As a bargain-hunter and an adventure-seeker, I’m somewhat addicted to CigarBid. Buying a pack of random stogies on CBid is, as Forrest Gump might put it, like buying a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.

This allure of the unknown drove me to buy a 25-count box of La Invicta Coronas a few weeks ago. And I’ll be completely honest: I had no idea what to expect. I’d never heard of the brand, and for the scant $13 I paid for 25 sticks, I was certainly skeptical. All I knew of the cigars I’d just acquired was that they were Honduran, supposedly hand-rolled, and supposedly long-filler. I say “supposedly” because there is a real scarcity of information about La Invicta on the web, and I can’t locate a definitive source. The cigars seem to sell mainly in the UK, and at unusually high prices, given what I’d paid. A box of 25 goes for upwards of £100 online. With today’s exchange rate, that’s roughly $200, plus what I’m sure are exorbitant shipping charges.

Luckily, I seemed to have gotten quite the bargain online. And so, the second my box arrived in the mail, I eagerly tore off the cellophane and gave it a thorough inspection. The cedar box, with a simple logo on the top and an official Honduran stamp on one side, was clean and unassuming. Inside were 25 very slim, neatly rolled, Colorado-wrapped stogies. Nothing terribly unusual, and no signs of beetles or mold, so I decided to light some up right then and there.

First things first: These are most likely hand-rolled cigars, but I question the long-filler claims. While I didn’t get the usual bits and pieces of tobacco in my mouth that would ordinarily tip me off to short filler, I did notice several prominent stems packed in the freshly cut head. In all likelihood, these are “medium filler” cigars: stogies that combine mostly long-filler leaf with some short-filler material. Not the end of the world, but certainly a minor disappointment.

The cigars were palpably firm with just the right amount of give, and unlit they exuded a damp, earthy, slightly mossy aroma. When lit, the smell was of cedar and soil, and the flavor reminded me a great deal of wheatgrass. Not in an unpleasant, health-food sort of way, but in an interesting and slightly spicy way. The finish was medium in length and strength, highlighting the grassy and woody characteristics of the smoke. The burn was even, the ash was light gray and relatively firm, and the experience itself lasted a little over an hour per stick.

Ultimately, the La Invicta Corona is a pleasant, uncomplicated smoke that I’d certainly buy again if offered a similarly fantastic deal on CBid. I wouldn’t pay full fare for one of these boxes, though. For $200 a pop, there are much better cigars to be bought in the UK, if you catch my meaning. For its straightforward flavor profile, serviceable construction, and mellowing effects, I give the La Invicta Corona three out of five stogies .

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here .]

-Jon N

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With a seemingly endless variety of cigars – at least for now , anyways – former real estate developer Gene Arganese has something for just about every stogie enthusiast. And so far we’ve been impressed. Last fall Patrick S sang the praises of the raisin-flavored Maduro Presidenté Figurado , and I gave a thumbs-up to the Connecticut Presidenté Robusto .

Like the latter, the Ambassador blend of the Connecticut line also sports an Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper. This time, though, it’s paired with an Indonesian binder and Dominican filler tobaccos. The result is a mild and creamy taste which is advertised as Arganese’s lightest blend.

The six and 7/8 inch by 52 ring gauge Torpedo sells for $7 per single or $142-160 for a box of 25. Soft and delicate, the cigar sports very few veins and virtually unnoticeable seams. The prelight draw is clear and the wrapper tastes of salt.

The flavor is about what I expected: smooth and creamy with notes of almond, butter, and cinnamon. A sweet hay taste drifts in and out to keep things interesting and, to the cigar’s credit, the salty wrapper is more complimentary than distracting. The smoke stays light and airy, even when spicy, syrupy notes kick in towards the end. Although the experience is quite mild, I had no problem picking up some wonderful flavors.

Construction on this 90-120 minute smoke is in line with what I’ve come to expect from Arganese. The burn only requires one touch-up to stay even, the draw is exceptionally clear, and the ash holds firm for almost two inches. Just take care removing the double bands because the fragile wrapper has a tendency to tear.

In all, this is a nice, noble smoke with a crisp, mild taste that works well on the golf course or on the deck. I would be happier if the wrapper was a bit oilier and the price a bit lower, but the Arganese Connecticut Ambassador Torpedo is still a fine cigar, worthy of three and ½ out of five stogies .

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here .]

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

A few months ago a local shop was closing and put everything on sale. Among the sticks I picked up was a ten count box of Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Belicosos. I’ve gotten through about half of them, and it’s an enjoyable cigar.

The wrapper, Sumatra seed sungrown tobacco grown by the Oliva family in Ecuador, is a beautiful deep brown. The choice of wrapper leaves from the “fine center” of the plant gives the cigar its name. Dominican ligero filler is aged five years before being rolled inside a Dominican binder. The completed cigars, according to the company, are then aged longer in cedar-lined cabinets.

The primary band is beautiful and another nice touch is the vitola’s name is printed in gold on the cellophane. That’s a help to consumers and something other manufacturers should consider.

Construction is excellent. The burn is straight, the ash tight and white, the draw offers just the right resistance, and the smoke plentiful.

At just a shade under five inches and a 50 ring gauge, the Belicoso is a good size for the morning or early afternoon. I found it a nice complement to a cup of coffee. I would call it mild to medium, not medium to full as Newman presents it. It’s not terribly complex, and you might find it a little salty. But it is also surprising every now and then as you come across a little burst of sweetness, dry cocoa, or wet hay.

I believe these smokes run about $5 each. Give one a try if you haven’t already. One warning if you do: As with most small sticks, it’s best to smoke slowly so you don’t overheat it. The Cuesta-Rey Centro Fino Belicoso No. 11 earns a rating of three and 1/2 out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

If you ask me, smoking a machine-made Cuban is sort of like ordering a filet mignon well done. Maybe that’s not the best analogy, but you know where I’m going with this: Why muck up potentially wonderful tobacco by having it assembled by the less-than-precise hands of automation?

That’s the question I asked myself before diving into a Partagas Petit Corona Especial. I was surprised to learn Habanos SA makes ten machine-made, hand-finished Partagas vitolas, perhaps an attempt to bring the premium brand to a more economical segment of the cigar market.

Still, Petit Corona Especiales aren’t cheap. Singles cost $5.60-7 apiece, and boxes of 25 sell for $104-113.

I expect a better-looking stick for that price. With a blotchy wrapper, some large veins, and unrefined seams, this five and ¼ inch by 44 ring gauge Cuban puro has a rough look. It’s neater than Guantanamera – the other machine-made Cuban I reviewed last July – but that isn’t much of a standard. Unlike the modern-looking handmade Serie D, it sports the classic Partagas band.

As always, I read some “reviews” (I guess they were more like sales pitches) before lighting up. The Internet consensus is this is a small but powerful stick that beginners should stay away from due to its “Havana harshness.”

I don’t think the Petit Corona Especial is full-bodied, strong, or harsh. The flavor is of cinnamon, toast, and leather, and it becomes more creamy and mellow as it progresses. The ash is quite unstable, the draw is surprisingly tight, and the burn is straight. Although some spicy clove notes creep in towards the end, the overall experience is actually fairly mild.

Still, judged on its own merits, I’m not terribly pleased. The smoke tasted fine and the construction is better than most machine-mades, but you won’t get much bang for your buck. You can do much, much better at the same price level by sticking with a non-Cuban handmade. That’s why I give the Partagas Petit Corona Especial only two and ½ out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As I was smoking my first Verocu No. 1, I recalled a great line quoted by Bill Schmidt 20 years ago in the New York Times. Schmidt was writing about Alabama’s storied Dreamland Drive-Inn Bar-B-Cue and noted that one of the women dining with him said, “These ribs make your tongue want to slap your brains out.” Substitute “cigars” for “ribs” and it’s a perfect description of how I felt.

I recently wrote about how much I enjoyed the Verocu No. 2 — the eastern version of this limited edition Havana VI — and was excited when I got a chance to pick up a few of the longer and slimmer western variety.

My advice is not to pass up a chance to smoke either one. Or, preferably, both. These Nicaraguan puros, produced by Pepin Garcia for Pete Johnson’s Tatuaje line, may not have the prettiest wrappers and you may not find a razor-sharp burn, but you will get a complex, tasty, medium-bodied cigar that produces smoke worthy of a five-alarm fire. Be sure to allow yourself plenty of time to smoke and choose a setting that permits you the opportunity to concentrate on the cigar to fully appreciate the abundant and changing flavors.

I’d be hard pressed to pick one over the other. The western may get the edge for me, though, just because I prefer its slightly smaller ring gauge: six and 1/4 inches with a 52 ring gauge compared to five and 1/2 inches and a 54 ring gauge.

Don’t, however, wait too long. I’m told that what’s available now is all that there will be. You shouldn’t miss it. Like the eastern Verocu No. 2, I give the No. 1 a perfect five out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

My girlfriend picked up a few of these sticks at a Sarasota cigar bar during our golf vacation to Florida last weekend. She told me she was drawn to Diamond Crown Maximus because the cigars share a name with her employer (I’m just glad she wasn’t buying any more shoes).

This line was created by J.C. Newman as a fuller-bodied follow-up to the company’s successful Diamond Crown blend. Said to be the sister cigar of the famed Opus X, Diamond Crown Maximus marries three legendary families: the Newmans; the Olivas, who grow the wrapper in Ecuador; and the Futenes, who produce the binder and filler tobaccos in the Dominican Republic.

The Robusto No. 5 weighs in at a classic five inches with a 50 ring gauge (kudos to the manufacturer for eliminating all confusion and printing the full vitola name on the cellophane). The band is wonderfully ornate – albeit slightly gaudy – and I wouldn’t be surprised if it were some mixture of the three families’ crests. Dark, firm, and tightly wrapped, the cigar exudes rich notes of chocolate off the freshly cut head.

The El Bajo sungrown wrapper adds a nice sweetness to the lips and the first puff is akin to savory cocoa, clove, and black pepper. Salty, but acidic tones help balance the flavor profile. The taste remains surprisingly consistent until the nub with no noticeable increase in spice, harshness, or bitterness.

One of the Robustos was more reliable than the other, but don’t be surprised if the white ash holds firm for up to three inches. The burn is straight or self-correcting, and the draw is just right.

In all, I think these limited production sticks make real treats for sungrown fans and devotees of cigars with rich cocoa flavors. The only challenge is to locate a supply and fork over $8.50-12 per single (about $200 per box of 20). Let’s just say I’m happy my girlfriend found and bought them, and I give the Diamond Crown Maximus Robusto No. 5 a highly regarded four out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Rough, toothy, a bit mottled, and prominently veiny, the Occidental Reserve Double Broadleaf Churchill isn’t what I’d classify as humidor candy. Nevertheless, when it comes to a cigar’s looks, I’m not much of a snob. Many of my favorite smokes have been a bit on the rustic side. And, after all, isn’t flavor what really matters?

Interestingly, this seven inch by 48 ring gauge maduro doesn’t pack much of a punch. That’s something I find a bit surprising coming from manufacturer Alec Bradley, whose marketing often appeals to the “bigger and bolder is better” mindset. Perhaps blender Hendrik Kelner, famous for his work with the ultra-smooth Davidoff label, had something to do with this stogie’s mildness.

At any rate, the smoothness and unassuming body of the Occidental Reserve is just fine by me. I’ve been looking around for a mild, everyday smoke to pair with a decent cup of coffee on my lazy Sunday mornings. While Davidoffs fit the bill, they can break the bank almost as quickly as a bad mortgage these days. At roughly $3 a stick, Occidental Reserves offer near-Davidoff quality for a fraction of the price.

This cigar opens with a full-bodied blast of pepper, cedar, and burnt coffee before quickly mellowing into a much smoother blend of light oak and sweet cream. A lingering, peppery finish never quite disappears from the body of the thick, heavy smoke – intensifying as the cigar reaches its final third. But it’s never enough to overwhelm the subtle character of the stick, and that’s probably for the best.

The burn is even and true, producing a light gray ash that holds for about an inch and a half at a clip. My only complaint with the ash is its tendency toward flakiness (tiny bits tended to float off the foot, here and there, throughout my various experiences). Otherwise, I find nothing worrisome about the quality of the cigar’s craftsmanship.

For outstanding value, ease, and pleasantly smooth flavor profile, I give this bargain-priced stick a solid four out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

-Jon N

photo credit: Stogie Guys