Review Notes: Got a box of these from Thompson in an ongoing quest to find a good, cheap cigar. The madura wrapper looks good but does have a tendency to fall apart a bit after about half the cigar is smoked. The draw is nice and uniform, and initial taste and aroma are pleasant. There is a decided aftertaste that I can best describe as being sour. Like another reviewer, I found that they improved after a week or so in my humidor. This cigar is a good value overall but not the answer to my ongoing quest for a good, cheap everyday cigar

Review Notes: So far, there are three Thompson brands that are pretty good. Belmondo ain't one of them. Belmondo is dry, flat, bitter, and just plain bad. The La Paloma corojo is only a little better, and, unbelievably, the Barlovento is even worse. A good Thompson cigar would be the Romantico (fairly mild, but good taste and very good price), the Manolete (see Romantico), and the Dona Inez. The Dona Inez is my favorite of the three. Mild-Med in body, the blending of Nicaraguan with Dominican works very well. Very consistant too, and priced well. There are other Thompsons, both good and bad, but these are the six that most immediately come to mind. Anyway, the ratings you see here are for the Belmondo. I'll do complete reviews of the others if they're ever added to the site.

Review Notes: This is possibly the best 2 dollar cigar I have had. It smells and taste's good, and burns well. The only real bad thing was the wraper came off part of it. Other than that, for 2 bucks, try it.

Review Notes: Cigar looked & smelled good but I found it very harsh (I don't confuse harsh with strong) with a nasty ashtray aftertaste. I decided I'd do my best hoping it would get better, but when its started tunneling, I gave up. Left an ashtray taste in my mouth that I removed with an Onyx. If I had more I'd give them away or just toss them - I haven't tasted a worse cigar in a long time. On the positive side, the draw was good while it lasted and the cigar appeared quite well made.

Review Notes: I have a buddy, not a cigar smoker, who bought this sampler from Thompson because he wanted the little metal briefcase that came with it. He had 8 cigars left & asked me how much I would give him for them. I told him $10 thinking he would tell me forget it. To my surprise, he said that was exactly the figure he had in his head. This cigar was among them. Having smoked Belmondo before, I didn't expect much. I remembered an annoying sweet cloying tone. Actually, this mild little cigar is surprisingly smokeable. The construction & draw are pretty good. The appearance is ok, with a tan CTS wrapper & just a bit of sloppiness with the gum sealant. I would say typical Dominican light sweetness, that builds some as you smoke it, but doesn't cloy. Not something I would want a steady diet of, but well worth the $1.25 I paid for it.