Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Toro
Size : 6 x 52
Wrapper : Sumatra
Filler : Nicaraguan & Honduran
Binder : Honduran
Hand-Made
Price : $5 each

First of all, I would like to thank Bryan Butler from Core Zero Cigars for sending me a sampler.

Bryan and Nick were involved in a local metal band called Core Zero and decided that they needed to create their own cigars. After meeting Matt Booth of Room 101 and Jonathan Drew of Drew Estates, the idea took shape and CZ Cigars was launched. You can find more information about the company on their website.

At the moment, two blends are available : Indie and Metal. Indie is the milder one, wrapped in a Sumatra leaf from Indonesia. Metal is more powerful with a Habano Maduro wrapper from Nicaragua. The one being reviewed today is the Core Zero Indie.

Thanks to Bryan, we’ve got a 5-pack of these to give away to one lucky reader! In order to enter the draw, read the review and leave a comment at the end of the post. That’s it! We’ll announce the winner in one week.
Contest open internationally, you must be of legal age to smoke cigars in order to enter. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter so you don’t miss the winner announcement and other contests.

Read the full review of Core Zero (CZ) Indie (Review & Giveaway!)…

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 56
Wrapper : Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua & Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : ~$5 each

The Torano Loyal was officially released at the 2011 IPCPR show and despite wanting to sample it on the advice of a friend last summer I never got around to it. Instead, it sat in my humidor resting nicely and undisturbed except for the regular rotation so I imagined it would be that much better when I finally got around to it.

I was finally able to get to it this past weekend. Unfortunately, I only had one sample so I made sure to sit down and take very detailed notes, not having the luxury of going back to smoke a second one as I usually do to test for consistency or factor whether or not I just got an unlucky sample. Thanks to the fact that it is a dense, tightly packed cigar, the burn was slow and therefore the total smoking time for this beefy robusto was just under 90 minutes.

Read the full review of Torano Loyal Robusto…

Origin : Honduras
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Wrapper : Honduran Olancho San Augustin Sun Grown
Filler : Nicaraguan and Honduran
Binder : Connecticut Broadleaf
Hand-Made
Price : ~$5 each

This is the first blend and cigar made under the CAO label since the brand was taken over by General Cigar. It is currently being manufactured in Honduras.

Appearance : Rating:
The CAO Osa Sol has a Colorado shade wrapper with veins and an overall rustic look but it has tight seams and a nice sheen. As noted in the photos though, there were some construction issues that affected the overall appearance of the cigar. The colourful band is nice and refreshing but I could not take my eyes off the manufacturing flaws that were clearly visible.

Read the full review of CAO Osa Sol Lot 50 Robusto…

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Torpedo
Size : 6 x 52
Wrapper : Corojo
Filler : Nicaragua & Honduras
Binder : Nicaragua & Honduras
Hand-Made
Price : $3 each

Rocky Patel seems to have truly found his way in the world of cigars. By far his name (and product) can be found in just about every cigar market in the United States. However, today’s review focuses on one of Patel’s low-end production cigars. The Rocky Patel R4 is a premium value line that differs from his normal line as the R4 is rolled in Nicaragua and not his typical Honduras factories. The R4 line comes in bundles of 20 and is available in the following sizes:

• Double Corona 7½ x 52
• Robusto 5 x 5
• Toro 6 x 52
• Torpedo 6 x 52

On to the review…

Read the full review of Rocky Patel R4…

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Corona
Size : 5.5 x 42
Wrapper : Nicaraguan (Natural)
Binder : Nicaragua
Filler : Nicaragua
Age : 2 years 8 months
Hand-Made
Number of reviewers : 5 — Nicholas (volpow61), Brian (B-daddy), Emmett (rhetorik), Robert (NavyPiper), Will (Dubv23)
Price : ~$3 each

Today we bring you a very special guest review of the well-known Padron Londres Natural, submitted by the crew from Blind Man’s Puff. They do blind cigar reviews – each cigar is smoked by at least 4 different reviewers and the smokes are received naked, without any bands or information. We love the concept – so go ahead and check out their site for more reviews like this one.

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 86

“Chocolate brown wrapper that’s a little unevenly colored and ugly. It’s got some darker spots. It’s got some shiny areas with dull spots and vice versa. A simple single cap that’s neat enough and a soft box-press.” –Brian (B-daddy)

Aroma: 89

“The ugly appearance is somewhat redeemed by the aroma, it smells very pleasant. I’m picking up mild plain tobacco, and a little sweetness.” –Emmett (rhetorik)

Construction: 86

“The cigar felt even in the hand. It had a well done box press that was not too aggressive. It was firm with no detectable soft spots. They skimped on the cap and went with a single cap, no big deal though.” –Will (Dubv23)

Read the full review of Blind Review: Padron Londres Natural…

Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Petit Robusto
Size : 4 1/2 x 50
Ring : 50
Wrapper : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic
Hand-Made
Price : ~$4 each

This is my review of the Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Natural (4.5×50). I picked these up as a 5-pack from CigarMonster.com.

Read the full review of Arturo Fuente Chateau Fuente Natural…

Origin : Honduras
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 50
Wrapper : Nicaraguan Criollo
Filler : 2/3 Nicaraguan Corojo and 1/3 Nicaraguan Criollo
Binder : Nicaraguan Corojo
Hand-Made
Price : ~$4-5 each

This is my review of the J. Fuego 777 Maduro Robusto (5×50). I picked these up as a 5-pack from CigarMonster.com.

Read the full review of J. Fuego 777 Maduro Robusto…

Origin : Nicaragua
Format : Robusto
Size : 5 x 52
Wrapper : Nicaragua (Maduro)
Filler : Nicaragua
Binder : Nicaragua
Hand-Made
Price : ~$4-6 each

This is my review of the Perdomo Habano Maduro Robusto (5×52). I picked these up as a 5 pack from CigarMonster.com.

Read the full review of Perdomo Habano Maduro Robusto…