I stopped into El Humidor, a quaint -- yet classy -- cigar shop just outside of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. While there, I grabbed a handful of stogies and lit some of them up. Here's what I thought of the Nosotros and Jaimie Garcia...
Nosotros
I paid almost $13 for the Nosotros 660. It's a mammoth of a cigar, weighing in at 6" by 60 ring gauge with a dark brown wrapper sporting some rather prominent veins. Right into it there's a blast of sweet tobacco, wood, and a weird metallic taste. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it reminded me of a Cuban San Cristobal La Punta; this had a similar metallic flavor. The Nosotros starts out incredibly mild, but as it burns it turns into a solid medium-bodied smoke. The draw and burn were excellent, requiring only a couple of minor touch ups; which is great for a 60 RG cigar in my opinion. The flavors transition, dumping the metallic flavor and bringing forth flavors of earth and wood. Unfortunately, with about two inches left the cigar got incredibly hot and acrid, forcing me to toss it.
Overall, I would've preferred a smaller vitola to try, but this was all they had. The metallic flavor was a little odd, but it didn't ruin the experience. I'll definitely try this stick again in a smaller size after some rest in the humidor.
Jaimie Garcia Reserva Especial
I paid around $7 for the Jaimie Garcia robusto. The wrapper on the cigar looks and smells great. It's almost coffee black and extremely oily. The first few puffs give off chewy, leathery, thick smoke with some spice in the background. As the cigar burns, it's evident this will be a medium-bodied smoke, as it doesn't pack nearly the punch that most Pepins do. The thick smoke continues to coat your palate, leaving traces of leather, sweet tobacco, and espresso flavors -- the spice is completely gone by the second third. The draw was perfect and the burn was okay. The Jaimie Garcia robusto required multiple touch ups, but thankfully it never went out completely.
Overall, this was a damn fine smoke. I loved the thick smoke this cigar put off, and the aroma was intoxicating. As soon as I finished it, I bought another to take home. Definitely recommended.
And here are some of my other spoils from the cigar shop (the unbanded cigar is a LFD Maduro Cabinet):
Nosotros
I paid almost $13 for the Nosotros 660. It's a mammoth of a cigar, weighing in at 6" by 60 ring gauge with a dark brown wrapper sporting some rather prominent veins. Right into it there's a blast of sweet tobacco, wood, and a weird metallic taste. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it reminded me of a Cuban San Cristobal La Punta; this had a similar metallic flavor. The Nosotros starts out incredibly mild, but as it burns it turns into a solid medium-bodied smoke. The draw and burn were excellent, requiring only a couple of minor touch ups; which is great for a 60 RG cigar in my opinion. The flavors transition, dumping the metallic flavor and bringing forth flavors of earth and wood. Unfortunately, with about two inches left the cigar got incredibly hot and acrid, forcing me to toss it.
Overall, I would've preferred a smaller vitola to try, but this was all they had. The metallic flavor was a little odd, but it didn't ruin the experience. I'll definitely try this stick again in a smaller size after some rest in the humidor.
Jaimie Garcia Reserva Especial
I paid around $7 for the Jaimie Garcia robusto. The wrapper on the cigar looks and smells great. It's almost coffee black and extremely oily. The first few puffs give off chewy, leathery, thick smoke with some spice in the background. As the cigar burns, it's evident this will be a medium-bodied smoke, as it doesn't pack nearly the punch that most Pepins do. The thick smoke continues to coat your palate, leaving traces of leather, sweet tobacco, and espresso flavors -- the spice is completely gone by the second third. The draw was perfect and the burn was okay. The Jaimie Garcia robusto required multiple touch ups, but thankfully it never went out completely.
Overall, this was a damn fine smoke. I loved the thick smoke this cigar put off, and the aroma was intoxicating. As soon as I finished it, I bought another to take home. Definitely recommended.
And here are some of my other spoils from the cigar shop (the unbanded cigar is a LFD Maduro Cabinet):
