The Padilla family has been a cornerstone in the cigar industry for many years. The family history has been featured in many write-ups and websites. From their factories in Miami and Nicaragua, they have created great cigars such as the Signature 1932, the Serie 68, the Miami 9/11, and today’s featured cigar the Padilla Cazadores. This review will focus on the Cazadores Robusto.
Origin : Cuba Format : Petit Corona Size : 129 x 16.67 mm Ring : 42 Weight : 8.46 g Hand-Made Price : ~$4 each
H. Upmann Regalias is a petit corona priced at less than $5 each. It may appear that this is a cheaper version of the H. Upmann Petit Corona, however I think that these are completely different cigars. The flavors are not the same and there are obvious variations in construction and appearance. Let’s see how the Regalias fares.
Origin : Cuba Format : Petit Corona Size : 117 x 15.87 mm (4.6 x 40) Ring : 40 Weight : 6.72 g Box code : 04/2007 Hand-Made Price : $10.50AUD / ~$5 online
This review is submitted by Tashaz, a cigar aficionado from Australia. Thank you!
This cigar is still currently available in two different tubos here in Oz. A silver & a green tube. This review is of the green tubos as they are superior in presentation methinks. The green tubos have the great Punch band that you see on the other higher end cigars, the silver ones look like they cheaped out on the band.
Origin : Nicaragua Format : Churchill Size : 6 7/8 X 48 Wrapper : Ecuadorian Sumatra Filler : Dominican, Nicaraguan Binder : Dominican (Aged 3 years) Hand-Made Price : $47.95 (Pack of 10)
Ed, a cigar aficionado from MA, has just joined our team of reviewers. You can follow him on Twitter @chemed3196. Welcome!
Bucanero Cigars is a family-owned company that sells their cigars directly on their website (www.bucanerocigars.com). Robert Spoden does not make use of a sales force, and, other than their website, Bucanero does not advertise anywhere which results in quality cigars which are extremely affordable.
Bucanero Cigars is known as the “best of the best” in limited production cigar manufacturing awarded as such in 1999 as the Top 5 Limited Production Cigar Manufacture of the 20th Century Worldwide. Out of 774 cigar manufactures worldwide, the Cigar Industry Review Panel (1999) selected Bucanero Cigars as “Best of the Best” in limited production cigars [information from the Bucanero Cigar website].
This review features the Bucanero Don Douglas Cabinet Series Churchill. This cigar was rated “Excellent” in Smoke Magazine.
Origin : Honduras Format : Robusto Size : 5 x 50 Price : ~$2.50
Property of General Cigar, the Don Tomas brand exists since 1970. It has been reblended after the cigar boom. Produced in Honduras, this hand-made cigar features Honduran and Nicaraguan tobacco. Attracted by its unbeatable price, I picked up a few of them without much hope. However, I was pleasantly surprised by its reliable construction. It has enjoyable toasted flavors of wood and black pepper. Medium-bodied, it pairs up well with a single malt.
Origin : Bahamas Format : Churchill Size : 7 x 48 Wrapper : Jaltapec Maduro Binder : Ecuadorian Sumatra Filler : Mix of Brazilian, Columbian, Mexican and Peruvian Tobacco Hand-Made Price : $100-140 for a bundle of 20
Background Info
Enrico Garzazoli, owner of Graycliff Cigars, brought aboard Avelino Lara to complement his five-star restaurant (1st in the Caribbean) and second largest wine collection. Avelino Lara is better known as the former personal cigar roller to Fidel Castro and the man responsible for the creation of the Cuban Cohiba brand.
This cigar was named in honor of the first building located where the restaurant and wine collection are located today. It is estimated that this first building was one of the first structures developed for the city of Nassau.
Mission Debrief
I found this cigar by simple accident and chance, rummaging through my secondary humidor containing a large cache of various cigars purchased from a family member. Buried somewhere near the bottom is where I came upon the Graycliff 1666. Not having had the opportunity to smoke any of these cigars in the past, I felt this would be a nice candidate for immediate interrogation.
Appearance-wise for this cigar, I found a couple of small chips in the veiny, maduro wrapper. Nothing else of fault. I felt that the copper and blue hued band, while nothing elaborate or elegant, completed the overall look of the cigar. No overly packed or soft spots were detected in the length of the cigar as well.
Moving away from my punch and using my favorite Xikar cutter and a butane lighter, I gave the cigar a couple of firm draws and took in the flavors presented to me. This is one of those Maduros that looks worse than it is, as it’s a bit milder than you would think. The persistent flavors I found were a dark coffee/espresso and a touch of spice and earthiness. Nothing overpowering here but pleasant to the palette. I did find in the last third of the cigar that I felt it was burning a bit hot, as the flavors pushed towards a harsher, side.
Expect a nice, even burn overall. I did have to relight the cigar a couple of times throughout the two hours and change smoke time. In the last third of the cigar, the wrapper was starting to unravel a bit from the cigar. I think this is because of the status of my secondary humidor and not necessarily from the cigar. The finish for this cigar was slightly longer, most likely because of the maduro wrapper but it is nothing out of the ordinary.
Recommendations
This is a enjoyable, medium bodied maduro. It has a nice complement of flavors, won’t bog you down in terms of strength and the price point is agreeable to most. While it didn’t have the “wow factor” like the La Traviata, the Graycliff 1666 is certainly one I’ll be looking for in the future.
Origin : Dominican Republic Format : Robusto Size : 5 x 50 Wrapper : Brazilian Maduro Binder : Dominican Filler : Dominican Hand-Made Price : ~$5 each
Background Info
Unfortunately, I have none. I picked this cigar up from a shop I usually don’t go to. The reason why I don’t go to this cigar shop (that is literally walking distance from my house, a cigar smoker’s dream) is because the owner is the most boring cigar smoker I have ever met. On top of that, he knows nothing about what he is selling, and no surprise, he knows nothing about this cigar. That is why I go out of my way and 20 minutes away from my house to Leesburg Cigars & Pipes.
Mission Notes
It’s Monday, almost evening and I’m getting some homework done before I see the Deadskins vs the Queer-gles play on Monday Night Football. I am sitting next to the colors of fall in front of this tree, and honestly, it’s a great start to an evening. Before I keep going on, with my fake poetic self, let me stop. And enough about me, let’s talk about this cigar I have never even heard of.
Now this is going to be pretty simple to explain, yet it’s very weird. This cigar taste likes sweet veggies mixed with a light maduro flavor profile. Honestly, while I think most cigar smokers (especially full body cigar smokers) won’t like this cigar, I actually really enjoy it. See, it still has the softness of a mild-to-medium body cigar that I like, but with plenty of maduro characteristics, which I also like. And at this price point, I can definitely see me smoking a lot of these.
Looking at the Cortez Cigars website, which looks like it just got hit by Hurricane Ugly, I managed to find out that the wrapper is a Brazilian Maduro. No wonder I enjoy this cigar! I feel like you can mix any other country, and as long as it has some Brazilian tobacco, you’re going to get a pretty good cigar.
You know what, this cigar is a winner in my book. Excellent quality, construction, burn and consistency in flavor. Again, it’s not the most amazing cigar when it comes to flavor, but with everything else going perfect, this cigar is truly a bang for your buck. And definitely could fit in your daily cigar humidor section.
Final Statement
If you have a similar palate to mine, in which you enjoy mild to medium bodied cigars, but also enjoy the maduro characteristics, this is the ideal cigar for you. All you tough guys who enjoy the full body cigar, stay away because you will not like the Cortez.
Origin : Honduras Format : Mini Belicoso Size : 5 x 50 Wrapper : Blackened Connecticut Broadleaf Binder : Nicaragua Filler : DR, Nicaragua and Peru Hand-Made Price : ~$4.25 each:; ~ $17 for 5 pack
The Onyx Reserve Mini Belicoso is made in the Dominican Republic. It has a Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro wrapper, a Nicaraguan binder, and Dominican Piloto Cubano and Nicaraguan tobaccos. It gets its spiciness from Peruvian, Cuban-seed Ligero tobaccos.
It has been resting in my humidor for a month. This is the second one I have smoked.
