Tampa Cubs - Circa 1948 - Clear Havana Review

[Twill413]

So here is a new review of a Clear from Hollywood's stash. I was able to smoke this one due to his generosity in cracking a fresh box and sending this single as a tagalong. I think the only thing I could do in return for his generosity is to post some words about it. I will do my best, as reviews are not my strong suit, and this is my first clear. This was smoked in a two man PPP alongside a 70s Partagas Capitol RenoB was smoking by way of Gerry. I say this because it becomes important later.

The Cigars:



I had the white band on the Tampa Cub to hold the cello on, as it had started to fall off. I loved pulling the band and having the cello and band all come off at the same time. The wrapper was pretty velvety to the touch, if not a bit rough in the rolling. No need to worry about clipping, as this has a pre-rolled hole like some of the others. The pre-light draw was spot on and was a very mild flavor of something that was faintly nutty. Toasted the nipple and away we went. From the first draw there was rich smoke, albeit fairly mild in body at this point. We worried about smoking the Capitol alongside this clear because it was extremely powerful from the get go.


You can see the little tar spot that alerted me to the tar at the mouth hole. Look at how white that ash is though.

I can't get over how smooth this cigar is, and it is nearly as old as my father. It burned flawlessly throughout the entire smoke, building in strength as it progressed. I mentioned that we worried about the pairing but about the halfway point I did a little experiment. Rob was on the phone with Gerry, so I hit them both back to back and one right after the other. The Partagas had either smoothed out significantly, or the Tampa Cub had built in strength to where they were on par with one another. It was like they were on an axis and started at opposite points and then met in the middle, like an X. Had Rob do it as well, and he felt the same way. The flavor on the Cubs built into a caramel toasty flavor with plenty of chewy body and pretty good strength in the mouth toward the end. It was an amazing experience, and I am glad to have had the opportunity.

The only minor problem for the smoke was that there was slight amount of tar built up on the mouth hole. I don't know how to assign a number to something that I have no point of reference to compare it to, but suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I encourage Rob to chime in and give his viewpoint, and Dave or anybody else who has smoked one. Thanks for reading.

Here's a final shot of the cello from both cigars:


(Partagas cello on top)

[gnukfu]

Oh man look at that cello. A cigar older than me! Thanks for sharing!

[4thtry]

wow......talk about aging

[Twill413]

Originally Posted by gnukfu

Oh man look at that cello. A cigar older than me! Thanks for sharing!

yep, and almost three times as old as me.

[hollywood]

Excellent review, guys!! This is a very unique and crazy hard to find stick. I had to smoke on the other night when you told me you were going to smoke this one with Rob. Spot on with the flavors. Mine didn't have the tar build up. Wonder if it was the passing and smoking it faster? I'll have to give another one a try soon.

Glad you all enjoyed it. Those Capitols are pretty darned good, too!