Hoyo de Monterey Doble Coronas

Check out this superb smoke! I am usually not the greatest fan of Hoyo de Monterey which I often find too soft (when they don't simply lack taste). Both the Epicure Numero 2, and the short robusto are far to meet my standards. But yet another case where cigars (as well as others beings) should not be pronounced guilty by association: the double corona by Hoyo de Monterey is a great cigar!


In this category, my favourite was so far the Ramon Allones Gigantes. It will be probably stay there, though the Hoyo de Monterey may show up in my ranking as a "beautiful loser". It is rather light yet very consistent, and quite subtle : almonds, creamy, caramel, buttery, vanilla. Yummy!

Cohiba Siglo V

I just had one of those. The Cohiba Siglo V is a Dalia (a.k.a. londsale) cigar, which is a format I like very much. I've heard many great comments about this cigar, and I wanted to give it a try. I bought five of them, and I just smoke one of them... So no Definitive comments here. Yet, I have to say, that, so far, I'm not impressed. It is a good cigar of course (it's a Cohiba!), like a Mercedes will always be a good car. But hey! For the same price I can buy two (or at least 1.7) Partagas 8-9-8, and to the best of my knowledge, the 8-9-8 is simply better.

Will keep on trying them :)

Brand : Cohiba
Origin : Cuba
Format : Londsale (Dalia)
Rating : A+ (Pls. refer to my cigar rating chart)

Romeo Y Julieta Short Churchill

For a start it is a beautiful cigar ! I bought it in its white and red tube, only to discover a superb cigar in it : majestuous wrapper, gracious double ring : one R&J in red, the other pure gold bearing "Short Churchill".

All right now, so what is a short Churchill ? Contrary to what one may think, it is not only shorter than a regular Churchill (124 mm vs. 178 mm) but suprisingly thicker than its bigger brother (ring 50 vs. ring 47 for the regular Churchill). So... marketing aside, and let's call a cat a cat : it is a Robusto !

The one I tried had a pretty good draw, though probably lacked a bit of panache at the beginning. In its second and third tier, this cigar revealed itself, with rich flavours now becoming obvious : honey, spices, and a light woody something at the top of it... It could not help but remind me of the original one. I did enjoy this smoke !

Brand : Romeo y Julieta
Origin : Cuba
Format : Robusto (a.k.a. Short Churchill)
Rating : A? or AA? gotta smoke more to tell you ;-) (please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart)

H. Upmann - Edicion Limitada 2005 - Magnum 50

Enters the new Duke of cigars : the Upmann Edicion Limitada 2005 Magnum 50. Superb cigar ! Unusual size (double robusto), this jewel is probably as good a smoke as it is beautiful. As a true Magnum 46 lover, my expectations were quite high... Well I was not disappointed at all !

The Magnum 50 is a great cigar, a debonair ! With marvelous, yet complex flavours : almond is definitely there, roasted nuts shows up quite often, along with hints of honey... A superb smoke !

I have a rule that says that I cannot give a triple "A" to a cigar if I only smoked one... So I can only give it a "AA+" while waiting for the next beautiful day where I will be able to light another one ;-)
Please refer to my cigar rating chart.

Cohiba Double Corona Limited Edition 2003

The friend of mine who owns the Partagas 155th anniversary cabinet, also had a box of Cohiba Double Corona Limited Edition 2003 (lucky bastard !)... He was kind enough to give me one of these.

To be honest, I did not know exactly what to expect. I mean obviously this cigar had very good reviews, the brand is supposedly the best Cuban brand, blablabla... yet Double Corona is a very competitive format : a lot of very serious brands fight in this arena, with very serious players involved. We're talking Ramon Allones Gigantes, Partagas Lusitania, Hoyo de Monterrey Doble Coronas, Punch Doble Coronas, etc. And, let's face it, Cohiba is also famous for being quite expensive... some would say over-hyped...

So... what's the outcome ? Well, I have to say that this cigar tastes really really good. Bouquet of spices at the beginning, then strong hints of chocolate, superb earthy finale, truely a pleasure. Any critics ? Yes, well just one actually : for the same price I can buy two Ramon Allones Gigantes !

Brand : Cohiba
Origin : Cuba
Format : Double Coronas
Rating : AA+ [please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart].

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You can have a look at the complete smoke on my Flickr account.

Bolivar Coronas Gigantes

Well, well, well, just had one of the nice Bolivars I bought in my last shopping in Paris... truely a nice experience !

This cigar is very well constructed with a very nice draw, while offering very rich flavours. I was honestly impressed, sort of did not expect that much... After some sweet puffs with strong hints of honey, this cigar became became very spicy (green pepper), before ending in a superb dark wood finale !

Aizuddin was (once again) right to recommend this great cigar. I do share his comment though : some more time in the humidor could only make this cigar even tastier...

Brand : Bolivar
Origin : Cuba
Format : Churchill
Rating : AA+ [please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart].

(See the whole experience here on my Flickr account)

H. Upmann Connoisseur No. 1

Be careful : this is not a Robusto ! This is a Hermoso No. 4, although the difference is subtle, its gauge is slightly lower and, on the other hand, it is 3 mm. longer (1/10 of a inch)...

I know that some reviews have been pretty good, but honnestly I am not really impressed. This cigar is very light, and I shall say probably too light for me. Taste is very floral, sometime herbaceous... Not really my cup of tea. As a true Magnum 46 lover, I am slightly disappointed. At the top of that, the draw was not perfect.

Brand : H. Upmann
Origin : Cuba
Format : Hermoso No. 4
Rating : BB+ [please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart]

Quai d'Orsay Imperiales (churchill) - Part 2

Remember my first post on Quai d'Orsay Imperiales ?


Well I just smoked another one. Still a fair smoke. A couple of months in my humidor did not do any harm for sure... I truly enjoyed the strong caramel flavor I got at the end. For a minute it really felt like a candy bar :)

Ramon Allones : Gigantes (Doble Coronas)

I did buy a couple of those, during my Last trip to Geneva. I had to find the good occasion to light one of these babies... Definitely not the kind of cigars you light up for nothing ! You have to find the right timing (prepare yourself for more than 90 minutes of pleasure), the right location (you'd better open the window :), and the right company (avoid your new girlfriend).

Well I managed to secure a decent time slot which allowed me to enjoy my first Ramon Allones Gigantes.

Firstly, the box is absolutely beautiful, with a superb green mixed with shades of gold (I'll put a picture of my box, when I find time). I keep this box just because I love the design! Secondly, the cigar in itself looks imperial, with its wonderful light brown, and goldish ring. Finally, the taste. It is a great cigar, and not surprisingly for a cigar of this size, full of different, yet subtle, flavours : liquorice, flowers, chestnut, woody sometime, but never earthy.

You should try one of those !

Brand : Ramon Allones
Origin : Cuba
Format : Double Corona
Rating : AAA [please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart].

H. Upmann Magnum 46

Yummy, Yummy !
Oh, what a great cigar ! I read enthusiastic comments about it, and guess what they were all true.
I bought about half a dozen of those during my last trip to Geneva. I smoked two of them so far. To be fully honest, the first one was not exceptional (but I suspect that I did not cut it properly too...). The second one was a pure delight : genuine candy !

Caramel, spices, ginger bread, a lot of well defined yet subtle flavours. A must-smoke ! Will buy more of those !

Furthermore, I do appreciate the format. I love Robusto, but when a Robusto is good, don't you ever feel like you could smoke a tiny little bit more? Well I do! The answer to this frustration might well be the Corona Gorda.

Brand : H. Upmann
Origin : Cuba
Format : Corona Gorda
Rating : AA+ and possibly AAA (will come back on this). [please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart]

A Classic : the Churchill by Romeo y Julieta

I had a Romeo y Julieta's Churchill the other night. I honestly forgot how good a smoke it is. Do not ask yourself if this cigar is as good as it once was ? Do not listen to those who foresee a general decline of the Cuban cigars, just buy it and smoke it !

The Churchill by Romeo y Julieta starts with a very distinct woody flavour which is absolutely unique. The second third (the "divin") is somehow more confused, yet absolutely tasty with subtle notes of chestnut... The last part of the cigar delivers a strong and deep earthy feel. The tastes are not so complex, but every note is deep and unmistakable.

Should have smoked more of those, definitely will !

Brand : Romeo y Julieta
Origin : Cuba
Format : Churchill
Rating : AA+ (please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart)

My love/hate relationship with Partagas D4

In my endless quest for the best robusto (part 1 & part 2), I have to admit that I have a very special relationship with the Partagas D4. I very often find it too strong. For instance, I cannot stand it in the afternoon.

I often argue that the D4 is the most expectable cigar, and lacks subtlety. Actually many people who do not know anything about cigars love the D4, because it somehow embodies the cliché of the Havanos : strong smell, strong taste, thick gauge, etc.

But every once in a while, after a solid dinner, and while sipping a good glass of Rhum (like this evening), I end up ordering a D4... Precisely for the same reasons why I criticized this cigar ! I love and hate the D4 because it is so rich and powerful. The same cigar gave me some of my worst experiences, and probably some of my best...

I do not see our relationship changing in the future... No way I can deal with a cigar that arrogant !

Bolivar Petit Corona

Just finished a couple of Bolivar Petit Corona. Probably not my favourite format, though as Michael from www.cigars-review.org puts it : "He who believes that all Marevas are the same lacks subtlety".
The Bolivar is a strong, spicy, some would say bitter smoke. It does not lack character, and somehow reminds me of another brand : Partagas. I enjoyed the petit coronas a lot, though I enjoyed more my evening smokes than my afternoon one. I like the colour too, very dark. Will go on "studying this brand" !

Brand : Bolivar
Origin : Cuba
Format : Petit Corona (Mareva)
Rating : A (please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart).

Another Hoyo de Monterrey - Epicure #2

I read rather unpleased comments regarding the Hoyo de Monterey - Epicure #2 recently. Allegedly the recent Epicure #2 are :

Wrappers became very light, construction uneven, and at times the wrappers had light shades of green! Terrible draw, bitter at times, and herbaceous! Nothing like the #2s I had previously.Submitted by mel on January 5, 2006

Well "mel" I just smoked one myself... What can I say ? It's the same mild, yet tasty robusto I tried before. It's an amazing afternoon smoke, which I didn't find herbaceous at all... The Epicure #2 has strong notes of leather, as well as hints of chocolate. My rating remains unchanged, still A+ (please refer to my Cigar Rating Chart).

Ramon Allones Specially Selected - Robusto

Just finished a Ramon Allones Specially Selected. Very good smoke, very surprising too. I never tried this cigar before. Well, definitely should have ! Combustion was not perfect (to say the least), but hey... What a taste!
Salty, hearthy, touch of leather here and there. But what did strike me most, was this salty/spicy flavour I can still feel on my lips. And not too strong as well, clearly milder than a Partagas D4
This definitely goes in my humidor for good!

Brand : Ramon Allones
Format : Robusto
Origin: Cuba
Rating : AA+ (pls. refer to my Cigar Rating Chart)

Quai d'Orsay cigar - Imperiales (Churchill)

I tried one of those during new year's eve : Quai d'Orsay - Churchill format. This Cuban brand might not be very familiar to you since it is exclusively sold in the French market. Actually you can find them elsewhere (like in Switzerland), but let's say it is rather scarce.
The name Quai d'Orsay actually comes from the surname of the French foreign office.
This brand is well known for its smoothness. This makes the QO Churchill a very good introduction to this format. I believe it is one of the mildest Cuban cigar in this vitola.

Brand : Quai d'Orsay
Format : Churchill (Julieta)
Origin : Cuba
Rating : BBB+ ( pls. refer to my Cigar Rating chart)

Sancho Panza Coronas

In my last post dedicated to the match between Cubans and Dominicans, I mentionned I smoked a Sancho Panza Corona. It was a pretty decent smoke. Quite mild, which I greatly appreciate for an afternoon smoke. Well you could tell by the colour of this cigar, very light indeed.

Brand : Sancho Panza
Format : Corona
Origin : Cuba
My Rating : BBB+ ( pls. refer to my Cigar Rating chart)

Partagas De Luxe

Smoked a Partagas De Luxe this afternoon. An old one actually... This one was definitely hand made (cf. one of my previous post on this matter). A good smoke... And a very nice look too : golden tube and golden ring, very classy...

Brand : Partagas
Format : Corona
Origin : Cuba
Rating : A+ (best AAA+, worst D)

Montecristo Petit Tubos

I had two of those last week. Actually they are Montecristo #4 but in tubes. Very nice smoke, quite enjoyable. I like small cigars, the one you can smoke at anytime. I prefer the Montecristo #4 to the Montecristo #3 I don't know, I just feel the #4 already gives everything it has to during its (shorter) combustion.

Brand : Montecristo
Format : Mareva
Origin : Cuba
Rating : A- (see my Cigar Rating Chart)

Hoyo de Monterrey - Epicure #2

Yummy, just had a great Epicure #2. Sort of smooth taste, with great flavors though, a very nice Robusto. I mean I do love Partagas D4, and I still consider this brand as being the best Robusto. However the Epicure #2 allows you to enjoy the pleasure of the Robusto format at anytime of the day.

Brand : Oyo de Monterey
Origin : Cuba
Format : Robusto
My rating : A+ (best : AAA+, worst : D)

See also another Post on this subject : Another Hoyo de Monterrey - Epicure #2