Carlos Torano's Fortress

Abs ~ The Cliff Dwellers

This cigar sports a Nicaraguan Habano Rosado wrapper to cuddle long leaf fillers from Nicaragua, Honduras and Peru.  The cigar is aged after rolling to yield a blend that has had time to meld together.
What they said:  Notes of vanilla, toast, and sweet cedery (there that word is again) undertones.  Each puff is smooth as silk, coating the palate with thick, velvety smoke that lingers, often complemented by a dash of red pepper.
What I say:  A mild to medium smoke that last and lasts.  This is an hour and a half cigar that will give you just that in the way of a quality smoke.  Very smooth, with just a hint of pepper that is hot.  Smoke was almost non-existent and one would constantly wonder if it had gone out between puffs, but it was going full tilt.  It would be a good one to smoke in the house when you don't want to fog the place up.  Plus it is a damn good cigar to boot.
What would I pay?  $7.00 in a cigar store.
I watched the movie, Elizabeth while I enjoyed this one.  Both were top notch.

Hoyo's Excalibur Cameroon

Kelsey and the dragon

When I grabbed this Excalibur out of the humidor I did not realize it was a Cameroon wrapped one.  That was an unexpected treat.  For those of you who are unaware, African Cameroon leaves are the thinnest, most delicate and fragile of the wrapper leaves.  If you can sit in one place, not move your arm anymore than necessary, and don't talk above a whisper you are sometime able to get through one without the wrapper totally coming apart.  Sometimes if you look at one too long it will fall off the stick.  But what a flavor they impart to the cigar.
Hoyo Excalibur is on my list of a good cigar, but not a great cigar.  Put a Cameroon wrapper on it and it jump up a couple of notches.
What they say:  Famously rich, strong, and creamy taste.
Simple and not without merit.
What I say:  I was as careful as I could be with this gem.  I knew I would not be able to walk about while enjoying it so I parked myself in a chair in front of the TV.  Even then, the wrapper began to crack apart and come off within an inch of the head.
Still, I totally enjoyed this smoke.  The flavor was as the writer reported, although not as strong as they made it out to be.  Sometimes I think wimps write these reviews and anything beyond water is strong to them.  I would rate it as a medium smoke.
What would I pay?  For the Cameroon wrapped Excalibur, $7.00 in a cigar store.
One thing I noted by accident that disturbs me a little was this:  When a hot torch flame was applied to the beautiful white ash, this balled up like little metal balls of mercury.  I don't know what is in there that makes this happen but it seemed really odd to me.

Padilla's Series 68

Abs & I in studio session

This leathery Cuban seed Corojo wrapper hugs the cigar like an expensive glove.  I was watering at the mouth long before I removed the clear wrapper.  It felt good and looked good.  A quick smell was not enough and I found myself with my eyes closed while I savored the aroma.  The fillers are those from Nicaragua's prized growing region, Jalaapa and Condega.
What they said:  Rich earthy smoke with cedary notes, hints of coffee, and a sweet, earthy aroma, warming up to show a complex balance of spice, earth and wood notes.
What I say:  Cedary?
First off the wrapper is beautiful thing to just look at, let alone taste.  A dark oily leaf found on the best of the best.  It even feels expensive.
First puff was heaven, and it never let me come down, right to the very finish.  Earthy and coffee are spot on.  I miss the spice part, as I usually do, but there was a hint of cedar in there.  Just enough to let you get a fleeting taste.
A truly fine cigar that ranks up there in my top ten.
What would I pay?  $9.00 in a cigar store.

Look up the definition of the word, "ON" and someone please tell my why we say, "The building is on fire".

5 Vegas Gold

Abs in my garden

A Connecticut shade leaf that shimmers.  Very pale and smooth in your fingers.  This box pressed cigar was calling me to give it a try.  You know I am not fond of light shade leaves for wrappers as I often find them tasting like I was mouthing a leaf from an elm tree, but this one was different.  If I closed my eyes I could picture a medium EMS style wrapper on it and the taste was very pleasant.
What they said:  A slight nutty taste followed by zesty pepper on the back of your throat.  It instantly mellows into a polished smoothness with ample creaminess.
What I say:  The cap was firm and solid for a fine shade leaf wrapper and gave a good punch.  Toasting the foot did nothing in the way of aroma to excite me but that first draw was pleasant.  The pepper they talked about did not hit the back of my throat but settled on my tongue nicely and was most enjoyable.  I did not find that instantly mellows thing at all and the pepper stuck with me long after I set the cigar down.  There was a nutty taste in there while pulling, but that did settle down quickly leaving the pepper to tease my taste buds.
I smoked this while puttering about , building a fire in the studio and cleaning up a mess I left in the garage last night.  As I sat down to write this review I was down to the nub, holding it between two fingers so as not to get burned, and still enjoying the smoke.
A definite keeper.
What would I pay?  $5.00 in a cigar store.
On a side note:  I was told by Abigail yesterday that my new blog "SUCKS".   She is not a hardcore cigar smoker so that was understandable.  
Which brings up another point that pisses me off.  I live 11 miles from a town that hosts our school of K-12th grades.  You would think a town that has the school for all the children in a 700 square mile area could spell.  But they can't.  The town is spelled:  Bigfork.  Not Big Fork.  The school's mascot is a husky.  The name of the road the school is on is spelled: Huskie Blvd.  Jeeezus!  One of the substitute teachers said she was going to be working at the school the next day and she was going to be teaching the kids,  how to speak MEXICAN.  Oh my gawd!  
We are in trouble here folks.

Sancho Panz's Extra Fuerte

Another new one for me.  This stick is wrapped in a shiny, reddish Honduran grown Cuban see leaf with a mix of Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers.
My sample was box pressed and sported a bit of blooming.  When I ran the punch in the end I was surprised on how think the cap was so I counted.  Five layers in this cap.  Nice.
The cigar itself was not overly fragrant but did have a good smell.

Abs ~ Morning T'ai Chi

What they said:   This baby starts and ends with a kick, while adding a few punches in between. Balanced to the T with an assortment of rich, bold flavors backed by a little pepper, the Sancho Panza Extra Fuerte is perfect for any seasoned enthusiast and will add a great finishing touch to that hearty steak dinner.
What I say:  I didn't care for the scent when I toasted the foot.  Reminded me of an electrical fire.
Immediately upon lighting one of the cap layers began to come off and I spent a little time tearing the loose parts away so they wouldn't be playing with my lips.  The first puff was very nice.
This cigar burned very slowly and even with what I perceived as a nice leather flavor.  The after taste was a good pepper flavor that stayed with me long enough so I didn't loose it for some time.
I very much enjoyed the taste of the wrapper on this one and it again reminded me of a Punch wrapper that I am so fond of.
This is a two hour cigar.
A definite one I will be sure to keep on hand from now on.
What would I pay?  $9.00 in a cigar store.

Update:  Wow!  I'm impressed!  My parcel that was sent Next Day Express via the U.S. Postal Service from Pittsburgh on February 1st.........arrived today.  16 days for a next day delivery.  And they are talking about cutting out next day delivery to save money.  Oh my fucking god.
I could have walked from Pittsburgh to here in less time.  The more money you throw at them to get your parcel there faster the slow it takes to get there.  Standard mail would have gotten it to me in five days.  A few years ago it would have taken only two days in standard mail.  Now it takes four days to go 30 miles.
I'm for letting the U.S.Postal Service (Post Office) go the way of the Dodo bird.  They are a the poorest run and managed business out there.  Congress has their head up their ass on this one.
On another note I had a package sent from the same location on February 14th, but I asked it be sent UPS.  It arrived yesterday.  2 days.  And they delivered it to my door.  Something the Post Office will not do here.  And it was cheaper than that silly NEST DAY EXPRESS that took 16 days.  Go figure.

Carlos Torano's "Exodus Silver 1959"

I have the entire Exodus series and will report on them as I get around to them.  I just grabbed a cigar out of the humidor and it turned out to be this one for my evening smoke.

Erin

A well packed and solid cigar in your hands.  It smells like a dream and I usually am pleased with the flavor when it smells this nice.
What they said:  Milk chocolate like sweetness and a leathery core, with a little shot of spice and pepper to the nose.
What I say:  Toasting was uneventful in terms of aroma except for a bit of spice in the air.
A nutmeg flavor hit me right off the bat and that leather filled my nasal cavity.
The wonderful chestnut colored wrapper had a crack in it, probably my fault, but it didn't cause a fail in the draw.  Superficial damage that played no importance or detraction in the smoke.
I looked forward to each puff, bringing the smoke deep into my nose.  Probably will pay a price for this later tonight.  Usually results in a hangover type feeling come morning, but it passes in a couple of hours.  But for now it will be well worth it.
A tremendous cigar of a medium body.  Reminds me much of a Punch Chateau L.
What would I pay?  $7.00 in a cigar store.

Graycliff's G2 Turbo

Here is one I was totally unfamiliar with from the get go.  I decided I best study a bit and found that Enrico Garzaroli created a resort in the Caribbean where cigar and wine connoisseurs can gather to enjoy what is suppose to be the best of the best in both.  Graycliff contains a five star restaurant and the worlds second largest private wine collection.  This is where he decided to create the Graycliff cigar.
This is one chunky cigar.
What they said:  Hailing from Nicaragua, Turbo comes packed with flavor due to its tasty, oil maduro wrapper.  Spicy flavors filled with pepper as cedar rests on your palate for a long, enjoyable finish.

Abs in S. Dakota

What I say:  This is a full bodied cigar to say the least.  Wonderfully constructed with a seemingly seamless wrapper.  The wrapper is very light in color for a maduro.  I was excited to give this one a whorl.
Toasting the foot provided me with a smell I associate with burning of an old Christmas tree come the snow melt in April.  Not the pine smell you first think of, but that smell you get from the wood itself after the needles are all gone and the trunk is roasting nicely.
This massive, fat beast is well packed and very firm.  The seemingly one leaf wrapper had a we bit of a blooming which told me I was going to be expecting a real treat here.
I was expecting a very strong, almost over powering first draw, but what I was pleased to find was a medium bodied flavor, although high on the medium end, and a very prominent pepper taste, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  There was that cedar after taste which was also pleasant.
The cigar burned evenly and long.  When it was over I wanted more.
This was the only one of these cigars I had in my possession and I was saddened by that.  Sort of like holding your shotgun while you walk back to your car and you don't have a shot shell on you.  You feel naked.
I will without a doubt be on the prowl for several more of these gems.  Enrico did honor to his Graycliff empire with this addition to the cigar world.  It fits in with his wine cellar and five star restaurant resort.
What would I pay?  $14.00 in a cigar store.