Size: 7.1″ x 57.5 was measured (supposed to be 7.1″ x 58, Salomon)
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Connecticut, Habano & Broadleaf Maduro
Filler: Honduran & Nicaraguan

Appearance:
This is one of my favorite sticks from an appearance standpoint. It is truly gorgeous. Not only is it a Salomon, which tapers beautifully, but it has a barber pole wrapper. It looks extremely delicious and it has been expertly rolled. There is a medium vein running through the Habano and Connecticut wrappers. The ring is my only issue – the blue, gold and silver is a tad cheap looking for such a gorgeous stick, but as soon as you remove it, that problem is solved.

Construction:
Construction is nearly flawless. Not only are Salomons one of the most difficult shapes to roll, it’s a barber pole wrapper, which requires a whole ‘nother level of skill. It’s equally dense, well tapered, and almost perfect. I say almost b/c after cutting the head of the stick, there were quite a few smaller pieces of tobacco that ended up in my mouth. For that reason it loses a few points. The ring was removed without any issues.

Aroma:
The aroma is pleasant. It’s not as strong as a full-bodied cigar tends to be, but it has a lot of the same characteristics. It’s sweet and spicy, yet doesn’t burn the nostrils if you get a big whiff. It makes you want to smoke this stick and shouldn’t offend anyone around.

Burn/Ash:
So far burn has been almost razor sharp. I decided to cut the tip just a little bit since I’ve had better lighting and initial burn success with Salomons if this is performed. The ash is a white to light gray, with a few dark spots, and the first ash drops in between 1.25 – 1.5″ and leaves behind a perfectly shaped cherry. Almost half way in and the burn is a little wavy, but it did correct itself. The second ash fell at just over 2″.

Draw/Smoke:
Draw is a perfect medium – just the way I like it. No effort, but some resistance. Smoke is plentiful and probably an 8.5/10. It’s somewhat creamy and has a good feeling as it rolls off the tongue. The draw and smoke continued to be the same throughout the entire stick.

Flavor:
Flavors at first were more on the mild side, with just a hint of earth and some other flavors I couldn’t quite pick up. But 3/4″ in and I’m picking up some pleasant toastiness and stronger earth flavors. There is a hint of cocoa on the aftertaste and a slight sweetness in the aftertaste as well. 1″ in and there’s definitely more sweetness along with earth and still a hint of cocoa. 2″ in and the smoke has become creamier. More of a cedar flavor and still some sweetness. A nice development, but a little more mild now. A little further in and the creaminess is fading and I’m starting to pick up some spice. Half way in and the flavors are back to creaminess, a little toasty and maybe a hint of some nuts? But now with some pepper in the aftertaste. Approaching the final third and the stick keeps changing flavors (none of which are very strong). The pepper comes and goes, currently it’s mostly on the aftertaste. The draw starts with some earth and a hint of spice, then changes into creaminess, and is followed by the pepper and a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste. A solid medium stick.

Overall/Value:
I’m not quite sure who would ever pay retail for this stick and it’s definitely not worth that, but for the $3 for which I recently picked some up on CigarBid and for the 5 pack madness price on CI (along with 2 Sopranos sticks), these are a solid purchase. Definitely one of the best sticks around for a gift to a non-serious smoker. It’s not too strong, but complex and changes flavors and most of all it’s gorgeous and well rolled. Were the flavors a little more pronounced or were the stick a little stronger it would have scored a bitter higher in flavor and overall, but still a solid smoke for the occasion when I’m not looking for a full-flavored stick (and have some time on my hands as it took 2 hours to smoke).

Retail Price: $22

Appearance: (4.75/5)
Construction: (4.75/5)
Aroma: (9.25/10)
Burn/Ash: (8.75/10)
Draw/Smoke: (18.5/20)
Flavor: (31.5/35)
Overall/Value: (12.5/15)
Final Score: (90/100)

Size: 5.8″ x 57 was measured (supposed to be 6″ x 60, Perfecto)
Strength: Medium-Full
Wrapper: Cameroon
Filler: 8 year old Dominican

Appearance:
This appears to be a nicely rolled stick with the Perfecto shape and all. The wrapper is a nice rich brown and there are a couple of medium veins, but it’s impossible to tell where this stick was rolled. The ring is a bit large for my taste, but the Perfecto shape makes up for any loss in points there…

Construction:
This stick is quite dense – evenly so, but dense. Given the difficult roll it earns some points there, however it came in under on both stated length and ring gauge – two serious disappointments for the Rolls Royce of cigars. The large ring does remove with ease and there are no issues with the wrapper.

Aroma:
The aroma of this cigar is quite heavenly. It has a spicy full cigar smell, yet it never seems to burn the nostrils, no matter how much you inhale. It has a hint of dried fruit as well and it just begs to be smoked. A little strong for bystanders, but not pungent.

Burn/Ash:
Burn so far has actually been pretty good. Sometimes there can be issues starting out with the burn on a Perfecto and I thought it started to canoe right from the start, but I just held the lighter to it a bit longer and it all evened out. The ash was very impressive as the first one held on until 3″ in and the second until nub.

Draw/Smoke:
Unfortunately the draw is quite disappointing, as is the smoke. The draw is super tight and the smoke is weak. I tried rolling it around a bit, cutting some more off the head and a few other tricks, but nothing seems to work. Maybe a coat hanger would, but I don’t resort to those tricks…. Moving an inch and a half into the stick the smoke is starting to pick up a bit, approaching more of a medium level, but the draw remains pretty damn tight.

Flavor:
The flavors are decent, though not as strong as I would have hoped. On the draw I taste some definite earthiness and maybe a hint of cocoa? On the aftertaste it’s some cedar, earth, and something rather dry. 1 1/2″ in I’m starting to pick up some pepper, more in the aftertaste, but also in the draw. 2″ in and it’s earth, cedar, some leather and pepper. Pretty much the same on the aftertaste, but maybe a hint of cocoa. Throughout the rest of the stick it tasted about the same as it did at 2″ in. No development and no real complexity.

Overall/Value:
I think if you were to pay $15 for this cigar you’d have to be pretty much nuts. It’s definitely not worth that. These made it into my hands by a fluke of CI – they were in a shipment of mine but I never purchased them and they definitely weren’t on the receipt. So at free.99, they’re a good deal. The best two qualities of this cigar are the aroma and burn/ash. Otherwise the draw/smoke sucks and the flavors aren’t that impressive. It’s not disgusting or anything, but it just didn’t do much for me – lacked powerful flavors and lacked development.

Retail Price: $15.00

Appearance: (4.5/5)
Construction: (3.75/5)
Aroma: (9.5/10)
Burn/Ash: (9.5/10)
Draw/Smoke: (12/20)
Flavor: (25/35)
Overall/Value: (7/15)
Final Score: (71.25/100)

Size: 5.75″ x 50.5″ was measured (supposed to be 5.5″ x 52, Gran Robusto?)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Brazilian Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan, Peruvian, and Dominican
Binder: Corojo

Appearance:
This is a pretty good looking stick. A darker wrapper with one medium vein. If you start to look closely you can tell where the wrapper was rolled though. It has one nice understated, yet somewhat “modern” for a cigar, ring. A step up from a regular Oliveros, but not a show stopper.

Construction:
The stick appears to be rather well rolled. It comes in over on length but under on ring gauge? Unless this is a size I don’t see online at the moment? (Don’t think that’s the case b/c these are pretty limited as it is). Density seems consistent throughout. After cutting the head, the wrapper did come apart a little, but I did cut less off of the cap then usual, so we’ll chalk most of that up to that…

Aroma:
Aroma isn’t necessarily strong at first, but it’s powerful when you get a whiff. Has a ting (spiciness) to it along with those full flavored cigar notes. A little sweet with plenty of spice. Not quite sure where to put this one… So, since I wasn’t sure where to place it at first, I had to refocus on the aroma a little further in and I have to say, it’s stronger now, yet less powerful – creating a tastier combination. A lot of the “ting” in the nostrils is gone and there’s now a pleasant spiciness. None of those dried fruit spice notes though from some of the other full sticks.

Burn/Ash:
Burn into the first third has been fairly good. Pretty sharp and no issues whatsoever. The first ash fell at 1.25″. Burn continues to be good and the second ash falls at 1.25″ again and so on for the rest of the stick.

Draw/Smoke:
Draw is a bit on the tighter side – I’d have to place it as a medium-tight. It’s bearable, but takes a serious puff. And therefore smoke is on the lighter side. Not too plentiful and it seems to lack the creaminess I desire. Now that we’ve moved about 1 1/2″ in, the draw is still rather tight, but the smoke has considerably increased – definitely a welcome surprise.

Flavor:
The flavors are hard for me to decide on… there’s definitely some earth and leather in the aftertaste, but the draw is actually somewhat mellow for a full cigar – almost a creamy earthiness with some nuttiness. Definitely a hint of spice, but it seems like the aftertaste becomes fuller than the draw. A little further in and now there’s a hint of pepper in both the draw and aftertaste. Almost 2″ in and there’s a little more earth and leather with a hint of pepper in the draw, and the aftertaste is now mostly the same. Continuing through the stick, the flavors didn’t develop too much and they never became much stronger… They were always pretty good, but not as full flavored as I would have hoped.

Overall/Value:
Overall this is a pricier stick, especially for an Oliveros. On sale on CI (currently) it’s about $3.50/stick, which puts it up there with some rather serious contenders. I just don’t know that the flavors wow me enough to spend that kind of coin on this stick. I think I’d prefer a JJ maduro, Diesel, MOW, Intenso, Serie ‘A’ or many others before this stick.

Retail Price: $6 – 10 (depending on where you look)

Appearance: (4.25/5)
Construction: (4.5/5)
Aroma: (8.5/10)
Burn/Ash: (9.5/10)
Draw/Smoke: (13.5/20)
Flavor: (27/35)
Overall/Value: (9/15)
Final Score: (76.25/100)

Size: 5″ x 50.5 was measured (supposed to be 5″ x 50, Robusto)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Corojo
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan

Was rummaging through the humidor and had to find something shorter to smoke and this is what I dug out. I’ve seen it in a number of samplers and I have a few, so I figured it was time to give it a try.

Appearance:
This is a pretty good looking stick. A nice corojo wrapper with a medium vein. It takes some attention to notice where the wrapper was rolled and it’s cloaked in the standard DPG double ring. A nice touch. Nothing about this stick really draws points away from itself.

Construction:
Construction seems to be spot on, coming in a .5 over the stated ring gauge (can’t complain about that). The density is consistent, the rings remove with ease and there just isn’t much more to say…

Aroma:
The aroma almost reminds me of a full maduro… just not quite as sweet. There is spice and that typical full flavored cigar smell, yet it’s not too strong in the nose and shouldn’t quite offend anyone. I would like for it to be a tad stronger though….

Burn/Ash:
Burn so far into the first third is impressive – razor sharp. The first ash fell at 1″, but it was surprisingly firm and intact when it hit the ground. Burn continues to be razor sharp. The second ash also fell at 1″ but was also surprisingly firm and intact… Normally such a firm ash can hold much longer. Burn is still razor sharp and continues as such to the end.

Draw/Smoke:
Draw is spot on – meaning a perfect medium. Smoke is full and creamy, but more of an 8 out 10. Not a show stopper, but still rather full and creamy. I would like to see more though for a perfect score.

Flavor:
Upon lighting the flavors are full of earth, pepper and spice with a hint of walnut. A dry bitter set of flavors. A few draws in and the stick has mellowed some. Less spice, still plenty of pepper and a toasted flavor along with a hint of cedar. Approaching the first third and there is still pepper, earth and cedar, with some toastiness and now more spice. Sweetness is starting to creep into the aftertaste. At a third of the way through I’m picking up more toasty flavors in the aftertaste with plenty of earth, pepper, leather and spice on the draw. Past the first third and the aftertaste is that of toasted nuts with a hint of cedar. Haven’t tasted this in awhile, but I enjoy it. A dry goodness that would pair well with a sweeter whiskey/bourbon. About half way through the stick and flavors are more of the same as experienced earlier. Not too much development, but there is a little bit of complexity.

Overall/Value:
At full retail price for Don Pepin’s strongest or fullest smoke, this isn’t too bad. It could definitely be worse. Considering I’ve only picked it up in samplers in the $2.50 – 3.00 range, it’s a steal of a deal. Scoring high in appearance, construction, burn/ash, and draw/smoke, what is there really to complain about? If you like earth and leather and pepper and spice, with some toastiness and just the lightest hint of sweetness, then this is your stick. There isn’t too much complexity and barely any development throughout the stick, but the flavors are there, and if you like those flavors, this is a winner. For me, I’d like a little more variety, maybe some cocoa/coffee notes, but it can still earn a spot in the rotation through DPG samplers….

Retail Price: $6.50

Appearance: (4.75/5)
Construction: (5/5)
Aroma: (9/10)
Burn/Ash: (8.75/10)
Draw/Smoke: (18/20)
Flavor: (30/35)
Overall/Value: (12/15)
Final Score: (87.5/100)

Size: 5.7″ x 52 was measured (supposed to be 5.7″ x 52, Belicoso)
Strength: Full
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo long-leaf

Appearance:
This is a pretty good looking stick. The wrapper has a few minor veins, no major ones, and you have to look pretty damn hard to see where the wrapper was rolled. I like the double rings – classy, not overdone. And I wasn’t so sure about the two flags on the side of the ring, but now I like them quite a bit.

Construction:
This stick came in spot on for length and ring gauge. That’s always impressive. And while the foot looks slightly box pressed, this stick is definitely not box pressed. I’ve always liked belicosos and this one is nicely rolled. It’s even and density is consistent, but at the foot there was an odd bit of tobacco sticking out, which I did remove, so it loses half a point there. The rings removed without incident. Approaching the last third, the wrapper cracked for no apparent reason and came slightly undone (docks it another half point).

Aroma:
The aroma is spicy and typical of a full flavored stick. It has a spice to it but lacks the dried fruit or sweetness of a maduro. It’s also not as intense as some other sticks, making it a little more bearable to non-cigar smokers, but the spice without the sweetness may be a bit of a turn off.

Burn/Ash:
Burn so far is sharp, but not razor sharp. It’s had a wave or two, but again, I lit with a match, which I’m not used to doing, thanks to my lighter refilling mishap a few days ago. The first ash did something different, it was 1″ long and about .5″ fell off as I was setting it down. It’s usually all or nothing. The burn has managed to straighten itself out each time it’s begun to stray though. The second and third ashes both fell at an inch. Despite the wrapper unraveling a bit at the last third (see Construction above) it didn’t affect the burn. It’s been a little wavy, but always corrected itself.

Draw/Smoke:
Draw is a perfect medium and I always love the feel of a torpedo or belicoso in my mouth, the ability with which you can slightly compress the head with your teeth. Smoke is super plentiful and very creamy. About a third of the way into the stick the draw has become a little lighter and the smoke has decreased to about average. The draw and smoke are better now, sort of. It benefits from two consecutive draws, the first being light, and the second perfect with plenty of smoke. Most sticks are too hot for two consecutive draws, but oddly that is what suits this stick best. Can’t quite figure out why that is.

Flavor:
The flavors are definitely a complex mix, so they’re sort of hard to pick out on this one. I definitely taste some cedar, earth, and leather with pepper and spice towards the end of the draw and into the aftertaste. Actually more spice on the back of the throat than pepper taste on the tongue. As you let the flavor of the cigar linger in your mouth, I pick up a walnut taste with a hint of bitter (in a good way) on that after aftertaste. Getting past the beginning and towards the first third, the flavors are a bit more toasty and the spice and pepper have mellowed some. Arriving at about the third and there is definite toastiness with spice and earth. Between the first third and the half, the spice and pepper have mellowed and it’s mostly a toasty earthiness with some earth and leather. This stick definitely has a long aftertaste – it’s not overly strong, just right, but it sticks around for quite some time… and I love good aftertastes. I read somewhere that this stick is “buttery smooth” and just past the half way point I’m definitely getting a buttery smoothness feeling left behind in my mouth as I exhale the creamy smoke. It may sound a little weird, but I like it. A definite cedar taste on the tongue with a bunch of leather and a hint of spice now. Those flavors continued throughout the remainder of the stick with the buttery smoothness and long aftertaste.

Overall/Value:
Retail price for this stick is almost $10 and that’s most definitely steep. Luckily the ones I picked up were part of samplers and were more in the $2.50 – 3.00 range. If I want to make these a serious addition to the regular rotation I’m going to have to find them on sale somewhere – and that somewhere isn’t CI (at least I haven’t seem then on sale yet). The bid site currently has a special running, but I have no clue where the price will end…. Anyways, at retail, it’s steep. At under $3, it’s a steal. This is a complex stick with lots of flavors – they change throughout the smoke and they’re always well balanced. If you like cedar, spice, leather and buttery smoothness with creamy smoke, this stick is for you.

Retail Price: $9.75

Appearance: (4.75/5)
Construction: (4/5)
Aroma: (7.75/10)
Burn/Ash: (7.5/10)
Draw/Smoke: (17/20)
Flavor: (32.75/35)
Overall/Value: (13/15)
Final Score: (86.75/100)