Relighting

A faux pas among the cigar elite.
When you allow a smoke to go out the ash cools and hardens, the tobacco has begun to dry and the taste when restarting...well, just say it can be incredibly harsh.

Most, therefore do not relight smokes. They complete the cigar in one sitting or toss the remainder.

I am too cheap. When I pay $5 for a smoke I have difficulty throwing out half .

Step one - wait for it to go out completely.

Two - cut the ash head off entirely.

Three - light it.

I would not replace the smoke in your humidor. And I would not hold onto a half of a cigar more than a day or two.

The first puff may be a bit hard but within one or two puffs it will be, if it's a quality smoke the same as when you first lit it.

However your cool factor will be substantially diminished.

Torano Vega Dominicana Toro

A very tasty smoke. Chestnuts, wood, dark chocolate and pretty strong.
Nice construction, solid woody ash (stems?)  Stays lit well with a very nice aroma.

Yes, there are stems in the binder. The ash has voids and breaks that jut out from the edges. And the wrapper began to unravel halfway through.

I like this. Although I think the price is a bit too high for my tastes. I got this as part of an over run sampler, so my cost was closer to $3 - at that price I'd certainly buy more.


About $6 - $7.50

Pirate's Gold

Strong spicy smells out of the cellophane. Almost nutty. And it also smells of grass.
The wrapper is oily, enough to color the cellophane.

The name alone turned me off.
"Whatta gimmick."

Um, I guess not. The taste is deep without being overpowering. Very rich with a hint of dark chocolate. Robust. Chewy.

Construction is less than firm, but not too mushy unless you tend to bite a lot.
It stays lit and the ash is white & consumed. When you smoke a cigar down to a small stub there must be something drawing you in.

This is really good. Especially for a very inexpensive cigars.


$2 ****

Villiger La Capitana Robusto

A nice aroma out of the cellophane with a very dark filler. I mean close to black.

The wrapper flaked off as soon as I lit it. The ash falls fast and easy. There are stems left on the binder. Which leads to more frequent relights.

It is strong with a great aroma of woody chestnuts and chocolate.


I wish it held up better. I'd like it more.

About $5 - $7 ***

Arganese CL3

A relatively mild smoke with so-so construction.
A woody ash and a peeling wrapper. Not a good sign.

The story is that Gene Arganese began by making these for himself. He began to hand them out to family and friends. From there it grew.

A pleasant taste, mild to medium in strength. Nutty and pepper tasting. Not bad at all.

$3.50 - $5 each ***

Pata de Elefante

It is touted as an "everyday" smoke. At $1 a smoke they are targeting the frugal smokers.

With a Connecticut wrapper it is a box pressed torpedo.

Creamy & sweet with a hint of cedar and mint even before I left it in my humidor for a week.

There are voids and stems poking through the wrapper and the foot.

Oh what a woody aroma! Mild and tasty. Taking a puff is almost like a mouthful of mild Listerine. The square shape is easy to hold onto. Like water vapor leaving your mouth. It floats throughout. Not too spicy. It would rate four stars if the taste was more meat and less mint. But for the money this is a weighted four stars.
This is like the piece of Bazooka you bought when you had a penny leftover.

The ash is mostly consumed but some black ash remains.

A dollar? $1?!
They were right when they called this your "everyday smoke."
*** (This is really a great cigar for the money)*

Don Rafael Connecticut

A Dominican smoke from filler to the binder and a Connecticut wrapper.

Construction seems middle to fair. The cap has little ears. The same as my badly placed caps on my home rolled Frankensteins.

The ring was so tightly applied that it had to be left on. The center was compressed a bit by the ring.
There are visible voids at the foot in the roll of the filler.

I put my lips on it and tasted a sweet taste...strawberries? Did the manufacturer applied a flavoring agent? HINT: When repairing the cap use an UNFLAVORED stick of lip balm.

The smell unlit is intriguing. Once lit it is woody with a touch of spice.Incredibly meaty...rich & creamy.

A really nice smoke.

$3 ***

Gran Habano Connecticut Gran Robusto Cigar

A mild smoke that is full bodied? Connecticut wrappers are milder than most South American leaves.
Match that with full bodied filler and you have an interesting blend.

Handmade. The wrapper flaked at the foot, but other than that construction seems okay.

Two rings? Pretentious much?

A very woody outer aroma.
Wrapper started to peel after about a third.  Okay construction at best. Man...
The trimming was poor as well. I found woody stem pieces left on both the wrapper and binder.
This is not by any means a mild smoke. Very strong.
Biting taste to the point of being harsh.

And the aroma when burning is not that nice.

About $5. * And I'll call a complete pass.

Punch Double Maduro

Incredibly aromatic before being lit. I have seen this described as a, "...big taste experience."

Maduro wrappers have such thick taste and smells. A rougher texture but I smoke for the smells and tastes not to look cool.

The flavor is spice and then more spice. Pepper and some green tasting aspect? It's not broccoli but... apricots!
There is a woody undertone. And chocolate.

There are two main bunches of filler. Voids as well.

I tend to enjoy a thicker cigar (ring size). Give me a double corona 6 3/4 length married to a 48 ring and I am happy. This is a perfect fit. It lasts me longer than purists would allow.
(We'll talk about relighting in another post)
I'll have two two-hour long sessions out of a smoke of this size.

About $5 ****

Mi Havana Torpedo Pyramid Dark

Very rich in texture and aroma. Leather and wood.

Not my normal fare. I was intrigued by the shape and the 'newness' of it. Since Mi Havana bought the molds of another maker they have a new variety of shapes at their disposal

The same Cuban fold which leads me to suspect they are using a new supplier rather than any rollers at all, new rollers or just another source rather than outsourcing.
It's not what they used to make.
The same hand crafted, one off aspect. But the folding of the filler is vastly different..

A hand made cigar is usually softer. .. compresses more.  Machine made is consistently "full".
The flavor is deep, rich. More woody. A medium in strength. The smell. ..an open fire.
$7.50 at Mi Havana. ****