The Cigar Haus » Review

Review: Camacho Tripple Maduro Robusto

mcangeli — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:43:54 +0000

I received five of these beauties in the mail from Camacho as a prize for a contest on twitter and I couldn’t wait to smoke one as its the perfect size for an after lunch smoke (I can finish it in the amount of time it takes me to drive back to work from lunch). From the moment I first fired it up, I knew this was going to be a bit different then anything I had tried before.

The Triple Maduro is made up of all Maduro leaf tobacco grown on the Camacho farm in Honduras. The coloring can be a little intimidating for those new to cigars and the flavor can be perhaps a little intimidating as well. Julio and Christian Eiroa, the father and son team behind Camacho cigars, are happy to introduce the first ever Triple Maduro cigar. This ALL MADURO is the result of almost a full years work blending five different maduro varieties. Since they started producing this line in 2007, the blend has remained secret.

From the moment I started the Triple Maduro, I noticed an intense spice that lightened a bit as I continued to smoke, giving way to some nice woody flavoring that makes this cigar pretty enjoyable. One thing to note is that the cigar, even in it’s short size (its only a 4.5″ x 50 stick) it packs a pretty powerful punch that could give even the most seasoned a good buzz.

The sticks are pretty well made, firm, they have a good draw and once lit seem to burn fairly evenly. The ash on the Triple Maduro holds its own pretty well as well. Draw on the stick wasn’t an issue, even with the smaller hole made by the CigarSpike that I used, it was a nice, even draw which is exactly what you want in a cigar.

Over all, I’m impressed with the triple Maduro. I won’t make this a daily (or perhaps even weekly) smoke, as its a little strong for me, but for a special evening, or an evening outside around a fire with a good drink, this stick could provide that little extra kick I’m looking for. I wouldn’t recommend this to someone new to cigars or the “one a month” smoker, but those who have a cigar for breakfast, lunch and dinner might appreciate the Triple Maduro on a more regular basis. Especially if you’re looking to change things up a bit.

Brand:Camacho
Line:Triple Maduro
Vitola:Robusto
Origin:Honduras
Wrapper:Honduras Maduro
Binder: Honduras Maduro
Filler: Honduras Maduro
Flavor: Full, Spicy/chocolate/earthy undertones
Strength: Full
Price: $9 – $12 a stick, around $200 a box
OverAll:****~ (4/5)

Review: The Cigar Spike

mcangeli — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:37:41 +0000

The Cigar Spike

I had the opportunity to use an pretty handy little gadget the other day that could quickly become the Cigar Smokers best friend. The Cigar Spike. The Cigar spike is a small triangular piece of plastic that fits in nicely on your key chain. The purpose of the spike is to render your stogie smokable by piercing the closed end of the cigar so you can draw through it.

Use of the spike is simple, you prep the cigar for smoking, you push the spike through the end of the cigar, and you light and enjoy (the cigar, not the spike). It works in much the same way a punch does by creating a hole in the end of the cigar for the smoke to come through. I actually liked this method of opening the cigar as opposed to cutting the tip off for a couple reasons, the biggest being I tend to hold the cigar in my mouth while working outside with my hands. Generally to do this I have to apply a little pressure which can flatten or ruin the end of the cigar (no doubt you know someone who likes to chew on the end of the cigar).

With a cut tip, you can end up tearing up the end of the cigar and if you’re like me, there’s often a bit of the tobacco that ends up in your mouth (you know, the loose flakey pieces you have to spit out). The spike relieves that issue by leaving the wrapper at the end of the cigar intact, so you’re smoking through a straw.

One of the other nice features is the fact that its not a blade, its not metal. You can carry it through security at airports or concerts as its on your key chains. This is another plus as if you’re like me, when I carry a cutter in my pockets I end up fidigiting with it, worried that I’ll take off the tip of a finger. Well, no worries with the spike.

In all, the spike makes a good addition to any humidor (or key chain for that matter) and is available in a number of colors. You can order a green ones for the golfer in your life for a cool $2.99 for 3 spikes or you can pick up Blue, black or orange from Cigar Spike or check your local cigar store to see if they have the spike.

Leave a comment below for you chance to win ONE of three Cigar Spikes!

Submit a review for a chance to win @ The Cigar Haus!

mcangeli — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:58:20 +0000

Thats Right! If you love to smoke ‘em you know enough to review them! We want to know what you think of the cigars you’re smoking (or have recently smoked) and we’re going to give out a 5 Cigar Sampler every month to one lucky person who submits reviews.

Whats that? You haven’t smoked anything in a while? Well then, how about reviewing your favorite beer, wine or liquor. Maybe you have a favorite lighter or the latest Cutter or Humidor that you’d like to review, well, those are fine as well!

Entering is easy. To submit your review, all you have to do is email it to reviews@cigarhaus.com along with any photos and a short bio you want included with the review. Reviews MUST be at least 200 words long (and no worries, they can be much longer!) and reviews with a photo of the cigar in question (even if its a stock photo) are more likely to be published. If you’re an affiliate for any of the online cigar stores, or you own your own store, feel free to include your affiliate link when linking to the product (why should we be the only ones to benefit from your work?).

All the email addresses used to submit reviews will be put in a list and a random generator will pick the winner of the sampler. If you submit multiple reviews in a month, you’ll be entered multiple times for that drawing and the count starts over at the beginning of the month. Its a win/win!

So what are you waiting for? Light up your favorite stick, sit down and the keyboard and tell us what you think about it today!

Review: Room101 Cigars 305

mcangeli — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:50:33 +0000

On a whim today, I stopped by the local Cigar store today in search of a Room101 Cigar as I had been seeing a lot of noise on twitter about these sticks by Camacho Cigars and designer Matt Booth. The chatter had been pretty much good about them since they came out and all the other reviews were as well. I figured if it was time to branch out from the norm, why not start with these?

The stick I picked up today was the 305 (apparently named after an area code for Miami). The cost was about $7 per stick, which isn’t bad for a “designer” cigar as some can run much higher. The 305 is a Robusto with a Semilla 101 Wrapper grown exclusively for this project. It provided a surprisingly nice smoke that while it’s labeled as a Medium Bodied cigar, could easily pass for a full bodied smoke.

The initial draw had an initial spice to it that calmed down a touch to reveal some rich flavors that did not leave me feeling like I had been smoking the inside of an old shoe. I actually enjoyed this smoke so much that I continued to smoke it past the band (which came off easily with the heat) as I enjoyed the flavor and the aroma of the cigar itself.

The burn was nice and even as well and the ash hung on as well, I tried to let it go as long as I could, but after an inch or so, I cleaned it up a bit. All in all, if you’re looking for a good designer cigar that won’t break the bank to add to your collection, the Room101 sticks would be ideal. I went ahead and picked up another for myself just so I could make sure the first one wasn’t a fluke

Brand:Camacho
Line:Room101 305
Vitola:Robusto
Origin:Honduras/Dominican Republic
Wrapper:Semilla 101 (Honduras)
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras/Dominican Republic
Flavor: Medium, chocolate/earthy undertones
Strength: Medium
Price: $7 – $10 a stick, around $180 a box
OverAll:***** (5/5)

Ed Note: Leave a comment for a chance to win a Cigar Spike!

Review: Java by Drew Estate

mcangeli — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:51:26 +0000

On a whim, I picked this up on a singles sale (notice a trend?) a week or so ago and I decided to give it a go the other night while sipping a Peach Tea and Vodka. Usually I stick to the rolled cigars as opposed to the box pressed ones, but the fact that this cigar promised coffee undertones was what lead me to it. How could you pass up two of the worlds great loves combined in one?

The Java by Drew Estate is a premium quality Nicaraguan cigar, gently infused with the rich, decadent flavor of gourmet java. Its billed as a Medium body cigar and compared to the MX2 by C.A.O., it certainly is lighter.

Java by Drew Estate

The outer wrapper is a shimmering, dark Brazilian maduro wrapper and I was surprised that while the java flavor was there, it wasn’t over powering. The natural flavors of the tobacco was able to show through as well. The draw on this cigar was perfect and the burn was nice and even as well.

This cigar would go well as an after dinner smoke with desert or if you’re relaxing on the deck with a coffee drink on a cool fall night. In the end, while I probably wouldn’t pick up a full box, I would keep a couple on hand to have when the mood hits.

Brand: Drew Estate
Line:Java
Vitola:Corona 5×44
Origin:Nicaragua
Wrapper: BrazilianMaduro
Binder: Brazilian Maduro
Filler: Nicaragua
Flavor: Medium, java undertones
Strength: Medium
Price: $129.95
OverAll:****½ (4.5/5)

Review: C.A.O MX2

mcangeli — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:40:11 +0000

The other day I had the opportunity to sample a C.A.O MX2 that I had picked up at a really good price through a singles sale on one of the online Cigar shops. I was a little concerned when I did some research on the MX2 as most of the other reviewers were quick to point out its Dark, somewhat oily wrapper (which comes from the well fermented Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro thats used) as I hadn’t smoked anything like it before (I tend to stick to the lighter wrappers). Still, not one to shrink away from a challenge, I went ahead and bought two of them and I’m glad I did.

The MX2 has a consistent burn on it and the draw, as mentioned by others, was a little tight, but it was a good draw and the cigar itself was a pleasure to hold. The aroma of the burning stick was pleasant as well and not over powering.

The MX2 is made up of a second wrapper, used as a binder, which is spicy Brazilian Maduro. The fillers are a sweet and picante mixture of exquisite tobaccos from Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Peru. It was interesting to note that as the cigar burned, the flavor picked up a little more spice to it. After about the 2/3 of the cigar it did get a little strong for me and I found myself slowing down a bit. Not a bad thing as it gave me more reason to take longer.

Over all I was more then pleased with the C.A.O MX2 Robusto and I’d definitely smoke it again and might consider picking up a larger quantity next time.

Brand: CAO Cigars
Line: MX2
Vitola: Robusto 5×52
Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Brazilian Maduro
Filler: Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Peru
Flavor: Medium-Full
Strength: Medium
Price: $103.95
OverAll:****~ (4/5)

Have you tried the MX2? What are your thoughts on this fine smoke?