Don Fernando's cigarblog

This Philippians 140mm ring 42 figurado is made of Dominican and Brazilian tobacco with Philippians binder and a Connecticut wrapper. The silky wrapper is smooth and clean, the predraw is a bit hard, and the aroma is very light. The band is very stylish, black with gold letters. Cigar feels well constructed and firm. 

Lighting is easy because of the small burning point, but because of that, the draw is hard. The first flavor is nice soft leather and as soon burn reaches the thicker part of the cigar the draw gets much easier. At the background I could taste a light flavor of liquorices. I expected sweetness because of the Brazilian tobacco, but I can’t taste it anywhere which surprises me. The flavor is pretty smooth and consistent. At the end the liquorices is getting stronger.

The smoke is thick enough, ashes firm and nice colored but the burn is a bit crooked, which usually happens to me when I smoke a cigar of this shape.

Would I buy this cigar again? Probably not although it is a nice cigar for its money.

On a Seinfeld episode Cosmo Kramer said “once you’ve had real Cubans, there’s just nothing else like it” but I am sure that he wasn’t talking about the Guantanamera cristales, although I hope there is nothing else like this this 150mm long ring 43 machine made piece of shit that doesn’t even deserve the name ‘cigar’. A very rough uneven wrapper with lots of nasty veins. I do like some roughness to the appearance of some cigars, but this is way too much. The cigar doesn’t feel tight or firm, hardly no aroma can be discovered, just from the looks of it an experienced aficionado can tell that this is a bad smoke and worse then a lot of ‘bananos’ (counterfeit Cuban) cigars.

No need to cut the cigar as there is no cap, and lighting is easy, but the draw, you have to suck harder to get air through a plastic tube then on this cigar. No resistance at all, and the flavor, yuck, I don’t know how a mouldy sponge tastes, but I guess it comes close to the Guantamera cristales. I couldn’t even finish the cigar and had to clear my mouth with the hardest burning liquor I could find in my cabinet.

The burn is horrible, never had a cigar go crooked on me before, and the smoke is poor.

Would I buy this cigar again? HELL NO!!!! I’de rather quit smoking!

The Montecristo Edmundo is a well known cigar with a good reputation, and not without a reason. The 135mm long ring 52 cigar has a rough appearance, oily wrapper with lots of veins, a distinct stable aroma and an easy predraw.

The first flavor is coffee with toast but after a few puffs it’s replaced by the typical Cuban leather flavor and a small pepper on the palate... The pepper soon disappears but the leather stays noticeable. Halfway the cigar the leather is replaced by a creamy chocolate. The creamy chocolate and Cuban leather keep on replacing each other. At the end of the cigar, right before the late turning point, the creamy chocolate is accompanied by a pepper on the lips.

The Montecristo Edmundo is full flavored and full bodied, the smoke could be a bit richer. Too bad that the burn was a bit crooked.

Would I buy this cigar again? Probably, but not complete boxes, just an occasional single

This Philippians cigar made from Philippians and Brazilian filler, Philippians binder with a Sumatra wrapper is 140mm long and has a 44 ring. The wrapper is pretty and silky, the cigar feels tight but the predraw is fine. The aroma is very light which made me suspect that this is a light bodied cigar, and I was right.

The first flavor that is released after lighting is the flavor of dry hay, soon to be replaced with soft leather. The Brazilian tobacco creates a mild sweetness. After a third there is a little pepper which disappears soon and the cigar gives me a bit of a burning sensation for a while, with still the soft leather on the background. The burning sensation is replaced by a bit of a musty flavor. At the end the pepper returns.

The smoke is full and completely white, just as the ashes. The draw is fine, just as the burn.

Would I buy this cigar again? Perhaps, it is a nice light bodied cigar for during the day, maybe a nice replacement for the Jose L Piedra petit cazadores.

This Alonso Menendez robusto, 139mm long and a 48 ring is made of Brazilian tobacco. The color is a bit dark but far from being maduro, the aroma is deep and reminds me of a stable. Some veins run over the wrapper, the predraw is fine and releases a light sweetness. The cigar has a firm feeling.

As can be expected from Brazilian tobacco, the flavor is a very deep and dark sweetness. Later on there is a bit of a herby flavor, like some herbs were dipped in honey. The cigar has a certain harshness, bitter, but still with a sweetness on the background. Not very pleasant. 

The smoke is full and ash is ok, draw is just fine, but the flavors aren’t my style

Would I buy this cigar again? No, I can find better cigars in this price range.

This 6 inch ring 52 Costa Rican cigar has a nice silky wrapper, a firm feeling and the aroma of hay. The predraw is fine and releases some hints of nuts, which I like.

After lighting the cigar I can taste distinct leather, the Cuban tobacco is noticeable. Soon the flavor becomes a bit creamy with hints of wood and toast. Toast is getting stronger and the creaminess disappears, just as the wood. After a third some spice, white pepper, appears soon to be replaced by a very soft chocolate which keeps on going for a while and then finally I get some of the nuts, which I tasted in the predraw too.

The cigar is full flavored, medium bodied, the draw is fine, lots of smoke coming from the cigar. Nice color light gray ash which is quite firm.

Would I buy this cigar again? Yeah, I will make an order soon.

Me and a friend were looking on the internet for big cigars with enormous ring sizes and we came up with the El Monstruo from the New York based Martinez Cigars. They produce hand rolled cigars with rings up to 140+ like this El Monstruo. Made of Dominican filler and binder with a Sumatra wrapper.

Being up for a joke, I ordered a 6pack and damn, they smell, they don’t feel well constructed, but who can construct a cigar like that? With just a sniff and a feel I knew that this cigar wouldn’t be a pleasure to smoke, even if I could fit it in my mouth.

Smokey and I decided to try an El Monstruo while sitting in the smoke lounge of my favorite cigar shop, Non Plus Ultra in Den Bosch. We’re both experienced cigar smokers but this cigar made both of us cough a lot while lighting it. Even lighting it took a few minutes and a lot of gas from a Blazer torch. And then the taste, just plain old rice crackers, nothing more nothing less. The draw was better then I expected though, and the smoke was ok, but the taste and mainly the size made both of us decide to put the cigar away after just a few minutes.

So, the cigar wasn’t very nice, but I am glad I bought them, as a novelty and especially for the fun we had before smoking it. Need to see pictures? Go to www.sigarenplatform.nl and check the El Monstruo topic at the Dominican section

Would I buy this cigar again? No, it is a nice cigar to show off in your humidor, but smoking it is a drag.