“Evening Smoke”

I had the pleasure of sitting down at one of my favorite coffee shops this afternoon to enjoy a little Coffee and Cigar break with one of my good friends. It was a slightly cool day in La Mesa but I braved the 65° January weather to enjoy this tasty smoke :). If you’re new to cigars stay away from the Apocalypse, it’s a beast measuring a whopping 6.0 x 58 and it’s very rich. It’s enough to turn any nubee green. However if your new to the cigar world and you want to try a dark robust cigar I would recommend trying the Series “A” Artisan.

If I was to choose one word to describe the Series “A” it would be creamy. The sucker starts smooth and it remains velvety smooth down to the nub. It had hints of mocha and very rich BIG mouthfuls of smoke. The Archetype isn’t spicy at all yet remains very robust and very satisfying. Your going to need about an hour to really enjoy this dark Maduro gem.

The “A” Series comes wrapped in a cedar strip and I have found the manufacturing to be very consistent from Cigar to Cigar. This particular stick burned a little inconsistently at first but evened out on it’s own about half way down. The dark Maduro wrapper was very solid with a nice almost oily feel, it did however have some blemishes and large veins in the tobacco leaf. This cigar paired fabulously with black  coffee!

As with the last cigar I reviewed I bought these from Cigar International’s JoeCigar site $29.99 for 10 sticks. (I wish I had bought 20 sticks!)

OVERALL RATING: 87

Appearance and Construction: 13

Flavor: 24

Smoking Characteristics: 21

Overall Impression: 29

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Diamond Collection
Silver Label

Here is what one website says about this wine:

Tasting Notes — The Silver Label Pinot Noir has a bright ruby color and reveals an alluring perfume of red plums, flowers, and sweet spices. Profuse flavors of black cherry, dark currant, and strawberry fill out the plush palate while notes of sandalwood continue into the soft, elegant finish.

My response to that is: No one has a palate that refined. If you do, go start your own review site and quit drinking the cheap stuff. My thoughts on it are more elementary. For the money, this is a very nice Point. It’s color was nice and the aroma was pleasing too. I found it to be quite smooth and sweet, but not too sweet. It did however lack the bite and peppery taste we might expect from a California Point. Hardcore Point fans will not be disappointed, but they will not keep a bottle in their cellar either. All and all: A great $13.00 wine that I am looking forward to drinking again…soon.

Price Paid 13.00

Rating 88

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www.redtruckwine.com

Price 6.99

Rating 77

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C.A.O. Cameroon

“Evening Smoke” 

This afternoon I enjoyed a nice C.A.O. Cameroon. I am a big fan of the C.A.O brand because of their consistent quality. This was no exception. The appearance and construction were both good. The cigar was tight and solid and the draw was thoroughly consistent throughout. It got a bit hot and soapy at the end, but that is pretty typical. The flavor was mild/medium and not complex, but not vacuous either. Overall this was a nice treat. I would recommend this as a morning or afternoon stand alone cigar, even before dinner. It can be paired with a lighter scotch, nothing too heavy. Smoke it sitting down, either with a book in your hand or with someone you can have a good conversation with about politics, the world or something meaningful.

Appearance - 13
Flavor - 20
Characteristics - 23
Overall Impression - 32

Total - 88

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“Everyday Smoke”

Overall the Duke of Devon is a fine everyday smoke. The construction is great and the draw is consistently smooth from cigar to cigar. The end cap is well formed making for a easy cut and good draw, I did however have a qualm with the construction of the triple cap. In a perfect world the cap would have 3 even lines where the end pieces were attached. This cigar was a bit messy (note the first picture) but none net less well formed.

The taste is a little unrefined but not bad, it has hits of nuttiness on the back of the tongue and smokes a little hot if you’re not careful. The burn was consistent and I didn’t feel like I needed to ash it until it burned about an inch of the stick. When I did ash it was no more than a light tap to reveal the perfect cherry.

This is a great cigar for driving, playing golf, fishing, camping, or handing out to your friends, you get the picture. If you are going to spend some time sitting talking with friends or reading I would not recommend this cigar. Invest in something more refined. I bought these smokes from Cigar Internationals “Joe Cigar”, $29.99 for 10 sticks.

OVERALL RATING: 73

Appearance and Construction: 13

Flavor: 12

Smoking Characteristics: 20

Overall Impression: 28

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