I got this cigar and smoked it at Ruben's Smoke Stack in Hackensack, NJ yesterday. I chose it because they are so highly regarded on this board and in the cigar press. I was looking for a good smoke to enjoy at the shop, and as soon as I saw this one I picked it up immediately. The cigar cost eight dollars.
The cigar is a traditional Corona Gorda size at 5.5" and 46 ring gauge. The wrapper is a milk chocolate brown and silky smooth. The cigar surface was nice and smooth, firm and well rolled with what I think was a double cap.
The wrapper aroma reminded me strongly of prunes. It was unmistakably distinct. This isn't a bad thng as I love prunes.
I clipped the cigar with the shop cutter and......the cap basically exploded along with part of the wrapper. This is the second time this happened to me at Ruben's. Maybe the cutter is dull, or more likely I suck at cutting cigars! Anyway, this allowed two observations. One is that the wrapper on this cigar is super thin and delicate. The other is that the smoke wasn't really affected at all.
The corona lit pretty easily and settled in to a nice even burn. The cigar drew easily with just some slight resistance and produced what I would call a medium mouthful of smoke. For most of the cigar, I "double puffed" it, puffing quickly two times in a row to fill my mouth with smoke. This way I was able to really able to get the amount of smoke I want when I draw on a cigar.
The flavors from the smoke were like a light sweet pepper to start, then smooth and moderately flavorfull after that. My palate isn't refined enough to pinpoint specific flavors, but it was definitely mild to medium flavored. More satisfying than a couple of very light cigars I've had, but not overwhelming on the palate like some powerhouse cigars I've tried. Most of all it was a smooth smoke, not harsh or bitter no matter how fast I smoked it.
Towards the middle the cigar increased smoke production and had a slightly increased resistance to the draw. The flavors also intensified a little and had a little bit of a citrus/cedar note I think.
In the final third, part of the wrapper and binder split lengthwise. That burned through quickly and didn't seem to affect anything though.
I smoked this to about 1.5". The last puff was a little hot and harsh, so I put this one in the ashtray. Smoking time was about an hour and ten or fifteen minutes.
In the end I considered this cigar to be middle of the road in most respects. I enjoyed the look, feel and construction of the cigar. I didn't have any trouble lighting or keeping it lit. And it was an enjoyable, smooth smoke. For me this just didn't have the intensity of flavor and volume of smoke that makes a cigar memorable for me.
Thanks for reading.
--Sneak
The cigar is a traditional Corona Gorda size at 5.5" and 46 ring gauge. The wrapper is a milk chocolate brown and silky smooth. The cigar surface was nice and smooth, firm and well rolled with what I think was a double cap.
The wrapper aroma reminded me strongly of prunes. It was unmistakably distinct. This isn't a bad thng as I love prunes.
I clipped the cigar with the shop cutter and......the cap basically exploded along with part of the wrapper. This is the second time this happened to me at Ruben's. Maybe the cutter is dull, or more likely I suck at cutting cigars! Anyway, this allowed two observations. One is that the wrapper on this cigar is super thin and delicate. The other is that the smoke wasn't really affected at all.
The corona lit pretty easily and settled in to a nice even burn. The cigar drew easily with just some slight resistance and produced what I would call a medium mouthful of smoke. For most of the cigar, I "double puffed" it, puffing quickly two times in a row to fill my mouth with smoke. This way I was able to really able to get the amount of smoke I want when I draw on a cigar.
The flavors from the smoke were like a light sweet pepper to start, then smooth and moderately flavorfull after that. My palate isn't refined enough to pinpoint specific flavors, but it was definitely mild to medium flavored. More satisfying than a couple of very light cigars I've had, but not overwhelming on the palate like some powerhouse cigars I've tried. Most of all it was a smooth smoke, not harsh or bitter no matter how fast I smoked it.
Towards the middle the cigar increased smoke production and had a slightly increased resistance to the draw. The flavors also intensified a little and had a little bit of a citrus/cedar note I think.
In the final third, part of the wrapper and binder split lengthwise. That burned through quickly and didn't seem to affect anything though.
I smoked this to about 1.5". The last puff was a little hot and harsh, so I put this one in the ashtray. Smoking time was about an hour and ten or fifteen minutes.
In the end I considered this cigar to be middle of the road in most respects. I enjoyed the look, feel and construction of the cigar. I didn't have any trouble lighting or keeping it lit. And it was an enjoyable, smooth smoke. For me this just didn't have the intensity of flavor and volume of smoke that makes a cigar memorable for me.
Thanks for reading.
--Sneak
