Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Robusto
Size : : 124mm x 21mm (5 x 48)
Wrapper : Connecticut
Binder : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : $5 each

This review comes courtesy of Sebastian Fuentes, our reader from Argentina.

The Francisco de Miranda cigars were introduced in the Argentinean market in 1999 by a group of young entrepreneurs who are passionate for the smoke of good quality cigars to satisfy a segment of young smokers who were demanding a fine cigar within an accessible price.

The cigars are hand-made in the factory located in Santiago de Caballeros from four years vintage tobacco leaves grown in the Cibao Valley with a mixture of Olor Dominicano, San Vicente and Piloto Cubano tobacco selected by the master blender Victor de la Cruz.

The Francisco de Miranda Robusto Bordeaux is a premium cigar made with the highest standards and a strict quality control.

Here is the review of it.

Read the full review of Francisco de Miranda Robusto Bordeaux…

Origin : Nicaragua?
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Price : Box of 25, $59.95
More info about purchasing Corona Nicaraguan Selection cigars…

This is another guest review from Matthew at Smoking & Talking. Enjoy!

The Corona Nicaraguan Selection was introduced in 1997 and was Corona’s first House Blend. They recently released a 10th Anniversary to commemorate the occasion. The original blend is hand-made in Central America under the care of Gilberto Oliva, Jr., a fifth generation Cuban master blender. The long filler in this blend is aged Cuban-seed grown in Nicaragua and is protected by a Panamanian Maduro wrapper.

This is a gorgeous stick; the Maduro is very oily with no color variation, soft spots and very little veins to speak of. The pre-light aroma was excellent; a sweet and clean tobacco smell with hints of bitter chocolate and creamy caramel. The ash was a perfect white though it did “v” just a little bit. The flavor on this stick did not disappoint, with notes of bittersweet chocolate and creamy caramel, along with a very clean undertone of tobacco. There were no barnyard flavors to speak of, just a steady medium-roast flavor. There was some fairly heavy spike in the first third, but this eventually passed and was dominated by creaminess.

Verdict: buy now! At around $2.40 per stick you cannot lose on this one. If you are a fan of Padron, 5 Vegas Original, or Sosa, this is a must try for a lower-priced alternative; you may not even know the difference!

Origin : Honduras
Format : Corona
Size : : 5 3/4″ x 45
Wrapper : Honduran Viso-Rosado
Binder : Habano Connecticut
Filler : Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan
Hand-Made
Price : ~$100 for a box of 25

I had read some nice things about this line of cigars and had passed over them many times in my local cigar shops until recently, when I grabbed one impulsively before leaving. I am glad that I did. This cigar’s wrapper is grown in the Jamastran Valley of Honduras and the blend contains tobacco from 4 different countries.

Read the full review of Hoyo de Tradicion Corona…

Origin : Cuba
Format : Petit Corona
Size : 5.1 x 42
Price : ~$4.00

Handmade since 2002, the Romeo y Julieta Mille Fleurs is another decent Cuban cheapie. Satisfying aesthetically-wise, these cigars provide a consistent construction (at least in boxes from 2007 and 2008). Upon lighting, one can find typical R&J flavors, which are floral and cedary. The smoke is medium-bodied and never aggressive. At $4 per stick, that’s a good buy.

Origin : Honduras
Format : Perfecto
Size : 4 1/2 x 60 (at the thickest point)
Ring : 30 (foot) to 60 (thickest point)
Wrapper : Ecuadoran Sumatra
Binder : Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler : Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican (Piloto Cubano)
Factory : Honduras American Tabaco S. A., Cofradia, Honduras
Hand-Made
Price : $3.90 each

Today’s review comes courtesy of Stephen who generously offered to contribute. Thank you, Stephen!

This is a review of just one cigar. It was given to me as a gift from Ted the owner of Big Jack’s Cigars in Boothbay Harbor, ME. I always stop by there to say hi when I am in Boothbay Harbor and I recommend you do too. There is no lounge or anything. Just Ted who is passionate about his cigars and he carries some nice bottles of wine as well.

Ted told me Punch created this cigar to be a competitor to the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story. It is a member of the “original” Honduran Punch Family with an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper, a Connecticut binder, and filler tobaccos from Honduras.

It’s been resting in my humidor for about a month.

Read the full review of Punch Champion…

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Torpedo
Size : 6 x 52
Price : ~$49.95 for a box of 20

This is another guest review from Matthew and Jed at Smoking & Talking. They are good at finding good value cigars!

Ever on the lookout for quality cigars at cheap prices, I recently received a sampler of the 7 House Blends produced by cigar.com. Today’s review is the Blue Label, which is their flagship blend that started the idea to create their own line. The appearance looks like a $2 smoke but nothing else about this stick does. The smoke has a wonderful sweetness with hints of licorice and tiny bursts of pepper at each transition. Lacking a bit of complexity, this is a very smooth stick that doesn’t quite measure up to the Medium body advertised by cigar.com. It burns fast, real fast–it took just over an hour to down this Torpedo. The draw was medium, the ash was loose, and there were a few green spots–but were talking about cheap smokes here! This is an everyday smoke to be sure, with a box of 20 coming in just under $50. If appearance bothers you, close your eyes and you’ll find a can’t miss smoke.

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Price : ~$2.00

This is a guest review from Matthew who just started a cigar blog called Smoking & Talking. It’s definitely worth checking out!

Cu-Avana is Manuel Quesada’s ugly duckling; coming from the man responsible for such brands as Romeo y Julieta and Casa Blanca, the $2 a stick Cu-Avana just might be the best valued and most under-rated cigar on the market. I’ve had several of the Natural and the Maduro and these sticks are consistently smooth with zero burn issues and solid construction. The construction on this maduro was close to many $5+ cigars and the draw was exceptional. This is not a cheap version or an alternative of anything—genuine quality in my opinion. The lacking component is complexity and flavor variety. Though the maduro stayed smooth and sweet throughout, there were no real flavor that jumped out at you. Though a bit of spice was detected in the pre-light draw it did not appear in the smoking. Perhaps one of the mildest smokes you’ll ever have, the Maduro would perfectly accompany your morning coffee or tea.

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 52
Wrapper : Cameroon
Binder : Nicaragua
Filler : Dominican/Nicaraguan/Peruvian
Strength : Medium
Hand-Made
Price : ~$5 each

Pre-Smoke

Scent of Wrapper : Cedar.
Scent at Foot : What else but Cedar.
Appearance : Nice color, nicely rolled and packed tobacco.
Wrapper : Medium to Dark Cameroon wrapper looked tasty.
Feel : Compact.
Tongue : Cedar with a bit of hay.
Flavor on Draw : Earthy.

Smoke

Taste : Really nice flow of Cedar and spice.
Flavor Changes : Not noticeable until 2/3 into the smoke—the flavors of the Cameroon started in and were very enjoyable—a smooth and rich flavor.
Strength : A steady Medium smoke throughout the entire cigar.
Feeling : I have always enjoyed this line and was accustomed to the Belicoso — the Robusto size was OK but I remembered the Belicoso to have a little more flavor in it.
Scent of Smoke : Cedar.
Heat on Fingers and in Mouth : No.
Draw : Draw had a bit of a tug to it–Not Bad—should have let it rest for a few weeks maybe.
Finish : Cedar and a bit of salty taste at the nub.
Other Aspects of the Cigar Smoking Experience : I was not impressed with this smoke like I was with the Belicoso –maybe the size difference and the resting time may have been reasons for this review not to be as good as I was anticipating.
Make any notes beyond what you noted already : I may have out grown these smokes as my tastes have become more accustomed to the newer lines out today. I still enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone that has not tried to give it a whirl…

I would rate this cigar as a “Good Cigar.” 7/10