Monday, November 30, 2020

Corona de GTO Cigars 10 Años Corojo in Quick Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

GTO Cigars
Corona de GTO 10 Años Corojo

WRAPPER: Corojo
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Toro (654)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera GTO Dominicana
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.gtodominicancigars.com

NOTES:
Citrus | Vanilla bean | Caramel

Clean, crisp & braced by white peppercorn & lively cedar. Well-balanced & complex. Bright but nuanced as well, tethered-not-flighty. Enveloped creamily, encased in terra cotta.

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Friday, November 27, 2020

Featured Company: ADVentura Cigars

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Featured company: ADVentura
Here, read some reviews...


Find out more about ADVentura HERE. 

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com
::: very :::

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Kaplowitz Media. Cigars of the Month (November 2020)

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Kaplowitz Media.
CIGARS of the MONTH: NOVEMBER 2020
[Names are links to full reviews] 


kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

October 2020 Stogiebird SB8 in Review

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

www.Stogiebird.com for more info.

October 2020 Stogiebird SB8 in Review
The contents thereof, individually.

[in no particular order]

Edgar Hoill OSOK (One Shot One Kill) San Andres
Sinistro Mr. Black
ACE Prime MXS Tiago Splitter Signature
MBombay Corojo Oscuro
Ventura Archetype Sage Advice
Espinosa Crema
Stogiebird Poison (Holiday Exclusive)
Stogiebird Cursed (Holiday Exclusive)

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Monday, November 23, 2020

GTO Cigars Corona de GTO 10 Anos Maduro in Quick Review

"Have you Kaplowtz'd to-day?"

GTO Cigars
Corona de GTO 10 Anos Maduro

WRAPPER: Maduro
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican

FORMAT: Toro (654)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera GTO Dominicana
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.gtodominicancigars.com

NOTES:
Coffee beans | Dark chocolate | Mulling spice

Creamily-cushioned toasted cedar structure. Raisins, apples, orange rind drive mulling segment. Ballsy shy of brash. Excellent balance. Care-free performance. Uncomplex yet showy not ornate. Well-built.

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

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

Other GTO reviews:

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Friday, November 20, 2020

Featured Company: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Featured company: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
Here, read some reviews...

Dunbarton T&T Mi Querida
Dunbarton T&T Mi Querida
Dunbarton T&T Mi Querida
Dunbarton T&T Mi Querida Gordita
Dunbarton T&T Mi Querida Triqui Traca No. 552
Dunbarton T&T Muestra de Saka Oro Verde
Dunbarton T&T Muestra de Saka Unstolen Valor

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Dunbarton T&T Muestra de Saka Unstolen Valor in Review "Screw 'em if They Kvetch"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust
Muestra de Saka Unstolen Valor

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan
BLENDER: Raul Disla

FORMAT: Toro
ORIGIN: Nicaraguan American Cigars SA, Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: www.dunbartoncigars.com

NOTES: 
Pepper | Roasted orange | Mesquite

Robust and spirited, w/ notes that skim along the top perhaps lessening some depth. Pepper-forward, crisply. Cracked black & green peppercorn, accompanying produce-section stuffs. Jalapeno. Toasted well & with a balancing roasted orange citrus-sweetness. Sneaky bright but also roundness is retained, anchored. Some sharp edges, however. A darkly sweet mesquite structure lifts | separates. 

Un-evolving, save for a fresh dose of black pepper in the final act. Savory musk overtone to undertones. A fresh pulled espresso & molasses/maple syrup rests on leathery dark-thin top-soil underbelly. Nuances do set-in via lanolin bod. Salty like my ten-year-old when I beat him at Mario Kart that one time. About as complex as he is, too -- although he is in a Talented & Gifted program.

Built sturdily but cap does loosen a tick. Requires puffing on the muchly-side of moderate, but draw is smooth & even. Dense ash. Burn-line is even but does threaten to lag time-to-time in small spots (see frequent puffs). Nothing egregious, simply burns coolly, slowly. Emits a pungent beefy-spicy aroma to alert everyone that you're smoking. Screw 'em if they kvetch. A profile sans compromise. 

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

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

Other Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust reviews:

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Stogiebird Cigars Cursed (Holiday Exclusive) in Quick Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Stogiebird Cigars 
Cursed (Holiday Exclusive)

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Habano
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan, Honduran

FORMAT: Sublime (6.5x54) shaggy-foot
ORIGIN: La Corona Cigars SA, Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Mld-Medium

WEBSITE: www.Stogiebird.com

NOTES:
Cocoa butter | Cultured cream | Green hay

Saccharine-sweet primaries are hefted then not by a cuck of a white-pepper-citrus. Delivery isn't smooth as it should be. Packing & draw are spongy. Unnecessary. 

TASTE: B
DRAW: B-
BURN: B
BUILD: B-

FINAL GRADE: B-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Featured Company: Dapper Cigar Co.

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Featured company: Dapper Cigars
Here, read some reviews...

Dapper Cigar Co. Cubo Claro
Dapper Cigar Co. Cubo Maduro
Dapper Cigar Co. Cubo Sumatra
Dapper Cigar Co. Desvalido
Dapper Cigar Co. El Borracho
Dapper Cigar Co. El Borracho Maduro
Dapper Cigar Co. La Madrina
Dapper Cigar Co. Siempre Sun Grown

Find out more about Dapper HERE. 

::: very :::

Monday, November 16, 2020

Stogiebird Cigars Poison (Holiday Exclusive) in Quick Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Stogiebird Poison 
(Holiday Exclusive)   

WRAPPER: 
Jade Candela, Cameroon Maduro, & Ecuadorian Habano 
BINDER: Nicaraguan 
FILLER: Nicaraguan, Honduran

FORMAT: Torpedo (652) tri-color barber-pole
ORIGIN: La Corona Cigars SA, Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE: www.StogieBird.com

NOTES:
Table sugar | Vegetal | Lemon pepper

Cloyingly-sweet. (IPA-hoppy)Brightly-herbaceous; lemon wedge forward. Cracked black pepper kicker. Becomes lemon-pepper via lessening delineation. Pale potpourri. Flat, thinly sharp. Lacking in structure, balance & complexity.

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

FINAL GRADE: B-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Friday, November 13, 2020

Featured Company: Illusione Cigars

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Featured company: Illusione Cigars
Here, read some reviews...

Espinosa Cigars Crema in Review "Like a Medicated Neurotic"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Espinosa Cigars 
Crema No. 4

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Connecticut
BINDER: Nicaraguan 
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: No. 4 Robusto (5.5x52)
ORIGIN: La Zona factory, Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE: www.StogieBird.com

NOTES:
White peppercorn | Cream | Nuttiness

No surprises here. A cigar which gives me no greater information smoking it than does reading its specs. Not bad -- pleasant even -- just not compelling, say. Gruffed side of smooth thanks to substantial white peppercorn body over taste. Cashews & peanuts try to evolve into woodsiness, don't so much. Lightly-toasted cream fills & rounds the profile nicely. Simply. An experience played in the background.

Undertones try, too, but structure fails a tick down-below. Mainly a melange with somewhat erratic half-spikes of suede, sweet cedar, pale spices, butterscotch, and floral hints. None fully grab. Underbelly is an oaty chicken coup earthiness. What complexities there are, are shaky. Jittery but smoothed like a medicated neurotic. Depths are decent but the nuances there are again mottled.

The nutty-creamy aroma comes off a moderate smoke output. Nice exotic spice slight-kicker. Burn-line is mainly even & when not, self-correcting. Paced on the quick-side. Ash stacks flaky dimes to an acceptable length. Draw is excellent. The top-leaf fits a bit like a king-sized sheet on a queen-sized bed, but assemblage holds. A good stick to leave a sweet taste in your mouth while your concentration is elsewhere. 

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

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

Other Espinosa reviews:
Espinosa 601 Blue

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Thursday, November 12, 2020

O.M. Cigars Essential Blend No. 3 in Quick Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”


WRAPPER: Dominican Habano
BINDER: Dominican 
FILLER: Dominican, Nicaraguan, USA (PA)

FORMAT: 5.542
ORIGIN: Dominican
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.omcigars.com

NOTES:
Apple butter | Peanuts | White peppercorn

Velvety apple butter, floral essences. Ginger, clove, white pepper. Peanut buttery cedar bracing. Mellow complexities, subtle nuances. Cocoa butter suede olfactory, lingering into tantalizing aroma.

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

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

Other OM reviews:

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Ventura Cigar Co. Archetype Sage Advice in Review "I Get Flowers & Dust"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Ventura Cigar Co. 
Archetype Sage Advice

WRAPPER: NSA & Habano seed hybrid
BINDER: Dominican San Vicente 
FILLER: Multi-country blend (as per Ventura Co. site)

FORMAT: Robusto (5.25x54)
ORIGIN: Occidental (Davidoff) Dominican Repuplic
INTENSITY: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE: www.StogieBird.com

NOTES:
Herbaceous | White pepper | Pale spice

Muffled & at times mumbled, at more times pleasantly pedestrian. Herbaceousness-forward. Sweetgrass parsley, maybe chive gambit. That, gently w/in a slight clotted cream. White peppercorn up&down, in&out. Spices are muted bits of white ginger, cardamom. Simply doesn't evolve or expand. No true delineation. I'm left wanting more of something. I get flowers & dust.

Undertones are somewhat lulling ticks of coconut cream, cocoa butter. Smokes a bit like a foggy daydream. Calm & easy, very smokeable, just not a wow in the whispered house. ::: very ::: smooth. Balance is achieved via an inseparable melange. Zero complexity but does exhibit an excellent layering of depth. That, structured by a supple cedar/terra cotta addition to pale earthen underbelly.

Draws well and smooth, albeit at rare times a little emptily. Burns on a rather uneven line that doesn't require a retouch. Built a bit light of 'baccy but seams, cap hold loosely. Aroma is sweet light tobacco, as is the moderate-length'd finish. A bit of salty suede clings to the cheeks. A soft meh of an experience. 

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

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

Other Ventura reviews:

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Dunbarton T&T Cigars Sobremesa Brulee Blue in Review "Literally & Greasily"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Dunbarton T&T Cigars 
Sobremesa Brulee "Blue" 

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian CT Shade
BINDER: Mexican San Andres
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: 6.25x46 pig-tail cap
ORIGIN: Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, S.A.
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.dunbartoncigars.com

NOTES:
Caramel | Cashew | Cedar

& who doesn't like occasional sweet nothings whispered in their ear? & who doesn't like shouting at their TV as horses run down the stretch? This stick has a bit of both. Big cushy notes of buttery cedar, salted caramel sauce, cashew butter. Subtle intricacies of savory brushed suede, pale exotic spices, sunlit wildflowers. White pepper.

An experience to leave a sweet taste in your mouth as your mind wanders. Or, an opportunity to explore precise elusive depths. Suede carries a slight chicken coup & cereal grain. Spices include cardamom, white ginger, saffron. Wildflowers include distinct appley chamomile and grow around sweet herbaceousness & from damp clay soil.  

Creamy dreamy af. Somehow not cloying. Balanced well. Complexities & nuances run deep as addressed. Fairly-so, the cigar which classic blends of its ilk aspired to. Performance-wise, a half-tick wavy & quick to self-correct burn. Excellent pacing. Dense sheath ash. Tight assemblage. Bigly smoky. Aroma is all that (mentioned above) and the proverbial bag of chips... literally & greasily. 

TASTE: A
DRAW: A-
BURN: A-
BUILD: A

FINAL GRADE: A
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

Other DT&T reviews:
kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Monday, November 9, 2020

MBombay Cigars Corojo Oscuro in Quick Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

MBombay Tobak
Corojo Oscuro 

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Corojo
BINDER: Ecuadorian Criollo 
FILLER: Dominican, Peruvian, Ecuadorian

FORMAT: Robusto (4.5x50)
ORIGIN: Tobaccos de Costa Rico
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: www.stogiebird.com

NOTES:
Chocolate Fudge | Savory earth | Dark fruits 

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

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

Other MBombay reviews:

Friday, November 6, 2020

Dunbarton T&T Cigars Mi Querida Triqui Traca No. 552 in Review "Powerful Dealings"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Dunbarton T&T Cigars 
Mi Querida Triqui Traca No. 552

WRAPPER: Connecticut Broadleaf
BINDER: Nicaraguan 
FILLER: Nicaraguan, Dominican

FORMAT: Robusto (552)
ORIGIN: Nicaraguan American Cigar S.A. (NACSA)
INTENSITY: Full

WEBSITE: www.dunbartoncigars.com

NOTES:
Hickory | Red spices | Coffee

Wood. Hickory w/ a haunting thereafter seasoned cedar. Takes spices a draw or two to develop, then smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon nethers. Cayenne like a mofo via progression. A sweetness balances well; a thin molasses, cola thing. Coffee structures dryly, full city roasted beans. Focused near piercingly-so. Heighty but well-weighted, anchored. 

Anchored in earth, a darkly roasted umami-triggering top-soil. Teriyaki beef jerky, particularly on the bittersweet finish. Big legs. A salted minerality lives there. Sneaky complex for a dead-ahead offering. Deeply nuanced & cleanly-so. A robust yet crisp profile. Big notes, no cloying bits. A refined rustic quality. Although just rustic to the eye. Veiny w/ a solo pock-mark. Cap scans a bit short, askew. 

None of that hampers performance. Excellent smooth draw w/ a slight-nice resistance. Rolled firm, stays firm. Ash builds in a dense sheath. Big smoke out-put yields a dried red fruit aroma, eventually finding the palate. Leather, too. Burn-line itself is even-steven. A no-nonsense blend, trading some charisma for the sake of precision; which is an important thing in powerful dealings.

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Sinistro Cigars Mr. Black in Quick Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Sinistro Cigars 
Mr. Black in Belicoso

WRAPPER: Nicaraguan Habano
BINDER: Nicaraguan Habano
FILLER: Dominican, Nicaraguan, USA (PA)

FORMAT: Belicoso (6.5x52)
ORIGIN: La Aurora, Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.stogiebird.com 

NOTES: 
Warm spices | Cuban coffee | Semisweet chocolate

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

FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

Other Sinistro reviews:
Sinistro Mr. Black
Sinistro Mr. White

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

ACE Prime Cigars MXS Tiago Splitter Signature "The Earth it Grows From (w/ Vegetal Lilt)"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

MXS Tiago Splitter 
Signature by ACE Prime

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Sumatra
BINDER: Nicaraguan 
FILLER: Nicaraguan, Dominican

FORMAT: Robusto (552)
ORIGIN: Tabacalera La Alianza, SA Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: stogiebird.com

NOTES:
Cocoa butter | Citrus | Bright spices

A funny thing we cigar reviewers do in our tobacco tasting notes is to seldom mention tobacco as a note. I say this 'cause here is a cigar that leads with tobacco. Nuts, huh? (Cashew butter to be exact.) What does tobacco taste like? Predominantly the earth it grows from (w/ vegetal lilt). Some citrus brightness which casts rays into baking spices. A cocoa butter then added caramel sweetness.

White peppercorn yields to ground black pepper via evolution & delineation in 2/3. Prior to that, it's hard to pick cleanly from orange pith citrus. Undertones offer some light savoriness via chicken coop & oats. A praline note rises at the half, dropping to the palate off a retro-hale w/ amplified still smooth pepper-spice. Creamy gate-to-wire, toasts on the trip. Cappuccino. 

An unspectacular profile but one that's spectacularly pleasant. Performance-wise, this offering is sans legit complaint. A nit-pick is an imperfectly even char which never requires attn. pffft. Big smoke out-put yields a natty 'baccy room-note w/ trailing cedar. That cedar is on the moderate finish, as well. Sidling up there next to primary notes. Builds nice ash, seams stay tight, cap holds admirably. Draw is silky-smooth. Pleasant.

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

FINAL GRADE: A-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Featured Company: Debonaire House | Indian Motorcycle Cigars

"Have you Kaplowitz'd to-day?"

Featured company: Debonaire House | Indian Motorcycle Cigars
Here, read some reviews...

Debonaire Daybreak
Debonaire Habano
Debonaire Maduro


::: very :::

Edgar Hoill OSOK (One Shot One Kill) San Andres in Review "Olfactory Singe"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Edgar Hoill OSOK 
(One Shot One Kill) 
San Andres 2018

WRAPPER: San Andres Maduro
BINDER: San Andres
FILLER: San Andres

FORMAT: "Robusto" (5.5x54)
ORIGIN: Nueva Matacapan Tobacos SA, Mexico
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: www.stogiebird.com
(find out more about the October 2020 lineup)

NOTES:
Earth | Coffee beans | Dark chocolate

Earth, bigly-so. Rest of the primaries can also be seen as simply part of that. Scorched earth, packed-down hard. Full city roasted coffee beans bitter, dark chocolate waxily sweeten. So bittersweet earthiness. Pretty straight-forward & on ahead on a line. Black peppercorn, less than gently. Abruptly even, thru the nose. Spices try clinging to sweetness, mainly sorta do. Cayenne & cumin.

Undertones are mainly masked by charcoal. Hints of wine cask, further nondescript spiciness. Smoky savoriness at the 1/2, a beef jerky gambit. Barnyard. Manure. Inelegant to the point of aggression. No true complexities and lacking in the depth of nuance you might expect from a heavy profile. Notes skip along the top, say. Put on tilt by burnt notes somewhat masquerading as pepper-spice. 

Burn-line needs a couple/few re-touches, never finds an even-keel. Draw is a tick hesitant, requiring double-triple puffs to satiate; makes for a fast-paced smoke. I'm reminded of a Bukowski bit where he describes the almost violent lively burn of a Mexican cigarette. Or did I just make that up? Tar accumulates even after purging. Seams hold, ash dumps dryly, packing seems a tad light, hollow. Olfactory singe.

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

FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Monday, November 2, 2020

Kaplowitz Radio. Has A New Home | Kaplowitz Media. Programming News

 lo-fi & lovely

As the Kaplowitz Radio. portfolio of podcasts continues to grow, it has become necessary for it to have a home all its own. Please visit (& subscribe) to that home all its own by clicking HERE.

All future Kaplowitz Radio. offerings will post there alone & exclusively. As well as (natch) being plugged into the actual RSS feed, as well. So be certain to sub to KR. on your preferred podcast catcher. 

Also, send $$$

thx

::: very :::

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)