Sosa Churchill - Natural

I got this Cigar as part of a sampler pack from Cigar Stix and it was my first Sosa Cigar.

Appearance: 
Smooth milk chocolate coloured wrapper. Decent construction. Firm with a bit of give when squeezed. The foot of this cigar was slightly squashed.

Pre-light draw:
A mild toasty taste.

Opening:
Lots of smoke, I mean lots. One draw was all that was needed. Pleasant tobacco taste. Not much else.

First 3rd: 
Still plenty of smoke although the ash fell off after a few mills. No discernible taste however the pleasant tobacco taste from the opening was still present

Second 3rd: 
Ash fell again, and again, and again!!! No change in flavour. Picked up a bit of spice towards the end of this 3rd which left a very nice tingle on the lips.

Final 3rd: 
The spice picked up. Slight powdery feel on my lips. Ash was like a cigarette at this stage!!

Finish:
A tasty spicy finish. Surprisingly mild finish considering it was a Churchill.

Draw: 
Perfect.

Burn: 
A bit wonky at the start but was perfect by the second 3rd. Ash was non existent.

Time to smoke: 
1hr 20mins

Value for Money: 
I got this as part of a sampler but they retail for around $4 per stick (I think) For that price it was worth it!!

Overall:
A "NICE" Cigar. Nothing too complicated. There was no development of strength or flavour. Fantastic draw but disappointed that the ash did not hold. Overall I would certainly smoke another and would be a great cigar to give to a novice smoker!!

Montecristo No.2

I picked up this stick as a single in the Parque Central Hotel Cigar Shop in Havana. I didn't get a box code or find out how long it was there but it turned out to be the mildest Monte 2 I have had to date.

Appearance: 
The Stick was a bit battered to be honest. After surviving a Hurricane and a 12hr flight it didn't look too bad. A little tear near the cap was the worst of it, otherwise it looked great.

Pre-light draw:
Chocolate powder and a lot of it. A lovely velvet chocolate taste left a coating on my lips.

Opening:
Surprisingly the chocolate from the pre-draw never appeared. I had a strong taste of weak coffee. Not milky. No cappuccino or latte. It resembled a weak cup of black coffee. Quiet pleasant actually.

First 3rd: 
The weak coffee continued throughout the first 3rd and was accompanied by what I could only describe as toast. Dry toast with a cup of black coffee. It felt as if I was smoking my breakfast.

Second 3rd: 
The second 3rd was a bit muted. The coffee was gone. The toast never fully came through and I was left with a slight woodiness. I would have to lick a few more trees to be able to tell you what type of wood but I can tell you that my mouth dried up very quickly in this 3rd.

Final 3rd: 
After pouring myself a Havana 3yr old, the woodiness then disapeared. A mild spice tried to break through and at most tingled my lips at intervals. A green pepper more so than black pepper.

Finish:
It was only during the finish that the cigar picked up a bit of strength and spice. The downside to this was after enjoying (for me) a mild cigar, the power during the finish was unexpected and not welcome.

Draw: 
Perfect until half way through the final 3rd. It got a little tighter then but nothing too bad

Burn: 
Not straight by any means. It always corrected itself and never impaired the cigar

Time to smoke:
1hr 23mins or there abouts 

Value for Money: 
Picked up in Havana for around 7.60CUC (€6ish) you cant go wrong. €14 cheaper than Ireland

Overall:
The mildest Monte 2 I have had to date. Not sure if it was how long the cigar has rested or due to the travel etc but not what I was expecting. A nice Cigar but I want a bit more kick from my Monte!!

CAO Criollo

Appearance: 
Smooth seamless wrapper. Slight Blemish near the foot of the Cigar.

Pre-light draw:
Dry grass and slightly earthy

Opening:
Not much to detect. The slightest hint of caramel

First 3rd: 
Very muted flavours. Slight hint of spice akin to ginger but I couldn't be sure.

Second 3rd: 
Very very muted. Hard to get any flavour out of the cigar. If anything, there was a slight straw taste which would explain the dry grass on the pre-draw. The Cigar went out completely at the end of the second third.

Final 3rd: 
After a re-cut and re-light the Cigar gave off a few nice flavours. There was a mild pepper that was balanced by a nice fruitiness.

Finish:
The finish teases me. There was a return of the caramel, now creamy and strong. It was lovely. Almost immediately the cigar turned. A harsh, bitter, metallic puff of smoke ended this Cigar for me and put me out of my misery.

Draw: 
Very tight. Never opened at all. Had to re-light after second 3rd

Burn: 
All over the place. It needed plenty of touch ups, most likely due to the draw.

Time to smoke: 
1hr 35mins total. Around 45mins of that was treating the cigar, touch ups, re-cuts etc...

Value for Money: 
I didn't pay for this Cigar. If I had I would have been a lot more disappointed than I already was.

Overall:
I was looking so forward to this Cigar. I swear by 100% puros. This one was from Nicaragua, which has a decent stronghold in the cigar market. I left it in my humidor for a while to make sure t was well settled. I shouldn't have bothered.
I would never write a cigar off after smoking just one, but on first impression, I'm not impressed.

Montecristo No.4

I was recently gifted a Monte No.4 by a work colleague. I read it is the biggest selling Cuban Cigar in the world so I decided to give it a go and to review it as I went.

Appearance: 
The stick was a bit firm. The wrapper was a lovely chocolate colour. Slightly bumpy to the feel but that is usually good in my experience.

Pre-light draw:
Old Tobacco. Nothing else.

Opening:
Very smooth. Lots of milk chocolate.

First 3rd: 
WOW!! Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate!! It was like smoking a Dairy Milk Bar. Intense and lush. Mild to medium at this point. A slight hint of coffee and woodiness towards the back of the first 3rd

Second 3rd: 
All about the wood in this 3rd. The chocolate that had been so prominent dissipated very quickly and was replaced by a pleasant cedar taste. The coffee never came through at all.

Final 3rd: 
The cedar was still dominant at this stage. The chocolate returned in the background but was now a bitter chocolate. Not unpleasant. There was also a very mild spice coming through. Not strong enough to detect a flavour, however it left a nice tingle on my lips.

Finish:
The cigar turned on my at the end of the final 3rd. The last half an inch or so that I call the finish was turning out to be very harsh. I stopped smoking at this point so as not to ruin my experience.

Draw: 
Tight for the first two 3rds. Required double puffs to get a desired amount of smoke. Opened up in the final 3rd. Not bad enough to take away from my enjoyment of the cigar.

Burn: 
Slightly wonky. I touched up the cigar on two occasions however it still would have smoked perfectly if I hadn't.

Time to smoke: 
1hr 25mins. This was due to the draw. On a perfect draw I say the Cigar could be smoked in under an hour.

Value for Money: 
It was a gift. I do know they retail at around the €11/12 and at that price they are worth the money.

Overall:
I found the cigar a very pleasant smoke. I can see why it is a top seller. It has all the qualities and complexities of any Cuban Cigar but none of which are overpowering. A great cigar for a newbie smoker or if the experienced smoker would like a nice change of pace. I would certainly have another.

AVO Classic Robusto

Appearance: 
Lovely and smooth wrapper with the exception of one protruding vein. Otherwise flawless

Pre-light draw:
A sweet tobacco flavour. Almost like milk chocolate

Opening:
Smooth and creamy from the first draw. The beginnings of a white ash speckled with grey. Very promising.

First 3rd: 
Very creamy to start. What I would expect with a Dominican Cigar. Slight hint of coffee. Similar to a very week Cafe Latte.

Second 3rd:
Into the second third and the coffee has gone. The creaminess is also disappearing and is replaced with a slight bitterness. Not pleasant however not enough to stop smoking the cigar. Heading towards the final third it was borderline whether I would finish the cigar

Final 3rd: 
The creaminess is well and truly gone. The bitterness is still there but luckily it has been joined by a pleasant spiciness. Akin to black pepper, the spice has taken the edge of the bitterness that lasted almost a full third.

Finish:
I knocked off the ash and purged the Cigar at this point. I instantly regretted not doing it sooner. The last 15 minutes or so to this cigar was the best part. The bitterness had left and the cream returned to blend perfectly with the spice. It was like smoking a lovely creamy peppercorn sauce.

Draw: 
Best thing about the cigar. One puff equaled plenty of smoke. No double drags or sore cheeks with this Cigar. Perfect!

Burn: 
Slightly wonky at times but always corrected itself. Never needed a touch up.

Time to smoke: 
I took me around 1.5hrs to smoke. I slowed down between the second and final third to try and avoid the bitterness.

Value for Money: 
This stick was sent to me in a sampler pack from Buttheads. I read they are around the €5/$6 mark. For that price they are certainly worth picking up and having a few in your humidor

Overall:
I enjoyed the Cigar in parts. It has only been in my humidor a little over a week so I probably rushed smoking it. A little bit of age on this Cigar I would say that the peppercorn creaminess of the finish would be more prevalent. I probably wouldn't buy another but if I was handed one (with age) I wouldn't be disappointed.

Monte Grand Edmundo EL 2010

Appearance: 
A nice dark wrapper. Smooth veins and a few bumps. Nice and oily. Very enticing

Pre-light draw:
Tobacco funnily enough. Not much else

Opening:
Creamy!! First few draws had thick, heavy, viscous smoke and the appearance of a lovely almost bright white ash that makes me happy!

First 3rd: 
Slight hints of milk chocolate. Very feint mind you I had to concentrate hard on what I was getting. Light to medium strength and developing in flavour towards the back of the first 3rd

Second 3rd: 
Wow. The Milk chocolate was kicked out off town and replaced with strong black coffee. It felt like I had just swallowed a full cup of Cubans finest. The first cigar I have had were that coffee taste was so prevalent and with that the cigar moved to a firm medium bodied cigar.

Final 3rd: 
The spice moved in. I couldn't put my finger (or taste buds) on what it was exactly but I loved it. Not as harsh as black pepper, it left a tingle on my lips that you may get from Spicy chicken wings. (The tingle, not the flavour) Woodiness also came through with hints of leather. The Cigar was now on the full side of a medium bodied cigar. Just how I like it.

Finish:
No bitterness or harshness at all. Smooth until the very end and still full of flavour

Draw: 
OK to start but opened up perfectly after the first 3rd

Burn: 
Two touch ups but nothing major. Just me being anal and looking for the perfect burn

Time to smoke: 
It took me almost two hours. Probably could be smoked in an hour to hour and a half but I took my time and enjoyed every bit!!

Value for Money: 
At around €30/€35 worth every cent

Overall:
I burnt my fingers. I wish it was longer.