Black Band Cigar 'A', aka Camacho Connecticut

Yes, it seemed like an eternity for some of us, but here they are:



I'm not crazy about shade-grown Connecticut wrappers. I'm just not entranced by the sweet hay flavor that I get from them most of the time. Also, many blends that sport a shade-grown wrapper tend to be fairly mild, and some downright bland.

On the other hand, I have grown to love most of Camacho's cigars. Never shy, and most often bold, the Eiroa blending philosophy has tended to suit my palate well. So, when I heard that Camacho was doing a Connecticut shade wrapped cigar, I was willing to entertain the notion. Camacho with a shade-grown wrapper? Some influence from the recent Davidoff acquisition?



The tawny, shade-grown Connecticut wrapper had a couple obvious veins and gave a mild hay aroma with peppery spice on the lips. After cutting the cap, the draw was fairly free. While smoking the cigar had a fairly sharp burn line and mildly flaky silver ash. It seemed like the cigar burned a bit faster than other Camacho offerings, and then dropped ash after an inch and a half.

The initial puffs brought leather and hay flavors, with a present spice for the sinuses. Started medium, but pulled back to mild after the first inch. Occasional puffs brought a medium-bodied hay/leather flavor, but mostly mild, and the spice tailed off as well. The hay flavor was occasionally grassy.

To compare, Camacho's Connecticut seems a little milder and less earthy than Oliva's recent Connecticut release. Connecticut is till not my preference, but the blend had flavor, for those who like the grassier flavor profile. I imagine that it suits Mr. Coffee and Scones just fine.

Alec Bradley Ovation Maduro

Alec Bradley Ovation maduro baron/robusto
$3.50, Size: 5", Ring: 54
Brazilian maduro wrapper, Mexican binder, Nicaraguan and Costa Rican fillers.

Under the ownership of Alec Bradley, Ovation seems to be an older sibling of the current Trilogy brand. Being a little fatter than its newer brethren, and not being listed on Alec Bradley's new website, I dare say this cigar won't be available too much longer, and only then on CBid. But, onto the cigar...

The Brazilian maduro wrapper was a medium chocolate color, had a smooth, matte texture with a faint gloss, and had wispery veins. I was impressed with the craftsmanship of the cap, as it was impeccably cut and applied. Getting more physical with it, the cigar felt nicely packed, and had a draw with noticeable resistance, but didn't feel outright tight. Once lit, the cigar burned pretty straight and held a good inch and a half of silvery ash.

After toasting the foot, the first half inch was extremely mild, with only a light tobacco flavor. Getting to an inch in, the flavor came in as a toasty nut, and as the second inch fumed away, a more present, leathery flavor joined in. Halfway through, a mild pepper flavor started lingering on the palate, and then strengthened with the leather . A dark, wood flavor bobbed in and out as well, while the pepper stayed strong to the finish. Not counting the first inch, I'd say the Ovation was close to medium bodied.

Although it is a slow starter, the Ovation maduro has some nice flavor to it, and is a worthy smoke. While supplies last, that is.

Cuesta Rey Centenario No. 5

Cuesta Rey Centenario No. 5
$4, Size: 5.5", Ring: 43
USA Connecticut wrapper, Dominican binder and filler.

Another cigar I got in a trade, the Centenario no. 5 is rolled at the A. Fuente facilities in the Dominican Republic.

The tawny gold Connecticut wrapper was fairly veiny, and with a texture between glossy and toothy. It also seemed thin and a little flaky when dry. To the touch, the cigar feel very packed, and the draw was restrained, suggesting a tight rolling job.

As the smoking commenced, the Centenario burned fairly straight, holding ash for a bit over an inch. The tight draw stayed that way to the end, while the fillers had swollen enough to split the wrapper in the last third of the cigar. Still, I would venture to guess that the construction issues may be isolated to this single cigar, or the storage or smoking conditions.

Centenario came alive with mellow and toasty flavors of tobacco with sweet cedar and a hint of nuts. After an inch fumed away, a mild pepper flavor came in the finish, but never jumped into the fore. It seemed to dovetail nicely with my coffee. While the overall body of the cigar never got near medium, I'd call it 'present' to denote middle ground between mild and medium.

Like the Casa Toraño, Cuesta Rey's Centenario line proves that mild flavors aren't necessarily missing flavors.

Carlos Toraño Casa Toraño

Carlos Toraño Casa Toraño robusto
$5.00, Size: 5", Ring: 50
Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and Honduran, Nicaraguan and mixed Central American tobacco fillers.

A popular internet cigar dealer recently had a special deal on a Toraño sampler, so an associate and I jumped on the deal. Really, better than a horse's head in your bed, 20 Toraño cigars for only $56 is an offer too good to refuse.

So, I took my share of the booty, put most of the cigars in my top-shelf humidor. I threw this Casa Toraño robusto into the dry box to smoke as soon as I wanted.

Overall, the construction of the cigar was nigh flawless. The wrapper was a pale gold, smooth, slightly oily, and with few distracting veins. Squeezing the cigar yielded the impression of a substantial amount of tobacco, well rolled, and the draw was easy without being too loose. While smoking, the cigar burned straight and true, with a silvery ash clinging for over an inch. It was an effortless smoke.

The flavors were smooth, mild and pleasant, of toast and nuts. Midway, a mild, white pepper flavor came in, and got stronger near the tingly finish. The smoke itself was generous and creamy.

Sure, you can get mild cigars that may cost half of what you'd pay for a Casa Toraño, but you won't get the quality. Though I'm more partial to maduro cigars with a little more body, this cigar was a pleasure to smoke. And after all, isn't that why we do it?

Cigar Jack tackled the Casa Toraño robusto in May 2007, and found it pleasant as well.

Oliva Serie G Maduro

Oliva Serie G maduro bellicoso
$3.50 (B&M), Size: 5", Ring: 52
Cameroon wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and fillers

I got together with some colleagues for a "city limits" mini-herf, gathering at a pub just beyond the reach of the city's smoking ban. I brought a couple goodies, including this Oliva Serie G and a Gurkha Grand Age (below). I had yet to smoke anything by Oliva, so the Serie G seemed a good place to start.

The Serie G's maduro Cameroon wrapper was dark, smooth, glossy, and had an aroma of cocoa and nut. Box pressed into a squarish presentation, the wrapper seemed supple enough to stand a little pressure, and felt nicely packed.

After nipping the cap, a cold draw found flavors of cocoa and leather. The draw was mildly restrained, but not terribly tight, so the rollers seemed to have done a good job. The silvery white ash, dropping after an inch, and fairly straight burn also attested to the decent construction.

Once the foot started glowing, the smoke had a mild body, with toast and nut flavors to start. Father in, hints of sweet cedar, still mild, appeared. Near the mid point, a leathery flavor established itself. Cedar and leather flavors strengthened to become almost medium-bodied in last third. I didn't notice any pronounced sharp or spicy flavors, just mellow, rounded ones.

Oliva's Serie G maduro is a pleasant mild-medium cigar. I'm going to scrounge a few more for safe keeping.

5 Vegas Gold

5 Vegas Gold robusto
$9/ 5 pk., Size: 5", Ring: 52
Honduran Connecticut shade wrapper, Honduran binder, Honduran and Nicaraguan cuban-seed fillers.

We are in the midst of a season of gifts, and the most famous of Christmas gifts were the first recorded of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. So, to celebrate, I pulled a 5 Vegas Gold from the humidor.

Gold is rolled for 5 Vegas in Danli, Honduras, under the aegis of Nestor Plasencia. The Honduran cuban-seed filler is aged 5 years before being enrobed in the Honduran Connecticut shade-grown wrapper, and the results are well worth the care.

The Connecticut wrapper is smooth and sturdy, with few veins, and has a nice toasty aroma to it. After punching the cap, I tried the draw and found it to be a little loose. I'll just have to restrain my enthusiasm while herfing it, that's all. While smoking, the ash was white and fairly solid, dropping after little more than an inch.

Once lit, the taste is a mild, toasty nut body, with a light spice, and that flavor is fairly consistent to the end. While not full of bold and complex flavors, this was still a pleasure to smoke. The taste was reminiscent of the main body of the Occidental Reserve Double Broadleaf, which is my favorite, This is surprising when looking at the disparate origins of the tobaccos of the two cigars.

5 Vegas have made a nice mild-mannered cigar with a pleasant taste. The Gold is like a long-time golfing pal who gives you a 1 foot putt, despite the fact that you're four strokes up on him. That indeed is a precious gift.

Here's Stogie Review's take on the 5 Vegas Gold.