Four Months of Herfs

Liga Privada Undercrown is the star of this post.  I haven't been too thrilled with the few sticks I've tried from Drew Estate, but the Undercrown is one of the best cigars I've had in a while.  Dark and oily maduro wrapper with a slightly spicy and somewhat earthy flavor. Bonus: Got a 10-pack and the hat for only half a Benjamin.  These usually run twice that in the shops.

Gran Habano 3SLS was Jape's contribution to the May Herf.  I missed it, but have talked about this one before. I'm sad to say that while the recipients of these from the Herf haven't had any issues, EVERY SINGLE ONE from the five pack I bought has sucked.

I supplied the original Man O' War for the June Herf.  If it weren't for the Undercrown, this would be this post's star.  It starts out medium and builds up to full with a somewhat complex flavor.  They're priced pretty well at just over $5 a stick.

The Warpig is yet another new cigar from Gurkha.  It wasn't bad but I get the impression that it will get a lot better with some again.

Camacho 10th Anniversary was outstanding.  Full bodied but very smooth.  I loved it.

I'm just going to speed through the rest...

Bahia Trinidad - A lighter smoke similar to the Puros Indios in both flavor and price.

Diamond Crown (Connecticut) - Wasn't too impressed with this one.  Pricey but no more flavorful than the Puros Indios or Bahia above.  I've got a Maduro in the humi, so we'll see if that's any better.

Camacho Diploma - One word.  Harsh!  It started out full bodied and raspy and ended that way.  It also kept going out on me if I didn't puff on it every 30 seconds.  First Camacho I didn't enjoy.

Padilla Limitada 2006 - Didn't get more than a quarter into this one.  Terrible draw, "green" taste in what little smoke I got, and kept going out.

Gurkha Beauty - Another lighter smoke that was disappointing.  I expected more out of this one given its reputation.

And we're caught up...

March Herf

Gurkha Assassin seemed a lot closer to medium to me than others have described, but it was still a great smoke that had a smooth and creamy taste all the way to the nub.

The March Herf featured the Alec Bradley Maxx Brazil.  I've had the Maxx before and wasn't impressed.  The addition of a Brazillian binder didn't improve it at all.  

For the April Herf, Green brought out the Puros Indios.  I've been wanting to try this one for a while.  It was a good, mild to medium smoke.  The flavor won't bowl you over, but it was still good.  

Another I've been wanting to try lately is the Padilla Dominus.  I've been hearing a lot about this one for while.  It isn't as good as the '68 or '32 (and pales against the Miami).  But it's still a decent smoke.

Drew Estate's Liga Privada's No. 9 started off pretty heavy but mellowed out to a medium to full flavor.  Not a complex cigar.  Just a good, meaty smoke with just a little shove behind it.

January and February Herf

I haven't been smoking as much since the new year and few new cigars. That said, here's the new stuff.

AKA (American Kick Ass) Solace came from Frank at the Commie Herf.  It was a simple, mellow connecticut.  Not a barn-burner but not bad, either.

For the January Herf, Jarred brought the excellent Excalibur Dark Knight from Hoya De Monterrey.  It was a great medium/full smoke with beautiful, dark wrapper.  The taste was smooth with a slightly sweet flavor that picked up just a little flavor from the cedar it was wrapped in.  One of the top smokes we've had since I've been a regular herfer.  Great choice, Jarred!

Had the Padilla Miami Maduro recently.  The original Miami was fantastic.  The maduro was good but I probably would have liked it more if I hadn't been thinking that I could have had the original instead.  It started off a little harsh but mellowed into a nice, smooth smoke after the first inch or so.  I wouldn't turn up my nose if someone offered it to me, but I doubt I'll buy another.

For the Feb herf, Koob brought the Gurkha Ghost.  This beuaty came with a dark, oily wrapper that gave off a great, medium-bodied smoke.  Earthy, with a slight sweetness to it but smooth from start to finish.  Another damn fine herf cigar.

Catching Up

I've neglected to post for a while.  No excuse.  Just haven't done it.

I mentioned the problematic Gran Habano 3SLS last time around.  I'm sorry to say the rest of the pack hasn't gotten any better.  Two more with the same, spongy feel, awful draw, and no flavor.  The two remaining also have that spongy feel.  Not much hope left for those.

November Herf featured the El Mejor Emerald from the Samourai.  I've been wanting to try one of these for awhile.  A smooth and mild flavor with a hint of spice and wood to it.  It won't knock your socks off, but it was a nice change of pace from the full-bodied maduros and corojos I've been smoking lately.

Speaking of full-bodied, I tried another of the My Uzi Weighs a Ton by Jonathon Drew.  Still not impressed.  Heavy, full-bodied with copious amounts of leather, earth, and pepper.  I can see why some might like it, but it isn't for me.

I also got around to trying Genesis the Project finally.  I've been hearing so much about this one and had to give it a try.  It looks gorgeous with a super-dark wrapper that glistens with oils.  A bit nutty and highly earthy with a slight sweetness to it.  That said, I wasn't all that impressed with it.  I'll reserve final opinion until I've had a couple more, but my hopes aren't as high as they were.

Alec Bradley Fine and Rare is a yearly release that differs year to year and sells out fairly quickly when it comes out.  All I can tell you about this one was that it was very good.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to note specific flavors (actually, I didn't write them down).  All I clearly remember about this cigar is that I wish the one I grabbed hadn't been the last.

Rocky Patel Sun Grown and the Rocky Patel Decade were two I tried out as a possible Commie Herf cigars. Neither was bad but neither really impressed me all that much.  Due to time and lack of notes on them, I don't have much else I can say about either.

Finally, the Commie Herf!  The pic above is one of the tables we took up and included some smokes for guests that we brought as well.  I brought the Black Crown I mentioned last time.  In fact, I still like it enough that I bought a box and kept the leftovers for myself.  Flappin brough AKA- American Kick Ass - Solace (which I haven't smoked yet).  Bakerware brought the Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 and while I liked the '03 a bit more, this was a good medium smoke with a smooth flavor (as expected from RP).  Jared brought the Rocky Patel Edge, a good, heavy smoke with a bit more of a woody and spicy bite than the Vintage line.  The Green Monster brought Casa Magna, another I've been wanting to try for a while.  It was CA's top cigar for 2008 and I can see why.  Full bodied with a slight earthy sweetness, it looks and tastes like my vision of what a traditional cigar should be.  It also gets my nod as the top cigar of the Commie Herf this year.

Then of course, there's the Arturo Fuente Anejo.  I've talked about this one before, but since it's been a year since I last had one, I found myself wondering if I'd enjoy them as much as I remember.  I'm sorry to say I did not.  I enjoyed them about ten times as much as I remember!  In fact, I bought five on my first trip the day they came in and haven't smoked one.  Because each time I go back to Elite, I end up buying more and smoking those rather than the ones I've got already.  I will definitely be spacing those out over the course of the year.

October Herf

The October Herf (take two) happened over the weekend.  Bongwater dropped the Padron Maduro 3000 on us.  I've had this one before (but neglected to write it up) and was not disappointed when I saw him whip these out.  They have a great, earthy and nutty flavor that ended up being a finger-burner at the herf.

Black Crown.  Another fine smoke from Raices Cubanas (maker of the Padilla Signature 1932 I gushed about recently).  A dark, slightly-oily wrapper and a whopping 7 different fillers makes this a very interesting smoke.  Lots of flavors (slightly nutty, a little woody, and a touch of sweetness are the stand-outs) that start off a bit on the medium side but build up to a very full flavor by the halfway point.  It burned slow and lasted a lot longer than most of the robustos I smoke.  And they're priced well at around $4 a stick.  A definite finger-burner.

Gran Habano Vintage 2002.  Another great smoke from Gran Habano.  A gorgeous, dark and oily wrapper with loads of flavor, including some earthiness, a little nuttiness, and a very light sweetness.  A very good cigar.

Gran Habano 3 Siglos (or 3 SLS). The Old Man seemed to like these, so I split an order with another of the herfers.  Unfortunately, the two I've had so far have both been awful with a terrible draw, very little smoke, and seemed way too fresh (even after a month in the humidor).  What little flavor I've gotten makes it seem quite promising and since every other Gran Habano I've smoked has been excellent, I can only conclude I got a bad batch.  Hopefully at least one of the remaining few I have left will end up working out.

September Herf (A Little Late)

I know, I'm a bit late with the September herf results but in my defense, I'm quite forgetful.  Anyway, September's offering was from new member Flappin and consisted of the Rocky Patel Vintage 2003 Cameroon.  The same smoke Mike brought to the commie herf, but was so good that no one cared that it was a rerun.  However, there have been plenty of other new smokes the past month, so here we go...

Quesada Oktoberfest.  I split a box of these with a couple of guys at work and I'm wishing I'd kept it to myself since it turned out so good and is produced in such limited qualities.  The gorgeous, dark brown wrapper looks as good as it tastes.  There is a slight woodiness and a slight leathery quality to it with just a little bit of sweetness and creaminess hanging on the tastebuds.  It was blended to be paired with an Oktoberfest-style beer and the two go great together with each complimenting the other nicely.  Definitely a finger-burner but a tinge of disappointment that at the limited run.

Padilla Miami.  I've been wanting to try this one since the old man sent me a Padilla '68 a few months back.  The Miami's wrapper is dark and glistening with oils.  It produced a ton of smoke with loads of flavor including a bit of woodiness, spice, and a slight earthy sweetness.  Definitely worth the price of admission (especially since I found it in the bargain bin at a local shop) and one I'll be looking for again.

Padilla Signtaure 1932.  Yet another hit from Padilla.  Another dark and oily wrapper that produced smoke with a slightly sweet creamy flavor with a little spice and a hint of vanilla on the exhale that was smelled more than tasted.  A very tasty smoke.

Partagas Cifuentes and Partagas 1845.  I've been wanting to try the other offerings from Partagas since I like the Black Label so much (and used to smoke the original Partagas way back).  The Cifuentes and 1845 aren't nearly as good as their predecessors, though.  They both taste heavily of leather and wood with the Cifuentes being a degree or two stronger than the 1845.  Both were a bit disappointing.

August Herf

August Herf was this past Saturday.  I supplied the Gran Habano Corojo #5 I've mentioned before. It's still great.  I also smoked another Gurkha Black Beauty after a couple months in the humidor.  It wasn't great.  That's about it.