Monday, December 28, 2009

GH2 by Gran Habano

So before I left the shop on Christmas Eve, I picked up a bundle of GH2 by Gran Habano cigars off the Cigar Monster because the price was right - just $24.99 if I remember correctly. I wanted something to smoke during the holiday, but since my wallet was light after the holiday season, the monster delivered a reasonable deal.

You may notice I'm wearing green today, that's because the Philadelphia Eagles are looking like the team to beat in the NFC - works for me! Twas a nail-biter last night coming down the wire but D-nabb and the boys pulled it off.

Anyway, enough Monday morning quarterbacking about the Beast of the NFC East that is long overdue for a Superbowl ring, and back to this GH2 by Gran Habano corono gorda bundle I bought to hold me over till I returned to the cigar shop this brisk Monday morning - a bit nipply out there today (.)(.)

Bobby Rica from Half Smoked asked me how the GH2 cigar smoked via my Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/cigarstogies (friend me up!) so figured I'd burn 'n blog about it today.

Construction - the cigar is put together well, I haven't noticed anything weird. no unraveling, took the cutter like a champ.

Color - dark and rich Habano wrapper, coffee color, it's twat I like, I'm not big into the lighter color cigars that literally resemble cardboard (think Phillies blunt). Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of excellent cigars with light wrappers.

Taste - full-bodied flavor, seems like a *hint* of chocolate and coffee, with a matching aroma. I'm still learning the differences between tastes and the plethora of adjectives used to describe stogie flavors, so pardon me if you are an aficionado and have a more refined opinion. Your comments are welcome, by all means! After all, I admitted to being a newbie when I started the blog.

Smoke - thick n creamy

Burn - burns evenly, only had to relight once so far because I left the room for a bit.

At full retail price, it's worth checking out, but that's why you have to perioidically check the monster for those no-brainer opportunities to try a new cigar, and perhaps make it a full-fledged member of your cigar rotation. At a buck a stick off the Cigar Monster it's hard to deny the Gran Habano GH2 some love.

I think of the Cigar Monster as my testing grounds for new cigars because nothing's worse than buying a bundle of cigars at full price that you end up not liking "here you go buddy, try these..."

The GH2 by Gran Habano was worth the 1/2 calorie I burned cutting and lighting this stogie - it's tough work lifting cigars, but someone's gotta do it so it might as well be me!

Until next time...keep smokin!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Don Salvatore Ash Tray


Check out this Don Salvatore Ash Tray I just got from the Secret Santa gift exchange today over here at the Famous Smoke Shop lab.

Every cigar newbie needs a new ash tray for all that burnt carbon, so that's what I asked for this holiday season. As usual, Santa delivers the goods - THANKS!

Since my recipient is an insanely experienced cigar smoker who has all the cigar accessories one could ask for, I bought him a 1/5th of Johnnie Walker Black. According to Famous Hayward, a Nicaraguan Puro would go well with a glass of Johnnie - perhaps a Pepin.

As I write this wildly entertaining blog about a cigar ashtray, I'm smoking on a sample cigar (the one on the right side of the picture) we are testing to see if it's up to snuff to become a Famous brand cigar. I'm not really digging this one so I'm not going to give it a good review - it's decent, but not worthy of a Famous label. That's how we roll at Famous Smoke Shop - nothing but the best for our loyal customers.

This ashtray holds ash like a champ!  (*crickets chirpin*)

Not much more I can say about an ashtray, so until next time - keep smokin!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Famous Nicaraguan 7000 Super Toro Maduro


WOW. I fell in love with this cigar at first whif! That's why I had to take the picture with my nose to this Famous Nicaraguan 7000 Super Toro Maduro.

I know what you are thinking, "this guy works for Famous Smoke Shop, he wouldn't dare talk smack on the brand."  I'm not shittin ya though, hear me out....

First thing's first, the cigar is very well constructed with a rich chocolaty color. I like the super toro size, it feels substantial in your hand as opposed to a lancero.

Nearly half way through the cigar now, the flavor and aroma remain consistent.


Full-bodied with a peppery, earthy undertone, this super toro maduro is treating me well. Burns consistently, haven't had to steer any boats yet. I'm working with a full 2 inches of compact ash right now, with no sign of an imminent breakdown - trying to stretch it out as far as possible.

Well, the ash fell after that little stunt, but who cares, the cigar still tastes great.

Those are my thoughts on the Famous Nicaraguan 7000 Super Toro Maduro - if you've tried one before, I'd like to compare notes - leave a comment!

Have a great weekend everyone, until next time - keep smokin...

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Tamboril Sumatra Perfecto Cigar


I'm back at it again with another edition of the Cigar Stogies blog. This Tamboril Sumatra Perfecto cigar you see in my hand has an interesting flavor that I'm still trying to describe in my mind as I write this article. Not sure if I like it or not at the moment - maybe I have to let it cool for a minute.

It's certainly pretty mild compared to the beastly full-bodied Camacho Triple Maduro that spun my head like a dreidel the other night (perhaps the wine was a contributing factor though).


Appearance - looked well constructed pre-flame, but now about half way into the cigar, the wrapper seems to be unraveling a bit. Kind of like the Phillies in the 2009 World Series - strong start from Cliff Lee in the Phils game 1 win - then like this Tamboril they starting cracking under intense heat.

Taste - mild yet somewhat spicy, it's growing on me a bit midway through the stogie.

Draw - quality draw.

Aroma - eh, not so much.

Overall, not one of the better cigars I've smoked to date. Think I'm beginning to learn about my ideal cigar. I'm more of a full-bodied head-spinner kind-a-guy, like the aforementioned Camacho.

If you smoked a Tamboril Sumatra before, I'd like to hear your opinion - leave a comment or check me out on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/cigarstogies

Till next time....keep smokin!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Gran Habano Corojo #5

So I traded one of the Famous Private Selection Dominican Toro cigars from the 5-pack I bought off Cigar Monster yesterday with Hayward - for one of his Gran Habano Corojo #5 cigars resting in his humidor. Not because I was trying to get rid of my Famous Private Selections because I enjoyed it, but because I wanted to try something new today.

Before firing up this bad boy, my first impression of this hand-made Honduran cigar was that it had a rich dark brown color, well-constructed with a sweet 'n spicy smell that begged me to apply excessive heat to the foot of this cigar.

The stogie caught fire with relative ease, rewarding me with the aroma I was expecting to match the smell of the unlit cigar. First draw was worth the wait - thick creamy smoke followed shortly thereafter. Second draw was even better after blowing out of my nose - really brought out the taste!

As the flame crept towards the head of my Gran Habano Corojo #5, I found myself still enjoying the cigar, not getting that bitter, resonated taste.

Overall, I would recommend one of these cigars if you are wanting a mild, sweet 'n spicy Honduran cigar that won't leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

Until next time - keep smokin!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Famous Private Selection Dominican Toro 5 Pack

I just picked up a Famous Private Selection Dominican Toro 5 Pack off Cigar Monster for $9.99. Twas a killer cigar deal considering the same 5-pack is now $24.99 on Famous Smoke's website - seconds after the deal expired on Cigar Monster.

On my last blog, I admitted to being a complete cigar newbie aspiring to aficionado status so if you are looking for a more refined, expert opinion, feel free to tweet Gary Korb from Cigar Advisor @CigarAdvisor or the infamous Famous Hayward @Famous_Hayward to see what they think.

Anyway, this blog is about the cigars I'm smoking and what I think about them - so on to my review.
  • Size - Toro
  • Strength - Mild
  • Burn - Even burn, stays lit, haven't had to relight yet.
  • Draw - Medium, don't have to draw too hard, and not like smoking air with an easy draw.
  • Ash - Solid, intact, only had to drop the ash to make sure it didn't fall onto my keyboard, can get messy sometimes with a cigar that isn't rolled well, but wasn't the case with this one.
  • Aroma - Nutty
  • Flavor - Woody
Well that's what I'm smoking today and what I thought about it. I'm going to put the last 3 of my 5-pack in the humidor, let them rest for a bit before I fire up another one.

I'm out...till the next stogie...

@cigarstogies

Friday, December 11, 2009

Acquiring a Taste for Premium Cigars

Acquiring a Taste for Premium Cigars



I started working at Famous Smoke Shop recently and have begun taking my cigar smoking experience to a more sophisticated level. To be honest, prior to my employment at Famous, I rarely enjoyed a fine cigar - merely reserved for those special occasions. Whenever I did smoke cigars, I never paid much attention to the many facets of the cigar that create the stark contrasts between a premium hand-rolled Honduran cigar like the Carlos Torano Signature Collection and a machine -made Dutch Master Palma. Now I can really appreciate a premium cigar from one that resembles a twig wrapped in cardboard. Granted, I didn't partake in machine-made cigars like a Phillies Blunt on those special occasions, but now I am beginning to realize what makes a quality cigar - at least for my tastes.



...to be continued...