Matt at Matt’s Cigar Journal has a review up of the Camacho Select Torpedo. One thing that he mentioned got my attention right away.

“A fantastic, flavorful Cameroon that is as good or better than any other Cameroon I have smoked.”

Check out the rest of his review at his blog.

I am very fond of Cameroons, so this is a cigar that I plan to pick up and sample in the near future. Matt had a chance to sample some of the pre-production versions of this particular cigar and says that the production version has been kicked up a notch.

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Tabacos de la Cordillera™ has introduced its new Variety Sampler, with 3 each of its flagship Cumbres de Puriscal™ premium cigars in Gold, Silver, and Emerald bands. The cellophane-wrapped mini-bundles of 9 cigars are available in 2 of the most popular shapes … Robusto (5″ x 50) and Torpedo (6″ x 52).

Company Director John Vogel states, “Cigar lovers now save 40% off the cost of buying 3 of the regular 5-packs of each of the Gold, Silver, and Emerald lines. Being new to the market, we want to make it more attractive for smokers … especially those who favor Cuban cigars … to discover our unique and incomparable cigars.” The breakout company is the world’s only cigar maker to grow tobacco from “ancestral” pre-Castro seeds that date as far back as 1945, to Cuba’s Golden Age of cigars. Vogel, a graduate agronomist and 40-year genetical researcher in the premium cigar industry, grows all the tobacco naturally on Tabacos de la Cordillera’s 65-acre farm near the Costa Rican mountain town of Santa Marta de Puriscal.

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Matt at Matt’s Cigar Journal recently published a mini-review of the Oliva Master Blend 5.0×50 that makes me want to run out and buy a box. Here’s a teaser to whet your appetite as well:

“This was a superb cigar. Full flavor and strong, this cigar gave me a pretty wicked buzz. It had a strong woody flavor and was surprisingly smooth for such a full flavored cigar. “

In no-nonsense, direct terms, Matt gives the basics of exactly what makes the Master Blend a superior smoke and why you might enjoy one. Check out the full review at Matt’s Cigar Blog, and look around a little while you’re there. He’s got some other very good reviews and articles as well.

This is more of a tasting note and some quick comments (with price and source information), rather than a full review. Frankly, I do not feel comfortable doing reviews based on only a single cigar, and that’s all I have had of this one.

This came up in response to a question this weekend on the new Cigar Envy Deals and Discussion Yahoogroup. The group is up to over 375 members now in just four days of existence and ranks in the top ten of the 140 cigar-related groups there. Thanks again for the very enthusiastic response.

The factory pressed La Flor Dominicana (officially the LFD Prensado), for those who might not be familiar with it, was just introduced at the RTDA show in New Orleans a few months back. It is a new cigar in Litto Gomez’ Double Ligero series, and is offered in a very limited edition of only 400 boxes.

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Summary:

The flavor of this cigar is unique in my experience, and something that you are almost certain to either love or hate. There is an oaky quality that comes through the entire time, mellowing as you smoke the cigar. It most reminds me of smoking English pipe tobacco — both in the astringency and in the problems with keeping it lit — and seems to pair well with a good Scotch Whisky. The main flaw in the Italia Ciao appears to be very uneven construction. When it is good, it is quite good. However, when it is bad…

Background Information:

At 5 inches with a 56 ring guage, this is a very chubby Robusto. The Italia Ciao is a medium-to-full bodied cigar with a Cuban-seed Honduran Maduro wrapper and binder. The filler is a special Habano seed tobacco from Italy (hence the name), blended with Nicaraguan and Peruvian tobaccos. Manufactured by C.A.O. Fabrica de Tabacos in Honduras for C.A.O. International, Inc.

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