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!

I hateSpammers!

Hey all! Just wanted to say if you want to post a legitimate comment on this blog then by all means do so! But when you post a comment with a link to promote your own product, e-cigarettes, it will not be tolerated and your post will be deleted promptly.

Cigar Costs

Hey all! Just had a random thought while looking at emails from various vendors who sell cigars, When is a bundle too much money?

The trend lately has swung towards more expensive bundles whether they are samplers or straight up specific brand. By expensive, in my opinion, I mean $70 and up. I really feel like $60 is at the top end of my budget on a bundle and even that is few and far between my spending habits. I understand with FDA looming over tobacco that costs may rise, but if they do it will seriously impact my and everyone else's choices when the time comes to refill the humidor. So Make sure you contact your senators and be heard!

This doesn't mean that on the rare occasion I wouldn't treat myself to a box of something expensive like a box of Paul Stulac Red Screaming Suns or Camacho Triple Maduros at over the $100 mark. I have even considered that when I retire purchasing a $150 box of Opus X Lost City cigars with only 5 in the box. But that is a rare occassion. But somehow the industry thinks we are all well to do and have thousands of dollars sitting around to purchase these expensive boxes on a regular basis.

Anyways this is just food for thought and if anyone would like to comment on this trend please do on this blog.

Till next post, Peace.

Still Here!

Hey All!

Just wanted to let all of you know I am still here. As stated in last post I have been dealing with some health issues. Turns out my Gallbladder was bad and I had to have it removed. Since then, February, I continue to have stomach issues. So for those of you who who have had your gallbladder out and still had issues I can relate!

 

On a better note, despite the stomach issues, I have still on occasion been able to burn a stick now and then. Going through my notes in my cigar diary and photos, getting ready to write some more reviews.

Yesterday I had my last Paul Stulac Red Screaming Sun that he sent me with the prototype band on it. Absolutely Fantastic! Will be taking a trip to Smokey's soon to get a few more! Almost forgot how great they really are since I hadn't had one in a while.

So thanks to all of you with your patience, stay tuned, more reviews to come.

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

Making A TravelDore

Hey all! Just wanted to put up something to keep you interested in the Blog. Like I have said in previous posts, I have been having some health issues lately and haven't been able to get to the blog like I would like to. Hopefully I can get these issues cleared up soon.

But here today I would like to introduce the Idea of creating your own Travel Humidor or Traveldore as I like to call it. Now you can make a traveldore out of just about anything your mind can dream up, and if you are really cheap all you need is a ziplock bag. But if you are handy with wood working you can create some real works of art that no one else has. And thats the type I would like to talk about today.

A traveldore doesn't have to seal like a regular humidor. That's because it's general purpose is to just cart your cigars from point A to point B for immediate consumption. That doesn't mean that you can't make it sort of seal for longer storage, but for our purpose today I am talking about a wood box to carry and protect your cigars, and depending on the size, maybe your lighter and cutter.

I have used white cedar and various other hardwoods such as black walnut. But I also like to use bamboo cutting boards to make them as you can get a variety of patterns and colors to choose from that really finish off really well. And I have even lined the insides with those thin slips of cedar you find separating the layers of cigars in retail boxes. But like I said about the seal, it is not necessary for a quick consumption storage box.

For today's example I will use pictures from a box I made for a good friend of mine, Paul Stulac, of Paul Stulac Cigars.

To start I bought a couple bamboo cutting boards I picked up from TJ Max for about $5 a board. I find they always keep a pretty good supply of them throughout the year.

Usually when I create these I stipple some design on the top of the cover, but because Paul's Cigar logo is so intricate and I couldn't get that level of detail with that process. So I experimented with a temp tattoo he sent me and was able to adhere it to the wood.

Here is a closer look at that intricate design.

After I decided how big of cigars it would hold and how many, I started to cut the pieces I needed on my table saw.  I actually had alot left over from the two boards of which to use for Nub Buddies and maybe part of another box. 

Putting the pieces together with glue and clamps, A very tricky process, I let it sit overnight to cure. I use Gorilla Glue for its strong bond and because it dries clear.

After it has dried I run all edges and corners through my router table to round all edges on the outside. I then sand the whole outside starting with a medium grit sandpaper down to a fine grit then finishing it off with 0000 steel wool and a fine grit sanding sponge. It is at this point I very carefully run the box on its side through the table saw to separate the top from the bottom. I like to cut the top a little thinner than the bottom so that the cigars sit deeper in the box.  After this is complete I apply the logo to the box and start applying Spar Urethane. Why Spar Urethane? Because it expands and contracts with the wood and wont crack. It is durable and waterproof. 

After many thin coats, I have learned you have to be patient and apply thin coats, it starts to get a really nice finish that brings out the deep warmth of the wood.

Here is a close look of the logo with the finish.

For the finish I add a clasp to the front and a couple hinges to the back. I like brass as it dresses them up real nice. You can find these items at most hardware or hobby stores and are quite inexpensive. Here is the finished product I sent out to Paul.

Stulac Cigars with a little extra room for a lighter and cutter!

And here are a couple other Traveldores I have done for personal friends and family members. I stippled the logos of their favorite cigar brands on the covers:

This one was made out of White Cedar.

And for and avid hunter buddy I stippled this buck!

So there you are! You can be as creative as you want to be! But you must have patience and not rush the process to get good results.

Hopefully this will inspire you to try your hand at making one. If so send a pic of your result and who knows? I might put it up on the blog!

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

Free Cigar Aficionado subscription offer

Hey all!
Anyone looking for Cigar Aficionado subscription? Look no further! For a limited time through Rewards Gold you can get a 12 month subscription for free! Just fill out a 5-10 minute survey and you can get a years subscription free. I took advantage of it to add to the subscription I already have, you should too!

Sorry I haven't been up to date on the blog, have had some health issues that I am sorting out. I have had one cigar in the last month and a half! That's a crying shame! Hopefully things start looking up soon so I can concentrate more on the reviews. I know, I know. It sounds like one excuse after another! Just keep bearing with me. Being sick isn't fun...........Any hoo...........here is the link for the subscription:

http://www.rewardsgold.com/mags/cigar/sg_cigar_pg1gdex.htm

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

Shout out to my local Tobbacconist

Hey all! Back again with a shout out to my favorite place to buy cigars.

Smokey's is located on the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation in Northern NY across from the Speedway Plaza. It is located almost right across the street from the entrance to the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. And Akwesasne is pronounced Awg-weh-zah-zneh. The locals really don't like it when you pronounce it wrong as they are a very proud people of their heritage and language.

Smokey's really started from humble beginnings as just a cigarette store. But eventually they progressed into cigars and pipe supplies and added a small walk-in humidor. The response was so good that they decided it might be wise to expand. After a trip to Vegas, the owner decided to fashion his after some of the high end walk-in humidors he had seen  on his trip. And thus, a new walk in humidor was born!

As you can see the humidor is filled to the ceiling with cigars. A wide array of  brands including Rocky Patel, Paul Stulac, Alec Bradly, Acid, Padron, Romeo y Julieta, Montecristo, and San Cristobal are just a few of the many selections that they offer. And what is great, is that they offer them in a wide array of prices to fit everyone's budget. So it doesn't matter if you just won big at the Casino and want big expensive cigar, playing a round of golf and want a decent cigar to pass around for the boys, or just want an inexpensive cigar to work in the yard, Whatever your pleasure, Smokey's has it for you. 

Now even though they are still mainly a cigarette store, they are fast growing to becoming more cigar friendly with a wide array of cigar accessories like cutters, humidors, and lighters, and punches.. They are the only Walk-in humidor within 100 miles around. It is a must stop if you are in the area. 

Stop in and say Hello to the friendly staff, Mike, Faith, or Ryan who will gladly try and help you with your purchase.

Smokey's is located:

935 State Route 37 

Hogansburg, NY13655

Phone:

518-358-9920

Hours:

Mon-Thurs: 8 AM-8 PM

Fri-Sat: 8 AM-9 PM

Sun: 8 AM- 8 PM

If you are into cigars, cigarettes, or pipes, you have to stop in here and take in this beautiful store! Stay tuned and I will be reviewing cigars purchased from this store. I am going to try and sample every cigar they sell, over time of course, not all at once! I am not making any promises that it will totally happen, but that way if you are in the store and see something you are curious about, you can pull up my blog on your smart phone, everyone has one of those these days right?, and you might be able to see what we here think of it before you buy it.

That's all for today! Check back for updates! 

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

Paul Stulac Video

Hey all! Hope this post finds all of you in good weather smoking your favorite sticks!

 I found this video on Paul Stulacs website about how he got started.

You can see the video here on his site: http://www.paulstulaccigars.com/

I have been trying to put it up here but it hasn't been cooperating!

Little did I know he got his start in Canada! Great Job Paul!

Trying to get time together to post some reviews. Bear with me folks...........

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

Gurkha Empire V Cigar Review

Hey All! Yes we here at Cigar Moose are still alive and kicking! We are in overdrive with getting our daughter ready to graduate from Highschool and get ready for college. What a MOUNTAIN of paperwork, from announcements, to scholarships, to all the paperwork that the colleges want! Whew! After all that, I have saved a well deserved Paul Stulac Cigar for the Graduation Party!

Without further ado, today I am reviewing the Gurkha Empire V cigar.

 

 

Cigars International and Cigars.com describe this cigar as a hearty mix of Mexican, Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers all bound with an Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper. Mild and creamy with hints of cedar and black pepper.

 

As I look at this cigar, I am thinking "Big band, lots of glue". Visions of peeling it of with the wrapper haunt me like so many other cigars I have had with large bands. This is not true with this one. I was pleasantly surprised that it came off very easily keeping both bands in perfect shapeand an unscathed wrapper. (I like to save the bands, although I have not yet decided what to do with the hundreds of them I have!)

 

The wrapper has a real nice sheen in the light, and seems to have minimal veins to the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper.

 

 

 



Not sure you can see it here but if you look close you might be able to see the generous double cap!

Sweet tobacco smells are on the body and foot, with a slight aroma of raisins to the foot in my opinion. The body of this cigar goes from firm at the head to slightly spongy at the foot.

A perfect cut with my Xikar cutter revealed a near effortless draw, which tastes of sweet tobacco and a hint of sweet rum. A quick toast and light with my Perdoma table lighter, which I can't live without, brought a pleasant pepper taste. There is a very slight bitterness I can't quite identify, nothing over the top but still present.This cigar started off a bit more on the mild-medium side with lots of smoke, not creamy thick smoke but a good volume.

By a third in I am getting light creamy hazel nut flavors plus an ever so slight leather nuance. Thats the bitterness I was picking out. The cigar has a slightly uneven burn, but I think it's do to my off lighting skills today, improper rotation while lighting the cigar. Luckily it corrected itself through out the smoke.

 

 

The Ash is grey and flakey and fell off at the 1 inch mark. By the mid-way mark there are caramel notes coming through along with the same creaminess. Pepper is still on the pallate and ever present through out the smoke. The cigar is really hitting the sweet spot now and has mellowed out to a mild strength cigar.

 

In the last third woody/cedar notes are coming through. As I near the end I am getting a bit more leather, which I am not really fond of, but it is tolerable. Also I get a brief shot of bitter chocolate and had a long finish.

On the end I notice that at the head the wrapper had cracked in one spot and was coming undone just to the side of it. The crack in the picture is tward my index finger and the undone wrapper near my thumb. I don't bite on my cigars so I am oblivious as to why it did this.

 

 

Buzz Rating on this one I give a 4 out of 10. Just slight but not enough to fly, as a matter of fact, not even enough to get you off the ground. It's pretty mild in strength.

 

Overall I give this one a 2.5 out of 5. Nothing real special to me even though it was eventful with it's flavor changes however slight and subtle they were. I was kind of disappointed with this one as I am a fan of most Gurkhas. For me the slight bitterness and ever present leather tastes was a turn off. Not a big fan of it. But that aside, it would have been a bigger hit with me, with it's creamy mildness and flavor changes.

 

Like it?: It's OK........but not for me.

Buy it again?: Probably not.

Recommend it?: Only for those who like the bittery leather tastes in a mild cigar.

 

You can get these cigars from Cigars International and Cigars.com for $70 a box of 20 in all sizes.  Cigars.com sells all sizes also in singles for $6 each. But the best deal comes from Cigars International with a 12 cigar sampler, 2 of each type in the Empire series, for just $34! Thats a little over $2.80 each. I have not tried the others in the series yet but it might be worth it to me to get the sampler.

 

Lots of nice weather coming up. The hummingbirds are starting to show up on the back deck which means Stogie weather is upon us. I have another Stulac Review for the Black Midnight Fire which has been tested, but I am gathering all the data from the notes from the Posse to put together a review up on here. So check back soon.

 

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

 

 

 

 



Paul Stulac White Blinding Light Cigar Review

Hey all! Here again with another review!

I am bringing you today the Paul Stulac White Blinding Light.

Yes, I know I am a day late and a dollar short, as this cigar has been out for some time and that there have been quite a few reviews put out already. But this is Cigar Moose style! Besides I loved the Red Screaming Sun so much, I had to try Paul's other lines.

I would like to add that you all thank Meatloaf for his constant harassing to get this review under way during one of the busiest holiday seasons of the year! Thanks pal!

Another note I would like to say is that I apologize in advance for the lack of personal pictures for this review. Having difficulties with the cold temperatures and the camera not..................Aw, who am I trying to kid? We were so tuned into getting these into our 'Gar Puffers we forgot to take pics! So instead we give you the pics generated (stolen) from other, er, places......Yeah that's the ticket!

Right off the bat, the visual on this cigar is stunning! The Dark Ecuador Habano seamless wrapper is oily with slight veins and is simply put, flawless! Paul seems to have high quality rollers putting out consistently high quality product. It has a Sumatra binder and Nicaraguan filler. The binder,  interesting enough, I think, lends some interesting tastes to the Habano wrapper when smoked to give a nice mix of flavors.

Beginning with my usual prelight rituals, I smell the body and foot, taking in several deep inhales. Turk and I agree on a sweet aroma to the body, I get an almost Sweet Tarts taste on the back of my throat from the inhale. Meatloaf says to him its more of a sweet barn hay. We all agree on a chocolaty smell to the foot. After a perfect cut with my Xikar cutter, the prelight draw is slightly medium with sweet tastes of tobacco.

Upon light, We all get a big hit of spice on the back of the throat and for me more through the nose. Note: I am the only one of the panel who consistently rolls the smoke through the nose a few times throughout the smoke to get a more intense flavor profile. The others just don't care for it. 

For all of us, the smoke quickly within minutes mellows right out. I get a nice caramel taste through the nose which is quite creamy. We all notice a sweetness to the aroma of the smoke. A bit of citrus added to it for me. Turk and Meatloaf says they are getting some really great tastes, the pepper ever so subtly present on the palette. Turk says it has a little bit of a bite and changes flavors so quickly that he cannot pinpoint one alone. Finally I have pinpointed the aroma! It smells like sweet barbecue sauce on the grill, that charred sweet smell. Now that I have pinpointed it, the others agree that it is a really good aroma. It creates a nice imagery in the mind as you smoke it.

The burn at first for all of us was a bit uneven, with a whitish grey ash, but now has started to correct itself about one inch into the smoke. Dense smoke is had with every puff of this cigar, creamy and wafting through the air.

This cigar is definitely medium in body and full in complex flavor.  One third in it mellows even more with some nice chocolate notes. Turk says he is getting more of a date flavor.

My ash along with Meatloaf's falls off almost 2 inches into the smoke. Turk's hangs on to over the 2 inch mark. Man! Only fabulous construction can get you to this length in ash. Stulac is the man! I mean really? What is better for a man to measure his manliness than the length of his cigar ash?!?!? But even with over a 2 inch ash, no cone was produced. Even though I really like to see a cone, the sharper the better, it in no way does it affect my opinion of this cigar. This cigar is another hit for Mr.Stulac!

The cigar has a clean mouth feel and a clean finish with hints of chocolate in the last third of the cigar.

The White Blinding Light comes in the Robusto, Toro, and Torpedo sizes in the $12 + range for singles or $279-288 per box. You can get 5 packs from pipesandcigars.com for a little bit of a discount in the upper $50 range.

Meatloaf gives this one a Buzz Rating of 6 out of 10
                         And an Overall Rating of 3.5 out of 5

Turk gives this one a Buzz Rating of 6 out of 10
                  And an Overall Rating of 4 out of 5   

Cigar Moose Gives this one a Buzz Rating of 7 out of 10
                                And an Overall Rating of 4 out of 5

Like it?: Absolutely! Excellent construction, tastes and complexity!

Buy it again?: I would definitely buy a 5 pack to keep in my humidor!

Recommend it?: Absolutely! But I must confess Paul, while the White is of the same caliber the Red is, The Red continues to be my favorite! But remember folks, This cigar was produced before the Red Screaming Sun, which tells me that Paul consistently improves on an already great and high quality product. Another feather in your cap Paul. You continue to amaze me!

 

Hope you all had a great Christmas Holiday! And here is to all of you, my "Brothers and Sisters of the Leaf", raise ashes high, and Happy New Year 2013! Till next post.......................Peace!

Lighter maintinence

Hey all! Cigar Advisor published an article on how to properly purge and refill a lighter. Here is the link:

 Cigar Advisor

For a long time I would just purge before I put the butane in, and not every time I might add. I would only do it when the lighter would act up. Wish I would have seen this article about two weeks ago as I had a problem with my NEBO lighter which I have also had for about 6 years, like the author of the article. Unfortunately I became frustrated with the lighter and chocked it up to a possible leak as it didn't seem to hold butane or light. So in my frustration I tossed it in the trash! After reading the article I am thinking that it had just reached a point that there was to much air in the tank mixing with the butane. Bummer!

Well the good news is that I haven't taken the trash to the local dump yet. The bad news is do I want to go through the twelve or so bags of garbage in the freezing cold to take a chance that my hunch is right?  I mean I got a great deal on the lighter and only paid about $7 plus shipping. So is my time worth the loss of about $10 for 6 years of use? But it was really shiny chrome and had a really neat lighting mechanism that flipped out towards you with a double torch! Mmmmmmmmmmm?????

Well...............Maybe I should put on some warm clothes.....................................

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

Stulac Review coming!

Hey all! Just a heads up to let you know another Stulac cigar review is coming this week. This week we will be reviewing the White Blinding Light. Yeah I know it's hardly a new cigar and has already been reviewed by many before me, but it's new to us and will now  be done Cigar Moose style! So stay tuned and in a couple days you can see a review From the Cigar Moose Crew!

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

Cuban Rejects Review

Hey all! Sorry for the big delay in reviews. I have been having trouble with my old 5 year old laptop and decided it was time to put it to rest. So now we here at Cigar Moose have a brand new laptop with Windows 8 installed. Wow! What a difference! But there is quite a learning curve moving up from Windows Vista to Windows 8! Also Mr. and Mrs. Cigar Moose have had busy schedules with kids in sports and trying to get everything together for the oldest Moose kid to get ready for college! Times like these is what makes Mr. Cigar Moose really enjoy the fruits of cigars!

We have all seen these cigars in the catalogs, online, or at our local shop. At first glance I didn't think much of them, as might you have,  thinking they were another cheap knock off. Boy was I fooled!

Cuban Rejects.

With a little research on the net, I found out Cuban rejects are considered seconds or "Segundos". They are made by new rollers in training and don't always look good. But they can be surprising as you will see. I have yet to have a bad tasting one. Made by Tobacco General these cigars have very confusing info as to their make-up. One site says they are Dominican, while Tobacco General claims them to be made with Nicaraguan Tobacco. Another site claims the make-up is a Nicaraguan sandwich blend , but they all agree that these are all hand-made and not by machine. The wrappers it comes in are a natural fino and maduro. Another point I'd like to point out is that the company has a hard time keeping up with demand for this cigar, so it can't be that bad.

I have looked at and bypassed these cigars many times. So why now? Why this time? Well, like all of us at some time or another, I was in my local cigar store looking at the racks of cigars one day and noticed that my pockets were quite light that day, get my drift? But I wanted a cigar for that afternoon, something I didn't have in my humidor, Something different. So I spotted the Cuban Rejects on the shelf, price was right (cheap!), and they didn't look all that bad. I chose the Torpedo in Maduro wrapper.

When I got home, I sat down on the back deck to do this review. After all, thats what this blog is supposed to be about, good affordable cigars for the average Joe.

For a cigar that is supposed to be a second and rolled by a new roller, it had a seamless wrap with few small veins to the dark oily wrapper. I must say they are using really good aged maduro wrapper. You can see a slight oily sheen to it.  

The body Smells sweet of hay and raisins, the foot smells of chocolate. The prelight draw is fairly easy, not perfect, and tastes of sweet tobaccos.

Upon light I get nice nutty aftertaste. There is a slight sting to the back of the throat and through the nose, but it is pleasant. A few minute in I notice the burn is slightly uneven. This might be due to my lighting technique. I torch the center of the cigar and move to the outside edges. I recently read of a new technique that makes more sense. All you need to torch is the outside edge of the foot. The air flows fastest at the center of the foot, therefore it will draw the burn from the edge to the center allowing a more even burn. I have not yet tried it, but will keep you posted after a few attempts in the future.

About an inch in, I am getting more pepper through the nose. The cigar is progressing to more medium in taste. Getting a medium volume of smoke which has a salty aroma to it like being near the ocean. By the 1/3 mark I am getting rich tobacco tastes with brown sugar and chocolate. I am really surprised by the complexity of flavors.

Sorry for the lack of more pictures, I got so caught up in the flavors I forgot to take more!

The cigar produces a nice cone with a whitish grey ash. Burn is still uneven.

A little under the 2/3 mark, the strength started to pick up. Alot more spice coming through the nose and on the palate with nice chocolate aftertastes. I am getting a nice buzz! Towards the end the wrapper started to lift a little but nothing to fret about to much.

Buzz Rating on this one I give an 8 out of 10. A nice buzz that builds up perfectly as the smoke progresses.

Overall I give this cigar a 4 out of 5. This cigar really surprised me. It was very eventful in tastes and in building strength. For a cheap cigar I think this one is a winner everyone should have in their humidor.

You can buy these beauties online at various vendors for around $60-65 for a box of 50. But at places like my local tobacconist I have seen these cigars in 10 packs for around $20. You can get Cuban Rejects in Churchill, robusto, toro, and torpedo sizes all within a few dollars of each other. you can puchase online 10 packs of Torpedos like I reviewed for $15 plus shipping from PrimeWholesale.com (http://www.primewholesale.com/cuban-rejects-torpedo-maduro-cigars-4657-prd1.htm) or TobaccoGeneral.com (http://www.tobaccogeneral.com/cuban-rejects-torpedo-maduro-cigars-4797-prd1.htm)

Like it?: Absolutely! Nice buzz and quite the flavor profile!

Buy it again?: I will definitely buy a box to put in my humidor!

Recommend it?: Absolutely! This is the classic cigar that I have been preaching about. It's affordable, it has decent construction, it has a good flavor profile and strength, and did I mention affordable.? Do yourself a favor, buy a 10 pack and try them. I bet you will buy a box!

Cold weather is upon us and we are forced to either give up our hobby for the Winter or move into makeshift Man Caves (garages, porches and sheds) with paltry heating to enjoy our smokes. Unless you are lucky enough to have a spot in your heated house or cellar. I personally am working on a Wood shop/Man Cave but have yet to even put electricity in it (sigh) maybe this Spring.........................

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

Update to the Paul Stulac Red Screaming Sun

Hey all! Look back at the Paul Stulac Red Screaming Sun Cigar review, as I have updated it with Meatloafs take on it. So take a second look if you haven't done so already. And if you haven't seen it at all, What are you waiting for?!?!?!? Take a look and if you like what you see, tell all your friends, forward the blog.

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

Paul Stulac Red Screaming Sun Cigar Review

Hey all! Back again with a highly anticipated review! We couldn't wait to get our hands on these new cigars from Paul Stulac!

His Creed is "Regalo De Dios" which is Spanish for "Gift of God".

The Red Screaming Sun line was debuted at the 2012 IPCPR show last August. Although the cigar is for anyone, packaging and advertising is geared to appeal to the military and biker crowd.

First off I would like to say this cigar is a thing of beauty! At a Toro size of 6x56, it has a nice and chunky feel in the hand, it feels solid. The band  it sports, I am told by Paul, is a prototype band and a final official band will be ready soon. The cigar is tightly wrapped in a toothy, slightly veiny wrapper.

This cigar has a Connecticut Broadleaf  Wrapper, with a Sumatra binder, and Nicaraguan filler.

You can see the oily sheen glisten off this cigar because of the obvious well aged wrapper.

The body smells of sweet spice and the foot of sweet tobaccos and chocolate. It's a real nice aroma. Meatloaf says he thinks the body has a spicy aroma like an infused cigar and the foot reminds him of pipe tobacco. 

Like I said before, the body is firm. Meatloaf remarks that in his experience with larger ring gauges like this, they aren't as firm. You would think that a cigar this solid feel would have a very restricted draw from densely pack tobacco, but after clipping the generous cap, we were very pleased to get an effortless draw, which tastes slightly sweet to the air flowing through it. 

I like to take the band off right away, and it comes off with little effort and no damage to the cigar. That's a plus for me , as I can't tell you how many times I have had a good cigar, only to have a ruined wrapper from an over-glued band. 

Oh I forgot to mention that Turk has Joined me on this initial preview of this cigar. Due to conflicting schedules, I have added notes from Meatloaf and I, from a review of this cigar, about a week later. I have, as you can see, Color coded their responses.

Upon light we are greeted with spice and nuts. Not an overpowering spice, but a definite and very prominent presence. Right off the get go, nice volumes of smoke are being produced with every draw. Nice billowy dense creamy smoke, just the way I like it.

Turk comments that this cigar is a nice medium bodied cigar and not a gut-buster. I have to agree. So far this cigar seems very well balanced in spice. It's not over the top, just the right amount. 

Meatloaf has pointed out something I missed on my initial review.  Like the Opus X Lost City Cigar, this cigar gives a dryness to the mouth like a dry wine. Not as much as the Opus X but very present.  He also notes, that 1/2 inch in he is getting sweet nut tastes.

It's at this point we notice the comfortable buzz starting to creep up on us. Surprisingly it is early into the cigar, but who's complaining?  We are only 1/2 into the cigar! Meatloaf rarely feels the buzz from a cigar and he is impressed that this one is hitting him so soon.

I am not even an inch into the cigar and for some reason I get and aftertaste of hazelnuts on the smoke. That's a real nice surprise! The slight sweetness to the smoke is always present and sticks to the palette.

I was completely not using my head when I set my crystal ashtray on an unstable surface. I set my cigar down on it to run into the house for a minute, and when I returned, inadvertently bumped it and knocked it to the floor! Son of a.......!!!! With just over an inch in my ash has been knocked off. Luckily, Turk isn't so clumsy and as you can see has a nice ash going on. 

Turk says he is getting a charred meaty taste coming through. I start to notice it too, and it is the first definite time that I have ever experienced that kind of flavor profile. We find it quite enjoyable! We both keep getting an unidentifiable taste on the after-smoke as we exhale. It's very pleasant but we just cant pinpoint what the taste is. I am almost thinking it's cherry? Meatloaf says yes, definitely cherry.

Turk is at the halfway point and the ash just keeps hanging on!

 Shortly after this picture was taken, Turks ash fell off. After grabbing the felled ash, he remarks how dense it is. "Feel this thing!" he says pointing to the ashtray. I pinch the large ash remnant to only be surprised at how right he is! I gave the ash a good pinch and it would not relent to my efforts only slightly! Like Turk remarked, it's like a hay-bail with the look of the material of a wasp nest! Dense whitish grey Ash-Zilla is what I am describing it as.......producing a fairly decent cone. 

We all would also like to note that the aroma of this cigar is really nice. It's not overbearing like some cigars and shouldn't offend bystanders.

Sweet woody tones are coming through with an underlying chocolate flavor. The complexity of this cigar is just amazing! Meatloaf likes the good taste that sticks to the mouth and says its not like some he has had ,where you want to lick a dogs ass to get the taste out of your mouth! Did I mention my Posse can be very creative and colorful?

A slight wind started blowing causing my cigar to burn a little uneven. Re-adjusting my position corrected it. Look at that cone though! 

This cigar starts off mild and quickly changes to medium. This medium body continues throughout the whole cigar. As I get down to the nub, (and I smoked all I could!), the cigar never burned hot at all, until the ash almost touched my fingers! Meatloaf remarks that it burns very cool. He says it burns very much like a 6x60 Rocky Patel 1990 he smoked that he had hidden in his humidor for 2 years, effortless cool smoke. 

The buzz is amazing on this cigar, giving me wave after wave of head swimming, feel good euphoria! 

Turk is happy with buzz too. He needs all that he can get as he is laying on his back, on my deck, due to an ache in his lower back. Wish I had taken a pic of my burly biker looking friend smoking his Red Screaming Sun on his back, dropping ash on his beard and chest as he smoked!

Buzz Rating I give this one is 9 out of 10. Man the buzz started early, rising to a real comfortably numb feeling! 

Turk gives it a Buzz Rating of 7 out of 10.

Meatloaf gives a Buzz Rating of 9 out of 10.

Overall I give it a 5 out of 5 !!! 

Turk gives an overall rating of 4 out of 5. His only complaint was that he got ash in his beard and shirt! User Error I say!

Meatloaf gives an Overall Rating of 5 out of 5! This is the first perfect score he has ever given!

My Favorite Cigar is the Camacho Triple Maduro. I have had the privilege to smoke the God of Fire and Opus X Lost City Cigar. I am not lying when I say that the Red Screaming Sun, in my opinion, ranks up equally with those cigars. I now have 2 equally favorite cigars. Paul Stulac has put a lot of time and effort into this blend and it shows. His hard work has paid off creating a cigar with perfect complexity, taste, spice and construction. Do yourself a favor, look up a retailer near you, find an online vendor, or beg your local tobacconist to get some of these cigars. you wont regret it!

These cigars cannot be found yet online. But check the Retailer list from his sight listed here:

Paul Stulac Cigars

From what I can see, other lines of his cigars start at $7.75 for singles and $152 a box of 20 from http://pipesandcigars.com/paul-stulac-classic-cigars.html

Do yourself a favor and buy a single. I guarantee you will be hooked on Red Screaming Sun. And if your not......... Go smoke a wood twig!

Like it?: Absolutely! I can't wait to smoke another!

Buy it again?: I will definitely buy a box to put in my humidor!

Recommend it?: Yes! Do you want to go smoke a twig??? I didn't think so! I highly recommend you try one of these. Just so many pluses to be the perfect smoke in my opinion.

A BIG Thanks to Paul Stulac, who is just an everyday guy we can all relate to, and has a great gift in making great cigars. 

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

Pirates Gold Cigar Review

Hey all! Back again with another Cigar review! I know, I know! You are all saying FINALLY!

Before I get to the review I just want to say that this has been quite a busy summer, but not too busy to smoke and write down some reviews. Paul Stulac Cigars are here! Been in the humidor for a few days. Tomorrow Turk will be over to help start the review rolling on this great looking cigar. The one we will be reviewing will be his new line Red Screaming Sun!! These are so new that Paul has told me that even the bands on the cigar are prototypes! We are all excited and feel privileged  to bring this new cigar here to Cigar Moose. So the review with Turk will go up immediately within the next couple days, and as I get the rest of the Posse in board to review, I will update the review.

But first lets review the Pirates Gold cigar today!

We have all seen them advertised at Cigars International. We have all wondered whether it was worth the $30 price for what seems like a bargain boutique cigar. We are all looking for that inexpensive cigar that has that balance of  good construction, great taste, and a fair price that won't bust the wallet. Look no further. This cigar will appeal to a lot of us Brothers of the Leaf in all those requirements.

Cigars International describes this cigar as being a creation of Rolando Reyes Jr in the Puros Indios Factory. He pulled the blend off the market a few years ago and let it age to bring out a real mellowness. Other than that CI doesn't lend any info as to the blend or wrapper. After a search on the net, I found on The Cigar Hut,   (www.cigarsforlass.com), that this is a Honduran Cigar which is medium to full bodied. It has filler consisting of Dominican, Brazilian, and Nicaraguan tobaccos. It Comes in two choices of wrapper, an Ecuadorian Sumatra or Maduro.      

The cigar we are reviewing for today is the Maduro version. We have all seen these in the catalogs or online. We have all wondered if they are a good cigar for the paltry price they sell them for.

Right off the get go I instantly notice the brown tint to the Cello wrapper. That's from the oils of the cigar from the aging process. It's a good sign. As I look the cigar over I notice the oils on the toothy, veiny wrapper. The body smells like musty hay, the foot smells of sweet chocolate. It has a generous cap. 

Pre-light draw is effortless and oddly enough tastes of rum. Call me crazy but ironically it does! 

Upon light I get a big hit of spice and lots of toasted nuts. It's starting off mild to medium in body, more on the medium end. 

The burn is fairly even with a whitish layered ash. I notice a black mark forming on the body about 3/4 of an inch up from the burn line.

Closer inspection shows that the black mark is getting a little bigger, but in no way has it affected the draw.

After a few minutes pass, and the ash catches up, a hole appears where the black mark once was. This was just a slight void the rollers left in the process. I have to say that I have had a few of these cigars and this is the first one I have had that did this.

You can see the tunnel of space in the cigar here as it has burned down. Burn at this point was uneven understandably.

Tastes coming through are of wood, earth, and a predominant leather. Burn has evened out and is producing a decent cone. Smoke volume is starting to increase. Ash is starting to turn to a dirty grey color. 

Strength is starting to come through as I am starting to feel the buzz. The cigar is clean to the mouth and has a long finish with strong leather tastes. 

Buzz Rating on this one I give an 8 out of 10. It has a really nice buzz.

Overall I give it a 3.5 out of 5. I didn't really like the big leather finish. It was still a good cigar up till the end, just not my preference in a finish. But for those who like that leather tastes prevalent in their smoke, will greatly enjoy this. At the low price tag for this cigar at around $30 for Mazos of 20, you cant go wrong to have these, or at least a cheaper 5 pack from Cigarbid.com, in your humidor for an everyday smoke, or to pass around to the boys at the next card game night.

Like it?: Yes, but the finish was a bit much for me.

Buy it again?: Yes. It would be a good idea to keep a few of these in my humidor, maybe not a whole bundle though.

Recommend it?: Yes, This would be a good cigar for smokers who like medium body, with leather prevalent in the tastes.

 Well that's it! Paul Stulac Cigar review coming up for the Red Screaming Sun line! So stay tuned! Till next post..............Peace!

New Reviews Coming!

Hey all! Just giving you all a heads up that we will be posting some new reviews soon! Been a busy summer with lots of cigar sampling! Also I have been contacted by Paul Stulac of Paul Stulac Cigars to sample and review his new lines which were featured at the IPCPR show last month. They truly look like a promising brand. Have a look for yourself at www.paulstulaccigars.com/ .

Just got back from the New York State Fair. We got to see Theory of a Deadman in concert there and it was Awsome!

Like I said, we will have some new reviews up soon this week and we look forward to getting and reviewing Paul Stulacs cigars!

On a side note, is anyone interested in seeing Cigar Moose Video Reviews of cigars? If so take the poll to the right! 

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