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.
The Micallef Color Blend Bundle #2 is a good cigar. It kept my interest from beginning to end, and it has a nice core flavor profile. It helped that the burn and draw were perfect from start to finish as well. The peanut notes were great with the cream and cedar, and while softer, I have not had a flavor profile like this since the Humo Jaguar 14 years ago. I can see myself buying some down the road.
The Don Emmanuel Anunnaki Anu delivers a solid but ultimately average experience. It offers a smooth, balanced start but gradually transitions into a more wood-driven and less dynamic profile. It’s an easygoing cigar that doesn’t challenge the palate, but it also doesn’t quite deliver the evolution needed to stand out.
I'm sort of battling myself with this AJ Fernandez Amar Torito. Typically, I have a strong dislike for highly earthy (dirt/soil) type cigars. But even though this cigar had that, there was a richness in other flavors (spice, sweetness, barnyard) that kept me engaged in every draw. Given this, I want to smoke more in the hopes of finding consistency.
I enjoyed the initial third's baseline of sweet and creaminess the most. Past the first third, the Drew Estate Undercrown El Tigre Dominicano Corona Viva became a bit more stale and highlighted bitterness in minerals and oak wood. Overall, it's not a flavor profile that I enjoy but I can see others enjoying this style of cigar.
The Romeo y Julieta Reserva Real Corona had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around toasted cedar, earth and black pepper. It's a pretty traditional Connecticut shade flavor profile that carries some dryness. It was able to dodge too much bitterness and overwhelming paper notes. While it's not a cigar I'd see myself coming back to frequently, for those that really enjoy the traditional style of the cigar, it is one to check out.
This Rojas Quiet Morning Lancero was a pleasurable smoke, being creamy and sweet with just enough earthiness to round it out. With each draw, I find myself needing to slow down in a good way to enjoy the flavors so that I don't overheat the skinny cigar. Good stuff.
Overall, the first third of the CAO America 250th Anniversary showed the most promise and complexity, but the cigar steadily simplified as it progressed. Construction was excellent, with no burn interventions required and an ideal draw.
The Stoic Equanimity Wisdom had a complex profile out of the gate, but settled into a more predictable offering as it finished. From a construction standpoint, the draw was excellent throughout, and aside from a single re-light, the burn performed well enough to stay out of the way.
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.