JohnS' Smoking Diary 2020

[JohnS]

H. Upmann Connoisseur No.1 BRE Nov 2018

I had a H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1 a little over a week ago and it was ordinary. Today's H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1 was much the same, sadly.

Again, the problem was that this H.Upmann Connie 1 wasn't balanced in flavours in comparison to the better examples from this box. There was practically no cream texture and/or shortbread. Instead I got some cedar and espresso coffee with nut and a little licorice sweetness which developed into a sour twang at other times.

There's been recent discussion on our forum that late BRE '18 H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1 has receded in quality due to being rolled with unfermented leaf. I have to admit that the cold draw on this cigar was uncharacteristically 'grassy' and not your normal 'refined barnyard'. This Connie 1 did smoke a little bitter at times today (which I compensated for by smoking very slowly) and there's been much less typical H.Upmann shortbread on display across the 5 cigars smoked from this box so far. I'm glad that at least a few of them have been better than average to outstanding though.

[JohnS]

Montecristo Leyenda LGR Sep 2018

The Montecristo Leyenda is part of the Linea 1935 series, a group of three cigars (the others are the Dumas and Maltes) which are the Montecristo version of the Cohiba Behike series. Its dimensions are identical to the 2015 Montecristo 80 Aniversario release, that is big...a Maravillas No.2 cigar with a 55 ring gauge by 165 mm (or 6½ inches) length. These have been marketed as been fuller in strength (or is it flavour, or possibly both?), but I consistently found these to be suitably medium to medium-mild. This Leyenda wasn't as light as an Especiales No.2, for example, but it was nowhere near as strong as some Petit Edmundos or even Montecristo No. 4's I've had.

Like my last Leyenda smoked four months ago, this had minimal marshmallow-textured creaminess to it. It did have strong notes of cocoa, cedar and almond nuts but it didn't have any sign of white pepper like the last few Leyendas I've had. Again, the cigar got a little intense into the last third and I extinguished it with around half of an inch left of the cigar.

This was every bit as good as all the other Leyendas I have had in general, albeit I have had some that have been outstanding, especially when they have that marshmallow-textured creaminess to them. Whilst I have stated in my last review on the Montecristo Linea 1935 Maltes that overall I feel the Linea 1935 is a disappointing release, due to its premium marketing and price point, I will continue to laud the virtues of the Leyenda and I will continue to seek it out and enjoy it on occasion, unlike the Maltes and Dumas.

 

[JohnS]

Romeo y Julieta Tacos 2018 - Edición Limitada UER Dic 2018

The Romeo y Julieta Tacos is a 2018 Limited Edition. At its world launch event in Madrid, Spain in September 2018 it was revealed that the Tacos' dimensions of 49 ring gauge x 168 mm (or 6⅝ inches) in length is a reference to the 1970s Tacos Imperiales. For a Limited Edition, I must admit, I did like this size.

I have seen these RyJ Taco ELs come in Colorado shaded wrappers and Colorado-Maduro shaded wrappers. My Taco was of the Colorado-Maduro variety, and mottled to boot!

The cigar started out full of body and a touch over medium in strength. It was not complex in its variety of flavours, rather it had a core combination of chocolate, wood, leather and it was a little fruity but not sweet. In the middle third I got a little baking spice but the flavours I picked out at the beginning of the cigar mainly continued to the end.

So was this 2018 Romeo y Julieta Tacos better than the 2016 Romeo y Julieta Capuletos? For me, it was simply a case of the two cigars being different. The reason I say that is because I am partial to Romeo y Julieta as a marca, if you don't have a natural disposition to RyJ then I would surmise that you would either love or hate this 2018 Limited Edition release.

As for me, whilst I enjoyed this 2018 RyJ Tacos, I would still reach for a regular production Romeo y Julieta Exhibicion No.4, Petit Royales or Churchill before I reach for this Limited Edition soon. I feel a little more time down will do it good.

[JohnS]

Ramón Allones Allones Superiores 2010 - La Casa del Habano Exclusivo ULA Sep 2014

This has just hit 6 years of age, and for me, it's progressing nicely. Everything about this smoke was subtle. The cocoa was like a fine dusting, the typical 'stewed fruit' Ramon Allones profile was light, the evidence for an aged cigar was there in the hints of baking spice and floral notes on the edges. There was even a little wood! I look forward to the next one from the box!

[JohnS]

Por Larrañaga Petit Coronas LGR Oct 2019

It's often said on our forum that young Por Larranaga Petit Coronas (i.e. less than 5 years old) can have some bite to it, this 12 month old example had very little of the sort. Instead, it was a superlative example of how good recent 2019-20 Habanos cigars have been smoking so well and yet so young.

From the very first puff I got some beautiful caramel and this was soon joined by toffee and honey until the middle third when the cigar exhibited a quality toasted tobacco into its flavour profile. It goes without saying that I risked the safety of my fingers in nubbing this well into the final third.

When a Por Larranaga Petit Coronas can smoke this well at this age, it doesn't necessarily require long-term aging to enjoy to an exemplary standard

[JohnS]

Montecristo No.4 UEB Ago 2018

My last Montecristo No.4 was from my UEB May 2018 box and was excellent; this UEB Ago 2018 example was even better. Again, from the very first puff it had a dominant citrus twang together with nut profile. The quintessential Montecristo cocoa and milk coffee was there too, only it was very much secondary to those aforementioned flavours.

In general, both my UEB May and August 2018 boxes have been superb. I'm glad I have another UEB March 2018 unopened box to smoke through down-the-track.

[JohnS]

Hoyo de Monterrey Double Coronas ROE Jul 2016

I'd like to thank @wineguy once again for gifting me this cigar to review. The last HdM Double Corona I had a few months ago was mild to mild-medium bodied, nuanced in flavours and easy to retrohale throughout. Unlike other popular Hoyo De Monterrey regular production cigars such as the Epicure No.1 and No.2, it had minimal light cocoa. Instead it had a core cedar, light cream and clove combination, together with some vanilla sweetness here and there and spice on the edges.

This HdM Double Corona had much less spice to it. It was mainly quality cedar, light cocoa, cloves and some cream texture throughout. For me, it was just perfect.

If you get the chance to get a 50 cab, and you enjoy Hoyo de Monterrey as a marca, or you don't mind a Punch Double Corona (which can be similarly woody, just more so) I don't think you'd regret adding the HdM Double Corona as an acquisition to your humidor.

[JohnS]

H. Upmann Connoisseur No.1 BRE Nov 2018

There has been some slight consternation at the quality of late (mainly quarter three and four) 2018 H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1 on our forum lately. The concern centres around the unfermented quality of the tobacco that can come across as sour or bitter and is not typical of the H.U Connie 1 profile.

My last Connie 1 a week or so ago was certainly a tad sour and lacked shortbread, this Connie 1 was much, much better with cedar, shortbread and light coffee evident. I had no issue smoking it down to the last third today.

I've gone through one-quarter of this box so far and I have to admit that it has been variable in quality. I would envisage that I will smoke through another five or six sticks in the next few months to gauge the quality of the box to the halfway point.

[Kaptain Karl]

On 10/31/2020 at 5:25 PM, JohnS said:

H. Upmann Connoisseur No.1 BRE Nov 2018

There has been some slight consternation at the quality of late (mainly quarter three and four) 2018 H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1 on our forum lately. The concern centres around the unfermented quality of the tobacco that can come across as sour or bitter and is not typical of the H.U Connie 1 profile.

My last Connie 1 a week or so ago was certainly a tad sour and lacked shortbread, this Connie 1 was much, much better with cedar, shortbread and light coffee evident. I had no issue smoking it down to the last third today.

I've gone through one-quarter of this box so far and I have to admit that it has been variable in quality. I would envisage that I will smoke through another five or six sticks in the next few months to gauge the quality of the box to the halfway point.

That's good to hear this box has been okay for you. I ordered what I thought was a 2019 BRE, turned out to be a BRE Nov 18. They actually look and smell great so hopefully they turn out okay. Maybe they just need more time than your regular Connie 1's?

[JohnS]

6 minutes ago, Kaptain Karl said:

That's good to hear this box has been okay for you. I ordered what I thought was a 2019 BRE, turned out to be a BRE Nov 18. They actually look and smell great so hopefully they turn out okay. Maybe they just need more time than your regular Connie 1's?

I've smoked a few more since and I'm not going to sugarcoat things by saying that there hasn't been an element of sourness to some of them (maybe two or three). However, I've smoked enough of the box and given away a few to note that right now, close to the halfway point smoked, that really only one cigar was downright bitter and a chore to smoke. Two others had a touch of sourness, the rest were the dependable normal class you expect from a H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1.

Time down? In my opinion it hasn't made that much of a difference as I've had some glorious ones with little time down.

[Kaptain Karl]

3 minutes ago, JohnS said:

I'm not going to sugarcoat things by saying that there hasn't been an element of sourness to some of them (maybe two or three). However, I've smoked enough of the box and given away a few to note that right now, close to the halfway point smoked, that really only one cigar was downright bitter and a chore to smoke. Two others had a touch of sourness, the rest were the dependable normal class you expect from a H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1.

That's great to hear! I'll wait until springtime to crack open this box. Hopefully it's just an age issue, the box I got looks really good actually! 

[JohnS]

H. Upmann Connoisseur No.1 BRE Nov 2018

It's rare for me to smoke two cigars of the same marca in a row, let alone two instances of the same vitola, yet here we are! The late BRE box code 2018 H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1s have been noted on our forum for utilising unfermented tobacco and been sour and/or bitter as a result and lacking in that typical H.Upmann shortbread flavour so it's intrigued me to see how many from my BRE Nov 18 box have been duds, fair, above average or outstanding.

Of the five sticks I've had from the box thus far, I've had one definite dud, one fair, two above average and one outstanding. This sixth one was outstanding from beginning to end. Not only was the construction pinpoint, the burn was immaculate and the flavours were 'right on the money'. Make no mistake, this was your typical H.Upmann cedar, coffee, shortbread and cream-textured stick and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I'm still intrigued by the box code so I envisage that I'll have some more from it in the next month or two.

[JohnS]

Romeo y Julieta Capuletos 2016 - Edición Limitada TOS Sep 2016

If you are not familiar with the Romeo y Julieta Capuletos Limited Edition from 2016 it would because the other Limited Editions that year got all the publicity. The Trinidad Topes was lauded as an exemplary example of the format and the Montecristo Dantes was noted as a 'Monte powerhouse'. The Capuletos merely disappeared into the 'slipstream' of these other two Limited Editions, it seemed.
 
It's not like it was a bad cigar either. On the contrary, contemporary reviews were mainly consistent in labeling it a solid cigar which will see it getting better and peaking after three to four years. After having a RyJ Capuletos today I can assert the truth to this maxim.

My last RyJ Capuletos was smoked around two years ago. At the time I noted that it was faithful to the RyJ marca flavour profile but it was not great nor was it bad. Fast forward a few years and the same cigar left quite an impression after smoking it. It was comfortably mild, had a great balance of RyJ flavours such as cocoa, nutmeg, anise sweetness, rosewater, wood, a little spice and even a velvety cream texture on the draw. The consensus that this Limited Edition would take three to four years to start to peak is about right, retrospectively speaking.

I smoked a 2018 Romeo y Julieta Tacos recently and I noted that it was a powerhouse, something akin to a Limited Edition version of the Cazadores. Today's 2016 RyJ Capuletos was more like an amplified Churchills, with all the very best characteristics of that flagship cigar to go with it. If you have some of these in your humidor and it's been awhile since you've visited them, do yourself a favour and smoke one soon. I'm confident you won't regret it!

[JohnS]

Punch Punch UBM Ago 2018

The last Punch Punch I had was a little over five months ago. In my write-up on that cigar I noted that in 2020, within the Punch marca, it had been superseded by the Punch 8-9-8, Punch 48 and new regular production addition, the Punch Short de Punch. Let me reassure you, a good Punch Punch still packs a 'punch' (yes, the pun is intentional) and is worthy of your attention if you are a Punch fan.

As a marca, Punch alongside Romeo y Julieta and Montecristo is a brand that cigar enthusiasts point out for its inconsistency. This is true, when they are ordinary they can be bland and woody. However, I would counter that when they are smoking well no other brand encapsulates the essence of Cuban twang within a cigar quite like a Punch cigar. My last Punch Punch had more cedar qualities to it, this had your quintessential sour cream, leather and cloves and of course that Cuban twang sour tart citrus flavour which made me smoke this down well into the final third.

This was the last Punch Punch in my humidor, for now. I think I will enjoy the Punch Short de Punch in the meantime until I re-stock my humidor with some more Punch Punch down the track.

[JohnS]

Bolívar Petit Coronas ETP Mar 2017

Of all the Petit Coronas and Minutos/Reyes/Perlas (i.e cigars 40 to 42 ring gauge and 129 mm or around 5 inches and under), the Bolivar Petit Coronas and Bolivar Coronas Junior are the vitolas I would smoke the least. The reason is because I find Bolivar the most difficult marca for me to connect with, that 'Earthiness' doesn't tend to suit me. It doesn't mean I don't smoke Bolivar or challenge my preferences and palate when it comes to Habanos cigars.

The Bolivar Belicosos Finos is an example of a fine cigar which is smoking wonderfully the past few years and rightfully deserves the accolades it has become accustomed with of late. Then again, recent BBF isn't as earthy as what it was in the past.

The last Bolivar Petit Coronas I had was an outstanding cigar which balanced cocoa, wood, leather and dried fruits flavours very well. Today's BPC was even better. For my tastes, it was more akin to recent BBF in its profile, especially in its maltiness and stout flavours. Along the way it had that cocoa, wood and leather alongside a touch of earthiness (something like gravel, although this wasn't unappealing) and a little creamy texture to it. The cigar smoked easily due to the billowing smoke per draw which elicited plenty of flavour.

This Bolivar Petit Coronas was so good that I was pre-occupied with researching the internet this afternoon and didn't notice the end of the cigar coming up until it started to heat up with a quarter of an inch left. I still smoked it down some more!

[JohnS]

H. Upmann Connoisseur No.1 BRE Nov 2018

Onto our ever-present journey of discovery in regards to the quality of this late quarter-2018 box of H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1 and it seems that things are starting to look quite positive. I have now gone through 40% of the box (i.e there are 15 cigars left) and excepting one or two, they've been very good to excellent thus far.

This example was again a little lighter on shortbread in comparison to other H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1s I've had, but it made up for it in the way the coffee, cedar, licorice and twang was so well-balanced throughout the cigar. It was uniformly excellent throughout the thirds, I had no issue nubbing it down to the final third.

In the interest of remaining objective, I handed out this cigar to some dear friends to smoke with me (i.e @Fuzz and @jay8354), let them smoke it through to the first third and then preceded to mention the on-line discussion over the quality of this box code. Their experience confirmed my positive assessment of the cigar as reported in this review and in the standard of the H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1s I've smoked recently.

It goes without saying that I was well-pleased to hand out a cigar that smoked so well and was so pleasing to the palate for all three of us on a fine social occasion.

[JohnS]

Punch Double Coronas PEL EPOO

I'd like to thank @jay8354 for gifting me this fine cigar to review. After smoking it, I can again affirm that 21 years for a Double Corona (the date code equates to May 1999) such as this one in no way diminished the flavours nor the fine quality of the smoking experience.

If you smoke a Punch Double Coronas young, say 12 to 36 months, you'd likely find that they will have an array of flavours such as wood or cedar, leather, earthiness, citrus and nuts but mainly they will dominate more in those woody and leather flavours. As they age well over the 10 to 15-year mark you can get them more softer in those wood flavours, more fruity and a disposition to tart flavours.

The wood in this Punch Double Corona was like light cedar, the fruitiness was like currants, it had a citrus tart flavour to it and soft baking spice. The flavours remained mainly uniform throughout so the cigar did not have a great deal of evolution or complexity, but it was fine the way it smoked, nonetheless.

[JohnS]

Partagás Capitols TUA Abr 2020

The Partagas Capitols is a new, retro-inspired 42 ring gauge x 129 mm (or 5⅛ inches) in length cigar released in conjunction with the Romeo y Julieta Club Kings. There must be some success to these 'retro releases' because I notice that the H.Upmann Regalias is next-in-line for a retro-tin packaged release.

The original Partagas Capitols was the same length but slightly smaller in ring gauge; a 40 rg Petit Cetros which was also machine-made. At least the re-introduced, rebooted Capitols is a handmade cigar!

Like my last Partagas Capitols, this one had a beautiful colorado rosado shade wrapper, which I find quite ideal in a Partagas cigar. My previous Capitols had a pleasant sourdough, spice, wood and a little coffee. This one was slightly more complex. It started with that classic sourdough and coffee you can get in the Partagas marca, then transformed with the addition of some heavy mushroom/forest floor-type flavours, like what you might get in the Partagas Presidentes, for example. At the halfway point there was a significant pick-up in spice or pepper, like what you get from cloves. This remained until the end of the smoke.

I wrote in my last review on this cigar that in comparison to the Partagas Shorts, it lacked that quality leather that you can get in those cigars, but it was a step-up from the generic Partagas Mille Fleur. I still feel this way after smoking my second example from this 5-pack tin.

So, overall I would surmise that this Partagas Capitols was a dependable smoke, had interesting complexity, was constructed well and it was more like a quality premium marevas than a lower-tiered 'cheap and cheerful'. It just wasn't quite up to Partagas Shorts, though.

[JohnS]

Partagás Maduro No. 1 TUE May 2020

As I've mentioned previously, the Partagas Maduro Linea series (i.e. the Discretos-sized 52rg x 130 mm or 5⅛ inches in length No.1, the Short Piramides-sized 55 rg x 120 mm or 4¾ inches in length No.2 and the Maduro No.3-sized 50 rg x 145 mm or 5¾ inches in length No.3) has really 'come-into-its-own' this year in terms of quality and reputation. The reason for this I believe is two-fold: firstly, they've had a remarkable consistently in delivering quality, refined smoking experiences and secondly, they've been smoking so well despite minimal age.  In fact, I would nominate the Partagas Maduro No.1 as one of my three most consistent cigars for smoking enjoyment in 2020. (The others would be the 2018 Montecristo No.4 and 2019 Trinidad Esmeralda.)

This Partagas Maduro No.1 again more than delivered on flavour, despite the flaky white ash from beginning to end. It started off with a beautiful, quality refined sourdough and anise, settled into a coffee and very, very light chocolate and leather combination in the middle and really picked-up in spice in the final third. In terms of strength, this again had a touch more 'nicotine-kick' or punch despite the body of the cigar being a touch under medium. It also bellowed plumes of smoke per draw and more so after the halfway point.

Overall, this was still outstanding to excellent, but only because the flavours were exemplary. In regards to my previous Partagas Maduro No.1s, this would have been a 92 to 93-point cigar while that one was around the 90-point mark. Again, not bad for a cigar around six months old!

[JohnS]

Bolívar Petit Coronas ETP Mar 2017

I felt like a stronger, bolder-bodied cigar tonight so I settled for a Bolivar Petit Corona. I know that there are stronger Habanos options to choose from, but this particular BPC did the trick for me.

I've noted that my recent Bolivar Petit Coronas have been mainly cocoa, wood, leather and dried fruits in their flavour profile, this had less woody notes, more quality leather and was slightly more 'Earthy'. I still enjoyed it and smoked it down well into the final third.

Construction was 'spot-on', the burn was 'on-point' and the overall smoking experience was suitably 'sound'.  I don't need to add any more cliches to point out that I was well-satisfied by the end of the cigar.

[Trlrman2004]

On 10/24/2020 at 3:02 PM, JohnS said:

H. Upmann Connoisseur No.1 BRE Nov 2018

I had a H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1 a little over a week ago and it was ordinary. Today's H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1 was much the same, sadly.

Again, the problem was that this H.Upmann Connie 1 wasn't balanced in flavours in comparison to the better examples from this box. There was practically no cream texture and/or shortbread. Instead I got some cedar and espresso coffee with nut and a little licorice sweetness which developed into a sour twang at other times.

There's been recent discussion on our forum that late BRE '18 H.Upmann Connoisseur No.1 has receded in quality due to being rolled with unfermented leaf. I have to admit that the cold draw on this cigar was uncharacteristically 'grassy' and not your normal 'refined barnyard'. This Connie 1 did smoke a little bitter at times today (which I compensated for by smoking very slowly) and there's been much less typical H.Upmann shortbread on display across the 5 cigars smoked from this box so far. I'm glad that at least a few of them have been better than average to outstanding though.

John, I find myself with a similiar box. In your opinion, is there any Hope of them getting any better with age? Thank you for the outstanding reviews.

[JohnS]

On 11/16/2020 at 11:45 AM, Trlrman2004 said:

John, I find myself with a similiar box. In your opinion, is there any Hope of them getting any better with age? Thank you for the outstanding reviews.

The thing about aging cigars is not whether they will improve; rather, the goal of aging or resting long-term is determining the change.

The maxim for cigars is that if they are ordinary when youthful then they are not likely to develop into something great with age. (This is mostly true but not always).

Smoke some from your box right now. If you can determine that they're okay to smoke, and they're not sour or bitter, you should be fine.

[JohnS]

Por Larrañaga Petit Coronas EML Abr 2014

I was able to smoke this aged Por Larranaga Petit Corona due to an anonymous benefactor who gifted it to me. (Thank you kindly- you know who you are!) I can tell you that the box code was a reputed one for 2014. How did it smoke?

I can tell you that in comparison to recent 2019 Por Larranaga Petit Coronas I've had, this was no better or worse, it was just different. It certainly had more caramel, but with it there was some honey, some muted toasted tobacco and the hint of baking spice on the edges.

I appreciated where this cigar is in its journey to this point but I know that this will build in caramel and baking spice notes even more with further time down. How long? If it were my box, I was consider another two years at least.

[JohnS]

San Cristóbal de la Habana El Príncipe TOS Jun 2016

Sometimes you smoke through a box of cigars and every now and then you get a 'throwback', i.e. a cigar that tastes like it first did when you got the box. In the case of this TOS Jun 2016 box of San Cristobal de la Habana El Principe box, the last few cigars have had a softer pancake-textured consistency to them. Today's SCdlH El Principe certainly did not!

This example had much more spice, much less sweet molasses and little to no pancake-texture to it. The usual coffee/cocoa combination you get with the San Cristobal marca was about the same in its intensity.

Still, I've smoked enough SCdlH El Principes to enjoy this regardless. Nevertheless, I'd much, much prefer them on the sweeter and milder side!

[JohnS]

Sancho Panza Non Plus ABR Sep 2011

I've smoked enough of these Sancho Panza Non Plus cigars to know that I much prefer them aged than youthful. The reason is simple...they are more interesting flavour-wise as they age than what they tend to be in their youth.

Like many of you no doubt, I stocked up on some Sancho Panza Non Plus when they were discontinued in 2019. After smoking some 2018 SP Non Plus cigars in the last twelve to eighteen months and comparing them to be this 2011 box I was smoking immediately prior, the toasted tobacco which can render the SP Non Plus one-dimensional when young recedes with age (although it can still be there in the background) and in its place one can decipher floral or herbal notes and even some creaminess to the cigar.

This 2011 example had that typical Sancho Panza wood and salt, together with some toasted tobacco but these were secondary in flavour to those floral notes aforementioned and which rendered some complexity and interest over an hour's smoking time.

If you picked up a box or two of Sancho Panza Non Plus recently take note to leave some aside for long-term aging. You'll be glad you did in the long run!