Size: 5 x 50 Robusto
Wrapper: Ecuadorian
Binder and Filler: Honduran and Nicaraguan
Strength: Medium
Price: Just over $6.00/single

Behind The Stick:

Here we go, another ‘new blend’ to come out of the famous Rocky Patel line. I’ve heard it said before that it is not a difficult challenge for everyone to enjoy at least one of Rocky’s blends, simply because he has so many different types. It seems like every time I think I have at minimum heard about all his cigars I find 5 more that I never even knew existed. The 1961 blend, which was one of three blends he released at the most recent IPCPR, is the first to be made at the Tabacalera Villa Cuba, Rocky’s newest factory in Nicaragua.

The 1961 commemorates the year of his birth which I think the way they made this band is one of the more appealing of his bands that have been produced lately. This is not the standard single or dual color band that has a shiny RP emblem but rather a more rugged – in your face kind of band and I like it.

I was able pick this cigar up via Texcigars – head over and pick yourself up a few and check them out yourself!

Construction:

One thing that Rocky really has improved on (in my opinion) is the construction of his entire line of cigars. Perhaps it is because this cigar is named after his birth year, perhaps its because it was made in his new factory and he wanting to ensure high quality from the beginning – whatever it is that he did, my hat goes off to him.

Sweet dark chocolate coloring with minimal veins and a slightly rough wrapper which was evenly packed – well, almost over packed you may comment. I say that because this stick felt like a lead weight, not only heavy from size but also jam packed dense and full of tobacco. On two of these cigars that I had, I did notice that the band stuck to the wrapper and did cause some issues when I removed it, but the others I had seemed to have no issues, perhaps a minor oversight on a new product. All in all, I think the construction more than deserves the RP emblem.

Flavor:

The flavor profile was alright – I’m sorry Rocky but it just was not one of your ‘knock it out of the park’ smokes. Nice, sweet earth started this cigar off but roughly by midpoint of the first third, the body of the cigar was easily in the full range, a mild pepper joining the sweet earth and creating a very enjoyable flavor profile. The middle portion of the smoke seemed to be the real transition period, nothing really jumped out at me as ‘hey, it tastes like _____” but the changes were enjoyable and kept me interested in the smoke. Around the last third, the cigar took a turn to the darker side, coffee and nut type flavors as well as a mild bitterness started to counteract the semi-sweet flavors from before. As I said, not a bad cigar by any means, and one I would try again but it just didn’t ‘wow’ me like I was expecting from a cigar carrying the birth date of the manufacturer.

Overall:

This is a stick I would probably smoke after lunch if I was planning on working in the yard or on the car, not that it is bad by any stretch of the imagination, just rather that the first 10 to 15 minutes is where this cigar really shines. After the initial third the flavor remains pleasant but please do not think that your going to be getting very many flavor changes, or complexity, out of this one. The price is one of the more appealing aspects and makes it a great ‘working cigar’ – I would not be afraid to set this one down (and return later) near the half way point for fear of throwing 5 to 10 dollars worth of cigar out (which I did once) and even after relighting the Rocky Patel 1961, the flavor didn’t ‘drop off’ or go bland or bitter so that was very impressive to me. All in all, for the price I highly recommend you pick one up but this would not be a box recommendation at this time.

Every Cigar Has A Story, Every Smoke A Memory

Size: 6 x 52 (Toro)
Wrapper: Stalk Cut Habano Wrapper
Binder and Filler: Dominican, Nicaraguan and Honduran – Brazillian Mata Fina binder
Strength: Full
Price: A little over $10.00 a piece

Behind The Stick:

For a little bit of the back story on the Drew Estates Liga Privada line check out my review of the Liga Privada No 9 as to how they came to be today. Quick reference, this cigar was released at the most recent IPCPR as the much anticipated follow up to the No 9 released earlier in the year. Drew Estates is the man behind the infused cigar line known as Acid – the No 9 and T-52 were ideas for his personal stash of cigars that then became a new release for the market, not one of their normally infused cigars. As I said before, for a further back history on the T-52 and No 9 check here.

Construction:

What an amazing looking slab of tobacco. Dark yet thin veins running throughout added to the rustic appeal of the darker colored wrapper which seems to almost glisten under a table top light from the oil sitting on top. Evenly packed from head to foot (no change at all which is impressive) and the bands were easy to remove around the half way point. There is nothing that screams out to me that would indicate a flaw – but for nearly $10.00 a piece – I sure hope there isn’t a problem!

Flavor:

The flavor was not overly pronounced to begin with, tobacco and a very light wood or bitter/salty flavor which was alright but nothing to write home about. The smoke was not harsh by any stretch of the imagination but I would not consider this a ‘creamy’ type of smoke either – these cigars seemed to be sitting somewhere right in the middle which I really enjoyed. The retrohale on this one was actually tolerable which really impressed me! Nice, bold pepper seems to run throughout the stick while at the beginning the undertones of mild bitterness and earth slowly but pleasantly give way to a nut flavoring (not sure if its cashews or roasted nuts or what, but the ‘note’ was there) and then finally progressed into more of a sweeter, darker type chocolate flavoring mixed with the natural tobacco flavoring. I wish I could say more about them but I noticed on each one I took notes for they got more and more brief towards the end, must mean I really like it!

Overall:

For as unknown as the Liga Privada line is and many people facing the ‘oh, this comes from the company that makes the fruity cigars’ and turning away rather than giving these a shot, they did an exceptional job. I will very readily recommend these to viewers or friends and not worry about the Drew Estates ‘name’ as a stipulation on these. They did an awesome job and truly have shown everyone they not only make good infused cigars but also create some pretty amazing full body blends.

These puppies are expensive in my eyes, around $250.00 for a box so I don’t see a box in my near future but a 3 to 5 pack I’d love to keep around. They are very flavorful, rich, bold and seem to burn for a while which does make then cost effective so please do not be discouraged by that fact – I can’t wait to try one after a nice steak dinner!

Every Cigar Has A Story, Every Smoke A Memory

Size: 5 x 52
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder and Filler: Columbia, Nicaragua and Honduras
Strength: Medium – Full
Price: Around $8.00 a piece

Behind The Stick:

I’m sure that most if not all of us have at least heard of the famous show ‘The Sopranos’, an HBO produced tv-movie show that is dedicated to the life of a specific mafia family ‘The Sopranos’. The first time that I ever heard about this cigar I was at a local cigar shop in St. Louis called the Hill Cigar Co, and so appropriately dubbed – on the Hill which is the name of the Italian district in my town. It was the owner of the shop who actually pointed it out and even gave me a small discount because my knees got a little weak from the price but I guess Il denaro è nulla right?

Officially I was able to get a sampler pack from Corona Cigar Co which included all 4 sizes of this line, the Associate, Soldier, Boss and Tony Soprano special – the associate is the smallest of the bunch measuring in at 5 x 52, a little larger ring gauge than a normal robusto which if your a normal robusto smoker like myself, its a nice change to be within the comfort zone of ‘robusto’ yet having this seemingly more imposing cigar.

Although these cigars are produced by a well known and respected company – CAO – there are those who still have not given these a shot, perhaps due to the price or the rarity or simply that they feel this is a ‘gimmick’ cigar which I will admit, at first I thought the same thing especially when I heard the buzz that the wrapper was ‘as dark as a hit-mans’ soul’ which sounds great but also gave me that cheesy feel about it. Even with the issues, CAO really went ahead and pulled this one off without a flaw.

Construction:

I know these are limited edition cigars and I also know they are being produced by CAO – so as much as I want to walk into this one unbiased it really is hard for me since I am expecting quite the delivery. This cigar is dark, there is no doubting this fact, and the oils do a nice job to give the wrapper an almost two tone appeal. These cigars are well packed with tobacco, almost to the point of over packing, from the evenness from head to foot as well as when inspecting the foot, its easy to tell they really worked to put a lot of leaves in there. For the most part the foot band and main band both removed without any issues, the main band on one looked as if the seeing eye dog had placed it since glue was obvious going from the band itself and down towards the foot about a half inch – were all allowed one or two issues haha.

Flavor:

The beginning really reminded me of nuts and a caramel type flavoring, a mild amount of spice and a nice, but dry, smoke really kicked this off well. The cigar ran cool almost the entire way through and so it was a nice change to not get the initial bitter sensations and a near flawless burn. The flavor profile really did not change from one thing to another but rather the flavors that started the cigar remained throughout the full stick. Towards the end the caramel and spices from before really took the driver seat and finished very well, a slight tingle on my lips as well as a long finish really complimented the smoke.

Overall:

Buy this cigar. Period. The price is a little high so yes, expect that, but if your looking for a great medium to full body smoke with great flavors and a good burn time then this is the one. I would not consider this to be a ‘wow’ cigar, but this is a cigar I would offer a few buddies to enjoy at a bar b q – a nice ‘unusual’ smoke with conversation starter written all over it. As well, with a name like CAO many will be able to relate this sticks quality and consistency with their other blends. I really wish there was more I could say, but sometimes short and sweet is the best – If you have not tried one, put this on the top of your ‘to try’ list.

Every Cigar Has A Story, Every Smoke A Memory

Size: 6 x 50 (Toro)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Rosado
Binder and Filler: Honduran
Strength: Full
Price: Only available in CRA sampler – $90.00 as a member

Behind The Stick:

For some of us who have already joined CRA (Cigar Rights Of America) the broadcasting of their new ten cigar sampler #1 caused a few to join the organization simply due to their ’special’ blends that were specifically produced for this sampler. Please, give the time to check out all the other (the main reason) aspects to this organization for if you enjoy a cigar indoors/patio you may owe that acknowledged freedom to them. Many of these blends are some that are available as normal production but hard to come by (the Tatuaje Black for example) or some that have a special oomph that makes it a totally different blend only available to those members within the CRA. This stick is one of those magic pieces that they included into the sampler.

The CAO LX2 on its own is a very well known, highly enjoyed cigar by many aficionados and in an attempt to maintain this, but also offering something special and new, they changed the wrapped from a sun grown leaf to this Nicaraguan grown Rosado wrapper. Tim Ozgener was quoted on the CRA site saying “The exquisite Rosado wrapper imparts a pleasant floral note upon the flavor profile, which balances superbly with the three different ligero fillers.” Even reading the captions about these cigars, I can’t help but beginning to drool – Lets just see if the hype lives up to the product! As a point to be made also, this is a first impression smoke, I only was able to enjoy a single of these.

Construction:

Did I hear someone say there was oil on this cigar? Holy cow, I pulled this one out of the humidor after 3 or 4 months and the oil on this bad boy was still very apparent, the oils seeming as if they would rub off on my hand. The packing of this cigar was near flawless which really surprised me for most CAO’s I have had before were a bit loose towards the end of the foot. Triple cap was expertly placed and the band was slightly pliable letting me know that no excessive amounts of glue were used. All in all, for a limited edition “one of a kind” it delivered exactly as I would have expected.

Flavor:

I think that Tim got the explanation of the flavors down almost perfectly from what I noticed, which makes the smoke that much better in my opinion. So often we hear the cigar will taste like one thing yet when we actually lite it up there is a totally different profile. Spice and wood drive the cigar throughout, while near the middle portion a defining change into more chocolate type flavor really started to set this cigar off. Right as it got into the “sweet spot” of the smoke, I started picking out more of these floral notes Tim had described. It was not harsh or overpowering but once I sat back and actually paying attention to them, the flavors melted very well together wrapping up with wood, chocolate and ‘floral notes’. I really wish I could have smoked more of these, not only to actually ‘pin down’ the flavors but also because this was a really nice smoke!

Overall:

If you have not already joined the CRA I highly recommend it. I have a link on the right hand side of my page with a direct connection to the site where you can find information on all the great things they do for the rights of smokers in the United States. This is one of those cigars that if you can find it, grab it and let it sit for a few months, kick back and enjoy one of the finest, and original ‘twist’ of a new wrapper on a classic and favorite blend. This is just one of the many cigars that the CRA sampler offers but has earned its place in my top 3 of these rare cigars.

Every Cigar Has A Story, Every Smoke A Memory