Review J Grotto Series And J Grotto Series Reserve

Hey all! Wow! Today's review is actually packed with 2 reviews of the J Grotto Series cigars from Ocean State Cigars Inc. After sending out a few cover letters to different cigar makers, I got contacted by Paul Joyal, the owner of Ocean State Cigars Inc, to sample and review his cigars on this blog.

I must say Paul is a really nice guy. Paul was very friendly and anxious to have me review his cigars. He told me he liked dealing with the blogs because they really had a more personal feel.

How does a guy from Rhode Island get into the cigar business, you may ask? Paul was cordial enough to contact me to answer that very question. His family has owned a liquor store in Rhode Island for the past 41 years. The family business has passed from generation to generation. About 16 years ago, Paul kept getting requests for premium cigars in his store. So after years of research and travel, the J Grotto Series was born. His stores now are the number one retailer in the RI area for volume. His story very much sounds like the one Rocky Patel had early on in his career in the cigar industry. And the J Grotto Line is expanding every day. A new line called J Grotto Silk, expected to be released in June of this year, sounds to be very promising with a mild to medium blend of 5 different tobaccos.

So here we are, I got my "Posse" together on two separate occasions to review both lines currently in the J Grotto series. I must say we were impressed with this company which has only been around for two years.

Since this is our first "BIG TIME" review, let me give you a little background on my panel of testers.

Fratboy is a fellow that went to the same college as me at the same time, even though we never met then, probably for the best, (because oh what damage we could have caused!), we ended up meeting later in life when our career paths met, and so began our smoking collaboration. Fratboy smokes 2 to 3 cigars daily and he prefers full bodied cigars that have a lot of spice.

Meatloaf and me have been friends since we were about 6 years old. We have shared many adventures together growing up. I ended up marrying his Aunt, Mrs.Cigar Moose, who is a year younger than him, so in some redneck way I am my best friends Uncle. As before though, he is like a brother to me and will always be family. Meatloaf likes medium to full cigars and is like me when it comes to frequency of smoking. He will smoke 1 or 2 cigars every couple weeks in the winter and about 4 a week, give or take, in the warmer seasons.

Turk I have known since the sixth grade. He was the one who initially gave me the nickname "Moose", which stuck for the next 30 years! Before I actually knew him, he had been hired in the 5th grade to beat me up because I showed another kid up in shooting accuracy (and also because I flipped this kids dirt bike!). Lucky for me he didn't follow through, and like Meatloaf, became life long friends. Also like a brother, Turk who likes to smoke a pipe as equally as cigars, still has a broad range of tastes in cigars. He smokes about 6 cigars per week and usually likes to smoke them with his dog Toby in the garage.

Okay, lets get started with the signature cigar in the J. Grotto Series.

According to 2 Guys Smoke Shop (  http://www.2guyscigars.com/  ) they describe this cigar as really rich and full bodied with a long finish. Toasty, with a deep scent of cedar and smoked meat, this should be smoked along with a great cup of black coffee.

First thing we all agreed when we first saw this cigar was how greatly constructed it was.  The Honduran Habano oily wrapper is just flawless, a thing of beauty, seamlessly wrapped, what appears to be triple capped, with very small veins. The body is firm and has an earthy straw-like aroma. The foot smells of earth and chocolate. After we cut the heads, Meatloaf has an effortless draw, mine has slight effort, not sure if that it is due to the different size Vitolas we each have. 

Upon light, we are greeted with black pepper to the palate. Fratboy and Meatloaf agree together that their cigars are mild to medium in strength. I Would describe this cigar as a solid medium in body, but very mellow.   I keep getting nutty aromas from the smoke. Meatloaf and I agree that this cigar has a very distinct taste to it, much like Onyx cigars. Fratboy says that he is getting a sort of "tang" on the flavor, almost bitter to him, which lingers. He does agree though that there is a straight sweet woody taste to the cigar that is quite enjoyable. Meatloaf an I disagree with Fratboy on the "tang" that he is getting.

 I am finding that this cigar is very peppery through the nose. When I ask Meatloaf if he is getting the same he states "I don't blow smoke through my nose." Guess that's because of his deviated septum, and no I didn't give it to him.  We start to get more of that sweetness to the smoke along with those woody tones, that linger on the back of the palate. A good amount of smoke is produced from these cigars, thickening as the cigar progresses.

About an inch and a half in my dark grey flaky ash fell off, producing no cone. I must say that on 3 or 4 instances when the ash was tapped off, you could visibly see a hollow spot in the foot. What I have learned is that they bunch the filler leaves in an old way that produces a better draw in the cigar. These hollow spots may be due to this, but in no way affect the cigar itself. The burn was remarkably even throughout the whole smoke.

Meatloaf and I start getting dark chocolate about the halfway to 3/4 mark. On the last 2 inches of my cigar I get a big spicy blast through the nose, then Bam! It hits me........BIG BUZZ! The rest of the crew don't get affected the same way as me, not sure why, but I am enjoying it.

In the end we are all in agreement that this cigar is very good for a company that has been in business for just two years. Quite impressive! Despite the different sizes, Fratboys Robusto size lasted him around an hour. Meatloaf and my cigars were close in size and lasted us close to an hour and a half.

 Initially, the prices we first saw for these cigars hovered around the $10 mark, which in our opinion was a bit too much for our tastes, as equally as good cigars were less from the big name distributors. We did though take in account the price was for a cigar that is not widely out there yet keeping the costs higher until the big distributors started mass selling them. But further inspection online found prices to be around $6 to $8 for singles, a much more agreeable and comparable price for these great cigars. We all agreed, with exception to Fratboy, that at this price we would by this cigar at our local shop. It wasn't that Fratboy didn't like it, he did.  For the price, he prefers Full bodied spicy cigars, and he just didn't see it in his cigar. This cigar is clean to the mouth and has no long lingering tastes.

Ratings are as follows:

Buzz Rating:
                    Mr.Cigar Moose: 8 out of 10
                    Fratboy              : 2.5 out of 10
                    Meatloaf            : 6.5 out of 10

Overall:

                    Mr.Cigar Moose: 4 out of 5
                    Fratboy              : 3.5 out of 5
                    Meatloaf            : 3.5 out of 5

There are only 2 online retailers I have found to sell these cigars:  http://www.pipesandcigars.com/  and  http://www.2guyscigars.com/ .

Pipes and Cigars sells boxes of 20 for $135 to $144. Also on their site you can get singles for $6.75 to $7.25.

2 Guys Smoke Shop sell just singles for comparable prices.

Like it? Yes
Buy again? Yes
Recommend?  Yes, for the price it would make a good everyday cigar for smokers used to Medium to full cigars.


And now for the next cigar: J Grotto Series Reserve

This cigar is touted as the cigar for the guy who wants some real power, but a balanced and refined blend.

Again, like the first cigar, the construction is just perfect. The rollers in the Raices Cubanas Factory in Honduras are to be commended. The Criollo wrapper is again flawless, seamless, with little veins, and what appears a generous triple cap.

The body and foot have the same characteristics of straw and earth as the first cigar, only the straw-ness is a little bit stronger. Pre light draw on mine is effortless. Turk's draw required a bit more effort, but said it was the way he liked it. 

Turk surprisingly says he is getting a buzz right away. I personally never had a buzz that fast, but everyone is different. 

Turk and I had much discussion on the flavors we were getting, like the first we got sweet woody tones to the palate. It is starting off more medium than the first cigar. We decide that this also like the first has a very distinct flavor like the Onyx series. "It tastes like there is Peruvian tobacco in it" Turk comments. He is surprised to hear that it only contains Honduran and Nicaraguan Ligero. We both get alot of spice through the nose. Fratboy says he just had a cup of coffee prior to smoking this and thinks it is affecting his palate as he is only getting straight woody tastes. He is still getting the "Tang" but not as much as the first cigar. He comments that this would make a great breakfast/morning cigar. 

Turk and I start getting a nice leather taste with sweet woody tones. Turk asks how much these cigars sell for.  He says that because it has such a unique taste he would spend $8-$9 on a single for this cigar at a local shop. "With some of the crap they are making for the younger crowd, this is F**king Awesome!" he states. 

At about an inch in, the dark grey ash falls of my cigar revealing no cone. I am starting to get coffee flavors 

coming through.

We crank up the 80's Big Hair bands on the Ipod and enjoy this cigar a bit. 

As we get to the end, I start getting that "Tang" Fratboy is getting. It is not unpleasant at all like the Cuban cigars I have had before. Fratboy and I get thick volumes of smoke out of my cigar while Turk's cigar seems to produce a low amount. We think it might be due to the draw. But he is still pleasantly happy this cigar. He did get a 3 inch ash before it fell off. Burn is again even like the first cigar. Very clean to the mouth, it is like it's predecessor and has no long lingering tastes.

This cigar was a bit more mellow to me. The buzz I got was a bit less than the first one, but every much as enjoyable. In my own opinion, and Turk agrees, I like this cigar more than the first. It is a great balaced cigar that to us is quite eventful. Unfortunately for Fratboy, it's just not his type of cigar and wasn't as eventful to him. Even though he liked it, he says he gets much better cigars, for his tastes, from the big online retailers for much less.

Ratings are as follows:

 Buzz Rating:

                                 Mr. Cigar Moose: 6 out of 10

                                 Fratboy               : 2 out of 10

                                 Turk                    : 6 out of 10

Overall:

                                 Mr. Cigar Moose: 4.5 out of 5

                                 Fratboy               : 3.5 out of 5

                                 Turk                    : 4.5 out of 5

The only place online to get these is Pipes and Cigars ( http://www.pipesandcigars.com/ ). In singles they will run you $7.75 to $8.75. In boxes of 20 it will run you $154 to $173. A bit pricier to me than the regular series when you have to consider shipping, but if sold locally, worth every cent.

Like it? Yes

Buy it again? Yes. Definitely if my local shop starts to carry it!

Recommend it? Yes. This would be a good cigar for new guys wanting to try a more medium cigar.

In conclusion of these two cigars we reviewed, the general consensus is that they are both good cigars, especially the Reserve Series. These cigars are hard to find on the NET, mostly because they are a boutique cigar and the fact they are only sold through authorized retailers. To find if one is near you go to Ocean State Cigars website here: http://oceanstatecigars.com/index.php/retailers

There you can look up retailers or requeest to become a retailer. So if you don't have these cigars in our local smoke shop, have them visit the site and become a retailer.

Excellent cigars Paul! And thank you for taking a chance on us!

Till next post...............................PEACE!

Stella Artois Chalice Offer Again

Hey all! Here is another Stella Artois Chalice Offer! This one is easier to do than the last one. You have to type or speak a couple answers to make a chalice, then enter your info to have them ship you one. I got one from the first offer and now have a second one on the way! Here is what they look like:

Here is the link for this really nice beer glass, er, I mean Chalice! 

http://chalicefactory.stellaartois.com/ 

Obviously you can drink whatever you want out of it, but it is specifically designed to release bubbles of beer. And beer goes good with a good cigar!

Till next Post.......................Peace!

Review: Agusto Reyes Maduro

Okay Folks! This cigar came to me compliments of Fratboy.

When people hear Agusto Reyes, they usually relate it to high priced high quality cigars. Cigars International has struck a deal with his factory to bring us common folk a quality affordable cigar!

CI describes this cigar as full bodied. It has a Connecticut Broadleaf  Wrapper with a Dominican Criollo, Corojo, Cuban seed tobacco fillers. They say it is a rich hearty smoke with deep tobacco flavors, coffee notes, and a spicy sweet finish.

The wrapper upon sight is a dark mottled maduro, toothy and veiny, with a generous cap. Mine is a torpedo with a sweet tobacco smell to the body and a sweet chocolate smell to the foot.

After cutting the head it has a good prelight draw that tastes of rich tobacco and sweet raisins.

Upon light I get a good black pepper taste. You definitly get a sweet maduro taste in the mouth. Getting a fair amount of smoke. The strength initially is definitely mild to medium. About 1/4 in, the burn is nice and even with a layered dirty ash. I am starting to get a slight nicotine sting in the back of the tongue through the nose.


Still getting sweet rich tobacco tastes. By 1/3 into the cigar, pepper tastes have picked up. I cant believe that the ash is still hanging on! 

Dammit! As I wrote that, the ash fell in my lap! All of a sudden the draw is getting tighter, and I am getting a bit of tar forming on the head. Also, not sure if you can make it out in my blurry photo, had a hard time focusing, but there was a noticeable hole in the body of the cigar, visible as a dark spot on the foot.

As you can see in the next picture, it didn't produce much of a cone. Sorry again for the blurry picture. Must be holding the cigar too close to the lens.

So I clipped a thin layer off the head and the draw opened up and the tar issue gone for the time being. I am starting to get coffee and dark chocolate tastes coming through. The description of this cigar touts it as a full bodied cigar, but I must say I have had much fuller bodied cigars. This cigar to me is more medium in body than full. On the last third of the cigar the strength picked up to a solid medium. It's a good cigar in my humble opinion. Good enough that I want to smoke it to the nub. As you can see at this point, the cigar finally produced a sharp cone, despite it being out of focus!

Now I wanted to smoke as much of the nub as possible so I had to pull out my homemade Nub Buddy. No explanation necessary, just see the photo.

Okay, explanation is in order. You can see it's purpose. All it is a shaped stick with 2 tack nails in the end to stick into your cigar, so you can smoke that nub down to almost nothing without burning your fingers. Nuff said. And you can see I did smoke this nub as far as I could. Eventually it burned down more on one side than the other to the point it almost burned my lip!

Finally the camera focused!

This cigar leaves a slight film to the mouth and has a long lingering finish.

Buzz rating on this one I give a 3.5 out of 5. It was a nice comfortable buzz, not overpowering, 

Overall I give this one a 7.5 out of 10. This was a good cigar flavor-wise. What detracted from the score was the fact that the draw tightened up and in the end more tar formed on the head. And not sure I like the film in the mouth on the finish. I like a clean mouth feel. But overall this is still a good cigar despite its minor setbacks.

Like it?: Yes

Buy it again?: Maybe, but not my first choice over other cigars.

Recommend it?: Yes, This would be a good cigar for newbies wanting to move up from milder cigars.

Till next post.......................Peace!

News Update

Hey all! Warm weather ahead for the next few weeks! Has winter FINALLY abated? We here hope so!

The package from Paul Joyal has arrived! I must say they look D LISH US!!!! I have them sitting in the Humidor as we speak! Will be getting the "Posse" together in the next week to burn them up! So look in the next week for reviews of the J Grotto Series and the J Grotto Series Reserve.

Also as you may have seen, some new things on the blog. Hope you all like the changes. Remember to feel free to comment on any of the postings. I will greatly appreciate any feedback on the blog.

In the meantime check out my next review of the Agusto Reyes Maduro!

Review: Joya De Nicaragua Antano1970

Hey All! GMan contacted me to tell me about this great cigar. Sounding familiar to me I looked back in my cigar diary and I found that me and Meatloaf smoked this one last Fall on his porch. 


First of all, this cigar has a bit of history to it. In the 1970's this cigar was regarded as the best cigar in the world! It was made in Nicaragua's first cigar factory which was founded in 1964. Eventually due to war and Communism the factory was destroyed. Well due to the changing times it has been produced again! It has been named Cigar Aficionado's top 50 cigars.  


On the Cigars International website, it is described as a very full bodied cigar, a "muscle cigar". A stock fat figurado, earthy and leathery flavors with floral spicy, hints. They describe the finish as long and complex.

If you remember my review of the Camacho Triple Maduro, I mentioned this cigar that was obtained in a sample pack with the Camacho, from Famous-smoke.com. 

First thing I notice is it's flawless, slightly veiny,  oily Colorado wrapper. It is positively seamless. The body is firm with a sweet straw aroma, which also is true of the foot. Pre-light draw is almost effortless and tastes of sweet raisins. 

Upon light, I was met with a blast of  spice and nuts. Leather notes are definitely there.

I was lucky enough to have a bottle of T-Rex Autumn Ale to pair with this cigar. T-Rex is a friend of mine who brews his own beer and wine. His Autumn Ale reminds me of Samuel Adams brews, slight nuttiness and hops flavors.

The Ale brings out more nuttiness in the cigar and vice versa. The cigar tames the hops down a bit, so I would say they pair well together. 

When lighting, I had a hard time getting the whole foot lit. I am not sure if it was just because of it's size or maybe a moisture issue from being in the humidor. It resulted in a slightly uneven burn which corrected itself quickly.

As the cigar progresses, the leather tastes tame down a bit to a smoother profile.  Not sure if it's the Ale helping that or just the way the cigar progresses.  Starting to get a bit of chocolate on the back of the palate.

As the cigar progresses, I am getting a good amount of thick smoke. Nice! Just what I like in a cigar. Meatloaf is showing me up once again blowing smoke rings, one after another. I am jealous! That is one trick I just can't seem to perfect.

The cigar produced a dense layered silvery ash. I flicked the ash 1 1/2 inches in, which produced a blunt cone.

There is a definite complexity of flavors in this one. I'm getting coffee, chocolate, leather, earth, and pepper.

As this cigar progresses picks up in strength. Although it never gets harsh or hot, I can definitely feel the kick swimming in my brain!

The finish is clean to the mouth, with a lingering tastes of pepper and leather.

Buzz Rating on this cigar I give 8 out of 10. Oh, it's all there! Very nice buzz going on here! You would probably best have this cigar on a full stomach. I would say this cigar is not for guys new to cigars. It might be too much for them and put them off cigars for awhile.

Overall I give this cigar 4 out of 5. A lot happening here! The complexity in flavor, the strength, and the lack of harshness make this cigar a winner! Definitely one of my "must have" cigars.

You can get this cigar from a few of the online vendors. Famous-Smoke.com sells a really nice sampler of 5 different sizes for $23. Cigars International has a good deal on boxes for prices ranging from $100-$135 for boxes of 20 which also include a 6 cigar sampler for free. That's only $4-$6 per cigar! But try the sampler first if you have never had this cigar. You won't regret it! 

Okay here is something new I am going to add to my reviews. 

Like it?: Yes

Buy it again?: Yes, might even buy a box!

Recommend it?: Yes, but for seasoned smokers only.

Till next post...............Peace!

New Cigar Moose Logo

Hey all! Don't know what got into me tonight, but for some reason I just started sketching a logo or Mascot for the site. You can see it to the right of this Blog. Bear with me as it is just a sketch. I would at some time like to add some color and the words "Cigar Moose" at it's bottom.

Also I have added a couple new features to the blog. Like the handy search feature! Now you can just type the name of a cigar or accessory and see if we have reviewed it in the past.

Another Feature I have added is the online Poll. Make sure to check back from time to time to take the poll as it will change. Make sure you take this weeks poll about whether or not you would like to see me and my posse give cigar reviews via videos.

And now you can keep track of the blog via notifications by email! Just look to the right of the blog and you will find it in that column.

Things are changing a little here at Cigar Moose and we hope you will like the changes.

Till next post....................Peace!

J. Grotto Cigars Coming Soon!

Hey all! Great News! After sending out requests to a few cigar manufacturers, I finally got my first response from Ocean State Cigars, which makes the J.Grotto Series cigars. The owner, Paul Joyal, Emailed me back saying he was interested in sending Cigar Moose some samples of his cigars. After talking to him via phone he said he is sending me samples of the two different lines currently made in the J. Grotto series.

One is the J.Grotto Series  and the other is the J.Grotto Series Reserve. You can see their make up here on the new up and running Ocean State cigars website:


 http://oceanstatecigars.com/index.php/cigars

Give his site a look and see the man himself on the main page. I really dig his hat!


I can certainly say first hand that Paul Joyal is friendly businessman. For the short time I have initially talked to him, he has expressed interest in the Cigar Moose blog, saying positive things about the site. He shows a genuine interest in the feed back that the common man can give on his product.


We look forward to getting the samples and even more so in smoking them and reviewing them!


More info will follow with the review in the coming weeks.


Till next post..............Peace!