“Smoked Up” No.82

Posted by Shawn

August 20, 2014

To think, I was looking forward to this summer! I was tired of the cold of the winter and dreaming of the summer. The dog days of summer are here and now I am looking forward to the fall! Cooler daysÂ means more outside cigar smoking, a few hunting and camping trips. Most of my cigar enjoyment of the past week was inside and not much outside as it was very hot and muggy outside. I was hoping to get a review in on Sunday, but a family occurrence came up and family first!

My friend is doing quite well and has improved quite a bit. She is a lot more active, remembers people and has more control of her muscle movements. She is not talking as of now, but can respond with head shakes. She finally wasÂ awakeÂ enough to see, recognize and acknowledge me this weekend. That alone was a great burden off fromÂ out of the back of myÂ head as I thought her memory would be gone.Â She was moved to a physical therapy rehab place yesterday. With that being said, she is going to “make it” and will need a few months of rehab to train her muscles to function “normally.”

Thanks to everybody who has kept her in your thoughts and prayersÂ over the last fewÂ weeks. It means a lot to her, her family and I.

Cigar Views

Viaje Satori Arya: With the Viaje Satori being one of my all time favorite cigars (the Zen specifically) I was excited yet perplexed at the new smaller size. To me,this is a petite robusto, but its claimed to be a robusto at 48×4.5″and I like the size itself. The cigar was pretty darn tasty and I enjoyed it fresh with no age; which is odd for many Viaje LEs. I got some nice cocoa, slight pepper, some creaminess and a bit of spice here and there. I was drinking a Monster Java Kona Blend drink that eased off the pepper and slight spice, added to the creaminess as well as added a bit of sweetness to the cocoa. Will this new size take over as my favorite size? Yes and no. Yes because the size in itself was nice to enjoy on a warm summer’s evening. But no, seeing I have a box and a half of the original release Satori Zen still! I save the Zen and smoke on my daughter’s (Satori) birthday in February every year. But I can see myself grabbing a handful or three of these as they are smoking slightly better fresh than my previous experiences with the Zen size right off the shelf. I think they will age well, but possibly age quickly and muffle out faster than the Zen.Â

AJ Fernandez New World Toro: I was looking forward to trying this cigar as many of AJ’s blends hit me as a good smoke. The New World ended up being slightly less bolder than I had thought it was going to be; I hadn’t done much research on it. It was a strong medium that reminded of a modified cross blend between the Oval and Habano line. It was a pretty smooth and tasty smoke that hit the wallet just right at about $7 and change for the toro. I will be smoking a few more of these in the near future.

Curivari El Gran Rey Emperadores: The more I smoke this cigar, the more and more I love it. ThisÂ was myÂ co-pilot on my trip to New Orleans this weekend. I really needed a toro size or belicoso to make the fullÂ 2hr trip.Â This cigar is pretty â€œcubanescâ€ and has great smooth wood, nut and creamy notes that I absolutely love. There was even a slight hint of a honey note that really kept me into the smoke. $10 for a robusto is a little steep, but for this cigar, it is definitely worth every penny. I would consider this cigar as box worthy!

AJ Fernandez Man O War Ruination Robusto: For some reason, I remembered the Ruination being aÂ lot bolder, darker and stronger than this one was. It had a nice amount of body to it, but the flavors were not as dark I had remembered. But, this was the second Ruination I have had in a few weeks and they were both had the same flavors. So, its possibly my memory is slacking on me with this cigar. Regardless, this was a nice smoke that I enjoyed.

Eiroa CBT MaduroÂ Prensado: I was suggested to try this cigar by two of my friends Ben and Tom as they raved about it. Tom said the flavors reminded him of the aroma of fresh roasted dark coffee. To me, he was spot on and a fantastic smoke! I paired it with a cup of Sumatran coffee and it brought out a bit more sweetness in the smoke. A nice mocha flavor also showed upÂ here and there in the smoke and made for a great smoke. The cost is a little high for the size, but the quality and flavors in the smoke make it worth it. I have the larger size slated up to enjoy this evening and I am looking forward to it quite a bit.

EP Carrillo Dark Ritual: This is my favorite EP Carrillo ever produced, hands down! I love the size, the blend, the whole cigar and its attributes. I have a very small amount of these left in the humidor and they have aged well. The dark, rich meaty flavors are marrying nicely and the smoke has a bit of roundness to it as it starts to smooth off. This was one of those cigars where I sat back and enjoyed every minute of it and didn’t pay any attention to too many particular flavors. I wish EP Carrillo would make another cigar similar to this as my supply is dwindling.

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