bunch of reviews

[Ken Gargett]

As per the recent absence, I have compiled a selection of reviews from the fishing trip (all care is always taken but occasionally, being away in a great location and just kicking back sometimes might influence things a touch. I tried to avoid that but...)

As before, I’ll also post these in the individual sections as appropriate.

Punch SS2 - Smoked two these while away, one on the first evening of the trip pre-crossing. It was actually about an hour after a Siglo VI - normally that would’ve wiped me but the Sig had been so good and so balanced that I felt like another smoke. And what a brilliant smoke it was. I have been a big fan of these but I have never smoked one that was as goosebumb-inducing as this one. It was incredibly smooth and balanced and subtle and full of those wonderful creamy coffee and caramel notes. It smoked superbly all the way through. Whoever in Havana had the idea to discontinue these needs to be sacked immediately. Hard to imagine a better, more enjoyable smoke. 94.

I’d taken two to the Island so was keen to have another go after that one. The second was good but much more pedestrian than the first - not sure why. They are most likely to have come from the same cab - EAR JUL 02 - tho a small possibility it sneaked in from some of Rob’s other stock. Nothing wrong with it and good herbal and dry earth notes but nowhere near as exciting. 88.

Cohiba Siglo VI - First smoke of the trip and as good as ever. Had the usual light milky choc look and excellent construction. The same creme caramel notes that one expects and coffee grind and dark choc flavours. Some nuts had a hint of the herbals. Good cone. Rich, firm and p’ful with quite a tight draw but would never have expected it to have been topped by the PSS2 that followed. I do love the way these show such superb balance. Not a bad afternoon. From a box of ‘04s. 92.

Hoyo de Monterrey LE Especiale 2004 - Found this as exciting as ever. Know that there has been a lot on the forum about LE’s lately and I have not had time to read it yet, I am usually a supporter in general, and these have always impressed. This was quite big, firm, rich, woody with a mix of sensational choc, dark coffee and new leather flavours. Still very young and I am in no rush to get through these. I am still not convinced they match the Hoyo LE Pyramides ‘03 but they are lovely smokes. Burn not perfect and this is a problem that does seem to afflict these. 91.

SLR Churchill - Have had a real mixed time with an aged box of these, some very good and others equally disappointing. The good ones have a lovely mildness (all relative and this is ‘mildness’ for SLR) and attractive complexity. The lesser ones seem quite dull. These was one of the better ones with that mildness and complexity and some woody and even a hint of citrus in the flavours. 89.

Por Larrunga Petit Corona - Took up several from my cab, which are young, and one of the other guys brought some older ones - had a couple of years on them (don’t have specifics for either). Both were very good but it did show that with only a couple of years, they really do move up a notch. Had intended smoking half the cab while young and putting the rest away but now might move almost all to deep storage. The young ones are concentrated and extremely powerful for their size, quite tight and with real richness. They burn well but quite slowly. With age, they lose any hint of harshness and become mellow and much more complex and interesting. Develop a little touch of the herbals, though in a most attractive way. If one had to score - 89 for the young and 92 for the older ones.

Cohiba Esplendido - I find these curious - they seem to be almost neglected on the forum yet as one of the flagship smokes for the alleged leading producer (argument for another day), you’d think we’d always be on about them. My experiences have been a little mixed. Never had a bad one but had some that are much better than others. Still, at the price, you want knee-trembling pretty much all the time. In Cuba, they rarely excite too much - I suspect too young. Had one at the end of a great meal in France and it is one of the finest cigars I have ever smoked. Another, on the annual fishing trip of ‘03 was the smoke of the trip. Others have been good but more pedestrian. Must confess I have only ever bought by the single stick or a few at a time. They have become muddled in the ‘dor so no idea of which bought where and when (they would have certainly been all bought through you, Rob, except for those brought back from Cuba and the ones from Spain and possibly who knows what else). This was right up there. A stunner and one of the top three smokes of the trip (PSS2 and SLR DC’s the others). Wonderfully brilliant, subtle, complex smoke and if only the budget allowed for these by the cab! Chocolate, 5-spice, hints of leather, herbal hints (don’t think it could have been more than a few years old), coffee bean and more. Superb. Complex and rich and balanced. Excellent burn and construction. That all applies for the first 3/4s of the cigar. The last 1/4 was much more powerful and a bit harsh. Finished with a real buzz. Would have blown the top off the score sheets but for that hard last 1/4 but overall, loved it. 94.

Cohiba Robusto - If we almost ignore the Esplendido, we do seem to focus heavily on the CoRo and to be fair, it is almost always a reliable and excellent cigar. For some reason, it is one that I, though not others, tend to neglect (suspect price plays a role). A mate on the trip smokes almost nothing but, and they normally have a little age. What a wonderful, creamy, complex and subtle smoke they are and one that I really must focus on a lot more. Certainly of they can be this good regularly. Dark choc, woodsmoke, herbs and more. Liked this a lot. 93.

Montecristo II - If we had the chance to compare old and new smokes with lines like the Por Larrunga PC and a few others, we also did with the Monte 2's. what I found interesting was that there seemed less discrepancy in qualitative terms with these than with the others. Both were good and this must be one of the most reliable of all smokes. The older ones, I was told they were about 7 or 8 years old but they didn’t seem anything like that, were a touch more mild and possibly marginally more complex. This is something I would like to do again as I was surprised how little difference there was. Any thoughts?

Sancho Panza Sanchos - One of a bundle I picked up from Rob. Appeared to have good construction with a dark wrapper. Not a prominent cone but fair. A mix of choc, leather and mild herbal flavours. Quite a tight draw which, at this size, makes for hard work. Pleasant and tended to the bland rather than the excitingly subtle. If you have a couple of spare hours, there are worse ways to spend it then working through one of these monsters. 87.

Cuaba Salomones - This has ranked, in the past, as my most disappointing and over-hyped smoke of all. Picked up a few in Spain at a good price so thought that the Island was the perfect place to try it. Have heard such mixed reports and wondered if change of source (no disrespect, Rob) might lead to something a little more acceptable. No such luck. The only good thing one could say about this was that it wasn’t as bad as the previous time. Hard, dirty, bitter, hot. No redeeming features at all. Not quite the bushfire burn of the previous one but I just don’t understand these. Is anyone enjoying them? Why do Havana persist? Are there not gardens in Havana that need mulch? 70.

SLR DC - One of the Fraser Island traditions (two years makes a tradition) is that when it comes time to go, a mate and I head off the Island in his old ute. It is about two hours from the Lodge to the ferry and that is almost all down the beach - a fabulous drive. So we each light up a big smoke for the trip. Last year, mine was a RAG from my mate. This year, I gave him the choice of an SLR DC or an 8 year old Partagas Lusi. He chose the Lusi - don’t think you could go wrong. The SLR DC was an absolutely stunning smoke. Pick of the week for me. Long, slow smoke. Richly flavoured and continues to build complexity. Spice, leather, forest and earthy notes. Dense smoke and balanced. Very powerful. Citrus, dark choc and caramel. Smoking this at about 6am as we zipped along the beach watching the whales offshore - doesn’t get much better. Was very powerful and gave me a serious buzz. 97.