Drew Estate: Acid Wafe

Alright, it seems I've been getting some crap lately for a lack of reviews on my part. Some of us don't live in Tobacco Country USA, free from smoking bans, and home of mild winters. Some of us can't smoke in bars, won't smoke in their houses, and are dealing with -10*F temperatures. (Editor: could be. Or you could be the world's biggest sissy. Readers?)

That being said, wintertime up north is a perfect time for quick smokes - and presented here is my all time favorite quickie, (Editor: ......) most recently enjoyed just this past weekend.

The Acid Wafe by Drew Estate is one metric assload of flavor in a tiny package - like the rest of the ACID line, the tobacco used in creating this cigar is aroma cured for months, infusing them with flavors and aromatics you won't find in other lines. Aromatic cigars are kind've a mixed bag, people love them or the hate them. A few years ago this sort of cigar would have probably made me retch - now I can't get enough of them.

This box pressed cigar is about 3.5 or 4" long (obligatory joke of choice here) (Editor: oh god...so many choices...so little time...damn, freezing up!), and is only about a centimeter thick - this allows for a pretty quick burn, making it a quick smoke - but unlike normal cigarillos, this one is still a half inch wide, giving alot more room for flavors and blends to be worked in.

The cigar itself? Full bodied - but in a smooth way. It's potent, but it's also sweet on your lips. I really can't describe this one, it's very different, very floral, very herbal, it's everything but mild, but not in a harsh way. Buy one, or five. If you don't like it, I'll gladly take the rest off your hands.

And PS, down south, I've seen these 5 to a hardpack, like regular cigarettes - I'd recommend this route, as these, and other strong aromatic cigars really aren't the sort of thing you should store with your others - mild cigars can mingle with mild cigars - but I really doubt these guys would play well with others... (Editor: PS, down south, you know this guy ALWAYS looks for a hardpack.)

At around 3 bucks a stick, it's a little pricy for a 15 minute smoke - but these are worth every penny. Would I buy again? I have, and will continue to do so... and because that's our main criteria, I'm proud to give this one our very first Bandit.


Acid Wafe (Drew Estate)
Size: Wafe (NA)
Taste: Mildly-Wild (Yowza)
Draw: Excellent
Burn: Excellent
Flavors: Youbetcha!
Overall Rating:

Gurkha Connecticut Reserve Robusto #4

Well it's Tuesday, and you know what that means. Time for your weekly beating. No, wait, I was thinking of what I will tell my children in the future. DON'T JUDGE ME!

I had two cigars over the past weekend, and I will hopefully have the review of the other one pretty soon. First, though, I will tell you a tale. A tale of a cigar. A Gurkha cigar. A cigar who wanted to get home to his family. Well, too bad. He got burned instead.

I got this Gurkha Connecticut Reserve Robusto (quite a mouthful to say) in a CI Sampler, and since I enjoy Gurkha's Castle Hall line so much, I was really looking forward to this one. Sadly, it didn't do much for me.

My new cutter is much better, so I had a nice cut and light, and the draw was great off the bat. It started with a pretty bland tobacco smoke flavor, not much else in there. Unfortunately it seemed to just continue that way throughout. On the plus side, the smoke was really smooth and had very little in the way of harshness.

That brings to mind a thought: Why does every reviewer insist on calling a cigar's smoke "creamy"? That adjective is worthless in regards to smoke. It's like calling oxygen "supple". It's nonsense. (Lawson: It's true, only an idiot would refer to smoke as creamy.) (Nick H: Well damn me. And damn YOU, Lawson. NEVER POINT OUT MY CONTRADICTIONS!)

Anyhow, I got more and more disappointed with this one as time went on. I ended up stubbing it out a little early because I was bored. It wasn't objectionable, but it also wasn't good. It wasn't much of anything, just kinda bland and smokey. However, the good construction, solid draw, even burn and smooth flavor keep this from failing. If someone gave me another I would take it, but I won't seek this one out again.

Gurkha Connecticut Reserve Robusto #4
Size: 6" x 50 ring
Taste: Mild
Draw: Good
Burn: Even
Flavors: Not much, sadly.
Overall Rating:
The smoothness keeps it from failing, but the bland taste gets a Jim Kirk double-punch.

Punch Rare Corojo Crystal

I had heard great things about this cigar so I had high hopes. I believe it got a 90 rating from Cigar Aficionado. (Editor: A magazine that is entirely funded by cigar company ad revenues rated a cigar highly? No way!)

The construction of this cigar was great. It was one of the most solid cigars I've ever smoked. It burned completely even throughout and the draw was great. There was lots and lots of smoke. (Editor: Smoke? From a cigar? Amazing. About as amazing as your ability to coordinate motor function long enough to push out this substandard write up.)

This cigar had an over powering pepper flavor from the moment I lit it up to the last puff. The taste didn't change at all. Pretty consistent throughout. Now, I looked at some other reviews and they mentioned flavors of chocolate and wood. I did not taste these in my pepper stick. I poured myself some whiskey to sip on while I smoked. The problem was I could not taste the whiskey but it did wash some of the pepper flavor out of mouth. I like full flavored cigars but.... I'm not sure what was up this thing. (Editor: Are you sure it isn't just that your failings in life happen to taste like pepper?)

Now, I am pretty sure the cigar I smoked was not the same one that got a 90 ranking. I did find some other people with very similar reviews as mine. So.... there is a bad evil peppery batch of these floating about or my palate did not enjoy this cigar.

It did give me a nice buzz though. I think I could have drank any awful liquor I wanted with this one because there was no way to taste anything else.

All that being said I will probably try this cigar again later because I'm curious if it was me or the cigar. (Editor: I think, regardless of cigar quality, we can always safely say that it's you, Curt. It's always you.)


Punch Rare Corojo Crystal
Size: Torpedo (5.5 x 54)
Taste: Medium-Full
Draw: Great
Burn: Perfectly Even throughout
Flavors: Strong Pepper from start to finish.
Overall Rating: Pepper ray gun

Macanudo Maduro Hampton Court

While Nick was smoking his AVO Maduro #3 I was smoking this Macanudo. Havana's is a great bar. Cushy chairs, leather couches, great bartenders, dark and classy. I wish this bar was off the back of my house. Attention Lawson: When you come to town we will go. (Editor: What about me, you ingrate?)

Anyway, on to the cigar. There are some in the cigar world that bad-mouth macanudos. Well, some of the criticism may be founded, but I equate it with film snobs who hate any movie that has financial success or was made in the last 30 years. That being said on to the cigar! (for real this time) (Editor: ..wha? Oh, sorry, I fell asleep while you took THIRTY SEVEN YEARS getting to the body of the review!)

This was a great looking cigar and had a sweet cocoa smell.

This cigar burned nicely. Perfectly even throughout.

The draw was a bit tight for my taste. Maybe a few more months in the humidor would fix this.

Now on to the flavor. I was a bit surprised by the taste of the cigar. The cigar started with medium body with hints of chocolate and coffee. In the second third of the cigar the flavors came to the forefront and I really enjoyed it. In the last third of the cigar the flavors were gradually drawn out as the harshness of the cigar took over. Don't get me wrong though, I smoked this baby down to the nub.

This cigar was not complex but extremely solid. This would be a great cigar to have on a Saturday morning with a cup of joe. (Editor: Or, in Curt's case, with a guy named Joe on a Saturday morning after yet another "mistake".)

This stick costs about $4 to $5. I would recommend this cigar for its solid taste and reliability.

Macanudo Maduro Hampton Court
Size: Corona (5.5" x 42 ring)
Taste: Medium
Draw: A little Tight
Burn: Even and consistent
Flavors: Coffee, Chocolate, Nutty
Overall Rating: Squeaked into the boss hogg, not unlike... well, you fill in the blank...

AVO Maduro No. 3

Back again for another review by the greatest person you know.*

This time it's for the biggest cigar I've ever had, an AVO Maduro #3. I got this one through a Cigar Secret Santa thing that I was a part of this year, and it barely fit in my humidor. It had a beautiful color and smelled delicious, though, so I was excited to try it. Therefore, when Curt and I decided to go down to the local cigar bar, Havana Deluxe, I brought the beast along for the ride.

I do have to admit it made me feel a little stupid to be smoking such a giant cigar in public. I needed a Cadillac with horns on the front, or a thrilling tale of my oil-baron days to accompany such a ridiculous looking stogie. But it cut cleanly and lit perfectly, so away I went.

The draw and burn on this bear was perfect. We were there for hours and it never burned unevenly or was the slightest bit plugged. The taste, though, is where it really shone. It started with a nice coffee flavor right off the bat, then gradually broadened into a sweeter taste, without the slightest hint of bitterness or acrid tang that some maduros have. The end picked up steam with more coffee and a little almondy taste.

But I have had cigars with those flavors before - what really set this one apart for me was how smooth it was. The flavors were strong without being harsh, and lingered without overpowering. I paired this with a Belgian-style witbier to good effect, the sweetness countered the coffee nicely.

I probably wouldn't get this size again, it's too big. But I will definitely buy this line of cigar again. And since that is the basis of our number-scale ("Would I buy this again?"), this one gets my Walken.

AVO Maduro No. 3
Size: Churchill (7.5" x 50 ring)
Taste: Medium
Draw: Great
Burn: Perfectly Even
Flavors: Coffee, chocolate, pepper, nut
Overall Rating:
The smooth taste and interesting, changing flavors give me a fever, and the only prescription is:


*P.S. That's me

La Princesa de Cuba Toro

I got this cigar in some new years eve sampler pack. The sampler pack was a great deal and had a few cigars I have never tried before, this being one of them.

I smoked this cigar a few weeks ago and at first I was not going to review it because... well, it was lackluster. Then I decided to review it anyway because all reviews shouldn't be great. (Editor: Well, you're off to a fine start, then.)

The cigars looked and smelled nice. I had no problems lighting it up and it burned pretty even.

The taste at first was pretty harsh. Not a good harsh just kinda strong with no redeeming qualities. The second third of the cigar was actually not terrible. It had a very earthy flavor but maybe too earthy like dirt. The last third of the cigar returned to the harsh, bad tasting cigar it started out as. (Editor: I had a girlfriend like that. Started off ok, then turned dirty, and then tasted terrible. Oh, wait - it was YOUR MOM. Burn. )

There was lots of smoke with the cigar but unfortunately that pretty much the extent of the flavor... smoke.

The draw was medium... just about perfect. For me I like I medium draw. I don't want to have suck so hard my mouth hurts (like I do with Lawson's toes). Just kidding, Lawson likes it more sensual. I also do not prefer a cigar that feels like I'm sucking through an empty straw. I would prefer some resistance so I know I'm smoking. (Editor: We all know what you're smoking...)

Do you think anyone is actually lured into believing a cigar with Cuba in the name is actually from Cuba? Like when I saw this cigar I thought it was made either by or from a Cuban princess. After I tried it, probably a drag Cuban princess is a better guess. (Editor: Well, you would know.)

Overall, the cigar was mediocre at best. No real complexity. Nothing to write home about. Probably will never buy it again. (Editor: Wow, that was my same thought about YOUR MOM. Burn.)

La Princessa de Cuba
Size: Toro (6" x 50 ring)
Taste: Medium
Draw: Smooth Easy Draw
Burn: Pretty Even, Burned very slightly faster on one side but not a problem at all
Flavors: Earthy and wood flavor but mostly just smoky and unexciting
Overall Rating:
Dynamite Lips = not so great cigar

Carlos Toraño Virtuoso Encore

This was another cigar from that sampler pack I got from Cigars International. I picked it because I wanted to review something with a maduro wrapper, and also because it was short and I knew the temperature was dropping.

And drop it did. When I started the temperature was around 62, and just a short time later it was already 52. Now, a shower and straight-razor shave later, it's down to 48. I guess I picked the right time of night! Aren't you excited? I know you are.



As you can see, it's a nice-looking stick, on the short side. On we go!

Well it didn't start promising, as it seems I've lost my cutter. I looked everywhere and couldn't find it, but to no avail. So out came the trusty kitchen knife. Here's a tip, dear readers: use a sharp knife, not a dull thing unworthy of the title "knife". What a cut! It looked like a dog had gnawed off the end. On the plus side, it didn't unravel at all. It just looked like hell.

But thanks to my new trusty lighter, it lit right up. Man, this is a full-bodied cigar, lots of powerful tastes. I was hoping for a bit more complexity, but what it did have was really nice. There was a really strong peppery taste throughout, and near the middle I got some coffee flavor in there, too.

Like the other Toraños I have had, this was perfectly constructed and the burn was great. It needed one little touchup, but nothing significant. The draw was very nice, too.

Basically, my only complaint with this one, and probably what will keep me from buying a lot of them, is that there's not a lot there. What you get at the beginning is what you get at the end. The flavors don't evolve much over the course of the cigar, and that makes it a little dull near the end, no matter how strong it gets (and believe me, near the end it got really strong). I paired it with some more of that Evan Williams Single Barrel to decent effect, although it tended to overpower the bourbon a bit.

This is a nice cigar, and I'd love to try one that had been aged for a while to see if there were some more flavors in there. Overall, it was an enjoyable smoke, and took quite a while to burn for its size. Recommended to fans of strong, peppery maduro cigars.

Carlos Toraño Virtuoso Encore
Size: Toro (4.5" x 52 ring)
Taste: Wild
Draw: Very good
Burn: Even with one touchup
Flavors: Strong pepper and some coffee.
Overall Rating:
Just barely made a Boss Hogg.

5 Vegas Gold churchill

Well here is the first official review since the institution of our formalized cigar rating system. Are you excited?
Well, let's check. Have you urinated in your pants yet? Then you're not excited enough! Get to it!

Anyhow, on to the review. Recently I bought an 8-cigar sampler from Cigars International, and it contained some cool stuff. One of the things I had wanted to try for a while was a 5 Vegas Gold, since they are usually pretty cheap and I had heard some good things about this as a budget cigar.

This is probably a good time to explain my thoughts on price. I don't smoke a ton of cigars, maybe one or two a week, max. So I don't feel like I need to be stingy on my cigars. I would rather buy a good, more expensive cigar, than 10 cheap ones. On the other hand, I feel that after a certain point, there is no amount of delicious flavor that can justify a giant price tag. So I fall into a medium category where I am willing to pay more for a good cigar, but once the price goes too high, I don't feel it could be worth it.

OK, Back to the 5 Vegas Gold. In appearance, it looks a lot like that Castle Hall I reviewed a few times back. Churchill-sized, light wrapper tending towards yellowish gold.

It cut cleanly, which is a miracle considering the 100% crap cutter I use, and lit up evenly. I just bought a torch lighter from a local department store, and it is totally worth the money. At first I wasn't feeling this cigar, it felt bland. However, once it hit the sweet spot I definitely enjoyed it. It is stronger than it looks, with a much spicier taste than the light wrapper would indicate. It falls into the Medium category for me, just over the line from Mild. It had a nice but not overpowering tang to it, which hit me on the sides of the tongue.

It had a slight nut taste, but didn't have the strong nutty flavor that I like in the Castle Halls. However, it did have a very pleasant peppery taste to it that I liked. The draw was very respectable, plenty of smoke without a lot of effort. I didn't smoke this one down to the nub because it was just too long, but if I had been in a group hanging out and chatting I don't think I would have tired of it. I paired it with a small glass of Evan Williams Single Barrel, which I find to be a good cigar bourbon.

Overall, I think this was a solid smoke, especially for the price of around $3 a stick. Here's the roundup:

5 Vegas Gold
Size: Churchill (7" x 50 ring)
Taste: Medium-Mild
Draw: Good
Burn: Even and consistent
Flavors: Slight nut with a strong pepper near the end.
Overall Rating: A strong Belvedere.

Ratings symbology

As Nick L. laid out in the last post, we are going to stick to a straight 0-10 scale, to get away from the whole 100-point scale that everyone else uses. I mean, seriously, when was the last time you saw a cigar rated under 80?

So to help you get a quick review at a glance, we are going to implement these fine cigar rating images . Each image represents a person or character of the quality denoted by the number rating. Here they are, starting at 0:




That's quite a crew, I have to say! And before your internet rage comes bubbling out over the fact that Mr. Belvedere is ranked higher than Captain Kirk, just keep in mind that I am not changing these!

Well, until we get tired of them, and then we will come up with new ratings.

And, if we encounter that once-in-a-blue-moon cigar, that smoke that makes all others seem, well, Urkel-ish, then they get the special honor of the coveted "11" rating. And there's only one man for that position:



So those are the ratings symbols you will see from now on. I hope that you either enjoyed them or were at least entertained by the pretty colors.

See you soon...