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When you have the time and the weather permits, such as a football game and a gorgeous October day (for Fargo...) I do believe that both of these criteria are met. So why not pull out the big guns and enjoy a game and a cigar. Pre-Light: This feels like a tree branch. I'd hurt someone if I chucked this at someone. Every cigar in this box has been like that and every single one has been a perfect draw. And this one is no different. I don't understand how these can feel so solid yet have an ideal draw. It has just enough resistance. I'm getting a hint of cooking spice, coffee and I swear orange peel is there, but their's just traces of that here. The wrapper is rough and oily. 1st Third: Yeah, orange peel is definitely there. It's adding a hint of tartness that is really playing well with the coffee and spice. There's no strength, which is nice because I don't want to get punched in the face by nicotine in the first 5 minutes of a 90+ minute cigar, and the body is mild-medium. Smoke output is very good. The smoke itself is rather airy and oily which leads to a long finish. And the Bison shut down a 4th and inches from the goal line on SDSU's first drive. Hell yeah! Second Third: At the start of the second third the flavors are still the same and frankly it hasn't evolved much. I don't mind that too much since the flavors work well with one another. The body has grown to medium bodied. Smoke output is pretty good and the burn hasn't needed any touchups. It's not laser perfect but damn close. Towards the end of the second third the flavors changed up a bit. The coffee died down a bit and the orange peel grew considerably. Cinnamon has also shown up, but it's rather faint. It reminds me of a coffee cake that a co-worker brought in to work last week. And we're leading 10-3 in the game. So far so good, ugly game if I do say so myself. Final Third: Had another minor transition. The cinnamon unfortunately left us. That was a bit disappointing because it just fit the flavors here. That said the coffee cake like flavors I'm getting I dig. The bodied hasn't changed a bit since the second third being solidly medium bodied. The smoke itself didn't warm up until around 1/2" left. I'm not a big fan of overly hot smoke so I pitched it. Where the hell has the offense gone? We had an amazing drive to start the second half, but then nothing. This isn't looking good. 17-10, but we're still leading. Final Thoughts: There wasn't a hint of youthfulness to this cigar, though with a 2012 cigar that's not overly surprising. This isn't a perfect cigar and not one of top double corona/churchills from Cuba. But I have enjoyed every single one of these that I've had. I find the RyJ Churchill and Lusitania to be much more complex and engaging smokes than the El Morro, but the flavors just work so well here. This is a cigar I reach when I want an easy going smoke and to relax for a couple hours. Overall smoke time was 1:45. They aren't cheap cigars but for that smoke time they do become a decent value though. 93/100 After this cigar I fired up a Vegeuros Entriempos because the game was still going on. Not in the same league as the El morro but enjoyable enough. Cigar got pitched onto my lawn and damn near flipped my table when the Bison gave up an obvious pass to the #1 receiver on fourth and 3 to win the bloody game. Sonofa, ah well, the boys have to play better to win...

Hi guys, i recently joined the forum and have been really enjoying reading over some threads. I received a box today of SC El Principe from EMA ABR 08, from a trusted vendor. Usually everything is in perfect condition. When i opened the box i found little tiny white or transparent bugs on a few of the cigars. Really really tiny. I'm not sure what cigar beetles look like, as i've never experienced any (Thankfully), but there were no holes in any of the wrappers of the cigars, Just these tiny little insects. Maybe 7 or 8 all up. There was a bit of white marks here and there. It seemed as if the box was over humidified, and maybe had mold, and the vendor wiped it down before he shipped it to me, I'm not sure. I'm not sure what to do. 2 of the cigars also have a dry white spot on the cap, I've never had that either. The piece of cedar also had white water marks on it. And the bottom of the box also had what looked like water marks or something. So my question is, what do i do with it. I have a coolidor that is full of other cigar boxes. I'm scared to put this box in with the rest. Any advice will be really appreciated, as I am an amateur haha. Thanks guys.

Torreon 54 x 150, Geniales, no box code (2013/2014) First one so far for me of two singles bought of the second release (no LCDH band). Initially wasn’t too impressed by format and price and thought I would pass. But after some interesting reviews finally wanted to check for myself. Appearance: Nice medium brown (no colorado hue), smooth wrapper, fine veins, not oily. Cold draw on the loose side but still ok. Pre-light taste a mild plain tobacco and perhaps very faint cocoa notes, not at all like a young stick. First 10 mm in and the cigar starts very mild. Nutty and cocoa notes. Good smoke volume. 1/3: Basically nutty - hazelnut and perhaps a tiny bit almond - with some wood notes coming into play. Plain cocoa now more pronounced and then towards the end of this and start of the second third a very nice honey hue. Strength under medium. Nice start into this smoke. 2/3: Staying within the realms of nutty-woody notes. But with the wood rather being like an aromatic tropical, perhaps kind of teak wood, not at all oaky (which could become unpleasant at times). Balanced and nice. Slowly and steadily increasing in strength to a solid medium. This is not an overly complex cigar, but what is there is quite intense and flavourful. Good length on the palate now. Some wonky burn that needs the occasional correction, which I attribute to the rather loose roll here. 3/3: Nicotine kicking in a little bit but only for a brief moment. Still intensifying taste but very little change in the general profile. Woody notes coming more to the fore now, as was somehow expected. But then finally the honey notes, which faded out in the second third, seem coming back again but now with more touch towards cane-molasses sweetness. Which is very nice at this point, as it brings back balance to the nutty/woody/cocoa notes towards the end of this fine smoke. Unfortunately removing the band didn’t work out without tearing the wrapper, being very firmly glued to it…. Summary: A very satisfying and relaxing 1.5 hour smoke (the second one will certainly be worth a longer smoke, as it is a bit more packed). Asking myself whether this might indeed be worth buying a jar. This cigar would certainly be very nice to have in the rotation, as it is something special, a true change of pace cigar. But at the set price point still not an easy decision. 1:35 h, 92 P for now. Paul

Rob posted some singles for sale a few weeks back and got my thinking about smoking the one I had. I was very surprised with it! For the complete review and more pictures, check it out on my blog here. Pre draw: Right away when you take the Torreon in your hand you smell the pungent aromas from the wrapper. It is quite strong and reminds me of the smell of a fresh rolled custom cigars in Havana. By the way, that is a must try experience for any aficionados. The wrapper is pretty smooth to the touch with little to no veins. The oils that exude from it coats your fingers and really makes you want to light it up even more. Construction wise, this cigar is uniformly rolled, there aren’t any tight or loose spots. You feel that whoever worked on rolling this cigar knew what he was doing but also took his this to make sure the air channels are built properly. At cold: After an effortless cut, the San Cristobal presents a perfect draw. YES! I have some notes of young tobacco/barnyard taste with a mix of dandelion, freshly cut grass flavors. This is very interesting. Time to light the Torreon (translated from Spanish: The Turret). 1st This cigar starts smoothly. No loud, horn tooting, high horses bang right in the face you get with some cigar. Instead, a slow but very promising start. First thing that strikes me is the sporadic finish. With every puffs, it seems like you get a different length. 1 short, 1 long, 1 barely… This could happen sometimes when your palate is over exposed but I made sure to smoke this the morning (well, almost lunch time) to have a fresh start. This is a light to medium body cigar. There is definitely some sweet notes in this smoke. I taste honey sweetness with some floral notes at the bottom. There is also some bread/toasts flavors in the mix. It has a razor sharp burn that doesn’t require any attention. The cigar produces a thin smoke but it very enveloping. It coats all the senses you use to enjoy a cigar. This is very nice. Not an overly complex smoke so far but quite satisfying. 2nd Slowly it is creeping up to medium body and you know what, it suits it quite well. The smoke is a lot dryer and less sweet than the first third. The honey notes are gone but are replaced with floral and woody flavors. I would pin the woody notes as white wood like oak. This is an nice evolution. It might not seem like it when you read it but trust me, it is. Without being overly complex and mind blowing there is something quite satisfying about this cigar. Whether it is a combination of the medium body, the IPA beer and ice cold club soda I am having with this or just my current mindset (post jogging), there is something that is almost blissful. Unlike the first third’s, the burn now requires a couple touch ups as it wants to go sideways. The after taste hits the spot every time. Rarely have I been impressed with an after taste like that. It might seem like a petty thing to linger on but au contraire, it is part of the whole tasting experience. That long Bordeaux that keeps giving even when you are finished your glass enjoys the same benefits. 3rd I can say the San Cristobal Torreon is a solid and quite satisfying smoke. In the last third, it is sitting at medium body with just splendid tobacco notes. There aren’t any specific flavors here and I think this is where all the magic of the aging process will do most of its work. I predict this cigar to be ripe and ready to smoke by 2018-2020. For now, it gives a smooth retro-hale without any astringent notes or harshness. It smokes cool, not over heating. This is perfect relaxation material. Sometimes, gustatory experiences are influenced by the setting in which they take place, the people who are sharing it with you, the mindset you are in or even the accompanying beverages but in this case, the cigar was the reason. Keep your pairing companion to something light. Pick something you know well and like a lot that isn’t too complex. Light scotch, rum, beer, sparkling wines, tea, mineral water are all great choices in my opinion. I give it a 9/10