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Rocky Patel Fusion Torpedo Review

Cigar Brand: Rocky Patel
Cigar Name: Fusion
Factory: Rocky’s
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Criollo
Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan
Vitola: Torpedo
Length: 6.2″
Ring Gauge: 52
Cost: Unsure, received in bomb. Retails for around $8/each but can drop to ~$4/each easily in bulk.
Where purchased: n/a
Strength: Medium-Full, but increasing closer to full towards last third
Smoked: 2014-05-07
Where: Car
When: ~7pm
Occasion: n/a
Meal: n/a
Where: n/a
Drink Pairing: Diet A&W Rootbeer
Link: There’s no mention of the Rocky Patel Fusion on his official page, so here’s a link to CI

Presmoke thoughts:

I don’t have a ton of experience with Rocky Patel cigars. The last one I smoked (I believe it was a 1992, but may have been the 1990) was really enjoyable though, so I’m hoping that continues with this Rocky Patel Fusion. Everything I read about Rocky himself makes me want to be a strong supporter of his cigars, but I just haven’t been able to totally lock down which ones exactly are to my taste.

My understanding is the Fusion is a blend of the 1990 and the 1992. Given how much I enjoyed whichever of those I had, my hope is that I’ll also enjoy this.

Construction:

This is a pretty lumpy smoke. The seams are pretty tight and low key, but it’s very bumpy. No obvious hard or soft spots.

Prelight:

The smell on this cigar is a very earthy chocolate. A little too earthy for my preference, but not terrible. The cold draw is a very strong and delicious chocolate and coffee. That’s a very good sign to me!

La Sirena Merlion Review

May 8, 2014 / Robert DeBord / 0 Comments

Presmoke thoughts:

I picked up the La Sirena Merlion strictly for the band. I had walked by all of the La Sirena sticks several times over the course of a few trips to my local B&M and finally picked up the Merlion because I couldn’t pass up the bands anymore. I mean, come on, it’s a freaking merlion! I had no idea that was a real thing until I came home, googled it, and came to this page on wikipedia:

The Merlion (Malay: Singa-Laut) is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore. Its name combines “mer” meaning the sea and “lion”. The fish body represents Singapore’s origin as a fishing village when it was called Temasek, which means “sea town” in Javanese. The lion head represents Singapore’s original name — Singapura — meaning “lion city” or “kota singa”.

It goes on to say the Singapore Tourism Board controls all usage of the Merlion as a logo. I wonder if these are for sale in Singapore…

Finding out they have five “authorized” statues of the Merlion in Singapore makes me want to bring a 5-pack of these guys to Singapore and smoke one in front of each statue — providing I like this first one.

Construction:

This is a nice looking cigar — from what of it you can see. Most of it is covered with the wild band, which I really like. It’s flashy, with a lot of silver, and is hard to miss. In a sea of cigars inside my coolerador, this one will always stand out. The seams are very clean, no gaps, and there’s only one faint ridge running towards the top above the band. There’s a slight soft spot right around that ridge, but otherwise the feel is consistent throughout. The only other slight criticism I would have is the cap is a bit sloppy and off-center.

Prelight:

The cold draw has a sweet, toffee taste to it. A little earthy too. Not too bad, but nothing exciting. The draw is a little tight, but from the foot it looks to be very tightly packed and will likely loosen up once lit.

Room 101 San Andres Review

May 5, 2014 / Robert DeBord / 1 Comment

Presmoke thoughts:
Cinco de Mayo. I’m pairing the Mexican wrapper on this Room 101 San Andres with some lovely horchata and tacos.

Tacos de Carne Enchilada!

Horchata!

This might be a terrible mistake but there’s only one way to find out. I have two tacos al pastor and two tacos de carne enchilada. One of the carne enchiladas is already gone by the time I get the cigar out.

Construction:

Kind of an ugly and sloppy cap. The leaves aren’t the prettiest and got can easily see where the edges of the wrapper leaf are. That said, there’s nothing wrong with it. If you’ve read my other reviews you’ve probably seen my Sakura Xikar cutter, so obviously I’m a fan of Matt Booth’s work.

Prelight:
Granted I just stuffed my face with spicy goodness, but I’m picking up strong barnyard smells before lighting this up. The cold draw is sweet and fruity with a slight coffee tint. The draw is tight but I’m hoping that’ll loosen up once lit.

Guayacan Robusto review

May 5, 2014 / Robert DeBord / 0 Comments

Cigar Brand: Guayacan
Cigar Name: Guayacan Robusto
Factory: Guayacan Cigars LLC
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuadoran Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan Corojo ’98
Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo ’98
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 50
Cost: $7.45
Where purchased: Smoking Dog
Strength: Medium, in my opinion
Smoked: 2014-05-04
Where: Backyard
When: ~1pm
Occasion: N/A
Meal: N/A
Where: N/A
Drink Pairing: coffee made with pour over w/ splash of sugar free french vanilla creamer
Link: http://guayacancigars.com/cigar-selection/
Review

Presmoke thoughts:
I’ve had two of these in the last two weeks. The first was great, the second was good. I’m trying to figure out which of those two is the normal. Both were bought from the same B&M but the great had rested in my coolerador for a few weeks, while the good was smoked the day I bought it. This one has two days of rest on it and I bought it at the same time as the good one.

Construction:
The cap is a little sloppy and there’s too much glue used on the band, with some showing on the wrapper itself.

Other than that, it’s a nice looking cigar and the band is what caught my eye in the store when I bought it the first time.

It feels pretty good too. No obvious hard or soft spots, but as a whole it is pretty consistently hard. I feel one ridge running the length of the cigar and think that might end up being a stem in the binder given how defined it is below the wrapper.

Prelight:
I smell leather pretty strongly. More so, the smell reminds me of cows at the State Fair back in Wisconsin. Just a general cow smell and, maybe strangely, for me that’s not a bad thing.

The cold draw gives me sweet raisin cereal. I immediately get the word “Kelloggs” in my head.

Illusione 88 Maduro Review

May 4, 2014 / Robert DeBord / 0 Comments

Cigar Brand: Illusione
Cigar Name: ~88~ Robust Maduro (aka “88 Maduro”)
Factory:
Country of Origin: Honduras
Wrapper: San Andreas
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Cost: N/A (received in a bomb, but retails for around $9)
Where purchased: N/A
Strength:
Smoked: 2014-05-03
Where: Backyard
When: ~7:30pm
Occasion: None
Meal: None
Where: N/A
Drink Pairing: Boddingtons
Link: http://www.illusionecigars.com/cigar/illusione-maduro/

Review

Presmoke thoughts:
I generally really enjoy the cigars that Illusione makes. I think their Rothchildes is one of the best values around, and everything I’ve had from them has been good if not great. I’m expecting more of the same from this Illusione 88 Maduro. This cigar looks beautiful. A very rich, deep dark color that I love.

Construction:
This cigar feels great. No soft or hard spots, just an overall good feeling. The wrapper is nice and smooth with minor veins for the most part and nothing physically detracting from the overall beauty this cigar presents. I love their simple bands too, letting the look of the cigar take center stage by only using a thin strip of information to identify the smoke.

Prelight:
On the cold draw I’m getting a taste I can’t put into words. It’s something I’ve tasted before, but I’m not sure what exactly. It’s sort of a dance of tastes around caramel and, primarily, raisins. In fact, I’m now realizing the overwhelming taste is raisins. Which I don’t like.

The cold draw is a little on the tight side, and it visually looks it. This thing looks packed full of leaves. I’m tempted to recut it to try to open the draw up, but instead I’m going to wait and see if it gets better once lit.

Ashton VSG Tres Mystique Review

April 29, 2014 / Robert DeBord / 0 Comments

Cigar Brand: Ashton
Cigar Name: VSG
Factory:
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Sun Grown Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Vitola: “Très Mystique” aka Corona
Length: 4 3/8″
Ring Gauge: 44
Cost: Unknown, received in trade ($9.50 on Famous however)
Where purchased: Unknown, received in trade
Strength: Full
Smoked: 2014-04-29
Where: In car, driving between old house and new.
When: Tuesday night, starting around 7pm.
Occasion: None.
Meal: None.
Where: N/A
Drink Pairing: First half was water, second half an Arby’s chocolate shake.
Link: Here’s a link to the Ashton VSG Tres Mystique on Famous Smoke
Review

Presmoke thoughts:

I’ve held off smoking these because I’m not a full strength kind of guy normally. I’ve never been a cigarette smoker so I don’t have the nicotine tolerance. However, it’s the smoke of the day on the cigars subreddit so I’m giving it a whirl. I’m currently in the middle of moving, it’s pouring rain, and I’m attempting to enjoy this to relax on the drive between the new place and old place before I pick up another car-load of stuff.

Construction:

Very minor veins, some shiny spots, and a couple water spots. It’s far from the ugliest cigar I’ve seen, but it’s not perfect.

Prelight:

The nose is kind of a cedar-sweet smell. I can’t put a description on exactly what it is, but that’s what comes to mind then I try. The Prelight draw is great with just enough resistance to the draw after using my Xikar double-blade guillotine. The draw has a hint of sweetness like the nose, but more subtle.

First Third:

The draw tightens up slightly immediately after lighting. I’m definitely getting some pepper on the retrohale. Earthy notes on the taste. A little sweet spice mixed into that earth too.

The retro quickly moves into a dark plum-like sweetness. Very creamy mouthfeel. I get notes that make me feel like I’m smoking this around a lot of sawdust, which I’m certainly not. It’s not a strong taste, but like a subtle woodsy taste.

PDR 1878 Capa Oscura Reserva Dominicana Review

April 27, 2014 / Robert DeBord / 0 Comments

Cigar Brand: PDR
Cigar Name: 1878 Capa Oscura Reserva Dominicana
Blender: Abe Flores
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: Dominican Habano Oscuro
Binder: Dominican Habano
Filler: Dominican Corojo 98 & Dominican Corojo
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5″
Ring Gauge: 52
Cost: N/A as I received it in a trade, but typically sells for ~$5
Where purchased: N/A
Strength: Medium-Full
Smoked: 2014-04-26
Where: Garage
When: Night
Occasion: None.
Meal: N/A
Where: N/A
Drink Pairing: N/A
Link: PDR’s Website

Review

Presmoke thoughts:

These PDR 1878’s were some of the first cigars I really loved a couple years ago. I believe it was this red labeled PDR 1878 Capa Oscura that I really loved too. I haven’t had one since then though, so we’ll see how my palette has changed. I love the pigtail on these.

The beautiful Fratello band.

Fratello Corona Cigar Review

April 26, 2014 / Robert DeBord / 0 Comments

Cigar Brand: Fratello
Cigar Name: Fratello
Factory: Unknown
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler: Nicaraguan and Peruvian Filler
Vitola: Corona
Length: 5.5″
Ring Gauge: 46
Cost: $8.35
Where purchased: Smoking Dog in Maple Shade, NJ
Strength: Medium
Smoked: 2014-04-25
Where: Home garage
When: Friday night
Occasion: Finished moving couches to new apartment
Meal: Steak, sweet potato fries, spaghetti squash, summer ale
Where: Ruby Tuesdays about 2 hours prior to smoking
Drink Pairing: Guinness Draught in a can
Link: Fratello Cigars

Construction:

A little lumpy. No defects, some veins.

Prelight:

Smells like the ideal slightly sweet tobacco. Taste is influenced by that smell before lighting it.

First Third:

The draw was a little tight before lighting, it opened up just enough once lit to be enjoyable. Non-subtle resistance in the draw makes sure you know you’re pulling, and the amount of smoke pulled into your mouth completes that feeling. Pretty close to a perfect measure of both.
Continue reading

Reviews, experiences, and stories.

Page 2 of 2

Rocky Patel Fusion Torpedo Review

La Sirena Merlion Review

Room 101 San Andres Review

Guayacan Robusto review

Illusione 88 Maduro Review

Ashton VSG Tres Mystique Review

PDR 1878 Capa Oscura Reserva Dominicana Review

Fratello Corona Cigar Review

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