StogieBrew - Part 2

2009 Camacho Liberty Cigar Review

Posted by Big_A | Posted on 12-12-2009

Tags: 2009, Camacho, Cedar, Cigar, Coffin, Liberty, Review

Cigar: Camacho Liberty 2009

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

(3) Comments

J Fuego 777 Maduro Corona Cigar Review

Posted by John B | Posted on 08-12-2009

Category : Cigar Reviews

Tags: 777, Cigar, Corona, J Fuego, Maduro, Nicaragua, Quick, Review

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.

(5) Comments

Rogue Yellowsnow IPA Beer Review

Posted by Red | Posted on 06-12-2009

Category : Beer Reviews

Tags: Amarillo, Beer, Hops, IPA, Review, Rogue, Seasonal, YellowSnow

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 !

(8) Comments

Cabaiguan Guapo RX Maduro Cigar Review

Posted by John B | Posted on 05-12-2009

Category : Cigar Reviews

Tags: Cabaiguan, Cigar, Guapo, Jaime Garcia, Maduro, Miami, Nicaraguan, Pete Johnson, Review

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.

(1) Comments

Thanksgiving Week!

Posted by John B | Posted on 30-11-2009

Category : General Talk

Tags: Thanksgiving, Vacation

Well it has been a long, but eventful week. Some good, some not so great! The worst thing was Thanksgiving eve we ended up at the E.R. with our one year old. She had a seizure from the fever caused from teething. We got out of there about 4 AM. They ran CAT scans, X-Rays, Blood tests. you name it, they did it. Thank god she is ok. I am so grateful to the 911 dispatcher, the local police, EMTs, and staff at the hospital.

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!

(0) Comments

2009 Camacho Liberty Cigar Review

J Fuego 777 Maduro Corona Cigar Review

Rogue Yellowsnow IPA Beer Review

Cabaiguan Guapo RX Maduro Cigar Review

Thanksgiving Week!

Find Us Here

Blogroll

Comments

Recent Posts

Join CRA Today!

Other Things