Graycliff G2 Pirate Review

Wrapper: Ecuadorian

Filler: Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, Filipino

Price: ~$5.00

Well as most of you know, today is Halloween. I help a little contest on one of the forums that I frequent to get a little bit of a contest going. I went through my “Coming Soon” list to pick out the ones that had some sort of connection to Halloween, either with the name of the cigar, or the size. So after about 6 hours of voting, the Graycliff G2 Pirate won. “Pirate” is the size of the cigar, but I was reaching out for something.

This cigar looks pretty good. The light brown wrapper is very smooth with only a couple very thin veins throughout it. The only flaw that I noticed with the wrapper were a couple water spots, but that really doesn’t give me a bad impression. The stick is very solid with a slightly softer foot. The cap is a little rough, not as flush as I would have liked to see. The cigar gives off a very earthy and cedar-like smell. The torpedo cap cut very clean and was very easy to light.

The flavor was robust right off of the light. There was some strong earth and nutty flavors that jumped out immediately. Shortly into the stick, there was a little bit of spice that formed. The spice wasn’t strong, but it was a nice compliment to the earthy tones. The wood notes pick up about an inch in. The spice that is there actually mellows out and allows the earth to pick up.

Bolivar Gold Medal Review

At least the weather prior to yesterday was nice. It gave me the perfect time to do a few reviews since the weather was going to be so bad this weekend. Yesterday was a great 33 degrees and full of winter weather, not quite the ideal weather for doing a review. I can handle reviewing in the cold, but getting hit with and ice, snow and rain mix isn’t the best time.

Well on Friday I review this cigar. The gold wrap on it covering the cap makes this cigar appear very elegant. This is the first thing that I noticed, Once I took it off, the light brown wrapper was flawless. There was not a single vein or a spot of a different shade. The cap was multiple layers and flush. The only flaw that I saw was on the foot. There was a slight crack in the wrapper and binder. Overall this cigar was solid. The cigar cut clean and lit with ease.

Upon lighting this cigar I noticed the very light and earthy flavors. There was a good amount of woody notes, especially a sweet cedar undertone. This flavor stayed very consistent for the first couple inches. The earthy notes were very strong, but that sweetness of the cedar made the flavor profile very nice. A couple inches in, there was a mild spice that came out to compliment the earthy tones. Just shy of the halfway point, there was a feint chocolate note in the background.

Viaje Skull and Bones Review

Wrapper: Sun Grown Criollo

Filler: Nicaraguan

Price: $9.00 - $10.00 

When I first looked at this cigar, it didn’t look like much. But, I was warned not to judge it by its looks. I was told not to smoke it on an empty stomach because of its sheer power.  So I did exactly the opposite. I woke up early Sunday morning, around 7 am, and went out back and lit this cigar up. Yes, I smoked this cigar without eating or drinking anything first. And just so you know ahead of time, that wasn’t smart.

The cigar is very visually appealing. The dark wrapper is completely flawless. There are no veins throughout the entire wrapper. This is also the first cigar I have ever seen that is capped on both ends. Both are completely flush too. This cigar is ridiculously solid without a single soft spot in it. The cigar smells very earthy and very spicy.

Lars Tetens Bellator Review

Wrapper: Pennsylvania Broadleaf

Filler: Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina

Price: $40

A couple weeks ago there was a “Grand Opening” even at the new cigar shop by my house, The Smoking Dog. During the opening weekend they had the area representatives for Lars Tetens in the shop. Well I got to talking with the reps and they suggested I review this cigar. After finding out a little about this stick, I learned it had a massive $40 price tag. So, for the record, this is the most expensive cigar that I have ever smoked.

This cigar is massive 6” x 60. The wrapper is a couple shades of brown, but that is what you get with the Pennsylvania broadleaf. The cigar itself is a little soft, not as solid as I expected. There are no veins throughout the entire wrapper. The cap is also perfectly flush. The cigar gives off a very strong smell. There is a strong black cherry aroma. The cigar cut very clean and was very easy to light.

When I first lit up this cigar, I didn’t know what to expect. I was hit with a great amount of earth as well as a faint black cherry flavor. There is a little spice that comes out after a few puffs, and the spice eventually stains the lips. About an inch into this cigar, the spice picks up a bit more. There is a little bit of sweetness compliments the spice nicely. The remainder of the first half of this cigar is full of earthy notes and nice wood notes.

Savinelli 20th Anniversary Review

Wrapper: Sun-Grown Ecuadorian Habano

Filler: Vintage Nicaraguan

Price: $10.00

A couple weeks back there was a post on one of the cigar websites that I use. The person who was running the contest was giving out samples from this company. I got a couple of cigars to review. Up until that contest, I had never heard about this company. But I was interested to see just how these cigars are. So I woke up bright and earthy this Saturday and went out back to give this one a try.

The wrapper is a medium shade of brown with no thick veins throughout it. The cigar is very solid from cap to foot. There is not a single soft or spongy spot in the cigar. The construction appears flawless. The cap is perfectly flush and cut very clean. The cigar gives off a sweet and earthy smell. This cigar lit almost effortlessly.

Cain Daytona Torpedo Review

Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano

Filler: Nicaraguan Ligero

Price: $7.00

In the past couple months I have been smoking my fair share of Cain cigars. Ever since I was turned on to the Oliva Serie V, I wanted to find comparable cigars. Since the Cain line is made by Oliva, I figured I would look there first. After smoking several different Cains, I found myself liking just about all of them for different reasons. When I came across the Daytona, I didn’t know what to expect. So I figured I would review it.

The wrapper is a light to medium shade of brown with no thick veins throughout it. There were a couple thin veins, but nothing I would worry about. The cigar was very solid like the other Cain cigars I have smoked. This cigar was very tightly packed all the way through. The wrapper, itself, was very smooth to the touch. The torpedo cap was perfectly flush. This cigar surprisingly cut clean and was very easy to light.

The flavor is very spicy off of the light, just like the other lines. But shortly into the stick, there are a good amount of wood notes that come out. By an inch into this cigar, the spice completely coats the palate. I was surprised with the lack of complexity in the flavor. I was expecting a little bit more out of it in the first third.