"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 Tatuaje T110 Tuxtla came out of the gate swinging with some interesting and fuller flavor combinations that kept me on my toes. That complexity seemed to fall off rapidly moving into the second third, eventually becoming linear and flat in the last third with earth being the only standout flavor component. The price point on these is quite reasonable and the time commitment is approachable so I would give the T110 Tuxtla another try to see if the profile was the same or improved.
The Alec Bradley Fine & Rare BC-(13)4EV is a winner in my book. The profile showed good depth, balance, and composure. With just the right mix of spice, earth and sweetness, this is one I'd smoke again. And call me crazy, because I actually think the higher premium of $24 per cigar isn't too high, considering the price hike of the average cigar nowadays. Nicely done.
I was pleasantly impressed with the ATL Black Torpedo. The first and second thirds provided interesting and dynamic flavor combinations that kept me engaged, and the strength levels harmonized well. The last third was still pleasant, but not quite at the same complexity levels as the rest of the cigar. I would happily smoke the Black Torpedo from ATL again.
While the Davidoff Limited Edition 2022 Gran Toro performed well and I thought solid flavors were delivered, I don’t think the blend did a great job of capturing the three “Black Label” brands. With that, there was nothing wowing to this cigar that justified the limited title and high price. Balanced cigar with a nice increase in strength and body. Very well constructed. Came off as a less Brazilian Davidoff Escurio.
I really enjoyed the Warped Companion de Warped. The profile grabbed my attention throughout, and I liked how it went back and forth between sweet and spicy. The sweet fruit bread, coffee and cocoa qualities were great. It had a nice strength and body level as well. Burn was not as good as I would have liked, but overall, not a major issue. A nice blend that caught me by surprise.
This ACE Prime Luciano The Dreamer Hermoso No. 4 was a deep flavored cigar. Lots of richness in all flavors presented. This may sound weird, but at times, when a cigar is this deep and rich in flavors, when one of the flavors overtakes another, it can then turn the tables of the profile quite swiftly (in this case the leather tannins). But all in all, very enjoyable and will smoke again.
This Luxury Cigar Club Choshi was a pretty spot on AJ blend with a plethora of earthiness in dry dirt, leather tannins and minerals. By no means ever a bad blend, but one that is all too familiar and in some ways, monotonous. If you like AJ, this is a blind buy for you. If you don't, move along.
The Matilde I know makes some of the best fullest flavor and balanced cigars that I've had. So when a new release comes out, I hope they don't deviate from what they do best. In the case of the Matilde Limited Exposure No. 2, they did it again. The flavors of sweet bread, followed by cedar, accented cardboard and wood tannins were tuned just right. Well done.
The El Artista Big Papi Firecracker had an average and very linear flavor profile throughout, which could be expected with its short length. To me, this size doesn't present the best of what the line can offer and I'd prefer one of the regular production vitolas when it comes to this line. Fun to smoke it in this size, but I don't see myself returning.