Spectre by AJ Fernandez Review

Hey all! Back again with another review!

Today we are reviewing Spectre by AJ Fernandez. AJ is the one responsible for Man O War and Diesel  cigars.

Spectre are very distinct cigars that once you encounter them you will never forget.  From the moment you take the cellophane off them, you will notice they are like no other premium cigar you have ever had.

 

That is Cigar Dog in the background!

Hailing from Nicaragua, one of the secret ingredients of this cigar blend is Latakia tobacco.

 What is that you may ask?

 Latakia originally comes from Syria in a town that its named for. But it is now mainly produced in Cyprus, which is a country on an Island in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. There they hang this Turkish sun dried tobacco in barns and further cure it over pine or oak wood fires. This gives the tobacco a very smokey spicy flavor and aroma. 

This is the very first thing you will become aware of when you open one up. A very strong aroma of smokiness is obvious and is very intoxing to the nose. They use Latakia in a lot of pipe tobacco, and only recently started using it in cigars.

Turk turned me on to these cigars when he got a 5-pack from an auction site. His words to me was "Don't smell them before you smoke them, you might not like it." But it was the exact opposite! I loved the smell!!!! 

The wrapper is very dark and ominous. A slight oily sheen to the flawless wrapper get me almost drooling! The foot and body smell of the same smokey goodness. If you like smoked meats, you will be very pleased with this cigar.

Now I know the wrapper is definitely Latakia, but I am not sure how much of it is used in the mix with the other Nicaraguan tobaccos. What I do feel is that it must be a good amount as it is definitely present as you smoke it.

The body is firm with slightly spongy spots throughout. Prelight draw is a decent easy to medium that tastes of smoked brisket. Band comes off with little effort and no damage to wrapper. 

Upon light I get an explosion of that sweet maduro goodness with a hint of that charred meat on the back of the palate. 

Quickly at a half inch in I get a blast of that smokiness! Wow! I am really enjoying this cigar a lot already!!!!

As the cigar progresses I keep getting that sweetness. Smokey wood goodness also coming through. It starts off pretty mild in strength and quickly becomes full. The flavor is pleasantly and continuously full throughout. The burn is a bit uneven as you can see. 

I tap the ash off and an offset cone is present. 

Ash is very flaky and layered.  Wisps of ash float away during the whole smoking experience. 

Right from the start this cigar produces a lot of volume of smoke. This is a plus in my book! Who doesn't find great pleasure in rolling thick creamy smoke out in a huff?

I must say I smoked this cigar till I started burning my fingers! I enjoyed it that much!

It has a very, very long and pleasant finish which is not overbearing. Even after having a meal some time later, I still get that smokey meaty goodness present on the back of my palate.

Buzz Rating : 8 out of 10

A very full cigar in strength.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

This is one I really like! Sweet Maduro tastes combined with the charred smoked meatiness is a great combination in this cigar! A very eventful cigar which reminds me of all the flavors you would encounter with good barbecue!  Not an everyday cigar but a really good change from the norm. I will definitely get some of these for the humidor. I would recommend these in a second for something as a change of pace. I would probably keep these separate from my other cigars in another small humidor as they are very strong in aroma and I am positive this would leach over to your other stash. But some may want to leach over some of these properties to their other cigars.  

With 5-packs as low as $25 and boxes of 10 as low as $45, I find it an exceptional value that you might even find a bargain on some online auction sites.

There you have it! Another review down!

This Memorial Day make sure you give tribute to those of our servicemen and women , past and present, who put themselves in harms way for us to enjoy the freedoms we have here in the USA. And pay special tribute to those who paid the Ultimate price.............

Until next post...............Peace! 

Oliva Latitude Zero Review

Hey all!! We are back! And we have a great line up of cigars to review this summer.

This review was conducted on 4/19/2015. Spring is in the air and after such a long cold winter, I found myself pushing my limits of cold tolerance on a semi warm day, to get out in some fresh air and light up a stick!

Today I will be burning a Oliva Latitude Zero I got from Turk. 

Like most of you, I find myself often wondering how good a cigar really is, while browsing my mail order catalogs. Oliva Tobacco Company supplies tobacco for big name brands like Ashton, Montecristo, and Davidoff. So naturally I couldn't help wonder how good Latitude Zero was going to be. But at $80 a box of 20 cigars in Robusto size, I am always hesitant to take the plunge. Thats a lot of money for a box when you don't know if you like them!!!!

But lucky for me, Turk being the savvy  shopper he is, got a good deal on a 5 pack off the bid site Cigar Bid.

First thing I notice is that this cigar is very nicely wrapped Habano wrapper. But not just any wrapper. This wrapper is a 2011 R13E Grade or as its called "Angels Cut" Habano wrapper from Ecuador. Veins are very small and it's smooth surface gives off a nice oily sheen. Inside is Nicaraguan Longfillers from 2010, from the Esteli region. 

Taking the 2 part band off I did find a flaw in the wrapper as you can see below. Fortunately for me it in no way affected the draw throughout the smoke.

The Body of the cigar smells a pleasant aroma of Sweet chocolate. The foot a nice smell of toasted hazelnuts. 

The prelight draw s effortless, like sucking through a straw, and tastes of sweet raisins.

Upon light I get a nice nut taste with rich tobaccos. There is also a good sweet taste to the smoke that lingers at the back of the tongue. 

About 15 minutes in, you can see the nice greyish layered ash, with a fairly even burn. 

 

At about an inch in I start getting good pepper tastes. Also I would like to note the good volume of  smoke this cigar produces. I don't know about you, but I find it very satisfying to be able to huff out a great cloud of thick smoke!

Sitting in the cold Spring shade of the deck has forced me to move to the outer deck into the warm sun! First flick of the cigar ash reveals a very decent cone!

 

I just noticed a nice woody aroma to the smoke. So far the cigar has been building up to a medium/full strength. Consistent flavors of nut, pepper, and wood.

At the halfway point the flavor profile has changed a bit. Pepper has greatly diminished and now a caramel/chocolate profile is present. 

These tastes stay right to the end and the the strength is a solid medium.

Finish is clean but tastes are long and lingering. 

Really nice smoke!

I give this cigar a Buzz Rating of 7 out of 10. There is a little kick there!

I give it an Overall Rating of 4 out of 5.

This is a pretty good cigar! Its a pretty eventful cigar flavor wise and in strength. And definitely worth a look in a 5 pack, but due to the price I won't be buying a box any time soon. I would look at the Cigar Bid site to see if a deal could be had for even cheaper per box or 5 pack.

Well, thats it! First review since a a very long hiatus. Now that my health is returning I hope to continue to keep the reviews rolling in. I've got some cigars lined up to test out with my posse. I have even found another walk in humidor in Lake Placid NY. A bit of a drive for me but another option if I get out that way. It's called Stouts and Stogies and located on the main street in a little strip mall.

Here is what I bought on my first trip there:

But more on that at a later time.

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