Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story

Purchased: A la Civette, Paris
Stars: 4
Size: Perfecto
Country: Dominican Republic
Smoked: London, 11/09/15
Notes: With the complexity of For Whom the Bell Tolls and the brevity of a Twitter post, the Short Story really is the perfect quick smoke. Don't rush it though, the blend in this little finger-burner (come on, I haven't used the term in a while) is reminds you of a well blended coffee on a crisp winter morning. Tightly wrapped with a perfect burn. My first perfecto -- quite an unusual shape. A complete joy to smoke, I'm this close to giving it a 4.5.

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.

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.

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

Padron 1926 #9 Maduro

Stars: 4
Purchased: Paris 25/5/13
Smoked: Montmatre, Paris 26/5/13
Country: Nicaragua
Vitola: Toro
Notes: Quite a dark cigar (as described by the title). Initially quite spicy, changed profiles at several points along the way during the smoke. Extremely well crafted, it had the simplest draw on a cigar I have ever had without it being too hot/too much smoke. Would go well after some food I think.