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.

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.

June Herf

Rocky Patel 15th Anniversary was the June Herf selection.  A good, smooth smoke with a lot of flavor, but other than a subtle sweetness, I couldn't name any specific flavors.  A very complex and tasty smoke but at the price, not something I'd get very often.

Macanudo Cru Royale was one I got from Farnk. I could taste the basic profile of the Macanudo Cafe blend but turned up a few notches.  I would have liked it a lot more if I had smoked it 9 months ago when I was first moving from mild to more full-bodied cigars.  Its a good stepping stone from the mild smokes like the Cafe to the heavier flavors I've been enjoying for a while now.  It wasn't bad, and I'd recommend it to new smokers who are looking to move up from the mild stuff, but not something I'll seek out for myself again.

La Aurora is one I've had before but didn't think much of it.  I gave it another try recently and found it much more to my liking this time.  The 43-ring Lonsdale burned a little hot, but provided a mild to medium flavor with hints of wood, spice, and a subtle nuttiness to it.  Definitely good for those times I want something other than the typical maduros I smoke.

Alec Bradley American Classic Blend was a very good mild smoke with a lot of flavor to it.  Slightly sweet and woody with a good nutty flavor.  A good smoke for a mild and at a price that see it gaining a regular spot in the humidor.  The folks at Alec Bradley have another hit.

May Herf

The pic to the right is the new humidor as it's stocked today.  The May Herf was this weekend.  This month's selection was the Gurkha Special Ops which I reviewed last month.  Not much has changed since last month.  Going to let these sit in the humidor for a couple of months and revisit them.

Punch.  Named as CA's #8 cigar of 2011 (well, the Cuban version was), this is another I've been wanting to try for a while now and it was mighty good.  It had a slightly fruity sweetness to it with hints of wood and nuts.  A definite finger-burner.  And the price is fantastic.  A box of 25 of the Elite size (5.2 x 45) I had runs for around $60 depending on where you shop.  I'm looking forward to trying some other Punch varieties (there are six other blends in Punch's repertoire).

La Harencia Cubana Core.  Dark and rich in flavor.  Lots of leather and wood with a bit of pepper to it.  Not my thing most days, but I can see why others like it so much.

Gurkha Status (Maduro).  These dark, oily beauties came packaged in a brushed glass tube.  They were so pretty, I didn't even want to light one.  When I did, it was a tough smoke.  A bit tight and difficult to get smoke from.  What I did get was earthy, sweet, and slightly creamy.  It was too fresh, though.  Going to let this one age for a while then I'll revisit it.

Joya De Nicaragua Antano.  I didn't care much for this one.  It was flavorful, but not memorable.  I'm not sure how it got a 91 rating from CA.  Very meh.

Alec Bradley Maxx.  This one had a lot going for it.  A dark wrapper positively glistening with oils, a 91 rating from CA and 9.6 from Smoke Magazine, and Alec Bradley, one of my favorite brands lately.  Unfortunately, it didn't deliver on some rather high expectations.  A very earthy flavor that reminded me of clay and a slight sweetness that came off like fresh-cut grass.  All in all, it reminded me of working in the yard of my parent's house in Georgia when I was a kid.  Not an unpleasant memory, but not something I want from a cigar.  Definitely a disappointing smoke.

April Herf Plus

The April Herf came around and with it came the AJ Fernandez Fresh-Rolled (habano) compliments of Koob.  It won't knock anyone's socks off, but it had a good, woodsy taste with a little bit of pepper and a very slight sweetness on the exhale that was easy to miss but added an extra layer of flavor that I wasn't expecting for a budget smoke.  Nice choice, Koob.

In addition to the Herf, I've had a handful of other smokes over the past month.

Man o' War Virtue was a good, mild to medium cigar that made for a nice change of pace from the heavier smokes I've had lately.  Very creamy with a hint of sweetness to it.  While the first quarter of an inch was pretty harsh, it smoothed our and burned slow and smooth all the way to the nub.  It's a bit on the expensive side but was worth the averaged, per-stick price of the sampler it came in.

Graycliffe 1666 made its way into my humidor by accident.  I had intended to order the outstanding Graycliffe Double Espresso; however, the special I saw was for the Double Espresso size of the 1666.  A bit confusing, but what are you gonna do?  Anyway, this one a bit disappointing to start with since it wasn't the cigar I was expecting.  I really can't remember much about the flavor as I was mooning over the fact that it wasn't the real Double Espresso.  On the positive side, a sales manager at cigar.com (where I bought these) said he'd throw in the real ones for me on my next order since the naming of these is a bit confusing.  A nice gesture considering the mistake was mine.

I had high expectations for the CAO MX2.  I usually love maduros and the other double maduro I've smoked is one of my favorites (Gurkha's).  This one was a big disappointing, though.  I'm not sure if I built it up too much or what.  It had the type of earthy, coffee, slightly sweet flavor you'd expect from a double maduro, but it just didn't come out with all that much strength.  I wasn't impressed.

A couple of months ago, I split an order of Don Pepin's Blue label with Jape.  I wasn't too impressed with the first one.  It felt a tad on the dry side and wasn't too pleasant.  I let the rest age a bit longer and the results have been impressive.  Having a strong desire for a more woody and peppery cigar, I grabbed one of these and it fit the bill perfectly.  In addition to the wood and pepper, it had a slightly leathery taste with a subtle sweetness when cycled through the nose.  Definitely glad I picked these up.

I also recently had a Gurkha Special Ops.  Yes, another crazy name from Gurkha.  It started out fairly bland.  It wasn't until the second third that the flavor picked up and I could pick out the earthy, slightly sweet chocolatey flavors.  Even then, it wasn't too impressive.  However, oddly enough, about an hour after I finished it, I found myself really enjoying the memory of the flavor.  It was a strange but pleasant experience.

I've also revisited a couple smokes I tried many months ago but have since let age.  The Partagas Black Label is making a strong case for itself as my favorite cigar.  In fact, I think I'm about to go update the list.  The Alec Bradley Black Market seems to get better each time I smoke one (5 months in the humidor with plenty of bloom helped, I reckon).

March Herf & More

Today we held the March herf and Jared brought a great budget smoke, the Rocky Patel Cargo.  The taste won't blow you away but you'll be hard-pressed to find another low-priced smoke with flavor this good.  I can see this one making it into the everyday rotation for a lot of smokers.

Also during the week, I had a My Father from the folks at Pepin.  CA gave this one a 94, but I didn't get quite that much from it.  Another highly-rated smoke I had recently was the La Armoa Di Cuba Mi Amore.  This was actually CA's number 2 for last year.  Both of these are slotted into the medium-full range, but both felt more like flat medium to me.  Both were a bit woody-tasting with a subtle sweetness with a little bit of leather on the My Father.  I can see why they'd be rated so highly, but they may be a bit too refined for my tastes.

Commie Herf

The December Herf, dubbed the Commie Herf was this past weekend.  Here's a run-down of what the gang brought:

Alec Bradley Black Market from Jape.  This one was fan-freakin'-tastic.  A slow-burning, full-bodied maduro was packed with flavor and a wonderful aroma.  It lasted me a good two hours and I was still disappointed when it was gone.  It definitely earned the finger-burner distinction.  Great choice, Jape!

From Baker, we got the Oliva Serie 'V'.  The narrow gauge of the 7 by 38 Lancero took a little work to enough smoke out of, but it seemed to concentrate the flavor a bit more.  I haven't been impressed with the flat flavor of the other Oliva's I've smoked, but this one was much better.

Greenie brought the Rocky Patel Vintage 2003 Cameroon.  The RP started off a little on the 'meh' side but after about half an inch, it got really good.  The smoke was dense and smooth but still quite flavorful.

Jared brought the Ashton Aged Maduro, another great choice.  A great, oily wrapper with so much flavor, I wanted to eat it like a candy bar.  The smoke was smooth and medium in body with a hint of chocolate that made it great for after dinner.

Finally, Bong supplied a Fuente Anejo.  I've already gushed over this one, so I'll spare you the repeat.  Nice one, Bong!

No offense to the rest of the gang, but Jape won the day.  I liked the Anejo better, but since I'd already discovered that one, I gotta give the nod to the Black Market for being so damn good.

November Herf & More

The smoke I took to the November Herf was the Gurkha Micro-Batch C-10.  It was great.  The 7" 48-gauge Churchill took three-quarters of a football game to finish.  It had a great, smooth flavor and the aroma is sure to either make you extremely popular or get you kicked out of the bar.

A few other smokes I've had leading up to the herf included a superb Tatuaje El Triunfador that was pricey, but a great medium-bodied treat.  Then there was the 5 Vegas Gold with its mild but flavorful smoke.  Although it isn't new to me, I've also had a few Macanudo Cafes.  A friend described these are "Golf Cigars" because they aren't as flashy or special.  That's one of the things I liked about them.  They had a good, simple taste that is great for every day smoking.  Finally there was the Oliva Connecticut Reserve, another mild offering but without the flavor of the 5 Vegas or Macanudo.

Oh, and on a whim, I decided to try one of Drew Estate's infused ACID cigars, specifically the Kuba Kuba variety.  Not my cup of tea.  It had a very strong smell that seemed more like an effeminate mens' cologne than a cigar and the taste wasn't much better.  Frankly, it was a waste of money.

WTF Does Herf Mean?

I had never heard the word 'herf' used until invited to one by some guys at work.  Anyone who stumbles across this blog that doesn't know what the word means, here's yer answer.  Typically, when I use it, I'm referring to the monthly gatherings with a group consisting mostly of co-workers.  Each month, one member of the group picks up a box of smokes for the whole group, and we get together for a shared smoke.  Occasionally, someone who isn't officially part of the groups comes along with their own smokes, a role I filled for a couple of gatherings before being invited to join the regulars.

It's custom for the new member to provide the smokes for his first month in the group, so I'm up for November. My selection was Gurkha's Micro-Batch C10.  Hopefully they don't suck as I'm not sure what the penalty for bringing a crap cigar is.  Probably something unpleasant involving a guillotine cutter.

The picture is just an excuse to show off my newbie humidor.

Herf Sampler

One of the herf regulars hooked me up with a few smokes from previous herfs.  First up was this month's pick, a Carlos Torano Exodus "50 Year" with a smooth, medium flavor that lasted from the first puff until I couldn't hold the nub anymore.  Next was an amazing Park Avenue from Gurkha.  This was a great smoke with a smooth, creamy flavor that lasted nearly half the football game.  The best smoke I've had since I started up again and one I may start keeping in stock as an everyday smoke.