The Pichardo Reserva Familiar San Andrés provided a fairly consistent San Andres experience for most of the cigar review. A balanced medley of flavors that included cedar, baking spices, chocolate, cream, citrus and earth. I look forward to reviewing more cigars from Pichardo in the future.
When you talk about barber pole cigars, my instinct is to react with cynicism as a result of experiencing so many barber poles that were entirely gimmick releases. The Espinosa Crema de Laranja is one of those cigars that defies that experience with a balanced and satisfying flavor combination that is far more subdued than a lot of cigars coming out of Espinosa.
The Diesel Estelí Puro Robusto was a medium-full to full bodied experience that didn't skimp on complexity through the first and second thirds. This is the essence of the Diesel brand that I came to enjoy many, many years ago. What I appreciated is that the cigar brought intensity and strength, but didn't do it at the expense of a range of flavors.
The J.C. Newman Yagua had an interesting flavor profile, and might be one of the better Broadleaf wrapped cigars in 2020. Although the burn performance was absolutely abysmal, I will be returning to at least one more Yagua to see how it compares to the review experience.
The 601 La Bomba Warhead VI is a really enjoyable figurado and it delivers solid flavors with a nice strength and body level. This is a cigar that will speak to those who are looking for dark and rich flavors with a nice strength and body level. I'm not sure if I would age them, and I say that because I think age will take away from the qualities that make it great now.
A fantastic cigar, the Joya de Nicaragua Número Uno Le Premier is made for connoisseurs and yet approachable to novices. The more time you take in focusing on the flavors delivered, the more you will pickup, but if you simply want to smoke a quality cigar and not focus on flavors, this will be perfect and still show quality notes. One of the best, if not best cigars I have smoked and reviewed this year.
The Perla del Mar Natural Perla G is a reliably good Ecuadorian Shade offering. After smoking two of these, I'm happy to say that I'd enjoy smoking these on a regular basis, especially when you factor in the price point. The flavor profile managed to balance complexity, while keeping the overall strength in the range of a typical Shade experience.
The AVO Improvisation LE 2020 has a really nice start, delivering some lovely cream, earth, coffee and raisin notes, but the changes that take place in the second and final thirds really take away from the beginning. Not a bad release, but far from the best AVO and not limited edition quality in my opinion.
When I see a near $3 mixed short filler cigar, my main question is if it's worth the money based on taste and technical performance. The answer is a resounding yes. The Quorum Maduro Toro is one of the better cheap cigars I've had. Price aside, if I now ask whether the cigar was an overall good cigar, the answer is not quite. But given the performance based on price, for sure a recommend.
The Drew Estate Undercrown Shade Corona Pequeña definitely fits the bill for a quick 30-40 minute cigar that gets the job done. The flavors between spice and sweet citrus were in good balance and lasted just long enough for me to either be satisfied or entertain lighting up another one.
