Ever since getting to talk to Hamlet Paredes at IPCPR this summer I have been anticipating these hitting the market. I pre-ordered from an online vendor and received them last week. After letting them settle for a bit I had one Saturday night after my son’s wedding.

If you are unfamiliar with Hamlet Paredes, he was the master roller at the Partagas factory in Havana until he defected to the US 11 months ago and went to work for Rocky Patel in Florida. His custom cigars always had a unique flavor and were much sought after.

When I got to talk to Hamlet at the convention he was very excited to put out a cigar for the American market.

CI describes the cigar this way: Tabaquero comes draped in a San Andres wrapper concealing binders from Brazil and Mexico, and Nicaraguan long-filler. Medium-bodied, and containing Cuban-esque richness, flavors abound including spice, cocoa, coffee, pepper, earth, and subtle cream.

These are very dark wrappered cigars with good smooth construction. Firm, but not too, to the touch, with nice aromas of well aged tobacco from the wrapper and the foot. Cut very cleanly with a Palio, and the pre-light draw was easy without being loose and had light hints of various flavors including tobacco and spice.

First draw was a bit strong, but mellowed quickly to a nice blend of tobacco, spices with undertones of cocoa and earth. The ash was nice and firm.

At about the half-way point a distinctive undertone of pepper starts to build.

The excellent construction of this cigar allowed for the smoke to stay cool and pleasant, which allowed a creaminess to develop.

Clean finish with no harshness.

Cigar burned razor sharp with no touch-ups required at all.

More smoke that you might expect from a corona. It smoked very much like a Habano and was easy to smoke down to the nub.

I cannot in good faith compare these to Hamlet’s creation with Cuban tobacco; however, given the wide variety of leaves he had to choose from, he did an excellent job with the blend, binder and wrapper to create a most enjoyable cigar. I am definitely looking forward to smoking more of these in different sizes to see how well the filler competes with the wrapper, as a corona’s flavor is generally dominated by the wrapper.

Construction – 5

Burn – 5

Quality of flavors – 5

Overall impression – 5

5/5 Stellar cigar from one of the best in the business. Joe Bob says check it out.

Designed to go with a single malt, this cigar still paired nicely with a Porter.

Clean cut, even pre-light draw.

Mild-to medium flavors, medium grey ash that was a bit loose, but with a clean burn throughout.

Draw slowed as cigar progressed, as one would expect from most lanceros, went out about half way down and continued to have some burn problems throughout.

Primarily a one-dimensional cigar, but with nice flavor notes throughout. Not the best pairing with a porter beer, went better with rum.

Overall a very nice smoke for the mild-to-mid smoker and I would give it a solid 3-1/2 of 5 on the cigar weekly scale.

Probably would have been better with the aforementioned single-malt than the porter I was drinking that night.

Still, a solid cigar. Joe Bob says check it out.

Designed to go with a single malt, this cigar still paired nicely with a Porter.

Clean cut, even pre-light draw.

Mild-to medium flavors, medium grey ash that was a bit loose, but with a clean burn throughout.

Draw slowed as cigar progressed, as one would expect from most lanceros, went out about half way down and continued to have some burn problems throughout.

Primarily a one-dimensional cigar, but with nice flavor notes throughout. Not the best pairing with a porter beer, went better with rum.

Overall a very nice smoke for the mild-to-mid smoker and I would give it a solid 3-1/2 of 5 on the cigar weekly scale.

Probably would have been better with the aforementioned single-malt than the porter I was drinking that night.

Still, a solid cigar. Joe Bob says check it out.

Pretty medium brown wrapper (almost the color of a sun-grown). A medium box-press made the cigar easy to hold, and it cut very cleanly with my Palio.

Steady draw with noticeable spiciness that mellowed a bit without the cigar losing any of its very nice medium-to-full body. Produced generous amounts of smoke throughout and developed nicely with a nice clean finish.

Overall impression: this is a very weel-made and good smoking cigar that I will give a solid 4 out of 5. Joe Bob says check it out.

SCountry of Origin: Nicaragua

Size/Shape: 5½” x 52 Belicoso

Strength: Full

Wrapper: Mexican San Andres

Went to Hemingway’s our last night in New Orleans; the Cigar Dojo (http://cigardojo.com/) guys were there handing out samples. This was pointed out as the best cigar in the pack. It is a Cigar Dojo exclusive.

Well constructed, cut easily with the Palio. Nice easy pre-light draw with hints of leather and spices. Leather and spices were dominant after easy light.

Burned a bit hot at first, had to slow down, which wasn’t easy considering the complexity of flavors and dominance of good old-fashioned peppery strength. Backing down a bit was all it took to cool down the burn.

A muted sweetness developed about half-way through the cigar, and it finished strong with the sweet-spiciness and rich leathery base. I wish it had lasted longer.

Overall, one of the better full-strength so far, 4/5, Joe Bob says, “Check it out.”

Distributed by General, the Foundry is “re-imagining” what they referred to as classic blends in Ramon Allones and Bolivar.

The cigar is a beautiful dark brown, very smooth wrapper, pigtailed with an unfinished foot. Not too firm to the touch, it clipped very easily with my Palio and presented a very easy pre-light draw with toasted tobacco as the predominant flavor.

Lit easily, draw remained very smooth with generous amounts of smoke. The predominant flavor (which remained throughout) was what I think of as a classic toasted tobacco with undertones that developed as the cigar burned. The ash was mottled grey and held for about one inch. At that point it was likely to fall off, so I was glad I was next to an ash tray.

First undertones I notices was a pleasant bitterness that paired nicely with the dram of Jameson I was having with the cigar. Some pepper noted developed in the back of the nose. Some underlying sweetness and a taste of leather developed about half-way through the cigar, and the body of the smoke became very creamy, adding to the enjoyment.

The burn of the cigar was very straight and clean, no touch-ups were required.

This is a full-bodied smoke with medium to full flavors. Very smooth, no discernible harshness at all. The only time the draw got warm was when I was smoking too fast.

This is a very pleasant cigar. I had it mid-afternoon at one of our local cigar shops, and it was perfect for the time and place. 4/5. Joe Bob says check it out.

Perdomo Craft Series Maduro, paired with a Stone Arrogant Bastard (which perhaps was too aggressive for the cigar).

Beautiful dark wrapper with no veins or flaws. Foot reveals generous ligero and releases wonderful spicy notes. Pre-light draw was easy without being loose. A very well-constructed cigar that cut cleanly with my Palio.

Veary earthy draw with hints of cocoa. Nice spice notes releasing the smoke through the nose (not inhaling).

Although the Arrogant Bastard is a bit aggressive, it still pairs well with this cigar.

There was a slight wrapper separation at the foot which was easily corrected and hardly worth mentioning; otherwise razor-straight burn throughout.

Nice full bodied cigar but silky smooth, as with most Perdomo products. My only quibble is the beer I chose. A smoother porter or stout would be a better choice.

At one point I inadvertantly inhaled the smoke, but it was so smooth that it didn’t cause me to choke.

To change pace a bit I mixed in a shot of Weller Reserve, which added to the enjoyment of the blend.

At the 1/3 point I have nothing at all bad to say about this cigar. The spiciness evens out, never getting too pronounced.

The flavor remains consistent well past the half-way point. A most excellently constructed cigar.

The spiciness grows as I approached the last third of the cigar. The draw did not heat up until the last inch, which is typical for almost any cigar.

The maduro is perhaps not quite as good as the sungrown (which I found to be absolutely stellar). Still, this is an amazing maduro, very fitting with the Perdomo brand and a great addition to the Craft line.

Now to find a suitable light-bodied beer to review the light-bodied Craft cigar. 4+/5. Perdomo hits another one out of the park.

262 Cigars (named for the month and year the embargo was signed) has a new release called the Allegiance.

Brazilian Mata-Fina wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers from both Nicaragua and Honduras. Produced at the Tabacalera Carreras factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.

Designed to be be enjoyable by folks from every palate. This was the Robusto size.

Wrapper: beautifully smooth medium brown with one small visible vein. Cut very cleanly (used my new Xikar that Tasting Room gifted me after ICPCR) and had a very pleasant leathery/spicy pre-light draw. Lighted well with my Dupont Xtend.

Initial draw was very pleasant with flavors of light and mixed spices (not peppery). The smoke from the foot of the cigar was light and pleasant to the nose.

Spiciness (perhaps cinnamon/nutmeg with some caramel flavors) picked up about an inch into the cigar. There was a slight unevenness to the burn, but it never got to retouch bad. Copious amounts of smoke. I was particularly for my wife and her friend that the Redland Cigar Club in San Antonio has a good air cleaner system. It would take quite a large number of smokers to make this particular lounge smoky..

As the cigar progressed the flavors muted some, perhaps since I was drinking a Stone Russian Imperial Ale while smoking it, but it remained very pleasant throughout. Stayed very pleasantly medium bodied the entire cigar.

The cigar only began to heat up at about 1-1/2 inches, at which point I put it down.

Overall impressions; nice clean construction with a good draw, stayed cool until almost the nub, interesting blend of flavors to make for a very nice medium bodied cigar.

I would smoke it again. Overall rating, 3.75/5. Joe Bob says Check It Out!

A relatively small perfecto with a perfect deep brown wrapper. Excellent construction and cut perfectly (then again, I use a Paio). Nice spicy notes at the beginning which mellowed a bit but remained throughout the body of the cigar. Also, razor-flawless burn and perfect draw. Volumes of very rich smoke, which was something of a pleasant surprise coming from a smaller cigar, and a beautifully clean finish. I really hated putting it out before I burned my fingers.

GMD (Global Marketing and Distributing) is pretty new to the scene, but if this cigar is the kind of quality they produce, they will be around for a while.

Very well constructed cigar with a nice smooth dark brown wrapper. Pre-light aroma is very pleasing. After clipping with my Palio I got a very nice draw with hints of nuts and cocoa.

Lit very cleanly with my Dupont Vector and immediately produced very pleasant volumes of smoke tasting of well-aged tobacco with undercurrents of nuts, cocoa and a hint of coffee, making this a most enjoyable smoke.

Paired with a Real Ale Real Heavy Scots ale that was an ideal match.

Mottled gray ash that held well, another testament to the quality construction of the cigar, and required no corrections as it burned very straight.

Flavors got somewhat bitter at midway, but not enough to toss, and I was rewarded with a nice spicy finish and the cigar didn’t get hot until I nubbed it.

Contrary to the “reputation” Gurkha has with some people, this was a very enjoyable smoke.

I rate it a solid 3.75. Joe Bob says check it out

This cigar had a dark rich wrapper with a couple of veins, very smooth aroma of tobacco from the wrapper and the foot. Easy clip; pre-cut light draw was even but only gave hits of the aroma of the wrapper.

Easy light with flavors more in tune with the wrapper aroma than the pre-light draw. Ample smoke with some initial spice. Started out as an overall fairly light bodied cigar with impressive flavors. Some sweetness developed as the cigar progressed, adding to the light spiciness.

The cigar had a very smooth and slightly oily feel to the touch. Very nice on the fingers and lips. This would make a very pleasant morning smoke as it is light bodied with very interesting flavors.

The mottled gray ash held on firm, speaking well of the construction of the cigar, and did not fall until about the half way point. The cigar also had a nice slow burn to allow maximum enjoyment.

Deep draws accentuate the flavors without being overwhelming in strength. There was some unevenness to the burn, but not enough to be a problem.

As the cigar progressed I considered classifying it closer to medium bodied based on the continuing quality of the flavors. I still think, however, that it would be an excellent choice for a morning smoke.

About an inch and a half in a creaminess developed that added to the sweetness and spice for a very impressive flavor combination.

The wrapper began to run a bit at about the three quarter mark, and the draw became hot, at which point I put the cigar down. Not quite a nubber, but very close.

Construction – 5

Body – 3.5

Volume of smoke – 5

Flavors – 5

This is yet another example of excellence from Arandoza. I give it a solid 4.5. Joe Bob says check it out.

Incredible aromas from the wrapper and the foot. Robustusto sized blend of their strongest blend.very easy pre-light draw.

Initial draw yielded tobacco flavors with some bitterness. Paired with a Stone Russian Imperial Ale, the flavors developed quite nicely.

Cigar tended to run but was easily connected.

Cigar has settled into a fairly standard Mauro; not to strong but strong enough.

Cigar tended to run, but was easily corrected.

Medium volumes of smoke; perhaps a bit disappointing.

Excellent construction as the mottled ans is holding on niceley. Nice even burn also speaks to tye quality of constctruction of the cigar.

Cigar has settled into a fairly standard marduo, not too strong but not strong enough. A solid three and a half. Joe Bob says check it out.

Villiger Celebration 125th Tubo

medium tobacco aromas from the colorado wrapper and the foot. Some veins in the wrapper. Prelight draw is even but has very little floavor past a faint vanilla.

To their credit, the Viliger rep was one of the most gracious and helpful at the ICPCR.

Very light at initial burn; I get the feeling that this will turn out to be a full-sized version of the Villiger tinned minis, A very light bodied cigar with predominant vanilla overtones.

Cigar is running badly, but corrected in one try. Continues to be very light bodied with almost a fruity quality of the smoke.

On the plus side, the cigar seems very well constructed, recovering nicely from the initial burn run. Medium grey ash is holding very firm past the one inch point.

The cigar is very smooth and is built well to not get hot as you smoke it.

Definitely one for the light crowd.

Not sure what else I can say about this one. In the past I have smoked the tinned minis for a quick but satisfying smoke; perhaps the Swiss like their cigars this way, but I will not be going out of my way to find these in the future.

Like I said before, Villiger tins are nice quick smokes.

Their venture into full size cigars just leaves a lot to be desired.

Construction – 4+

Burn – 4

Flavor – 2

This cigar promised a lot that it did not deliver.

Overall – 3-

Joe Bob says check it out!

Wrapper and foot smell absolutely delicious. Quick easy clip (yes, another shameless Palio plug) with a somewhat dry easy to medium pre light draw.

Somewhat sour, but not unpleasantly so, initial draw. Very beefy tobacco flavors with a hint of spice and earthineess with a hint of sweetness.

Flavors remain consistent with no excessive heat. Very even burn, although the ash is a bit flaky.

Flavors do not change as the cigar begins to heat up.

A bit of pepperiness develops in the nose, but not unpleasantly so.

The flavors remain the same throughout the cigar as it begins to get hot at about the half way point.

This is a solid medium-bodied cigar with nothing in particular to set it apart except for the heat issues.

Construction – 4

Flavor – 3

Heat issues – 2

Overall I give this cigar a solid 3. Joe Bob says check it out.

Not too smooth box press but otherwise well constructed cigar. Wonderful aromas from the wrapper and the foot. Clipped nicely with the Small Batch Xikar I had been gifted. Medium strength pre-light draw.

Initial draw was strong and a bit sour of well-aged tobacco. Spiciness develops for a pleasant combination of flavors. Full bodied smoke with full flavors and plenty of smoke.

A bit of a bite to the burn, making me slow down. Strong in the mouth but pleasant through the nose.

Cigar continues to burn a bit hot for my taste.

Solid white ash held on well for about an inch, and held another inch after initially falling.

Very even burn; well constructed cigar.

Peppery flavors continued to build.

Cigar continued to heat up as tar pockets began to form in the tip.

Strong to bitter finish.

Construction – 4+

Strength – 5

Heat – 3

Overall not an unpleasant cigar for those who like lots of oomph. I give it a solid 4. Joe Bob Says Check it out.

Carreras has has a great deal of success with this vitola. All Esteli Nicaraguan tobacco.

Cut very even (well, I was using my Palio), had a nice pre-light draw with a light pre-light aroma.

Easy draw with a start that settled nicely into a medium-full flavor; the easy draw produced a good volume of smoke.

Solid, light grey ash throughout.

Triple clutching produced a very pleasant spiciness, especially when smoke is released through the nostrils, which is my normal method of smoking.

Paired very well with a porter.

There were some run problems in the burn which resisted correcttion.

Cigar began to burn fairly hot after half-way point.

Good ligero blend produced a very pleasant mid-to-full flavor on this cigar. Flavor continues to build until the smoke is too hot and the cigar is too hot to hold. Very hot/strong finish.

This blend would be more well suited to a larger ring, but it was still a pleasant smoke, just a little too hot at the end.

3/5 on the CW scale. Joe Bob says check it out.

Arandoza’s most full flavored cigar as described by the reps at IPCPR.

The foot of the cigarshows a nice blend of tobaccos with a good earthy aroma. The wrapper is nice, dark and smooth. The cigar had an easy pre-light draw with some bitter flavors to the tongue. Cut nice and clean with my Palio cutter.

A bit harsh at the light, but the harshness evens out fairly quickly. Very clean burn.

Paired this cigar with an Independence Convict Hill Oatmeal Stout, which turned out to be a bit full for this particular cigar; a creamy stout with a bit of a backbite which is not what I generally expect from an oatmeal ale.

The flavor past the initial harshness settled down to a medium-full cigar, not as full as what I was expecting from this cigar, but still very flavorful, very similar to the Arandoza Red series, but with an oscuro wrapper.

Light gray ash is a bit flaky and tended to drop flakes in my lap, just a bit messy.

Remained a smooth smoking cigar; the strength built as the cigar progressed to a solid medium-full smoke.

At 1/3 the cigar started to get hot, with the strength of the cigar building accordingly.

Put the cigar down just past 1/4 of the cigar left when it was too hot to draw and hold.

Overall impressions – not as full as I was expecting (not necessarily a bad thing), full bodied as expected as the cigar progressed. Still, overall an enjoyable cigar and I give it 3.5/5. Joe Bob says Check It Out.

This robusto had a slightly veiny medium-brown wrapper. Pre-light aroma was a bit mild. Inspecting the foot revealed no signs of ligero in the blend. Pre-light draw was smooth with hints of flavors. Overall, construction is very good. Cut nice and clean with my Palio.

Lit easily, burned clean throughout. Never had to relight.

Started off as a woody, mostly mild cigar with a pleasant blend of flavors. Soon burned to a more medium bodied cigar as flavors built. Again, mostly woody, with some trace flavors in the background.

Draw remained very smooth and pleasant past 3/4 of the cigar and only became hot in the last inch.

Overall impression: a Nice mild to medium bodied cigar that builds to a full-medium as the cigar burns. Again, mostly woody flavors, but not really one-dimensional as there were many hints in the background. A little light for my personal taste, but still a solid 3+-to-4 rating. Joe Bob says check it out!

Very pleasant to the touch with a major vein, nice smooth pre-draw. Smooth and pleasant on the initial draw with flavors of toasted tobacco and some creamy smoothness.

Mellows out to a medium bodied cigar with mild spiciness. Fairly even burn thought. Cigar did begin to get warm about halfway and was hot enough to put down at two thirds.

construction – 4

Strength – 3

Flavors 3

Aroma – 4

Overall not a bad cigar, but drifted in to mediocre. 3.5. Joe Bob Says check it out.

From talking to the rep, this cigar is aimed at the younger crowd.

Light tobacco aromas from the foot and wrapper. Easy cut and a very smooth pre light draw with very little flavor.

Initial draw has very light tobacco flavor and a hint of nuttiness.

The wrapper cracked about half way down.

The light flavors continued with a hint of sweetness.

Nothing special here, the mottled flaky ash held until about an inch and a half then disintegrated.

Bitterness developed at the tip as pools of tar began to form.

The crack in the wrapper grew as the fire neared it, and the cigar began to get harsh.

Overall the cigar was not well balanced and I put it down at about 2″.

Construction – 3

Flavor – 2

Heat and harshness – 2

Overall I’ll give this one a 2.5. Joe Bob says check it out.

The pride in his company’s work but not in himself was pleasantly refreshing at the Curivari Booth. Described as “Too nice” by his customers and his workers. Andres Throuvales grew up in Greece and after an American college education in Food Science, moved to Cuba where he discovered cigars. When he moved back home, he realized there were more cigars in the world than Cubans and at half the price. Early on, Andres developed a Maduro for the European market but it didn’t catch on until the Cubans brought in their own cigars with the darker wrapper. And then he couldn’t keep them on the shelf. Curivari’s Buenaventura was one of 2013’s top 25 and this year they have released six new sizes along with two new lines.

I smoked a Buenaventura the other night; about a 50 ring toro length with a gently tapered head, not really a pyramide. It presented meduim to light flavors including cocoa, cream and well aged tobacco. The cigar had great construction too, with a very smooth, cool burn. I really cannot find any complaints with either of the cigars I smoked (one at the show, one last Thursday). Curivari is quickly becoming one of my favorite boutique cigars.

The cigar has an interesting taper to it with a traditional rounded head and about 1/2 inch of unwrapped tobacco at the foot, making it very easy to light.

Pre-light aroma had toasted tobacco, leather and vanilla undertones. Clipped cleanly with my Palio and lit nicely although the unfinished foot took a bit more effort.

Once the burn settled in, a nice even draw produced copious amounts of smoke with the aforementioned flavors of toasted tobacco, leather and vanilla undertones. The ash was mottled and held on for about an inch.

Very nice nose to the smoke off of the foot, medium but not overpowering.

Had to set the cigar down for a moment; not only did it not go out, the flavors had improved while I was gone; more creaminess while keeping the toasted tobacco flavors and a developing sweetness.

The cigar was so well constructed that it burned slow and never got hot, providing a nice, long, pleasant smoke.

The uncut remnants of the head peeled off, but this had no effect on the quality of the smoke.

At about half-way, this cigar developed into one of the most enjoyable smokes in recent memory. I was smoking on my son’s balcony, and even though the rain was coming down in buckets, the cigar never got gummy like some cigars do when presented with too much humidity in the air.

I nubbed this cigar without a single hot draw.

These are flying off of the shelves, so do yourself a favor and find one (some). The Edgar Hoyll One Shot One Kill (OSOK) does not disappoint. I give it 5/5. Joe Bob says check it out!

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Corojo

Binder: Brazil

Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Brazil

Another sample from the IPCPR.

Light to medium aromas from the wrapper and foot. Medium brown with light veining, otherwise silky smooth. Good draw with very light flavors. Bunch firm but not hard.

Initial sweetness and toasted tobacco flavors. Some light bitterness develops early. Light to grey ask solid. Even burn. Very good smoke volume.

Cigar gets a bit warm just past first inch, slowing down. Bitterness is gone, sweetness is subdued. Light spiciness nutmeg/cinnamon hints. Burning in a cone and continues to smoke warm.

Flavor is developing with floral notes. As the floral notes emerge the sweetness returns.

Medium body and light to medium flavors with a light pleasant finish.

Very well-constructed cigar.

Stronger tobacco flavors come to the fore at about half way. Cone begins to flatten.

Overall pleasant smoke with developing flavors that keep things interesting. 4/5 – Joe Bob says “check it out.”