Welcome to CigarBlog.net, my name is Tom and I am a cigar aficionado. I have started this blog to share cigar news and reviews on cigars that I am currently smoking.

I smoke several brands of premium cigars everyday, so I thought this would be a great way to share a cigar with other cigar aficionados around the world. Be sure to check back daily as I review at least one different cigar a day.

I have contacts at alot of the cigar shops in Nashville TN and when I travel I always check out the local cigar shops. Most of the time I will be reviewing cigars, but every once in a while I will give a review on the shops I visit, so if you know of a good  one I should check out, be sure to comment on it here for me.

Today I sat down with a cigar that I’ve wanted to try for some time now – the Camacho Triple Maduro. Tom Lazuka of Camacho had mentioned this cigar to me during the Western Pennsylvania Cigar Crawl back in May, but as the cigar wasn’t scheduled to be released for a few weeks, he didn’t have any samples for me to try. So, I put it on my list of cigars to try and, quite honestly, forgot about them until I attended a Camacho event a couple of weeks ago. I picked up a couple and tossed them into the humidor until I could sit down uninterrupted and fully experience this smoke.

A cool, crisp fall day seemed to be the perfect time to try the Triple Maduro. I settled in on the front porch with a book, a bottle of water, and the above-mentioned Torpedo. My initial inspection revealed a toothy, chocolate brown wrapper with two small (and well-done) patches. The cigar was double-banded (a trend that seems to be increasing) with typically beautiful Camacho bands. Unfortunately, the band at the foot of the cigar had an abundance of glue on it and removing it caused a small piece of the wrapper to tear off. The wrapper had an earthy, slightly sweet aroma and a sniff of the foot of the cigar revealed further earthiness with a hint of nuts. The feel of the cigar was solid with a slight heft for its size.

I clipped the head of the cigar with my trusty Palio and took a deep pre-light draw. I picked up musty flavor that reminded me of rich soil with hints of spice and leather. I also noticed a peppery tingle on the edges of my tongue. The draw was deliberate but not difficult with just a bit of resistance.

When I torched the Triple Maduro, I was rewarded with a dark, earthy tobacco flavor that quickly developed an overtone of bitter coffee. While this was not a beginner cigar, I was slightly surprised that a cigar made exclusively from thick, Maduro tobacco leaves wasn’t a more of a powerhouse. I would put this cigar squarely in the medium category as far as strength. Finish is short on the palate with a definite flavor of bold coffee.

As I continued to smoke, the initial bitterness mellowed somewhat and I began to pick up on hints of smoky nuts. The burn on the cigar was surprisingly even (surprising because Maduro leaves tend to not be the smoothest burning) and there was a noticeable ring of oil bubbling up just above the burn line. Even thought I was outside, I was able to pick up on a strong, musty aroma from the cigar. Ash was mottled gray and rather dense and held on quite a while before falling off. The cigar began to get bitter with about two inches left and not long after that point I set it down and let it peacefully go out.

The Camacho Triple Maduro is a great cigar that every Maduro lover should try at least once. I was a little skeptical about the all-Maduro “gimmick” but Camacho has put out a really good product. My only complaint (and for me, it’s a big one) is the cost. The Triple Maduro runs about double what other Camachos run and while it is a fine cigar, I don’t think its twice as good as the Coyolar or Corojo lines. As such, I personally view the Camacho Triple Maduro as an occasional or perhaps “special” cigar.

Well, if your wondering what I will be smoking during Thanksgiving holiday. This is the Tatuaje Unico and Cabaiguan Guapos Exclusivos I picked up at a local smoke shop in Nashville. They are beautiful cigars crafted from 1st Generation Cuban Seed Grown in Nicaragua. These cigars are rolled in classic Cuban tradition by master rollers in Little Havana Miami, Florida headed by Maestro Tobaquero Jose Garcia.

Tatuaje, which is pronounced tah-to-ah-hey and is tattoo in Spanish. I bought 2 of these, but smoking one of these while I type this cigar review. This has fast become my favorite cigar. Pete Johnson has created a masterpiece, the draw is perfect and the cigar is very well constructed. The woody flavor was consistent, but after an inch or so it was joined by subtle amounts of cocoa and spice, a very flavorful cigar all the way to the end. Did I mention that I have fallen in love with this cigar?

The Cabaiguan, which is pronounced kah-bei-gWHAN and is a city in northern Sancti Spíritus province that is home to some of the most knowledgeable cigar men in Cuba. This cigar came highly recommended and I am looking forward to smoking it. I will be reviewing these on Monday when I get home from the Thanksgiving holiday. If you can find these cigars at your favorite smoke shop, you better grab them, they are that good!

About 6 months ago I bought a nice cigar collection consisting of some rare OpusX, pre-embargo Cubans and a few other rare collectable cigars. When I bought this collection I asked if there was anything I should only smoke for a special occasion. The gentleman reached into the humidor and said only to smoke this one if I won the lottery, or was celebrating the birth of my first born son.

Turns out I don’t plan on having any more children, and I have given up on winning the lottery, so I reached for the cigar, which ends up being a Johnny-O Corona Gorda pigtail. I thought my wife was going to pass out when I told her I was going to smoke it.

So, I cut the cigar and lit it. At first the draw was very tight, so I stuck a cigar poker into it and then it came to life. I have described cigars with hints of leather, but this had a strong leather flavor with some hints of pepper, almost a buttery taste if that sounds right.

I do not know a lot about the Johnny-O Corona Gorda pigtail, but if I ever find them again, I would grab a few to stock in my humidor. After doing some research online, I cannot find any information except for a few reviews of other Johnny-O’s, but not the Johnny-O Corona Gorda pigtail. So, if you know anything about these, please feel free to comment and if you have a source to grab a few of these, please email me!

Overall, I really enjoyed the Johnny-O Corona Gorda pigtail and the cigar really came alive just midway. I started getting some hint of chocolate and as I nubbed the cigar it had a strong pepper taste. I would rate this one a 9 out of 10.

This cigar immediately presents itself as full-bodied and flavorful with some spicy overtones. Even with the firm draw, this cigar produces a ton of smoke. First ash at the 1″ mark, even though it’s still holding on tight. (I’m driving and can’t pay attention to a long ash right now.)

About an inch and a half in, I notice a small split developing in the wrapper about a 1/4 inch above the burn line. Once I smoke to this point, the wrapper unfurls a bit, but nothing too bad. I get through this slight problem and notice another split developing the same way the first one did. This continues off and on throughout the middle third of the cigar. While annoying, the only real problem it creates is some flaky ash that I end up wearing.The flavor continues to develop more complexity and I notice a earthy, slightly woody flavor beginning to come through along with the merest hint sweetness (a touch of caramel perhaps?)
In the final third, the wrapper problems have disappeared and the flavor has gotten much more robust. The smoke is thick and almost chewy with the woody overtones becoming much more pronounced. I smoke it all the way to the nub before finally putting it down.

Final Thoughts: A rich, complex cigar that is definitely geared toward the more experienced smoker as the strength and subtleties of the ligero would be lost on a rookie. I wish that I hadn’t tried it on the way to work as I believe it would pair up well with a peaty single malt. This was a wonderful cigar and without the wrapper problems, it would easily rate a 9. With the problems however, I can only give it a 7. However, I am looking forward to trying another one again soon.

I get asked this a lot by smokers who have been smoking for years and those new to smoking cigars.

The term herf started around 1996 in the cigar news groups that used to be popular at the beginning of the internet boom. The word can be a noun, adjective, verb, prefix, suffix, expletive or an adverb, there is no wrong way to use the term.

Most often it is used to describe a cigar outing with a group of friends. You may see a post on a forum announcing a herf, which would be several guys getting together to smoke cigars at a club, restaurant or smoke shop. I said guys, but girls we will herf with you to and girls herf all the time. Actually, I love to see a group of beautiful ladies herfing. There is nothing sexier than a girl at a herf.
See what I mean now? Herf is a cigar gathering, a smoking event or cigar tasting. So, if you have sat with a group of guys smoking, well then you have already experienced a herf.

The next time someone asks you in a chat room if you want to go to a herf, you don’t have to politely tell them your not into that. Because if you like to smoke cigars then more than likely your going to love to herf.