PIO Cigars from Little Havana in Miami, which is previously known as PIO VI Cigars recently launched a new line, named The Resurrection.  Alberto Medina, owner and President of the company picked this name after a long legal battle and a break from doing what he loves best: Cigars!  I read somewhere that this line was named due to him getting back into the business and having a “resurrection” of his life and his business. 

There are a total of five rollers who blend the cigars at the factory in West Miami.  The Resurrection is a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro with an Equadorian binder, and a Nicaraguan, Equadorian, and Dominican fillers.  They are all a box pressed cigar ranging in price from $6.00 – $10.00.  The total production is no more than 600 boxes monthly.  This is truly a “boutique” cigar.  Alberto and I exchanged a few e-mails and he seems to be a very down to earth guy who is passionate about what he does.  He sent me a few cigars to review a few weeks ago, and due to the busy holiday, I am just getting around to posting this up. 

Size:  6 1/2″ X 48

Wrapper:  Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro

Binder:  Equadorian

Filler:  Equadorian, Dominican, Nicaraguan

Price:  $6.50 – $10.00

Strength:  Medium

Appearance/Wrapper:  

Upon first glance, the cigar has a rugged look.  There are veins showing, and it has some small splotches of different shades of brown.   The band is nice and simple.  There was a double cap on the cigar. 

Construction:

This is not a very tightly rolled cigar.  It was somewhat soft compared to most cigars I smoke.  There were no soft spots, and it was very uniform as far as density goes.  This is not the best construction due to the visible veins on the wrapper, and the overall appearance.

Draw/Burn:

The burn was a little off.  I did let this sit in the humidor for about a month, so I know it was not due to that.  The draw was very loose and produced tons of smoke.  It needed a few touch-ups along the way to keep it burning well.  The ash was very white and flaky.  It burnt at a faster pace than I am used to due to the loose roll. 

Flavor:

First 1/3:     Spiciness, and pepper which slowly creeps up on you.  It has a very earthy flavor with a creaminess and a hint of cocoa in the background.  I also picked up some roasted peanut flavor.

Second 1/3:     The spice mellowed out to a dull pepper with the cocoa shining through a tad more.  I also picked up on some leather and some cooking spices.

Last 1/3:     The spice intensified in the last part with even more leather and nuts, with that earthiness from the beginning.

Strength: 

It started out as a medium full, then dropped to a mild to medium, and then returned to a meduim full strength.

Final Thoughts: 

The first thing I thought was that this could use just a little more aging to meld all those flavors together and mellow it out and take some of the “edge” off of it.  The burn was ok, and the construction was not all that great.  It did have some good flavors, but it just does not seem that it was blended as well as it could have been.  If the wrapper was nicer and the roll was a bit tighter, I believe it could be much better.  I will let the others rest and revisit this one at a later date.   IF I had to rate this, I would give it an 86. 

Review By: John B

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Litto Gomez, the man behind La Flor Dominicana has recently released the Air Bender line of cigars.  They get the name from the classic Kung Foo movies and the warriors.  It is known that these ancient warriors could “bend the air”, thus the name behind them.  Each Vitola gets it’s name from  Ancient warriors, and characters of these classical movies.  I read somewhere that Litto mentioned this is not a sissy cigar.  It comes in four different sizes:  Matatan-(5″ X 50), Maestro-(5.5″ X 52), Guerrero-(6.25″ X 54), and the Voliente-(6.25″ X 60).   From what I have read this is the same wrapper found on the Salomon, and the LFD Corona Habano.   I found a retailer out of Chicago which carried these, and with me being a LFD horder, I had to try these out. 

Size:   Maestro (5.5″ X 52)

Wrapper:   Ecuadorian Habano

Binder:  Dominican

Filler:  Dominican (Piloto Cubano, Sumatra seed, and Corojo)

Strength:  Full

Wrapper:   This is one of the most beautiful wrappers I have ever seen on a cigar.  It was very smooth, no veins, medium oil, and had a nice sheen to it.  Medium to dark brown. 
Construction:   It is a very solid and dense smoke.  It had some weight to it.  Not a single soft spot in this cigar to be found.  You could see the straight line from the cap to the foot, from where it was in the press, and it showed through the wrapper.  There were many different shades of tobacco visible at the foot. 

Draw/Burn:   I figured the draw would be tight due to the firmness of the cigar before cutting the cap, but it was just about perfect from start to finish.  The burn was very good, I’d give it a 9/10 for the burn factor.  I think I touched it up once or twice, but nothing major.

First 3rd:   When I lit this up, I got hammered with raw strength.  I could tell from the first few puffs it was going to be a powerhouse of a cigar.  I got lots of earthyness out of it in the first inch or two.  There was a black peppery spicyness in the back of my throat, but not strong on the tongue.  There was some roasted nuts, and caramel, with a “dry” leather flavor also.  The first two inches meant business!

Second 3rd:   About two and a half inches in, it turned into a med-full from a very full cigar.  The spice mellowed out, the caramel went away, and It was just strong tobacco.  Just when I thought it was going to drop off in the flavor department, it engaged the good flavors again, just before the 4-5 inch range. 

Last 3rd:   The last third seemed to mellow back out just a touch.  It was putting off lots of leather and caramelized sugar.  However, the strength kinds headed towards medium again. 

Final Thoughts:   Litto came through again with a solid, strong cigar, with tons of strength, and a smoothness we all appreciate.  It seems there is a lot of ligero in there, It reminded me of a cross between the Double Ligero Chisel, and the Cain F.  Take the good things from those two and make a hybrid from them and this is what you get.  I picked up a sampler of these and can’t wait to try another once they have been sitting for a few months.  This is definitely a cigar you want to try if you love a full strength and full flavor cigar. 
Review by: John B.

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It is a whole new year!  I hope everyone had a great holiday, and everyone is doing well. 

It has been a very busy season for all of us here.  Life got a little hectic, and things got in the way of posting new reviews and news.  We apologize for this and hope to get back on track and posting up some new stuff for everyone. 

We do appreciate all the input and all of the regular visitors.  Please keep coming back and supporting us.  Thank You!

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Once again here we are with a Jose Pepin Garcia blended cigar.  Released at the 2009 IPCPR show,  Ashton made a wise choice when they decided to go with the San Cristobal line and include Nicaraguan tobacco from the Estelli farm.  Seleccion Del Sol translates into “Selection from the sun”, which refers to the sungrown wrapper.   I remember when the original blend came out at the 2007 IPCPR show.  They were flavorful, powerful, and very complex.  ( I will also add that the first ever San Cristobal I smoked, I believe a churchill, was the first cigar that “hurt me”!  I had to sleep off the intense nicotine buzz I got from it.)   This is not far from the original blend.  I believe they changed the original blend after the first year.  I did prefer the original blend to the second one, but now that these are here, it’s a whole new story.   They come in three different sizes, with all three having the same ring guage of 52.  Toro (6X52), Robusto (5X52), and the Belicoso 5.5X52).  They are sold in boxes of 20 for about 150.oo a box. 

Size:   Toro 6 X 52

Wrapper:   Nicaraguan Sun Grown

Binder:   Nicaraguan

Filler:   Nicaraguan

Strength:   Medium-Full

Date Smoked:  12.15.2009

Wrapper and Construction:  

The cigar has a beautiful and colorful band.  It is similar to the original band, it also has a foot band which has bright blue on it and differentiates it from the non Seleccion Del Sol.  It is a nice transition from the medium-dark brown wrapper.  The wrapper is smooth and has very small veins from cap to foot.  It did have a soft area in the mid section which gave more than the rest of the cigar which was very solid.  It carried the almost now standard triple cap and what seemed to be a thin, brittle wrapper. 

Pre-Light:  

 I picked up some woody/oak scent with a hint of cocoa.  At the foot there was a more of a slightly spicy and woodsy, earthy smell, with maybe a little almond/walnut.  The draw was a little tight for what I like to feel on the draw.  I could feel some spice on the front of my tongue before I even lit it up. 

First Third:  

The burn was perfect and slow.  It was packed with many different flavors which all came and went at different times.  It was like a medley of great cigar flavors in the first third.  There were lots of earthy tones like hay, pepper, oak, walnuts/almonds, and leather.  Just about at the end of the first third, it mellowed out to a smooth nutty and slightly spicy finish.  The wrapper did have a small crack which ran about 3/4 of an inch.  It never did effect the burn though. 

Second Third:  

This was a totally different cigar in the second third.  The spice mellowed out to almost nothing, along with the leather and earthiness.  It had a very nice toasted oak and walnut flavor to it.  The cigar was burning perfectly.  It produced a great room aroma.  My wife even came out and mentioned it.  (that is saying a LOT)

Last Third:  

This part of the cigar was even more smooth than the second third.  I did have a  few flavors come and go within just a few puffs on the cigar.  some of these included orange, cinnamon, and caramel, all which went well with the other underlying flavors of oak and nuts.  Right before I set it in the ashtray for good, I picked up a dark molasses, which was awesome. 

Overall Experience:  

I thought this was better than the other cigars I have smoked from the first two blends in the line.  It definitely has that well known “Pepin” spice in the first 1-2 inches.  It was a very complex and flavorful cigar with a solid construction.  Id be willing to bet these will be better now than later, as with most of the spicy, complex Nicaraguan cigars, age mellows all the flavors.  Especially the spice.  I am glad Pepin had his hand in this project with Ashton.  They came out with a great mid-priced cigar with very complex flavors that everyone can enjoy.  This was the first of these I have smoked, but I am going to make sure its not the last.  I have a few left which will have to be tucked away in the “Pepin” humidor for another day down the road!   I hope you enjoyed the review, and until next time, Long Ashes!!!

Please feel free to comment on this review!  Thanks!

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Wrapper: Habano
Size: 6 x 54 – 11/18 roll
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras
Strength: Full

Every year since 2002, Camacho has released a special limited release blend known as the Liberty.  The first year they made the cigar in various sizes and now solely rely on their famed 11/18 roll.  Neatly wrapped in a very thin tissue paper, packed in cedar coffins with a limited production of 40,000 cigars.  The 2005 set the bar as the best Liberty to date.   That is, until the 2009!   This is the 8^th or 9^{th ‘}09 Libertiy I have had.  When they first came out it was apparent they needed time, so now here we are six months later.

Let’s smoke one to see if it made a difference.

Appearance/ construction:

After unwrapping the cigar from the tissue paper, the wrapper is smooth with one very small vein on one side.  The wrapper had no flaws and the cap was excellent.  It is a nice light brown in color, and has an oily sheen under the light.  The aroma coming from the tobacco was an intense salty/sweet powerful cedar scent.  The 11/18 roll is firm and even and just beautifully executed by the master roller who rolles them.  Upon cutting the cap, the prelight draw was as perfect as it gets, and the tobacco yielded a spicy cedar.  It reminded me of that Christmas spice you get from dried flowers and wreaths.

First 1/3^rd

The initial light was even and it burned flawlessly.  The resting smoke was light but consistent and was very pleasant to smell.  The initial flavors were of dried flowers and a very nice cedary spice.

2^nd 1/3^rd

At the beginning of the second third the smoke turned into a sweet natural cinnamon flavor that was exquisite, and just as fast as it came three puffs later it was gone.  However, the cedary spice became more prevalent and had a beautiful finish on the palate which lasted several minutes. The ash was a beautiful grey and solid

Final 1/3^rd

The final 3^rd ended just as nicely as it started.  The draw and burn remained perfect all the way through the smoke.  The spices at this point are of sweet cedar with ginger undertones.  Although this is not a complex cigar, the flavors and consistency of it make it a very enjoyable smoke.

Final thoughts:

This Camacho has by far exceeded my expectations, and in my opinion, the best Liberty Camacho has produced.  I bought a box of them and I’m sure glad I did.  This cigar would be the perfect accompaniment to Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner after and a nice aged Scotch.  Aging these sticks was a must when they first came out.  I would have given them an 88-89 then.  Now it is a solid 92.  If you can find these lingering on your local B&M shelves buy them, as you will not be disappointed.

Until next time happy smoking!

Review done by: Aaron Boyd

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Jesus Fuego (Triple Siete) 777 Maduro Corona

Wrapper:  Nicaraguan Criollo Maduro

Binder:  Nicaraguan Corojo

Filler:  50/50 Corojo and Criollo Nicaraguan

Size:  5.5″  X 46

Strength:  Medium-Full

Price:  4-6 per stick

J. Fuego comes from a long line of cigar makers.  Actually five generations ago is when it all started.  He was the man behind some of the well knows ciger makers, and now he has set out on his own to do what he does best.  Make great cigars!!  I have smoked about a box of these and I still have 2 boxes in the cooler aging.  These can be found all over at a very decent price.  This is a Nicaraguan Puro and that seems to be what I like to smoke lately.  They have that spice and strength I crave in a cigar.

This is not a full review on the cigar.  I have smoked so many of these and just smoked one after a little boat ride with the wife and kids today.  It’s nice to have a day off every once in a while.

I have smoked the Coronas and the Toro which is a 6 X 52 I believe.  I do favor the flavor of the corona a little more, as the maduro flavors are able to shine through a little more.

1st 1/3rd:  Lots of dark chocolate and espresso with some hay and pepper are noticeable.  The draw was superb on this one, along with the burn.  I have had a few with minor burn issues, but nothing bad.  I also tasted some toasted nuts in the beginning.

2nd 1/3rd:  The pepper really came forward and hits your tongue and the back of your throat.  The cocoa and hay is dominated by the pepper and can barely be noticed.  The nuttyness has faded completely around the middle mark.  Still burning like a champ at this point.

last 1/3rd:  The pepper started to disappear and mellow somewhat.  There was a toasted oak/nut flavor that I could pick up now.  The cocoa also was a little more prominent now that the pepper and spice mellowed.

I have ran through about 40 of these and they have not let me down once.  Great flavor, good burn, and at a reasonable price.  The Corojo edition is also a great cigar.  It really packs that corojo spice that “corojo nuts” search for in a stick.  For those who enjoy the maduros though, this is a stick you must try.

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Back again for the winter months is one of my favorite seasonal IPAs.  This beer always reminds me that, YES, good things can come and save the day when it’s freezing cold outside.  Even if you don’t consider yourself a skier or someone who enjoys building snowmen, there are still a few reasons, for a lazy beer head to get excited  during the years coldest season!

One of my favorite, but less famous hops right now, is the amarillo hop, which are the main monsters used for this brew.  I do not see alot of  breweries focusing on amarillo in thier IPAs right now.  So it’s great to see Rogue showing off their glory.

When I poured this beer, I immediately noticed it was very cloudy and almost fuzzy. The color is a hazy golden orange with an off white soapy head.  You will notice small carbonation bubbles moving rapidly in the glass but nothing too extreme. In fact the mouth feel does not seem to hold much carbonation at all, but more of a fuzzy felling, which fades out rather quickly.

The smell is sweet with citrus. It Reminds me of a grapefruit coated in sugar. You can smell the alcohol in this beer as well, it’s not overpowering but has a wonderful aroma.

The first thing I noticed on the taste was that it does not seem to have much of a resiny feel as it did last year. I could still taste and feel the hops coating my mouth but it just feels a little less prominant than the prior batch. This beer has an almost herbal pine taste right up front.  It’s almost like a lemony hop with a strong herb backbone. Lemon juice, grapefruit, and traces of pine make itself known.  It has an oily, fuzzy, and at times, a chalkey feel.

This style is outside the box of what most may consider to be the standard IPA profile.  It definitely introduces some new flavors, and aromas to the category while maintaining a great IPA backbone.  If you are like me, this is exactly what you are looking for in a beer!  Originality, that sets it aside from the pack.  It is somewhat one-dimensional but in a good way, because you know what to expect on every sip.  I thought that as it went from just out of the fridge cold, to more of a room temperature , the flavors might change up a bit. However i found that they stayed just about the same all the way till the end. It was the mouth feel of the beer that I found that changed the most.

I give this beer a solid A. I do hope the winter ends soon but when it comes back ill be okay as long as it brings the yellow snow with it. And as soon as it hits the shelves…Ill once again be all over it !

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Cigar:  Cabaiguan Guapos RX Maduro

Wrapper:  Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder:  Nicaraguan

Filler:  Nicaraguan

Size:  5.25″ by 50

Strength:  Medium

Cost:  $8-$10 per single

     This is one of my all time favorite cigars!  I just cannot get enough of these rich little flavor bombs.  For a medium smoke, these deliver quite a bundle of richness from start to finish.  They are manufactured in Miami, Florida and blended by “Pepin” Garcia’s son Jaime, and Pete Johnson, of Tatuaje.   The Tobacco is out of Esteli, Nicaragua.    “Cabaiguan” is the name of a city in the Sancti Spiritus Provence, which is home to many of the most knowledgeable cigar men in Cuba.  Guapo is translated to “handsome”.    The blend, from what I have heard is the same blend as the El Truinfador lancero, which is a great stick.  I have ran through about 2 boxes of these and everyone has been almost perfect.  Let me get to the review and fill you in on these.

Wrapper and Construction:   The wrapper is not as dark as your “usual” maduro wrapper.  They are a lighter shade of brown, but I think that’s what helps make it unique in the flavor department.   This particular one had some veins in it and it was a little rough and “toothy”.   The veins and irregularities are to be expected, because after all, these are a natural product, and they are made by hand.  There were no soft spots in it, and it had a somewhat firm feel to it.  The tobacco which was visible at the foot was made up of many different colors.  Light and dark tobacco made up the filler in this.  The wrapper is very oily and has a noticeable sheen to it.  It had a small pigtail, along with a triple cap to top it off. 

Pre-Light:   The wrapper had a “good: barnyard aroma to it, along with some dry hay.  I could pick up some rich mocha espresso at the foot along with a very faint bit of spice.  The pre-light draw had a little more resistance than I would have liked, but it did open up after about the first half inch and it was smooth sailing till the end. 

Burn:  After toasting the foot and torching it, it only needed one or two minor touch-ups to keep it burning like a laser.  There were tons of smoke billowing from each pull.  The aroma in the room was a light spiciness and a nice toasty tobacco smell.

Overall Flavors:   The flavors were constantly changing up in this.  It keeps you guessing.  It really keeps your taste buds in check and keeps you interested in what will be next in the flavor department.  It starts off with a nice cocoa, espresso, and that barnyard flavor you usually find in a Cuban cigar.  About two inches into it, you can pick up a subtle bit of spice which you can feel in the back of your tongue.  Towards the middle I picked up a little cinnamon which came and went a few times.   The strength stayed in the meduim range from start to finish, except maybe in the middle when the spice kicked in.  There was also some leather notes throughout the entire cigar. 

Overall Verdict:   Pete Johnson and Jaime Garcia have teamed up and made an absolutely stunning cigar.  If you want a smooth, rich maduro, which does not have that overpowering maduro flavor this is for you.  They are not hard to find, and they have a very fair price tag on them.  I would suggest you get at least 4-5 of these bad boys, because when you fire that first one up, you WILL want another.  They come in the RX (robusto extra), and the 46.  The RX is the larger of the two. I actually favor the 46 which is a little smaller in size at 5 5/8″ by 46.  I hope you have all had a chance to enjoy one of these.  If not, grab a few next time you are at the B&M. 

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     I took off the whole week to hang out with the family and just relax.  It was awesome.  I got to smoke a bunch of the new stuff that has been released as of late.  (reviews are coming)  We took out the boat today for a nice cruise and stopped and had some lunch.  What a beautiful day in FL.  There was just a slight breeze, and plenty of sunshine!  I also got up all the Christmas lights.  It took me about 3-4 hours and 2 trips to Wally World.  It was worth it though.  It looks awesome!

     I got to see the family for Thanksgiving.  It was great seeing everyone, but we were so tired from the night before.  We went to my wifes parents house for our first stop.  We stuffed our faces with some killer turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, some of the best gravy, cranberry sauce, and I brought my broccoli/cheese/rice casserole.  For dessert we devoured pumpkin pie and whipped cream!  I did get to rest for about an hour……..Then we headed to my parents.  It was a nice short 15 minute drive.  We got to start the whole overindulging again!   I still hurt from Thursday!   WOW!   I am glad that’s over. 

     Well, tonight marks the last night of my vacation.   I am going to pour some Ron Zacapa 23 over some rocks and grab a great, tasty smoke and hit the garage.  It has been a little wuiet around here with the three of us traveling and all the family.  Back to the reviews!   We should have some new stuff hitting the blog very soon!

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