice friendship between he and I. As for the relationship with the cigar, well the review follows.
The cigar presents well with a nice medium brown wrapper that has little veining and nice oils. From a distance the back will make you think RyJ or Partagas, but do not be fooled this is neither of those. The construction is flawless and I detect nary a tight or loose spot in the body of the cigar. The pre light aroma is of light spice, wood and vanilla. The pre light draw shows flavors of vanilla and wood.
The cigar opens with an unexpectedly smooth, but full, presentation of white pepper and wood flavors. There is depth aplenty here and the flavors are bold and really delivering. At the back of the palate there is a sharp spice and some nice flavors of anise. The draw is cubanesque, in that it is slightly tight, but it delivers ample smoke without too much effort. The burn is a bit akimbo but I don't have any concerns about it as the cigar will progress.
The first half of the smoke continues to show very nice flavor. There are still some excellent strains of white pepper, but a creamy vanilla note has entered the smoke here as well providing a fantastic counterpoint to the pepper flavors. At the back of the palate a very nice wood flavor dominates the profile, but there are still some very nice hints of spice playing with the pepper and vanilla from the front of the smoke. The draw loosens some, but is still a touch too tight without causing issues. The burn has evened out nicely and the cigar is booming along without any concern on my part.
The final half of the cigar continues to be strong. The main profile shows vanilla and spice notes that are complemented by an undertone of wood. At the back of the palate there are still some excellent notes of spice that have mulled some, but they are replaced by a finish of anise that checks the palate the nicely. The draw continues to be a touch tight, but it is performing well. The burn is excellent at this point.
The finish is smooth and long showing some nice anise notes well after the end is deposited into my ashtray. All in all this is an excellent find and I bought the rest of what he had in the store, and I purchased several of the other blends Curivari offers.
Appearance- 91 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 92 some very nice depth and the flavors were all complementary of one another
Construction- 89 some tightness in the draw and early burn issues lead to the deduction
Strength- 93 a very nice medium that lends to smoking early in a lineup without killing the palate
Overall- 91 a very solid smoking experience
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