Leon Jimenes

Size: 5.5 x 50 Robusto
Wrapper: USA Conneticut Shade
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Body: Medium- Full
Strength: Medium
Humidor Time: 6 Months

This was gifted to me some time back and I have been a tad hesitant to light it up, not sure why, but it has been giving me attitude and I have decided it was time to smoke it. The wrapper is a nice dark brown, not what I am used to seeing in a Connecticut shade. The wrapper is rough to the touch but extremely oily. The veins are not prominent but has a similar look that maduros have. The cigar responds with a nice rebound when squeezed. The pre-light draw tasted of mild cocoa, the air traveled nicely, not too loose, just right for me.

As I set the flame to the foot of the cigar, I was given a nice creamy cocoa flavor right off the bat. The foot did take a bit longer to light than I had anticipated, but the flavor from the start easily compensated for that. With a lot of thick smoke billowing out, the texture was creamy and smooth.

The ash held strong, the burn on the other hand was a bit rocky, I did not have to touch it up, but a good amount of rotating was needed to keep it from burning uneven.

As I was moving further into the body I was picking up a citrus flavor that mingled rather well with the cocoa flavors, this was enjoyable. The finish was nutty with a sweet aftertaste.

Every now and then I would get a light touch of pepper, I notice this would happen as I smoked too fast and heated up the cigar, so I backed off and the pepper would slip away and allow the cocoa citrus to remain the main flavors I tasted.

With only an inch left, I let this cigar rest in the ashtray and prove to me that this was no ordinary smoke, it was one that needs to be respected for the quality that it is. I was pleasently surprised and now want to make sure I have a few more of these on hand.

Recommended? Absolutely!!!

Ramon Allones Maestro

Size: 5 1/2 x54 - Robusto
Wrapper: Dominican Republic
Binder: Connecticut
Filler: Dominican Republic, Nicaragua
Body: Medium-Full
Strength: Mild-Medium
Humidor Time: 5 Years


This little gem I have to review today is a plume covered, cedar wrapped Ramon Allones. I was excited to light this one up, the stick was firm and covered with a nice brown shaded maduro leaf. I am not sure exactly how much age was on this stick, but according to my gifter it is somewhere around 5 years old. The scent off the cigar is strong cedar from it's wooden comapion that has patiently awaited the day it came into my hands to open. The cellophane was as golden brown as the cedar that was tucked away inside. If you haven't noticed, I like a quality cigar with age on it.

I was almost not going to smoke this cigar, I was thinking of how many years I can add to it, but I figured if I did that I would never light this one up. So with the cap removed and before lighting I took in a draw of fresh air and tasted the tobacco inside. I was greeted with age and surprisingly to me, pumpkin spice.

Once lit, I was granted a good amount of smoke from this cigar giving me flavors of cocoa and that pumpkin spice again. I am sure it was the cedar that added the pumpkin spice flavor, it was really good and did not take away the flavors of the tobacco. It was very straight forward of a smoke; cedar, cocoa, and spice.

The burn was perfect. The ash was solid white holding well to the cigar. The smoke was cool and smooth, but dry. There was no complexity, no changes, no strength. This is a cigar that can be appreciated by beginners and experienced aficionados, only down side is that it became a bit monotonous. I am thinking the cigar was past its prime. Then again, I do not have another with more age on it to compare this one to.

This was a fairly short smoke at 5 inches and I was disappointed to let it go. I wanted the cigar to last longer hoping for it to change, but with it mellow and smooth, maybe past its prime, maybe not quite there yet. To bad I do not have another to compare it to.

Appearance 2-I Liked It
Construction 3- Good
Burn 2- Perfect
Ash 2- Nice
Flavor 3 - Great smoke, lots of flavor, a staple in the humidor
Smoke Profile 1.5- Not quite perfect, a tad dry
Aroma 2 - Nice and not overpowering, Aromatic, enjoyable fragrance


=15.5 Points

Cuvee Rouge - Robusto

Size: 5x50 Robusto
Wrapper: Sun-Grown Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Body: Medium-Full
Strength: Medium
Humidor time: 1 Month


I went ahead and continued on my Cuvee tour with the Rouge after trying the 151 and giving my throat some time to heal. I got this cigar with my purchase of the 151, it too had one month of time in my humidor resting away. This cigar is also beautiful, the wrapper holds a red hue to it that is quite inviting. This particular stick did have a minor triangle shaped tear at the foot, but it never split and become worse. The cigar is firm, the wrapper is spicy like many others.

The cigar lit up with lots of toasty smoke. It was not pleasant, the flavor was ashy with a tinge of ammonia. The ashy ammonia was prevalent throughout the cigar as it burned down. It was unpleasant to say the least.

The ash was white, but flakey, causing concern to make sure it dropped in the ashtray instead of on me. I do ash more often then some, so it bothers me that I have to keep my eye on the ash to make sure I do not end up with a hole in my pants. The burn was nothing exciting.

During the smoke I noticed a tingling feeling, some may call it a tang, but it was different than I am used to. I picked up a good amount of cocoa, coffee flavors and cinnamon. During the smoke I tried to discern if the tingle feeling I got was the cinnamon or not, but it was a bit of work to figure it out and I never did.

During the smoke I had written in my notes several times the ammonia I would get as the cigar burned. This cigar turned out to be another disappointment for me. I am wondering if the tobacco is too young, the amount of ammonia I got during the smoke was way too much. The tobacco certainly was used too soon and should have been fermented longer, unless strong ammonia is what Cusano was hoping to accomplish with this cigar.

I am certainly going to give my other Cuvee Rouges a long time to rest before lighting up again. I cannot recommend this cigar unless you enjoy ammonia.

Appearance 2-I Liked It
Construction 3- Good
Burn 1- Okay
Ash 1- Flaky
Flavor 1- Great smoke, lots of flavor
Smoke Profile 1.5- Perfect, no harsh spots at all, smooth and nice
Aroma 1- Enjoyable fragrance, but stinks up the skin

=10.5 Points

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!!