Monday, December 20, 2021

Davidoff Millenium - Petite Corona

Ah winter time is here and I'm enjoying lots of alone time in my cigar lounge which I have recently created in my garage.  After a morning trip to Walmart and a breakfast of eggs, cheese, corn tortillas and habanero sauce it was the perfect time to settle in to a fine cigar. I put on some phish radio based off my favorite song as of late entitled "Miss You" and selected a Davidoff cigar to smoke

Pre-light

The davidoff millenium petite corona is quickly becoming one of my favorite morning cigars with a good strong cup of coffee. The time is 8:30 AM and I get a pleasant manure smell off of the foot of the cigar before lighting it up. The pre-light draw is just about as perfect as it gets and I get that wonderful saltiness on my lips along with notes of cedar.

I decided to go with a punch cut as I typically do for these smaller form factor cigars as I feel that allows for the most flavor to come through. It makes for a bit of a tighter draw though but that isn't a problem at all on these Davidoff cigars as the draw is about perfect.

First Third

The smoke off the foot gently burns my nostrils upon first light in a subtle way and the salt on m lips is very good. The first few puffs yield a very creamy mouth feel, hints of cedar and chocolate cocoa.

Second Third

Not much new is happening on the second third at first but as I get further into the pepper spice ramps up a little bit and nuts and caramel come into the picture. I literally say "This tastes like a snickers bar out loud". Now I'm hooked. What a lovely cigar.

Final Third


The sweetness has faded and the cedar comes to the forefront. The strength has ramped up and the nicotine buzz is perfect to carry on with the rest of my morning. I have smoked a few of these cigars in the last few weeks and also made notes of the following flavors: sweet spice, coffee, cinnamon and cedar.

Final Thoughts

This cigar is more than box worthy and I will be purchasing a box so I can put it into my regular morning rotation. 

The cigar could really be an anytime of the day smoke for me but I particularly like it when I want a quick smoke that is luxurious at the same time and allows me to escape the world.

Specifications

Strength: Full
Shape: Corona
Size: 4 1/2 x 41
Country: Dominican Republic
Color: Natural
Flavor:
Wrapper Origin: Ecuadorian
Wrapper Leaf: Hybrid


Purchase from Famous Smoke



Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Avo Classic No. 2

Background

I've enjoyed quite a few Avo Classic's over the years and it is definitely in my list of favorite morning smokes. That being said you can rest assured that this cigar is enjoyable anytime of day. Today I lit this baby up at 7 a.m. with a cup of espresso and had a most relaxing experience.

History

Avo started making his cigars in Puerto Rico and selling them while he played the piano. The Avo Classic No. 2 was the original blend and size that they personally selected. In the first year they sold a mere 17,000 cigars a year.  Last year they sold over 2 Million cigars!  

  
 

Vitals

Gauge:50
Length:6"
Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut Sungrown
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Strength: Mild
Purchase From: Famous Smoke

First Third


The first third of the cigar starts off very sweet and creamy. Towards the end of the first third notes of a very light cocoa come into the picture. I detect a very light cinnamon spice on the retro hale as well as some cedar in this beautiful cigar. 


Second Third

The flavors from the first third of the cigar continue into the second third and the sweetness becomes honey like.


Final Third

The burn gets a little wonky in the final third of the cigar and the cinnamon spice becomes more noticeable through the retro hale but is still very subtle. I enjoy this smoke very much and it is definitely worthy of a box purchase or at least a five pack.

Thursday, December 9, 2021

My Father Cedro Deluxe Cervantes

History

Jose Pepin Garcia started rolling cigars at the age of 11 for his father and after 30 years of rolling cigars he achieved a torcedor ranking of 8 which is the highest achievable. He ultimately opened his own cigar factory in little Little Havana called El Rey De Los Habanos in 2003. Jaime Garcia, Jose's son got into blending cigars and took a trip Nicaragua to create a cigar to honor his father.  Jose and his family were impressed and  decided to change the name of the company to My Father Cigars in 2008.  On a side note as I smoked his cigar I was watching an interview with Don Pepin and he said thanks to Pete Johnson from Tatajue as well as Ashton cigars who ultimately elped put him on the map  internationally.  Ok, enough history let's get into the My Father Cedro Deluxe Cervantes.

Vitals

  • Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano Rosado / Criollo;
  • Filler:Nicaraugan Size:6 1/2 X 44
  • Paring : Sumatran Coffee
  • Start Time : 9:30 AM
  • End Time : 11:00 AM
  • Purchased from Famous Smoke

Cut and Pre-light

The cigar has a heavy and solid feel to it.  It is most certainly packed full of premium Nicaraguan long filler.  I decided to go with a punch cut and I detect hints of cedar on the pre-light draw as well as on the foot.  The pre-light draw is a bit tighter than I like but have a feeling it will free up as it has been my experience with this cigar.  The punch cut on these smaller gauge cigars is my preferred cut as it seems to really concentrate the flavors more which is quite nice.

First Third

On first light of the cigar I immediately get a taste of cedar and cream. This one has some age on it and perhaps that is why I didn't detect any of the signature Pepin spice on the initial light. I also took quite a few puffs before remembering to retro hale and then the pepper spice showed up.  The spice level can be easily controlled by the tempo at which you smoke it. Want more pepper?  Just puff on it a little more aggressively.  I like a more balanced smoke and prefer to slow down to get the most out of any cigar but noticed more so on this one. Wrapping up the first third and the mouth feel is luxurious and buttery.  I also begin to detect a hint of leather.



Second Third

So far consistent with the first third which in my opinion is a good thing.  As I concentrate more on the long finish the coffee notes are more prevalent as well as a detection of dark cocoa. It could be the coffee pairing bringing out these additional flavors but regardless it is very pleasant. As I wrap up the final third I was missing the pepper spice so I puffed on it a little more aggressively and had another retro hale.  The pepper spice is still there but more in the background.  The draw is still a little tight but not as tight as the pre-light.  Perhaps I will try a straight cut next time.


Final Third

In the final third the cigar is starting to heat up a little bit but nothing unbearable.It could be my rate of puffing is picking up as I am really enjoying this cigar.  Pepper spice and leather begin to come to the fore front and the flavors from the first 2/3rds are also still there.  I run out of coffee so have to run inside to grab a bottle of water. As I come back into my lounge (the garage) the room note is a very nice cedar which is worth mentioning.  The band peels off relatively easy which is always a bonus since I like to save them.


Nub Worthy?

Absolutely and the picture below is worth 1,000 words. You know it's a good cigar when you get out the corn cob holders for a roach clip :D 


You Can Purchase a 5 pack or a box from Famous Smoke here.