Craig Mac
BoM 4/10 7/11 12/14
Having the day off I figured I would go with an appropriate Independence Day lineup of a DPG Firecracker, Viaje TNT, Tatuaje M80 and a 2008 Camacho Liberty. I'll be doing a short review with a pic or two of each one.
Don Pepin Firecracker
I knew the best way to enjoy 4 cigars in a day was to start early and space them out a bit so I decided to start out with the DPG Firecracker just after breakfast. This is a cigar done for Two Guys Smoke and is just a different size from the Blue Label line. The FC is a 3" by 50 rg featuring a shag foot and a pigtail "fuse". Prelight is that typical Pepin spice and some cedar as well. I normally don't clip these since it is a short cigar anyway, I usually just twist off the pigtail and see if the draw is ok. First off, I get a bold peppery taste that carries to the finish of this little guy. Nothing really stands out other than it being a powerhouse pepper bomb cigar with a hint of dark chocolate to it. I think this is mostly due to the small size that you don't get any real change like you would a robusto or toro in this line. About 10 mins in I started getting some tar build up so I went ahead and clipped it. This made it almost too big a draw for such a short cigar. While this is a great little cigar every time I smoke one I wish it was a bit bigger, about the time I start enjoying it, it is burning the fingers. Nice quick little smoke to start out the holiday though as it only took about 25 mins to finish.
Viaje TNT
I picked up a fiver when these came out and ended up bombing out 4 of them so this was the only one I got to smoke. So I headed up to the lounge for a smoke. This 6.25" by 54 rg is a hefty stick, very firm feel to it. Unbanded with a shag foot and pigtail fuse to it(you'll notice that theme today). Pre light was a light spice and draw seems a little tight. Once lit the TNT had a floral spice to it with some cedar in there as well. Producing a great amount of smoke although the draw is a little tighter than I would prefer. Cigar didn't seem to do a whole lot to the palate first third and I think more smoke was coming from the ash than the puff, definitely need to run a draw poker through it. I may have had issues picking up any dominate flavors due to the fact the guy sitting next to me was smoking an aromatic blend in his pipe. After running the draw poker through several times it made little difference. Second third was more of the same as the first. Medium bodied and definitely not very complex. Hint of spice, and a little sweetness, but again that may be influenced by the pipe smoker next to me. Final third is more of the same. I think the poor draw of this cigar somewhat effected the experience, even after poking it several times it just never produced the amount of smoke I wanted and I felt the cigar was pretty one dimensional.
Tatuaje M80
Now after a quick lunch I headed back home to clean up the yard a bit and figured I go ahead and fire up the M80. The M80 is Tatuaje's version of the Firecracker and also sold exclusively at Two Guys Smoke shop. The cigar is the T110 blend in a 4" by 52 rg, so basically a half inch shorter version of the T110. Much like the T110, the M80 fresh is a lot of strength and pepper and IMO needs several months to a years rest until it starts to develop in to it's own. Draw was pretty loose and cigar seemed a little on the dry side, which was another sign it needs some rest. About the halfway point the strength went down a little bit and I picked a few notes of chocolate and a flavor I could best described as a raisin kind of taste to it. Had to toss this just in to the final third, was getting a bit bitter. Wasn't bad, just seemed too fresh right now, I'll be leaving the box I have sealed for the foreseeable future.
2008 Camacho Liberty
Saved this one for last today, bought this box when it came out back in mid 2008 and this is my last one out of the box. This is a beautifully constructed barberpole cigar, individually packed in coffins with 20 coffins to a box. Prelight draw is grassy, with cedar and a light spice as well. Upon lighting the cigar has mello'd a little bit over the last few years, dominate flavor being cedar with a hint of spice to it. Mild to medium for the first third. I really like the cedar bite of these smokes. Burn isn't the greatest due to the barberpole, seems the maduro wrapper burns a little slower, but usually fixes itself as it goes around. This cigar is producing the perfect amount of smoke for me. As I get through the second third it's pretty much more of the same, the strength building to medium. Final third the grassy/hay flavor picked up a little and was an enjoyable finish. I really like this cigar, but felt if it was just a little more complex it would be much better and more justifiable with the $15 price tag.
All in all, it was a great day so far, started smoking around 7am and just finishing up the last around 5pm. I thought the palate might be burned out smoking 4 cigars today, but I think the fact that 2 of them were pretty short plus taking some time and eating a little bit between them seemed to make it more enjoyable. Looks like I am getting the last one in just before the rain, hope it passes pretty quick so we can get our grill on then go head down to the beach for the fireworks. Thanks for reading and hope everyone has a great 4th of July, God Bless America!!
