West Tampa Cigars Devil Crab in Review

BRAND: West Tampa Tobacco Co.
BLEND: Devil Crab

WRAPPER: Undisclosed
BINDER: Undisclosed
FILLER: Undisclosed

FORMAT: Double Perfecto (41/260) pig-tail
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium
SPICE: 2/5

Black Bread | Goat Leather | Roasted Saccharin

NOTES:
Black bread, made with cocoa & coffee powders. Goat leather on account of texture and patina. The patina is made up, in part, of that roasted chemical sweetness. A wise man once defended Sweet'N Low thusly: "A couple of lab rats get cancer and everyone gets real cunty about it." I use the stuff regularly.

Orange marmalade gets schmeared on said bread after a slab of it gets left a half-bit too long in the toaster. Chicory, black pepper, and a hint of licorice blend in. A short-not-flat profile, and near-vastly wide. Portly seems appropriate given the format. Burns hot and fast. Some obtrusive veinage, too.

Although it does burn even and draw well right out of the gate, a thing not every cigar of this shape can lay claim to. Pacing does slow a tick upon progression. A crack happens in the top-leaf at mid-way, but gets smoked through cleanly. A no frills profile combined with frilly shape equals a fun little thing.

TASTE: B
DRAW: A-
BURN: B+
BUILD: B

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79

::: very ::: 

Stolen Throne Cigars Oath Taker in Review

BRAND: Stolen Throne
BLEND: Oath Taker

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Habano
BINDER/FILLER: Nicaraguan, Panamanian

FORMAT: Toro (652)
ORIGIN: Nicaragua (Rojas)
INTENSITY: Medium/Med.-Full
SPICE: 4/5

Caramelized Lemons | Ginger | Barnyard

NOTES:
A bit of a sugary breakfast cereal happening alongside a Mexican hot cocoa, heavy on the cayenne. Well balanced and delivered via a smooth, sparring kick. Bit of a tight draw. Some wildflowers underneath. Hay and golden earth under that. A calm sense of half-muffled restraint.

Leaves a nice tingle on the smoke-hole. A bissell zetz. Quite crisp, taut not overly rigid. Good nuance with surprisingly well-lit depths considering the weight. Nearly effervescent, with a rather taunt seemingly long-held (aged) tension. Almost jittery but charmingly-so 'can't even.' Handsome.

At some point near the end, I might've also been describing myself as well.

::: very ::: 

Kaplowitz Media. Cigars of the Month for October 2026

Kaplowitz Media.
Cigars of the Month
for October 2026

(listed in alphabetical order)
(names are links to full reviews)

Dunbarton RML Spicy Beef Stick
Dunbarton Sobremesa Tapa Negra
Dunbarton StillWell Star Aromatic Dulce Claro
HDA Sentinel LE

Halloween is for kids.

::: very ::: 

Dunbarton Cigars English Dulce in Review

BRAND: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
BLEND: English Dulce Maduro

WRAPPER: n/a
BINDER: n/a
FILLER: n/a

FORMAT: Petit Robusto (548)
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium/Med.-Full

NOTES:
I prefer an English blend to anything other than perhaps a Balkan. But that's when I smoke a pipe and I haven't now for a spell. This one is quite pipe-ish. Also quite like licking maple syrup off of creosote. Which I'd imagine is preferable to licking creosote off of maple syrup.

Combustion is an issue from its onset, as one part is airy and another seemingly not flammable--but it does improve. The whole thing improves, across the board. Flavors smooth out and settle down. By the 2/3's mid-section, I get a nice semi-sweet chocolate. Soon after, dare I say, a plum pudding.

TASTE: B+
DRAW: B
BURN: B
BUILD: B+

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79

::: very :::