vanilla

Cigar Review | Drew Estate Undercrown ShadyXX

May 28, 2020CutLightSmokeReviewsblack licorice, black pepper, cocoa, grassy earth, leather, vanillaLeave a comment

It’s Stog o’Clock, and this time, I check out the Drew Estate Undercrown ShadyXX. This cigar was made with Paul Rosenberg, president of Shady Records, to celebrate the company’s 20^th anniversary. It comes in one size, a 5 x 50 box-pressed Belicoso, and retails for $10.40. A Mexican San Andres wrapper adorns a Connecticut Stalk Cut Habano binder and fillers from Nicaragua and Brazil.

Let’s Get Started

On the cold draw, the Undercrown ShadyXX produces a raisin-dominant dried fruit flavor. The wrapper gives off a rich earthy aroma while I smell much the same out of the foot. Once lit, rich dark cocoa and black pepper appear. Through the nose, sweet cocoa is touched by a hint of black pepper. The finish exudes black pepper, leather, and earth.

First Third

Twenty-five minutes in, the first third comes to a close. On the draw, I pick up cocoa with black pepper and espresso. Through the nose, red pepper blends with oak. The finish gives me grassy earth and black licorice. Strength and body settle in at medium-to-full.

Second Third

The second third ends around fifty minutes. Strong black pepper and bitter cocoa dominate the draw. On the retro-hale, sweet cocoa is tamed but present along with vanilla. There is more black licorice on the finish with leather and grassy earth. Strength and body remain consistent at medium-to-full.

Final Third

An hour and twenty minutes in, the final third sees the end. On the draw, I get more black pepper and cocoa. Through the nose, sweet cocoa and vanilla are topped off with additional black pepper. The finish hits me with more black licorice and even bolder black pepper. Strength and body finish out at medium-to-full.

Overall Thoughts

The Drew Estate Undercrown ShadyXX is a solid cigar. It produces a lot of bold, dark flavors that work well together with a decent amount of complexity. Aside from a brief wavy burn and required touch-up in the final third, construction was on point with huge plumes of smoke.

Price is competitive with other cigars on the market, and I would say this is one of the best blends currently in the Drew Estate portfolio. These cigars are a limited production, so they’re a bit hard to come by. I recommend giving the Undercrown ShadyXX a try if you can find it!

Smoke on!

-Noah (CutLightSmoke)

Cigar Review | Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Habano

May 20, 2019CutLightSmokeReviewsCitrus, grassy earth, leather, oak, plum, vanilla, white pepperLeave a comment

It’s Stog o’Clock, and this time, I check out one of the newest JSK cigars. The Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Habano is one of the first CBD-infused cigars on the market. It comes in one size – 4 ½ x 48 – and retails for $12. Each cigar is infused with 20 mg of hemp-derived CBD. The blend consists of an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper with an Indonesian binder and Nicaraguan fillers.

Pre-light, the wrapper gives off dried fruit flavor. The wrapper produces a potent damp hay aroma, while I smell the same out of the foot. Once lit, I taste slight vanilla and white pepper. Through the nose, there is a hint of sweet cocoa and vanilla. There is a mild white pepper on the finish.

Twenty minutes in, the first third comes to a close. On the draw, I pick up citrus with cedar. Through the nose, vanilla blends with white pepper. The finish offers plum and brown sugar alongside a hint of leather. Strength and body settle in at medium.

The second third gets me to forty-five minutes. I find oak, grassy earth, and white pepper on the draw. On the retro-hale, I see no significant changes. More plum comes through on the finish with added leather. Strength and body remain at medium.

The final third ends around one hour and five minutes. On the draw, the flavors remain the same. Through the nose, white pepper takes over with extra spice. There is further white pepper on the finish with leather and cedar. Strength and body finish out at a consistent medium.

The Jas Sum Kral Nuggs Habano is a solid smoke. The effects of the CBD will be hard to determine without continuous use for at least a few weeks, but the cigar in its own right stands tall. The flavors are on point working together and keeping it interesting. Construction is top-notch. Price is a little high, but real CBD products do have added expense. Overall, the JSK Nuggs is another highly recommended hit from this rapidly-growing boutique brand. And no, it doesn’t taste like weed.

Smoke on!

-Noah (CutLightSmoke)

Cigar Review | Cornelius & Anthony The Gent Robusto

March 23, 2019CutLightSmokeReviewsblack pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, Citrus, coffee, floral, nutmeg, vanilla, white pepperLeave a comment

It’s Stog o’Clock, and this time, I check out the Cornelius & Anthony The Gent in the Robusto size. This box-pressed 5 x 52 cigar retails for $8.50. It features an Ecuadorian Rosado wrapper with a binder from the United States and fillers from Nicaragua and Honduras.

The cold draw produces a slight oak flavor. The wrapper gives off a chocolatey leather aroma, while I smell dried fruit. Once lit, I pick up white pepper and cedar on the draw. Vanilla and cinnamon come through on the retro-hale. The finish hits me with light black pepper and some coffee.

Thirty minutes in, the first third finishes. On the draw, I pick up some white pepper with brown sugar and coffee. Through the nose, mint blends with cinnamon and vanilla. The finish lingers with spicy nutmeg, toast, and prune. Strength and body settles in at a stout medium-to-full.

The second third gets me to one hour. I find more white pepper on the draw with leather and floral notes. The retro-hale consists of cinnamon and toast. On the finish, there is more spicy nutmeg with black pepper and ginger. I see no change to strength and body.

The final third closes out at an hour and a half. On the draw, white pepper gives depth to citrus and more floral notes. Through the nose, my sinuses are blasted with bombs of black pepper and cinnamon. The finish offers black pepper with char and earth. Strength and body finish out at medium-to-full.

The Cornelius & Anthony The Gent Robusto is an excellent cigar blend that offers great complexity and flavor. Construction is top-notch with a smooth draw and plentiful smoke. The flavors on this thing really work well together, and I enjoyed every last puff. Cornelius & Anthony continues to put out quality cigars. This cigar ranked as my #13 cigar of 2018, and I highly recommend trying it.

Smoke on!

-Noah (CutLightSmoke)

Cigar Review | Jajoreo Cigars

February 17, 2019CutLightSmokeReviewsblack pepper, Dominican Twang, earth, flowery, potpourri, vanillaLeave a comment

It’s Stog o’Clock, and this time, I check out the first offering from Jajoreo Cigars. The Jajoreo is a box-pressed Toro measuring 6 x 52. It retails for $10 and is rolled in the Rodriquez Olivan Factory in the Dominican Republic. A super oily Dominican Habano 2000 wrapper conceals a Honduran binder and Nicaraguan long-fillers. Construction appears very rustic.

The wrapper produces a potent flowery chocolate aroma while I smell the same out of the foot. Once lit, my tongue is greeted with cinnamon and vanilla. Through the nose, there is sweet graham cracker and cinnamon. The finish displays white pepper and flowery earth.

Twenty-five minutes in, the first third comes to a close. On the draw, I pick up black pepper with Dominican twang and a distinct saltiness. Through the nose, vanilla blends with potpourri. The finish gives me black pepper with cocoa and earth. Both strength and body settle in at medium.

The second third wraps up right at the one hour mark. I find cinnamon and spicy black pepper on the draw. On the retro-hale, brown sugar melts together with more vanilla and a hint of coffee. The finish sees no noticeable changes. Strength and body creep up the high side of medium.

The final third ends at an hour and a half. This Jajoreo charges full steam ahead in the final third. Black pepper and Dominican twang dominate the draw. Through the nose, flowery earth and spicy cinnamon pair up. Bombs of black pepper blast me on the finish with notes of earth and cocoa. Strength and body finish out at medium-to-full.

The Jajoreo is a nice entry into the crowded cigar market. It didn’t blow me away, but it’s a good cigar. The pre-light and lit aroma is amazing on this thing, and it will immediately fill a room with huge clouds of aromatic smoke. Complexity was decent, and the flavors presented were enjoyable. Construction is spot on, though a bit rustic in appearance. I won’t rush out to buy a box, but I do recommend giving it a try.

Smoke on!

-CutLightSmoke

Cigar Review | Southern Draw Cedrus The Hogan

December 20, 2018CutLightSmokeReviewsbrown sugar, cedar, cinnamon, coffee, molasses, Toast, vanillaLeave a comment

It’s Stog o’Clock, and this time, I review the Southern Draw Cedrus The Hogan. This Belicoso Fino comes in at 5 ½ x 52 and retails for $11.99. These come packed in unique boxes of 10 with each cigar standing upright. The cigar was made to honor Phil and Shelly Hogan, friends and early supporters of the brand. The blend features an Indonesian Sumatra Bosuki TBN wrapper concealing a Nicaraguan Habano binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

The wrapper produces a light leathery aroma, while I smell raisin out of the foot. On the cold draw, I pick up wine notes. Once lit, this stick blows tons of smoke. The draw offers cedar with sweet cocoa. Through the nose, I find more cedar with spicy nuttiness. The finish hits me with red pepper, cocoa, and molasses.

Twenty-five minutes in, the first third closes out. On the draw, I pick up a hint of cedar with raisin and brown sugar. Through the nose, red pepper and cinnamon mix. The finish gives me cinnamon with roasted coffee and light molasses. Strength settles at a medium while body is very full.

The second third finishes at forty-five minutes. The draw offers toast with more cedar and distinct flavor of sunflower seeds. On the retro-hale, I’m greeted with more cinnamon alongside coffee. The finish consists of bold espresso with fading molasses notes and hints of vanilla. Both strength and vanilla sit at medium-to-full.

One hour and fifteen minutes in, the final third wraps up. Brown sugar returns on the draw with cinnamon and some sweet cocoa. There is no change through the nose. I find flowery earth, citrus, and molasses on the finish. Strength and body finish out at a solid medium-to-full.

The Southern Draw Cedrus The Hogan is a phenomenal cigar. It hits all the right notes on flavor pulling you back in with every puff, and there’s enough complexity to keep things interesting. Every minute of this smoke is a treat. Construction is top notch, and smoke output is plentiful. If you haven’t tried this cigar, you’re missing out. Watch for this to hit top 25 lists everywhere.

Smoke on!

-CutLightSmoke

Cigar Review | MBombay Gaaja

December 26, 2016CutLightSmokeReviewsAlmond, black pepper, cedar, vanilla, white pepperLeave a comment

It’s Stog o’Clock, and this time, I check out the new MBombay Gaaja. This 6×54 box-pressed stick features a very smooth Ecuadorian Hybrid wrapper on top of an Ecuadorian binder and fillers from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru, and Paraguay. It retails for $15.50.

The cold draw gives me dried cherry flavor. The wrapper produces a rich leather and chocolate aroma with the same out of the foot. Once lit, I find sweet cedar, white pepper, and vanilla on the draw. Through the nose, I pick up more vanilla and white pepper. The finish gives me cinnamon, additional vanilla, cedar, and toast.

The first third wraps up at thirty-five minutes. On the draw, I pick up cedar with sweet almond and white pepper. Spicy gingerbread comes through the retro-hale. The finish gives me black pepper with vanilla and leather. Both strength and body settle in at the medium mark.

One hour and ten minutes in, the second third wraps up. I pick up the same flavors on the draw with an added saltiness. Through the nose, there’s black pepper and cedar. The finish offers more black pepper with nutty earth. Strength and body remain the same at a steady medium.

The final third closes out at one hour and forty-five minutes. On the draw, I find spicy white pepper and cedar. Through the nose, I continue to get black pepper with the addition of toast. There is no change to the retro-hale. Both strength and body finish out at the medium mark.

The Mbombay Gaaja is a pretty good smoke. It’s expensive, but it’s got a nice amount of complexity with enjoyable flavors. Strength and body remain in the center of the road throughout making for a very approachable cigar. It’s another MBombay I recommend trying out.

Smoke on!
-Noah (CutLightSmoke)

Cigar Review | Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac

August 10, 2016CutLightSmokeReviewsAlmond, caramel, cedar, vanilla, white pepperLeave a comment

It’s Stog o’Clock, and this time, I try out my first Cornelius & Anthony cigar – the Daddy Mac. It is the second cigar released by this company and a tribute to the owner’s father. It comes in with a Brazilian wrapper concealing an Ecuadorian binder and Nicaraguan fillers. For this review, I smoke the Robusto, a 5×52 stick that retails for $9.

On the cold draw, I only pick up an airy tobacco. The wrapper gives off a potent tobacco aroma with leather. Out of the foot, I smell leather and black pepper. Once lit, I pick up creamy cedar with a hint of cinnamon sweetness. Through the nose, there is a very sweet caramel and vanilla mix. On the finish, there is black pepper with creamy cedar and graham cracker.

The first third gets me to twenty-five minutes. On the draw, I pick up almond with sweet toast and grassy earth. Through the nose, I find a delicious mix of spicy caramel, vanilla, and cedar. The finish is spectacular offering up white pepper on top of a “coffee with hazelnut creamer” flavor. Strength and body settle in at the medium mark.

One hour in, the second third comes to a close. More almond comes through on the draw with creamy cedar. The retro-hale is delightful with more spicy caramel and a toasty earth. The finish is now very vegetal with oak and white pepper notes. Strength and body jumps slightly to the medium-to-full mark.

The final third finishes at an hour and a half. On the draw, I pick up spicy black pepper and grassy earth. The grassy earth carries through the nose alongside leather. The finish is stellar with salty pretzel on top of rich tobacco and more white pepper. Strength and body finish out at medium-to-full.

The Cornelius & Anthony Daddy Mac is one of the best cigars I’ve smoked this year. It’s extremely complex and so delicious, you just can’t put it down. The flavors are out of this world, and construction is absolutely perfect. It’s a box-worthy cigar that I’ll smoke time and time again. Don’t miss this one!

Smoke on!
-Noah (CutLightSmoke)