Bolivar Centenary Selection Robusto

Stars: 5
Purchased: Robert Graham
Smoked: Edinburgh 7/11/14
Country: Cuba
Size: Robusto
Notes: I have to turn the music down to write this review so I can clear my mind of all distractions and take myself back to the joy of smoking this cigar. Beauties like these are why we smoke cigars: they are the epitome of cigar smoking's motto--"The Good Life". They reassure us that this pursuit we have, of travelling the world in search of the perfect cigar, of meticulously blogging, of keeping up to date with everything in the world of cigars, subscribing to its magazines and websites, having conversations with shop staff and constantly building up knowledge about the cigar world, all this is not in vain when you come across sticks like the Bolivar Centenary Selection robusto. It doesn't just taste like a cigar, it tastes of all the love and perfection that has gone into the cigar, from the seeds planted in the rich Cuban soil, to the sun beating down on its leaves, to the time spent being cured in the shade, to finally being cut and dried and rolled by master craftsmen in the factories of Old Havana and finally shipped around the world and matured in my lovely humidor for 11 months having received this as a Christmas gift from my beloved. I dare say it developed plume too, which is a first for me. It was well worth the wait and I'm giving it the highest accolade possible.

Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill

Stars: 3
Purchased: P.G.C. Hajenius, Amsterdam, NL
Smoked: Amsterdam 18/10/14
Country: Cuba
Size: Short Churchill
Notes: difficult to judge this one, had ingested half a tub of truffles about 15 minutes beforehand which kicked in mid-smoke wasn't in the usual frame of mind. This did make me was appreciate the visual qualities more than usual though, which werey very pleasing.

Macanudo 1968 Rothschild

Stars: 2.5
Purchased: P.G.C. Hajenius, Amsterdam, NL
Smoked: Amsterdam 18/10/14
Country: Dominican
Size: Short robusto

Notes: Can't say I enjoyed this cigar, but then it wasn't the cigar's fault. Had the urge to stop smoking it a couple of seconds after lighting up. May have had something to do with the time of day (mid-afternoon), in the sun, not after a meal or with any alcohol. Just wasn't really in the mood. Kept half of it and returned to it (not advisable) after a meal at one of my favourite restaurants on earth. The ash had instilled a terrible burnt flavour into the rest of the stick, so that's a remind for next time, IF thinking of stopping a cigar and keeping it for later (again, highly not advisable), to cut off the ash end as soon as possible. In terms of notes, it was pretty light and nutty, but my tastebuds just weren't in the right state to appreciate it. For the price, the Titan is certainly a better buy.

Punch Robusto

Stars: 4.0
Purchased: Boston, MA, USA
Smoked:London 25/08/14
Country: Nicaragua
Size: Robusto

Notes: Picked this up offhand on a walk around Boston and was quite pleased. The shop wasn't even a tobacconist, just a bottleshop with a cupboard humidor, but it was fairly well kept and they did have a little box of matches and a ziplock bag to give me with it so they're obviously used to trading in cheroots. The smoke itself hit the spot sweetly. The burn was just at that temperature where its warming the mouth but not burning, and the aroma was spicy and intelligent. Will buy again.

Macanudo Maduro Diplomat

Stars: 4.5
Purchased: Stockholm
Smoked:London 05/09/14
Country: Dominican Republic?
Size: 4.5"
Notes: Juxtaposition. If there's a word most overused in high school English classes, this would certainly be it. 

noun

1. the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

If juxtaposition were to grow as trees, and the leaves of those trees were cut, dried, cured, and rolled into a cigar, they would call it the Macanudo Maduro Diplomat. This brown, smooth-talking civil servant is anything but diplomatic. He is a creamy delight of a smoke and one who requires no time to warm up. Notes of coffee, cream, Brazil nuts, chocolate, and brandy. And yet, he still manages to look like a dark lump of shit. If that's not juxtaposition, I don't know what is.

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Oliva Robusto

Stars: 3.5
Purchased: Stockholm
Smoked:London 25/08/14
Country: Nicaragua
Size: Robusto
Notes: By the look of the end of this cubist cigar you might think it was an amateur product, but you would not be correct. The Oliva Robusto was an incredibly enjoyable 27 minutes which I would gladly re-endure. It wasn't something to be raved about, but the temperature was perfect, the flavours both kinky and subtle, and the duration was spot on. I also think the price was very reasonable so will keep my eyes wide open for more of these delights.

Partagas Corona

Stars: 2.5
Purchased: Elba Island, Tuscany, Italy
Smoked: Elba Island 31/07/14
Country: Cuba
Size: Corona
Notes: Do you like Febo? You know, the Dutch fast food chain where you deposit your spare change into a slot and pull your slumping, 4-hour-old burger from a metal box. I fucking LOVE Febo. It just goes to show that something stored in a metal and glass box doesn't necessarily taste like shit. The same cannot be said for cigars, and that's why I'm always weary of cigars sold on counter of a shop that also sells, say, gelati. Or greeting cards. Or scratchies. Or all of the above.

Enter the tabacchi. What is a tabacchi, you ask? This is a type of store found in Italy and a few other European countries where you can buy all the above. They're quite popular with geriatrics as well as tired and weary Australian tourists who has forgotten to pack his cigars on holiday.

The Partagas Corona is a lovely sized-stogie. Not irritatingly thin like some coronas out there (Cohiba I'm looking squarely at you) and not annoyingly long either. Aged well and kept in a proper humidor, this cigar could go a long way. The flavours would mature and wouldn't be too suppressed as it's quite a quick smoke. I remember thinking of cherries while smoking this, but that might have had something to do with the wine tasting we'd done earlier in the week. We strolled around the docks peering into luxury yachts, and puffed smoke into the dark starry night. Sometimes, it's not the smoke that matters.

http://www.febodelekkerste.nl

Macanudo maduro

Purchased: Stockholm, Sweden
Smoked: 26/7/2014 London
Size: small torpedo
Stars: 1.5
Notes: quite a damning score but remember this rating is for this particular experience. The lowness is due primarily to the wrapping coming off throughout the smoke making it impossible to finish, even though I wasn't ready for it to. The flavours evolved quite drastically throughout - hints of Armagnac at one stage - but was difficult to get past the physical detriment. It had a slightly uneven burn as well, which leads me to think this cigar wasn't made with love. I don't want it to taste like love, but I do want to enjoy it still

Toscano Del Presidente

Stars: 3
Purchased: A tabacchi, Siena
Smoked: Siena 25/07/14
Country: Italy
Size: Toscano
Notes: When in Rome, right? The same has to be said for Tuscany. This was my first European smoke, though certainly not my first non-Caribbean (Mexico, Philippines before). The great thing about these Toscanos is they're cheap, and comfy to hold. Rolled right here in Tuscany with Kentucky shade leaves. I hate to say it tasted like a cigar, but it did. Quite a medium taste. Draw was a little tough but the burn was even and long. Indeed, this tiny finger-burner took the better half of 35mins to finish. I would certainly try one again; there's something appealing about the notes - very chocolatey, perhaps a hint of coffee bean. Would go great after a Tuscan meal of wild boar ribbon pasta and a hearty Brunello. Absolutely.

Bossner Reserva Half Corona

Stars: 3
Purchased: XXX - Stockholm

Smoked: Edinburgh 13/7/14

Country: Nicaragua/Dom. Republic

Size: Half Corona

Notes: A great little 30min smoke that deserves to be explored again. Unfortunately lit this one up in a beer garden and was quickly joined by some friends, who were shocked and amused at seeing a brown stogie in my hand. Thus, I was a little self-conscious and couldn’t appreciate its notes as much as I’d wanted. But I’ll try to describe – very nutty, perhaps even some vanilla pod scents. Great size, perfect if you don’t want to spend an hour with a robusto between your digits. Quite enjoyable pre-food, and would also be very pleasant post, though not something too heavy. A creamy pasta would be ideal. It’s quite a short number so be careful to remove the two bands before they start to burn themselves (waiting for the stogie to heat up first of course).

*NB. I'm giving this cigar three stars, not because it wasn't worth more, but because I don't remember it being that memorable. Don't get me wrong - it was an excellent smoke, but I've had less tastier cigars that were more memorable, and I think that certainly plays a factor.

Oliva Maduro Robusto

Stars: 3.5
Purchased: XXX - Stockholm

Smoked: Edinburgh 30/5/14
Country: Nicaragua
Size: Robusto (box-pressed)

Notes: The term 'finger burner' is usually applied to short cigars, with the HDM Petit Robusto the most obvious example. This was my first Oliva - I hadn't heard the name before and originally thought it was a typo. Quite a dark, box-pressed little number, the Maduro Robusto was pleasantly surprising. Not too strong and certainly not light, spicy, complex, rewarding. Would match with a coffee or similarly-based cocktail. Construction was very good with no burn issues. The only irk was there seemed to be some empty space between the wrapper and the tobacco, but perhaps that is the nature of the box-press (the Punch Punch doesn't seem to have this issue though). I would go there again. And yes, it was a finger burner.

Macanudo Titan 1968

Stars: 4.5
Purchased: Robert Graham - Edinburgh

Smoked: London 12/04/14
Country: Dominican Republic
Size: Petit Robusto

Notes: When I first met Señor Titan he was staring up at me lazily from within his plastic tomb - a first encounter that rarely bodes well. Little did I know, that lifeless and placid this stick was anything but. Let's start with the size - the ring gauge is fatter than anything I've ever smoked, even wider than most robustos. Don't be deceived by the length - this looks like a 40min run but it's more like a 65min short marathon through the greatest cities in human civilization. With each draw I felt I was racing through Babylon, Damascus, Athens, a quick detour through Muscat and Casablanca, and winding up somewhere along the Dutch East India Company's spice route. This is truly a cigar that you do not want to end, and thus you do not want the night to end. Thank God they didn't make just one.

http://cigarbreaks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/macanudo-1968-titan.html

Cohiba Maduro 5

Stars: 4.5
Purchased: A la Civette - Paris

Smoked: London 25/1/14
Country: Cuba
Size: Secretos

Notes: Seemingly small and innocuous, the Cohiba Maduro 5 surprised me after a few minutes of correct lighting. Wholesomely flavoursome and friendly with surprising longevity. I enjoyed this stick with some Baileys and managed to get through 3 glasses of the stuff. Ultimately a very enjoyable smoke and will be keeping my eye out for these in future. 

Punch Punch

Stars: 3.5
Purchased: A la Civette - Paris
Smoked: Edinburgh 4/1/14
Country: Cuba

Notes: A good companion, stalwart and reliable, but not overly creative. This is how I think of the Punch Punch. 5 star for build and burn, but nothing overly exciting about the flavours.