Noob Adoption Reviews (March '08)

[GHC_Hambone]

This month Reggie sent me the following smokes (topic: http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=132828)

Oliva Serie G- Special G
J. Feugo- Gran Reserva #4
Oliva Serie V- Double Robusto
Avo Domaine #10
AF Short Story
(Thanks again Reggie!)

Last night I smoked the Serie V DR.

This is a very nice looking cigar. A smooth dark brown wrapper. Unfortunatly, somewhere in transport the wrapper cracked near the foot. (Didn't effect the smoke however, it didn't keep splitting). I clipped it and pre-light I just got a little bit of spice.

I lit it up and the draw was great, nice white clouds of smoke. It had a nice spice (not peppery, more like a cinnamon) taste with just a bit of sweetness. I tasted a little bit of coffee as well. My only complaint with this cigar is I had some burn problems that I had to fix a few times. Near the end of the cigar the spiciness come through more and over took the other flavors. It extinguished itself with about an inch and a half left.

Overall I was very impressed with the cigar. It's easy to see why this cigar has had such great reviews. A medium to full bodied cigar with A LOT of spicy-sweet flavor, but never overpowering. The flavor for me didn't change much until the end, but the flavor was very tasty and balanced so I can't complain about that. I normally prefer smaller ring gauges but I really liked the Double Robusto shape. It lasted me almost 2 1/2 hours.

I will definitely be smoking this again. I really enjoyed it, only problem was with the burn so I give it a 9/10.

[gocowboys]

I am glad you liked it. I was wondering what I would see first. I may have to try another before making my final verdict on those.

[MarkinCA]

[SIZE=3]Thanks for the review GHC. Sounds like a tasty little smoke...[/SIZE]

[GHC_Hambone]

On Friday, I had a half hour before I left for the Blackhawks game, so I smoked the Oliva Special G.

It's a short smoke, shaped like a Short Story (which I will be reviewing later this month) just a bit shorter. It had a pretty smooth wrapper, a little spotty and one dark vein but otherwise nice. I lit up and the first few puffs had wood and leather flavors with some spice on the finish. Around the 2/3rd of the cigar some peppery flavors came through, but did get a bit harsh at times. The last 3rd the pepper calmed and more leather came through. I smoked it for a half hour and probably could have got 15 more minutes out of it.

Overall I thought it was an average smoke, the harshness in the middle brought the rating down. I think they make a maduro version of this and I might have liked that better. I had a Oliva G Maduro that I really enjoyed. It wasn't a bad smoke but it could have been better.

This gets a 7/10 from me, it will be interesting to compare this smoke to the Short Story.

[gocowboys]

I really like those. I am glad you enjoyed it. I will use some of your input to decide what to send you next month.

[RevSmoke]

Will you guys quit reviewing the Oliva Series V. I don't need anymore temptation.

Nice review Hambone.

[GHC_Hambone]

I was able to smoke 2 cigars last night, first up was the Avo Domaine #10.

It started with a woody flavor with some leather and a little bit of pepper. The draw was good and the burn was ok throughout the cigar. As it continued the pepper and leather flavors grew stronger with a little bit of a bite. As I got closer to the band I slid it up and there seemed to be some glue from the band on the cigar. The last bit of the cigar the peppery flavors came through more.

It was a good cigar, the burn and draw were good and the flavors were nice, although at times a little to peppery. I give it a 7.5/10.

The next cigar I smoked was the AF Short Story.

I've tried this cigar before but this is the first time I reviewed it.

I always liked the shape of the Short Story and the nipple foot makes it easy to light. Usually the draw is tight and the burn is uneven for the first bit though. After a while though, the burn evened out and I was able to get a decent amount of smoke. The taste is very woody, with just a bit of leather. The finish has a bit of a grassy taste and a little spice. This and the other Hemmingway I tried (I believe it was a Classic) have a very distinct taste.

The Short Story is a really great short smoke, I give it a 8.5/10.

[gnukfu]

Nice set of reviews!

[SmokeyJoe]

Excellent smoke... one of my favorites! Reggie has hooked you up, bruddah.

[GHC_Hambone]

I smoked the last of this months cigars today, the J. Fuego. The band said Gran Reserva Corojo #1, even though initially I put Gran Reserva #4.

Before lighting up I noticed a whiteish substance on the cigar. I don't think it was plume or mold because it was on the band as well. It looked like dried glue to me.

The cigar started with some dark chocolate taste, with some coffee flavors and a little bit of pepper on the finish. It tasted great. About an inch in the wrapper cracked and unraveled a little bit. However it didn't unravel any more so that was good. The 2nd part of the cigar lots of woody flavors came through, with the chocolate flavors leaving but the hint of coffee remained. As it continued it got more peppery but never harsh. This is why I really enjoyed this cigar. Usually stronger flavored cigars seem harsh to me but this one had a nice balance of peppery and woody flavors.

My only complaints with this cigar were in appearance and construction. It tunneled slightly at times but I was able to correct it before it got bad. Also the dried glue and the wrapper cracking took some points off.

Overall, I really enjoyed this cigar, I give it an 8.5/10.

Thanks again to Reggie for this months smokes and thank you for reading my reviews.

[gocowboys]

I am really glad you enjoyed those smokes. I have some special ones coming next month. I will send them out when I get back from Cleveland.

I love reading your reviews. They are awesome.