5 Vegas Cask-Strength

Size: 5.75 X 54 Toro
Wrapper: Cuban Seed Dominican
Binder: Dominican Corojo
Filler: Brazilian ('99), Piloto Cubano ('99), Nicaraguan('99)
Body: Med-Full
Strength: Medium
Humidor Time: 2 Months


After seeing these when they first came out I have been wanting to get my hands on them. These are 5 Vegas fullest cigar. The tobaccos were harvested in 1999, so what is to be expected is a good smooth solid smoking cigar, right?

Right from the start this is a beautiful cigar, a nice brown wrapper that is smooth with a light showing of veins. This cigar is rather heavy for it's size and solid, very little give when squeezed. The draw is surprisingly loose allowing air to freely draw through. The pre-light draw gives off strong tobacco and cedar flavors. the cut was with ease and the foot toasted up quickly.

My first taste was a woody pepper start, not to be confused with a spice, but nice pepper flavor. The smoke was thick and abundant, the loose draw really produces a lot. As I made my way into the body of the cigar I was given a strong robust coffee flavor with a creamy aftertaste, the pepper is still there but not on the front of the flavors.

The ash is gray and solid only falling when tapped off, the burn is perfect.

The body is turning out a lot of woody flavor, like the cedar I noticed in the pre-light taste. It is light in the woody department, but strong in the coffee. Every now and again I do get a slight cocoa touch. Throughout the cigar I do taste a lot of that coffee with a pepper background.

Reaching the final third of the cigar it was getting rather hot. The pepper was picking up and the coffee was becoming a hit and miss. I decided now would be a good time to let this one go out.

I probably should have let this cigar sit in my humidor for a longer time before smoking it. With such old tobacco together, I did expect a better cigar, this was not bad at all, but did not seem to have enough time to rest. As nice as it is to know that 9 year old tobacco was used for this blend, it would have been far better, I think, if the cigar was rolled 9 years ago and sat for the time to allow the leafs to marry the flavors together.

Recommended? Yes

Cuvee No. 151

Size: 5x50 Robusto
Wrapper: Costa Rican Corojo
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaraguan and Costa Rican
Body: Full
Strength: Medium
Humidor time: 1 Month

Every now and again a cigar comes along that begs to be enjoyed, it wants to be one of the best out there, but there is only one way to find out. This Cuvee 151 came into my humidor with a passion. it sat there along with my other cigars almost taunting them because of how great the corojo wrapper looks. I purchased a couple of these and had to keep away from them, so I tucked them under other cigars so I would forget about them. Unfortunately I saw one after a month of resting and figured enough time has passed to let one acclimate to my humidor, it was time to light at least one up.

Did I mention how beautiful this oily dark firm cigar looks? The Corojo is amazing. It is a cigar that must be seen in person to truly appreciate. Even if one does not care for corojo cigars, one would admit to its beauty.

The cap cut cleanly and the pre-light draw was loose giving flavors of cocoa and strong spice threatening to ravage harm to the back of the throat. I am not kidding about the spice, it was wicked. I do not remember much about the aroma as I was worried about the injury I was causing my throat, as such I am not going to give it a bad rating, if the aroma was bad I would have noted it.

The stick lit up nicely and quickly, the smoke volume was thick and tasted of strong rich cocoa. The smoke was smooth and creamy, but harsh on the back of the throat. The ash was bright white and held strong to the cigar, dropping only upon command in the ashtray. The burn was even all the way around.

I was given flavors of cocoa and nuts with that spice in the background causing harm. The complexities were okay, but with age they might be better. I am hoping the sandpaper effect I was getting on my throat will also fade with age. I am going to return to this cigar, but it will not be for a year. I was disappointed by this cigar, having a rough smoke is never fun and wanting to write up this review I went ahead and smoked the cigar down to one and a half inches, I could not nub this one even if I wanted to. I am only glad I got a robusto rather than anything larger. I would not recommend this cigar out of the box, if you have one with age, good luck. I would like to know what others think of this cigar.

This cigar gets a descent rating due to everything but the smoke profile, if I was not having such a hard time with my throat I probably would have picked up a lot more flavors. This was a huge disappointment for me.

Appearance 2-I Liked It
Construction 2- Good
Burn 2- Perfect
Ash 2- Wow
Flavor 2.5- Had good flavor, but masked by pain, real bummer
Smoke Profile 0.5- Ouch, oh but smooth and creamy, ouch!!
Aroma 2- Nice and not overpowering, Aromatic, enjoyable fragrance

=13 Points

J. Fuego - Gran Reserve Corojo No. 1

Size: 5 x 50 Robusto
Wrapper: Sun Grown Corojo ("Criollo")
Binder: Proprietary
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Costa Rican
Body: Medium-Full
Strength: Medium

This cigar was new to me at the local B&M I travel, when they set these out in the walk-in humidor I was not to impressed as they were put on an island table and not stocked on a shelf. The presentation was not there, but when the box is open I found myself looking at a brand I have not known about and what looked to be beautiful cigars.

The wrappers were oily and brown with a red hue. Pricing was not too bad either, I did pay a bit more for it at a B&M, I enjoy a hunt and pick inside a stocked humidor, the aroma is always enticing.

The cigar was firm, with a nice squish to it, when squeezed it would rebound easily with out cracking, perfect storage temps and humidity, is there anything better? Well enjoying this cigar sure is. With a mild taste on the cap and a great draw of air after cutting this cigar lit up easily.

This cigar exploded in smoke and in flavor from the first draw! It was so intense I was set back by it. The amount of smoke was impressive and the flavors really threw my for a loop. There was so much going on instantly that I could not pick out a single flavor right away. I am just at the start and surprised, at that point a toasty charred like flavor came into the scene with power, it was not a bad charred touch, more like toasting a marshmellow, it is not right until it just starts to brown. This cigar is robust with with a bit of sweetness throughout.

Into the body a mild cocoa arose with a strong coffee. The smoke was really nice, it carried a buttery texture to it, smooth and easy to enjoy. There was a tangy impression on the tongue, not spice but more of a pepper taste. The aroma was good

The ash was gray, flaky and only held for about half an inch. I ash out around the time, but when ash does not hold and likes to flake away, it gets me a bit irritated to wonder if my jeans are going to have new holes in them or not.

Into the last third of the cigar this is when it really opened up. The flavors came alive creating a great flavor experience. These need devotion to smoke, with all the flavors and changes, one would miss out if they use this as a "yard gar".

For a young out of the box cigar, this little beauty has a whole lot of potential. I am keeping the others I purchased in my humidor for a year and will then lite them up to see how much improvement these have. It seems that these will really do great with time.

Appearance 2- I Liked It
Construction 2- Good
Burn 1.5- Even, No Touch up Needed
Ash 0-Flaky and loose, my lap is on fire
Flavor 3- Great smoke, lots of flavor, a staple in the humidor
Smoke Profile 1- Smokeable, maybe a harsh spot or two, but not distracting
Aroma 2- Nice and not overpowering, Aromatic, enjoyable fragrance

11.5 Points

Thanks for reading,

Now Go Get Some!!