Thompson Cigar

Oliva

TL;DR - Earthy and creamy. Recommended 👍 10 mos aged ⏳️ Starts off with spices from a Christmas drink and some Cocoa powder. I'm thinking cinnamon and hint of clove. To clarify, it's not sweet. I'm also getting the earthy and creamy flavors I read about. Medium flavors and medium+ nicotine. Overall, this was a good smoke. I like it, but I'm not sure it's going to make the humidor.

Alec Bradley

Consistent duplicated review. Very caramel-like coffee and cocoa with a deep bold oily wrapper. An incredibly velvety touch, and a softer feel that doesn't affect the draw or burn. Flavorful the entire way without much of any type of transition.

Alec Bradley

Consistent review. Very caramel-like coffee and cocoa. A deep bold oily wrapper. An incredibly velvety touch, and a softer feel that didn't seem to affect the draw or burn. Flavorful the entire way without much of any type of transition. A seemingly consistent smoke.

601

TL;DR - Cedar, tea and honey. Highly recommended 👍 8.5 mos aged Robusto ⏳️ Pre-light scent is a pleasant and mild tea. Tastes like a cross between tea and hay. Light oily appearance. Construction and draw are perfect. Light-up starts off as a light toasted wood that calms as the smoke progresses. Cedar retrohale. Brief and intermittent honey appearances 🍯 This is good 👍 CA rates this as a 90, or a 93 for the Torpedo vitola. From the 90's I've had, I'd put this one at 92. Nuanced light flavors and medium nicotine. Pairings are wide open, though I think stronger flavors should be avoided so you can enjoy the cigar's subtleties.

La Aroma de Cuba

TL;DR - Cedar with intermittent leather. Recommended 👍 Aged 9 mos ⏳️ Pre-light is cocoa, and dark-chocolate covered black cherry 🍒 Light apricot and black pepper taste 😋 Top marks for construction and draw. Light-up there's a brief apricot that didn't return. Core flavor is toasty wood 🪵 Whispers of leather. Second third, the wood develops into Cedar. Retrohale light wood and leather.

5 Vegas

Duplicated review. Milder smoke that still has some gentle spice & backend mild pepper notes to it. Good draw but fast smoke. This cigar has gradually increased after 20+ months of rest. Draw has improved over the initial smokes. It seems to have leveled out now.

5 Vegas

Updated review. Milder smoke that still has some gentle spice & backend mild pepper notes to it. Good draw but fast smoke. This cigar has gradually increased after 20+ months of rest. Draw has improved over the initial smokes. It seems to have leveled out now.

CAO

TL;DR - roasted beef with dalliances of cedar and chocolate. Recommended 👍 Aged 9 mos ⏳️ Pre-light is maduro and light barnyard. Top marks for construction and draw. Light-up is easy; burn-line starts good with developing sugar-ring. The expected "roasted meat" is more like beef roast with faint cedar playing the background. I like it. Unique. Wrapping the first third I'm getting an intermittent background dark chocolate 🍫 The burn is proving difficult to maintain. Relights become regular. Seems the cherry stays lit, but the outer ring has trouble keeping up. If you don't mind that, it smokes great. Wrapping it up, I'll call this one meaty 🍖 and hearty. Medium nicotine; medium/strong flavors. Pair with sodas like Coke or Ginger Ale. This would also do great with a chewy red wine 🍷

CAO

TL;DR - unique and rich like few others. EXTREME nic strength. Pair with BBQ brisket and ribs. Recommended. 👍 Aged 9 mos ⏳️ Pre-light deep barnyard and apricot. Nice. 👌 Construction and burn great. Oily AF. Draw is obstructed. Light-up is a solid wow. Apricot lingers. Hints of tangy molasses BBQ. Hell yes this is delicious 😋 And now a PSA: make no mistake, this is a nicotine hammer to the head. Not for beginners, and best with a meaty meal. Pair this with good whiskey, brisket and a campfire 🔥

Mark Twain

Consistent review. The blend of contrasting wrappers produces a profile mostly of toasted cedar with some subtle sweet spice. The tobacco itself comes through smoother after some rest. The draw was smooth and the burn needed no corrections.

5 Vegas

Updated review. Milder smoke that still has some gentle spice & backend mild pepper notes to it. Good draw but fast smoke. This cigar has gradually increased after 20+ months of rest. Draw has improved over the initial smokes. It seems to have leveled out now.

La Aroma de Cuba

TL;DR - worthy of it's "Reserva" name. Hickory core, dark espresso; a meaty, lush journey. Recommended. 👍 7 mos aged ⏳️ My first La Aroma de Cuba of any kind. Pre-light is fragrant aged tobacco. 👌 Light-up easy; Goldilocks draw. Starts as dark espresso and Hickory. 1/3 in, toasted Hickory drives the core. Roasted hazelnut appears now and again. The smoke is lush, likely reminiscent of the wrapper's San Andrés roots. It's now meaty too. Genuinely special: Chef's kiss. 💋 Wow. Meaty Hickory continues in the last 3rd. Something herbal joins as a decent addition. Not distracting. Just when I thought it couldn't get better. The finish is meaty with salted dark chocolate. Come on. Overall this was much better than I expected. Medium strength. I have a box, and I'll be needing more. Pair with a sophisticated red wine 🍷 perhaps?

Liga Privada

TL;DR - the cigar is like a cocoa / espresso parfait 🍨 washed down with cola. Recommended! 👍 6 months aged ⏳️ Pre-light flavor is apricot with floral and light barnyard nose. Goldilocks draw. Light-up is outstanding. Starts with a sweet, light cocoa with a little nut. Cola (like, watered down) on retrohale. Different, and I like it. At the 1/3 transition espresso bean joins in. This one was consistent and great to the end. Drew Estates delivers again!

Mark Twain

Consistent review. The blend of contrasting wrappers produces a profile mostly of toasted cedar with some subtle sweet spice. The tobacco itself comes through smoother after some rest. The draw was smooth and the burn needed no corrections.

Alec Bradley

Repeat review. This is a bold yet super smooth smoke throughout. Notes include dark chocolate, baking spice, and a little touch of mineral sounds. An adequate draw and very even burn throughout.

Mark Twain

Consistent review. The blend of contrasting wrappers produces a profile mostly of toasted cedar with some subtle sweet spice. The tobacco itself comes through smoother after some rest. The draw was smooth and the burn needed no corrections.

San Cristobal

TL;DR - Smooth, medium smoke. Another Ashton & Garcia masterpiece 👍 6 mos aged ⌛️ Prelight mild tobacco spice. Construction superb. Appearance smooth and toothy. Goldilocks draw. Light-up easy. Burn is perfect 👌 Flavors are enigmatic. Nothing typical stands out. Yet, it's outstanding. I tried white wine 🍷 (sauvignon blanc) in the last third, and that's a great pairing. Medium in both flavor and nic.

5 Vegas

Updated review. Still milder smoke that still has some gentle spice backend mild pepper notes to it. Good draw but fast smoke. My ratings on this cigar over the course of a box have gradually increased after 18 months of rest. Draw has continuously improved.

Macanudo

Mac’s are the best-selling cigars. This cigar proves why. It was a little more mellow-medium bthan mellow, but a great smoke. A little more peppery than expected but overall great.

Montecristo

It was harsh at the very start but then mellowed out very quickly and was nice and mellow for 9/10th of the cigar. Maybe it was a one-off. I’ll try another and see. Overall, Id still recommend it.

E.P. Carrillo Essence Sumatra

EXCELLENT Experience, definitely part of my Collection

Caldwell

Had to Keep Relighting

CAO

Was a DUD...Draw was EXTREMELY TIGHT, and the first 2 inches I had to restart over 5 times...GAve up and tossed!

Oliva

Nice!!

5 Vegas

Generally a milder smoke that still has some gentle spice backend mild pepper notes to it. Good draw but fast smoke. My ratings on this cigar over the course of a box have gradually increased after 18 months of rest.

Alec Bradley

Very caramel-like coffee and cocoa. A deep bold oily wrapper. An incredibly velvety touch, and a softer feel that didn't seem to affect the draw or burn. Flavorful the entire way without much of any type of transition. A seemingly consistent smoke.

Espinosa

Smooth experience, very light creamy. Hey notes definitely would add this to my humidor.

Fratello

Good cigar

Julio R. Eiroa

OMG, I have smoked a ton of cigars and this is by far my top cigar. This was so smooth and the fireball on top stayed like that all the way through the burn all the way to the end is a tough cookie to find too. I’ve gone on JR Cigars everywhere and it’s a hard one to find but if you do definitely get it you’ll love it

CAO

Pretty smooth cigar not sure if I keep it in my humidor says it’s getting pretty big but definitely will consider it