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.