Gentlemen, I thought I'd start this as a way to try and centralize reviews of cigars into a single thread. I'll kick it off.

I took a client out this past Thursday after a dinner seminar my company had put on. Since he has a GF that he's pretty committed to, and I'm happily married, neither of us wanted to end up at some generic bar/lounge/club in San Francisco. Thankfully, he enjoys cigars almost as much as I do, so we ended up at a local cigar bar that is 100% employee-owned (which is exempt from the California regulations prohibiting smoking indoors at retail establishments open to the public). If you're ever in SF and are jonesing for a cigar, Occidental Cigar Club is definitely an old-school kind of place that has a diverse crowd ranging from Financial District types to hipsters - the occidental cigar club - a smoking friendly cigar bar in san francisco - home page

Since this is one of my top clients, a special occasion called for a special cigar. I still had a handful of Opus X #2's that had been marinating in my long-term storage humidor for almost 10 years, so I grabbed a couple of those along with some Cuban Bolivar Royal Coronas. We snagged a table by the window, ordered a couple of Macallan 18 year old, triple cut the ends and fired up the Opuses.

When I'd originally acquired the box of Opus #2's, they were truly a powerhouse cigar that I knew was going to develop nicely with additional aging. As they years passed, the flavors had mellowed somewhat, but the overriding theme was still a powerful, heavy smoke that definitely made your mouth and taste buds sing (in a good way). Once again, I was not disappointed with these. Strong notes of leather, oak and espresso demonstrated that these were still a powerful smoke even after almost a decade in the humidor. The table next to us, even through the haze of their own cigars and everyone else's in the bar, noted that these smelled wonderful and asked what we were smoking. They were suitably impressed, and more than a bit envious, when we showed them.

If you ever have a chance to have one of these, be prepared to allocate upwards of an hour of your life to a powerful, complex experience. These are not for the faint of heart or those new to cigar smoking. I'd certainly recommend some aging before you partake. Not that these are "green" when they're released, but aging will definitely allow the flavors to integrate and smooth out as time progresses.

Oh, and we never got around to the Bolivars. The buzz from these was so delicious, we enjoyed these for over an hour, had a second round of single malt involving some 18 year old Talisker, and decided that anything smoked after this would be a waste......

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When I'm not here, I'm slinging IT infrastructure or gone golfing

2007 E550 - the DD
2006 Touareg V10 TDI - the baby mobile

I had a little free time this past Friday. I left work a little early and had about an hour before my appointment in Chantilly. I passed a tobacco shop after grabbing a bit to eat and I stopped in. I'm brand spankin' new to cigars so I figured what the hell give it a try. The owner grabbed a Macenundo from out of his room full of humidors and suggested it. Price was right at 6.50 a stick. I lit outside and puffed away! The store owner said it would be mild and smooth, which it was. I enjoyed it. Next time I'll have to have one with a buddy who peaked my interest to begin with. I enoyed my first experience and look forward to smoking more to come; nex time with friends.

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"Any decision based soley on one influence or another is a BAD decision!"
- Me

Romeo y Julieta 01 robusto - from havana , will have pictures a review later Will say cubans are overrated post embargo...

Acid Blondie...

God toched them him self...that is why they are amazing.

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Life is hard, It Chews you up, Spits you out. It Even Sh!ts on you for Good measure. But Fu*k that, You deal with it... The Isolation. The Doubts, The Voices in your head, Getting up every morning in the dark... So why do you do it? Fame? Glory? Getting some ass? Thats just the icing... You do it because you got something to prove to yourself.... Its about Enlightenment, its about looking Destiny square in the eyes, grabbing hold of it, and Never letting go

Word. My office was literally right above Occidental, and it is a top notch establishment. I'm not big on cigars (yet?), but I did venture in a couple times, and really enjoyed the atmosphere there.

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La Aurora, Dominican.
Smooth, no nasty taste in your mouth afterward.
Got them as a gift.

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"I Rather Be Driving a Titleist"

Nothing like a real Cohiba..

I just finished up another good one, Rocky Patel ITC. The Mrs had a spa appointment and there was a cigar bar near by. The fellows in there were great to spend time with and two offered cigars, one of which was the RP, the other a cuban. I have a feeling the cuban will put me under so I'll pass that along to a buddy. However, the RP will be visited again in the near future. It was smooth, mild and left a nice woodsy taste. I recommend them being a brand new smoker.

If anyone is in the DC area and is willing to make the trip out to Crofton, MD, check out Titan Cigars in the Village at Waugh Chapel Shopping Center. Great place, good people, good cigars...a great combination.

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"Any decision based soley on one influence or another is a BAD decision!"
- Me

Played golf yesterday afternoon, and lit up a CAO MX2 robusto. This is a maduro, so it's a stronger than normal smoke (though I'd rate it as medium in strength compared to most maduros). Good draw, burns slow, notes of dark chocolate and coffee grounds. For me, it took almost half of the cigar for the flavors to smooth out and incorporate properly. I was almost tempted to give up on it a quarter of the way thru, as the harshness from the get-go hadn't lifted. I'm glad I did tough it out, as the 2nd half of the cigar was actually a very nice experience. The flavors turned a bit creamier and sweeter, taking on an almost mocha-like taste and mouthfeel.

Note when I said it burns slow, it burns slow. Typically, I can finish a robusto in about 30 minutes. I lit up the MX2 on the way towards the teebox of the 15th hole, and didn't finish it until we got to the 18th green.

I suspect that with proper aging, this would be a pretty delightful smoke. I got this at the Big Smoke event in Las Vegas this past November, so it hasn't had much time in my short-term humidor.

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When I'm not here, I'm slinging IT infrastructure or gone golfing

2007 E550 - the DD
2006 Touareg V10 TDI - the baby mobile

Another great review Fusion.

I myself had 2 this weekend at my favorite shop in Waldorf. I had to go into work on Saturday so afterwards I stopped by the Cigar Lounge. I'm not much of a philosopher when it comes to describing a cigar so I'll just leave it at, they were both great smokes.

One was the San Cristobal - Maestro which is 6 x 60. It was a rich and full-bodied cigar and a very good smoke which lasted about an hour.

The next one I enjoyed was a Dunhill Signed Range – Robusto which is a 4.5x52. This smoke was great as well. It is a medium to full bodied cigar and only took 30 minutes to finish.

If you get a chance to try them, do so, I highly recommend them.

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Jason

"If your wife doesn't like the aroma of your cigar, change your wife.", Zino Davidoff

"I drink a great deal. I sleep a little, and I smoke cigar after cigar. That is why I am in two-hundred-percent form.", Winston Churchill

“Happiness? A good cigar, a good meal, a good cigar and a good woman - or a bad woman; it depends on how much happiness you can handle.” George Burns