EP Carrillo La Historia E-III Review

Hello Cigar smokers!
I'm here reviewing one of my personal favorites, EP Carrillo's La Historia E-III. This cigar is all Dominican fillers and binder with a rich, luxurious Mexican San Andres grown Maduro leaf around it. It comes slightly pressed in boxes of 10, this is the Churchill size with the dimensions 6 7/8 inches with a 54 ring gauge. EP Carrillo is my favorite cigar maker in the business, smoke one of his cigars and you'll see what I mean. The Carrillo family spends a long time developing each of their blends, so when they hit the market we get the perfected version of that blend. La Historia took almost 2 years to develop, and the result I think, is the best Mexican Maduro leafed cigar currently on the market. This cigar is a strong candidate for long term aging, the cigars I'm smoking are from a box I bought in March of 2015.

From the initial light this cigar gives a rich Maduro flavor, but it lacks a strong body from the fillers. The fillers come on later in the cigar and the body progresses to a strong, definitely full bodied cigar. The progression of flavor in this cigar makes it something special, in my opinion. First you taste mostly the wrapper, then the fillers bring intensity to the blend, finally the wrapper leaf comes back for the finish. When the cigar finishes it leaves a long lasting flavor on the palate. This is mainly a late night or after dinner cigar for me, I pair it it up with a Cabernet Sauvingon or a VSOP Cognac. Port would be a good pairing as well, any full bodied drink from grapes would work well with the flavors in this blend. I recommend this cigar to smokers that are Maduro fans, people who are interested in Mexican grown tobacco, or people who want a cigar with long lasting, strong flavors. This is my personal favorite and this could be yours too.

Cigar Review: H Upmann Vintage Cameroon Robusto

Hello cigar smokers,
Today I'm smoking an H Upmann Cigar at the shop. I noticed all my reviews have been for fuller bodied cigars, so for today's review I'm going to a more easy going smoke. The H Upmann Vintage Cameroon is similar to the main line of H Upmann cigars, with the main difference being the wrapper leaf. The leaves used for the wrappers are grown in Cameroon, Africa and they have different flavor characteristics than tobaccos grown in the Americas. This cigar is a 5 inch by 50 ring gauge cigar that comes with a thin cedar wood sleeve in the cellophane. The cedar wood sleeve aesthetically differentiates it from the main line Upmanns, and it also serves as an extra layer of protection for the wrapper leaf, as Cameroons are thinner leaves and tend to be more fragile than a Habano or especially a Broadleaf.  In my experience, these cigars are all uniformly high quality, I haven't seen any come with cracked wrappers or obvious defects. I would say quality control wise and as far as they leaves they select, H Upmann delivers the best quality Cameroon wrapper at it's price point.

Cameroon wrapper cigars to me are a good change of pace smoke, they have a much lighter flavor than a Maduro cigar, but they offer more flavor than a Connecticut wrapper. Even though it's a thin wrappers, the leaf has more texture on the top of the leaf than a Connecticut Shade, which is another thin wrapper. That means there is more surface area on the leaf, which means more oils stay on the leaf through the curing and fermentation process, which gives the result of big flavor for a thin wrapper. I like these a lot as a daytime cigar, the draw is easy and I haven't experienced one that was over packed or under packed. The flavor is consistent and very satisfying, while being a lighter body it isn't too mild. The oils also don't build up as much as a thicker, darker wrapper, so it doesn't have a finish that lasts a long time. I recommend this cigar to anybody who wants to ease themselves into stronger cigars, but doesn't like Maduros or even Habano wrappers. Even for smokers who generally like Connecticut Shade wrappers, but want something with more flavor while being on the milder side.

EP Carrillo La Historia E-III. IN STOCK

Hello Cigar Smokers!
If you're familiar with the EP Carrillo La Historia line I'm sure you know, some shops have trouble keeping these stocked. But not here, this cigar is a personal favorite of mine, so unless it's back ordered we stock it. This cigar is Dominican fillers and binders with a Mexican grown Maduro leaf around it. It delivers a rich Maduro flavor that lasts ages on the palate. I consider this a perfect after dinner cigar, the slightly pressed format gives it an even burn and draw. I've gone through about 4 boxes of this cigar since it's debut, and I've never had a bad one out of 40 sticks. Never an ugly wrapper, never an uneven burn or draw, never a dud with these cigars. EP Carrillo takes his time and only releases cigars that are ready for the aficionado, and because of that I thoroughly support Cigar Aficionado's opinion, this cigar was awarded #2 cigar of 2014 by the magazine. I have a box of these that turns a year old today and I'm excited to see what a 1 year vintage does to this excellent blend by EP Carrillo. Tune in later this week for my review of the La Historia E-III after one year in the humidor!

Cigar Review: My Father Le Bijou Box Press Torpedo

For today's review I'm smoking Cigar Aficionado's #1 ranked cigar of 2015, My Father's Le Bijou Box Pressed Torpedo. This cigar has been on the market for a while, most of it's offerings are rounded and not pressed, this is the only box pressed and the only torpedo cap. Boy do those two make a difference, I can see why the magazine gave it's highest honor to this cigar. At the store we stock the Toro size and this Torpedo and I much prefer the Torpedo. Why is that? It's all in the draw. I found myself sometimes working to get a good draw off of the Le Bijou Toro and that is enough for me to be unhappy with a cigar experience.

From the initial light up the Le Bijou delivers big flavor and an easy draw. I think being able to take more off the Torpedo end have a lot to do with the improved draw over the Toro. Being a box press too the filler tobacco has more room inside the cigar to allow more air flow, thus a more open draw. It's a hard thing to balance, as too much air flowing through the filler means it'll burn hot and unevenly, and not enough air flow means you have to huff and puff on it to get a meager draw.  My Father got that balancing act down well and it really shows as this cigar progresses.

This cigar gives a big Maduro leaf flavor that I really enjoy, most of my go-to cigars are Maduros. This is definitely a big step up in flavor from the Diamond Crown I recently reviewed. A good way to compare those two would be Le Bijou is a nighttime cigar, and the Diamond Crown Maduro is a good daytime cigar, or for the more casual smoker. I wouldn't recommend the My Father Le Bijou to a  beginner or somebody not used to full bodied smokes. This would pair well with a Cabernet Sauvingon or a VSOP Cognac. The chalkiness of a Cabernet would compliment the rich flavors of this cigar, it definitely has a strong finish and long lasting flavors on the palate. Don't smoke this unless you want to taste it for a while.

Diamond Crown Robusto No 4 Maduro Review

Today I'm reviewing the Diamond Crown Robusto no 4 in the Maduro wrapper. This is the first Maduro Diamond Crown I've ever smoked, I've only smoked the Connecticut wrapper offerings. Diamond Crown is a company renowned for their quality control and for making smooth, easy going cigars with a creamy smoothness, similar to a Montecristo.

Smoking the Maduro, I'm not expecting Montecristo smoothness, but as soon as I pulled this cigar off the shelf I can feel the exceptional construction and consistency that Diamond Crown is known for. These come in boxes of 15, and of the cigars left in the box at the store, all of the wrappers look uniform like they came off of the same plant. When I cut the cigar I look at the filler leaves inside and I was pleased to see a tight bunch with just enough space to allow a good draw. Cigars that are bunched this well stay lit longer and run cooler, in my experience.

Lighting this cigar up is another satisfying experience. from the first puff I knew I was in for a good Maduro smoking experience. This cigar isn't very strong for a Maduro, but it is satisfying in all the ways I enjoy from a dark wrapper. I find that dark wrappers offer more natural sweetness than a natural or Connecticut wrapper. The burn is even and cool, from the initial light I never had to fight with it to get a satisfying draw and the ash burns a nice chalky white shade, which is indicative of good soil minerals and drainage.

This is one of the better medium to full bodied cigars I've smoked. I mostly like very full bodied cigars, but this has exceeded my expectations I like this a lot more than the Connecticut wrapper Diamond Crowns. They definitely are priced at a premium bracket and I would say that it delivers on all fronts; construction, flavor, draw and finish are all above average. I drank a Sprite with this cigar, but I'm going to revisit it with a VSOP Cognac next time, liquor from grapes I think brings out the sweetness of the Maduro wrapper without adding bite. I recommend this cigar to anybody that wants to smoke Maduros but finds most of them too strong or nauseating. This cigar would also be good for somebody that is stuck on Connecticut wrappers and would like an introduction to a fuller bodied cigar.

Who's a Diamond Crown guy? I have the Robusto no 4 in Natural and Maduro. Tune in later this week and I'll review one.

1st Cigar Review: Quesada Keg Toro

On the eve of St Patrick's day I chose to review Quesada's seasonal Keg series. They released these in time for St Patrick's day, and these pair well with a Stout beer. Quesada has been the brand that is setting the trend for Cigars that are marketed to pair with beers. They started with the Oktoberfest, which has reached a reasonable level of commercial success and this is the 2nd year of the Keg. The Oktoberfest is made in the Dominican Republic and the Keg in Nicaragua. I like how they time the releases too, with the Keg dropping in Spring and the Oktoberfest in Fall.
The Keg comes in one barrel shaped container in 3 different quantities and sizes, a 30 count Lonsdale , a 21 count Toro and a 16 count Gordo. At the store we stock the Toro size and that's what I'm reviewing today.

This cigar comes in a dark wrapper with consistent quality, none are ugly or have obnoxious veins. This cigar also comes in a satisfying tightness, none of them are squishy and none of them are rolled too tight to light properly. Lighting this cigar up is no task and it starts with a good open draw for a Toro.

Flavor wise I say this cigar offers a satisfying medium body from the initial light that evolves into a complex full flavor. What impresses me most about this cigar is how it delivers a nice full flavor without bite or a harsh sensation on the palate. I smoked this at the store so I didn't have an Irish Beer to pair it with, however I agree with Quesada's recommendation of a Stout to pair with this. The last time I had one of these it was with a Lagunitas Cappuchino Stout. The two balanced really well together, I'm not a Stout fan at all but this cigar works well with a Stout beer and leaves a nice long lasting flavor.
This Cigar has a nice finish that isn't as strong as some Maduro wrappers, but isn't wimpy. I'm a fan of Quesada's work and I like how they make full bodied cigars that are smoother than you would think for a dark wrapper. I'm not going to give point reviews like the magazines do, my reviews are going to end simply with my recommendations. I recommend this cigar to anybody who is a fan of full bodied Nicaraguan cigars and to anybody whose St. Patrick's day festivities include cigars.

Welcome!

Hello Cigar smokers!
My name is JT and I'm the cigar guy at Discount Cigarettes and Cigar at 801 Woodside Road. I made this blog to present our collection of cigars and share my love of fine tobaccos with the other people of the Woodside/Peninsula area. I'll update regularly with all things cigars, cigar talk and reviews. Come by and have a smoke with me! If you have any questions, suggestions for a post or cigar for me to review email me at, jtcigarsofwoodside@gmail.com, or come by the store, we're located on Woodside Road in Redwood City in the same parking lot as Chuck's Donuts.

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