Cigars International

La Aroma de Cuba

In every way earns its 95 rating. Outstanding.

La Aroma de Cuba

TL;DR - definitely has a core flavor of coconut milk 😋😋 Easily one of the most unique and finest cigars I've ever had. Highly recommended 👍 Aged 15 mos, dry-boxed 5 hours ⏳️ Pre-light is nougat candy bar. Wow. Oily appearance. Light-up is easy 👌 Starting core is creamy maduro spice. Goldilocks construction and draw. Initial impressions: it definitely develops a core of clove-spiced coconut milk 🥥 A little Cocoa arrives at the beginning of the second third. Seems like this one wants to be a journey cigar. Halfway through the Cocoa develops a pleasant bitterness. So I don't forget to say it, these cigars smell exceedingly good from just being in the room. Great aroma. Burn 🔥 is perfect and forgiving. Medium flavors and strong nicotine. Pairing ideas: yes, to creamy drinks like a craft mocha. I think spiced rum could pair well. Pecan or pistachio ice cream; that's the ticket. I also think most other liquors would overpower this creamy spiced experience.

Joya de Nicaragua

Good cigar, band and appearance are great, had some tunneling, draw was good, was a little more full bodied for my taste

Espinosa

Wood, cocoa, hints of chocolate.

Espinosa

Very chocolatey. I gave this a few more months of aging and it really has improved. Paired with Doc Swenson's bourbon.

Espinosa

Paired with dove dark chocolate and Lamarca prosecco. Fantastic.

Espinosa

Recommended 👍 Aged 1+ year. 6 hour dry-boxing⏳️ Light wood or Graham cracker core. Definitely a Mandarin orange 🍊 citrus here. In the second half, I added dark chocolate 🍫 as a pairing test. So good. Top marks 💯 and very unique.

Macanudo

Starts strong and earthy.

Macanudo

Pretty good cigar but no spice to speak of. Draw was great until final third then got tight but rolling tip helped. Burn got funky in final third and required multiple relights though I was resting it long some. A little harsher to me than I like but alright.

Macanudo

Alot better than the Inspirado white I got! Draw a bit tight in 1st third but loosened up nicely. Really great burn and retained ash for 2". Flavor profile really good.

Macanudo

Seemed dry but came out humidor good. Cap started ravelling right after light, cut goot. Could not handle the taste, almost like smoking straw trashing this one.

Espinosa

TL;DR - dark roasted oak core with hints of citrus peel later in the smoke. Recommended 👍 aged 11 mos ⏳️ 6 hour dry-boxing. Pre-light scent is sweet maduro with barnyard and light floral. Pre-light taste presents notable apricot with tobacco spice. Toothy appearance. Light-up smooth 👌 Beautiful construction. Draw and burn "goes to 11" 😅 Immediate flavors are dark roasted oak, savory and forward. Nothing subtle here. Black coffee develops. Halfway through, the roasted oak subsides and hints of orange peel flirts 🍊 Lots of good things to say about this cigar. Quality. Pairing with fruity red wine 🍷 and woody bourbons recommended.

La Perla Habana

TL;DR - mellow hay and leather core. Not bad, though not that interesting either. Definitely NEEDS aging at least 8 mos. I recommend Pass 👎 This one is aged 10 mos ⏳️ and is the last of 2 La Pearla Habana Black Pearl test boxes: one Morado and one Rojo. Both are made well and burn correctly. The Morado wasn't too impressive. It's defining experience is anise. Given the cigar's general bitterness, the anise didn't add enough to make it worthwhile. This smoke, the Rojo, was supposed to be spicy, but instead ends up as a pleasant-ish mix of hay and leather. Somewhat enjoyable with coffee ☕️ I'd say skip the Morado, but the Rojo might be a decent choice for someone's cheap "yard 'gar". As for me, I've had enough, I would not accept if offered, and won't buy more.

La Perla Habana

Last of the Morado box. They've been an OK smoke. From a flavor perspective, some taste better than others from the same box. They're also inconsistent from a burn perspective. Sometimes fine, sometimes very wavy. In all, certainly not the worst I've had but I don't need any more of these.

Just Pleasure

A very surprising super-budget smoke. The flavors are very mild but consists of hay & sweet bread. The retro is actually smooth with zero harsh tones. The ash proved that either the blend is made with long filler or just rolled very well. Still a cheap smoke but above expectations.

Drew Estate

Loved this little guy. Flavorful. Light. Sweet. Chefs kiss.

Mark Twain

Smoking the Mark Twain Memoir No. 3 (50 x 54). Bold and earthy with notes of dark chocolate, espresso, and black pepper. The Pennsylvania Broadleaf wrapper adds a touch of molasses sweetness that balances out the spice. Burn needs a few touch-ups, but the draw is smooth. Puts out thick, heavy clouds of smoke, making for a rich and satisfying experience. Solid budget Maduro with good depth.

La Herencia Cubana

Very good. Sweet like sugar cane.

Rocky Patel

Aged 5mo. Punch cut. Draw and burn both excellent 👌. Medium bodied with rich and balanced flavors. Flavors of cedar chocolate and spice. A favorite.

Oliva

Aged 5mo. Draw on the tighter side. Burn a bit uneven. Mild cigar. Mostly taste cedar with a touch of spice and coffee.

Romeo y Julieta

Draw great burn was wavy. Medium bodied. Flavors of cedar nut and spice. Went well with a Rum and coke.

Cohiba

Aged 4mo. Bit of a tight draw, burn a bit uneven. Medium bodied, smooth and creamy. Flavors of cedar pepper and a touch of sweet.

Rocky Patel

Aged 4mo. Burn a little uneven, draw great. Bold rich and smooth. Flavors of chocolate, espresso, pepper and earth. Great pairing with a mild black coffee.

Gurkha

Mild, smooth and tasty. Cocoa, caramel, cedar, and a touch of spice. Great burn and draw.

Punch

Aged 4mo. Burn wavy draw good. Spicy peppery kick for 1st inch. Then mostly cedar and leather with a subtle sweetness. Overall smooth and enjoyable.

Macanudo

Rested 1mo. Draw tight used Perfecdraw. Burn a bit wavy but no touch ups needed. Ash dropped at end of 1/3. Wrapper had a few splits but it didn't affect the draw. Mello and smooth with creamy nutty and a touch of oatmeal and sweetness.

Liga Privada

1mo rested. Burn and draw great. Ash tight and fell at halfway point. Interesting overall flavor, has a slight bitter taste. Notes of cedar, grass, nut, cream, spice, and citrus.

Oliva

1mo rested. Great draw. Burn a bit wavy. Flavors of chocolate, coffee and spice. The cognac helped bring out the chocolate and coffee flavors.

Oliva

Rested 4 months. Burn and draw both great. Flavors of mostly cedar, earth, and spice with a touch of leather and coffee. Definitely has a bold overall flavor. The ginger ale did bring out a bit of sweetness.

La Herencia Cubana

Tl;dr: disappointing. Aged 5 mos. This cigar had a catastrophic core burn that can only be attributed to a bad role. Clearly a factory issue. The tobacco flavors are unbelievably good as expected. Generally, the smoke was disappointing. This was mainly because I had to spend so much time relighting and trying to fix the core burn issue.