Big Al's Cigar Blog

La Aroma de Cuba Monarch cigar review 10/30/2023 This may be first times smoking one of these.    I've enjoyed a few Don Pepin Garcia smokes and admire his ability to make some great full flavored cigars.    This one is all Nicaraguan with    an oily Connecticut broadleaf wrapper.  I've had this one aging like a year so it is primed for smoking.    Can be had for like $7 when you buy a box.   It's pretty windy here in Georgia on this night before Halloween.    Cold front moving in, but about 60 out now.    Wind calming, pretty good smoking weather.   Lots of flavor at first.    Has a lot going on: spice, sweetness, fruit, dried fruit, and some cedar.    To me it is intriguing, strong, and great, but not my favorite flavors so far.    But I love a complex smoke so I like it so far. If it can develop those earthy Nicaraguan flavors, it may be a winner.  Burning damn good and smooth.    It is mellowing out a bit.    Not so much dried fruit but more deeper wood and cedar taste.

 I've never written a conglomerate of my reviews. Trying to keep it straightforward.  But for reasons everyone knows, smoking is a preference  and everyone has their favorites, this is my go to list of what has been the best cigars I've smoked this year.   1) Esteban Carreras Hellcat Chupacabra Toro 2) Gran Habano Corojo #5 Churchill  3) Oliva Master Blends 3 Churchill  More to come  These are to smokes that always deliver such great flavor and long satisfaction.  If I can only choose a few smokes to keep in my collection and continue to smoke, this is it.  Gran

Esteban Carreras Mr Brownstone Speedball Robusto Cigar review  6/3/2023 Sounds like a strong addicting cigar.    I'm a huge Esteban Carreras fan and this one has a equadorian Habano binder, Nicaraguan fillers from Condega and Jalapa, and a Connecticut broadleaf Maduro wrapper.  It's pretty mild at first, but has some good flavors.    Very smooth and lots of smoke.    I taste    dark caramel and slight spices.    Not strong like molasses but I hope it strengthens to it.   Let me say that I hate spices rum, as Captain Morgan just tastes like chemical shit to me.    But, this one kind tastes like what I think a good spiced rum might taste like.    I have been drinking some decent runs lately, like Appleton Estates and Carupano.    Next time I will pair this cigar with some rum.    I'm drinking Cazadores tequila which doesn't really pair with this one.   The tequila is trying to bring out some fruity flavors.    But mainly I taste brown sugar and spice.   I read about choco

Gurkha Castle Hall Nicaraguan Reserva Especial Toro cigar review  5/27/2023 I got these cheap.    But they've been aging for at least 6 months in my humidor.    Never been a fan of Gurkha, but I am very open minding and will smoke every cigar I have.  Starts off medium with spice, cedar, and earth.    Yep, just like most Nicaraguan smokes.    Not too bad.   Most Gurkhas taste alright the first third and turn to really terrible, but, like I said, I will honestly review any cigar.    If this one stays consistent then it is a decent smoke.   I taste a slight caramel taste, but it is burning kind of hot.    It is really windy tonight.    60 degrees out.    Windy and cool enough to start a small fire.    What's does have to do with how this is smoking? Nothing.    It is burning hot and a little harsh, but maybe it will mellow out. Half way through and it is mostly cedar and spice taste.    Easy smoking, not a lot of smoke, but leaves decent flavor on your palate.   I will say it is

La Aurora 1495 Series robusto review 5/24/2023 This blend has been around a long time. I'm reviewing what I think is a 10+ year old one from a box I bought.    They still s2ll them now for about the same or maybe less than back then, about $3 or $4 a piece.  A toothy Ecuadorian wrapper with corojo, Dominican binder and Dominican, Peruvian, and Nicaraguan fillers.    It's a medium smoke, not meant to be a full bodied smoke.  Starts off pretty mild with a slight bite of spice and charred wood.    It's a slightly complex flavor and not smooth and mild like the regular La Aurora Cameroon line, which are awesome mild smokes in my opinion.    To me, these have a slight bite of harshness, which might be covered up if it had more body.    But it's a mild smoke trying to add complex flavors.    Not bad so far, but not great. The spice and cedary wood flavors have taken over.    The bite has almost disappeared.    Still mild to medium.    But I'm getting huge puffs of smoke a

Montecristo Churchill cigar review 5/19/2023 I've had a few of these big Montecristo smokes aging for a few years now.    I thought they were all churchills but some are longer and some fatter.    This one I'm smoking is the smallest.    It's the one on the right. I recall my review back in October last year of a newer bigger one with the extra yellow classic band.    It was super strong, really unlike most of the Montecristo cigars I've smoked.    I believe to be a regular Churchill.    The bigger ones I can't find any reference to on the internet.    This one is smaller and fits the 7x50 size.  Starts out really mild, but with good subtle flavors or caramel and nuts.    But, you can barely tell you're smoking it, just subtle flavors left on your pallet.    It's definitely a mild Connecticut smoke.    Not really my type of smoke, but it is great so far for delivering easy smooth flavors.   Starting to pick up some strength and more flavors.    Earthiness an

Cusano 1959 Rare Cameroon Toro cigar review 5/15/2023 I have couple of these from a box I bought over 10 years ago. If I remember correctly, these are the work of the Davidoff blender Henke Kelner.    Cameroon wrapped Dominicans were my go to smokes back then.    It seems the trend has moved from these to Nicaraguan cigars and I can agree with the consensus.    But I still love a spicy and sweet Cameroon on a mild to medium blend.    These are more medium than the other competitors back then.   Starts off smooth and mild.    Builds quickly into some spices and cedar.    Lots of smooth smoke.    Then the spiciness kicks in with some sweet nuttiness.    Yeah, this is one of the best Cameroon Dominicans from back then.    Leaves a great sweet spiciness on your palate with aftertaste of nuts.  Tons and tons of smoke on this warm night.    It is going well with the Ron Anejo Carupano 6 year rum.    If you like a smooth sugary tasting rum then try this economical one.    It goes great with a

Oliva Serie V Torpedo cigar review 5/5/2023 This one is the first smoke from my 2nd sampler pack that I think is at least a year and half been aging.  This torpedo appears fat and perfectly rolled, as it should for a $10 smoke.    There's stiff competition at these prices, but there's a reason these are top sellers.    It's just an all around great, satisfying smoke.    Oliva is world class, delivering very consistent quality and no gimmicks.   You know this one is good.    Nicaraguan puro with sun grown wrapper and ligero fillers from the Jalapa Valley. If it tastes as good as it smells, then it's a winner.   Hey its Cinco de Mayo.    Skipped the crowds this time and had a better skillet steak that was marinated in lime and spices for a day.    Along with guacamole and cheese dip, I topped it off with Herradura tequila shots chased with my custom margaritas with fresh mint.    This cigar better live up to the hype if it's goona top my night.   Right away I taste s