CigarAsh's Review of the Indian Tabac Maduro

                                  Indian Tabac maduro

Origin: Honduran

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Filler/Binder: Costa Rican, Honduran & Nicaraguan

Shape/Size: Pyramid – Robusto - Toro

Strength: Full

Box/Bundle: Box of 20

Flavored: No

Price: $2.20 per single – per Box $54.00 to $59.00

 

 

 

Indian Tabac Maduro comes in 3 sizes Boxer (4.5x50), Teepee (5.5x52) and Tomahawk (6x52). And these yummy black heathens come in a box of 25.

 These Full bodied dark bad boys are smooth, rich and have a hint of spice and sport and even burn, great construction and a nice solid ash that doesn’t even consider flaking out on you.

They are made with 5 year aged Nicaraguan, Costa Rican and Honduran fillers with Nicaraguan Habano binders and a Connecticut maduro broadleaf wrapper.

 

Ever since purchasing the Brad Rocky Patel has just left it as is and that shape is fantastic! They are price very reasonable that range from $54.50 to $59.50 for a box of 25 so they won’t break the bank.

 If you are a fan of Full bodied cigars this is the one for you, give 1 a try and I bet you will try them over and over again. They are a little strong for an everyday cigar, but they well worth the weekend warrior smoker.

 

 Want a medium or mild version of this great cigar they are available in the Classic line of Indian Tabac.

I rate this one 6 out of 10

Happy Smoking

~CigarAsh~

Cigar Ash’s Review of the 5 Vegas Gold

             5 Vegas Gold

Size: 5 x 50

Shape: Robusto

Binder: Honduran

Filler: Honduran

Wrapper: Ecuador Connecticut

Origin: Honduras

Strength: mild to medium

 I find that I am always satisfied with all the 5 Vegas line of cigars, and this one was no exception.

  The Gold series has excellent construction, had no blemishes on the wrappers. I smoked 5 of these and found them all consistently burning even without hot spots or canoeing of any kind. The flavor was light and the aroma was just as light with a mellow soft scent. The ash was solid and light gray, no flaking at all.

 

 I love my Oscuro and Maduro wrapper cigars and I was not sure how I was going to react to the flavor and feel of a Natural wrapper, however I had this particular one right after a heavy meal and it was the perfect topper to the experience. The Fillers themselves have been aged for 5 years and creates a nice mild leathery and woody taste that just relaxes your whole body.

 A box will set you between $60.00 and $80.00, defiantly not one of our budget bundles we usually review here at the Cigar Stop, but I can tell you they are well worth the asking price. The other good thing about the Gold series is that several dealers and companies offer them as singles and or sampler packs of 5 and 10 counts. There is also a 5 Vegas Sampler where you can try almost their complete line.

 

 I will be giving this one a high rating of 8 out of 10 for flavor, construction and taste.

See you next time

B.T.O.L.

~CigarAsh~

The 5 Basic shapes and sizes in cigars

 Ok so it can get confusing with all the numbers and terms when dealing with cigar catalogs and “brick and mortars”, but being the regular cigar guy that I am I will simplify it all down to 5 shape and sizes

Size matters

There are always two sets of numbers when describing cigars and to make it simple I will explain it real fast.

 The first number (always the lower of the 2 numbers) is the Length and the second number is the width which is called the “Ring Gauge”. For example if it reads 7 x 50 that would mean it is 7 inches long and is a 50 ring gauge.

  See very simple, now to Shapes.

 The Shape of things

There are at least a dozen shape of cigars all with their fancy names and connotations, I am going to give you the 5 basic shapes you will smoke 90% of the time.

1. Robusto: a short cigar, it ranges from 4 to 4 ½ inches and is a 50 ring gauge

2. Carona: a longer but thinner cigar than a robust, at 5 to 5 ½ inches and a 42 ring gauge

3. Toro:  a 6 inch long cigar with a 50 to 58 inch ring gauge and is the most popular size and shape.

4. Torpedo: a 6 to 6 ¾ inch cigar with a tapered end to a point and is a 50 to 54 ring gauge

5. Churchill: a long cigar at 7 inches long and has a ring gauge of 47 to 50

 

Like I said before there are many, many shapes and sizes with all kinds of fancy terms, but these five are the basic ones, you will expand your knowledge as you start getting interested in cigars and what you like and how it feels in your hand and mouth.  I hope this helps out you new folks and maybe refreshes some of us seasoned cigar smokers.

For those of you that wish to be confused or know more than the basic 5, I will post a Chart of Cigar Shapes and Sizes that will give you even more of a look into the infinite world of shape and sizes for cigars and just so you know this chart doesn’t even list all of them.

See you next time

B.T.O.L.

The Cigar Stop Guys

                                                 The Cigar Shapes and Sizes

 

Term	Length in inches	Width in 64ths of an inch	Metric length	Metric width	Etymology
Rothschild	4 + ½	48	11 cm	19 mm	after the Rothschild family
Robusto	4 + ⅞	50	12 cm	20 mm
Small Panatela	5	33	13 cm	13 mm
Petit Corona	5 + ⅛	42	13 cm	17 mm
Carlota	5 + ⅝	35	14 cm	14 mm
Corona	5 + ½	42	14 cm	17 mm
Corona Gorda	5 + ⅝	46	14 cm	18 mm
Panatela	6	38	15 cm	15 mm
Toro	6	50	15 cm	20 mm
Corona Grande	6 + ⅛	42	16 cm	17 mm
Lonsdale	6 + ½	42	17 cm	17 mm	named for Hugh Cecil Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale
Churchill	7	47-50	18 cm	19–20 mm	named for Sir Winston Churchill
Double Corona	7 + ⅝	49	19 cm	19 mm
Presidente	8	50	20 cm	20 mm
Gran Corona	9 + ¼	47	23 cm	19 mm
Double Toro/Gordo	6	60	15 cm	24 mm

Cigars Shapes and Sizes 

 

Irregularly shaped cigars are known as figurados and are sometimes considered of higher quality because they are more difficult to make.

Historically, especially during the 19th century, figurados were the most popular shapes; however, by the 1930s they had fallen out of fashion and all but disappeared. They have, however, recently received a small resurgence in popularity, and there are currently many brands (manufacturers) that produce figurados alongside the simpler parejos. The Cuban cigar brand Cuaba only has figurados in their range.

Figurados include the following:

Figurado	Description
Torpedo	Like a parejo except that the cap is pointed.
Pyramid	Has a broad foot and evenly narrows to a pointed cap.
Perfecto	Narrow at both ends and bulged in the middle.
Presidente/Diadema	shaped like a parejo but considered a figurado because of its enormous size and occasional closed foot akin to a perfecto.
Culebras	Three long, pointed cigars braided together.
Tuscan/Toscano	The typical Italian cigar, created in the early 19th century when Kentucky tobacco was hybridized with local varieties and used to create a long, tough, slim cigar thicker in the middle and tapered at the ends, with a very strong aroma. It is also known as a cheroot, which is the largest selling cigar shape in the United States.[citation needed]
Chisel	Is much like the Torpedo, but instead of coming to a rounded point, comes to a flatter, broader edge, much like an actual chisel. This shape was patented and can only be found in the La Flor Dominicana (LFD) brand.

 

 

Cigars of the weekend

This weekend’s we had a few cigars going, Drew Estate Tabak Especial, which is mocha flavored cigar. It’s a robusto size cigar very well constructed and tends to be on the pricey side as is most of the Drew Estate cigars. The cigar had a nice even burn, solid white ash and a very nice blend of flavor and aromatics. A single runs you about 9 bucks and a box varies in price from $125.00 to $140.00 U.S.D. I would give this cigar 8 ½ out of 10 for construction, flavor and ash.

 

The second cigar this weekend was a Fonseca Ariana, Maduro, Toro size, I have made this one my everyday cigar, and it is inexpensive with a price set at between $50 to $60 bucks for a box of 20.  It is well constructed, has a nice woody nut sweet maduro flavor and its construction for a lower end cigar is spot on. This cigar would rate a 5 or 6 out of 10 for me.

The third and final cigar of the weekend was a C.A.O. Brazillia, this cigar is a gift from the Gods of the Leaf. Great taste, excellent construction and the Oscuro is like icing on a cake. It is dark and delicious. If I had a complaint and I do not, it would be that this cigar doesn’t come in a Toro size, but if it did maybe I would get tired of it and I would not enjoy it as much as I do. 7 out of 10 on his one.

 

 

See you all next time

Johnny V's Cigar Review

Johnny V has picked out for his first Cigar Review a hidden treasure that many Cigar lovers have not discovered yet. One of Drew Estate's Lesser known cigars and very reasonably priced, Isla del Sol. Going with the usual Drew Estate feel it does have a flavor and stands up to the usual scrutiny of Drew Estate quality.

Cigar Stats

_________

Cigar: Isla del Sol
Company: Drew Estates
Wrapper(s): Sumatra
Filler(s): Nicaraguan
Origin(s): Nicaragua
Size: (Ring Gauge): 5x52
Style: (Robusto est..) Robusto
Price at the Time: (box & Single): $30.99 a Box & Singles are around $2.00 - 3.00
Smell: Sweet with a hint of Coffee
Ash: (Good, Bad, Weak, Solid): good solid ash
Taste: Mild smoke with a sweet tip
Strength: Mild - Medium
Construction: (good, bad, est..): good construction
Rating: (1-10) 9

Review Questions

1. Did you like the Cigar? Yes
2. Would you smoke it again? Yes
3. Was the Cigar worth the money? Definitely
4. Would you recommend it to others? Yes
5. Best time to smoke this particular Cigar? Anytime … I think it would be perfect as an after dinner treat
6. Any particular drink that would go with this Cigar? I enjoyed this cigar with a Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier today but a cup of coffee or a whiskey would compliment it beautifully.
7. Anything else you would like to say about the cigar? This cigar has been a consistent favorite for me, I have yet to be let down by this cigar. I plan to make it a regular in my smoking selection.

When Size Matters

People today, in my opinion, are far to concerned about what fancy, shmancy, name brand cigar they want to smoke and are not putting enough thought into what size they should be smoking in that particular time frame or situation.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good fancy shmancy cigar just as much as anyone else. What doesn’t make sense to me is when someone picks a 60 ring gauge, Churchill and is only going to the corner store, wasting half the thing to the great cement ashtray in the sky. It can be the greatest cigar in the world but if you throw away 3 dollars of a 7 dollar cigar how good could it really be? If you put so much thought and pride on what great name brand cigar to smoke, why not put some of your time into thinking about what size cigar to smoke in the time given to you?
Now I have found through out the years that it is not so much the ring gauge but rather the length that helps me makes my decision. Now of course a cheaper or less desired cigar always runs the risk of being wasted no matter what size, before a more expensive one, there are still some standards I like to smoke by. For instance, if you’re going out for a short period, like on your lunch break, a 4.5 X 50 Rothschild or a 5 x 50 Robusto is perfect. If I’m traveling in my car and have an hour or so to kill a 6 x 52 Toro, or a 6.5 x 52 torpedo are always good choices. And on the days when I have all the time in the world, sitting around with some friends, drinking coffee or some good whiskey and all I have to worry about is just how many cigars I can smoke before I have to shave my tongue; a 7 x 52 Churchill always hits the spot.
Maybe I’m just an old fashion guy, or maybe I’m just an ass, but don’t come bragging to me about your 12 dollar stoge, waving it around like it’s a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and throw half of the thing away once you had your fill. To me there is nothing more revealing about someone’s actual love or seriousness for smoking cigars then this simple, little gesture of waste. If this is your style, and you know who you are, do your self a favor, think before you smoke. Or you could always just blow it out your smoke ring…

Tommy Wang