True to it's name, the Micallef Experiencia La Crema Toro packed quite a bit of cream like notes starting off with an oily mouthfeel with flavors of buttered bread, roasted nuts followed by hay and tart cherries on the retrohale. I had a great first experience with the brand. Let's hope it continues.
For the outstanding price point of sub $6, the Punch Chop Suey delivers a punch of flavors. Nice flavors of King's Hawaiian sweet bread, vanilla, minerals, cedar, black pepper in which some cigars that are 2 to 2.5x the price point can't match up to. It's only Q1 but I may have already found the value cigar of the year.
Pour 'n Tell adds a pairing component as we are joined by Simon Brooking, Brand Ambassador of Laphroaig and Jeff Borysiewicz from Corona Cigar Company and Florida Sun Grown. We will be pairing various expressions of Laphroaig with various cigars that utilize Florida Sun Grown tobacco.
I do think the Southern Draw Private Blend Corojo No. 4 Robusto was a good cigar. There is plenty of black pepper spice and heat with trailing sweetness and creaminess (less in the final third). The blend worked well and as such, I overall thought it was in the good category.
The experience of the Villiger Do Brasil Claro Robusto went like this. First two thirds, wow, I am impressed by what Brazilian Connecticut shade can do. The final third, more average. This is a cigar that is packed with full flavors without much strength. I can see myself enjoying a couple as my starter cigar for the day.
The 7-20-4 WK Series Churchill is a very approachable and flavorful experience with changing complexities. I enjoyed all three thirds equally providing dessert-like sweet buttered bread, dried nuts, soft cedar and varying levels of spice and minerality. This cigar will no doubt go in the rotation.
This being the second cigar I reviewed blended by Indiana Ortez, I'm starting to really appreciate her blending style as it is focused on flavor without unnecessary strength. The Ventura Psyko Seven Nicaragua Robusto was smooth with vanilla extract like sweetness, cream, nuts, cedar and a little bit more spice kick than most Connecticut Shade wrapped cigars in the market.
This cigar had the core main flavors that make up a good cigar. Sweetness, spice, wood and earth. The flavors themselves were good, but as a whole lacked harmony. Whoever blended this likes a heavier dose of strength and spice, even at times tipping the balance of sweetness and spice.
Each week we'll sit down and talk about our recent beer and spirits reviews, what we're drinking, as well as news topics we think are interesting. From time to time we'll have special guests on the show which will no doubt have us running over our standard 30 minute show time.
Although it's fun and festive, I admit I almost never look forward to candela cigars. They are typically too vegetal and boring in flavors for me. In the case of the Jeremy Jack Blarney Stick, I'm happy to say it wasn't entirely like this. What especially kept me engaged was the sweet tip. I'm typically quick to take a big deuce on sweet tips, but it actually worked on this cigar.
