Humidor English John

A nicely constructed cigar that burns evenly despite my initial uneven lighting! It rectified itself from the first ash drop. The wrapper had a few visible veins but they were well smoothed down. I found this one quite peppery from lighting and it got stronger as it neared the end. The leather was more obvious in the scent of the exhaled smoke than the taste but it was a very fragrant burn.

For any of our readers that don't already know Drew Estate's Unico Series is what they do with their experimental cigars that don't fit in any other line but are too good to ditch such as the Feral Flying Pig. The L40 is John Drew's stab at a lancero which he doesn't actually favour. It is technically not a lancero as the ring gauge is 40 not 38 (hence L40) because he felt that he couldn't fit the blend he wanted into a 38 ring gauge. The length is 7" and the smoking time about two hours. This is billed as a strong cigar and not for beginners so take your time or greet the toilet. I did the former. The wrapper looks like a Maduro but it is patchy in colour almost like a bad dye job but apparently it is a Connecticut leaf. It was quite soft to the touch and had a sweet cocoa scent. Once cut the draw was very light and tasted of earth and pepper. This cigar lit easily and was soon producing lots of smoke and I mean lots. Even at rest it was billowing forth. The ash was a dense almost white and had the same texture as a Montecristo that I smoked a few weeks ago. The ash dropped at an inch and then every inch after that. The burn line was perfect and for the first five inches I could just walk away and leave this without fear of it going out like some that die when you look away from then. In fact it was so good that I sorted out all my packaging collection (boxes and bubble wrap) in the back of the garage. However when it got to the final two inches it wouldn't stay alight despite three relights so I let it go. As for the flavour? It started out mild with a nutty flavour and a hint of pepper on the finish. After the first inch it became more creamy with that same peppery finish. Into the second third and it developed a mineral like taste for a while until the creaminess reasserted itself at the half way mark. The pepper went away for a while and the nuttiness returned till the final third when the mineral taste and pepper staged a comeback necessitating a purge to take the edge off it. In summary this was a good cigar overall with transitions and interesting flavours but give me a Cohiba Lancero any day.

Having not enjoyed the RyJ Puritos I wasn't expecting much from this little 4" x 30 stick especially as the fill felt soft and loose. Nothing off the wrapper except a mild tobacco scent but then what a pleasant surprise. Once the initial burst of pepper from lighting it subsided it settled in to nice pecan flavours with a long creamy finish. The burn was perfect and it gave 25 minutes of smoking pleasure with plenty of smoke and nice fruity aroma when exhaled. The last inch got a bit warm and peppery but what do you expect from a little stick like this. Overall not bad at all and better than some big ones I've had.

Here's a petit corona that will be known to a lot of you I suspect. Measuring 5.12" with a ring gauge of 43 this is a firmly packed little stick, no softies here though maybe a little springiness when squeezed. The wrapper was quite rustic looking with an oily look and the smell was simple good Cuban tobacco, I couldn't detect any flavour notes on this one. Once cut the unlit draw offered a little resistance and tasted peppery with a hint of caramel and gave my tongue a little chilli sting. The first few draws really surprised me because they were ever so slightly salty, haven't tasted that before. It settled down a very creamy and smooth smoke which needed a good drag to keep it going. This cigar wasn't plugged but she was going to make me work for it. The ash was a dark dirty grey and the burn was dead straight all the way but she needed a few relights, possibly due to the ambient humidity which was around 84%. The pepper increased throughout the hour and a quarter that it lasted and it started to get a bit bitter in the final third despite being purged. Not a cigar that I would turn down but equally not one that I would seek out.

'Between 1958 and the early 1970s so many candela cigars were sold in the United States that the style became known as American Market Selection. During the 1970s, candelas fell out of favour and were largely replaced by cream-coloured cigars with Connecticut-shade style wrappers. They were largely absent from the so-called cigar renaissance of the 1990s. Candela cigars are known for having green instead of brown wrappers. While the colour may be mistaken for a young tobacco leaf, it is actually a product of the process used to cure the leaf that preserves the chlorophyll.' So there you go, how many of you thought they were dyed green. Rocky Patel's candela wrapper is made from leaf that is matured for five years and this cigar only comes in a toro measuring 6" with a ring gauge of 52 and is made from all Honduran tobaccos. The wrapper is more like a faded khaki than a green and has a nice sheen to it. The veins are clearly visible but not at all raised so the cigar has a nice smooth feel. When squeezed I could feel it was packed with a slight spring to it. The wrapper has a mild tobacco scent but nothing else was discernible. I punched this one and the draw was very free with dry taste like hay. It lit easily and the initial flavour was light and leathery. After 10 minutes it was almost like not smoking, it was so light and tasted of nothing much at all. As it went on the flavour developed into a blend of wood and leather that left my mouth dry and I found myself having a sip of drink after every draw. The burn was perfect and it produced plenty of smoke with the ash dropping at about an inch. After half an hour it began to get peppery and that came through on and off at regular intervals. This cigar would probably stretch to two hours easily but after an hour and a half I just got bored with it. Disappointing really because I liked The Lite and the Maduro.

The wrapper had a couple of raised veins but it smelled delicious and almost caramel, one good reason for keeping the cellophane on Mark because that could be lost if bared to the humidor. The stick felt quite firm for the entire length but when I punched it the cold draw was very free and light with no discernible resistance and tasted of coffee. It lit easily enough from just one long match and produced good smoke, the taste was mild and woody, in fact papery would be a more accurate word as it was very light. All went well for 45 minutes when the ash dropped and it went out. Relit it lasted for another 15 minutes before needing attention again. This was where it all went wrong and started to unravel from the head so I was left smoking an unwrapped stick. I couldn't follow the advice of leaving the band on as it is enormous. As you'll know if you've tried it they soon start to become a bit ragged in your mouth so I only gave it another 10 minutes as it wasn't remarkable by any means. The taste was starting to get a little bit harsh so I left it at 70 minutes, it could have gone to 2 hours if it hadn't disintegrated. I'm guessing it doesn't happen often with this brand else they wouldn't have got to a 10th anniversary in the first place. Despite the mild taste this one had a slight nicotine kick to it so I was grateful for my soft drink and chocolate.

The dark brown maduro wrapper looks nice and has a definite mocha scent but if you smoked this blind you would be hard pressed to guess that's what it is. It felt firmly packed with a slight softness just before the cap but once cut the draw was free flowing and tasted slightly earthy. It lit easily enough but it needed one relight at 27 minutes. The flavour was mild and woody and generally one dimensional until the last third where it got bitter and warm. If you were prepared to put up with that you could get and hour out of it but I left it there at 45 minutes. Its alright if you've nothing else to smoke but it was cheap and won't be replaced. I'm beginning to find I'm getting quite selective now and more critical which has to be a good thing when essentially one is burning money!

They say you should never judge a book by its cover and this would appear to apply to cigars too. This all Nicaraguan cigar looks gorgeous, the wrapper is a rich cocoa colour with a smooth matte finish that feels great in the hand and the band is very tasteful. In fact the band was so well applied I struggled to find the end to release it. Gently feeling it, it felt quite hard to the touch and very well packed. The scent of the wrapper was pure cocoa as was the cold draw, this appeared very promising. Lighting her up the first draw was a little peppery but that soon went away and it settled into a dry and very mild woody taste with a fruity and aromatic exhaled smoke. I settled in for a nice session but to my surprise it went out after 17 minutes. I relit it and it went out again ten minutes later. In between relights it produced masses of smoke but I just couldn't put it down because it went out again at 52 minutes in. At about the quarter mark I got a little burst of chocolate flavour but it started to get peppery almost immediately after that. It lasted till the 90 minute mark and then died again and I felt that it wasn't good enough to persist with so I left it with over half of it unsmoked. The smoking time of this cigar is supposed to be 69 minutes but if it had stayed alight it would have gone well over two hours. Its quite ironic that on the inside of the band it says 'Drew Estate, the rebirth of cigars'. Rebirth? This thing needed reanimating not a rebirth. Not one I can recommend.

If you haven't seen one of these they are quite unusual in that they come in a cedar sleeve with the label round that. A nice looking hand rolled Cuban it measures 12.3cm with a ring gauge of 40. Removing the sleeve I found a few spots of greenish bloom on this one that wouldn't rub off, is that mould? As you would expect the wrapper has a delicate scent of cedar which carries on into the cold draw. When I punched this one I was alarmed to notice a slight loosening of the wrapper on the cut edge (brand new and sharp cutter). Unlike my Jamaican this corona lit first time and burned nicely giving off just the right amount of smoke. The taste remained dry; almost tannic, and woody with no hint of pepper. It continued to burn very well until the wrapper started to unravel. I carried on keeping the loose end in place with the tip of my finger but eventually it became so loose that it all came off. I persisted to smoke it naked but it was turning into a really raggedy arsed smoke by now and the binder was starting to go so I bailed out at 30 minutes. The overall impression despite the mishap was that it was unremarkable overall but okay if you wanted something really mild and the taste never developed or changed.

This is a lot smaller than it looks in the photos, in fact it is tiny at 2.5cm high and 2.5cm long but I bought it as an easel to support my cigars when I take photos for reviews on a forum so for that it is perfect.

Being a fan of Romeos I decided to give these a try. When they arrived I noticed that they were identical to Quintero Puritos in size and shape but there ends the similarity. Right away I noticed that the cigar felt loosely made with hollows inside the construction. They burned very fast lasting only ten minutes and the smoke was harsh and soon became hot. Not recommended.

With its oscuro wrapper and chunky shape this cigar is a butch little tyke. Coming in at 4.5" x50 it contains a combination of Mexican and Dominican fillers with a US wrapper. Mine was very firmly packed almost to the point of being hard and smelled earthy. What my lovely wife describes as dung. Once cut the draw was tight and tasted as it smelled. It lit nicely and burned dead straight and even but I just couldn't grow to like it. The overall taste was dry and earthy and to my amazement it had a hint of beetroot! Where the fuck did that come from, not my favourite vegetable I have to say. This cigar was turning me green at the gills so I just let it go out and looked for something else.

When I saw a Jamaican cigar I just had to try it but this particular stick was a major let down. Hand made and coming in at just over 4" its a chunky little stick with a light brown 'dusty' wrapper a bit like the Quorum and a discrete label. The wrapper had no distinctive scent to it but it punched nicely and the cold draw was slightly earthy with a salty taste on the lips. The big disappointment with this was that it just wouldn't stay alight. After using three cigar matches on it I blasted it with my jet flame and the bloody thing still went out again. It wasn't a case of needing to keep it going, it just didn't want to burn. As for taste it was bland with nothing that stood out from what smoke I actually got into my mouth.

Having enjoyed the Romeo Milles Fleurs I was very much looking forward to this one but my example was a disappointment. It burned very unevenly down one side and even when I corrected it the same pattern was repeated. It produced plenty of smoke and the flavour was acceptable but half way through it started to go out and needed a good draw to keep it going. The cigar lasted about half an hour whereas the Romeo lasted over an hour and was much more solidly packed.