Kuzi's Cigar Catalog

Partagas Black Label

5-1-07 been in humi since 1-6-07
Partagas Black Label Clasico (5.2 x 54)
Wrapper: Medio Tiempo (Connecticut)
Binder: Dominican
Filler: Nicaraguan grown Cuban seed ligero.

The cigar is very firm and oily to the touch. The taste before the cut is strong and the oils can be felt on the tongue. After the cut I find the draw to be a bit tight.

The first few puffs are rich. There is a coffee taste with a bit of sweetness. A hint of nut in the finish. And inch or so in the cigar settles and develops a cedar note. The aftertaste is very interesting. It has a cedar/sharp “bite.” I hate to use the word “bite” it isn’t biting at all. The long lasting finish does not get old.

By the halfway point the cigar is very round and full flavor, and each flavor is defined: cedar, nutty, a bit of sweet, and a hint of coffee.

I find the lack of spice surprising. Many times a cigar of this strength is very spicy but this isn’t at all. This makes it very interesting in my mind.

The burn is uneven at times.
The ash holds on tenaciously. At less than 2 inches left the ash has fallen only twice.


Burn: 8
Draw: 8
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 10
Construction: 8
Appearance: 9
Overall feel: 9
Overall: 8.7

4 of 6 smoke rings.

ive been trying to not compare cigars to one another in my reviews. however, this cigar had a few things that i thought were close to the 5 vegas series A.

personally ill take the 5 vegas over the partagas black because of the price and draw issues.

its still a great cigar though.

El Cobre (again)

5-3-07 been in humi since 9-21-06
El Cobre Torpedo (6.5 x 52)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Filler: Habano seed Nicaraguan grown

This is the second time this cigar has been reviewed. I did not look back and read my review from about 6 or 7 months ago. I want to see what has changed after almost 7 months of rest. I have a few more of these in the humidor, and every now and then, I will take one out to see what age has done to them.

The wrapper is firm and has a slight sand paper feel. The oils give it a good sheen.
The clip was hard on this torp, but the draw was good and had a chocolaty note to it. I keep getting a “crystalline” feeling in my mouth. It’s like very small bits of sand in my mouth. I’ve never smoked a cigar with bloom on it but I think the crystals are a sign that it’s close. (Can anyone confirm?)

The first Flavor I get out of this is coffee. Only a few puffs in yet the strength is notable. There is a faint sweetness with maybe a chocolate feel. The finish has two flavors. There is a slight nuttiness but there is also a light harshness in the back of the mouth. It has not got to the point of being unpleasant but if there was more it would be.

As the El Cobre settles from the light the harshness dissipates. The flavor softens, but the power remains. It’s a great mix of dark chocolate, coffee, and nuts. The burn, to this point is flawless. The finish doesn’t last to long and it is quite pleasant. Full flavor goodness.
The ash looks clean. It is far whiter than any other ashes in the ashtray. It’s also longer.

The El Cobre burns exceptionally slow and very cool. The roundness and fullness are exquisite. No bitter, no harshness, and a finish that is just right. It is a full body cigar disguised as a mild one. It is what other full bodied cigars wish to be: not to spicy, its smooth, flavorful, and not overpowering. It is just very rich and flavorful.
I don’t want to put this cigar down even though I can feel the fullness.

I great roasted nut/toasty flavor develops half way through. With 6 months of rest, this is one heck of a cigar.

Burn: 10
Draw: 9
Taste: 10
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 9
Appearance: 8
Feel: 10
Overall: 9.3

5 of 6 smoke rings.

The last time I smoked this cigar it had been sitting in my humidor for only 3 weeks. The flavor profile was completely different. It seems that the first time around I found it sweet, spicy, earthy. There are some things that are consistent from last time to this time: the burn and construction. Last time it got a 9.1 of 10. After re-reading my old review, I’m not sure I would have given it the same if it reviewed that way again. I also distinctly remember not being as impressed with it last time as this time.

I’m not sure if the change in the flavor profile is due to time in the box or if my last review was way earlier in my learning curve. Maybe its a bit of both.

Ashton 8-9-8

5-18-07 been in humi since 4-7-07
Ashton 8-9-8 (6.5 x 44)
Wrapper: Connecticut shade
Filler: Dominican
Binder: Dominican


This cigar looks very classic in my hand. I can feel no soft spots. There are few lumps in the wrapper. It’s just a good looking cigar.
The pre-light smell reminds me a bit of hay. There is more tobacco smell than anything. There was almost no taste when I licked the cap before the cut. After the cut the draw was very good and had a rich taste.

It opens with a sweet nutty taste that reminds me of walnuts. IT is medium in body but very full on flavor and it settles quickly from the light. It is nutty and woody with a sweet cedar finish that is very short. Throughout the cigar the taste stays just about the same. It builds in flavor more but remains medium in body. I really don’t know what else to say about this cigar besides the old clichés of “balanced and well rounded”
It is how I think a Connecticut shade should taste.

The burn had some problems along the way that required a relight or two. Normally, this would upset me some and I would dock it more points than I did but for some reason this cigar was relaxing enough to make me not care about the relights.

Burn: 8
Draw: 9
Taste: 10
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 9
Appearance: 9
Feel: 10

Overall: 9.1
5 of 6 smoke rings

Baccarat No. 1

5-24-07 been in humi since 4-7-07

Baccarat No. 1 (7 x 44)
Wrapper: Honduran
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Honduran

It smells fairly light before the cut. Nothing to notable. The tip is sweetened and it tastes of pure sugar on the prelight taste.
The draw is a tiny bit loose and I can feel a few soft spots in the wrapper.
After the light but before the first draw I find the aroma very woody.
After a few draws I note a coffee taste. It is sweet but mainly because of the sweet cap. There is also an unidentifiable spice on the finish. I think that the aftertaste is better than the initial taste. The aftertaste to me seems a bit bitter though but only in comparison to the tip. If the sugar tip was not there then I think the smoke of the cigar could speak for itself.

Throughout, it is a mild cigar with a mostly coffee taste. The aftertaste is a slightly woodier version of the same. I have had a few issues with the burn. It tends to have runs and maybe a bit of canoeing.

As I gat to the 2/3 mark a harsh note develops. Most of the flavor remains though. The burn issues are consistent.

Burn: 7
Draw: 8
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 7
Appearance: 8
Feel: 8

Overall: 7.9

3 of 6 smoke rings.

I could see myself buying a box of these just to pass out to beginners or friends who don’t care what they smoke, or vanity smokers. I wouldn’t feel bad about it at all. Even is a seasoned smoker came by and saw them in my humi I wouldn’t feel bad. It’s an OK smoke. Nothing great, nothing horrible. Maybe more time in the humi would clear up the harshness. Iduno.

Free Cuba, again

6-15-07 been in humi since 5-11-06
Free Cuba Toro (6 x 60 )
Wrapper: Connecticut Windsor Shade
Filler: Cuban Seed Dominican Grown

The last time I reviewed this cigar was on 10-30-06. At the time the cigar had been in the humi for about 5 months. I gave it an 8.2
Now that the cigar has a year plus on it I’ll review it again.

The Pre-light aroma is very light. The wrapper is smooth and almost creamy. The draw is slightly nutty but also very light.

The cigar opens with a very mild cream and a hint of sweet. A touch of grass on the aftertaste. The draw is a tiny bit tight.

The cigar is quite mild, partially because of the mild nature of Connecticut Shade and partially because of the year of rest on it. I believe that this cigar was at its peak the last time I smoked one (6 months ago), but mainly because I like a stronger cigar. Don’t get me wrong there isn’t anything expressly wrong with it. There is no harshness there are limited burn issues and it’s a nice mellow cigar. This mellowing works against what I usually look for in a cigar.

About half way through a woody note develops. It is also mild. The rest of the cigar is about the same.

Burn: 9
Draw: 8
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 7
Construction: 8
Appearance: 8
Feel: 9

Overall: 8.1
3 of 6 smoke rings.

CAO Cx2

6-19-07 been in humi since11-10-06
CAO Cx2 Toro (6x54)
Wrapper: Cameroon
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaraguan, Columbian

The smell of this cigar before the light is strong and earthy.

Once lit a caramel like taste is noticed. IT tastes like caramel but isn’t very sweet at all. I wouldn’t even use the word sweet with this cigar. The amount of smoke it is putting out is very large and therefore very fun. There is a leather note hidden in there somewhere. The finish is leathery and a bit of spice-like coffee. The spice is definitely a black pepper.


An inch or so in the cigar has settled very nicely. It is medium in body. The caramel note has become less prevalent so the leather sticks out more. The aftertaste has not changed much but the spice is not as intense.

The aroma has a floral like quality to it. I would be impressed walking into a room where this cigar was being smoked.

After the halfway point a corrective light was needed. The burn had been a bit jagged but always corrected itself until this point.

A sweet warmth develops at the end of the cigar.

I found this cigar to fairly complex and very relaxing.

Burn: 8
Draw: 9
Taste: 10
Aftertaste: 8
Construction: 9
Appearance: 10
Feel: 9

Overall: 9.0

5 of 6 smoke rings.

CAO MX2

6-28-07 been in humi since 3-30-07
CAO MX2 Robusto (5 x 52)
Wrapper: Connecticut broadleaf Maduro.
Binder: Brazilian Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Peruvian, Dominican.

The cigar is very firm and the wrapper has a decent tooth to it. The smell if very light and the draw before the light is pretty much perfect.

The light is fairly easy even though it’s a 52 ring. The flavor starts out creamy earthy and sweet. The aftertaste is a bit on the leather side. The cigar is more on the mild side than I expected. As it settles from the light a cedar note develops and so does a hint of spice on the finish.
The burn is fairly uneven and a corrective light is needed even before the first ash.

Like most CAO cigars, this cigar puts out a ton of smoke.
At about the half way point the cigar seems to flatten out a bit. All the tastes are still there but they are muted slightly. It feels as if the cigar has relaxed. It stopped trying too hard and has started to be itself. It’s a good change.

As the cigar draws to an end it becomes sweeter and a bit more full.

Burn: 7 (not all relights/corrective lights are noted)
Draw: 10
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 9
Appearance: 9
Feel: 8

Overall: 8.7
4 of 6 rings (correct all of the burn issues and it would be a 5 of six)

7-3-07 (sorry about the late post) been in humi since 4-7-07
Sol Cubano Sumatra Torpedo. (6.5 x 52)
Wrapper: Sumatra
Filler: Nicaraguan

As strange as this sounds, I get a faint smell of mushrooms from this cigar. I swear there is no mold on it. It smells like mushrooms only in the earthy way, and very faint as if they were dried mushrooms.

The first few puffs are fairly light coffee and chocolate. The coffee is mostly on the aftertaste. IT has a strange bittersweet taste to it.

The finish does have a bit of white pepper on the back of the palate. I wouldn’t call it harshness” but if it got much stronger it could be called harsh.

I found the burn through out to be not great but not bad. Its uneven but enough to force a relight.

This cigar is a “steady Eddie” It is consistent from start to finish. It isn’t very complex but I could still relax to it. I don’t feel like I “have to taste it” I could see this being a great cigar for a lazy afternoon, or after your favorite sports team loses a game. You don’t want to break out the best cigars but you still want a decent smoke.

I’d buy em again.

Burn: 8
Draw: 9
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 8
Construction: 8
Appearance: 9
Feel: 8

Overall: 8.3

3 of 6 smoke rings. An average cigar.

CAO Black VR

8-1-07 been in humi since 4-30-07
CAO Black VR Full Fathom Five (5.5 x 55)
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro Arapiraca
Filler: Nicaraguan, Mexican
This dark chocolate brown candy bar-like box pressed cigar smells very earthy on rich. The rectangle box press feels a bit strange due to the “extremeness” of the press. The draw before the light is creamy and chocolaty.
The cigar starts out with a leathery punch with sweet and spicy undertones. The aroma is on the woody side. As the cigar settles down the leather dies out a bit and the sweet and spice become more dominant. A coffee flavor starts to come out.

The first ash fell very early and this confirms the thought that the food had been crushed a little at some point.

This cigar is rich and complex. Each puff has a few flavors. It starts with a sweet coffee flavor that quickly picks up a mild spice that reminds me of cinnamon and nutmeg. This fades to an earthy, woody finish.

The further down the cigar, the more coffee it becomes.

Besides the first ash the rest of the ash was an inch plus. I don’t think I had a single bun issue.

Burn: 9
Draw: 9
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 10
Construction: 8
Appearance: 9
Feel: 8

Overall: 8.9
4 smoke rings -- an above average cigar

8-8-07 been in humi since 7-19-07
Fonseca Habana Seleccion
Inrictos (6x50)
Wrapper: Cuban Criollo 98 seed Nicaraguan Gown
Binder: Cuban seed Nicaraguan grown.
Filler: Cuban seed Dominican grown Seco & Ligero

The first thing I notice about this cigar is that it has a velvety feel to it. It is also quite firm. The smell is light but the cap has a creamy spicy to it. The draw is the same but on a more coco scale.

The smoke initially has a robust taste to it that consists of what I would best describe as “dry” cola. It’s almost like a coke but not sweet. The aftertaste is a bit cinnamon but strangely without the heat. There is also a nutty taste on the finish that is slightly reminiscent of pecans.
As the cigar develops the spiciness opens up. The cola fades a bit and the nutty/pecan comes out more.

I am finding that this is a full body cigar with a medium amount of flavor. It isn’t the strongest cigar ever but it does pack a punch.

The burn is very uneven. The youth of this cigar (only in my humi for 3-4 weeks) may contribute to this as well as the RH. While smoking the outside humidity was 84% and storms were predicted for later.

Burn: 6
Draw: 9
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 8
Appearance: 8
Feel: 8

Overall: 8.2
3 of 6 smoke rings – an average cigar.

I was expecting more out of this cigar than I got. The “low” rating shows that the day has a lot to do with it. I read a few reviews after I smoked this and this same cigar was getting ratings in the low 90s (by more than one source). I have a few more and maybe the next on will be better. Ill put another review up should I smoke it with my notebook handy.

Camacho Liberty series 2006

9-11-07 been in humi since 8-23-06
Camacho Liberty series 2006 #6,766 of 40,000
In coffin box with factory seal intact.
6 inch figurado. The head is about 46 and the foot is about 40-43 with a max ring of about 50-52
Wrapper: Cameroon
Filler: Secret blend including Pelo de Oro Cuban Tobacco.

The cigar has a very rich tobacco smell to it. The feel is oily on both the hands and the lips. There is a small crack near the cap that is exacerbated by the cut. This makes the draw a bit airy but not unsmokable.
The first few puffs are rich and round and sweet. it is sweet in a way that most cigars are not. There is a very light spice. There is a round earthieness to it with a slight spicy leather to the finish. It’s a fairly strong cigar but not overwhelmingly so. There is a slight bitter note on the finish that im not sure I like. As the cigar goes through the thickest part it becomes more round and robust but the flavor profile is about the same.
The burn is not 100% even but it isn’t bad and no relights were needed. The ash falls at 1- 1 ½ inch intervals.
Though there was a crack in it initially, it did not cause many problems, if any. I would have nubbed it but the last inch or so it unraveled.
Burn time: about 1hour 35 min
Burn: 9
Draw: 8 it would have been better but the crack brought it down.
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 7
Construction: 9
Appearance: 9 it looked great and so did the coffin box presentation.
Feel: 10
Overall: 8.7
4 of 6 rings-- an above average cigar

I picked this cigar for this day for a reason.
Last week I was landscaping my yard. I did not have time for a cigar. Yesterday was my one year anniversary with my wife. I wanted something special. Only after I lit this cigar up did I realize that it was the 6th year anniversary of the terror attacks. This makes the Liberty a very fitting cigar for the day. I sat on my front porch looking at my newly beautiful front yard smoking this cigar listening to the tributes to those who died six years ago and then to Rush Limbaugh. It made me think of how far we have come and how we, as Americans can make it through anything even when times are tough. It is only appropriate that I smoke a Camacho liberty to salute the soldiers still fighting for liberty here and overseas. Though I know that there are few military members that will actually read this review, I would like to take the time now to thank you for keeping our great nation safe during these past six years. May your string of success continue on here and abroad.

9-18-07 Been in humi since 7-19-07
Punch Gran Puro Rancho ( 5.5 x 54 )
Wrapper: Honduran, Sun-grown, Havanna seed
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran


The smell is on the sweeter side and a bit woody.
The wrapper has an oily feel to it and has some tooth to it. It is a very firm cigar.
Cut with a punch. The draw is perfect. ( not hard but a good amount of resistance) the taste on the draw is nutty and a unsweetened chocolate.

The first puffs bring a slightly woody taste to it. There is a coffee note to it as well. The aroma has a warm tone to it.

By about an inch in the coffee note disappears and all that is left is a woody nutty taste with an earthy finish. It is very smooth. Not a single hint of harshness. When the smoke is held and swirled in the mouth for an extended period of time an cinnamon like spice is noticed, but it doesn’t linger. The smoke is thick in the mouth and is creamy in texture but not in taste.
The more cigar that is smoked the more cinnamon is in the forefront. At about the half way point a clove taste develops on the finish. It is very mild.

The burn throughout is perfect and there is a large amount of smoke. Both of these points make it a very good cigar to smoke on a daily basis.

Burn: 10
Draw: 10
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 8
Construction: 9
Appearance: 8.5
Feel: 8

Overall: 8.8
4 of 6 smoke rings -- an above average cigar