Reviews

Date Added: Friday 03 June, 2016

H. Upmann Magnum 46 Cigar - 1 Single by Staff

Reviewed by Steve Smith Introduction: This head spinning tasty stick arrived via stealth bomber when I made a wish from across the Ohio river. Thank you DonJefe. Anyone want to buy some really nice domestics cheap? This is ridiculous I have been smoking cigars for 20 years and feel like an idiot not going dark earlier. Pre-Light Ruminations: Smelled nice a lot like the permanent resonant smell from my mustache. No matter what I do always that cigar smell in the short hairs. This kind of flavors any pre light thoughts. Looks like a rough triple cap. Nice firm cigar - but without exception in my limited experience Cubans seem firmer than the domestics. Pre light draw was slightly tight but good. Initial Thoughts This stick started out raspy and settled in after about a ½ inch. For its ring size it was not as strong as I expected medium to full with a little sharp nose. Kept my interest, got some twang, not ethereal, but good at this price point. Mid Burn Experience Settled in to that nice leather, coffee zone got a little 3D as the buzz set in. Burn was great. Stopped at a

Date Added: Friday 03 June, 2016

H. Upmann Connoisseur No. 1 Cigar - 1 Single by Staff

Reviewed by Joe Gellman A box of cigars was deposited on my desk a few minutes ago. I was not expecting a shipment from C.GARS Ltd for another week and I was surprised by the delivery. I opened the box and was met by 25 dark, rich, cocoa brown wrapped cigars. It did not take me long to notice that this was the box I had been anticipating for over one-month. When C.GARS Ltd suggested I buy the box I thought their description of the No. 1s was a bit over ebullient but, knowing them, I simply said "Send it." While the aroma from the box gave the impression of a young cigar, the oils on the wrappers belied this fact. This box looked better than what I was expecting. The construction of these cigars lacked a little finesse, all showing veins on the wrapper. While this did not detract from the enjoyment of the cigar, I always like to say what a gorgeous finish a cigar has (in my mind it adds to the smoking experience). The cigar I chose was the roughest looking one in the box. All the cigars measured approximately 48 x 5; the variance in the length of the cigars was mainly d

Date Added: Friday 03 June, 2016

H. Upmann Connoisseur No. 1 Cigar - 1 Single by Staff

Reviewed by Michael Griffith (November 2000) A few weeks ago I went to check the mail and eureka! A package from my favorite travel book club had arrived. Inside were three H Upmann Connoisseur No. 1s . I wanted to light one right there on the street but decided that about a week in the humidor would give them the chance to settle down a little after their long journey. It wasn't easy. Everyday as I would pick out a daily smoke there they were tempting me. But I was strong and waited until the right opportunity presented itself. The cigars appeared a little rough, all three having veins down the length of a rich brown wrapper. The pre-smoke aroma was very pleasant yet mild. One of the cigars had a slightly smaller diameter along with a slight reddish hue to the wrapper. I measured all three. Two were identical at 127mm x 19.05mm, the third measured at 127mm x 17.5mm. I assumed they were pulled from different boxes. A very solid construction. The caps were not the perfect triple cap that I have noted on most Cuban cigars. All three cut without a problem. The first cigar I smo

Date Added: Friday 03 June, 2016

H. Upmann Connoisseur No. 1 Cigar - 1 Single by Staff

Reviewed by Van Vandermeer (October 2003) Around Christmas time last year, I bought a sampler of fifty different single Cuban cigars from CGarsLtd along with a great bookshelf humidor. The other night I pulled from the few remaining cigars of the sampler one that had the H. Upmann red band. At first look, I thought it was a Petit Corona. I took it out to the garage with a glass of Sam Adams Lager, turned on the DVD player ("Punch-Drunk Love" starring Adam Sandler -- give it a miss!) and sat down in my antique rocking chair. I examined the cigar. It had excellent construction with almost no veins and no hard or soft spots. The triple cap was perfect. The wrapper was just a half shade lighter than they typical Cuban cigar. The cigar had that unmistakeable "barnyard aroma" pre-light. I clipped the cigar cleanly with my Zino double-bladed cutter. The pre-light draw was ideal -- just firm enough and tasting of great things to come. I torched the foot of the cigar with my Colibri Edge lighter (perfect for a pocket carry). It lit evenly. My first impression was that this was a

Date Added: Friday 03 June, 2016

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 Cigar - 1 Single by Staff

Reviewed by Robert C May (June 2000) As you know I received three examples of the HDM Epi #2, two of these were nearly identical in appearance with a reddish wrapper (rosado?) while the other had more of an "EMS" color. All three cigars featured excellent, even superb, construction. There was a big difference in how they smoked however. Cigar #1: One of the reddish ones. I smoked this cigar on a sunny morning while drinking a root beer and running some errands. The errands took a while as I could not put the cigar down to get out of the car. This cigar had excellent construction with a very nice rosado shaded wrapper, a truly beautiful cigar. Upon lighting the draw was perfect, producing ample volumes of smoke. The burn was also perfect for the first two thirds of the cigar, the burn became a little uneven the last third. The flavor and aroma could best be described as mild, the body light. This is not to say the cigar was not rich in its flavor and aroma. Indeed, the character of this cigar displays the same delicate strength as that of a Jean Patou perfume. Overall a superb c

Date Added: Friday 03 June, 2016

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2 Cigar - 1 Single by Staff

Reviewed Jason Maceyko (January 2001) I received my three cigars in perfect condition, just after the New Year. I immediately noticed that they had a beautiful "natural" wrapper and looked quite oily (for a natural). As I picked up the first one, I noticed that it was solid and smooth in structure. I would say perfect in design. The cap was also constructed beautifully. I felt the cigar for bumps and soft spots and found none. Out of curiosity, I checked the other two and didn't find any flaws in those either. By this time, I was excited and already had my punch out to make a perfect circular cut into the nicely flattened cap. I lit my cedar match and "went to work" on this beauty. The initial draw was so easy and effortless that I actually had to look to see if it were lit. Just as I looked, I could taste the smooth, leathery smoke and there was plenty of it. The smoke became even more smooth and leathery, with a nice hint of earthiness, after the next couple of puffs. It was obvious that this was a exceptionally crafted cigar, made with choice tobacco leaf and filler, for a medi