“Evening Smoke”The CAO America Monument is a fine smoke; it’s a little mellow but well-rounded and tasty. The construction was appealing with it’s classy pin stripe and minimal veins. The stick felt great and was just begging to be smoked.

Unfortunately, the burn was rough right from the start. The cigar had an inconsistent area on one side which caused the burn to be constantly uneven. The ash actually split in the affected area. Hopefully you can see the odd canyon that formed within the ash in the pictures. Despite the continual wrestling match with the burn the America was very tasty with an absolutely perfect drag. This CAO isn’t very robust but it smokes smooth with a sweetness lingering throughout. There was a mild spice that developed about halfway through. All in all its a good smoke with a little to be desired in the way of strength. OVERALL RATING: 82 Appearance and Construction: 12Flavor: 21Smoking Characteristics: 19Overall Impression: 30

Like this post? Donate a buck!

“Everyday Smoke” Ahhh, what a tasty little cigar. I have to admit that I have only had one or 2 Punch cigars in my life but after this one I was ready to buy a box! The size was perfect: It’s girthy but not so much that it burns too cool, and it has a great length (seriously…it’s hard to find a spare 90 minutes lying around to smoke a large cigar). The wrapper was nice and toothy and perfectly formed. (in case you’re wondering what “toothy” means, it’s a texture that many darker cigar leaves get. Its like little bumps on the leaf, otherwise known as “tooth”.  It’s usually a sign of a tasty wrapper)

The burn was almost perfect with only a couple little deviances. The flavor was rich and creamy with a slight sweetness. There was almost no pepper, which I was expecting. I really enjoyed the sweet flavor that was wafting through; it was reminiscent of the few real Cubans I’ve had. The ash was nice and whitish grey and formed perfectly (white ash is an indication of rich soil). The drag was initially a little tight but loosened up. I would recommend this stick to anyone.  It was flavorful, rich, and enjoyable. Not too strong, not light and very satisfying. OVERALL RATING: 89 Appearance and Construction: 14Flavor: 22Smoking Characteristics: 22Overall Impression: 31

Like this post? Donate a buck!

“Evening Smoke” I had the pleasure of sitting with my family by the fire on a fine San Diego evening, talking about life and enjoying cigars. I was smoking one of the newer Perdomo sticks, the Habanos, and drinking Arrogant Bastard by Stone Brewing Company. If any of you have every had an Arrogant Bastard before, you know that it’s hoppy enough to kill a small horse and certainly hoppy enough to deaden your pallet a bit.

I was talking and drinking so I really didn’t focus completely on the cigar, but hey, that’s what it’s all about. If you’re not enjoying yourself then don’t bother smoking! However, I did jot down a few notes, so here it is. The construction was great and the smooth maduro wrapper was slightly toothy. It had a mild, peppery vibe through the nose but aside from that it was very rich and smooth. The smoke was thick and the burn was consistent. The Arrogant Bastard was completely over the top and thoroughly enjoyed! I have never been one to complain about the combination of beer with cigar, however I must caution you not to smoke very fine cigars while drinking Arrogant Bastard.  It would just be a waste.The Perdomo Habanos is a wonderful cigar. It’s inexpensive, tasty, and smokes great. I highly recommend it!OVERALL RATING: 86 Appearance and Construction: 14Flavor: 20Smoking Characteristics: 22Overall Impression: 30

Like this post? Donate a buck!

I got this wine on sale, reduced from $12.99 to $8.99. For under ten bucks it is a pretty good deal. This wine demands to be drank. The complexity was lacking compared to some of the nice Points, but there were some flavors. It was smooth and briefly hit the mouth in the beginning, middle and end. I found the end to be strongest, but the beginning was sweet and nice. It finished earthy, but not as long as the bottle said it would. A good buy for the money and for that reason I give it an 80.

Like this post? Donate a buck!

“Everyday Smoke”I was pretty stoked on enjoying this CAO L’Anniversaire and all was going well until it turned into a bubbling cauldron of tarry death! (More on that later) Before lighting up I marveled a bit at the smooth maduro wrapper with it’s exceptionally small veins and shrink-wrapped like appearance. I lit it up and went to town. The drag was perfect and the smoke was velvety smooth. Despite a bit of an inconsistent burn the ash formed well and looked great. The flavor was very smooth and balanced with a little bit of sweetness. Unfortunately, a slight tar taste started developing about an inch and a half in and continued until the finish. It actually got so bad that it pretty much wrecked the whole experience. By about halfway through there were visible bubbles of tar coming out of the cap and I dared not touch any part of my mouth to the cap. Any lesser of a man would have most likely died from the experience, but being the trooper that I am I continued through to the bitter end (…and it was bitter)!  So what would have been an excellent cigar was magically transformed into a bubbling cauldron of tarry death. Bummer. OVERALL RATING: 66 Appearance and Construction: 14Flavor: 12Smoking Characteristics: 22Overall Impression: 18

Like this post? Donate a buck!

“Evening Smoke”

Every time I pick up on of the Perdomo Cabinet Series I am never disappointed. I grabbed this tasty gem up at a local shop for $8.99 and relaxed in their lounge to enjoy the Maduro bliss.

The Perdomo “E” started off with a hefty punch and a good strong spice. The flavors were all over the place at first but stabilized nicely after about 1/2″ of burn. After the initial range of flavors the cigar settled into a very rich and refined groove as the spice lightened. The flavors were very balanced and consistent throughout. There were some “woody”, smoky notes floating around in there somewhere, kind of like the faint smell of a good fire from a distance. The spice built in the last 1/3rd and the cigar finished smooth and strong. The ash seemed to drop prematurely but this was due to the fact that I was smoking it rather slowly. The ash, however, had great color and consistency, showing signs of premium tobacco and excellent production.

I ran into a foul tar taste at one point but it passed eventually and all was well; seemed like an anomaly for this stick. All in all, it was a great smoke I wouldn’t hesitate to smoke it again.

OVERALL RATING: 90

Appearance and Construction: 14

Flavor: 23

Smoking Characteristics: 22

Overall Impression: 31

Like this post? Donate a buck!

I just received these Legends in the mail and couldn’t wait to light one up. I know, I know… You’re saying “Daniel, you really should have left them in the humidor for a few days to ease their traveling woes,”. Moral of the story is, I didn’t care and just wanted to smoke one!The body of the cigar looked great with that rich Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper and a slightly oily moistness. It felt great between the fingers, consistently even throughout the length of the stick. For some reason the end cap looked like a bad toupee (must have been the end of the day on a Friday at the factory or something…). Despite the bad toupee flair I trimmed it up, toasted it, lit it and proceeded to enjoy an hour of cigar bliss.

The flavors were rich and silky smooth. In the beginning it was nothing but earthy goodness with a hint of peppery spice through the nose. After about a 1/2 inch the pepper began to build and remained throughout. The smoke was exceptionally thick and the ash held on like T-1000 from Terminator 2! The drag was perfect and even and the burn was consistent and smooth except for one weird little burnout that threw it off for a bit. I used the spit trick to coax it back in the right direction and all was well. (You can read about “The Spit Trick” in the Cigar School section.)

If your looking for a tasty and rich cigar that isn’t too strong, the Legend is a stick you should pick up! I would recommend it to people who like mild to medium cigars but want to dabble in the darker varieties. Don’t let the Maduro wrapper fool you, this baby is creamy and smooth.

OVERALL RATING: 93

Appearance and Construction: 14

Flavor: 24

Smoking Characteristics: 23

Overall Impression: 32

Like this post? Donate a buck!

“Evening Smoke”

I haven’t visited The Edge camp for a few months, so lighting up this cigar was a pleasant and satisfying experience. If want best bang for the buck, The Edge is your ticket to pure cigar enjoyment. The construction was great: a thick, smooth Maduro wrapper with the perfect amount of oily moisture.

This cigar was so tough that my first cut actually glanced off the cap leaving me with a partial cut. With visions of a ruined cap I proceeded cautiously with the dreaded second cut. (The second cut is normally reserved for rookies or those lacking enough cigar-cutting courage and is almost guaranteed to crack or simply destroy the cap.) The Edge faired the second cut like a champ with no cracks and a perfectly manicured cap! (I do feel the need to inform you that I was cutting with a quality, sharp Zino cutter.) This experience is definitely a testament to the quality craftsmanship of The Edge.With this almost traumatic cutting experience behind me I proceeded to light this toothy little gem. It lit effortlessly well and the drag was absolutely perfect, having a slight resistance with very generous amounts of thick, rich smoke. The first quarter of the stick was very spicy and left a distinctive twang on the lips. It smoothed out and turned into a very rich and robust smoke. The tasty peppery spice remained throughout the cigar along with the high nicotine content. The spice and nictoine were matched only by the overwhelming satisfaction brought by this little masterpiece.

My only complaints were that the burn was mildly inconsistant and the ash, which prematurely fell off about 1/4 of the way through, wasn’t as tight as it should have been.I would advise any newbie to use caution when considering The Edge. It is a very robust smoke packed with a whole bunch of cigar punch. We don’t want you to turn all green on us.All in all it was a pleasant experience and truth be told, I still have a slight buzz 30 minutes later (and I smoke a lot of cigars!).I almost feel as if I’m betraying the industry by giving such a high rating to such an economical cigar but I must cast my preconceived ideas aside and give The Edge a 93!

OVERALL RATING: 93

Appearance and Construction: 15

Flavor: 24

Smoking Characteristics: 22

Overall Impression: 32

Like this post? Donate a buck!

This Pinot lived up to its name. It was all things ironic. For starters it was a lot darker than most Pinots. No problem there. The letdown, however, was that this was a fairly straightforward wine with no complexities to speak of. It moved quickly through the beginning, skipped the middle and ended better than it started, but not by much. To be sure, it was smooth and did have some decent acidity at the end but not what I expected. There are many better Pinots out there in the $15-20 range.

Not quite for the dogs but Magnolia was looking good with it

Rating: 75 C

Like this post? Donate a buck!

I was given this cigar as a gift. I am so glad I didn’t pay for it! It actually started out okay. It looked fine and smelled normal, but it didn’t smoke well. For starters the draw was way too tight. I think my cheeks were sore the next morning. Add to this the terrible waxy feel in my mouth that it left. I can only describe as tasting soapy. If this were not enough, it began to get pretty hot in my mouth about halfway down. It is for this reason I give this cigar a 65 (and that was generous!). If your kid has a foul mouth, put the soap away and make him smoke one of these. Yeah, that will cure him.

OVERALL RATING: 65

Appearance and Construction: 10

Flavor: 15

Characteristics: 15

Overall: 25

Like this post? Donate a buck!