Montecristo Epicure No.2

Stars: 1.5
Purchased: Paris 25/5/13
Smoked: London 19/6/13
Country: Cuba
Size: Piramide (Torpedo)

‘This is a truly wonderful cigar when properly aged and if there are no construction issues’ – a quote from a review I read about this old stogie. I think this is the key point here, as I don’t think it was either properly aged or had no construction issues. We had to re-light them several times, mainly due to uneven burning. The only memories I have of the flavour were that it tasted like a cigar, which is not a particularly memorable thing. Slight notes of hazel nuts toward the middle, but apart from that, an uneventful smoke. For 14 euro, there are certainly better buys out there. -Adam

Very disappointing. Read a good review on it which got my hopes up. Visibly and tactibly the cigar was great, also, surprisingly light I thought, but that had no bearing in the end. When it came to smoking, had severe trouble keeping it lit. Most frustrating. Didn't really taste of much at all either. We ended up getting them from the 'top' cigar place in Paris which did seem very good, so hopes were even higher from that. Dashed in the end though.

Bolívar Británicas

Stars: 2
Purchased: London 24/1/2013
Smoked: London 26/1/2013
Country: Cuba
Size: Británicas
Notes: Limited edition, specially produced for the UK. Thought I was in for a rollercoaster but instead got a cold donut. Canoed atrociously from the get go, burned too hot throughout, and lack of flavour generally. Will stick with the tried and true for a while after this I think.

Montecristo Open Master

Stars: 3
Purchased: London, 30th birthday present
Smoked: London 28/2/13
Country: Cuba
Vitola: Robusto
Notes: Quite an enjoyable smoke. Had a good flavour throughout but dropped off a bit when it was towards the end. Not a hat-blower but would probably smoke again.

Ramon Allones Specially Selected

Stars: 2
Purchased: London 30th birthday present
Smoked: London 8/4/13
Country: Cuba
Vitola: Robusto

Notes: Disappointing. Not a whole lot of depth, burned a bit too hot. 

Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2

Stars: 3
Purchased: London 30th birthday present
Smoked: London 31/1/13
Country: Cuba
Vitola: Robusto
Notes: Good.

San Cristobal de la Habana Petit Corona

Stars: 1
Purchased: London 6/6/13
Smoked: London 6/6/13
Country: Cuba
Vitola: Petit Corona
Notes: Hmm, can I find a good word to say about this smoke. Awful taste, almost like there was something wrong with it. When sold, I was told it was a vintage. I'd heard this before but never smoked one. I think the word vintage has a positive connotation, but perhaps in a cigar context its not so good. It had a foul bitterness to it which was just impossible to enjoy. It burned well enough and easy on the draw, the flavour was just wanting. I suspect it might have been infected with mold at some point and wiped down with a tainted distilled alcohol, maybe methylated spirits off the supermarket shelf.

H. Upmann Half Corona

Stars: 4
Purchased: London 6/6/13
Smoked: London 6/6/13
Country: Cuba
Size: Half Corona
Notes: We have so little time these days - a busy day at the office, rushing to catch the train home in peak-hour, picking up the groceries to cook a meal before doing the washing and finally collapsing in bed well past midnight having really done nothing all night. Where on earth does one find the time to smoke an hour plus cigar? This is where the Half Corona comes in: it's a tiny fucker no longer than your ring finger but it's thick and a darker shade of light brown. This was my first H. Upmann and reminded me very much of the Hoyo de Monterrey Petit Robusto. In fact it was slightly more charming than that cigar, a little creamier, a little more fun. A great 25min smoke that will leave you wanting a second.

Here's a great review written by a guy in Malaysia: http://mycigarblog.org/blog/?p=2459

Macanudo 1968 Titan

Stars: 4
Purchased: Paris 25/5/13
Smoked: Montmatre, Paris 26/5/13
Country: Dominican Republic
Size: Petit Robusto
Notes: I'm a big fan of short, fat cigars (I believe the term is 'chode' in penile jargon), and the Titan certainly fulfills that desire. It's a delicious smoke with surprises around every corner: a beautiful creamy draw, a burn so slow you start to forget which day of the week it is, and hints of roasted Brazil nuts from a freshly opened tin. If it didn't last so damn long you could almost call it a finger-burner. At the price - around 6 euro - you'd be hard pressed to find a better buy. Definitely a stogie to explore again.

http://www.doncigarro.com/macanudo-1968-titan.html