Big Al's Cigar Blog

La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero 660 Natural cigar review 2/25/2023 I not a huge super strong cigar fan, but I do like a pretty strong one.    This one, the first I've ever smoked of this line, is supposed to be one of the strongest.    I've been a big fan of La Flor Dominicana for 20 years, used to love their Cameroon wrapped cigars a decade or two ago.   This one is Equadorian Sumatra wrapped with all Dominican estate grown tobaccos, with double the amount of Ligero.   I have had a full day today.    Backpacked a few miles into the wilderness yesterday and hiked out, still carrying 40lbs of gear.    Actually slept pretty good in the tent so I'm not that tired.    It is a Saturday night, so I think I deserve a strong cigar tonight.  Actually starts off pretty mild for the first 5 min. But now more bold.    Pretty good flavors of caramel but has a molasses taste.    Some cedar aftertaste and hints of oak and charred wood.   You can tell it is expertly rolled.    The burn is

Alec Bradley Project 40 Natural Gordo Cigar review 2/20/2023   Checking my reviews, I realized I haven't done a review on this one.    This one I liked so much that I bought two boxes of these at very cheap prices, like 5 year ago prices.    Or like half of what I'm seeing them priced at today.    $3 to $4 is what these are worth and they are some of the best at that price.   I thinks it's all Nicaraguan with Brazilian Habano binder.    Not too mild and not too full.    It's just a great go to smoke for any occasion.  It starts off slow.    Yeah it is mild for first 10 minutes.    After 10 minutes it picks up some flavors. It's still mild, but picking up some graham cracker and nuttiness.    Burning perfect and drawing quite well.   Picking up a little spice and cedar.    Still mild enough to play golf or fish and smoke it while letting it hang from your lips.  I like it as it's an uneventful smoke.    It just smokes good no matter how you smoke it.    You can s

Oliva Serie G Figuardo cigar review  2/18/2023 Ive been mostly reviewing new cigars or at least new to me.    This Oliva G Cameroon smoke is definitely not new to me. It's one of my favorites    and I will be dumbfounded if I review it poorly or at least a 90.    I'm half done with my box and and half done wit my second box of churchhills.    Yeah they are that good if you find them at the right price, which isn't that hard to do.    It's a $4 to $5 smoke if you shop around and we'll worth it at that at price.    I rate them based on the common prices from the past.  I've always like figuardos, not for so much the flavor but more for the custom hand roll art of making a human made cigar that delivers exactly what the intent was originally.    If done right, it is great.    Usually it is worth the extra effort and usually only a few bucks more.    And this is a large Figuardo, about Toro size.    Most are robusto size.   OK, OK, I'm smoking it.    It is smoot

Fratello Oro Toro cigar review  2/15/2023   This is my 4eth Fratello cigar review so far.    I think I have 2 more to review.    This is one of their higher priced smokes with a Connecticut wrapper, Cameroon binder, and Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.    The wrapper looks alright, but is not shiny like some of the high dollar brand Connecticut wrapped cigars.   But looks aren't always how to judge the content.    This one is supposed to be mild to medium, as most Connecticut wrapped smokes are.    Lots of competition so let's see what this one can do. These ain't cheap, about $7 to $8 a piece when you by a box.  Starts off pretty mild.    So far it reminds me of some of good mild Dominican smokes I used to love a decade or more ago, like Aurora or Fonseca.    Has a slight toffee and cedar taste.    Really mild though, have to pull hard to pull these flavors out.    Draw is good and burning slow and good.   An inch burned and it is still mild but has a spicy, smooth flavor

Southern Draw Kudzu Toro cigar review  2/13/2023   A beautiful boxed pressed cigar from a great company.    Yeah, AJ Fernandez and mostly Nicaraguan, what's not to like.    Equadorian Habano Oscuro wrapper that is double fermented.    Medium full.    All Southern Draw cigars have been pretty good in my experience.  Not gonna lie, I hope this one's good.    Very promising with a beautiful wrapper, very firm roll, it even smells good.   First few puffs are loose and slightly spicy with tastes of sweetness, which hasn't developed yet.    Kind of like caramel but nutty and creamy.    Can taste cedar and oak.   But, I know better than to get my hopes up from the first few minutes.    I've smoked many that were great first third and turned to El cheapo. But those were rolled super loose and prices were all over the place.    No gimmicks in this brand.   So far it is burning good, slightly off center burn, but I'll rotate it before I touch it up.    It's pretty smooth

Fratello Rosso Toro cigar review 2/3/2023 This is the 3rd Fratello smoke I've reviewed.    The first two were their better cigars and I rated those a very high 94 and 92.    This one is less than half the price. I think I saw some prices over a little over 2 bucks for some of these.   It can't be bad, as it's rolled with Dominican fillers at the La Aurora factory with Habano wrapper and Indonesia binder.  After lighting up, seems a little plugged.    Smoking good but not a nice loose draw that prefer.    Tastes kick in though.    Can taste some cedar and earth with spice on top.    Slight sweetness.    It does need some touching up to keep from burning all one side.   Pretty good mild to medium flavors.    Good flavors left ony palate so far.    I think this would be a great cigar for fishing or golfing. I can keep it in my mouth and smoke while I type without too much flavor.  It's smoking pretty quick.    Not really plugged now, smoking good.   Tonight is cold, about

Gurkha Symphony Toro cigar review 1/30/2023 Ive only smoked a few Gurkha's and none have impressed me to go out of my way to actually research how to buy them.    I always get a few in some sampler or freebie deal.    And I always find they are mediocre but priced like some kind of top notch smoke.    If they are really supposed to be priced so high, you have to ask, why are they giving these away? Anyway, this one is supposedly a mild Nicaraguan filler, Dominican binder, and Connecticut wrapper.  Smoke is pretty mild so far.    Pretty good taste and flavors of toasted graham crackers and marshmallow with a hint of spice and cedar.    It is a tad plugged, which probably keeps the profile mild.    Feels kind of spongy, but these have a couple month of age in my humidor, so they should burn well.    And I do have to touch up. Burning a bit too much on one side.   But, so far, not bad, but hasn't really done much except for the flavors at first.  Looks good after touching up and m