I’ll be honest: I couldn’t really go into this stick with neutral expectations. While I always try to mentally erase any pre-conceived notions about a cigar before I light up for a review, that’s simply too much to ask when it comes to Arturo Fuente’s storied Opus X blend.

Maybe that’s because Arturo’s flagship line is so rare. Some retailers call Opus X “inarguably the rarest cigar in the world” (a claim I haven’t taken the time to refute). Still, I think many of us can relate to the fact that these can be pretty difficult to track down and, when you find some, odds are the retailer will limit your order.

Or maybe I have such high expectations due to the cigar’s impressive ratings. Opus X has scored as high as 92 in Cigar Insider, and it consistently receives noteworthy reviews from popular industry publications.

The rarity and the ratings probably have something to do with it, but I’d bet most of my lofty hopes are due to the cigar’s excessive price. The Fuente Fuente vitola, which measures five and 5/8 inches with a 46 ring gauge, will run you about $25 for a single or $800 for a box of 32. Not exactly economical, especially in a recession.

It is said that this Dominican puro – a unique characteristic itself – is adorned with the finest wrappers from Chateau de la Fuente, but mine was fairly bumpy and had two tiny tears. I guess I could chalk that up to shipping, storage, or some negligence on my part. In any event, the extremely tightly packed tobaccos exude a strong pre-light aroma of raisin, and the wrapper adds a spicy tingle to the lips.

The first puffs are of raisin, spicy clove, and sweet black pepper. Although the flavor mellows after the first inch, you’ll still find plenty of balanced complexity. Sweet, bitter, acidic – it’s all here in a bold, smooth format. Cocoa and spice increase down the stretch, and the final two inches can be surprisingly full-bodied and overbearing.

With these flavors and a self-correcting burn, a solid ash, and a nice draw, I can easily say this is a fine cigar. I can’t say, however, that the lockstep reviews or the extreme cost is justified. I enjoyed this smoke, particularly the first three inches, but I won’t be scrambling to find more immediately – especially since I’ve had more pleasurable experiences with cigars that cost much, much less. That’s my primary rationale for giving the Arturo Fuente Opus X Fuente Fuente no better than four out of five stogies.

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

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This cigar was part of a free nine-cigar sampler I got from Famous when I ordered a box of another cigar. It’s one of several that Rocky offers only through the Pennsylvania retailer, which promotes it as “almost like getting a fine Cuban cigar without the Cuban price.”

To be honest, I’m no expert on Cuban cigars. But this five and 1/2 inch Robusto did remind me of a couple of Cubans I’ve smoked. Unfortunately, those were machine-rolled sticks I wouldn’t want to try again. I’d have to say the same for this 50 ring gauge cigar.

First, the positives: The draw is good, the cap well-applied, the burn straight, and the ash tight.

The negatives: A severe harshness led me to believe the Honduran ligero filler and the Corojo wrapper were too young. A bitter chemical/medicine taste in the last third was truly awful. The combination completely overwhelmed whatever flavors were present. Altogether, an unpleasant experience.

One interesting aspect I discovered thumbing through the Famous catalog fwas that a box of 20 sells for $87.99 while a five-pack is $16.50. That means you pay almost $22 less if you purchase four five-packs! Intrigued, I spot-checked the catalog and found similar deals on a number of other Famous exclusives, though I didn’t notice this with regular brands.

So, if you plan to order a box of any cigars from Famous, I’d highly advise double checking the five-pack prices first. (And, no, they don’t make up for it on shipping charges. Ground is based on whether the total is over or under $40, and air is one fee regardless.)

As for this cigar, I wouldn’t recommend it. Because of the construction quality, I upped my rating a little and give it one and 1/2 out of five stogies.

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

-George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

“Bold yet noble” says General Cigar, maker of the non-Cuban version of Bolivar. Well, it’s definitely bold.

This particular blend is composed of a San Andreas ligero wrapper from Honduras, a Havano medio tiempo binder, and fillers from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Unlike the more familiar Cofradia line from Honduras, this Bolivar is Dominican-made and was just released in 2005.

The six inch by 52 ring gauge Toro is lumpy, relatively dry, and moderately veiny. A quick inspection reveals a few soft spots, the pre-light draw is on the tight side, and the wrapper leaves some sweet tingle on the lips. And for the cost? It’s very reasonable: JR sells boxes of 25 for under $80 and five-packs for $18.

That price is supposed to get you a fuller experience than Cofradia, a line that’s no slouch in the flavor department itself. It does. Unsurprisingly, especially given the type of wrapper leaf, it starts with a big salty taste. The dominant flavor from there on out is of cedar and roasted coffee beans, and the finish is dry.

That’s why I recommend you keep a cool drink close by to even things out (let me suggest dark rum and Diet Coke with lime). Trust me. The sweetness of a molasses-based alcoholic drink will help counter the cigar’s overwhelming, mouth-coating taste – especially as a black pepper bitterness increases in the final third.

A remarkable feature of the Bolivar Toro is how much smoke it produces, even when left resting in the ashtray. The other physical properties are less than astonishing. The burn requires occasional maintenance to stay even, and the ash is slightly flaky and unstable.

Still, for the bargain price, this isn’t a bad two-hour cigar, particularly if you’re into full-bodied sticks with bite. While many will find the dense volume of smoke and the salty aftertaste to be off-putting, I think this makes a pretty decent golf course companion (if you have a drink on hand). That’s why I give the Bolivar Toro three out of five stogies.

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

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

While it is hard to be sure, the Cohiba Esplendido is generally considered to be the most counterfeited cigar in the world. Infamous “glass top boxes” are sold every day to unsuspecting tourists looking to partake in this sought after cigar. (Despite their wide availability, Habanos S.A. has never produced this cigar in a glass top box.)

Fortunately, I am confident in the authenticity of the three seven inch by 47 ring gauge Esplendidos I smoked for this review; they checked out based on our guide to spotting a fake and they were procured from an official Casa de Habanos store.

With its classic double corona proportions and veinless medium brown wrapper, the Esplendido is an attractive stick. The wrapper has a slight sheen and is topped off with the traditional triple cap that is found at the head of every handmade Cuban cigar.

After clipping the cap and carefully lighting the foot with nothing but three wooden matches, I was greeted by medium-bodied flavors of wood. Underneath the predominant cedar was subtle earth, spice, and a honey sweetness.

The draw started with just the right amount of resistance and an even burn but, as the cigar progressed, it became a little too tight and difficult, and the burn became uneven and needed constant attention.

Around the same time the construction problems began, the flavor shifted. Halfway through the cigar it became more full-bodied with the earth flavors coming to prominence.

Still, this remained a very smooth cigar - perhaps due to the tobacco’s extra fermentation. The flavors weren’t as complex as the Cohiba Siglo V or VI that were introduced a decade later.

Depending on the exchange rate, the Esplendido will cost around $30 per cigar or more. It is no small price for this very good cigar, but for the same money I would prefer a Cohiba Siglo VI or a Padron 1926. Ultimately, though, this is an impressive cigar with fantastically smooth flavors. Despite some construction flaws, it earns an impressive rating of four out of five stogies.

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

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

I’ve smoked over a dozen of these over the past six months and, during that time, this stick has become my hands-down favorite Cameroon. The reason? It consistently delivers what I consider to be exceptional taste and wonderful physical properties at a bargain price.

Just like Cupido, La Carolina, J.L. Salazar, and Don Kiki – both Brown and White – the Cameroon Toro is made by our friends at Cuban Crafters. Alberto Noguera, national sales director for the Miami-based boutique manufacturer, was nice enough to send up plenty of these cigars for our Smoke Out in March, and the overwhelming feedback from our guests was very positive.

The six inch by 54 ring gauge Toro sports a seamless Cameroon wrapper with a sungrown Cuban-seed habano binder and long filler, each fermented five times. You can pick up a box of 25 for less than $100 – a great price given the cigar’s status as a favorite among Cameroon fans and its impressive 8.9 rating in Smoke Magazine.

The firm-feeling stogie clips cleanly and starts with a burst of earthy spice and rich cedar. Subtle sweet notes complement the experience, a characteristic that’s typical of Cameroons, and each puff produces tons of thick, pleasant smoke. The flavor tends to mellow as the cigar progresses, but its medium body is enough to keep you on your toes.

Construction is admirable with a white, sandy ash that holds well and a draw puts up just the slightest resistance. While I remember the burn on the first few requiring some touch-ups, lately it has been as straight as any cigar I’ve smoked. This suggests that you’re better off locking these away in your humi for a month or so after a purchase.

In all, this is a terrific smoke – every bit as good as the Robusto, which George E named one of his Gold Star Smokes in March. I always have a few on hand, especially since seasoned cigar veterans and newbies alike are quick to tell me how much they enjoy it. That’s one of the many reasons I give the Cuban Crafters Cameroon Toro four and ½ out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. To purchase this cigar from a StogieGuys.com affiliate, click here.]

-Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The Arturo Fuente Anejo No. 77, better known as “the shark,” is one of the most sought after cigars currently in production. It is easily identified by its unique shape: a tapered pyramid that morphs from a round head to a sharply box-pressed foot.

Following on the success of their super-premium Opus X line, the Fuentes created this blend featuring a Connecticut maduro wrapper with a Dominican binder and filler. Like the Opus X, you can expect to pay a pretty penny for the Anejos – over $20 for a single stick and upwards of $30 for the “shark.”

Not content to employ a simple maduro wrapper, Fuente ages the Connecticut maduro wrapper five years, including a special aging process utilizing cognac barrels. The oily maduro is nearly veinless and the color is darker than most maduros – almost a pure jet black.

Before lighting, I notice earth, chocolate flavors, a hint of fruit, and, not surprisingly, cognac. Perhaps due to the unusual shape, the cigar felt light and not very solid in my hand. Once lit, the Anejo 77 starts off with an uncommon burst of sweetness. It then proceeded to settle into a medium-bodied smoke with chocolate and hints of black pepper spice.

The draw is easy on this five and 7/8 inch pyramid (the ring gauge is 50 by the head before widening out to 64 at the foot). As the cigar progressed it unveiled a solid white ash that held for a full inch at a time.

Around the midway point, “the shark” seemed to accelerate from medium to very full-flavored. Earth and burnt cedar notes were overflowing, along with more maduro sweetness and even hints of cinnamon. The cigar’s phsical properties continued to be impressive, with only a slightly uneven burn being a small blemish on otherwise flawless construction.

Ultimately, I found this to be a most impressive cigar. With excellent construction and rich intense flavors, particularly an abundance of sweet burnt sugar and fruit, the Anejo 77 is the ultimate maduro.

While I’d never consider a cigar with a $30 price tag to be a bargain, the cigar’s decadent flavors match the high price. For that decadence, packed into such a unique shape, the Arturo Fuente Anejo 77 earns a rating of four and 1/2 out of five stogies.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here. Cigars for this review were provided by CigarsDirect.com, and can be purchased here.]

-Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

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