Cigar Round Table

Cigar Round Table will be importing a new brand of cigars into the USA very soon.

It is currently being imported into other countries and is a Nicaraguan Puro.

Some Rough Retail Pricing. Boxes of 25.
Churchill 7 x 47 $10
Robusto 4 7/8 x 50 $7
Corona 5 1/8 x 42 $6

Stay Tuned for more info.

If you’re interested in receiving more information or placing orders ahead of time, please feel free to email me. I will point you in the direction of retailers already signed up to offer these.

Monty@CigarRoundTable.com

This is a very short and simple review.
Size: Small
Tobacco: yes

This Cigar is GOOD.

Last time I reviewed a Room 101, I blasted Matt Booth. This is a much better Cigar.

I must get back to my Legos now.

Maker: EO Brands
Blend: 601 Red Habano Macho
Size: 6 x 52
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua

As I’m told, this cigar was released in conjunction with a special book release. The book, written by Rafael Cerrato Salas, is called 25448, No! Roberto Martin Perez. According to Amazon.com, the following is the description of the book. Biography of Roberto Martin Perez who served 28 years of his life in a Cuban jail for his political views against Fidel Castro s Communist regime. During his imprisonment, he was referred to by Fidel Castro himself as the father of the prisoners . He currently lives in Miami, Florida, where he has gained the respect of the community for his valor and for upholding his principles in and out of jail. Without a doubt, this is one of the most complete books on the Cuban experience ever written.

This cigar was given to me by a friend in the cigar industry and I was eager to give it a try. I’m told as well that this was a one-off release and not more than a few hundred boxes were made. What a treat.

The first five minutes
This cigar looks great and is made very well. As all 601’s, I’m sure that this cigar was made in Don Pepin’s factory, aka the My Father factory in Nicaragua. Compared to other 601’s this cigar is made up of much lighter tobacco. In my experience, the 601 Red is the strongest cigar in their line-up. This one breaks that mold. The regular 601 line is very good, very bold and very earthy. This one is much different. Now that you know a little more about the background of why this cigar was made, it makes sense that this cigar is very different from the other 601’s. This cigar starts off with a little pepper. It has a great draw and produces plenty of smoke. The cigar in the first few minutes is very simple and lighter bodied. It has a very basic Connecticut esque flavor profile to it.

The body of the cigar
This cigar is now really changing and becoming a very interesting cigar. I would say that this cigar was obviously blended to celebrate a Cuban Man’s life. It’s made in a very Cuban style. It’s very subtle, a lot of very light spice and old world tasting for sure. It’s very good. For those of you who have had aged Cuban, this cigar is designed to mimic that profile. I would say that there is too much of a Connecticut shade flavor and only someone who smokes a lot of cigars would notice the underlying Cuban profile hidden away. It would be nice if the cardboard/woodiness flavor would disappear and more old world spice would come out.

Conclusion
I was very much looking forward to trying this cigar. It was a pleasure to smoke this and I would smoke another one if I had the chance. I wouldn’t recommend this to a novice smoker as the complexity would be lost on someone who hasn’t smoke a big variety of cigars in recent times. The cigar isn’t strong at all and is very easy to smoke. It was a pleasant smoke. I’d like to have another in a smoke free room with no other smokers around, only so I can absorb as much as possible from what this cigar has to offer. It’s refined and a great model for other cigar manufacturers.

Score 90

Review written by Monty

Maker: La Palina
Blend: El Diario
Size: 6 x 58 Gordo
Wrapper: Honduran Corojo ’99 Rosado
Binder: Honduran Criollo ’98 (x2)
Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo ’99 and Criollo ’98

We have talked about the Palina brand before here on the round table and generally speaking we are fans of what they do. The biggest complaint is the price point but they have solved that problem to a certain extent with the release of their new line El Diario. Being that is 6×60 week thought we would take a look at their big boy… the Gordo. Now I’m cheating a bit here because this cigar is only a 6×58 but its close enough.

The first 5 minutes
The cigar starts out with some typical La Palina sweetness that is accompanied by not much else. If you like a bunch of pepper in a cigar then La Palina is not for you. One thing that is quite noticeable is how great this cigar smells.

The body of the cigar
It’s a mixture of cocoa and ginger bread. The cigar burns well and continues to smell great. You can always count on La Palina cigars to be well made and burn well. You also get some caramel that mixes well with general earth tones and coffee.

Conclusion
Well.. if you like big cigars then I would try this one. I don’t like it near as much as the other El Diario sizes but if you must smoke something giant then give it a try.

Score 86

Review written by Marshall

Maker: Joya de Nicaragua
Blend: Antano 1970
Size: Magnum 6 x60
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua

Needless to say, if you haven’t heard of this brand, I’ve got some land in the everglades for sale that you can buy for a very cheap price. This particular blend has always been extremely bold and spicy for the past few years. I decided to give this one a shot and see if my tongue needs a cleaning when I’m done or not. Plus the 60 ring gauge is a lot to mouth over. Way too much for my liking.

The first five minutes
This cigar takes a small bonfire to light as it’s a lot of tobacco real estate to incinerate. Once I call the Aggie Bonfire association to come light my cigar, we have some smoke. It starts off a bit less harsh than I anticipate and isn’t that robust. It has a little spice and more meat flavors that I remember. This is good as I’m a fan of the sweet meat flavors. Since last cigar I reviewed, the J Fuego 6×60, my mouth has healed up a little. I’m still a little sore, but I’m making it ok.

The body of the cigar
This cigar is definitely not as strong as I remember. It might be because I’ve had so many strong sticks in my mouth, but I’m now used to it. As Jimi Hendrix once said, “Are you experienced?”. And to this question, I can answer YES. It’s a good cigar, but like the J Fuego, I might just get all I need by the time I hit the shaft of the stick. I don’t think I have what it takes to smoke it all the way down to the head, even though some say all the flavor is in the head. The cigar reminds me of chocolate and a little Worcester sauce. Kind of like a Chateauneuf –du-Pape wine. The pope would be proud to smoke this stick himself. No alter boys were hurt in the making of this review.

Conclusion
With the 6 x 60 cigars coming to a head this week, I’d like to remind everyone that size doesn’t always matter. What comes out of the cigar does. When I blow on the cigar and a plume of white smoke shoots out of my nose, I know I’m satisfied. It hits me right where I need it: in the taste buds. This JDN Cigar is a better cigar than I thought it would be. I’ve gotten enough tobacco for my daily requirement by the time I finish this one, but never the less it’s a good cigar. Chocolate, Meat, Worcester, tiny bit of sweetness and a little like cake make for a good cigar.

Score 89

Review written by Monty

Maker: J Fuego
Blend: Sange de Toro
Size: 6 x 60
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaragua

Marshall smoked the Originals from both ends last week and I thought I’d give the 6 x 60 a shot. I’m not really that much of a fan of larger things like that in my mouth. If they made a Solomon Vitola, I’d rather smoke that backwards. It’s more my speed. You see, I’m not a huge fan of large salamis. Little chocolate hershey kisses are what I prefer. Many people say the 6 x 60 is the best vitola, so I thought I ‘d give it a shot today.

The first five minutes
Once I light it and finally fit it into my mouth, I get a few puffs. It draws well and tastes good. It has a lot of coffee and chocolate flavors. It’s a great One Dimension cigar. I don’t mind such things, but prefer a smaller vitola. It’s also got a bit of Earthiness to it. Good if you like sucking on eggplants.

The middle of the cigar
This cigar is still good and it produces a ton of smoke. At this point of the stick, I’m getting a little tired of this size. The edges of my mouth are feeling a bit worn out. Its as if I tried to deep throat a watermelon. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried that before, but I assure you it’s not pretty. I’ve now had enough of this cigar. It has a good flavor, but I’m now tired of it.

Conclusion
Alright, I’ve made it about 3/4 through this cigar and I’m worn out. I need a massage and a pedicure. I think I’ll call Marshall and meet him at the Tennis club for a latte. I’d recommend this cigar to a novice who happens to like big ring gauges. For a more seasoned veteran, I wouldn’t. Give it a shot if ya like, but I’ll default to the Originals.

Recommendations for next 6 x 60: Use KY and go slow. My lips are chapped now and it’ll take a while to recover.

Score 87

Review Written by Monty.

Editors Note: Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win a five pk of Originals which is pictured below. We will draw for Three Seperate winners Sunday Night.

Today we will review the Sangre de Toro original by J Fuego. I’m going to try something a bit different however, as I will be smoking two samples, one from each end. You see… I am so impressed by this cigar I am out to prove that it actually may be better than many cigars, smoking it from the wrong end. Another reason why I wanted to take this adventure is so that when you pop open your 5 pack of originals and can’t tell which end is which (happened to me) you won’t have to sweat it if you chose the wrong end.

The first 5 minutes
Smoking from the head
The cigars start out great. There is a very unique sweetness to this cigar that’s really hard to describe. It’s not sweet like candy. It’s more of a natural sweetness you might find on a freshly baked loaf of bread. It is an intense flavor, but it is delightful. Although intense, it is not overwhelming and the flavor is constantly transforming.

From the foot
The cigar from the foot starts out much different that starting from the “correct direction”. It is definetly a drier smoke with notes of salty peanuts and bitter coffee. It is also wonderfully complex and by the time the first 5 minutes draws to an end I’m am getting a hint of that sweet bread from the other cigar.

The body of the cigar

From the head

One thing you will not find on these cigars is a big pepper blast. There is some subtle spice but is very much in the background. The sweet bread is still in the picture but it has taken a back seat to some interesting flavors of sweetened coffee and there is also some chocolate entering into the mix. This cigar has many flavors but they really work well together.

From the foot
We are now starting to meet in the middle, but that does not mean that things are the same. The cigar I’m smoking from the foot has really changed as well. It has some intense dry earth flavors that are quite intriguing. There is also a hint of dark fruit showing up. Perhaps it could be plums. Yes, now, I’m sure of it. It’s plums.

Conclusion
From the head

This is one of my favorite cigars of the year. Did I mention that a 5 pack is 12 bucks? I would happily pay 3x that for these babies. At the end of the cigar there is zero harshness and although the cigar gets a bit warm, the sweet subtle flavors of the cigar still shine through.

From the foot

Well, I must say this is the first cigar I have intentionally smoked in the wrong direction. I was not really sure what to expect, but this was an awesome experience. Smoking this bad boy to the end was great. Towards the end I get thrown for a complete loop. A huge amount of pepper shows up for the first time. This really goes well with the sweetness and other flavors that are already present.

I want to thank all the little people out there who made this possible. There were plenty of you who said what I was attempting was impossible, but I knew if I wanted to make history I had to stay focused and block out all the noise. I have always wanted to impress a large number of people at one time. Today I feel like I have done just that.

Final Note
Notice the different color ash from smoking it in a different direction.

Scores
From the head 94
From the foot 95

Review written by Marshall