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I got a email a couple weeks ago after I signed up at www.herfspace.com from a guy named Brad. Besides running www.herfspace.com he also runs Jameson Cigar Co. out of Southern Ohio. His long term goal is to open a cigar shop in the future. He offered to send me a couple cigars to try out and I gladly accepted. Once I got it out to smoke I started thinking that it must be a sign and I should pair this smoke with some Jameson Irish Whiskey, but then I noticed it was only 9:30am. Even though I’m on vacation all week that is still a little early for me.

Country: Dominican Republic
Length/Ring: 5 X 54
Shape: Torpedo
Wrapper: Sumatra
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Dominican Republic
Strength: Medium
Price: $24 (5) Buy Now

Pre-light: This is a rustic looking torpedo and a good size for me. The dark mid vein sized wrapper only has minor imperfections. This cigar has a little oil and looks like it is going to be a spicy smoke. Very solid from head to foot with a little weight to it. I could smell this cigar as soon as I pulled it out of it’s thin cellophane sleeve. It has a spicy tobacco smell to it. The band is pretty basic with Jameson across the front. I did notice on my cigar that the band was not very straight and it looks to be glued to the wrapper. The very giving cold draw has some spice added to that tobacco flavor.

The burn: This cigar went out on me about an inch into it. It also needed a couple touch-ups. The draw was great all the way down giving you a good amount of flavorful smoke. The firm ash held on for some time, what you would expect from a well made cigar.

The taste: The flavor of this smoke is something I’m not quite use to. I have seen it reported as salty, creamy, nutty, meaty, savory, and even a little floral. I would say meaty and savory with salty being most dominant. I have only had a couple cigars that were salty and it is nice if not over done.

Over all: Priced at a little under $5 each I think this is worth trying. This would not be a cigar that I would smoke weekly, more after a hearty stew or something. I’m going to let my other one rest in the humi a couple months and see if it settles the saltiness down just a bit and helps with the burn. I will also make sure to smoke it after a good helping of beef (or deer) stew.

What others say about the Jameson line:

• Stogie Review reviews the larger torpedo and the robusto
• Lisa over at Her Humidor reviews the robusto
• Cigar Jack likes this smoke

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This month CigarMonkey, Inc. sponsored our Group Cigar Review on the Cigar Beat forum. So after a hard week of work and having to euthanize our feline friend Pumpkin I needed a good smoke to calm me down for the weekend.

The Troya website doesn’t have much information on these so here is some information from Wikipedia:

This non-Cuban version of the Troya brand was introduced into the U. S. market in 1985. The original medium-bodied blend was discontinued in 2003 and was replaced with a mild blend in 2004. The line was further extended in 2004 with the introduction of a full-bodied cigar, the Troya X-Tra.

Early 2007 saw the introduction of the Troya Clasico, a cigar blended and manufactured by Don Pepin Garcia at Tabacalera Cubana in Estelí, Nicaragua. Don Pepin had been called upon earlier to aid in the development of the blends for both of the other Troya lines, which were the result of the efforts of several people.

This line comes in two ranges, one with a Cameroon wrapper and the other with a Connecticut wrapper. The Cameroon is a medium-bodied cigar, while the Connecticut is a mild to medium cigar. The filler and binder in both are Dominican Piloto Cubano and Olor tobaccos. The cigars are presented in boxes of 24.

Country: Dominican Republic
Length/Ring: 5 3/4 X 48
Shape: Toro
Wrapper: Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Piloto Cubano and Olor
Filler: Dominican Piloto Cubano and Olor
Strength: Mild
Price: $97.50 (24) Buy Now or (5) $22.50

Pre-light: This golden brown cigar has very little veins and a good sized cap. It is firm to the touch with a firm draw. The cold draw is of rich tobacco. This is not a cigar that jumps out at you but has no imperfections that I see. They have basic looking band but look nice.

The taste: I found this to be interesting. I thought I was going crazy as I smoked my first one when all I could think of was peanut butter. I could not zone in on anything else on the first one I had. Just a creamy peanut butter (I’m a peanut butter nut I tell yea!). After firing up another Troya I still found some creaminess but not so much peanut butter. It was a little more of a celery overall and it did get a little rancid in the last third. So not to consistent on the two I had but still a nice flavor on both.

The Burn: The first one I had was pretty tight the second one was perfect with just enough give. I put the first one down a little early because of the tightness. I didn’t have any burn line issues on either of these cigars. The ash lasted roughly an inch or so.

Over all: I put them both down a little early for different reason but they are good enough for me to pick up another 5-pack on my next order I place with Dan. At 4.50 per stick I hope the tight draw on the one was a fluke but they are worth a try.

What others say about the Troya #54:

• The Cigar Beat members review this cigar
• Monkey Dan’s review

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I knew it was going to be a good day once I decided to have my first Tatuaje. As soon as I put fire to this cigar I heard a knock at the door. I stopped what I was doing kind of mumbling all the way to the door. But when I opened it no one was to be seen. Like Santa the UPS driver was in and out never to be caught. Once I opened the box I figured out that it was a ticking bomb! Now who would send this? Gurkha of course! They sent me a hat, three cigars and a pouch to carry them in!

So after looking through it all I put the cigars in the humi and got back to my Tatuaje. I picked this up at my local B&M last week and have been waiting for a good time to burn it. I paid $4.25 but I think around $5 is the norm.

tatuajecigars.com is seriously lacking and is in desperate need of a make over. Very little information on this cigar. This cigar was created by Pete Johnson and Pepin Garcia and produced in Pepin’s Tabacalera Cubana factory in Esteli, Nicaragua.

Country: Nicaragua
Length/Ring: 4 5/8x 42
Shape: Corona
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo 99
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan Havana VI
Strength: Mild-Medium-Full (What?)
Price: $118 (24) Buy Now

Pre-light: A nice solid cigar with small veins. The band is a thin red one with Tatuaje written on it. The pre-smell is of mild tobacco and the draw is firm even after a hefty cut of the triple cap. This is a very solid silky smooth cigar with the cold draw showing a mild tobacco taste.

The burn: For being firm you get a good amount of smoke from this little cigar. The ash was white for the most part lasting around a inch. The burn didn’t give me much trouble. Going off once it corrected itself and behaved the rest of the way down.

The taste: It started off a little leathery and earthy. The body is a mild-medium leaning a little to the medium side. Once about an inch in some freshly ground pepper came out for a puff or two and it then went back to earthiness. At around the half way mark I get that pleasant tangy flavor and I can only describe it as cherry. This only lasts a couple puffs as well going back to more present spice. This is the point where things move from a mild-medium to medium-full but more toward medium. The finish is much longer the last half.

Over all: This cigar has it all. The only issue I have is the draw but the flavors make up for it in a big way. Cigar Aficionado rated this cigar a 93 in 2007. I agree with that rating but not the description they gave it. At $.4.75 this is a great deal. I say buy!

What others say about the Tatuaje Havana VI Angeles:

• The Stogie Review enjoys it.
• The Stogie Guys recommends to buy this.

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While in my local B&M yesterday looking for some smaller cigars this smoke caught my eye. I have seen them there before but finally decided to give it a try.

The Griffin’s website does not seem to want to bring up any information on this cigar.
Country: Dominican Republic
Length/Ring: 4 x 43
Shape: Corona
Wrapper: Ecuador
Filler: Dom. Rep.
Binder: Dom. Rep.
Strength: mild-medium more towards medium
Price: $37.99 (10)

Pre-light: This is a small cigar with very little visible veins. The wrapper is very smooth, almost hairy. I don’t see or feel any imperfections. The ban is white with a Griffin on the front ( an ugly beast if you ask me) and HECHO A MANO on the side. It then has another band with “Fuerte” on it. The smell is of mild tobacco and the cold draw has a sweet tobacco taste. The draw is just a tad firm. The band was a pain to get off. Over glued it stuck to the cigar and even with the burn line 1/8 away it still did not want to come off.

The burn: The burn line stayed sharp for the most part but did need a couple touch-ups and it held the white ash well. Like the pre-light the draw was a tab firm but gave me plenty of smoke.

The taste: A nice mellow wood flavor is what you will find here for the first half with a little spice hiding in the background. Once past the half way mark things pick up a little and turns more rich. This cigar never got hot or bitter.

Over all: I enjoyed this short smoke, it was just what I was looking for today. I paid $4.75 for a single at my B&M. Not a bad price but if picked up by the box for under $4 each I see myself getting more.

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