So, for the first review of the summer, I bring to you the Calibre 58 from Miami Cigars.  Along the same vein as NUb cigars, these are short but stout.  The Calibre 58 is a Nicaraguan puro, and if you know anything about Nicaraguan puros, that almost guarantees a full-bodied smoke.  These were “initially created as a personal house blend of Miami Cigar to be used exclusively for promo’s [sic] but due to the demand [they] were forced to release them.”  These cigars are available in both rosado and oscuro wrappers as well as a parejo or torpedo shape.  Let’s see how they turn out.

Appearance: These are unbanded, which to me is a good thing, since they’re so short at  4×58.  No need to mess with a band when they’re that short.  Notice I didn’t say small, because a ring gauge of 58 is nothing to sneeze at.  The wrapper has few veins and no tooth.  A slight sheen to the cigar hints at age, but it’s not what I would call oily.  The cap of this torpedo is extremely well done as is the rest of the roll.  Unpretentious in its presentation, let’s see if the cigar backs up its lack of flaunted presentation.

Taste: This thing comes out swinging like Foreman before he learned how to grill.  Very strong cedar from the gate that subsides into a pure tobacco taste.  A strong wood and floral come to the forefront pretty quickly with a slight undertone of pepper, but not as much as you’d expect from this powerhouse.  I can honestly say I’ve never experienced these kinds of flavors from any puro, that were so abrupt in strength but smooth in flavor.  After the first inch, though, the floral went away and the woodiness came heavy.  Heavier than I like, but taste is purely subjective, right?  It didn’t really change much after that.

Aroma: Taking a huge whiff of this stick pre-light gave me a very strong aroma of chocolate, cedar, and tobacco.  This thing smells fantastic and reminds me of what a cigar should smell like.

Construction: I’ll say in both samples that I had before writing this review, these weren’t easy to initially light.  Not that they were extremely difficult, but it took some time to get a good full light on these.  Once going, the burn was good, though not great.  In the humid southern air of a somewhat cool North Carolina evening, though, it’s probably never going to be perfect, so take that for what its worth.  The cigar is well rolled.  The ash holds strong.  The wrapper doesn’t unravel even with the added humidity.  Miami Cigars has maintained its quality and proves it with the Calibre 58.

Overall Impression: I’m sold.  At just under $5 per stick, these are extremely enjoyable, even if not earth-shattering.  A good solid cigar with powerhouse flavor.  Just be careful not to smoke these too fast.  With all that strength, this can get pretty acrid on you if you don’t moderate.  I would definitely say that NUb has some strong competition in the market now.

Cigar Rating:

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Appearance: This is a great looking cigar.  Again, the band is elegant and I love the gold foil which just adds a touch of class in my opinion.  The color was deep and rich.  The wrapper had some tooth to it and some minor veins.  The cap was excellently done.  This is a fantastic looking cigar.

Taste: This thing hits hard out the gate.  Full flavor pounces on your taste buds and uses them as a speed bag.  Leather, pepper, and wood mingle not-so-lightly on your palate letting you know that this cigar is here and doesn’t need to be handled gently.  It’s definitely not what I’d call a complex cigar, but it is definitely a flavorful cigar.  The three aforementioned flavors jumping in and out but staying within your awareness the whole time definitely keep it interesting.

Aroma: The smell is rich on this; I mean a literal bouquet that will tingle your sense of smell.  A heavy pleasant tobacco smell with wood, butter, and, I swear, some toasted marshmallow wafted into my schnoz.  Smelling this before I lit it definitely gave me good hopes for this cigar.

Construction: If there’s something I’ve come to understand, Nestor Miranda and pals know how to roll a quality cigar.  This thing burned straight, drew well, stayed lit, and pulled smoke like a locomotive smokestack!  I don’t know that I need to go into more detail.  This is a very well made cigar.

Overall Impression: This cigar delivered.  Period.  It doesn’t have the finesse of its slimmer, longer, older sibling, but it has great flavor, is fantastically constructed, and lasts a wonderfully long time.  I paired this with some Auchentoshan Classic Single Malt Scotch and they went wonderfully together.  If you haven’t already caught the gist, this is a full-bodied cigar as well.  Be prepared if you’re not a full-bodied smoker, but otherwise I say get a box of these and enjoy!

Cigar Rating:

Related posts:

1. Cigar Review: La Escepción 2009 Batet

Appearance: A very well wrapped belicoso with a tight seam and a nicely done cap.  A very slight tooth to the wrapper gives a little texture, but not too much. The veins were very slight.   The double band adds a touch of class, with the 2009 adorning the foot.  The band is simple yet elegant.  The 5×54 cigar is robust in its looks, yet classy.

Taste: This started out with some strong cedar for me.  A little pepper sneaked in and would dash in and out, but the cedar remained the constant throughout.  Cedar is a sweeter woody flavor and it sits well on the lips.I’d like to say that there was a lot of complexity to this cigar, but it’s not always necessary, is it?  Sometimes a good flavor throughout the whole of a cigar is enough, especially if you don’t want to think about it.  This fits that bill.

Aroma: I hate to keep using this word, but it’s, you guessed it, cedar.  The scent is unmistakable, and this was out of the humidor long enough for the cedar of the box to dissipate.  There’s just some cedar to this cigar.

Construction: Feeling this cigar, you might think it’s made out of concrete.  It’s a hard sucker.  But when you clip the tip and take a preliminary draw, it’s smooth and even.  A nice tight roll without hampering the draw wins with me every time.  The burn was good and the ash always held tight.  I can’t find anything about the construction to nitpick.

Overall Impression: This is a good smoke.  It’s not a great smoke.  Whenever someone puts the label “Limited Edition” on something, I expect something special, and well, for a limited edition, this didn’t meet my expectations.  That’s okay, though, because this cigar doesn’t hold a limited edition price.  At just over $5, this is a very well priced cigar that is sure to please the average smoker.  And, the pairing with the Speyburn 10-year was a good match.  They fit well together for a very pleasant smoking experience.

Cigar Rating:

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Related posts:

1. Cigar Review: Nestor Miranda Dominicano Robusto Grande

So, with as little time as I’ve had to smoke lately, once I received it, I put it on my key chain.  I think that’s one of the greatest things about the Cigar Spike.  It’s not so sharp that you’re going to poke yourself if it’s in your pockets (at least I haven’t had it happen to me after carrying it around for two months) and it’s quite unobtrusive.  It’s not dangling off like some key chain punch cutters do.

Anyway, I was able to put this to use a couple of times and here’s my feedback.  It’s good, not great, and, in my opinion it’s not something that can be used with every cigar.  Wait, what?  Yeah…

First, call me simple, but there was a little learning curve.  They say to “gently push spike into cigar end” but “gently” is a very subjective term.  I’m a man!  My gentle wasn’t gentle enough and unfortunately I ended up ruining the ends of a couple cigars trying to spike it.  No worries though, because I was able to cut them into smokeable cigars.  Anyway, once I got the right touch, it was no problem.

So, surprisingly, the draw was quite good with the Cigar Spike.  Being a wedge shape, you can push it in further to get larger holes.  I really had no complaints in that area, but here’s where my biggest problem lies.  Cigars have tar in them.  Depending on the blend and the size, the level of tar differs.  Now, large ring gauge full-bodied cigars usually have more tar than smaller ring gauge mild cigars.  Now, if you’ve never experienced the build-up of tar on your cigar and getting it on your tongue, I don’t suggest going out just to try it.  Take my word for it.

I found that with my larger ring gauge cigars there was more tar build-up than I normally experience.  Actually, with some of my standard smokes I’ve never experienced tar before.  Using the Cigar Spike, unfortunately, I had tar on my lips more than once.

So, depending on the cigar your smoking, a standard cut is going to serve you better than the Cigar Spike.  On others, the Cigar Spike will work just fine, but you’ll have to judge what you’re smoking.  The good thing is that it can serve as an emergency tool… for just a couple bucks you don’t have to worry about not having your cutter with you in that one instant that you forgot it on your counter.

So, there you have it!  Hopefully it won’t be another month before I make it back.

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Well, let’s see, being as it’s been forever since I’ve posted a cigar review; being that I was not able to make it to the IPCPR trade show that’s going on right now; and, being that I had a pretty good weekend with my daughters, I figured why not have a cigar tonight and write down my thoughts for my readers.  Oh yeah, and NFL preseason kicks off tonight!!  As if that’s not reason enough.

Anyway, I pulled out the recently released NUb Maduro for tonight’s smoke.  I’ve enjoyed all of the previous releases, which you can read here.  But, being a huge maduro fan, I really was looking forward to this cigar’s debut.  Here we go.

Appearance: This thing’s got a pretty dark wrapper even for a maduro, but they’re not painted dark like some other manufacturers do.  The wrap is tight and well done, and looking at the foot, the bunch looked good.  The band is the same as the other nubs, just a brown to represent the maduro.

Taste: This thing started strong; a little too strong out the gate, but it mellowed pretty quickly.  From there, it was just good tobacco taste.  It’s not a complex cigar and trying to pull flavors out of this isn’t a priority tonight.  Let it suffice that if you like maduros, you’ll like this.

Aroma: The unlit cigar was just good wholesome maduro tobacco smell, but I wouldn’t go waving this smoke, once lit,  in your face too much trying to get a good whiff.

Construction: Well, what’s to be said about these things.  They’re always great in this area.  The draw was fantastic.  The burn was a little off, but who cares?  You’d think that for such a short, thick cigar you’d see more construction problems, but these are always well-made.

Overall Impression: I’ve been impressed with NUbs ever since they came out.  This one doesn’t disappoint.  As far as maduros go, it isn’t the best, but it isn’t the worst either.  For a little over $5 and still at least a good hour of smoke, you can’t really ask for more.

Cigar Rating:

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Mario Grigorov is “best known for conceiving and creating the 1998 classical crossover hit, Aria, with composer Paul Schwartz.”   Now, to describe this album in one word: Sexy.  Sultry.  Sizzling.  Stirring.  You pick the one you like.  From the beginning, you’re sucked into this album and transported to the tropical beaches of Cuba or the streets of Havana.

The first song Cuban Soil, Cuban Sun is reported to have been named after the finest ingredients of a Cuban cigar.  It’s a medium tempo stroll with your lover along the streets of Havana at dusk.  Its rhythm grabs you and you know why Latin lovers have the reputations they do. I See includes the vocal talents of Melissa Newman, and this is where the “sultry” comes into play.  Her voice is teasing, but clear enough its meaning.  You can’t help but think of her singing these words in your ear in the dark corner of a quiet Cuban cantina.

Ice Hotel puts you on the dance floor, and if you can’t sway your hips with this song, then you need to learn.  Your lady will love you for it.   Every Little Movement keeps you on the floor, but now you’re moving.  Ms. Newman lends her talent again and seduces your vanity.  You can imagine her words being spoken by your love and lose yourself in them.  Every man’s woman should feel this way about him.  The title track Paris To Cuba makes me think of one of those romantic resort huts out on a secluded Cuban beach with my woman drinking mojitos in the candlelight.

I won’t continue to bore you with my inept writing skills as a music critic, but if you like Latin music of the romantic variety, then you need to try this album.  Buy a bottle of wine, get some candles, bring dinner home for your wife, put this on and dance the night away in your living room.  You’ll thank me.

Here’s a little preview:

Before She Walked Away

[audio:http://www.cigarcommand.com/wp02/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/beforeshewalked.mp3]

You check check out clips of the other songs at the official Paris To Cuba website.  They’ve also got facebook and MySpace.

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First, the Cigamate is not an ashtray.  And, even though it took me a little bit to figure it out, it’s not intended to be.  Instead it’s a “portable cigar and cigarette disposable unit.”  And, yes, there’s a difference.  Once I realized the distinction, I was better able to evaluate the Cigamate for what its intended use is: a place to put cigars and cigarettes AFTER you’re finished with them.

So, let’s talk about that first.  I run into cigarette receptacles that are similar to the Cigamate quite often.  There’s one at the pool where I take my kids.  It’s always frustrating because I can never get my finished cigar in there.  Their holes are too small and they definitely don’t leave enough room for the 2-3 inches a normal person leaves on a cigar when finished smoking it.  Cigamate has eliminated that problem by making the hole larger and the neck of the product wider to specifically accommodate cigar smokers.  Wonderful!

extended

collapsed

Not only that, but they’ve added some other features as well.  First, it’s collapsible and portable as you can see in the images.  So, you can own one of these for your backyard or patio, take it with you to the beach (though I’d clean it out before traveling with it), etc.  It’s even got convenient little handles on it to pick it up and move it.  The top is wider so that you can fit a drink on it and it has two grooves in it to hold your and your friend’s cigar on it when you need to put it down for a moment.  Fantastic!

Now, is there room for improvement?  Sure.  Like I said, it’s not an ashtray, so depending on where you’re smoking, like say your back patio, you may or may not need an ashtray.  I don’t flick ashes on my patio floor, so I still need an ashtray.  I’m thinking that the hole could be a little wider to allow for the user to maybe just flick the ash into the receptacle without much problem.  As it is, it’s a little awkward to try and do that.  If you’re standing out in the grass, or in another area where it’s okay to ash on the ground, then this is all you need.

If you’re an outdoors kind of person who likes to take family trips to the beach, have friends over for BBQ, or just have kids running around the backyard and you don’t want them near a cigar you’ve finished that’s still burning out, then this is a recommended buy.  These would be great in company smoking areas, outside the local cigar shops, or anywhere someone might need to put a cigar or cigarette out before walking into a store.  It’d keep the cigarette butts off the ground, that’s for sure.

These retail directly from the Cigamate site at $39.99.  I actually think it’s quite worth it; especially if you’d be able to make use of its portability.  Cigar retailers can also contact them for wholesale info.  They come in two colors: adobe beige and cigar brown.  The one in the images is beige.

I don’t think this is a must-have for everyone, but I definitely think that for people whose needs this product does fit, it’s the best I’ve seen.  Those other ‘cigarette only’ models just don’t meet the needs of us cigar smokers.

CIGAMATE GIVEAWAY:  Cigamate is kind enough to offer up one of these for a giveaway to one lucky Cigar Command reader!!  All you have to do is leave a comment here in this post about your thoughts on the Cigamate before 11:59 CST Friday, July 24th and you’ll be entered in the random drawing.

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Second, I wanna thank Se7en_Vandalay for doing this guest review.  He had it to me over a week ago and I had every intention to get it up in a timely manner, but well, see my first point.  Anyway, here you go.  Leave a comment and let him know how you like this review!

Cigar: CAO Brazilia Vitola: Box Press Size: 5½ x 55 Origin: Danli, Honduras Wrapper: Brazilian Colorado Maduro Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Price: $7.20 + CO tax

The CAO Brazilia has been a long time favorite of mine. I have smoked nearly all the vitolas in the line. And haven’t found a bad one yet. I’m impressed by the overall quality and flavor consistency. I think I have a good handle on this line which is why I chose it for this Guest Review for Cigar Command. So I got home last night, pulled one out of the humidor and sat down outside to enjoy a great Colorado evening with thunderstorms rolling off in the distance.

Appearance/Presentation: (18/20)
The CAO Brazilia comes in a beautiful dark chocolate Brazilian Colorado Maduro wrapper. From the dark wrapper there is incredible contrast to the dual bands of the Brazilia. The primary band displays the cigar name in Gold over the Green, Yellow & Blue of the Brazilian Flag. The secondary band displays the vitola, Box-Press, in Gold over a Yellow field with accent stripes. That beautiful wrapper was lightly oily with some tooth. Also there were some superficial blemishes towards the foot. The cigar was well packed head to foot, with no hard or soft spots. The cap was well placed, but did come undone a bit once cut.

Light/Burn: (14/15)
The CAO Brazilia lights up like a champ. A few moments with my torch produces an even white foot telling me I am ready to smoke. The burn was fairly sharp considering I was outside and those thunderstorms in the distance gave me some wind to deal with. As the cigar rested it had a very light and even smoke and produced a nice and solid grey ash. I found that the cigar burned at a very nice rate and never required any re-lighting.

Construction: (27/30)
The draw of the CAO Brazilia was near perfect to begin with. It did ease up into the second third but returned to a nice medium draw through the remainder. Despite my note about the head coming undone after I cut the cap, the wrapper stayed intact very well.

Taste: (35/35)
I could not find anything wrong with the taste of this cigar. The flavors are so intense and so enjoyable. The pre-light is tobacco with hints of chocolate. Once lit, this guy takes off. The dark chocolate flavors are pleasant and linger throughout most of the cigar. There is also a delicious coffee flavor under the chocolate. The spice picks up in the second third and remains ’til the end. The body of the CAO Brazilia starts off medium-full and progresses to full along the way. It’s such an enjoyable experience every time, which keeps me coming back.

Overall: (94/100)
Well. As I said in the beginning this is one of my all time favorites and I guess the score show that. I remember being introduced the the box-press late last year and it has quickly risen to the top of the line for me. The concentration of flavors from this vitola make it like no other. I would highly recommend picking the CAO Brazilia Box-Press. I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Related posts:

1. Cigar Review: La Escepción 2009 Batet
2. Cigar Review: Nestor Miranda Dominicano Robusto Grande

Normally I don’t do a review based on one cigar, but I was asked to do a review of this by   of Reyes Family Cigars.  He’s very proud of this cigar and it’s only being released in limited numbers to limited retailers.  At least that’s how it stands now.  Sometimes “limited” is subjective in the cigar world.  Anyway, I decided to get some good pictures of this nice looking cigar to put in here as well.

This is a 6×52 toro made up of Nicaraguan and Dominican filler tobaccos.  The binder and wrapper are Ecuadorian Sumatra

Appearance: The cedar-wrapped cigar seems to be going away, but this Cuba Aliados sports one.  Its red, white, and gold band is simple but sharp and bold.  The wrap looks pretty well done with only one small blemish where the wrapper was too wet and wrinkled as it dried.  A few prominent veins route their way through the leaf.  The cap wasn’t perfect, but the part that was folded under was to be cut off anyway.  The foot shows a very nice tight, even bunch.

Taste: This started out with a medium strength laced with a light pepper and a full leather.  There was some cedar too.  This maintained that leather flavor throughout.  And the best way to describe it is ‘dry.’  Dry as in dry wine.  Don’t know how to explain it other than that.  Anyway, it maintained this flavor profile for pretty much the whole of the cigar with the pepper going in and out.  The strength, however, grew subtly from beginning to end, morphing into a smooth full-bodied smoke by the end.

Aroma: Usually a cedar-wrapped cigar bears the smell of that cedar.  This one, however, had a sweet floral smell that broke through that cedar.  Very nice. The smoke was rather harsh.

Construction: The cigar had the appropriate firmness and sponginess too.  The draw was excellent.  It took a little bit to light, but once it was lit it burned exquisitely until the last two inches.  At that point one side just stopped burning altogether.  I can’t ding it too much, though, because again, this is based on only one sample.  The ash was always tight and firm and wouldn’t tap off unless it was over an inch.  That’s always a good sign of quality construction.

Overall Impression: I think the Reyes Family has hit a home run with this cigar.  Not being fully accessible to the public yet, you might have a hard time finding these, but I definitely recommend trying one if you can get your hands on it.  I’m hoping they keep it out of certain retailer hand (notice I didn’t particularly name Cigars International) so that it doesn’t get overburdened and ground into the ground like I feel the Puros Indios line did.

Cigar Rating:

Related posts:

1. Cigar Review: La Escepción 2009 Batet

Clicking on the cigar name will take you to the full review.

Nestor Miranda Special Selection Lancero
Rating:
Price: $6.75

Overall Impression: Well, we’re out the gate with a strong competitor.  Hot damn, but this is a fine smoke.  I don’t often get excited about a cigar, as I smoke a lot and it takes a lot to impress me.  This one definitely impressed me and will easily become a staple in my humidor.  It’s a good solid medium body, but I didn’t get the spice that others claim it has.  If you haven’t tried this, you are definitely missing out.  Its taste is the standout feature of this cigar, and it would have received a perfect rating had it burned slightly better.  Get your hands on these before I buy them all for myself.

EO Cubao No. 3 Lancero
Rating:
Price: $6.80

Overall Impression: This is the kind of cigar that forces you to distinguish between flavor and strength.  Many people confuse the two, but there are full-bodied cigars and there are full-flavored cigars.  They’re different.  This is definitely a full-flavored cigar that is just pure enjoyment.  The only reason it didn’t get another half-star in the rating is that it could have had a little better construction.  Flavor is subjective, but if you like full to medium-full bodied cigars, I can almost guarantee that you’ll love this.

Oliva Serie V Lancero
Rating:
Price: $5.30

Overall Impression: This is a very decent cigar.  It’s my favorite out of the Oliva Serie V line, but it’s just slightly above average overall.  The price point is a big plus on this at or even under $5 per stick.  Now, as far as the comparison goes, it just doesn’t hold up to the other lanceros reviewed up to this point.  It’s a good stick on its own, but it’s not a great stick if you ask me.

La Aurora Preferidos Cameroon Lancero
Rating:
Price: $9.50

Overall Impression: Well, at $9-10, I’m a little torn.  The construction and quality of this stick is very good.  It burns well, draws well, looks good, etc.  I’m a full-bodied cigar lover, so I didn’t mind the strength, but this seemed like it was strong just to be strong.  I wanted to like this cigar more than I did end up liking it.  With the stick going badly at the end, plus the higher price tag, I just can’t give this more than I did.

And the clear winner is….

Now, looking at the progression, I guess in this group I started with the best.  I can tell you that I have smoked plenty of these Nestor Mirandas since the first review and when looking for a lancero out of this group, it’s the one I always reach for.  I’ll be posting on Twitter for recommendations for my next group or, if there’s one you know will beat the Nestor, let me know in a comment.

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