QUICK POST - Smoked one from the Arganese Maduro Robusto 5 Pack. These are the mild blend Ambassadors; Arganese calls their medium blend the Chairman and their full blend Presidente. While the strength was mild and smooth, this cigar had a great taste, probably due in part to the maduro wrapper from Brazil.

Ash was firm and almost paper white. Draw was very good. This is a premium cigar and worth more than what I paid for it. I will definitely buy again. This cigar gets a grade of A.

Yesterday I mentioned that I had received a big delivery of cigars. Today I continue sampling bundles from the order. First up is the Famous Nicaraguan 1000 Robusto in a natural wrapper, a medium bodied value cigar sold by Famous Smoke Shop. The cigar is 5 x 50 in dimension and there were no perceptible defects in the construction. It has a very good draw and it lit easily. Flavor was bland for the first quarter inch, then became fuller. I didn't get a lot of complex tastes; if they're there, they're too subtle for my crude palate. It just had a good flavor.

I think the best praise I can bring is to say that I forgot this was a value cigar, and smoked it to the nub as if it was a good premium. The burn was even, and the ash was very firm and incredibly white. Draw was smooth throughout the whole cigar, and it never overheated. I hope the whole bundle is as good as this first cigar.

I'll smoke another cigar later today. I have one more value bundle to sample, two five packs, and two boxes of what I hope are very good premium cigars.

I just received a big order!

I've been meaning to keep a cigar diary to keep track of my new hobby (I've been smoking cigars for about two years now). Today I received a bunch of cigars from Famous Smoke Shop, so I might as well get started.

First up is the cigar I am smoking right now, as I type. It's a Baccarat Sumatra Rothschild, with measurements of 5 x 50. Most cigar smokers already know that this means it is 5" long, with a diameter of 50/64ths of an inch (the ring or gauge).

I bought these cigars at auction, and I ended up paying 88¢ apiece. They're hand rolled long filler cigars from Honduras.

I clipped the cap with a double bladed cutter, and it lit well with a good draw. Very mellow flavor. The cap is sugared, as it tastes sweet in the mouth initially. If you like fuller flavor (as I tend to), this cigar might bore you, but it's not bad. A good basic "walking the dog" smoke.

The ash is firm and light greyish, with no obvious gaps or. Burn is fairly even. Draw is very good. The mild flavor is creamy, but gets a little peppery as I get down to the last two inches, which I like. No bitterness until past the last one inch mark.

The other cigar I tried today was the Perdomo Remainders Habana Robusto Box Pressed, another value cigar that comes in a bundle rather than a box. These cost me 70¢ per cigar. I liked the flavor better (the Famous Smokes website classifies it as a medium), but while the draw was very good without being hot, the burn was pretty uneven and required a couple of touch ups with a match. The ash was loose, with obvious gaps and what might have been small stems that weren't fully burning. As I said, the burn was uneven, but I've suffered much worse. I think the flavor (toasty, peppery, with hints of nuts) made up for the structural deficiencies.

Maybe at some point I will come up with a complex scale upon which to judge cigars. For now i think I'll just weigh the subjective experience in my mind, factor in the value (both these cigars were under a buck), and pull a grade out of my ass. The Baccarat deserves a solid B, even though I am not partial to mild cigars. The Perdomo Remainder gets a C. If the quality of each bundle is consistent, I will enjoy either of these cigars when walking the dogs or puttering around the yard or workshop.

Related:

Perdomo Remainders Habana Robusto Box Pressed @ Famous Smoke Shop

Baccarat Sumatra Rothschild @ Famous Smoke Shop

Danli and El Pairaiso, Honduras (Google Map)

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Estelí, Nicaragua

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