Hit Them When They Least Expect It |Guerrilla Warfare|Saturday Stogies

Photo Credit: Halfwheel.com

 

The Breakdown:
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Dominican Republic, Mexican (Double Binder)
Filler: Brazilian, Dominican, Nicaraguan
Size: 4 x 41 Petite Corona
Packaged: Cabinet boxes of 50

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The Wrapper:
Rustic is defiinatly a word we would use to define this wrapper. It’s toothy, not seemless. The wrapper is a medium brown color. As you turned the cigars in your hand the wrapper changes shades from a medium brown to a milk chocolate. There is a little bit go give to this cigar but overall a tight pack.

The cold draw was a little peppery with a slight hint of sweet. It feels media strength with a right Barny tobacco flavor.

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First Third:
True to its Guerrilla Warfare name the first third punches you right in the face with a blast of black pepper like a preemptive attack that you were unprepared for.  It seems like it has made some residence in the very back of your pallet. This pepper is staying there as a very rich tobacco flavor pulls through. There are also small hints of leather in this third. The draw is very nice but the smoke output is a little weak and light.

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Second Third:
The second third is pretty similar to the first. At the end of the second the pepper dies of a bit but there is still the deep earthy tobacco flavor that we experienced in the first third. At this stage the cigar is very full bodied and there is a lot of earth and leather left on your pallet as you puff away at it.

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Final Third:
Finally the smoke output showed up like a fashionably late attendee at your house warming party. The burn line has been awesome throughout the entire smoke and there were no touch ups from the first light. The leather has carried through to the bitter end and the full body pulled through at a medium strength.

Cromagnon Knuckle Dragger |Saturday Stogies

Brand: Roma Craft Cigars
Size:  4 x 52 Petite Robusto
Wrapper: US Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Cameroon
Filler: Nicaragua
MSRP: $6.50
Smoke Time: 40 min

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The Wrapper:
The wrapper is a really dark coffee ground color with a pungent small of cocoa and super rich tobacco. On a cold draw there is a mellow black pepper in the background but the rich tobacco is definitely the primary flavor. The wrapper is really rough and tough. There are very little veins in the cigars and it has a very sturdy construction.

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First Third:
The first thirst third starts of super leathery and the black pepper from the cold draw is barely there. There are still some hints of cocoa that we smelled on the wrapper coming through.The draw is really tight but the burn line is great and there is no issue in getting smoke. Smoke is giving off a decent aroma but nothing to boast about. At this point the full body strength is medium right now.

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Second and Final Third:
The second and final third stay true to the first with no little changes. The finish is very deep and complex. There is this small amount of charcoal flavor, almost like a the small crispy ends of a burger cooked on the grill. The strength has kicked up a little bit and the cocoa has faded. The finish is a smooth full tobacco flavor.

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Overall:
Through and through this cigar is astounding. There hasn’t been a cigar in a while that we really never wanted to end. Roma Craft has another cigar in its line that is a little longer that might have to be our next stick on the list. This cigar is defiantly worthy of another purchase, maybe even a box purchase. The cigar was really small so it could almost break into a first half last half rather than thirds for the overall 40 min smoke time.

Illusione Cigars | Wordless Wednesday

Photo Credit: http://www.illusionecigars.com

Fume D’Amour | Saturday Stogies

The Wrapper:

This cigar is a Nicaraguan Puro which means it is made entirely from tobacco from Nicaragua. The wrapper is very seemless and delicate. The cigar is very firm, has no veins, and is very smooth. The wrapper is a light brown color that has a slight golden hue. A brief sniff and a cold draw reveals hints of barnyard/woods and cedar. The draw is perfect, just perfect.

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First Third:

The filler of this cigar is comprised of just seco a viso leaves. The first third starts off very prominently cedary and nutty. A really well seasoned humidor flavor is present on the first couple puffs. There is a mild hint of pepper, almost to the point where it’s not present at all. Definitely a barn house feel in the flavor and aroma. Smoke output is phenomenal and the cigar has a medium body feel in this third.

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Second and Final Third:

The second third and final third of the cigar stays a very solid medium. There is no advance in strength and no advance in body. That being said, there is also no decline in body or flavor. This cigar stays very aromatic of cedar and is consistent throughout the second and final third. The finish is clean with nothing really left behind.

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Final Thoughts:

Overall the cigar stays true through and through. There were no pronounced changes and the burn line and construction were impeccable with no touch ups. Pallet was very clean after smoking. There was no lingering cigar flavor, but every now and then you will pick up the cedar aroma again. In the end, this was a good cigar for a morning smoke and was finished in just about an hour.

“CHUCK” Cigar Review|Tatuaje Pudgy Monsters Series

The Wrapper: 

This Ecuadorean Habano wrapper is quite smooth with just one really minuscule vein. The color is a mid-tone, almost Nutella, sort of color right between dark and milk chocolate.  It is very smooth and velvety to the touch with a slight oil feel.  The cigar is firm with little to no give.  On a cold draw there is a rich tobacco and a hint of leather flavor.

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First Third:

First third starts off great. With each puff there is a leather rich tobacco flavor and a very light hint of pepper on the back end. Throughout the first third there is a full body strength on the upper side of medium. The aroma is fantastic! Maybe Nutella is still on the mind but there seems to be a bit of hazelnut in the air! Draw is more on the tighter side but no issue in getting smoke. Big billowing clouds of smoke make for a killer smoke output.  Super clean mouth feel and finish.

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Second Third:

Second third stays pretty consistent with the first. It still has a very rich tobacco profile, and the black pepper is still here! Some deep earthy woods flavors have begun to come through with leather undertones. Full body strength seems to have dropped down a bit from the first third.

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Final Third:

In the final third, the pepper seemed to die out. The deep earth was more of the pronounced flavor and the full body was still there. The finish stayed clean through, even with the hints of pepper in the first two thirds.

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Overall:

Overall smoke time was a little over 45 mins.  Chuck was rock solid from start to finish. The size was probably one of the best parts, along with the killer baby blue band. The burn line wasn’t really razor sharp but there were no touch ups necessary. A full flavored cigar that doesn’t kill the pallet is always a winner in our book.

Let’s Get Warped!|Two Cents Tuesday

Welcome to our first Ivy League Two Cents Tuesday post. Since we don’t have our own cigars for sale (YET) we are informing you of new trending cigar brands/merchandise out there that we feel could easily be part of Ivy League’s brotherhood.

We are highlighting one of our favorite cigar brands today and sending them some love by spotlighting their company…

Photo Credit: http://www.warpedcigars.com

Owner & Founder: Kyle Gellis

Year Opened: 2009

Cigars: El Oso, La Colmena, Flor Del Valle

Website: www.warpedcigars.com

Warped Cigars is a fresh brand with a vintage “Golden Era of Cuba” feel that is big in the market today. Kyle Gellis, owner of Warped, has been on the cigar scene since 2009 and has really proved himself to become a recognizable cigar maker in the industry.

His old school Cuban vibe mixed with modern Miami flare is why Ivy League Cigars loves Gellis’ branding. All of his cigars promise to remind you of a quality Cuban cigar with the twist of many of them being made in Little Havana, Miami.

Whether it is Kyle’s awesome Jaridor (See it here: http://bit.ly/1EMDlvs), insanely cool “Leo’s Wisdom” custom cigar braclets, or his wicked beard, we are inspired by Warped Cigars.

Photo Credit: @warpedcigars on Instagram

Check out Warped at www.warpedcigars.com and let us know in the comments what you think!

The Ivy League Way

My name is Mike Turk and my cigar journey all began with my first smoke. At the time, I didn’t know what a good cigar was or that different brands meant different blends. All I knew was that I liked the feeling of leisurely enjoying a moment of sophistication and class as I persevered my way to the end of the nub.

I began pouring myself into the entire society of cigar life, from following aficionados online, to reading books on how to roll your own cigars, to weekly trying new brands to discover my favorites. It wasn’t long before I felt certain that I wanted this to be my life.

Prior to my first introduction to cigars I had attended Culinary school and had spent years in the restaurant business working hard to become successful within this field, but I always felt there was a certain spark that lacked when working with food. That passion, however, was immediately recognized when I started to educate myself about cigars. Eventually one night when smoking a cigar, this time a good one, the idea of Ivy League Cigars presented itself and I started to recognize that there is a need for “cigar talk” to be shared with people young an old…cue an interactive blog experience offering cigar reviews, news, and even merchandise!

While my eager interest has been on point, I struggled for a while about how to put this whole blog idea into action—until my genius buddy Joe Gianndrea offered to team up with me to create an online cigar resource.

Between my knowledge of all things cigars, and his strong background in marketing, we’re committed to sharing our craze of cigars with all of you the Ivy League way!

Ivy League Cigars wants to open the door to a new era of cigar enjoyment. We want all generations to unite through their love of cigars. We want to bring you new information, trends, and tips to keep you inspired and to create a lifestyle for people who share this same passion with us.

So, how do we do this? First things first—we want to build a community through our blog by talking about cigars themselves, accessories, gadgets, and anything else related to the culture. We’ll offer you Ivy League apparel, accessories, and ultimately, cigars that have the Ivy League stamp of approval so we’re all smoking the good stuff! So join us each week as we make our journey or new discoveries and share them on this blog for everyone to enjoy!

 

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