Review: Bahia Trinidad Pancho

Brand of Cigar: Bahia
Name of Cigar: Trinidad
Vitola: Robusto 5 1/2 x 52
Wrapper: Ecuador
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Body: Medium
Time of Smoke: 1 hour
MSRP Price: $2-2.25 per stick $104 per box
Purchase Price: $40
Place of Purchase: Cigarbid.com

Intro:

I've had the Bahia Trinidad's before and for a cheap smoke i remembered them being fairly good, so i decided to buy a 5 pack on cigarbid and try them out again. So here i am, with my friend whose smoking a Felipe Gregorio, in our breezeway.

                                              

 Appearance/Construction: 22/25

I tore through the plastic on this stick like it was Christmas. I’ve been busy the last few days, so I’m going through stogie withdrawal. This cigar had been sitting in my humidor for about a month so it was firm, with just a little bounce to it. The wrapper was a light brown shade, with no veins or imperfections. The cap was solid, but left a little tobacco on the tip even with my best cutter. After the cut, I noticed that the cigar wasn’t very tightly wrapped, as evidence in this picture.

Smoking Experience: 22/30

Lighting this stogie up with excitement, I found the first third to be very peppery, with a small leathery note, as well as a woodsy note as well. It had a wavy burn through this third, but still pulled a good amount of smoke. Once it reached the second third, most of the notes had faded and left me with the peppery taste. At this point it was already started to leave the tip of my tongue hot each time I drew smoke. The ash was a dark grey, and ran about an inch long each time.



 Value: 18/20

The Bahia Trinidad Pancho isn’t a very expensive cigar, running at an MSRP of around 2 dollars. I got a bundle on Cigarbid for $40, or 2 dollars per stick. So I really didn’t buy them at much of a discount, but still cheap is cheap!

Overall Rating: 23/25

Overall, this cigar had no real flaws, but then again had nothing really going for it either. The construction and appearance, while it wasn’t bad at all, didn’t leave my wowed. Its taste wasn’t bad either, but yet again nothing special. If you want a cigar to smoke while you’re doing something, then I suggest this one. This cigar is one I’d be smoking while I’m fishing, or grilling out. Not one I’d plan my day around.

Rating: 85

Review: CAO Cameroon Toro

Brand: CAO
Name: Cameroon

Vitola: 5 ½ x 55 Toro

Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Cameroon

Filler: Nicaraguan

Binder: Nicaraguan

Body: Full

Time of Smoke: 1:20

MSRP: $6-7

Price: $3.06+

Purchased: Tobacco Village

Intro:

I bought this stick right before I came back to school, so it’s been just about a month. When I bought it, the stick was very soft, and after a month in my humidor I was able to get it back to a respectable feel. Now I’m very partial to two cigars, Montecristo and CAO, I absolutely love them. The Montecristo is my favorite brand, and the CAO brand was one of the first cigars that I started smoking. So I’ll be as unbiased as a can with this one! Unfortunately i don't have any pictures for this smoke, my camera died on me just as i was lighting this one up.

Appearance & Construction: 23/25

The Cameroon wrapper was as close to flawless as I’ve seen in a good while, the veins were no problem here, nor were there any raised spots at all. The cap was solid, with very little difference in color from the wrapper. The only flaw in this cigar was the fact that it was still a little too soft for my liking, and even with my best cutter it left me with some tobacco in my mouth. The initial draw was good, and i could tell this smoke was going to be a solid stick.

Smoking Experience: 27/30

This stick lit up without problems, and the smoke drew with ease from this stogie. The first third was very smoky which I was pleased with, and I got heavy notes of chocolate and undertones of some spices I couldn’t quite identify. The second third continued to smoke well, and left me with a chocolate note, as well as coffee, and those same undertones of spices. From the midway point on this stick had a lot strength and the notes were very prevalent. The burn throughout was very solid and the ash lasted well over an inch both times.

Price: 19/20

By far the best discount I’ve gotten in a while, and although this cigar store always lets me down in terms of condition, they have the dirt cheap prices. At 3 bucks, I’ll keep buying them all day! Even at MSRP they are worth it.

Overall: 23/25

Overall, this smoke is a keeper! I found no real flaws, except for the softness of the stogie, but with a little more aging that wouldn’t have been a problem. The flavors were strong, the smoke was thick, draw easy, and the burn very good. I have nothing bad to say about the Cameroon, and I would recommend this one to any cigarnivore!

Rating: 92

Review: Padilla Achilles Robusto

Brand of Cigar: Padilla
Name of Cigar: Achilles
Vitola: Robusto 5x54
Wrapper: Habano-Seed Corojo
Binder: Unknown
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic
Body: Medium
Time of Smoke: 1.15
MSRP Price: 5 pack at $20-22
Purchase Price: 5 pack at $11
Place of Purchase: Cigarbid.com

Intro:

I’ve had a 5 pack of these once before and remember them being a pretty solid smoke. So naturally I grabbed a second 5er off of cigarbid for 11 bucks. Now after about 3 or 4 weeks of seasoning in my humidor, this stick is going to accompany me out to the breezeway so we can get to know each other a bit more.

Appearance & Construction: 22/25



This cigar was tightly wrapped



This Robusto comes in at 5 x 54, with a medium brown Cuban-seed corojo wrapper. The wrapper itself looked very well aside from a good sized raised spot near the head of the stick. It also had a smaller raised vein towards the foot that I only noticed after I began smoking it. The wrapper itself was very oily, and had no other imperfections. The cigar cut well, which I wasn’t expecting seeing as how large of a ring size it had.

Smoking Experience: 26/30

I lit this puppy up with excitement, as it had been at least a week since I’d had a cigar, so my expectations were high! This cigar started off well, leaving me with a wood flavor, with a peppery after taste in my mouth. After about the half way point I was getting the same woodsy flavor, as well as a nutty note, and the peppery after taste shifted and became a little sweeter. The Achilles burned very evenly throughout the entire cigar, and it’s ash lasted at least an inch both times.

Price: 18/20

I got these beauties in a 5 pack for $11, so at $2.20 I can’t complain. The MSRP is around 20-25 bucks per 5 pack, so I did get a good deal on these at Cigarbid.com

Overall: 23/25

Overall, there is absolutely nothing bad I can say about this stick. The Padilla Achilles offered some very good flavor notes, burned well, and aside from the two raised veins was very well constructed. Unfortunately I only have 1 of these left out of my 5 pack, so once it gets some time in my humidor I will definitely be giving it another go! I recommend this one to any cigarnivore, especially if they enjoy a medium bodied smoke

Rating: 89

The Griffin's Classic Robusto

Brand of Cigar: The Griffin's

Name of Cigar: Griffin's Classic
Vitola: 5X50 Robusto
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Body: Mild
Time of Smoke: 1:15
MSRP: $5-7
Purchase Price: Gift (unknown)
Place of Purchase: Unknown


Intro:
I received this smoke from my brother because I ran into the unusual problem where I did not have a cigar on me. I had heard of "The Griffin's" cigars before, but had never had one in my years of smoking. I thought it looked like a good stick, and since I hadn't had one of these Connecticut sticks before, I figured I'd better do a review on it. I took the stick and smoking utensils out to the back deck and took in the experience of a smoke out in the woods.


Appearance/Construction: 21/25
Although I personally enjoy the appearance of a nice dark maduro cigar, I couldn't help but think this stick was a beautiful specimen. The 5X50 Robusto looked very smooth and upon putting my lips to it, I could sense a nice oily feel to it. There were a couple prominent veins that ran the length of the cigar, but overall it was a very smooth cigar and put together well. I had no problems with the cigar coming unraveled and the cap disconnected from the rest of the stick with ease.

Smoking Experience: 28/30
Upon taking the cigar out of the wrapper I noticed a woody scent with a little touch of sweetness to it. As I mentioned earlier, it was oily to the touch and looked to be a promising cigar. I lit this delight up with a Coors Light on my side and was ready to start enjoying. After lighting this one up, I immediately started getting some earthy tones along with some nutty flavors. It had a nice dense smoke and I know problems with the draw of the cigar. I personally enjoy a more full-bodied cigar, but this one was exceeding my expectations. "The Griffins" Classic definitely didn't take me over with flavor, but it was a very enjoyable smoke. I decided to risk dealing with "cigarbage" and try to keep the ash going on this one. I kept waiting for the long white ash to fall, but it never seemed to happen. Finally the ash fell from the rest of the cigar after about 2.5"....that's half of the cigar! As a firm believer of the "smoke till you can't no more" mentality, I decided to smoke this cigar down to the bitter end. The only thing was, there was no bitter end. I finally put it down, with about half an inch left, and although my fingers were starting to feel the heat, I never experienced any harshness to the cigar. By the end, this cigar had earned my respect.


Value: 18/20
This is by far one of the better mild cigars I can remember. As a gift, the value is great, but even if I had bought it for the $5.00 price tag, I would have to say I got my money's worth. I would definitely purchase this cigar again, and it would be great for the casual smoke. I feel the $5.00 price tag is very reasonable for this particular stick.


Overall Rating: 23/25
Although I am more of a full-bodied smoker, I must say that this mild cigar was a delight. The burn was flawless and although there was not a lot of complexity, the flavors kept me wanting more. I don't know many smoother cigars out there. It's also a plus that I know I can turn to this particular cigar if I am in need of a specimen for a long-ash contest. Overall, this cigar ranks at the top for me in mild cigars.
Rating: 90

Review: H. Upmann 1844 No. 100

Brand: H Upmann
Name: 1844 No. 100
Vitola: 4 ½ x 50 Robusto
Wrapper: Indonesia
Filler: Dominican Republic, Brazil
Binder: Dominican Republic
Body: Medium
Time of Smoke: 1:10
MSRP: $5.00
Purchase Price: $4.75
Place of Purchase: Spanky’s Tobacco World

Intro:

This was the second cigar I purchased at a local cigar store, the same place that usually doesn't take care of their sticks. Luckily, this cigar came out unscathed for the most part, and I gave it some time in my own humidor just for extra measures. I decided to smoke this cigar with some friends as we enjoyed some drinks around a fire. Since becoming a cigar smoker, I’ve tried more brands than I can keep track of, but I don't believe I’ve had very many H Upmann's, so I was looking forward to this smoke.

(Sorry about the bad picture quality)


Appearance & Construction: 23/25

After running it through my hands a bit, I could find no soft spots and it seemed rather firm. The Sumatra wrapper was a natural color, with no veins or raised spots which is a testament to how well it was shade grown This stick didn’t have the most oily wrapper, and the cap wasn’t the same shade either. It cut well, so no problems there.   

Smoking Experience: 22/30

This cigar was a lot tougher to draw smoke from than I expected, and I caught myself a few times pulling fairly hard for a mouthful of smoke. When I did get smoke, it left me with notes of earth, some cocoa, as well as a small note of leather. The burn was very solid, with very little waviness at all. After the half way mark, the smoke became a little more easy to draw, and the flavors (which hadn’t changed) came out a little stronger which I was happy about.

Price: 18/20

I bought this smoke for $4.75, and I saw the No. 100 online anywhere from $3.50 to $5.50 so it's a pretty cheap smoke with some good qualities. There are better cigars under 5 bucks, but this seems to be a solid choice.

Overall: 23/25

A fairly good smoke for its cheap price tag, and I'd recommend it for a beginner or someone looking for a mellow taste. It doesn't have any bad qualities, and I’m looking forward to some of H Upmann's other cigars. I'll let the others I’ve purchased sit in my humidor for a little while longer, and I'll be sure to get back to you when I’ve smoked another!

Rating: 86

Warlock Robusto

Brand of Cigar: Warlock

Name of Cigar: Warlock Robusto
Vitola: 4 3/4 X 54 Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Cubano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Dominican & Nicaraguan
Body: Full
Time of Smoke: 1:20

MSRP Price: $6.25
Purchase Price: $6.00

Place of Purchase: Puff N' Stuff


Intro:
This was another purchase connected to the stupidity of leaving all of my cigars in Ohio. I can't complain though, this is the first time I had seen this cigar and if I hadn't forgotten all my sticks in my humidor I may have never got the opportunity to smoke this one. When I walked in the Puff N' Stuff humidor I ran across the usual Romeo Y Julietas, Cristos, and lower end cigars. I decided that I wanted to try something different, and then I came across the Warlock, they had a toro and robusto, but I decided to go with the robusto because I hadn't heard anything about this particular cigar before. I decided to sit down with the old man and a glass of Monticello Vineyards 2009 Presedential Chardonnay and see just what I had purchased.


Appearance/Construction: (22/25)
I personally thought this was a nice looking cigar. I'll be honest, the main reason I picked this one up was because of the dark maduro wrapper on it. It is definitely one of the darker cigars I've smoked, it reminds me a lot of the Montecristo Media Noches. The band was also pretty cool, it was very plain but the black and silver gave it a nice modern feel and it coincided well with the black maduro wrapper. The cigar did have a couple major veins running through it and it was almost rough to the touch, which hurts it a little in the ratings.


Smoking Experience: (27/30)
Even during the pre-light I could tell this cigar was going to have a nice bitterness to it. It had a nice chocolate smell to it, but I could also make out the spiciness right off the bat. After getting the intimidating Warlock lit, I started getting hints of a dark chocolate/mocha. The chocolate tones continued throughout the first third, but the spices kept the stick from overtaking you with sweetness. The spices really picked up in the second half and it really started to taste like I was sipping on a bitter coffee. The change was pretty significant, and I personally enjoyed it. The cigar was also producing a nice amount of smoke along with a nice white 1.5" ash. Once I got to the final third of the cigar, I started to get a little harshness. I continued to get touches of chocolate but the harshness took over the cigar with about an inch left. Although the stick did get a little harsh, I was thoroughly impressed with the fact that I never had to touch the Warlock up and didn't have to worry about it going out on me.



Value: (18/20)
I was more than satisfied with this stick by the end of the 1:20 smoke. I bought this one for $6.00 and that seems to be about the norm (found them online for $6.25). I would be willing to buy this one again and might even grab a few before I head back to Ohio for the fall. The harshness was the only disappointment in this stick, but in reality I should expect that when I'm smoking them down to the nub.

Overall Rating: (22/25)
Overall, I really enjoyed this cigar, I liked the dark maduro look to it and the chocolaty flavor profile. It had a nice thick smoke and I never had to think about touching this one up. I think I will go grab another and see how a little aging affects it. For grabbing this one out of the store and smoking it immediately I am pretty impressed with this badass robusto.

Rating: 89

Review: Trinidad Habana Reserve Short Churchill

Brand: Trinidad
Name: Habana Reserve Short Churchill

Vitola: 4.5 x 54 Petit Chruchill

Origin: Honduras

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Conneticut

Filler: Honduras/Nicaraguan

Binder: Nicaraguan

Body: Full

Time of Smoke: 1 hour

MSRP: $5.00

Price: $4.05+

Purchased: Tobacco Village

I met up with my fellow cigarnivore the other day to talk a bit about this site and i promised him I'd bring him the Montecristo Reserva Negra he'd been asking for. So, like we usually do, went out onto his patio and decided we might as well smoke a cigar... Fine by me!


Appearance & Construction: 23/25

This Trinidad was on the lighter brown shade, with a cap of the same color. I bought this stick from the same Tobacco Village where I had gotten the Montecristo Classic Especial No. 03, so i assumed it would be very soft as well, luckily for me though it was not. This cigar proved to be very healthy and had just a slight bounce to it. The wrapper had one small wrinkle in it, and one small raised vein around the wrapper. The cap cut very smoothly, and left me with no tobacco to get in my mouth!

Smoking Experience: 23/30

This cigar lit up with ease, and immediately i began drawing a wonderfully thick smoke. The first two inches of this stick left me with notes of leather, and a slight peppery note on the tip of my tounge. Luckily, on this particular smoke i anticipated cigarbage, and caught the ash in my ashtray. The ash on this petit beauty was about an inch and a half long with a medium grey shade to it. It's burn was fairly even, and never once required my attention. After the first two inches, the TTT Trinidad presented a woodsy or woody flavored note, and the pepper at the end of my tounge had disappeared. Overall, the taste of this stick wasn't dominating my mouth with flavor, but i was still pleased.

Price: 19/20

At $4.05 per stick, i have absolutely no room to complain. MSRP on these petits are around 5 dollars, so i got a pretty good deal. I always wonder how this Tobacco Village makes any money on cigars when i've never once bought a cigar at MSRP from there.

Overall: 23/25

Overall, i would most definitely recommend this cigar to anyone. Light smokers would enjoy the length of smoke on this stick, while more adept smokers would be pleased with its taste and construction. I found no problems with this stick aside from one small vein, and i have no doubts in my mind i'll be purchasing a box of these.

Rating: 93

Montecristo 75th Anniversario No.2

Brand of Cigar: Montecristo

Name of Cigar: 75th Anniversario No.2
Vitola: 6 1/8 X 52 Torpedo
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan & Honduran
Body: Medium
Time of Smoke: 1:30

MSRP Price: $14.70-16.65
Purchase Price: $8.00

Place of Purchase: Puff N' Stuff


Intro:

I made my way back to Pennsylvania this week to get together with my fellow Cigarnivore so we could smoke some cigars and try and get this site up and running. About an hour into my five hour drive I realized I had forgotten my sticks in my humidor in Ohio. What was I to do? The obvious answer was to go grab some more cigars at the local cigar shop, Puff N' Stuff. Unlike the other local cigar shops in the area, this place actually keeps their cigars pretty well and are relatively inexpensive. I managed leaving the shop with this 75th Anniversario Cristo for $8.00, to say I was excited to smoke this stick would be an understatement. Because I was in a bind, I didn't have time to age this cigar, but I know that the store has had these for at least the last six months so I figured I'd be alright. I took this one out to the back deck with my fellow Cigarnivore (who had a Siglo) and got ready to enjoy my purchase.

Appearance/Construction: (23/25)
When I picked this cigar up, I couldn't help but think it was a great looking cigar. It was a great sized cigar (6X52) for my liking (I prefer a cigar over a 50 ring). It also came packaged in a nice dark chocolatey wrapper. It also had a nice oily coating on it. I didn't see any major veins running through the stick and overall it looked to be a very smooth stick that was rolled with quality. This is pretty typical of Montecristo as I haven't had too many that weren't put together well. The Band reminded me a lot of the Cristo Cabinet Selection bands, however the 75th Anniversario added a sense of nostalgia to it. Once I saw the 75th Anniversario I was naturally suckered into making the purchase.

Smoking Experience: (25/30)

After getting this thing out of the plastic and cracking open a nice cold Red-Stripe to accompany it, I looked for the pre-light characteristics and noticed the usual earthy tones along with a sweet hint to it. I lit this bad boy up and was immediatly engulfed in smoke. The heavy smoke that came from this stick was certainly a plus, and I had no problem with the draw. I must say I thought I was in for a classic, the smoke and draw were good and I was getting hints of mocha and some sweeter tastes. Throughout the first third, all was well, the sweetness continued with some earthy tones and I had a dark one inch ash clinging to the end of the stick. Once the ash fell, this cigar started to fall off a little however. I had to touch up the stick on three different occasions, which I personally don't think should be happening with a $15.00 MSRP Cristo. The cigar never did get harsh, but with a little over an inch left, the Cristo started tunneling and I decided to call it quits.



Value: (17/20)

I personally enjoyed the flavor profile of this particular cigar, but the touch ups and tunneling shouldn't be present in a quality stick such as this. I don't think I would purchase this cigar at the MSRP, but I may give it another try at the $8.00 price tag and age it in my humidor for a little while. This was by no means a bad cigar, I think with a little aging it could be fine.  If I do grab another I'll be sure to keep it awhile and update this review if I find a difference.


Overall Rating: (22/25)This one may be a little overpriced in my opinion, at least at the MSRP price. The cigar did have a nice flavor profile and a thick smoke that I enjoyed. This one is a little tough for me in the overall rating because although it tunneled on me, I couldn't help but keep looking at it and say "damn this is a nice looking cigar". Overall the cigar was solid other than the tunneling and touch-ups, but I will have to take off for those for now. Like I said if I grab another and give it time to age, I'm sure I will bump up this particular stick in a few categories.

The Montecristo 75th Anniversario No. 2 Torpedo recieves a rating of 87.

Review: Siglo VI

Brand: Siglo
Name: VI Limited Reserve
Vitola: 6x54
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Ecuador Sumatra
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan/Dominican
Body:
Time of Smoke: 1:45 min
MSRP: $4.50-7.00
Price: $5.99+
Purchased: Puff N Stuff

I picked up the Siglo VI Limited Reserve Tubo in a local Puff N' Stuff, which is the only place within 25 miles where you can get any half decent cigar. Because i don't trust most store humidors in my area i usually like to give them a few weeks in my own humidor to freshen up a bit, but since this wasn't a planned smoke, i had to do an old "buy & smoke". So now I'm sitting on my fellow Cigarnivores back deck, enjoying this gem as i take in the woodsy scenery and the trickle of water from there nearby pond. I smoked this while my fellow cigarnivore had a Montecristo, and his brother enjoyed a R&J.

Appearance & Construction: 22/25

To start, this cigar came In a sleek yellow tube to match it's band. Now i must saw that its choice of colors and brand name seem to be a direct rip from Cohiba's brand of Cuban cigars. Although this is not by any means original, it does look good. The Siglo's wrapper was a medium brown EMS, that had no serious veins or imperfections to contend with. At first touch it was very oily, as well as firm. This particular stick had a double cap that wasn't the same color as the wrapper which was the only blemish i could see.

Again the cigar was very firm, and had some bounce to it when squeezed. Upon cutting It I did not see any stems, and the cut was smooth. Overall, a very good looking and well constructed stick.

Smoking Experience: 26/30

Upon lighting this very good looking smoke, i noticed immediately that i would be getting a lot of very heavy smoke with no problems drawing it at all. The first third gave off a leathery note, with a small note of pepper on the tip of my tongue. The remainder of the cigar gave off the note of leather, while the note of pepper slowly went away, and a note of oak came through. It's ash lasted about an inch to an inch and a half each time, but it was a very windy day out, so I'd assume it would have went longer. The ash itself was very white, with some splotches of black mixed in there.

Price: 17/20

I bought this smoke at the Puff N' Stuff, which like i said is a monopoly around my area for good cigars. So i paid 5.99 plus tax, which isn't bad by any means, but could be had cheaper online.

Overall: 24/25

Overall this was a good looking, and well constructed smoke, with good but not great taste. It's notes weren't prevalent aside from the leathery taste, which was kind of a disappointment. But i would definitely recommend this stick to anyone. It's no Cohiba Siglo, but it is worth the price for sure.

Rating: 88