Review Fonseca Maduro Cigar

Hey all! We have had a good run of weather in this last week! Was even able to get into the pool, even if it was to just vacuum it out!

Looking ahead, I will be reviewing a new cutter on loan from Turk, called the Shuriken Cigar cutter.

Today though, I will be reviewing a Fonseca Maduro Cigar.

Originally this cigar hailed from Cuba, but today is manufactured in the Dominican Republic at the MATASA Factory, from Master Blender Manuel "Manolo" Quesada. It is said that it rivals and even outperforms its Cuban original!  Wrapped in a Maduro Connecticut Shade wrapper, it has well aged Dominican long-fillers and a Mexican Binder. 

I'm guessing the size to be 5 x 50. Oils can easily be seen on the body, and especially on the cap. The cap seems to have spots that are slightly lifted, looking to be sloppy work of the roller. The wrapper has slight veins and has a musty smell to the body. The foot smells of sweet chocolate and raisins. 

Prelight draw is good, but I am getting a slight bitterness to the lips from the wrapper. 

Upon light I am getting that Tang I so dislike from Cuban style cigars. At first glance I am not to enthused about smoking the whole cigar, but i decide to give it a chance.

About an inch in I start getting earthy tastes. The tang is starting to subside, a relief to me. The cigar is producing a a dense dark grey ash. At first this cigar had a slightly uneven burn, but has now evened out.

The cigar is producing a good volume of smoke and now bringing chocolate to my palate. This cigar is really getting better and I am glad I gave it a second chance as I was tempted to throw it out in the beginning.

I had a 3 inch ash and as usual, it fell off just as I was reaching for the camera! 

The strength of this cigar is medium and its taste is slightly less than medium.

The cigar was clean to the mouth and had a long lingering finish.

Buzz Rating on this cigar I give a 4 out of 10. Definitely not over powering but very enjoyable.

Overall I give this cigar a 3 out of 5. This by no means says that this is a bad cigar. It was rather enjoyable to smoke. At first I didn't think so but it surprised me with a total turn around in taste. This cigar would be good for handing out to your buddies around the campfire or any kind of gathering. 

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.

So thats That! Keep checking back for new posts and reviews or plug in your email address in the appropriate place in the right column to be notified of new posts.

Enjoy the good summer weather!

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

New Reviews Coming This Week

Hey all! Just a heads up that some new reviews will be showing up in the next week.

So stay tuned and check back!

Good weather returning to the Adirondacks will bring more opportunities to get out by a campfire and smoke some good sticks with friends!

Hoping to get together with some of my Posse in the next few days.

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

Review CU Avana Maduro

Hey all! Finally got a minute to myself to flip through the pages of my ever valuable cigar diary!

This summer looks pretty promising with cigar reviews featuring another beauty from the humidor of Paul Joyal of Ocean State Cigars. His new line in the J Grotto Series entitled "Silk" has got us here at Cigar Moose excited with anticipation!

Also Meatloaf has got a couple premium cigars lurking in his humidor for us to review. Looking forward to it Pal! You'll have to wait and see what we got!

 As promised I am here with another review of a great affordable cigar!  The Cu Avana Maduro!

The Cu Avana Maduro is made by a Master Blender, Manuel Quesada. He is the man behind Fonseca, Casa Manga, and the creator behind the original Dominican Romeo y Julieta. 

The Cu Avana Maduro is made with a naturally fermented Connecticut Broadleaf  Maduro Wrapper that  is oily to the touch, which also contributes to a slow burn. 

It is described by Cigars International as having spicy notes and layers of complexity that mellow suddenly into a mild, very pleasant sweet cigar. Using the same Dominican Longfiller as the Cu Avana Natural, It is described as being mild, smooth, and pleasant.

Lets Get Started!

First thing I notice is the gorgeous dark oily veiny wrapper with it's generous cap. The body is firm and smells of sweet tobacco. The foot takes on notes of sweet raisins. The band came off easily and not marring the wrapper. And that is a plus in my book, as there is nothing I hate more than ripping the wrapper while taking the band off, because some employee was too generous with the glue putting the band on. 

Prelight draw was good with sweet nuances to the taste. Upon light I get a blast of toasted nuts, very mild in body, and really good sweet Maduro flavors coming through.

As the cigar progresses, it produces a dense grey ash with an even burn. And believe me when I say this is a slow burner! There are no real pronounced flavors that I could pick out at first. Mild through the nose. Not alot of spice so far. 

Just before the halfway point I start getting some woody notes, with a bit of chocolate. A really nice combo!  

It's at this point the wrapper starts to unravel at the foot partway up the body. This may be due to some humidor issues I had at he beginning of the new year. My humidor decided it didn't want to keep humidity at optimum levels. Further investigation revealed that although the two humidification squares I had in the humidor were fully saturated, for some reason they weren't expending the humidity from them. I didn't even know they could go bad, and have yet to find any info to prove such.  So at this point I have to pull out my trusty chapstick and put a small dallop under the separated leaf to adhere it back to the body, preventing it from further unraveling. And in case you were wondering, I fixed the problem in the humidor by removing the squares and replacing them with a jar of gel beads soaked in the Humidor solution. No Worries!

I must say that this cigar produces a good volume of smoke, which smells just like a Sancho Panza Double Maduro. Very pleasant unique aroma!

With a third left of cigar, I get more wood and chocolate coming through. The strength is picking up also to a bolder profile. Tastes are becoming a bit bolder, and progressing into a much better cigar in my opinion. I really am a fan of the Sancho Panza Double Maduro, so the aroma of this cigar really peaks my likability as it is so much like that line. 

I know they tout this cigar as being mild, but i must say as this cigar progressed it picked up in strength as it progressed right to the end, with a bold ending layered in spice. I guess my terminology is a bit confused.

What I learned from this cigar in terms of terminology was that a cigar can be mild in the sense of buzz, but its flavor profiles can be spicy and bold. I guess you can learn something new everyday! So when I said earlier that it was picking up in strength, what i was meaning was bolder tastes and not the buzz.

So with this knowledge, I ca be happy to say I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar!

This cigar can be had From Cigars International ( www.cigarsinternational.com ) in bundles of 20 ranging at present time from $30 to $40 based on your size preference.

Buzz rating on this cigar I give a 4 out of 10. Not a lot of buzz but this in no way detracts or negates this cigar.

Overall I give this cigar a 4 out of 5. Very pleased with this one. Lots of smoke with a unique aroma. Mild yet bold on tastes. And a great value for the price.............Hands down, everyone should have some of these in their humidor.

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

Still Here!!!!!

Hey all! Just checking in to let you all know I am still here! Been a busy Spring here with outdoor clean ups and all. Getting the property in good shape before the wife yells!

More reviews on the way in the next couple days, so check back! More good reviews to come!

Stay Tuned!

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

Free Cigar Aficionado Subscription

Hey all hit this link:

http://www.rewardsgold.com/mags/cigar/sg_cigar_pg1gd.htm

And if you are willing to fill out your info and do a short survey on cigars you can have a 1 year subscription through Rewards Gold of Cigar Aficionado Magazine. I have got subscriptions from them before and they are safe. Plus it's free! Got my Subscription on the way!

More reviews coming soon so be patient!

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

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!

Oliveros Cuban Spliff Cigar Review

Hey all! Just another break in the weather this mid-February, sunny and 37 degrees, which brought Mrs. Cigar Moose and I out to the garage to have a cigar. Sitting in the sun with no breeze made it tolerable enough to enjoy this cigar I am about to review.


First of all I would like to say this cigar totally surprised me. I got it in a $20 Brown Bag Sampler From Cigars International, bearing no band or any info as to what it was, so my expectations were really low. I didn't want to look it up before hand as I wanted to see how my review and the description compared. It was only after I smoked it and a quick search of the CI website that its identity was revealed. It's a cigar that I would have normally overlooked, as I usually stay away from anything that has the word Cuban in it, because in my experience with Cuban cigars has literally left a bad taste in my mouth. Even though this is not a real Cuban cigar, I generally have found that any cigar with it in its name has some of those tastes or characteristics of Cuban cigars. Cubans for me have a certain twanginess to the taste I just don't care for. Not the case in this cigar I am about to review.


Cigars International Describe this cigar as: 6"x52 in size with a shaggy foot and head. Each cigar is a blend of aged Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos, bound in a Honduran leaf, and then wrapped in a natural Ecuadorian leaf grown in Honduras, either a Maduro or in this case Natural wrapper. Earthy core and complimented by slight notes of wood and pure crisp tobacco flavor. Rustic and medium in body.

My review is as follows before I read the description on the CI website. The flavor profile I noticed was much more complex than the description given, but everyone's tastes are different.

First thing I notice is the very rustic look of the cigar, toothy Connecticut sun grown-looking wrapper with  a shaggy foot and head. A dark binder leaf can be seen exposed at the foot of the cigar. The foot smells sweet with slightly sweet fragrance to the firm body. Pre-light draw is very good giving little resistance. 

Upon light I am met with a blast of nuttiness. A bit of pepper through the nose, yet mild to the mouth. Fairly mild in the first inch, with a flaky dirty ash and a slightly uneven burn. First tap of the ash yields a very short pointy cone. Mild like a Dominican. Definite woody tones are coming through. Picking up in strength, a slight nicotine burn is starting in the back of my mouth. Plenty of smoke, yet not thick creamy smoke. I am starting to get a bit of chocolate tastes halfway through. Mild to medium, going back and forth in strength, is like a roller coaster ride. Medium strength building with each revolution, like Nicaraguan or Honduran tobacco. Creamy tastes start coming through. Mrs. Cigar Moose says it's like a Chocolate liqueur, with hints of vanilla. I agree with her after she identifies it. We agree on a cappuccino coffee like character to it.  Had to correct the burn with my torch as it got way uneven. Eventually the burn stayed even and produces a sharp pointy cone. We both got hazelnut flavors on the end of the smoke. With the creaminess, it was like a hazelnut creamer you would add to your coffee.

Dammit! As I got down to the nub, I dropped it on my garage floor! Why the hell didn't I sweep the dirt off the floor? Quickly I pick it up dust it off and put it back in my mouth. And quickly I begin to spit out sand I missed dusting it off.

After a few times spitting sand and puffing, I decide it's the end of the smoke. It has a clean finish with a lingering coffee like taste.

Buzz rating for this one I give a 3.5 out of 5. At first I gave this one a 2.5, but as I moved around I started feeling more of the buzz. First time I ever got a delayed reaction from the buzz.

Overall I give this one an 8 out of 10. Like I said in the beginning, this cigar surprised me as I didn't expect much. It was very eventful to me with it's roller coaster ride in strength, and changing variety in flavors. Even Mrs. Cigar Moose like this cigar, a deviation from her usual flavored cigars. She says she wished they made it into a smaller cigar as she doesn't think she could handle such a large cigar. 

But wait! Upon finding it's true identity on the CI website, I found out they do make this great cigar in the smaller size of 4.5"x40! So it looks like we might be adding this gem to our humidor for summer. The smaller size comes in boxes of 20 for $25. The one reviewed,  6"x52, can be had for $150 for 50. That sounds expensive, but do the math, it amounts to $3 each. But don't fret, you can also get a 5-pack to try yourself for $19.50. What i would suggest is if you like the 5-pack, go in halves with a buddy on a whole box. Or, you can just buy a box of the smaller size if you don't mind a shorter smoke. The larger size lasted about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Spitting sand grit out after you drop it lasts all day!

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

DA Vinci Masterpiece and Swisher BLK Cherry Reviews

Hey all!!Back again on a rather warm winter day in January! Today's temps hovered around 40 degrees, so Mrs. Cigar Moose and I decided to fire up the kerosene heater in the future wood-shop/man-cave and burn some leaf.

Lets Give a shout out to Frat Boy for the DA Vinci Masterpiece! Thanks bud!

The Davinci Masterpiece is made by Altadis and described by JRCigars.com as an upscale line extension of the regular DA Vinci cigars. It is made with a toothy Nicaraguan wrapper and packed with  full Nicaraguan long filler tobacco. It's a true Nicaraguan Puro, which is just fancy talk saying all the tobacco is from the same country.

The Swisher Sweets Tip BLK Cherry is a machine made cigarillo made in Jacksonville Florida. It is a pipe tobacco cigar comprised of hand select air and fire cured tobaccos that deliver sweet tastes and great aromas sure to please everyone around you.

Okay lets review! 

The Masterpiece comes in a glass tube with a real cork end. This one was in the Populare size, which was 6.5 x 46. The body of the cigar was slightly spongy and smelled of sweet straw with hints of chocolate. The wrapper is flawless and very well made. The foot smelled of sweet chocolate and some nut I just can't pinpoint.

Pre-light draw was medium and has rich tobacco tastes.

Upon light I was met with black pepper tastes and definitely woody tones. A slight nicotine sting can be felt on the back of the tongue and through the nose. It starts off slightly less medium in body.

As the cigar progresses it starts picking up medium to full in body, black pepper coming through more and more.

The burn is slightly uneven, and after the first tap, yielded no cone. Before the halfway point the cigar kept wanting to go out. After another tap of the flaky dirty ash, holes could be seen inside the cigar. Obviously the filler wasn't bunched correctly. Burn became more uneven but didn't affect the taste of the cigar which was quite good. I corrected the burn with my torch 2/3 into the cigar and after the next tap got a sharp cone. Unfortunately, there was no cone for the rest of the smoke but the burn stayed even.. 

The cigar was very smooth despite its strength and as it progresses adds faint traces of chocolate to the palate. With a full mouth feel and a lingering finish, this cigar was quite enjoyable. It lasted about an hour.

Buzz Rating on this one I give 8 out of 10. A nice comfortable floating feeling in the brain.

Overall I give it a 4 out of 5. I liked this one. Despite its burn issues, due to what I believe is from improper bunching of the long-fillers, it has good taste and strength. 

You can get these cigars from JRCigars.com for a great price of $20 for 10 cigars all sizes. 

As for Mrs. Cigar Moose's Swisher BLK Cherry cigarillo, she says it was good for an over the counter cigarillo. Pre-smoke it smells like sweet cherries. She says the tip tastes sweet. A definite cherry smell to the smoke hangs in the air like typical cherry pipe tobacco. I took a couple puffs and liked it. Tastes more like pipe tobacco to me than Middleton cigarillos. I like them better than the Middletons. Very smokey and that smokiness transfers to the taste as well. Mild to medium to her. "It's not as good as a Tatiana cigarillo, but I like it." she says. It lasted about 15-25 minutes.

She gives it a buzz rating of 2 out of 10. 

Over all she give it a 3 out of 5.  "The flavor doesn't last as long as the Tatiana cigarillo" she says.

These cigarillos can be bought from many online sellers for about $15 a box of 20.  I purchased this one at a gas station for 75 cents plus tax.

Well there you have it. Hopefully we can get better days to smoke again,

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

 

Jet Lighter Maintenance

Hey All! Today I found a video from Cigar Aficionado News Watch Newsletter on jet lighter maintenance. You can view the video here:  Jet Lighter Mainenance

You can also subscribe to this newsletter here: Cigar Aficionado Newsetter

You can find the signup in the yellow band Just above where it says "Latest News".

I have seen just this one issue and it looks like it's going to be a good news letter to keep you up to date on cigars and cigar accessories.

Remember to Join this site at the right of the blog under "Followers". It takes only a few minutes and it will help me to try and get the "Cigar Company Boys" to notice this site, so I can get samples to review for you and possibly get some cool things from them to give away to the followers.

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

Artisan Nicaraguan Maduro Review

Hey all! Just going over some of the things I got for Xmas. How many of you received Cigars or cigar accessories for Xmas? I would love to hear on this blog what you got in the area of cigars. So, by all means, please comment. And if you take the time to subscribe to this blog, you'll get updates as to when I have posted. The more subscribers I get, maybe I can get the "Big Cigar Boys" to notice me and decide to send samples for me to review and maybe even some free giveaways.

Mrs.Cigar Moose was very good to me this year and surprised me with a few cigar related gifts. She bought me a  Romeo y Julieta Edicion Limitada 6 cigar sampler that included a very nice Montecristo pen with built in cigar punch. Review to follow at a later date.

She really surprised me with a Xikar Spectra cutter that I have had my eye on for a couple years now.

And with her order she received an Artisan Nicaraguan Maduro cigar as a bonus! And that's what I am reviewing today. So today on a very miserable snowy day, I found myself in my shed, a soon to be Man Cave/Wood shop. Kerosene heater blazing and a couple lawn chairs, Mrs. Cigar Moose and I found it very tolerable and almost comfortable to light up a couple sticks.

This Brand from what I can see, can only be had from famous-smoke.com. It's not a super expensive cigar. Its not a cheap cigar, but well worth it's money. Famous describes this one as medium bodied and loaded with smooth, sweet, woody flavors and a note of cocoa on the finish.

First thing I notice on this cigar is it's gorgeous Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper that glistens with that wonderful oily sheen. The wrapper is quite toothy with prominent veins. The body smells of sweet hay, and the foot smells of sweet hazel nuts. The body was firm with only one spot that was slightly spongy. Using my new cutter, the generous cap came off quickly and cleanly. Wow! I love this cutter!

Pre-light draw is excellent and almost effortless. It tastes of sweet rich tobaccos. Upon light I was quite surprised that even though this cigar was made with Nicaraguan long fillers, it was very mild and mellow. My initial tastes are of sweet nuttiness. As the cigar progressed, it had a nice even burn with a silvery ash. First flick of the ash produced a decent cone. The cigar remained mellow with a sweet woody taste as described right up to the halfway point. It's at this time the smoke becomes more medium body with a very faint hint of black pepper on the back of the palette. This medium character remained for the rest of the smoke. On the last inch, the draw became a little tighter but still quite manageable. 

Buzz rating on this one I give a 7.5 out of 10: There was definitely a buzz going on here, not monstrous, but definitely present.

Overall I give this cigar 4.5 out of 5. Very nice flavor profile which was quite eventful. I really like spicy cigars, but this was really a good cigar without all the spice. It reminded me of a high quality Maduro, like the ones I used to smoke when I first got into cigars. The sweet nuttiness will not disappoint any seasoned smoker or cigar newbie alike. Seriously considering putting a bundle in my humidor for summer.

These cigars from Famous-smoke can be bought in bundles of 20 for $65. That's a little over $3 a stick, not bad for a really premium cigar in my opinion. A 5 pack will run you $27, a single about $6. But if you just want to try all the different types Artisan makes (six in all) you can get a sampler of 12 (2 each) for $26. If you want something different from your normal smoke or are just starting out in the cigar hobby, this is a great cigar to buy, and I highly recommend it.

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

Siglo sampler

Great deal from Cigar.com for a limited time. 9 assorted size Siglo Reserve sampler for $30! Thats a great price!  Especially when they go for around $6 each!

Here is the link: http://www.cigar.com/cigars/viewcigar.asp?brand=831&campsrc=true

Looks like I have not reviewed this cigar yet on the site, so I will make sure to do it soon. I must say this cigar is well worth the price. Its a really good cigar.

Hurry before the offer runs out!

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

Acid Subculture Beach Review

Hey all! This is a cigar I came across while in Orlando Florida a few years ago at the Corona Cigar Company store. This cigar is an exclusive made just for them by Drew Estate. If you have the chance to try one of these, you will not be disappointed.

First off, I would like to give props to the Corona Cigar Company store at the West Sand Lake Road location in the Orlando area. They have a very laid back atmosphere with one of the greatest selections of cigars I have ever seen. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable to the point of taking the time to walk a customer around the store and helping them make selections based on their preferences. And that's exactly what happened to this customer, me. Five star rating in my book as a store. 

Corona describes this cigar as: Bold notes of spice and sweetness, a long finish with herbal and creamy notes. 

Nice camaroon wrapper with slight veins. The cap is sweetened. The body and foot smell herbal like exotic spices. Mrs. Cigar Moose always says that the smell of any Acid cigars, this one included, is like spicy cologne. The cigar is slightly spongy, but more firm than spongy. 

Toasty notes upon light. Very mild and mellow. Notes of sweet almonds come through on the palette along with a hint of spice. Even burn with a grayish ash. The cigar became a little bolder with spice on the finish, but not so much as to make me not like it.  

At 5"x54, this cigar lasted  about 40 minutes. 

Buzz Rating on this cigar for me was 6 out of 10. Like I said before, mellow and mild.

Overall 4 out of 5. I like the taste of this one a lot. It's a nice deviation from my more medium to full cigars.  Very good with a clean finish. As described, it somehow, uncannily, reminds me of being on the beach. A nice mellow day in the sun on the beach, sort of feel good, type of experience. Good times!

Like I said before, these can only be had from Corona Cigar Company. So a box of these will set you back about $129, but you can get a 5 pack for $30. Well worth the 5 pack investment. Remember to think of the sunny beaches of Florida while kicking back with your favorite beverage and smoking this great cigar.

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

Cain F Cigar Review

Happy New Year All! Here we are about a week into 2012. Here we experienced a rather warm December with no snow on the ground for most of it and temps in the upper 40's. I can remember a few years ago a winter such as this and on Christmas day we were outside in medium weight coats, smoking cigars, sitting in lawnchairs, enjoying the 50-ish weather! But this year we had a dusting of snow just in time for Christmas morning for a white Holiday!

Today I want to review the Cain F cigar. I got this cigar in a sample pack from Famous-smoke.com .

This cigar is produced by by Oliva and employs a Habano wrapper with triple fermented Nicaraguan fillers.  It's described as chocked full of extra ligero leaves to give it that incredibly bold and hearty character, that blasts the palate with intense spice and pepper.

To start, this cigar visually is a thing of beauty. Perfect wrapper with slight veins. A firm body that smells of clean straw and a foot that smells of hazelnuts. The pre-light draw is good and tastes of sweet raisins. 

Upon light, I get a blast of hazelnuts and spice. Full in body right off but not overpowering. As the cigar progresses it becomes more medium to full and I keep getting a jalapeno taste to my palette.  I get lots of spice through the nose and nuts is ever present on the palette. I must say this cigar produces nice volumes of smoke which has a slight sweetness in taste. 

It has a nice dense dirty ash which fell of about about 2 inches into the smoke, producing a blunt cone. the next flick of the ash made a sharper cone. 

On the last inch, it really kicked up in spice and develops a chocolate taste. The cigar ended with a clean finish.

Buzz rating for this one is 7 out of 10. Maybe it's just me but I expected this one to have a bit more buzz after reading all the hype, but still it had some kick and was quite enjoyable with the Nic Kick.

Overall I give this one 4.5 out of 5. With its great construction and great tastes this cigar will not disappoint.

The best way to enjoy this cigar without breaking the bank is sampler packs from Famous Smoke or Cigars International  or in singles from Cigar.com. Boxes will run you $138 to $187 for 24. Samplers will start around $25 for 6 from Famous Smoke and CI. And some of the samplers will let you sample other cigars in the Cain series. If you like bolder cigars with volumes of smoke, this one is for you.

Until next post.......................................Peace! 

Free Chalice from Stella Artois

Hey all! I know this is a cigar forum but this is a good freebie which comes along only in a blue moon.

The beer Stella Artois is giving out their famous glass Chalice for free while supplies last. Here is the link to their site:
http://www.stellaartois.com/1-800-my-chalice-4108/

Call the 800 number and select the choice for getting your own Chalice. I think it was choice #2. You will then be directed to representative, wait was less than 5 minutes, who will take your info like age, address, and email. And that's it! Your Chalice is on the way. One Chalice per person, so if you can get you significant other to call too, you can get a set of two! Don't waste time on this one as the last time I saw this offer was a few years ago and supplies were depleted fast! Mine is on the way so I can't wait!

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