Monthly Recap – February & March 2015 – Jeremy Hensley Edition

By Jeremy Hensley | April 2, 2015

It has been a quiet week here at Casas Fumando as both Tony and I have been under the weather. I’ve been in El Paso for over a week and I have yet to smoke a cigar with Mr. Casas! That will surely change this coming weekend. If all goes well for the rest of the week, I should have a full review of the Jordan Alexander III published by the end of this week. To hold you over until then, I bring to you the long overdue Monthly Recap of both February and March cigars smoked and reviewed and a new section called “The Pipe Corner”.

At the start of 2014, I began tracking each and every cigar I have smoked. Well, I may have missed one or two. Based on discussions I’ve seen on Twitter and questions on this site and others, I decided to compile some information that I thought you might find interesting.

February & March 2015 Recap

Number of Cigars Smoked: 32

Of those smoked:

• Purchased: 7 or 22%
• Gifted: 5 or 16%
• Samples Provided: 19 or 59%
• Unknown: 1 or 3%

Of those purchased:

• Brick & Mortar: 3 or 43%
• Online: 4 or 57%

The Pipe Corner

I have been trying my hand in the pipe world for the last 8 months or so. Rather than getting lost in the unending brands and types of tobaccos available, I reached out to people who are well versed in pipe tobaccos. Going with the recommendation of trusted individuals was much more fruitful than purchasing tobaccos based on the name or design alone. While I am not quite ready to publish a review , I wanted to share with you a few of the tobaccos I have enjoyed the last couple of months.

• Rattray’s Marlin Flake by Kohlhase & Kopp
  • Blend: Virginia/Perique
  • Tobaccos: Black Cavendish, Perique, and Virginia
• Dunhill Flake by Scandinavian Tobacco Group
  • Blend: Virginia
  • Tobaccos: Virginia
• GL Pease Gaslight by Cornell & Deihl
  • Blend: English
  • Tobaccos: Latakia, Orientals, and Virginia

March Cigar Reviews

Espinosa Cigars – Sensei’s Senational Sarsaparilla

There are very few cigars coming out of La Zona that I do not hold in high regard. However, I am split on Sensei’s Sensational Sarsaparilla. If the cigar smoked the entire length as it did in the final third, I would have absolutely zero complaints. Everything about the final third with the rich cedar and natural tobacco sweetness made it an absolute treat. The first and second thirds lacked the balance and complexity of the final third.

United Cigar Group – Garofalo

As I have mentioned in past reviews, I rarely smoke Connecticut shade cigars. While there are few exceptions, the flavors profile just does not suit me. Well, the Garofalo by United Cigar is another cigar to add to my exceptions list. Everything about this cigar works for me. Solid performance, full flavors, and a complex profile. For a price under $7, this is an easy buy in my opinion.

Rocky Patel – Nicaraguan, a Famous Smoke Shop exclusive

The charred wood was intriguing at the beginning, but was a bit much by the end of the Rocky Patel Nicaraguan. I would say a smaller ring gauge of the Nicaraguan would help, but considering the Toro is the smallest in the line-up that seems out of question. Overall, I enjoyed smoking the cigar but would have been happy to close out the cigar 20 minutes ahead of schedule.

Tony’s Reviews

Espinosa Cigars – Alibi, Backroom Series

The Espinosa Alibi is a solid cigar in every category. I usually gravitate towards full-bodied cigars and this is the perfect example on full-bodied done right. The flavors are bold, yet balanced while I wasn’t overpowered by the higher strength this cigar yields. The size chosen is incredible as I usually go for smaller ring gauges as I feel the wrapper, in most cases, delivers more of the flavors I look for.

Guayacan Sabor de Esteli Maduro

The Guayacan Sabor de Esteli is a good cigar, but it does have it’s nuances. First, that tartness was a bit much for me. While that’s strictly subjective something that isn’t is the massive amounts of sap that built up on both samples I smoked. The sap appeared a little more than halfway end requiring me to frequently clip the cap to get rid of it. Some time in the humidor may do wonders for this cigar as the tartness would mellow out and the sap would be absorbed. I’ve smoked and loved the natural version of this cigar and at this point would recommend that one over this cigar, but I’ll have to revisit this one in a few months to see how it shapes up with a bit of age.

Cubanacan Maduro

I wasn’t expecting the Cubanacan Maduro to be as strong as it was, and it was a pleasant surprise. The cigar offers a great balance of bold flavors, and strength without going overboard in either direction. The flavors are just complex enough to keep me on my toes, but not overdone. The smoking experience is top-notch while the price point is well under what I’d shell out for the stick making it very box-worthy and a welcomed addition to my regular rotation

Crux Cigars – Crux Passport Half Corona

The Passport is a high quality, affordable, small format cigar that delivers on every level. It’s got some deep, bold flavors, some great strength, and perfect construction which results in a great cigar smoking experience.

Guest Reviews by Jeff Oda

Espinosa Cigars – Mi Barrio

While the MSRP for singles may seem high, the box prices, and the fact that these are frequently on sale at Famous and up for grabs on Cigar Monster for significantly lower prices (and I mean in the $4-$5 range), makes the Mi Barrio a cigar well worth looking into.  I know that I will keep grabbing five-packs at least to keep in my humidor.