Overall, the Joya de Nicaragua Clásico Original Green Room Selection is a good cigar, capturing a good amount of complexities to never bore the palate. The combination of spice, wood, natural sweet creaminess and a mouth coating oiliness worked really well. It's not the typical profile that I gravitate towards but I respect and enjoyed the blend.
I'm sure it will not come to a surprise to most cigar smokers, but the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Sungrown Oscuro Signature is a good cigar. The first and second thirds delivered balanced and complex flavor combinations that kept me interested. I found the last third to be pleasant but lacking compared to the rest of the cigar. No question I'd smoke the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Sungrown Oscuro Signature again.
The Arturo Fuente Rare Pink Vintage 1960’s Sophisticated Hooker is significantly better than the Short Story offering. The cigar can grow and show complexities and transitioning. There was depth with the cigar, and a nice overall flavor profile from beginning to end. The burn was not perfect, but there were little problems and the draw was great. I loved the salted wood, dark cocoa, coffee, cream and barnyard notes.
The Cavalier Genève Limited Edition 2024 had an average flavor profile throughout. The aged, musty and toasted cedar was nice, but the supporting notes didn't do enough to elevate the profile and as the earth increased, it lessened the enjoyment of the cedar. I like how this blend changes each year, but I just don't see this as one I'd come back to.
The La Gloria Cubana Gran Legado had an average flavor profile throughout, focused around the toasted oak, earth and black pepper. The variations of chocolate were a nice touch, but didn't do enough to elevate the profile. The strength was a bit sneaky, but it's to be expected with a cigar of this size and blend. Overall, not a cigar I'd see myself coming back to, but you do get an immense smoking time, so there is some value there.
This AJ Fernandez Dias de Gloria Brazil Figurado was a great cigar, and I would smoke more of these in a heartbeat. I don’t find the price to be bad, and it’s nice to smoke a good Mata Fina release again. The cigar has creamy chocolate notes, and it had this faint hot chocolate and mocha profile that I loved. The burn and draw were great, and it was complex from beginning to end. Nice transitioning and depth.
The Statesman The Statesman had an average flavor throughout, with a pretty light strength level. Nothing bad about the flavor profile, but also nothing intriguing. This is the first cigar I've smoked from the brand, and while I wouldn't see myself returning to this cigar, I'd be interested in trying some of their other offerings.
Almost good. Almost the bride. But still a bridesmaid. The core earthy profile of dirt grit and construction paper is a good baseline of a quality traditional cigar. But it needs to build off these components. The first third managed to do so by adding spice and some stone fruit, but the latter two thirds failed. At day's end, almost doesn't warrant a high likelihood of a revisit of the Nestor Miranda NM80 Ruky for me.
The Ecuador Sumatra variation of the 10th Anniversary was a good choice. The profile for most of the smoking experience was an enjoyable one, giving sweet cedar, game/meatiness and plenty of roasted nut creaminess. There's also something special about a perfecto in which it's enticing to look at, especially following its burn line. More of this Tatuaje 10th Anniversary Capa Especial Belle Encre please.
The Davidoff Year of the Rabbit Limited Edition 2023 had a complex profile through the first two thirds and then became less dynamic in the final third. It really amped up the profile from multiple blends the company has employed previously. This is a cigar I'd definitely come back to, but the high price point is a bit of a detractor. Nice to see a step back up for the Year of series.