Sol Cubano - Maduro

Size: 6 1/2 x 52 Torpedo
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium


"Cuban Sun" This dark beauty comes to us from the masters of cigars, Oliva's. With a very dark wrapper perfectly rolled smooth, veins barely make an appearance, and oils enhancing its looks. This cigar is firm but soft. The wrapper carries a spiciness to it and the loose draws gives off a tobacco flavor before lighting.

This cigar lit up rather easy creating a great amount of thick, creamy, and flavorful smoke. Instant cocoa and coffee flavors hiding a pepper spice you do not notice right off the back, it is hidden in the depth of it all. A nutty flavor is also enveloped by the cocoa flavor. This is truly an Oliva creation from the start.

The white ash does hold firm on this cigar, though it is a bit flaky at times. I am impressed by the straight burn I am getting from this cigar, well, to be honest I am not that impressed as this did come from the Oliva family, I expected quality and this cigar held up to its name.

Within the body of the cigar I was given large amounts of flavor that was well beyond my expectations. The finish was long and creamy. My mouth was coated with flavors of cocoa and coffee that are common with maduro cigars. I was given a touch of bitterness in the depth of the smoke, it never stood out or was harsh. With age this may go away and really make this cigar outstanding.

This cigar burns cool, oh did I mention the ash held on well? In fact I only ashed three times total! That was with heavy pick ups and put downs in the ashtray.

This cigar was perfect after my Cajun dinner and complimented my hot cocoa and Charlie Brown movie. What can I say, I am a sucker for the classics.

This is a budget cigar. No wait, this is a great cigar at a great price. The problem with labeling this as a budget cigar is it gives the connotation that this cigar only lives up to minimal expectations. I do not want to give the impression that this cigar is only worth the low price when in fact it is not. I have had cigar worth much more that cannot live up to the Sol Cubano. Take advantage of this cigar if you love maduros, you will be pleased you did. Put the flame to this one!

Joya De Nicaragua - Antano 1970

Size: 6 x 54 Belicoso
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Criollo
Filler: Nicaraguan Habana
Binder: Nicaraguan Habana
Body: Full
Strength: Full

This is a sight to hold, the JDN-Antano 1970 has to be one of the most beautiful cigars out there. As a tribute to Joya De Nicaragua's fame of the 1970s this cigar wants people to remember that this top brands was once the most famous to come out of Nicaragua, almost losing it's fame to war and the lose of the factory. With the call for stronger cigars, JDN has released this beauty. This dark Criollo wrapper cigar boast quality in the looks alone. The veins are over barring and distracting the looks of this stick, the cigar was packed firm with no soft spots. I smoked this cigar at my local cigar lounge during the Boston and Colorado World Series.

The brown wrapper produces a flavorless taste on the tongue before lighting and the contents of the cigar is spicey cocoa. When I took a pre-light draw I was given a loose draw that I expected to be too much for a full body and full strength cigar. I had a bit of a struggle to light this cigar, it took a bit of work to get a nice even burn going around the foot, once lit this stick was non stop to the end. With most cigars I come to expect the first couple of draws to produce a bit of spice and a tad of harshness. What I was greeted with was an instantly smooth cocoa flavored smoke. No harshness, no spice, just creamy and thick.

Into the body of the cigar, the Antano 1970 has a light gray ash that is a bit flaky, but holds firm to the cigar. The burn line was even through the whole smoke, never losing track of it's goal to stay straight. The smoke was interesting, with a loose draw one does not know if they would be presented with too much smoke or not enough, this particular cigar never gave me too much, but at times it was a bit thin. When the smoke was thick it was so flavorful that I wanted more, with the thin smoke it gave me a chance to relax and think about the cigar and contemplate about the flavors it was producing, giving me a chance to pick out the flavors this cigar offered.

With the thickness of the smoke changing I was able to pick up the creamy cocoa and coffee flavors this cigar gave me with touches of cinnamon in the creamy flavor profile. The smoke was never too thin that I was annoyed, it kept me interested during the whole smoke. If it was not for the thin times in the smoke I probably would have smoked this one too fast. Which one should be careful with as this cigar can easily turn on the smoker and knock them off their feet. At times I thought I may have to give in to its strength, but luckily I ate a hardy meal and took my time. I was left with a mild buzz that let me know it can take me out if it wanted too.

This is a perfect after dinner cigar. There is a lot of flavor and strength behind it. I enjoyed this cigar so much I went ahead and purchased more before leaving my local cigar lounge. I am not a huge fan of Nicaraguan puros, I am working my way through Don Pepin Garcia's cigars, but Nicaraguan puros are not stand out favorites of mine. This Antano 1970 on the other hand is in my top favorite cigars. Enjoy this one folks, you will love putting the flame to these cigars!

CAO Criollo-Conquistador

Size: 6 1/8 x 52
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Strength: Medium

This cigar from CAO comes in with a different kind of wrapper, known a criollo which some consider to be corojo. I am not sure if this is just a corojo wrapper with a new name to get the attention of smokers. As attention is what sells CAO cigars. Look at all the fancy boxes CAO comes in from Vision to Sopranos, Italia to Brazilia. They market to please the eyes, but can they stand up to taste? CAO has followers that either love or hate their cigars. For me, I am too indifferent and enjoy a good cigar no matter the price. I look for consistency and flavor, mild or full, if it is a good cigar than I will enjoy it and take notice. I have experienced plugs, bad burns, flaky ash, bad taste, and just about any other bad cigar problems in CAO. On the other hand I have had great cigars from CAO that are just right in flavors, burn, and consistency. The Criollo is not a cigar to miss out on.

From the start, the Criollo starts with a firm stick, has a nice bouncy squishy feel with no soft spots or hard spots. The aromas lingering off of the cigar before lighting were cocoa maduro like scents. After an easy clip of the cap, the cigar had a loose draw and a dry cocoa taste. I could swear I was getting ready to light up a maduro cigar.

From the very start I was hit with a spicey coffee/espresso flavors. The cigar bellowed out smoke that added a touch of creamy cedar to the taste. Starting into the body of the cigar the espresso flavors strengthened with a mild sweetness.

The burn was uneven at the start, but I was never upset with how bad this stick burned. The ash was white and held on well to the cigar.

Into the body I was given a few flavors I did not expect. The espresso stayed strong and I was hit with the taste of smoke from fireworks. I was rushed back into time and I was reminded of all the July 4th fireworks I lit off with family and friends. I remembered the taste of smoke because we were lighting off so many fireworks there was a cloud of smoke lingering in the streets like a fog. Breathing in the smoke and tasting the smoke from these fireworks. Odd I know, but I distinctly tasted that flavor in the smoke briefly during my enjoyment of this cigar.

Reaching the final third of the cigar I was presented a mild pepper spice, it was not overpowering the creamy espresso sweetness this cigar abundantly gave. The cigar produced one more new flavor before I finished, the taste of pretzels, that is right, pretzels. Maybe it is because I recently had some pretzels earlier in the week, but tasted these flavors more than once in the smoke.

This is a cigar that should not be smoked fast. I have read many reviews about burn problems, but that could be due to needing a lower humidity. I let this cigar sit in a 60% humidity humidor. If the criollo is a corojo wrapper, than that explains why a lower humidity is needed to produce a better burn. I would classify this as a coffee cigar. The flavors would compliment your favorite Cup-of-Joe and add a good start to your day. I kept thinking about what kind of coffee I would enjoy with this cigar, maybe a strong Sumatra.

Go for this cigar and enjoy, it is one worth burning.

Maria Guerrero-Belicoso

Size 6 1/8 x 52
Wrapper: African Cameroon
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Peruvian
Body: Medium-Full
Strength: Mild-Medium

This is an interesting cigar, the box was hidden in a corner of the humidor at my local B&M, it did not stand out next to the Montecristo's, Romeo Y Julietta's, and H. Upmann's surrounding it. What attracted me was the box, it has an old look to it with a picture on the inside lid that is the same as the picture on the band. I would consider this to be old school, unlike the boxes you may see with CAO, this is one that is far more attractive because of the beautiful work of art that graces it's lid. I will discuss more about the artwork, first I will review the cigar..

To start, back in 2005, the Belisco received a 95 rating from Cigar Aficionado, and as of today this same cigar receives a 90 rating.

This cigar is not the most attractive, in fact it is a bit rough with a couple of spots on the wrapper. The wrapper itself is a nice brown color, holding this cigar in your hand you can almost imagine a time when theaters were abundant, women in full dress and all men wore suits. This cigar may take you back 100 years to a time of horse and buggy. I was almost lost in time when I was brought back to remembering where I was, odd that the tapestry like rug on the floor was in view when I was holding this cigar. This is a firm stick, packed well so as to not be soft, but not too hard it feels like a steel pole. The wrapper has a velvet like feel to the rough veins running up and down this cigar.

With a quick clip the tip of the cigar was removed and the draw was behaving perfectly, nice tobacco taste with a velvet feel on the tongue due to the wrapper. This cigar starts off spicey and the smoke was harsh and abundant. I never judge a cigar by the first 1/2 inch, and this is definitely not one to judge quickly.

As I started out into the body of this cigar the smoke began to smooth out some, not a whole lot, but much easier to work with. The depth flavor was creamy with coffee overtones. The smoke is a bit dry, maybe a few weeks in a proper humidor instead of the one at my B&M may turn this cigar even better.

The Ash was a light gray, almost white. It held for under one inch before dropping, which to me is not a problem. The burn was not perfect, but not out of control. Proper humidity would probably have fixed this issue.

Into the body of the cigar, it became extremely woody with a touch of honey in the background. At this point I was reaching the 1/2 way point and picking up a bit of cocoa. Other than the extra wood and cocoa flavors, there was not much left going on in the flavor department. I was getting a bit frustrated as this cigar wanted to go out, I was having to draw more frequently then before. I was fearing that I would soon be working on a plug. I was ready to put this cigar to rest, for the sake of a full review, I went ahead and continued to smoke.

This is when the cigar made a dramatic turn for me. This cigar started building in strength going from mild to medium and far more complex in flavor. In fact, the flavors became stronger, bringing the coca flavors in front instead of hiding behind the other flavors. Adding this to the woody and honey surrounding the coffee flavors. The smoke became toasty causing such a great mix of flavors that I became excited to be able to enjoy such a good cigar. Yet I was bummed that the cigar was soon to end. This cigar started at a medium body and finished full bodied.

I would recommend this cigar to anyone looking for a cigar that carries such a great deal of flavors that will keep you interested before it ends. Humidor time is needed for this cigar. Had this cigar started the way it ended I would consider this a great cigar. I will be putting the other to rest and will revisit in 6 months. Aging may be a key to bringing out the best this cigar has to offer.



Now some history. The piece of art on the inside cover of the cigar box is a picture of the actress, Maria Guerrero, from Spain who traveled and performed on stages in South America, Mexico, and Cuba around 1900 (the picture on the inside lid is the same picture that graces the cigar band shown above). There is a news article about her back in 1908 when she came to visit New York and saw a couple of plays at the Hippodrome. With some searching on the internet I was able to find a biography and was able to roughly translate it. Maria was born in 1868 growing up with a love for theaters. She debuted in 1885 and by 1890 Maria was casted as the leading lady. She graced the stages with beauty, and awed her fans with her ability to perform in tragic plays. By 1897 she traveled yearly, with her employees of about 60 members, to Argentina. In 1898 she was able to mover her company to France and Italy, performing in Paris, Milan, Turin, Genoa and Rome. She was loved by her country, and embraced by countries that were able to bring her into their land and experience her talents.

This cigar is a great tribute to Maria Guerrero. It begins slow and builds a dramatic performance causing one to demand an encore.

MAXX-Alec Bradley "The Culture"

Size: 61/2 x 54
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Maduro
Binder: Costa Rican
Filler: Columbian, Nicaraguan, Mexican, Honduras
Body: Full
Strength: Full side of Medium

This cigar used for this review should have been dubbed "The Trunk", I will expound on that a bit later. The particular cigar smoked is quite a start for the Smoke Reviews blog. Let me know if the photos show up too large, they have been resized to be smaller, but on my computer they are still full size.

As you can see by the photo, this beautiful maduro cigar has a gorgeous oily wrapper. This is a rather large stick, in my XL hands, I am amazed at this 54 ring gauge piece of work. I did not have any humidor rest as I was anxious to put a flame to this one. So it was lit up 2 days after receiving it. Which happened to be around 8 pm during the fires here in San Diego. With our Suburban packed and ready, my wife and I were ready in case we had to evacuate.

The stick is very firm, it feels tightly packed and it seemed a bit dry, but then again this did not have any time in my humidor. With the cam clipped and the foot toasted, this started up quickly with smooth smoke on the dry side. The draw was extremely firm and did not produce much smoke. So the first two inches was a lot of work.

The starting flavors created a smoke containing a sweetness in its depth and was encased in cocoa and coffee flavors. A mastered maduro cigar that is a work of a master.

The burn on this entire cigar was perfect, the ash was gray and held firm, it needed to be tapped to release its hold on the cigar. As far as ash goes, I have a habit of dropping it at half an inch. For reviews I may let it remain until it drops on its own. This one held for about 1.5 inches before I dropped it.

Through the body of the cigar, the flavors were consistent with the start, the only addition was an earthy leather to accompany the cocoa and coffee. This stick smoked cool and never tainted. I would classify this cigar as full body with a medium to full strength. Great for those looking to try a full body flavor with out the punch. I always recommend eating before smoking any cigar of any strength.

Now onto MAXX by Alec Bradley "The Trunk"

After 2 inches of smoking I started to notice a small poke on the tongue that was like the tip of a toothpick. That small little poke turned out to be a vein that seemed rather thick to be used in a cigar that is supposed to be made by expert rollers.




I did not think too much of this as it was easy to remove, but the draw was still firm and I was tiring out from trying to get a descent amount of smoke from the cigar. As luck would have it, I felt another twig in the cap of the cigar, I looked and saw a thicker vein, little did I know the joy I would have working on the cigar.

As you can see this is no ordinary vein.

I continued to work on removing the twig while I smoked this cigar. This is no longer just a vein.

The stick continued to grow and the draw was opening up a bit. The flavors remained the same.

This branch was irritating to be working on, but at this point there is no turning back and I was not going to give up smoking this cigar.

This tree "Trunk" was a challenge in a few ways, it caused a bad draw, it was poking my tongue, and it took a great amount of work to remove it without destroying the cigar.

Once the "Trunk" was removed the cigar opened up and produced an incredible amount of thick flavorful smoke. It was the same flavors as it started but richer. Look at the hole now in my cigar.

This "Trunk" ran almost the entire length of the cigar, by the time I had it removed it was just over the 4 inch mark and the edge furthest in the cigar was tinged from being burned.

This cigar must have been rolled by a disgruntled employee. So Alec Bradley, you need better quality control and a happier work place. A craftsman that can make a cigar look this good does not just roll a cigar and happen to not notice a tree trunk is in there. Although entertaining, this is also a waste of my money and looks bad for Alec Bradley.

My final thoughts on the MAXX by Alec Bradley. This is a great tasting cigar and looks fabulous. I would compare the flavor profile to the Gurkha Legend Perfecto I smoke the day before. With age I will return to this review with an update, probably in 6 months. Being that I found this cigar so similar to Gurkha Legend Perfecto, I will be smoking both of them around the same time to really get a better idea if the two are as much alike as I remember. I always enjoy finding a cigar that is similar to another but at a cost that is so much less.

I recommend this cigar to both beginners and experienced.