This Crowned Heads Le Carême Belicosos Finos 2022 LE was a fantastic belicoso. Great flavors of rich earth, strong spices, sweetness, mocha and espresso. Great evening cigar. Would highly recommend, smoke again and would love to age. Fantastic Connecticut Broadleaf.
The Southern Draw Jacobs Ladder The Ascension started well in the first third with rich and detailed flavors. This fell off in the second third as the flavors weren't as dynamic and maintained this level the rest of the way. The cigar just lost steam as it went along, which was a bummer as the profile from the first third had a nice, full body. I don't see this rendition as a step up and would likely go back to the original vitolas in the line before I came back to this one.
Smoking through the initial first third, I had a smile on my face. It tasted like the good old days of TABSA's Corojo. But unfortunately, the majority of the Warped Nicotina did not hold, being overall too mineral and cedar driven. At least this cigar was far better than Kyle's other recent releases. It's a big step in the right direction. But it needs to take another big step.
While this Crux Limitada The Show 2020 doesn't live up to the 2016 release, it's still a serviceable cigar. I'm not sure I'd come back to this one all that often, but might on occasion. I look forward to future iterations of this blend.
From the second I lit up this Dapper La Madrina Shade Belicoso, I knew it was going to do extremely well. This is my cup of tea. It was balanced from start to finish with great flavors. This is a blend that speaks to smokers like myself. Pricing is fantastic, and so is packaging. I would buy these to smoke and age, and I would recommend them to anyone.
Overall, the Joya de Nicaragua Cuatro Cinco Edicion Americana TAA Exclusive was pretty good. It had a nice balance of flavor and strength. This is what I would expect from a TAA release, especially with it coming from an established line, carrying a unique vitola. The price point works for the experience and I'd have no problem coming back to this cigar.
The Padrón 1926 Serie Maduro No. 2 had a nice flavor combination centered around toasted oak and earth with a supporting black pepper. Some coffee joined in which added another nice supporting component. I definitely prefer this maduro version to the natural and would be the one I gravitate towards if given the choice. The price point is high, but if it's something you enjoy, you'll find the funds for it.
I know a lot of smokers clamor over this line, but to me, after I get through the initial flavor and complexity of the first third, the profile falls off a bit and becomes mundane and heavy. With the high price point and the lack of ongoing interest it provides, I don't see myself coming back to the Padrón 1926 Serie Natural No. 2 on a regular basis.
I am not one of those guys that is crazy about the Avo Classic line. However, the AVO Classic Belicoso is lightyears better than the other vitolas in the line and I would revisit quite frequently. There is complexity, depth and transitioning throughout. Great to see them bring back this cigar, even if it is for a short time.
This is a very light strength cigar with a mild set of flavors. To me, the goal of the Ashton Cabinet Selection Belicoso is just to try not to offend the palate of the light strength smoker and provide perfect construction, and other than the burning paper note, which likely wouldn't turn off these types of smokers, I think it accomplishes that goal.