Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Binder: Olor Dominican and Cuban Seed
Filler: Olor Dominican, Cuban Seed, and Nicaraguan
Size: 5.5 x 54
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $6.40 by the box of 20. $8 by the 5 Pack

Written by Katmancross

Exclusive Cigars makes the Kristoff Maduro along with the balance of Kristoffs. The company started doing business in 2005.

Construction is solid. Nary a soft spot. The foot is closed so sniffing around there. It has a nice triple cap pig tail.

The body is redolent of cocoa. And sweet sage honey.

The first taste is of cocoa and cedar with a bit of leather.

The sweetness from the cocoa is extremely satisfying. So I grab my Diet Coke to recreate the chocolate phosphate experience.

Shortly after that, the red pepper arrives. Typical of the Kristoff blends. There is a tad bit of saltiness here and there.

I have been a Kristoff fan for the last couple of years. It is a solid brand with solid blends.

The first third ends uneventfully. The flavors are just starting to spread their wings. As the second third begins, the spiciness ramps up. I like this.

It is here that the stick begins to become complex. The cocoa is augmented by some lovely creaminess. And the sweetness turns to caramel. I can also taste some strong coffee. But it is the cocoa that dominates the profile.

This blend is not as strong as the Ligero line. Which is full on strength and body. This is more of the beginning of the day cigar.

The second third really shows off the flavors. While the body remains medium in tone.

The last third is where this stick really shines. The spiciness is pushing for top billing. But a buttery smooth creaminess keeps it from being a total spice bomb.

I don’t drink so I cannot recommend a good libation to accompany this. Although a good Glen Livet would be nice. Unfortunately, as an old man, certain meds don’t agree with alcohol. I miss the combo of a good cigar and scotch.

The creaminess is now over the top. It swirls around my mouth like a Creamsicle. Absolutely gorgeous.

I don’t know much about Glen Case, the owner. Other than he brought this line of cigars out of the dark alleys of boutique cigars into the main stream. He carefully blended each new cigar to augment and compliment the rest of his line.

As I am only a couple inches away from nubbing it, I get some tart citrus. A cross between sweet grapefruit and lemon.

The cigar ends nicely without harshness or bitterness. And no nicotine buzz. No fear of my pants falling to my sneakers.

This is a cigar you can easily nub. The slight tartness disappears and is replaced by an even stronger cocoa and creaminess combination. The spiciness is nicely engaged but never overwhelming.

The only caveat is that this stick needs some time in your humidor to rest/age. The longer, the better.

I cannot find my nubber tool so I grab my cigar ice pick and use that instead. Even as the cigar turns into nothing, the flavors are still expanding and getting stronger.

I must now retract an earlier statement. I am starting to get a buzz from the nub.

I highly recommend this cigar and everything in the Kristoff line. These are solid, no nonsense, well made cigars.

At the $8 and under pricing, this brand is certainly a deal.

 

Wrapper: Honduras OSA
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran
Size: 6.5 x 58
Body: Medium
Price: $132.98 for box of 25 ~ $34.39 for 5 pack

Written by Katmancross

The OSA name is short for Olancho San Augustin….a region in Honduras.

The CAO OSA Sol marks the first new blend released under the CAO brand since it was produced under the umbrella of General Cigars in 2010.

Supposedly, this stick is a big departure from the CAO blends. A move to get into the boutique movement. And keeping the price very low.

I do the sniff-o-rama and can detect a bit of baking spices, some spiciness, and cocoa all intensified at the foot.

I light up.

Oh my. A delicious surprise of sweetness and cocoa and baking spices and very, very creamy. I had gone through a few of these soon after I got them and was disappointed. I am very pleased now.

Construction is pretty solid. It has a very mottled wrapper. Lot of veins but tight seams.

I am not getting any spiciness. The char line is close to perfection. I was dreading this review because it’s the last stick I had and what if I didn’t like it? Oy vay.

But like all good things….patience is the key. This cigar is really more like a stick of dynamite…more so the Viaje TNT. It’s huge. I generally don’t like sticks this big. It’s a statement. If you are out and about and have this stick in your mouth, you are telling everyone that you escaped the hit on Tony Soprano.

I always read what other reviewers have to say about a cigar before I review it to get a feeling of what I might expect. About half the time, I disagree completely. But I read one review where the taste of roasted marshmallows was described and that is right on!! That is the sweetness flavor I couldn’t put a finger on. Marshmallows. Brilliant assessment by that reviewer.

This cigar is going to take 2-1/2 hours to smoke…or longer so I will be taking breaks from writing to give this log a chance to burn…while I enjoy it.

It’s 15 minutes later….and I have now hit the 1” mark! Oy Gavalt! But realistically, that’s just fine with me. I’m low on sticks and this will keep me happy for several hours. $4 for a 2-3 hour stick. That’s around $1.33-$2.00 per hour. Can’t find cheaper entertainment.

As the first third comes to a close I decide I like this cigar. The body is just barely medium. And I like the flavors that remind me of a chocolate pie with the buttery crust, the creamy topping and the dark chocolate.

There is a slight tingle of black pepper in the back of my throat.

This cigar isn’t all that complex. It has some nice flavors but it’s not a Tat.

But then, I still have 5” to smoke. I’ve only smoked 1-1/2”. So anything can happen.

I’m into the second third. Flavors are the same. No major shift in the cigar.  Just more of the afore mentioned flavors.

The last third is more of the same. Except now, there is a nice component of spiciness.

The cigar never really becomes complex.

It’s a solid medium.

But for a $5 stick, this is a great stick to hand out to newbies, your golf buddies, and moochers. They get a very nice stick with a nice flavor profile and you didn’t dump $9 on someone who whines.

It’s a nice morning cigar. Nothing in its body attacks your stomach and the flavors are constant and get stronger near the end.

It’s also a great cigar if you’re on a budget. It is a pleasant smoke. It just doesn’t challenge you.

 

Wrapper: Shade grown Criollo – Nicaragua
Binder: Sun grown Criollo – Nicaragua
Filler: Honduras, Nicaragua
Size: Belicoso  6 x 52
Body:  Medium/Full
Price: $125.84 for box of 21 ~ $38.03 for 5 Pack

Written by Katmancross

Rated 91 by Cigar Aficionado

Each Xikar HC Criollo cigar is handmade at the Nestor Plasencia factory. The four-vitola Criollo line features a two-country filler blend of Honduran and Nicaraguan tobaccos along with a sun-grown Criollo binder and a five-year-old Nicaraguan shade-grown Criollo wrapper.

I did the sniff-o-rama and could smell a faint cocoa and dried fruit aroma in the pre light. And a very rich chocolate on the foot

The cigar is packed a little too tightly at the top  so I grab my cigar ice pick…but use it very carefully as not to crack the wrapper.

The stick is very firm. No soft spots and yet it had a perfect draw.

Upon light up, I got a blast of spice, but also, the cocoa was ruminating in my mouth.

The first third develops an earthy, nutty, creamy group of flavors with a spicy pepper and baking spice finish. It’s full flavored and medium body in strength. I smiled like the Cheshire Cat.

As I continued to smoke it down, the profile changed a little, in terms of flavor. The earthiness was still present.  But a sweetness, that was somewhere between mocha and caramel, became apparent.  The caramel side was very prominent.

The spiciness held its own.

During the last third, the cigar transitioned into a very complex cigar. All that creaminess, and cocoa, just a hint of coffee, and the peppery zing was a wonderful combination.

I smoked it to the nub. It had no harshness or nicotine bitterness or buzz.