A quick look at perfection

You don't see these anymore.

MMMMMMM....El Rey del Mundo Tainos.

2007 Ramon Allones Small Club Corona

There is so much competition for the best minuto and perla, with the dynamite Bolivar Coronas Junior and the great Partagas Short, Montecristo No.5 and Cohiba Siglo I.   But this cigar is pretty dang good, too.  I am not a huge fan of the Ramon Allones line.  All good, but there are so many excellent habanos in the size that I don't get to smoke too many of the Small Club Coronas. 

This example was dried for about a day, and by nightfall, it was ready to go.  Cut it with the Monte cutter, and it's funny that I use razors and cheap cutters so  long that I forget just how well a really sharp cutter can slice a cap.  It is such that it barely pauses at the head before zoom, it cuts right through. 

Lit it up and found a stout, rich cigar with bold coffee notes and a touch of twang.  Perfect draw and good smoke production.  It had a great, smooth medium brown wrapper and a perfect roll and feel. 

Not a standout, memory maker, but a really great small cigar.  88 points

00 Le Hoyo de Dieux and the big downpour

I dryboxed my de Dieux because of the miserable performance of the Bolivar Coronas Gigantes.  Dryboxed it for two days.  The I did the dumbest thing.  I walked outside for my evening walk, a 3.5 mile Bataan Death March through 98 degree heat and 90% humidity.  But it was 80 and cool and breezy?  Wierd, but threatening rain.  Mistake one is NEVER smoke a cigar while walking, at least if you are as out of shape as I am.  Mistake two is never smoke in the rain while walking. 
I did both. 
The first half of the cigar was delicious, with creamy and sweet, woody notes.  It ran a little bit, due I guess to the fact that it was laying on the counter.  I think the surface touching the counter for two days burned slower. 
And then the rain started.  A nice drizzle at first.  I was walking through the best neighborhood on my route.  It started out in front of Rhodes College, an institution dating back to 1848.  I then turned left into a subdivision called Hein Park, half million dollar and up homes and ancient trees.  And pouring rain.
But I actually nubbed the cigar, from cupping it in my hand and at other times protected by the brim of my cap.  The cigar was no longer tasting like anything but harsh yuck.  But it was the novelty of the thing.  Hoping people in their cool, dry homes could see me smoking in the pouring rain.  As I exited the subdivision, I tossed the nub into the gutter and made the second half of my journey chuckling as I walked with my head held high in a driving rain.  As I entered the tree covered walkway past the college, the rain turned to a drizzle and then stopped as I got back near home.  I mentioned to a couple of old ladies chatting on a porch that I thought it might rain.    This smoke rated 85 for the first half and will not be forced to account for it's poor second half performance.  I will smoke one right out of the box tonight to REALLY be fair to this excellent little cigar. 

On it's 'pro' side, this is the PERFECT cigar size.  No question about it.  It's smaller than a churchill, thicker than a lonsdale, longer than a corona.  Others may dispute the perfection, but I can't think of a vitola I enjoy more.  I like a piramide, too, but 1st place has to go to this cigar shape.

The Le Hoyo de Dieux

After reading a thread today on the greatest cigar forum on the internet, I thought about how strange it was that I never saw this cigar the way most other people do.  I love the idea of a complex, dynamic cigar that "smells like a bonfire of exotic woods."  But the one or two I smoked tasted like cigars, and smelled like 'em too.  I can't figure out if it's the supreme hype over the greatness of these, or if it's that they win the le Hoyo prize by default, or if people read great reviews of them and then decide that they too taste greatness, not unlike the viewers of the Emperor's New Clothes.  Gosh, does anyone even know what that means anymore?  Barney has led our youth around by the nose for so long it's hard to imagine any of them have heard these myths, fables, proverbs or allegories, whatever the heck The Emperor's New Clothes happens to be.
But I do not like to cast aspersions on the tastebuds of others, since mine are so poor and beaten down from decades of smoking.  And two cigars of 00 vintage is hardly a representative sampling.  But tonight I am going to give it another shot and see if it's just me or is this cigar not all it's cracked up to be.  And for the record, I think the de Depute is the marquis cigar in the le Hoyo line, anyway. :)

2008 Bolivar Coronas Gigantes

Ih what an inauspicious start to the 4th of July Weekend.  This was a much anticipated cigar, a TEB FEB08.  The cabinet open, stinks like the finest barnyard extravaganza in history.  But for some reason, from the pre-light draw, (which means nothing whatsoever to me) to the last disgusted puff, this cigar was totally unimpressive. 

Maybe it is due to my uncharacteristic smoking of a cigar that had not been dried out on the counter.  In fact, i am gonna guarantee that's what it was.  Because this cigar had everything going for it.  But it was just blah.  No REAL flavor, maybe some fruity hints. 

Oh this is just awful.  It had that airy nothing taste of a sick cigar.  But no, I think it is REALLY just the cigar wants to be dried out.  In this condition, and this particular cigar, a dismal 70.

4th of July Lineup

I have gotten my share of grief about updates, but I have to tell you ALL who expect frequent updates, you GOTTA smoke cigars to have a review blog.  And I have not been up to the challenge lately.  I am more of a cigar OWNER these days.  But I also know how frustrating it is to frequent a blog that does not update very often.  That's why I gave you 4 pages of content in a week, so you could read that while I got myself psyched up for some smoking.
The Fourth of July lineup is going to look like this.  Por Larranaga Petit Corona 2003, Cohiba Esplendido 03, Fonseca Cosacos 01, Ramon Allones Specially Selected 05.  This lineup might change a bit, but is basically set for now.  I may add to it.   I wish all my readers a happy Fourth of July.  Stay home and don't drink and drive.  Or worse, TEXT and drive.  Kinda makes me miss the good ol drunks.  They had alot less to prove.