Taboo Twist

Size: 6x58 Toro
wrapper: Connecticut Shade and Maduro
Binder: ? No Info
Filler: ? No Info
Body: Medium
Strength: Mild-Medium
Humidor Time: 4 Months

This is a hefty cigar and probably one of the most beautiful barber pole cigars I have seen to date. The colors of the Connecticut shade and maduro wrappers are such a sharp difference that one cannot help but notice the beautiful workmanship. The construction is pratically flawless. The smell of tobacco lofting from this cigar is intoxicating, the smell of maduro is prominent. I am anticipating the oportunity to enjoy a cigar that others have enjoyed so much.

As I moistened the cap, the very top of the cigar came loose, which is a Connecticut circle used to cap off the cigar, it was not a big deal as the top was removed completely when clipped. This was easy to cut and light, the foot lit up without hesitation, this was a bit of a surprise as larger ring gauges typically take a few extra passes with the match to light.

The start was peppery with a finish that tasted of burnt paper. Within a couple of puffs the pepper started to subside and a creaminess is being created. As the pepper faded away, I got a distinct soapy taste and the finish was acrid. I am still working through the first quarter of the cigar, this has a lot of potential that will probably even this out.

The aroma from this cigar reminds me of a maduro Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur, the acrid touch I am getting is reminiscent of an Arturo Fuente cigar. As I reach the body of the cigar I am picking up a buttery texture and flavor. This is not that bad.

Now that I am into the body of the cigar I notice that the lighter wrapper is burning faster than the maduro. The burn is off, with the maduro burning even and the Connecticut burning rocky, but I have come to expect that from barber pole cigars. The flavor is powdery and perfumy, that burnt paper taste still remains, but the acrid touch fades in and out. This is really not agreeing with my taste buds.

The ash is dark and solid, holding firm as to not drop until I tap in on the ashtray. As I am reaching halfway into the cigar, the burn is starting to even out.

The acrid flavor will not go away, I getting hints of flavor that want to emerge, but I cannot get past this acrid taste. There is a sweet almond touch I can pick out and some cocoa, but I am getting so much of a burnt rubber that I am having trouble concentrating on the good flavors. There is a creamy aftertaste and the smoke is buttery smooth. Unfortunately as I am getting through the center of the cigar the burn is turning choppy again.

Still a bit soapy with an acrid finish and a creamy aftertaste. I am trying to enjoy this, but I cannot finish this cigar, with about 3 inches left I let it go out. What a disappointment. Well, you win some and you lose some, that is an important aspect of this hobby that I respect. I would have a hard time recommending this cigar to those that do not like Arturo Fuente's, these seemed too similar for me and just did not suit what I enjoy.

Appearance 2- Beautiful
Construction 3- Solid
Burn 1.5- Took a while to burn straight, then picked up a vein and burned uneven again
Ash 2.5- Really held on well
Flavor 0.5 - Had potential but I could not find it
Smoke Profile 2- Smooth Easy and Nice
Aroma 2 - Enjoyable, this is not overpowering, nice and mellow



=13.5 Points

Red Roses by Robert Mc Connell

Unique and different, that is how I would describe the description on the can of this tobacco. According to the label, this is a "composition of jet-black cavendish and sun-yellow Virginia, embedded in rose buds. Finest attar of roses, topped with a touch of caramel..." this is made in Germany and the first from this brand for me to smoke today.

I have yet to learn of a tobacco that uses rose buds until I saw this can, and I had to pick it up, At $15 for 100g online, I am a bit anxious, this is more than my normal expenditure for a can of tobacco. The label's color scheme is blood red and black with two female shadows each
holding a rose.

As I popped the can open, a couple of bits escaped as the pressure was release. I am instantly greeted with a strong sweet caramel aroma. The smell of cavendish is prominent and makes a point to not be lost in the aroma. The contrast of the cavendish and Virginia is striking. The colors blend beautifully with each other with a lot of character. The pieces of rose are noticeable, they are of a yellow-tan in color and blend with the Virginia tobacco easily.

I purposely opened up a rose bud on the top of the tobacco I packed in my pipe before lighting. The moisture this tobacco has is little more than I prefer. I packed this into my unfinished Amadeus pipe, this is my go to aromatic pipe especially when I am trying a new blend.

Right off from the initial light the sugary cavendish jumps out at full attention and the background flavor is a tad musky. Once the tobacco was fully lit, the caramel pushes the cavendish out of the way and is the predominant flavor.

The smoke is thick and creamy, with an aroma that smells of caramel and roses. I am starting to think I may enjoy the room not of this aromatic tobacco more than any other I have had to date. This is a tough call as I really enjoy Blue Note's aroma.

I was sure I packed this bowl well, but the tobacco is not burning as well as I would have liked, I should have dried the tobacco out a bit before lighting up, but it is not so much a bother to be a nuisance for me. The tobacco is of a clean and earthy quality. The background flavors are solid as I reach the half way point of the bowl. The smoke has remained cool and a thick crisp texture.

As I am typing this I was blasted with a nice subtle roasted coffee flavor and scent. It seems to be fading in and out through the last half of the bowl. The natural tobacco flavors are a bit woody, in fact the last scent I noted was pine, it reminded me of being in a pine forrest. Not to be confused with the smell of a Christmas tree, this was crisp and fresh like I remember in my camping days.

This is a relaxing smoke, the background tobacco flavors are very enjoyable with a nice topping of caramel flavor and a room note of roses. Just as the label promises. This burned a little faster than I would have liked, but I will just light up another bowl. The smoke was never hot through the whole duration of the bowl. This is a nice medium body smoke that will soothe the senses and relax the soul after a hard days work.

I certainly would recommend this to anyone wanting a sweet thick caramel aromatic. The price range; I will certainly not hesitate to pay for it again when I desire a caramel flavor. This blend is now in my list of top 5 favorite aromatics.

Classic Vanilla - Altadis - Pipe Tobacco

On the package this tobacco is described as an “all burley blend topped with vanilla” though as I was looking for more information, I found on the Altadis website that this Classic Vanilla blend is described as “We make this blend with only the choicest Burleys, Golden Cavendishes and Virginias available”. This package I have is just over two years old, so it is possible that they have changed the blend from straight burley tobacco to now include the “Gold Cavendishes” and “Virginias”.

As I looked this bag I saw a different colored tobacco leafs, from tan to brown to black. I do question the blend described on the package as to what is on the website. The tobacco is not heavily scented with vanilla, I was a bit surprised as I would have thought the aroma would have been much stronger, as that has been my experience with vanilla flavored tobacco up to this point. This tobacco seems light weight, there is not a lot of heft to it and it is soft in texture. I carefully placed it into the bowl of my Amadeus 2nd pipe.

From the beginning this tobacco lit up easily giving off a rich amount of creamy smoke with just a touch of vanilla flavor. This is not an overly flavored tobacco and is lightly sweet. I can distinctly taste the nutty flavors of the Burley tobacco with just the slightest bit of spice.

The aroma of this blend is a mellow vanilla and caramel. The tobacco burns really well, never needing a relight during the entire bowl.

As I was nearing the last half of the bowl a caramel flavor emerge and with a touch of oatmel in both taste and aroma. This blend is soothing and easy to enjoy. There is not much in the way of complexity, the smoker can plop this into a pipe and go mow the lawn without much forethought.

The tobacco smokes cool, it was not until I was reaching the final end of the bowl that the pipe started to heat up, even then the pipe is not hot, just warm. As I puffed on I was given a woody touch in the smoke, the aroma still drifting into my nose is still just as pleasant, this picking up in vanilla aroma.

My final thoughts: This is a nice mellow vanilla blend, the body was in the mild-medium range and the strength was in the mild range. This is a nice aromatic for beginners and even experienced smokers.

Savinelli Nicaraguan Reserve

Size: 6.5 x 54 Torpedo
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Body: Medium
Strength: Mild-Medium
Humidor time: 1 month

By request I bring you this Savinelli Nicaraguan Reserve. I am well aware of Savinelli pipes, they are some of the most beautiful and best smoking pipes out there and even better they are affordable, I even know that their seconds smoke just as great as their firsts. What I did not know is that they have their own line of cigars. This all Nicaraguan cigar caught my eye quickly. It holds an interesting looking wrapper, it has a reddish hue in it that was blotchy, in a good way that caused this cigar to look attractive. This cigar is firm with an easy bounce when pinched. The draw was a little firmer then I prefer but otherwise not bad. Torpedo's are not an easy cigar to construct with a loose draw.

This cigar was easy to light, it started off with strong coffee and a touch of spice. The smoke was smooth with some roughness in it and light in body. The ash on this cigar was white and held very strong, I had to tap it off a bit harder then I am used to on most cigars. The burn was a bit uneven but did not cause any problems.

Once into the body of the cigar the spice faded and a strong bitter coffee took over. It was really a robust cigar. Not complex in any way, it burned with a strong coffee all the way through. This did not take a lot of work to enjoy, it is straight forward and great for those days you want to sit back and smoke a cigar without having to think about it. The aroma was not bad, I never really thought about it while smoking this one.

The price is about right for this cigar. I do recommend this to anyone who is looking for something easy or for those looking to step up to something with a bit more body and strength than they are used to.

Appearance 2-I Liked It
Construction 2- Good
Burn 1-Uneven, No Touch up Needed
Ash 2- Wow
Flavor 2.5- Poker smoke, even flavor, not distracting, no thinking required to enjoy this one
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

Te-Amo - Anniversary Vintage '99

Size: 6x50 Toro
Wrapper: Mexico
Binder: Mexico
Filler: Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua
Body: Medium
Strength: Mild


These are good looking cigars, the wrapper is dark and even. The Vintage '99 is different then standard Te-Amo cigars, they are not a Mexican puro that Te-Amo normally produce. I have not had a regular Te-Amo, I guess that would be good to compare this Vintage '99 to the regular Mexican puro, either way I smoked this one anyway. I had this in my humidor for 3 weeks, just enough time to adjust to the surrounding climate before being put to the test.



The cigar was not all that firm, it was soft, when I gave the cigar a squeeze, it lacked some life. The wrapper had some spice to it's tobacco flavor and the draw was extremely loose. Lighting was easy, the soft tobacco did not argue and performed quickly.



This cigar did not impress me one bit. The flavors were basic tobacco. The smoke was a bit harsh, it got in the way of enjoying the smoke. When I would try to run through flavor to pick up the nuttiness and coffee that most cigars taste of, I would be bothered by the roughness in the smoke's texture.



The ash was gray and held to the cigar, the burn though was uneven through the whole smoke. One side would burn a little faster then the other, not wanting to cooperate. The flavors would vanish quickly and I would be left with a cotton-mouth flavor and texture. I was disappointed in the cigar. There is no need for me to recommend this cigar, there are far better cigars with vintage tobacco in them that taste and perform far better then these. The price was average, so one could easily get a better cigar for the same price.



Appearance 2- I Liked It
Construction 1- Could be Better
Burn 0- Is It Burning? With friends I laugh, in public I am embarrassed
Ash 1- Holds okay but falls easily
Flavor 1- The perfect "yard gar"
Smoke Profile 1- Smokeable, maybe a harsh spot or two, chalky
Aroma 2- Nice and not overpowering, Aromatic, enjoyable fragrance
=8 Points

Don Lino Africa - Kifaro

Size: 6.5x52 Kifaro (Torpedo)
Wrapper: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Africa, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Mexico
Body: Medium
Strength: Medium

I was looking at this cigar without the band before lighting up, I noticed how good it looks. This is a cigar that the roller was probably proud to create. the wrapper was perfect, the stick was straight, the roll was even, and the tapered head was flawless. This cigar was solid in looks and feel, it presents quality. Yet, after cutting the cap, I was working with a firm draw. I figured I can easily work with it considering how impressive the cigar was.

The pre-light draw flavors were basic tobacco without any spice. I was pleased to be given thick smoke when this was set to fire. It was nice to know that even with a firm draw the smoke would not be hindered, it probably would have been different with a loose draw, but that is the way it is.

I noticed that this cigar gives a lot of coffee and a sweet robust taste. All together, it is like an espresso, rich and solid flavors. I was downed by an acrid taste that perked its head once I reached the body of the smoke. It did not overpower the other flavors, at times it was not noticeable, but then at other times it was. Maybe with more age on the cigar will improve it's flavor.

The ash was spotted gray that did hold well onto the cigar, with an even burn to complement it all, that was until I moved further into the body of the cigar. The smoke continued with rich flavors and the smoke quality was creamy and smooth. When I reached into the last half of the cigar, I had trouble keeping the cigar lit, every time I turned away, the cigar would die out and I had to draw on the cigar more than I wanted to. This was causing the last 2 inches to burn hot. I continued to keep going and would purge every now and then to help keep the cigar cool, but to no avail I left it in the ashtray with one and a half inches left. I had one side burning faster then the other, either that or one side refused to burn for me.

This is a descent cigar, but it was not worth the price I paid. It is a boutique cigar, looks great, can taste great, but may not perform as it should. I would be interested in trying more at different sizes, so we will see if I end up revisiting this review. I can recommend it, just be aware it may not perform as it should.

Appearance 2- I Liked It
Construction 0- Terrible, A Tunneling Canoe's Nightmare Unraveling Before My Eyes
Burn 0- Is It Burning? With friends I laugh, in public I am embarrassed
Ash 1- Holds okay but falls easily
Flavor 2- Poker smoke, even flavor, not distracting, no thinking required to enjoy this one
Smoke Profile 2- Perfect, no harsh spots at all, smooth and nice
Aroma 2- Nice and not overpowering, Aromatic, enjoyable fragrance
=9 Points