Kuzi's Cigar Catalog

me too!
work has been killin me. yesterday, for example, i was at work for 19.5 hours. that is one long day. a few minutes ago i woke up. a few hours from now i go back for another 10-12 hour shift.

nothing i hate more than when cigars get put on the back burner.

Carlos Tortano Virtuoso

10-15-07 Been in humi since 7-19-07
Carlos Tortano Virtuoso Encore
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Panama.

This cigar has a dark wrapper that has a fair amount of sheen to it. There are also to dominant veins on either side of the cigar. It has a rich smell to it. The lick on the capis very light and has a slightly woody taste to it. Think Birch.

The draw test shows that the draw is a bit on the easy side. IT isn’t to the point of annoyance though. The unlit draw has a very classic tobacco taste to it.

Once lit a woody espresso taste is present. There is a spice on the finish that has hints of black pepper. While the smoke is in the mouth there is a birchy/cola taste. When exhaled, a coffee and black pepper flavor comes out. The finish is long, almost too long.

An inch or so in the ash is holding on strong and the burn is even. A note of harshness has developed. I have had this cigar before and have never tasted this in any of them. I will now make an effort to slow down even more. It tastes like it is burning hot/dry.

Once slowed/cooled, a sweeter chocolaty flavor seems to come out and the harshness is pretty much gone.

The cigar builds a bit to the mid point where it picks up a bit of a tang.

Towards the end of the cigar the coffee and black pepper warms a bit and becomes stronger. The aftertaste is now stronger than the initial taste. Its time to stop smoking this one…

Burn: 10
Draw: 8
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 8
Construction: 10
Appearance: 8
Feel: 7*

Overall: 8.4
4/6 – an above average cigar



* the feel of this cigar was unimpressive. Out of the handful of virtuoso that I have had this is the only one that was a “bad apple.” Certain cigar, certain day.

comming soon:

review of opusX perfection C no 4

:shock:

yours will be better than the one i reviewed. I can almost promise you that.

Arturo Fuente OpusX

10-17-07 been in humi since 12-7-06

Arturo Fuente OpusX Perfection No. 4 (5.1 x 42)
Wrapper: Dominican
Filler: Dominican
Binder: Dominican

I went into this cigar/review with much skepticism. This is my first OpusX I have smoked ever. (I have a few, but I was waiting for a good reason. A promotion is a good enough reason for me.) This cigar comes with a lot of hype. It was hard for me to find things out about this cigar (its history, what the name is since it isn’t printed on the cello) without being bombarded with how awesome it supposedly is. That being said, I went out of my way to be hyper critical about this cigar. Usually I look for the best. This time I was determined to look for the worst and give it a fair, hype-free review. In a way I had hopes of giving it a bad review just so I could say it wasn’t all it’s said to be and my tastes were better than other well known reviewers.
Yes, I’m that kind of jerk.

This cigar is cedar wrapped and then wrapped in cellophane with the words “Fuente Fuente OpusX” printed in gold running down the front of the cigar. I peeled back the tape holding the cedar and the red band (ribbon) at the foot. As I took off the cedar I am pleasantly surprised with a healthy amount of BLOOM!! That’s right, BLOOM. Wait… one more time: BLOOM. Tiny crystalline sparkly bits running all up and down the shaft of the cigar.
Besides the BLOOM (I had to say it again) the cigar is solid from head to foot. Not a single squishy, soft, or uneven spot over the entire cigar. The Bouquet is a bit lighter and sweeter than I expected.

When I licked the cap before the cut I get a very light hint of white pepper. Besides that, there is very little unlit/uncut taste. I cut into it with my punch. Since I usually smoke a larger ring gauge my punch cutter is almost too big. I center it the best I can and it seems to work out perfectly. I don’t feel like ruining a rare and hard to find cigar.

I do a draw test. The draw is perfect and has a fair amount of dark chocolate earthiness to it.

The light is quick because of the smaller ring gauge (42). From the moment it is going, it puts out a ton of smoke.

The initial taste is earthy, leathery, and chocolaty all at the same time. The aftertaste is mostly rich earth. There is a “freshness” to it. Its not the cigar tastes like it was just rolled, it’s that the flavor is of “fresh earth” not “old earth.” The finish finishes in stages. First the leather and chocolate dissipates leaving the earth behind. The earth then fades leaving a slightly peppery taste to it with a hint of leather again. Even that fades at the perfect time.

By an inch or so in a rich toastiness emerges and the aroma can only be described as “exquisite”

There is a balance to this cigar that is not often seen. Though the taste is different than the Gurkha Centurion, 5 Vegas Limitada, or any Ashton, the balance is on par with these other well loved cigars (if not better than).

In general terms, if you can think of a positive adjective to describe the flavor of a cigar then it probably describes this cigar. (Here is my short list: Full, Rich, Robust, Round, Balanced, complex, smooth, creamy, and toasty.) In short, if it’s a positive adjective about a cigar and it’s in your head, this cigar is. (Unless that adjective is “Cuban.” …Because it’s not…Cuban.)

Every now and then I get a floral note.

It burns slowly. This makes me happy, mainly because the cigar will last longer that way. This slow burn also keeps it cool. Part of the reason why it burns slow is because I am smoking slow. I’m smoking slowly because it is a full bodied cigar-- not diploma strong, but strong none the less.

Speaking of the burn, it isn’t very even. It isn’t very detrimental to the overall experience, but a corrective light or two has been needed.

By about half way through, I’m getting a cedar note in the aroma and in the flavor. I’m not sure when it really started because it is subtle, but it’s very fitting. A very light orange-like taste can be noticed. It isn’t “orange” but has an impression of orange. It’s like you ate an orange an hour ago and still have that “feeling” left over. Its “impressionist orange” – and it brings out a subtle sweetness.

By the last inch or so the cigar seems to peak, tons of smoke and fullness. The full body helps to slow the smoking and still gives you that mild “cigar buzz.” It’s a light cigar buzz because of how slow the smoking goes. Also at this point the leather is the predominant flavor.

This is one complex cigar. This exceeds my expectations of what a good cigar should be.

Smoked to the nub/burn

Burn: 8
Draw: 10
Taste: 9.5
Aftertaste: 10
Construction: 9
Appearance: 10
Feel: 10 (I haven’t felt this good about a cigar in a long time—maybe ever)

Overall: 9.5
6 of 6 smoke rings -- a "classic" cigar or one destined to become a classic

In the words of Vince:

vince said:

dammmmmm

Click to expand...

Hatchetman said:

golfcigarjunkie said:

Man I thought I was right there with you! Nice Review

Click to expand...

No doubt....I just might use this as one of my daughters bedtime stories.

Wait, better yet, have her read it to me.

....nicely done.

Click to expand...

it lacks a bit in plot.

I always wanted to do a review of the hemingway short story and write the review into a short story (1 - 2 pages)

just a thought.

...now i just gotta get my hands on some short stories.

12-13-07 been in humi since 11- 13- 06

Montecristo Platinum Toro (6 x 50)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian*
Binder: Mexican*
Filler: Dominican*

*This cigar is still in the cello. However, there is no secondary band. When I went to look up this cigar I found pictures of the band I have with a secondary band that read “vintage 1999” I also found that there are two different descriptions of the wrapper, binder and filler. The one listed above was Cigar.com http://www.cigar.com/cigars/viewcigar.asp?brand=136
The one I found at Cigar International was as follows:

Wrapper: Mexican grown Cuban Seed
Filler: Dominican, Peruvian, Nicaraguan.
http://www.cigarsinternational.com/prod ... -8MA&cat=3
Both sites show the same picture. This is why there is an asterisk next to the wrapper, binder, and filler.

The cello was not yellowed in any way, even though the cigar had been in the humi for over a year. I guess this shouldn’t be a surprise because the wrappers color is fairly light.

The smell is also light before the light. I get the impressions of raisins. The lick before the cut has a tiny bit of pepper to it and maybe a bit of mushroom. (No there is no mold on it) 8)
I cut with a punch and the draw test shows it to be ever so slightly tight. It’s just a hair tighter than I usually like but I don’t for see this as being an issue. The taste on that draw is earthy and chocolaty.

The first thing I notice after the light is the amount of smoke – tons of it.
The smoke is rich in the mouth and there is a creamy texture to it. The initial flavor is fairly earthy with a cream after taste. I’m not sure how many of you folks reading this have made your own whipped cream at home, but if you have and you didn’t add quite enough sugar, this is the aftertaste. The cigar is starting off fairly mild. If I had never read anything about it I would say that it is a mild in body cigar after only 4 or 5 puffs.

When the first ash falls at about an inch in, the flavor is of earth and a scorched chocolate, but in a good way. There is not even a hint of harshness. There is however a hint of white pepper on the finish. The burn is not perfect but it isn’t bad. Uneven, but no relight.

By the mid point it has finally built to the medium body it was touted to be. The flavor is a rounder version of the above stated flavor profile. The finish is a bit on the short side but its good. If it were any longer than it is I think it could detract from the experience. The white pepper is a bit more prominent but not spicy or overpowering in any way. This is what is keeping the short finish interesting.

With about a third left a subtle sweetness is hinted at.

This is how the cigar lives out the rest of its life.


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

Overall: 8.7
4 smoke rings -- an above average cigar
Somehow I left this cigar feeling like there should have been more to it. 8.7 And 4 out of 6 isn’t a bad score, I just thought it would be better.
Oh well.

I have always thought of this as a collection of reviews for the beginning cigar smoker, mainly because I AM a beginning cigar smoker. This is my 1445th post, I’m on my 7th page of reviews (48 reviews to this point), and have been a part of this forum since April 7th 2006. I have smoked hundreds of cigars of the past few years. Some may argue that I am no longer a “beginner.”

I am young. 27 to be exact. I only took up the hobby a 3 or so years ago. My first humidor was only a few weeks before I joined this forum. I had a few sticks in my (at the time) girlfriend’s (now wife’s) father’s humidor. (300ct) I now have 3 humidors and hardly any room in them… with some sticks on the way. But I still have a lot to learn. Every day as I read this forum I learn something. I read the reviews of Chris or Tim or some of the other seasoned smokers and I’m amazed that I have not even heard of some of the brands they have. It amazes me how in tune with the cigar world they are. In this light, I am still a beginner, but I’m working on it.

This is where this miniature essay comes in. I am going to do my first review of a Cuban cigar. In fact, this is the first time I have smoked a Cuban puro. I have smoked Cuban tobacco that was mixed with other tobacco in several cigars, but never a pure Cuban.

Thursday was "the big day." What’s the occasion? Its Thursday.

I have the review done, but work has kept me from posting it. (i do them by hand then type them out later)
I hope i can get you all the review of this "landmark" in my cigar career soon.

Diplomaticos No. 4

Sorry for the “late” review
12-20-07 been in humi since 2-24-07
Diplomaticos No. 4 (5 x 42)

Wrapper: Cuban
Binder: Cuban
Filler: Cuban

The cigar looks kinda nice. It’s a smooth medium brown wrapper lightly veined and has a slight tooth to it. It has a small amount of squish to it, mostly at the foot.
It smells like humid earth and there is a creamy texture to the lick before the cut. Cut with a punch. The draw is perfect. It is earthy and a bit nutty with the classic tobacco taste.

The light is easy and the first few puffs have a sweet nuttiness to it. The after taste is a sharp moist earth, almost mossy. There is a hint of spice on the tongue.

The foot is not burning evenly initially. I’m sure it is because of the “squish”
When not puffing, there is so little smoke that it looks almost like it has gone out. When puffed upon there is an amazing amount of smoke to it. It makes you feel that you aren’t wasting smoke.

A corrective light is needed before the first ash.
Once past the squishy part the foot burns more evenly.
The aroma is light considering the amount of flavor. I would say that at this point the cigar is medium in body, maybe edging to the strong side but definitely full on flavor.

At about the mid point the cigar is nutty and leathery. The earth flavor has faded. A bit of spice is still on the initial taste but it fades quickly. The burn is uneven again. It seems that one side always burns faster.
As the cigar progresses from there the burn gets better but not by much. The flavor remains much of the same. It’s a fairly simple cigar but good nonetheless.


Burn: 7
Draw: 10
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 7 (most of the problems come from the crush)
Appearance: 9
Feel: 9
Overall: 8.4
3 smoke rings -- an average cigar

I’m slightly disappointed by this cigar, but I have to remember that with any product there are different levels of quality. I can get French wine that tastes bad, much like I can get Cuban cigars that taste bad. I’m not saying this is a bad cigar; it just doesn’t live up the hype of “Cuban” cigars.

it was in my humi for about 10 months. I dont remember who gave it to me so i dont even know to ask if they remember how long it was in their humi.