Construction: Ortsac 1962 was really well constructed, didn’t have any major veins protruding and had the typical corojo colored wrapper. I’m not sure if we were inspecting the Ortsac too closly but the wrapper felt “thick” compared to its twin  – the Rocky Patel Edge.

Draw: The Ortsac 1962 had a good draw that just required a little tug to pull smoke. I would recommend cutting the cigar but there will be no issues with a punch.

Burn: Ortsac 1962 is a slow burning cigar. However, the smoothness (and generally how good this cigar is) makes it a-okay with us.

Taste: The Ortsac 1962 introduces itself as a sweet spiced cigar. Slight wood notes came into play along with some earthiness. Finishing the fist 1/3 seemed to bring in a hint of leather notes. Overall I would say the cigar is slightly creamy and really gives you a mellow, medium bodied, tobacco taste.

The middle of the Ortsac 1962 did not differ too much from the introduction of the stogie. The cigar did become a bit more creamy but you still have the basic flavor profiles: wood, earthy, a hint of leather, and a sweet spice. The body is still in the medium range and the white ash is holding on strong.

Consistent and clean the Ortsac 1962 does not change the flavor profile. The most noticeable, and enjoyable, part of this cigar was that the spice never changed and it finished very clean on the palate never becoming bitter.

Final Verdict: The Ortsac 1962 is in the $5.xx – 6.xx price range (depending on how you purchase the cigar). First of all, any cigar that comes shipped to you in an ammo container just screams “buy me“, who wouldn’t want a spare ammo box laying around? Of course with all the cigars that come shipped in the box you might want go in on a split box. The cigar is better than the Rocky Patel Edge, it is really consistent through, and its the perfect medium body cigar with a sweet spice. Buy this cigar – and ignore the goofy name.

There are many cigar makers out there who produce and market “Cameroon” cigars. Did you know that to be a true Cameroon cigar the wrapper has to come from Africa?

The cigar makers know this but will continue to produce cigars with wrappers from other countries and label them as Cameroon.

The reasoning? Cost. Cuban Crafters has taken the time to produce a true Cameroon wrapper that is still easy on the wallet.

“In search of the perfect blend, various tribes in Cameroon, Africa were visited by our scouts. After years of searching an ultra premium Cameroon wrapper was located. It blended perfectly with the premium Cuban seed tobacco from Tabacalera Esteli. It is grown by a tribe in a small village on the western edge of Cameroon, close to an active volcano named Mount Cameroon. The country’s most fertile soils are in this region, and the tobacco is among the world’s most expensive. The ultra premium Cameroon wrapper was then fermented to perfection and blended with the best leaves from Tabacalera Esteli.”

“Each toro size cigar combines the finest and most expensive Cameroon cigar wrapper leaves with the best Cuban Seed Habano tobacco from Tabacalera Esteli. The Long-Filler and Binder are virgin sun-grown Cuban-Seed Habano tobacco that has been fermented 5 times before being hand rolled.”

Construction: Dark caramel in color, this Cameroon wrapper is easy on the eyes. You might see a light medium sized vein that runs somewhere on the cigar. Most of the wrapper consists of small veins that can not be felt. This was the first Cuban Crafters cigar that was not firmly packed with tobacco.

Draw: Punch the Cuban Crafters Cameroon. This specific Cameroon cigar has the easiest draw out of all the other Cuban Crafters I tried. Each effortless puff produces mountains of rich smooth smoke.

Burn: Cuban Crafters Cameroon did not give me any real problems while I was smoking. The burn will become a little jagged but it will not require any touch up work.

Taste: Cameroon cigars generally have the same flavor profiles and this cigar is no exception. Throughout the entire smoke you get some consistent wood and floral notes. This cigar is very earthy and leaves your pallet dry. Smoke from this Cuban Crafter has a light spice that is needed to make this cigar interesting.

Final Verdict: Cuban Crafters Cameroon cost $100.00 a box or about $4.00 a stick. If you enjoy Cameroon wrappers, a cigar with an easy draw that produces lots of smoke, or a stick that goes well with your morning coffee: Then give this cigar a shot. There was not enough complexity for me to buy a box – but again I will get a few sticks for a nice morning smoke.

I always try to introduce a cigar with some relevant, fun, or even random information. Sometimes, I just simply draw a blank.

Other times I feel like the cigar company, Cuban Crafters in this case, puts out a description/story that I can not compete with.

So here it goes:

“Cupido Tuxedo are dark, rich and flavorful. They are produced in the Dominican Republic with seriously aged Ligero long leaf Filler and Binder.

This fine blend of Nicaragua and Dominican Republic Cuban-seed tobacco is draped in an ultra premium Habano Maduro wrapper that features a silky sheen. Unlike most other Maduro wrappers, this one is naturally cured over many years to preserve the tobacco’s delightful flavors. Each cigar is rolled by the expert hands of traditional Cuban Cigar Torcedores, assuring consistently perfect construction.”

And now let me formally introduce you to the Tuxedo wearing Cupido:

Construction: Staying true to the “Tuxedo” name this cigar has a dark, formal looking wrapper. The semi-oily wrapper of this Cupido is very well constructed and very few light veins can be seen. Using the “touch” test I was unable to locate any soft spots and burned fairly well.

Draw: Due to the firmness of the Cupido Tuxedo I always elected to cut the end. The draw will require a tug but not to the point where the cigar is not enjoyable. Sometimes I wish the Cupido would have produced some more of its creamy smoke.

Burn: Cupido Tuxedo has a slightly uneven burn that starts right after the first 1/3 of the cigar. Fortunately it is very minor, self correcting, and still producing a very firm white ash.

Taste: From the light the Cupido Tuxedo is giving me a nice medium body profile. You will initially get a hint of something sweet in the background that mixes in very well with the prominent tobacco flavor. The finish has a bit of spice that really makes the cigar enjoyable.

The ash at this point is very firm and very white. There are lots of other “premium” (high cost) cigars that do not produce such a great ash.

Starting the 2/3 of cigar and the body is still sitting in a medium range. Sweetness has taken the forefront of the flavor war. You still really get a sense of the tobacco as a prominent taste that hits your pallet. Mocha has started lingering in the background while the spice still rounds everything off.

Completing the Cupido Tuxedo is still as enjoyable as the first two thirds of the cigar. The Cupido has not gotten bitter and has really maintained a great smoke. The body has only slightly increased and the smoke is at the most creamy point.  Flavor profiles have not changed.

Verdict Is: The Cuban Crafters Cupido Tuxedo (that’s a mouth full) is a very good consistant medium bodied cigar. The flavor profiles make it a great cigar to drink with coffee. Purchasing this cigar from Cuban Crafters has a 25 box cost of $169.99 or about $6.80 per stick.  I  have to say because of the price point, quality, and service you will recieve: Give this cigar a chance, it’s worth the try.

The Los Blancos Maduro cigar comes packed in a bright yellow box banded with the bright yellow Los Blancos bands. The color compliments the dark oily wrapper so well I almost hate lighting the tasty maduros. The box sits well in any humidor, smoke room, or lounge and will catch the eyes of many.

Looks are not the only thing this maduro cigar has going for it: It’s a great stick to smoke and brought to you at a reasonable price ($6)

Construction: Los Blancos makes one intimidating looking maduro wrapper – this is one dark cigar. “Chocolaty” might be the best way to describe this Los Blancos stick. The wrapper in it self looked very well constructed with not too many veins and just enough texture to know it’s a solid smoke. Upon the removal of the cellophane you will immediately notice the nice oils coming through the wrapper. It’s actually just enough to get you excited.

Los Blancos Maduro’s are consistently firm with no soft spots. Never once have I encountered any unraveling problems while smoking.

Draw: My method of opening the cigar is normally a punch. The punch was a perfect fit for this stick and the draw was just right. I have used the trusty XIKAR Xi3 every now and then and have not had a problem; a quality cigar will always have a great draw.

Burn: This area of the Los Blancos Maduro review might bring my only complaint. Of the many cigars I have smoked a vast majority of them have burned slightly uneven and a correction with my torch was always needed. On a good note the burn rate was perfect and the ash was always securely in place.

Taste: While the Los Blancos wrapper may make the stick appear strong – that was not the case. This maduro was a very pleasant smoke. I picked up some cocoa flavors from the light and the smoke slowly introduced a woody flavor that has a hint of spice. The smoke is creamy and creates a very well balanced medium cigar.

Verdict Is: As you can see from my pictures I have a box of the Los Blancos Maduro. This is a great medium bodied cigar that you can enjoy in the day time, night time, summer, or winter. The price point is excellent at around $6 a stick. Heck, this cigar would still be a good value even if it had run a few bucks more (please don’t raise the prices). So at least get this stick the next time your in a shop and looking for something good to smoke. I have a feeling you may just pick up a box.

The Montesino Maduro cigar review. Montesino Maduro cigars are part of the “Cigar Family”, in fact this is one of the first cigars that Carlos Fuente Sr. and his son Carlos Fuente Jr. produced in their new Dominican Republic factory (a house actually). The Fuente Family says they use “only the finest vintage tobaccos that are aged for exceptionally long periods of time” and like some of the more expensive Fuente products: This cigar is just as tasty.

Construction: The Montesino Maduro looks like it wants to sit in your shirt pocket all day while you work, and when you’re done you pull it out and the Montesino will still be in perfect condition. In other words: It’s ROUGH. The maduro wrapper is also dull with no oily sheen. Fuente has produced a really antique looking cigar.

Fuente’s Montesino had no soft spots in the cigar and are always wrapped just right. While smoking you will not encounter any unraveling problems.

Draw: I punched this specific Montesino and have smoked others with a cut end. The results are the same: A perfect draw that’s not too hard / easy.

Burn: At times this rough cigar can create a rough burn becoming a little uneven at some points. This is not an issue though because the Montesino will quickly correct itself. Overall burn was just a little slow.

Ash had no problem staying on this maduro but it wasn’t firm as I would have liked to see.

Taste: Montesino Toro maduro is not a cigar that is bursting with many complex flavors. Initially I think a hint a cedar was present and the smoke was somewhat dry. However after the first couple of puffs the smoke began to get creamier and the taste began to change.

Continuing to smoke I picked up was a bit of spice that just tickled my pallet wishing for more. Wood and… (Chocolate?) just something else that stayed with the entire cigar. Again all these flavors were very light, but expected for a mild cigar.

Nothing much changed as the cigar came to an end. The smoke might have gotten just a tad bit heavier and a bit creamier.

It’s a mild cigar.

Verdict Is: The Montesino maduro cigars (in general) are sticks that you should always keep in your arsenal. One of the main reasons: It’s a tasty, cheap $4 stick that is mild to medium in flavor. Meaning you will have no trouble handing this cigar out to new smokers who wish to join you.

I would like to say that if I had $4 to spend on a personal cigar this would not be it. I would prefer the JFR Maduro or even the Oliva G.

Other Cigars:
Higher Priced: Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story
Same Price: Oliva G
Lower Priced: JFR