Your Best Cigar Experience of February 2023?

[El Presidente]

Your Best Cigar Experience of February 2023/The past 30 days?

That cigar that you can't quite get out of your head for all the right reasons 

[westg]

Some R&J No 1 absolutely lip smacking savoury goodness. 

 

 

[Chucko8]

A 2019 Sir Winston took the prize for me.

[Corylax18]

This Lancero during a Long Lunch in Caleton, Cuba. It was too windy for Diving, Bummer.................

[Guest Nekhyludov]

[MickVanWinkle]

[aulrone]

NC, My Father Le Bijou petite robusto. I’ve heard hit or miss reviews on these, so I was worried. This cigar ended up being the best NC cigar I’ve ever had. It was really dark but still retained all the flavor that is typically lost in stronger, darker flavored cigars. To be fair I’ve avoided the expensive luxury cigars, but for me they beat the Padron 2000 and the budget cubans I’ve had by far. Delicious.

[Bri Fi]

Didn’t take a pic but it was a Partagas Serie D No.4 SOU MAR 21. 95 pointer. Pulled it from this box expecting it to be good. Those SOU PD4s were amazing. 

[karp]

Monte Edmundo LGB MAY 20 was easily the best. PSP from our hosts. Just perfect Monte flavours and well constructed. 

[traveller]

Cuba Exclusivos, my first Cuaba. Some great complexity, got some cream, nuts, mint, smoked meats, sourdough and even seaweed.  Great construction, smoked it to the nub. I don't see why all the hate is deserved!

[El Presidente]

14 minutes ago, traveller said:

 Some great complexity, got some cream, nuts, mint, smoked meats, sourdough and even seaweed.  

you sunshine.....have one amazing  palate 

[KavalanWhisky]

3 hours ago, MickVanWinkle said:

I was discussing these, how are they smoking? Worth the punt?

[Ford2112]

Gotta say this doggy

[ha_banos]

I'm living through you guys vicariously at the moment. Too cold here. Miserable time of year. Grey miserable cold. Wet snow next week... 🥺

And I blew my knee out. Hobbling around for a week now. Missing 23.3. And last night's Herf!

Keep up the good work.

P.s. and I woke up this morning coughing up phlegm and blowing green out my nose 👃

 

[Chibearsv]

This Monte 2 from 2021 was my surprise of the month.  Fantastic perfectly balanced cigar.  Barnyard, citrus, sweet coffee with cream, touch of cocoa

[emarcov]

I've also been loving the newer Monte 2's.  Curious - have you smoked the same stick with a straight cut?  Did you have a preference?

 

Was actually a new word stick; Davidoff Chef's Edition '21 + Tears of Llorona extra anejo tequila.  Surprising on both accounts.  Memorable pairing for sure.

[Chibearsv]

20 minutes ago, emarcov said:

I've also been loving the newer Monte 2's.  Curious - have you smoked the same stick with a straight cut?  Did you have a preference?

I’m almost exclusively using v cut on torpedos. I prefer the draw of the v cut. 

[Tunkat92]

8 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

This Monte 2 from 2021 was my surprise of the month.  Fantastic perfectly balanced cigar.  Barnyard, citrus, sweet coffee with cream, touch of cocoa

My 21/22 montes have had a very pleasant citrus note that I loved too. Too bad I’ve enjoyed recent Edmundos a touch more and the No 2’s took a backseat

[wathabanos]

Let me set the scene:

Location - Maui, Hawai’i (Specifically West Coast (Ka’anapali Beach))
Time - Sunset + 1.5 Hours

I’m decked out in my Panama hat, Tori Richard Hawaiian Shirt, my oh so comfortable Tommy Bahama linen slacks, and since I’m on the beach I’ve ditched the Hey Dudes and have gone barefoot.

I pull out my cheap torch I bought at the souvenir store (I don’t travel with my torches as TSA seems to like taking them) and begin to toast the end of this fine cigar.

MAY03 Cohiba Coronas Especiales

I’ve posted this photo before and gave it the caption…’Like Heaven rolled up in tobacco leaves’ and it truly was. This cigar is quintessential Cohiba, period end of story. It’s no wonder Fidel himself preferred the Coronas Especiales over the other Cohiba vitolas. It truly is a marvelous cigar.

Review:

Pre-light Comments: Construction - Perfection 10/10, Sight & Smell - Looks Great, Not much smell 8/10, Cut - Punch, Cold Draw - Nuts & Honey, Draw Quality - Perfect 10/10
     Pre-Light Score 96

1st 3rd Comments: Burn - A little uneven at first (you can still see some of this in the photo), but then by end of 1st 3rd it evens out to a razor sharp burn even with the Maui beach wind. Tasting Notes: Nuts & Honey continue, very very little ‘Cuban Twang’ (which I describe as Citrus Peel in this cigar) left but it is still there and perhaps overall replaced by a note which I’ve not had in a CE and that’s vanilla. This didn’t come on until the end of the 1st 3rd going into the 2nd…
     1st 3rd Score 93

2nd 3rd Comments: Burn - Razor Sharp at this point and construction is still right up at the top. The wrapper is becoming a little more oily now, and looks even more delicious. The introduction of the vanilla notes strengthen and then level off half way into the 2nd 3rd. As I progress through the final half of the 2nd 3rd that vanilla tapers off and is replaced by the classic Cuban Hay and a bit of a spice, which I couldn’t put my finger on but wasn’t harsh enough not to retro…
     2nd 3rd Score 97

Final 3rd Comments: As I got into the final third I was beginning to enjoy more of my pairing drink, which I’ve neglected to mention until now, Hennessey XO Cognac and decided to try a couple full retrohales…Oh my did I get an explosion of the hay and oats with this delicious honey finish. It was one of the most complex and evolving cigars I’ve smoked in a long time. The honey from the 1st third had returned, combined with the bit of spice I couldn’t identify and the classic Cuban Hay…wow.
     Final 3rd Score 98

When did I put it down? When it brunt my fingers I pulled out the perfect draw and used it as a nubber. Then about 3 puffs later I burnt my lips and had to call it a day. My friends wonder why I want the CoLa…well gee I wonder…

Overall Score - 97 (Giving it plus 1 because well it was just that damned good and complexity has to count for an extra point or even two, one could argue. Here I’ve given it 1)

Final Thoughts: This cigar is only the 3rd cigar I’ve ever given a 97 and only 1 cigar beats it at a 98. If I would have smoked it in the same environment and setting as the 98 cigar would it have beaten the 98 cigar? I think not.

[Cigarsmoker81]

For the first time the best cigar I had in a month was nc, ep carillo alllegiance 

[SingleBarrel]

1998 RA 898

[Erm310mce]

October 2010 SAO Sir Winnie for me. I haven’t tried the box in many years and it was worth the wait, perfect draw and burn all the way through. Amazing 

[X-Man]

Surprisingly this one. It was not the most expensive cigar for sure. But it was the most memorable cigar experience I had last month.

[JLH]

[MickVanWinkle]

18 hours ago, KavalanWhisky said:

I was discussing these, how are they smoking? Worth the punt?

I don’t always smoke $100 cigars (at least from what my wife knows), but I’m kicking myself for only grabbing a handful.  It was delicious - smooth yet had quite some depth