Wonderful sweet and creamy nuttiness up front but the staleness in cedar wood was too impactful and disappointing. Without that, this OZ Maracana Robusto would have been a great desert like cigar with all the sweetness and coffee tones. A pass for me.
The AVO Expresivo Robusto is a tasty cigar that has the major factors of a good cigar covered (sweetness, spice, earthiness). The overall good flavors were paired well with an oily/buttery mouthfeel that kept me engaged throughout the entire cigar. Would love to revisit.
The Rocky Patel The Edge Maduro Toro had a nice start, with the earth driven profile and nice supporting notes. It took a step down in the second third as some of the supporting notes mellowed and the earth and cedar became a bit stale. It remained at that level the rest of the way. Not a bad offering in this lower priced category, but overall, it's not a cigar I'd really see myself returning to with any real frequency.
Can one flavor note make a cigar good if it pops that much? My answer is no, although I LOVED the jammy stone fruit delivery of this JRE Aladino 250th. But the jam was accented very nicely by marshmallows creamed coffee, zippy minerals and cedar. On a side note, I'd love to know what tobacco is giving that great jammy stone fruit taste.
The CAO America Monument had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around the earth and toasted cedar. The bitter construction paper wasn't the greatest addition, but the pepper and creaminess helped to balance it out a bit. Overall, not a cigar that really speaks to me and not something I'd see myself really coming back to.
The Rocky Patel The Edge Corojo Toro started pretty average, focused around the toasted cedar and earth. It increased in enjoyment in the second third as the black pepper returned, rounding out the profile a bit more. It took a step back in the final third as the wood bitterness increased and the pepper mellowed. This is a serviceable lower priced offering. While I wouldn't see myself really coming back to it with any frequency, for those that like a cedar and earth flavor combination and prefer lower cost offerings, this might fit the bill.
The challenge with a larger format cigar like this for me, is providing enough complexity that I don't get bored for the lengthy smoking experience, while not overwhelming the palate. I think, overall, the experience with the Bond Roberts Fenomenos Linea E No. 1 was pleasant, but other than the first third, the remainder of the review was relatively unremarkable.
I truly enjoyed the first half of the Alec Bradley Thirty Years Toro. The flavor profile was well rounded and very approachable, being abundantly sweet and creamy with added spice and minerals. But unfortunately, the latter half was a bit too tannic in wood and minerals.
The My Father La Lealtad Toro is a decent cigar. The flavor profile becomes a little monotonous with the size offering, but it is not unpleasant. It could come off as a profile that does not speak to a lot of smokers as well, and I feel that is a Dominican/Honduran aspect to the cigar. I believe this blend could reach a higher level with some more richness. That will add to the complexity and depth.
The CAO Italia Ciao started with an average flavor profile but took a step down in the second third and remained that way through to the end. I'm pretty sure the very tight draw just didn't let this profile exhibit what it was supposed to be, as smoke production was low early on and required multiple draws. Unfortunately, I don't think I can really report on what this cigar really is based on the draw issue, and I'm not sure if I'll return to see if I can get a better constructed one.