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...

Maduro Madness

I picked up Cigar International's Black Friday Maduro Sampler.  Here's how each one broke down.

• Gurkha Regent Toro - Gurkha continues to make the case for my favorite cigar-maker.  The Regent was brimming with creamy flavor.  Loved it.
• CAO Brazilia Gol! - A nice, oily wrapper with a ton of flavor, though I had to work it a little more than some due to a less than perfect draw.
• Cu-Avana Intenso Torpedo - Strong and peppery.  Not bad if you like that type, but a bit much for my tastes.
• Diesel Unholy Cocktail - Decent flavor but a bit more spice than I generally like.
• Bahia Maduro No. 2 Torpedo - Didn't get much from this one.  It wasn't bad, but not as flavorful as some of the others in this list.
• La Estrella Cubana ’E’ - This one wasn't bad, but it didn't leave the impression on me that some of the others did.
• La Herencia Cubana Oscuro Fuerte Toro - CI calls this one full-bodied, but I didn't get much flavor from it.  It wasn't bad, but not the best of this lot.
• Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Belicoso Maduro - This one was disappointing.  Not much flavor, tough to keep lit, uneven burn.  I've heard good things about this cigar, so maybe I got unlucky.

There were a few others that I smoked but I forgot to note my thoughts on them.  The Gurkha and the CAO were the top of this batch.  The rest were in the "meh" range.

Herf Sampler Part II

The third entry from the batch obtained from Jape at the October herf was a Nica Libre torpedo.  It started a bit closer to a full-body than medium but mellowed out about a third of the way in.  I got the earthy and peppery taste described by CI but didn't catch the chocolate hint until I got a whiff of the exhale.  A good cigar, but not something I'd smoke everyday.

5 Vegas 'A' has a smooth, full flavor with a bit of spice to it that got even better as I got to the end. The draw on this was great and provided so much smoke that I had to hold back a bit on each puff.

The last of the herf sampler was the Bahia Trinidad.  It started a bit harsh, but a couple of inches into this torpedo, it smoothed out.  I picked up the slight cedar flavor but didn't get much else from it and I was only drinking water.  My palate needs some training, I think.  The draw was great and produced a good bit of smoke, though.