The HVC La Rosa 520 Rare of Rare was a balanced cigar with a complex flavor profile. Lots of depth with some transitioning throughout the thirds. Nice strength and body; match the flavors of the cigar well. It has been some time since I have had a really good Ecuadorian Sumatra release, feels like years, but this delivered that great lighter Ecuadorian Sumatra flavor profile I enjoy.
The Herrera Esteli Miami Smoke Inn 25th Anniversary The Raji was a bit of a rare miss for me. The first third was a fairly intense spicy and earth combination that I found worked. As the cigar progressed, the earth components took over and it became more earth forward which took away from the complexity and other flavors.
"True" Cameroon wrappers have always been intriguing to me. There's the ideal of where it should come from, where the best come from, and there is talk about how if it's right, it'll taste rich in spice and sweetness alike. But the (my) reality is, I haven't had many good ones. Then comes this Cuesta-Rey No. 95 Cameroon. Rich, sweet, spicy and full of flavors. This was great from first to last draw.
The Cohiba Serie M Corona Gorda is a great cigar, and a nice follow up to the initial release. It is close in quality and flavors to the original, and different in it's own way because of the vitola. I felt this offering was slightly more intense, with flavors and strength, and I am not surprised based off the smaller ring gauge.
The Warped El Oso Blanco Papa was an average cigar that had a decent start, but terrible follow-up in the second and final third. Not a terrible release for Warped though given where they've been the past couple years. The cigar itself was beautiful, but it just had that average to below average quality for cigars that come out of El Titan. The price was high too for the product delivered as well.
A baller look and an overall tasty profile. I'm typically not all that excited for such a long smoking experience, as it tends to be monotonous. But, the J.C. Newman The American President showed composure throughout the vast majority of the smoking experience. Bold statement, but I think this may be worth the $20.
The Cohiba Serie M is the Cohiba I have been seeking for 10 plus years. This is almost a continuation of the old-school, and good La Palina Goldie offerings, but with a twist. The cigar delivered those amazing El Titan flavors, and it showed beautiful harmony between Nicaraguan and Dominican tobacco. There was complexity, depth and transitioning throughout. Packaging was amazing. Great cigar!
After reviewing the La Palina Goldie Laguito No. 6, I found myself doing a comparison with the original and phenomenal releases of Laguito No. 2, No. 5, and the Especial. For me, the experience falls quite a bit short. That isn't to say it was a bad cigar, it certainly isn't, but a slightly above average experience isn't going to be enough to motivate a second purchase on a $23 cigar.
The Aganorsa Leaf Casa Fernandez Aniversario Cuban 109 Maduro was a pleasant cigar experience, with the greatest complexity coming in the first third. Given the price point and the presentation of the cigar, I was expecting at least more complexity through the second third. I would smoke this cigar again, although I might sit on it for a few months in the faint hope that the profile improves through aging.
The Napa Cigar Society Perfecto was an overall good cigar. The cigar was highly earthy, providing rich soil. In combination with the earthiness were red pepper spice and a gentle sweet and creamy nuttiness. Although most of the cigar was enjoyable, I'm unsure it is $16 enjoyable. As such, this is a grab a couple to try recommendation.