Review: Nat Sherman Timeless

Up for review today is an interesting cigar; one that combines two great companies in the cigar industry for the first time. The Nat Sherman Timeless collection is a combination effort from Nat Sherman's executive director of retail and brand development, Michael Herklots, and the Quesada family of MATASA factory fame.

A quote from Michael Herklots about the Timeless line of cigars: "The Timeless collection represents a culmination of feedback from over 200 retailers and consumers, each offering suggestions on flavor, packaging and price. The four sizes are blended in a way that allow each format to offer a different experience.  Rather than modifying the fillers to maintain a consistent flavor across the four sizes, we maintained the proportions and ratios of the filler, so they interact differently with the wrapper and binder. The Timeless collection is a completely new look and experience for Nat Sherman Cigars." 
 
I've had the chance to smoke this line in its smallest size, but not yet in this vitola. I've really enjoyed some recent stuff from MATASA. I hope this goes the same way.

Vitola: Hermoso
Length:  5 1/4 
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican and Nicaraguan
Price: $?
Smoking Location: my back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

OK. I know I am in the minority here because I have heard other respectable people talk about it, but I don't care for the band graphic. I get that it's an art deco watch. The cigar is called Timeless...OK, OK. Different strokes for different folks. I had to get that out of the way. Moving on...The wrapper on my Timeless was a chocolate brown color with a great oily sheen. The wrapper leaf was very smooth, although it did have some significantly sized veins. The pre-light aroma was peppery -- so much so that it really made my nose tingle and felt like I was going to sneeze. The cap clipped effortlessly and the cold draw had a interesting natural tobacco and sweetness taste. That sounds not all that exciting, but it was a very interesting flavor. I'm just not sure how to describe it better. Someone please leave a comment on what you thought the cold draw tasted of because I'd love to hear others' take.  

First Third   

The first third of my Timeless really started off with a bang of flavor both on the front and the finish. Also, I have to mention this stick smokes like a chimney. There was a ton of resting smoke that easily filled the room me and my smoking partner were sitting (he was also smoking a Timeless).  The flavors were a strong and pronounced leather front profile, mixing with a black peppery finish. The finish flavor seemed to grow even more between draws on the cigar. If anyone reading this review has read some of my others, they will know I love a peppery cigar. The construction was great and the burn didn't have any problems. I'd say the first third of the cigar was in the medium range nicotine strength wise.
        
Second Third  

The second third of my Timeless had some nice flavor changes mostly on the finish. The front was still primarily a leather taste, but some peppery spice had moved in to keep it company. The finish during the second third became very earthy with just a hint of coffee to keep it clean and fresh. At this point in the cigar, even with all of the different flavors going on, I have to say it was very well balanced. All of the flavors seemed to work well and none dominated nor overpowered. Another change during the second third was the nicotine strength ramped up for me into the full range. It was not a gut punch strength, but more of a head buzz. I'd make sure I had a decent meal before sparking one of these up again. No construction or burn issues to speak of during this part of the cigar.
 
Final Third and Final Thoughts 

The final third of my Timeless was a clone of the second third and that was just fine with me. The flavors on the front of leather and pepper played expertly with the earthy coffee finish making the end of this smoking experience very enjoyable. The nicotine strength had ramped up well into the full range during the final third, but it was not too much or sickening. Just proceed with some caution if you're passing these out to newer smokers. No relights and no hotness/bitterness in the cigar all the way down to the nub.

My final thoughts on The Nat Sherman Timeless? I really liked this cigar. I mean I REALLY liked this cigar. The flavor profile with the spiciness is right up my alley. I am pleased and excited to see that this combo of Nat Sherman and MATASA have produced something different than what I think what people will expect and something that I feel will appeal to a lot of hardcore cigar guys/gals. Bravo to them! I look forward to whatever else they come up with in the future.


Would I buy it again? Yes, without a doubt. I'm all out ,so I will be placing an order.


Would I buy a box?  I think it is box-worthy.


Dan 

Review: CAO Last Stick Standing Cigars

Today I have reviewed something a little different. Over the past few days, I've smoked all three of the CAO cigars that are part of their latest promotion called "Last Stick Standing".

Info on the promotion from the press release: "CAO’s senior brand manager Ed McKenna explains, “Rick Rodriguez has been developing blends with our team in Nicaragua and has come up with three which we think are all great. So we’re calling on CAO fans to help us pick the blend that will ultimately be launched as a new CAO collection, to be released late this year, or in early 2013.

A special three-pack tin called the Last Stick Standing is now available for free with the purchase of any six CAO cigars at participating cigar shops across the U.S. Each tin contains three distinct blends, aptly named C, A and O. The cigars all measure 5 1/2” x 54, which is what Rick Rodriguez considers to be the ideal size for allowing consumers to truly evaluate each blend."

It looks to me like there will be a tour and all kinds of giveaways associated with the promotion. If you want to read the rest of the press release, Shawn & Ben from Nice Tight Ash have it posted here.

For my review, I'm going to do a three part post with one section for each cigar. Hopefully I can give a brief intro to each one and maybe just the major flavor characteristics that made them different or the same.

Specifics
Vitola: Double Robusto
Length: 5 1/2
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: ?
Binder: ?
Filler: ?
Price: Free with the purchase of any six CAO cigars at participating cigar shops across the U.S.
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water

Cigar C

The C had a nice medium brown wrapper with a lot of red hues thrown in. To me, it had a classic looking rosado leaf. There were average sized veins and a lot of tooth, adding a bit of a rustic look to the stick. The pre-light aroma was of walnuts and the cold draw had a interesting plum taste. The overall taste profile for the first half of the cigar was a lot of graham cracker notes on the front with some spicy cayenne pepper on the finish. It wasn't too hot that it burnt any taste buds, but it was definitely spicy. Interestingly though, the resting smoke smelled very sweet and almost candy-like. At about the half way point of the cigar, the flavors on the finish got much darker and had some strong charred, meaty flavors mixing in with the spice. The front stayed consistent with a graham flavor. The construction of the cigar was near perfect, with just a slightly crooked burn at times, but nothing that needed a touch up with a lighter. I'd put the nicotine strength at medium that built into the full range in the second half of the smoking experience.

Overall: I really enjoyed this cigar and honestly think it's the best thing to come out from CAO for a few years. I wasn't a fan of the La Traviata maduro nor the OSA Sol, so this cigar has renewed my faith in the brand.       

Cigar A

My A had a lighter, caramel-colored wrapper - a pretty big contrast to the C. What was similar was the wrapper was very bumpy and toothy, again giving it a rustic appearance. The pre-light aroma was faint but had a slight coffee with cream smell. The cold draw was pretty loose on this sample and the only real taste it had was of hay. The cigar lit with no issues and the front of the profile tasted pretty musty. Not moldy, but definitely an old type of taste. The finish had a bit of black pepper, but it was pretty muted. As you can see in the photo, the ash on this cigar was very dark which was a lot different than the C. After the cigar settled, the musty flavor dissipated and the front taste turned into some cedar and hay notes. Again, the finish was mild black pepper. The nicotine strength of the stick was in the lower full range and I could feel my heart beat pick up a little getting closer to the finish. The draw did tighten up a bit toward the end, which made the flavors a little stronger, but by that point, my smoking experience was pretty much over. 

Overall: I did finish the cigar, but I didn't really enjoy much of it. The flavor was to weak for my taste and the complexity was just not there. Don't let the lighter color wrapper fool you though. This stick still had some nicotine power in it.   

  Cigar O

Cigar O was probably the nicest looking stick out of all three. The wrapper was a dark brown color that was slightly lighter around the veins. The wrapper was also pretty oily and had a good sheen adding to its pleasing appearance. The pre-light aroma smelled of dry cocoa, especially at the open foot. The cold draw had a bit of resistance which was nice and tasted strongly of hazelnut. Firing up the cigar was no problem and it immediately produced large clouds of smoke. The texture of the smoke was very chewy and sat heavily on my palate. The starting flavors were a gritty, earthy taste on the front, mixing (unfortunately) with a sour, metallic taste on the finish. This was not so good. The stick burned very slowly, but never went out or needed re-light.. After about an inch and a half, the sourness faded away and the gritty earthy taste took over and dominated both the front and the finish of the cigar for the rest of the smoking experience. The nicotine strength was in the medium to lower -ull range, pushing further into full towards the latter part of the cigar.

Overall: This cigar didn't do it for me either. The rough start only set up what I would call a very uneventful flavor profile. I really liked the look of the stick, but in this case, looks were deceiving.

Final thoughts on the CAO Last Stick Standing Cigars? For me there is one far and away winner of these three. The C was a good cigar with a lot of flavors and some nice balance. The other two I did not care for. Since this is a voting contest for the public to pick the best cigar in the group, I am very interested to see if my tastes match up with the others who smoke these sticks. A cool concept from General Cigars. I give them props for being such a big company and still taking the time to listen to smokers of their products.

Dan

Review: Opus X BBMF

My review today is for a cigar that was given out at the "White Party" at the 2012 Procigar Festival. Something very special about the 2012 festival was that it was the first year that the Fuente family (the makers of this cigar) were back as full members of the Procigar organization. Luckily for us, we got to add their line of cigars we were able to smoke during the fest.

Now I am far from an expert on Opus products, but I'm going to give a shot at what this cigar was all about. I was told that this BBMF is different from the BBMF that was released in the special Opus coffin gift sets. This BBMF is reserved just for hand outs at big Fuente events or now the Procigar Festival. One difference you can see right away was this cigar didn't have the secondary banding.  I was also told that the BBMF was a stronger (or maybe the strongest?) Opus blend produced. Again, I'm not an expert, so maybe someone can leave a comment with more information.

I was lucky to get one of these because, unlike all the other cigars handed out at this dinner, it was not a calm, take-one-off-a-tray atmosphere when these arrived. I saw both big names in the industry and regular attendees taking handfuls of these from the ladies giving them out. Many people in the crowd did not get even one to smoke. Next year? C'mon people, show a little more class and love for your fellow BOTL. (I'm getting off of my soapbox now.)

On to the review.

Specifics
Vitola: Figurado
Length: 6 1/2
Ring Gauge: 64
Wrapper: Dominican
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Price: Handout only
Smoking Location: Governors Smokeshop
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

The BBMF is a prime example of one of the crazy, creative shapes Fuente makes for its special or limited releases. (To see some of the other shapes, check out the well-known site Vitolas.) There was a darker colored leaf at the tip of the foot of the cigar and also wrapped around what I would call a brush end cap. I'm sure there is a correct name for that style of cap, but I don't know what it is. After you get past all of the added extras, I'd describe the actual cigar as a well-shaped Figurado. The wrapper was medium brown in color and had zero visible veins. The pre-light aroma was faint, but smelled of some natural sweetness. The cold draw, on the other hand, was very strong and had a lot of fruity tastes to it...lots of raisin and date flavors.       

First Third

Ugh, this cigar would not light. I started with trying to light the very small tip of the Figurado with a soft flame lighter and had no luck. Then I tried lighting it with my torch and finally, when I did get it going, I manged to make it burn a big run down the side of the first inch of the cigar. The draw on this stick was so loose and, with the burn issues, getting any smoke out of it during the first third was very difficult. Out of the smoke I did get, the flavors had a lot of white pepper on the front and through the nose, with a bit of wheat taste on the finish. About an inch into the cigar, I started to get some honey sweetness on the front of the profile, too, which kicked back the spicy pepper some. I'd put this cigar in the medium nicotine strength at this point. The flavor was muted, but nice. The burn on the other hand...  

Second Third

First thing I want to mention in the second third is something that went for the entire cigar. This stick had one of the flakiest ashes I've ever had. Just lifting the cigar from the ashtray to my mouth, I would see bits of ash float off into the air. The flavors in the second third were dominated on the front by the sweet honey taste with that wheat taste on the finish. Unfortunately, just like the first third, the burn issues continued in the second third. I had to correct this cigar about every five minutes, as it just did not want to burn evenly on all sides. It was frustrating, to say the least, when smoking a cigar of such high expectations. The strength of the cigar did increase a bit and I would put it in the medium to lower full range.

Final Third and Final Thoughts 

Well something from the cigar gods happened at the start of the final third and the burn on my BBMF straightened out. Not only did it burn better now, it also tightened up on the draw a bit and I could get much larger clouds of smoke on each puff. Because of all of this the flavor, it increased a lot in strength. With that said, it was still the same flavors from the first and second third, just stronger on my palate (honey and wheat.) This was, by far, the best part of the cigar and thanks to that, I enjoyed this smoke down to the nub. The nicotine strength stayed in the lower full range.

Final thoughts on the Opus X BBMF? When the cigar performed correctly it had a basic, but nice flavor. When it didn't burn or draw correctly, it was incredibility annoying to smoke. Correcting a burn on a cigar is no big deal, but constantly feeling like you have to babysit it or it's going to go out/tunnel is another thing entirely. I'd like to smoke another one to see if mine was just a dud, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I'd stick with the more traditional Opus X releases if I was paying the top dollar these demand.

Would I buy it again? N/A

Would I buy a box? N/A

Dan

Review: (PRE-RELEASE) Tatuaje Lil'Drac

So last week I did the review of the Mini Mum on Friday because it was Friday the thirteenth and that went well with the horror/monster/Halloween theme. Today I'm doing the review of the Lil Drac not for any other reason than I wanted to smoke it. Out of all of the new Little Monster cigars, the Lil Drac is the one that intrigued me the most. I've always found myself I little out of the norm on the overall public feeling on the original Drac release. To put it bluntly, I liked it a lot and almost all the other people I have talked to about the cigar have ranging opinions from "It's just OK", to "I though it was bad." Yes, the original release had issues with the packaging (not the look, which was awesome), but after I stored the cigars outside of the box for a bit, I really thought they smoked great. Just another case of to each their own.

Enough chat. Let's get down to the review. (This is a sample from my recent trip, so it is unbanded. I can't wait to see the return of the black and red band because it looks bad ass with this dark wrapper.)

(Due to the size of this cigar, this review is only in two parts instead of the traditional thirds.)
 
Specifics
Vitola: "Fang" (Mini Torpedo)
Length: 5
Ring Gauge: 48
Wrapper: Habano Ecaudor Maduro
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $75.00 for a sampler box of 10 cigars
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

Two things I want to point out about the wrapper on my Lil'Drac. First was the color, which was fairly dark, but had tons of tiny lighter dots all around the cigar. If you have smoked the full size Drac, you might remember this look. Second was the pre-lit aroma. This cigar smelled unbelievably good. The aroma consisted of leather and a sweet citrus smell. Those descriptive words don't do it justice. When you get your hands on one, take extra time to enjoy the pre-light. The cap was not as torpedoed as the original Drac but clipped easily and the cold draw was on point. The flavors I got from the cold draw were a sticky candy-like sweetness, again mixed with a lot of citrus notes.            

First Half

Lighting this little cigar was no problem. It immediately produced lots of thick smoke. Just like the pre-light aroma, the resting smoke coming off of this stick smelled wonderful. It made me wish that I had smoked this cigar inside and not on my back deck to fully enjoy the aroma. Oh well, next time. The first inch or so of my Lil'Drac had a lot of a mellow cocoa flavor on the front which mixed in with an interesting twang. More on that later. The finish on each draw was full of black pepper, but not really a hot black pepper, just the taste. Side note: Contrary to what I just wrote, if you push this smoke through your sinuses it's damn hot and spicy, so proceed with caution on that front. Getting into the halfway part of the cigar, the interesting twang really picked up and started to dominate not only the front of the profile, but also creep into the finish. I would describe it as a generic acidic citrus taste, but mixed with a cooling mint flavor -- not like an Altoids sugar added mint flavor, but more of a natural, maybe even mint tea taste. The nicotine strength was in the medium range.

Second Half and Final Thoughts 

The second half of my Lil'Drac had a little change up with some flavor, but again mostly dominated with the twang from the end of the first half. What is worth mentioning is I started to get some leather notes on the finish which, although didn't seem like it was needed, added some more interest. Another fun thing worth mentioning was after I took a drink of water, the flavor in my mouth tasted a lot like milk chocolate. Totally weird I know, but hey - stranger things have happened. The nicotine strength never pushed above the medium range, so this will be a stick that I think almost anyone aside from the new smoker could handle just fine. I did have a bit of a crooked burn that I had to correct once, but that could have been due to the windy conditions of the day.

Final thoughts on the Tatuaje Lil'Drac ? Good cigar with one of the best smelling wrappers I have ever experienced. I know it's a common wrapper that is used on a lot of cigars, but I've never had one smell this nice. The flavor profile is enjoyable and I think the twangy taste people will pick up will cause a lot of good discussion around the B&M and message boards.  I love the original Drac and I'm glad the Lil'Drac did not disappoint.

Would I buy it again? Yes

Would I buy a box? I will be buying multiple boxes of the Little Monsters (sampler box that contains this cigar.)

Dan

Review: (PRE-RELEASE) Tatuaje Mini Mum

Today is something special. It's Friday the 13th and I thought it would be very fitting to post a review of the new Mini Mum cigar coming from Pete Johnson. If you've checked out our site recently you will probably know that I took a trip to Nicaragua with Pete (and others) where I was lucky enough to smoke all of the new "Little Monsters" that should be hitting the shelves in early summer. The Mini Mum is the largest/longest of the new releases. Could it be a foreshadowing to the full blown Mummy Monster release in October? We will have to wait and see. (I'm lying. The full-size Mummy is a beast, measuring 7 3/4 by 48; a long Churchill, if you will)

The whole Little Monsters concept (Link to a video Jerry Cruz of Stogie Review did with Pete explaining the concept) is a cool idea in my opinion because I know many guys who never got their hands on some of the first Monster series releases and this will give them a chance to try them without paying crazy after market prices.  Packaging them in a sampler style box and making them smaller in size only makes it easier and more affordable to try them all. (Plus there may be some other cools things coming with the packaging.)

Specifics
Vitola: Corona 
Length: 5 3/4
Ring Gauge: 42
Wrapper: Nicaragua Sun Grown Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $75.00 for a sampler box of 10 cigars
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

The Mini Mum is a pretty rustic looking cigar. The wrapper has a lot of veins of different sizes and varies in shades of color from lighter to darker browns, being darkest at the closed foot end. To put it bluntly, it's ugly like a monster. The stick had a nice give to when squeezed, but was not what I would call soft in any way. The pre-lit aroma smelled mostly of nuts, but also had a hint of clove. The cold draw (or where there was one with a closed foot cigar) tasted again of nuts. I would say hazelnut if I had to pick a certain type. The flavor was strong, which foreshadowed good things to come.       

First Third

I love lighting a closed foot cigar because, in those first few draws, you really get a sense of the wrapper taste. The flavor I got right away on the front of the profile was classic Don Pepin black pepper, which hit mostly on the sides of my tongue, rounded out by a strong cedar flavor. The finish felt very syrupy on my palate and again had smacks of black pepper, but this time knocked down a bit by a leather taste. As you can see in the photos, the ash on the cigar was a bright white color (like a mummy, get it? *groan*) and held on strong even smoking outside on a windy day. About an inch into the cigar, the flavors already started to change on the finish and I started to get some clove of the taste I had smelled on the pre-lit aroma. The cigar produced a large amount of smoke and burned effortlessly. The nicotine strength was a solid medium. 

Second Third

The second third on my Mini Mum was similar on the front end of the profile with pepper and cedar, but the finish had really taken off. The clove flavor had come on strong and created a nice mix with the leather. Adding to that was some pretty strong cinnamon notes that, for me, took this stage of the cigar to a whole new level. It reminded me a lot of old fashion candies that you would get a a state fair or at the little shop at a Cracker Barrel. (To be 100% honest, I've never been to a Cracker Barrel, but I know they sell what I'm writing about.) It was that spicy, old-fashioned, comes-in-a-paper-bag kind of candy that has sweetness, but only enough to help the spice from being too much. Anyway, it was unique enough that I texted my friend right away and said that this was something different. Also, in the second third, the nicotine strength picked up and I would say it was in the lower full range. I could feel my heart rate pick up a bit, but nothing uncomfortable. Again no burn or construction problems.

Final Third and Final Thoughts 

The final third of my Mini Mum was dominated both on the front of the profile and the finish by the clove/cinnamon/leather combo. Toward the nub, some of the black pepper kicked back in, but that was almost like an afterthought at this point. Just like the difference in the first third to the second third, the nicotine strength continued to pick up and by the end of the cigar was well into the full range. It's a smaller cigar, but it still will keep the full strength guys happy - especially when you get to the latter half of the smoking experience. I burned this cigar until my fingers were burning and it never got sour or hot. 

Final thoughts on the Tatuaje Mini Mum ? This Little Monster might not be full size like it's big brother will be in October, but it's still a full size monster in flavor. What really shined with this cigar is the finish on each puff and the flavors that last a long time between draws. The combination of clove/cinnamon/leather blended well and made for a winner in my book. I can't wait to get my hands on more of these and am now anticipating the full size Mummy release even more.

Would I buy it again? Yes

Would I buy a box? I will be buying multiple boxes of the Little Monsters (sampler box that contains this cigar.)

Dan

Review: PRE-RELEASE Room 101 San Andres

Today's review is a pre-release sample that my partner Mario (@cigarexplorer on twitter) gave me last week. I'm not sure where he got it, but if I had to guess, it came from Governors Smoke shop (@GovernorsSmokes on twitter) -- one of the newest, and definitely fastest, growing brick & mortar cigar shop in Columbus. The Room 101 San Andres is a tiny little cigar that I would bet is meant to compete with sticks like the MUWAT Baitfish and the Tatauje Petite Cazadore.

A quote from Matt Booth (@room101cigars on twitter) about the San Andres: Rolled on the juicy hindquarters of models from Jay Zs big pimpin' video from the finest Botswana funk leaf.

You know, I thought I smelled Botswana Funk leaf on this one. ;)  On to the review...

(Due to the size of this cigar, this review is only in two parts instead of the traditional thirds.)

Specifics
Vitola: Perla
Length: 4
Ring Gauge: 40
Wrapper: Mexican San Andres
Binder: ?
Filler: ?
Price: $?
Smoking Location: My back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

This really is a little cigar. Like the Namakubi Papi Chulo, it's small, but also packed full. The wrapper on my Room 101 San Andres was very toothy and had a reddish hue to it. The construction was top notch and the cap was especially nice looking. There were some smaller veins, but nothing that really took away from the look of the cigar. The pre-lit aroma had a nutty scent to it and the cold draw tasted strongly of honey. I was expecting something else because of the Mexican wrapper, which normally has such a strong, dirty chocolate flavor, but I definitely didn't detect any of that particular profile.

First Half   

From the first draw on my Room 101 San Andres, I got a lot of flavor. It was not an in-your-face flavor, nor a punch to the palate, but more chill and mellow. The front of the profile tasted like graham cracker and gingerbread and tailed off into a nice raw, sweet finish. After a minute or two, the finish also picked up a bit of pepper, but not anything hot or spicy. I was enjoying this combo of flavors a lot, and actually texted to my friend right away how nicely this pre-release was going. The construction was perfect and the draw just where I like it with slight resistance. I would put the nicotine strength of the cigar in the mild to low medium range.

Second Half and Final Thoughts

The second half of this tiny Room 101 San Andres was pretty much the same as the first half with one small change on the front of the profile. Adding in with the graham cracker and gingerbread was a hint of cinnamon. Now if this sounds like a dessert cigar to you, I would say you are exactly correct; it would be perfect for after a light meal. The finish was the same as the first half with a lot of raw sweetness. Again the construction never failed me and there was no need for a re-light. The nicotine strength also stayed consistent in the mild to medium range.

Final thoughts on the Room 101 San Andres ? Again, just like the Namakubi Papi Chulo, this cigar took only about twenty minutes to smoke. Of that twenty minutes, I enjoyed every second. The flavors are mellow but strong, and had a nice balance. It's a very sweet cigar in this size, so if sweetness is not your thing, maybe the bigger sizes coming out in April (so says the pre-release band) will be more to your liking. I can't wait to see what this blend does in a bigger/longer smoke. Room 101 is stepping up their game.

Would I buy it again? Yes

Would I buy a box? If the price is right, I would take a box of these. Great short smoke that is easy on the body as far as nic strength goes.

Dan

Review: PRE-RELEASE Illusione ULTRA Robusto

Tonight's cigar is one that was on display at last year's IPCPR show, but as far as I know, has yet to be seen on any retail shelf. Unlike the MK ULTRA, which was released once before a few years ago and again this year, this extension to the ULTRA line is a completely new release from Illusione.

My friend Dan from New Havana Cigars told me that he expects to get a small shipment of these shortly, so I thought it was finally time to smoke the one sample I have been holding onto for some time. The MK ULTRA was the number one cigar I was looking forward to in last year's releases and it delivered. Time to see how one of it's big brothers performs.

Vitola: Robusto
Length:  5 
Ring Gauge: 50ish
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Price: $?
Smoking Location: my back deck
Beverage: water

Pre-Light 

The ULTRA is an intimidating looking cigar. It had a very dark wrapper with some pretty good size veins. Even with the big veins, the cigar felt nice and smooth to the touch and didn't have much tooth. The shape of the cigar reminded me a lot of the new "bench pressed" Epernays that Illusione released earlier this year and felt heavy in weight. I could tell with a little squeeze that is was packed full and would most likely burn slowly. The pre-lit aroma was a mix of black pepper (especially at the open foot) and cedar. The cold draw was nice, free, and had a floral and dried fruit taste. I must mention that the black ULTRA band is simple but looks bad ass.

First Third   

My ULTRA banged right out of the gate with a lot of peppery spice that instantly woke up my taste buds. The flavor was strong and spicy but not hot or harsh in any way. After the first few puffs, more of the flavor profile started to come through with a lot of leather and sweetness on the front, which then gave way to a clean citrus finish. The finish was not very long at in this part of the cigar; it was more clean and crisp. The nicotine strength was in the upper medium range, but the flavor strength was completely full. The burn was slightly wavy, but did not require a touch up through the first third.
        
Second Third  

The second third of my ULTRA had the black pepper flavor back off a bit and make room for what I consider to be the classic Illusione flavor, black cherry. This is the flavor I love in Dion's cigars and something that I think is very unique to his blends. The finish on the cigar also changed up a bit and had a of meaty, salty taste. I have heard/read people saying they get this taste in cigars a lot. I personally don't tend to pick it up very often, but in the ULTRA is was pretty obvious. The saltiness of it made my mouth water and kept my palate from feeling dried out or burnt between puffs. During the second third, the nicotine strength of the cigar increased significantly. I would put this now solidly in the full range. It's not a head spinning strength, more of a body buzz. Something also to note, that I mentioned in my review of the MK ULTRA, is just how dark the ash is. Again, it's a little intimidating to look at, but was very tasty up to this point.
 
Final Third and Final Thoughts 

Full flavor and full strength is what best describes the final third of my ULTRA. The black pepper returned (especially through the nose) to mix in nicely with the black cherry taste on the front. The finish was still the same salty meaty flavor, but even more pronounced than before. I caution my fellow smokers to take this stick slowly through the final third, as it was very strong to me at this point. Not overwhelmingly strong for seasoned smokers, but could put a hurting on someone who smokes mild to medium sticks. The construction, although a little wavy on the burn at times, never needed a touch up or relight and the draw was consistently good throughout the smoking experience.

My final thoughts on The Illusione ULTRA? This is how to do a full power stick and not have the flavor lost in the punch. I've smoked and heard about a lot of cigars released recently that will hit you in the head/kick you in the gut with nicotine strength, but fail in the flavor department. The ULTRA is not one of this sticks. I think this is a perfect cigar for after dinner, to wind down the day. Another winner that will be added to my rotation. 


Would I buy it again? Yes, without a doubt.


Would I buy a box? I'm sure this is not going to be a low cost stick, but I think it is box worthy.


Dan