Hot Cake Golden Line is a hit on many levels. I would not say it is overly complex, but a great value Connecticut that can be enjoyed by any level of smoker. Constructed perfectly, the HVC Hot Cake Golden Line Corona Gorda smoked cool with core flavors from start to finish. Yes, I will come back to this cigar. Yes, I can see this cigar becoming a regular in my rotation. Nice morning beach cigar.
Like many Black Works Studio offerings, this cigar showed deepness in flavors as well as a good head spin with it's higher nicotine delivery. Being rich and rustic in flavors, this Black Works Studio Poison Dart Corona Gorda will please any existing fans of the brand as well as welcome new smokers willing to smoke the darker side.
It's been a while since I had a consistently good Artista. This Artista Harvest Robusto hits in all the great ways. Sweet, spicy, stone fruit, all working in great harmony. If you're like me and pass on most Artista cigars, don't turn your head on this one and try a few.
This Casa 1910 Soldadera Edition Sampetrina was a nice Robusto and a solid Connecticut. I would say that it rode the Average/Good line in every category, but it continued to deliver so I had to go with Good overall. I would definitely smoke the cigar again, but at the price I wouldn't pick up a handful of them. Nice profile of cedar, hay, earth and cream.
Words I used like balanced and nuanced are positive indicators of a good cigar. However, when these words are paired with light flavors, then it becomes not as good. If the flavors were fuller like the second third, the smoking experience would be entirely different. But as is, the thin flavors created an overall lackluster smoking experience with the SP1014 Black 6x54, in which I will pass on in the future.
The E.P. Carrillo Pledge of Allegiance started out well enough with interesting flavor combinations. Some of those flavors were still present in the second third but didn't engage me in the same way as the first third. By the last third, the profile did not have interesting or enjoyable flavor combinations and I found it fairly flat. When you combine the flavor performance with the higher price point, this cigar is a pass for me and I would rather seek out another one of their core offerings which performs well.
The flavor profile was average throughout, but the takeaway for me from the PDR El Criollito Robusto was the construction issues. Having to babysit the burn and draw just aren't something I'm interested in. I'd be interested in revisiting a better constructed version, but it's not really high on my list to do so.
The Black Label Trading Co. La Madonna Negra Rothschild was a delight to smoke with flavor intensity ranging from light-plus up to medium-full at times but never causing palate fatigue. I thoroughly enjoyed the review and for an anniversary release cigar the price point is extremely attractive. I'm not sure the short vitola allowed the cigar to fully develop and I'd be interested in trying this in the Corona Gorda or the Robusto.
The Jas Sum Kral Munchies Bananas Foster was pleasant throughout, with the most dynamic flavors coming in the first third. I was hoping for a more intense banana flavor like the intensity from the Munchies Rocky Road. Although this is probably not something I would return to, I appreciate that the flavors are natural and don't have an artificial sweetness or chemical nature to them.
The Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2022 had a nice start, but dropped a level in the second third as the earth became a bigger player and maintained that level the rest of the way. This was an OK showing for a limited edition, but not something I'd see myself coming back to all that often.