That Long Night I Spent With LFD Chapter One Cigar

 

 

Just because you like one of the boys in a family doesn't mean all the brothers have the same character. But I had to have a little fling with each to determine which got my attention ... It's the journey  of the discovery that turns me on the most.

I was intrigued with the La Flor Dominicana Chapter One because of my infatuation with the LFD Lingero & then my discovery of the Double Lingero. An attractive       6 1/2 x 58 Chisel box-pressed construction, the Chapter One sports a Brazilian Oscuro wrapper, with Connecticut Broadleaf binder with Dominican filler. I've seen others say the retail price is $10, but I paid $13 at a Staten Island lounge. 

 

My first reaction to this cigar was "POW" this baby packs a punch. The entire first inch has an incredible strong, full bodied powerhouse of tobacco strength with a prominent spicy red pepper punch. Even the wrapper leaves a spicy flavor on my lips. I started to think the cigar had a touch of harshness to it when i detected a scratchy smokey feeling sitting in the back of my throat. This peppery flavor stays with the cigar through half way, then practically disappears, and with it, the profile changes from full to medium. 

What emerges is earth and a little grassiness. Then all of a sudden a sour taste comes forward, but only lasts a few puffs. About 2/3s in I'm able to taste notes of coffee, cream and nuts intermingling with the underlying earthiness. Another pop of pepper emerges and then dissipates quickly and the cigar smoothes out to a delicious creamy tasty stick that I don't want to stop smoking.

 

I smoked a second cigar, this time with 15 year Rum which smartly stood up to the full character throughout the first half of the stick.  I was able to enjoy the rich flavors that complimented the rum & brought out a burnt sugar flavor. During the second half, I smoked the Chapter One with a Kona coffee that beautifully complimented the medium bodied flavor bringing out a mocha flavor I didn't detect the day before. 

 

Chapter One produces lots of smoke & has the most delicious aroma in a cigar. I enjoyed smelling the smoke a little more than  I enjoyed smoking this stick in the beginning. This is a long smoke. It burns slowly giving me lots of time to get to know this cigar, one puff at a time. 

For more information about all of La Flor Dominicana Cigars, go to: http://www.laflordominicana.com/

Wishing you long ashes -- The Robusto Cigar Babe

Chat with me on Twitter @RobustoBabe
& Share your pics with me on Instagram #RobustoCigarBabe

Tell Them "Monte" Sent You ... Montecristo Monte Cigar

So, I have to admit, I really like to get suggestions from older guys who have been smoking for a long time. I love to go into cigar lounges in the late afternoon, go pick out my cigar, and settle down and watch the boyz smoke.

Yes, they ask me all the time, "if I'm buying the cigar for my father, husband, boss ... " and they are equally inquisitive when I sit down, pull out my Montecristo cutter, my own torch and light up. Their eyes are fixed on the band and me drawing in on the smoke. I think I even giggle a little when they tell me, "gee you have good taste." Because I do.

So, from hanging out with older guys in the afternoons between business meetings or younger guys on Saturday nights, everyone wants to give you a tip. I enjoy talking and asking questions about their favorite smokes (as my Twitter followers will attest) -- I just want to know what types of cigars people enjoy and why.

After spending a little time last week at my local place and sharing my favorite new cigars and why, a few of the older gentlemen told me that if I like a medium cigar with notes of flavor I HAVE to try the Montecristo Monte. So, I did. And ... well ... it had the smoothness of what you'd come to expect from this premium brand. It is well-constructed. The band is really attractive, with big letters. It looked "modern" if that is possible for a traditional brand. It features two binders: Dominican Olor and Nicaraguan Corojo - which are two of my favorites and it came box-pressed.

But, I must admit, it didn't have the complex flavor notes that I've come to enjoy from other cigar brands. It had two or three distinctive notes -- creamy slightly sweet smoke, with a little sour taste that sat on the middle of my mouth through the first 1/3 of the cigar with a healthy woodsy flavor. Then, 2/3 in, the flavor profiles disappeared a bit and the cigar was a bit too bland for my tastes. I know, some people will tell me that is called "smoothness" but I prefer a little more dimension during the middle of my smoking time. Then, all of a sudden, in the last 1/3 the cigar became stronger with more pronounced woodsy cedar notes that I really ended up liking in the end.

Would I buy it again? Maybe. It might be something I'd consider smoking with a dessert or sweeter wine. I was drinking a caramel latte with my Monte and the pairing seemed to enjoy the company.  If you are a daily smoker and you want to add a smoother cigar into your rotation, then yes, try it ... and tell me what you like about it.

Life is too short to smoke bad cigars ... enjoy the Monte my friends and thanks for stopping by to read about my cigar explorations ...


~ The Robusto Cigar Babe
Interact with me on Twitter: @RobustoBabe
& Come see my photos on Instagram: @RobustoCigarBabe

My Fling With a La Jugada Habano Cigar

In one of my other blog posts, i wrote about not making snap judgements about a brand because the cigar fell apart or didnt burn evenly. I'm glad i took my own advice and tried the La Jugada Habano again.  However, this wasn't love at first puff ... but, in any relationship, sometimes you gotta give a little. 

The cigar has a nice appearance with a strong pre-lit  tobacco and pepper scent. The first puffs yielded a very strong, powerful, full profile. If you know anything about me, I enjoy a medium plus multidimensional smoke. The Habano had a very spicy, strong tobacco, earthy flavor with some sour notes that i immediately didn't enjoy. I smoked a bit more through the first 1/4 and almost snuffed this one out. 

There was lots of smoke, thick, full flavor.  The ash stayed on during the first 1/3. But when the ash fell, WOW, what a change in the flavor profile ! 

 

The 2/3 profile changed to medium, earthy, pepper was in background but an overwhelming sweet flavor emerged. The sweetness was present on my lips & in my mouth with another dimension of flavor similar to cloves or ginger ( think pumpkin pie spice) . 

These flavors stayed throughout the remainder of the cigar till the end when a roasted almond flavor appeared and balanced the cigar nicely. 

I'm surprised at my enjoyment of this cigar, considering the rocky relationship we had in the beginning. But overall, when it came down to it, I didn't want this little bit of love to end. I was sitting outside as the sun was setting and an Autumn chill was developing -- but i didn't want to put down my Habano. It was THAT good. Burnt Fingers all the way here.

I'd like to smoke this cigar again with a pumpkin ale, a spiced rum, cinnamon coffee or amaretto as  I believe it would compliment the smoking experience in a beautiful way. I suggest you try it out for yourself & let me know what you think --

Catch me on twitter: @robustobabe 

Check out the La Jugada cigars @moyaruizcigars

 

I Went Looking For A Macanudo Cigar

I went looking for Macanudo Vintage 1997 cigar and found instead the Macanudo Maduro, which was 5½-inches long and had a ring size of 42. It is a slender cigar, so it is a little easier for a woman to smoke -- we usually have smaller mouths.

I'm always surprised when a woman asks me to help them find a mild cigar. My first question is always, "why mild?"  The first cigar I ever tried was medium to full -- and it was even better when I found a Maduro version. Ladies, please don't be afraid of the dark wrapper -- this could be the one that lures you into smoking Maduros. This cigar had a slightly sweet on the lips flavor with notes of roasted nuts that sits in the middle of your mouth throughout.

This Macanudo lists as a mild to medium cigar, and for the first 2/3s of the stick, I completely agree. The construction was nice, it lit easily, didn't need relighting and burned consistently throughout the experience. The last part of the cigar turned very rough -- not so much a full bodied smoke -- but actually producing a bitter aftertaste. 

All in all the Macanudo Maduro could be a good morning or after lunch smoke for the Maduro cigar lover.  I would smoke it again, but it wasn't what I fully expected from the manufacturer. 

 

Before writing this review I smoked a second cigar with a freshly brewed pumpkin spice coffee. While most people know that coffee compliments cigars nicely, what I enjoyed about this spiced coffee is that the cigar drew out the nutmeg out of the coffee and the drink complimented the slightly sweet nutty characteristics of cigar. So you can see, the cigar could be a nice addition to your morning coffee -- especially on a lazy Sunday in Autumn.

*Note: a portion of this review was originally published on Cigar Tipsters. I recommend you check out their other cigar reviews too:

http://www.cigartipsters.com