Matt’s Cigar Journal has a review up of the Carlos Toraño Signature Toro. He mentions that it is his first published in-depth review of a cigar. I wouldn’t have known that if he hadn’t mentioned it — the review is very good with lots of good detail.

Here’s an excerpt:

“In the beginning the burn was as close to a straight line as is probably possible. The ash maintained it shape nicely and was not flaky at all. The smoke off the foot held together a long time as if it was almost solid. The smoke I exhaled was the same, very slow to diffuse. About an inch in the spiciness mellowed and the cedar flavor took over along with an undertone I found hard to identify. “

I recently reviewed the same cigar myself, and if you compare what I said with what Matt said you’ll notice that we share a very high opinion of this cigar. That doesn’t surprise me, since as I mentioned the Toraño Signature Toro is a very consistent cigar.

Check the cigar out yourself. I think you’ll like it. I’d say the same about Matt’s site, and I hope that he posts some more cigar reviews in the future.

Over at Mike Salsbury’s Blog, there’s a nice review of this higher-priced premium. I haven’t smoked one of the Graycliff Blue Label’s myself yet, but Mike certainly makes it sound tempting.

Especially since he mentions that he picked his up at a discount on CigarBid. I did a quick check over there and found some of these beauties selling for less than half the regular retail price.

Here’s a small excerpt of what Mike has to say. Head to his site for the full picture, and while you’re there, check out about a half dozen or so other cigar reviews he’s posted.

“The slightly oily Indonesian wrapper is very smooth and slightly darker than a typical Connecticut shade, more of a Colorado - having a touch of redness to it. The filler of the Graycliff Blue Label PGX Professionale is reported to be a mix of tobacco from Brazil, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. At 6.0″ x 50 ring gauge, they feel comfortably large in your hand.”

The review is from the end of August, but the cigars haven’t changed. In fact, with the reputation Graycliff has built I’d stake money that Mike’s review will still be valid a couple of years down the line.

*Sigh*

So many cigars…so little time.

From Richard Hendrix at Blank Mind Blog — a very entertaining and interesting review of La Gloria Cubana Serie R No. 6 Maduro. Here’s how it starts:

I have always been a fan of the La Gloria Cubana Wavells. You will usually find a mix of these and the Baccarat Luchadores in the bottom tray of my humidor. So I was familiar with the quality of the La Gloria Cubana cigar line. I was hoping that the Serie R line would provide a delightful smoke to add to my experiences as well.

What follows and how it finishes is not exactly what Richard expected, but the cigar wasn’t to blame for that. In fact, the cigar was quite good. I won’t spoil the rest of the review by telling you any more about it, but it is a very good piece of writing that shows how a good cigar can add a bit more pleasure to some of the already pleasurable moments of life. Read it for yourself and see if it doesn’t bring a smile to your lips.