Panacea Black Label toro

I like finding cigars off the beaten path, and this one hit me from left field. My parents live in eastern Pennsylvania, and as a Christmas surprise, my mother hit me with a yuletide cigar bomb, which included a couple Panacea sticks.

Flatbed Cigar co. is based in Yardley, PA, which is just about as opposite to Miami as you can get in the USA without going to Alaska; Folks noshing on a hoagie and a Tastykake bought from the local Wa-Wa, drinking Yeungling beer and listening to the Eagles flail away in futility against all comers but maybe the KC Chiefs. Well, perhaps Miami does feel the pain of football futility.

Panacea Black Label toro

Black label Maduro sports a fine specimen  of Brazilian maduro wrapper, somewhat smooth with some prominent veins, and giving off a dark, earthy compost aroma with a hint of spice. The draw is nicely balanced through the Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers.

Once the fire commences, I get dark, earthy leather and wood tones, and not really any spice.  After the first inch, I get flashes of tart citrus here and there, getting more prevalent near the end. There's a subtle spice nearer the nub, but never more than a cameo.

The Panacea Black label toro is a well-rolled cigar, with a chewy, earthy profile. I'm glad a couple of my local shops took the cue to try them on.

La Aurora Preferidos Ruby perfecto

There was a time that I was a regular at the Devil's cigar auction site, trolling for cigars at prices well below the those charged by my local shops (B&Ms). Sometimes you save a bit, some times you save more, especially on some top-shelf sticks. La Aurora Preferidos tubos go for $15-17 on the shelf around here, so I was tickled to get them @ $35/fiver.

I've long since wised up about the value of local shops, and now only get stuff online when the local shops aren't stocking what I want.

La Aurora Preferidos Ruby

The La Aurora Preferidos "Ruby" perfecto is their maduro of the line. The modest cigar is not quite so impressive once liberated from the shiny tubo, but the Ruby's darkness is quite a sight. The dark Connecticut broadleaf wrapper smells of dark, composty topsoil, and is both veined and toothy.

Of course, the draw starts a little stiff, but opens up as the cigar burns and foot gets wider. The first draws bring wicked bold flavors; Leather, citrus all coated in an earthy spice. Definitely La Aurora's signature Dominican blend of fillers, harmonized with the earthy notes of the maduro wrapper. Even into the fat midsection of the cigar, the tart leather and spice flavors stay present.

While it might be easy to be underwhelmed at paying $16 for a big glossy tubo, then seeing the modest perfecto inside, the Preferidos are a good cigar even at B&M prices. Get them how you will.

Room 101 Daruma Roxxo

I don't think I've had a bad Room 101 stick yet. Some I've liked better than others, but they've all been flavorful and constructed to Camacho's fine standards. On the heels of the curveball San Andres line comes Daruma, a more spendy cigar and smoother blend.

Room 101 Daruma Roxxo

While the San Andres' band sports the Fu face on the outside, the Daruma hides it's eccentricity on the inside of the band. Kind of like a fortune cookie where you make up the fortune, you use the Daruma doll face as a milestone to your goals. My goal, tonight, is to smoke this wee cigar, then blather about how much I enjoyed it.

The Daruma Roxxo is a Honduran and Dominican filled bullet, jacketed with a dark Ecuadorian Habano wrapper. The Corojo and Crillolo fillers echo the composition of earlier Room 101 marcas, but the blend, Brazilian binder and new wrapper set this round apart.

Once lit, the Daruma pours forth earthy floral tones with some Corojo red pepper notes. The red pepper yields to a hearty wood tone to go with the earthy floral for the duration, with the red pepper Corojo spice wafting back in for a curtain call. While incredibly smooth and creamy, Daruma is a medium-bodied smoke all the way. The floral woody flavors are not unlike some of my favorite cigars from the Forbidden Island.

Room 101 has added a dash of West Coast personality and swagger to cigar culture, and has the great blends to back that swagger up. Though listed, and priced, at the ultra-premium level, Daruma is yet another fine blend to swagger with.

Casa Fuente robusto

What goes on in Vegas WILL make its way out of Vegas. Whether it's a hushed trip to the doctor when you get home, or a nasty credit card bill in the mail; don't fool yourself, the truth will out.

Not all lingering repercussions are bad, though. In this instance, I carried back a handful of the really exspendy, and really excellent, Casa Fuente cigars.

Fair warning (as if you won't notice this in other blogs about Casa Fuente), even this meager 5x52 robusto will run you about $20.

Loads of other bloggers, with more refined taste than mine, will tell you all the florid nuances of this cigar. I'll just do so in a few bold strokes; Sweet grass overtone, with a savory spice body that's incredible. Think of a Fuente Hemingway wrapper on an Opus X. It's a great combo, and unfortunately exclusive to this pricey line of cigars.

If you're going to make the trip to Casa Fuente, might as well bring home a couple flammable souvenirs to remind you of the experience, right? Be it smoking at the Forum Shops location, or your own garage, this is one mighty fine smoke.

Room 101 Namakubi Tiburon

Despite the ominous sound of Room 101 (ominous to the literary-experienced, anyway), I find myself going back to their offerings time and again. This time, it's the Namakubi line.

If the grim imagery invoked by the company name isn't enough, Namakubi is a traditional Japanese gift of the severed head of an enemy samurai to the victorious warlord. Personally, considering the continual morbid references, I think Matt Booth probably needs therapy. But, at least his palate for choosing cigar blends is spot on.

Room 101 Namakubi Tiburon

The Namakubi's medium-brown Criollo wrapper is fairly smooth with moderate veins. The fillers are again a Dominican and Honduran blend by Camacho. The cigar draws like a dream and holds ash over and inch or so.

Right off the bat, I get wicked earthy wood and leather notes. After the first inch, there's a great interplay of earthy floral and coffee flavors. Near the end, the floral tones are joined with a mild spice. Throughout the cigar are medium-bodied flavors that don't take my head off.

I've smoked a handful of these, and the wrappers frequently flake and split. Might be a bad batch or the humi at the B&M isn't peak, but I don't have this problem with most other sticks from that place. I won't demand Matt Booth perform seppuku over the minor flaws of the Namakubi Tiburon.

H. Upmann Legacy Corona

Yeah, I know that some guys look on Altadis (and General Cigar) lines like they might Budweiser or Wonderbread; mass-produced units with little personality. Hard to call them cigars, right? Well, not every beer is a Shiner Bock and not every cigar is a Tatuaje Verite. Contrary to a connoisseur's position, I actually enjoy some of the Altadis and General Cigar marcas. Not all of them, mind you, but some.

H. Upmann is one of those disputed Cuban brands that Altadis claims, and they make a decent enough non-Habana cigar. Even before we get to the cigar itself, the Legacy's branding is nauseating. The bands at both head and foot are printed with a color scheme stolen from the Thanksgiving display at a Hallmark store. I guess that's what happens when you let straight men do the decor.

H. Upmann Legacy

Fillers are a blend of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobaccos, wrapped with Nicaraguan binder and jacketed in a shady Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The promo pap from the official website promises a "myriad of subtle and complex flavors" from the hallowed tobaccos of 2008. Okay, don't just sing it. Bring it.

Ignition brings bold flavors of wood and coffee, with a subtle savory spice for the first 1/2 inch or so. The blend settles down to a nice dance of the wood and coffee, with a little bitter cocoa. The spice comes back in for the last inch as a nice farewell. The draw was about perfect, and overall construction what you would expect from the well-practiced torcedores at the Flor de Copan factory in Honduras.

I like H. Upmann's Vintage Cameroon line, but would agree that they are fairly light-duty. The Legacy promises a more robust flavor profile and definitely delivers. I'll buy more, especially at the reasonable $7 shelf price, but I'm taking off those hideous bands as soon as I get home.

Room 101 San Andres 213

  According to George Orwell's novel '1984', Room 101 is NOT a place you want to end up. The place where you're to be broken by your worst fears is not something I'd associate with a cigar. Oh well, I guess that Matt Booth thinks otherwise.

 Room 101's street cred extends beyond their custom jewelery to some excellently blended and decently priced cigars, thanks to the wise partnership with Camacho. Camacho, trading on it's acquisition by the cigar giant, Davidoff, has been creating excellent blends incorporating their classic Honduran corojo and newly-accessible supplies of excellent Dominican tobaccos. Couple exciting blends with Camacho's reliably excellent construction, and the Room 101's lines have become go-to cigars for many cigar lovers.

Room 101 San Andres 213

  The San Andres line features a filler blend of Honduran and Dominican tobaccos with a Camacho-signature Honduran corojo binder and San Andres wrapper. They're also noticeably more affordable than previous Room 101 offerings, with the 213 corona Pricing $5-6 per stick. The band is graced with a face that only a mother could love. Or perhaps a West Coast tattoo artist.

  This cigar wastes no time getting started with bold, nutty flavor with leather notes. After the first inch coffee joins the leather in the background, while the nutty flavor dominates. It's definitely an uncommon flavor profile, which is why I've kept enjoying these since they've been released. A subtle spice note drifts in to the flavors nearing departure, but is never obviously "spicy".

  The San Andres is a worthy, and easily affordable, extension beyond Room 101's Conjura and Namakubi lines. After enjoying a few of these, I'm still game to say: Alright, Comrade O'Brien, take me to Room 101!

Esteban Carreras 1961 Robusto

  There must be something special about 1961, as Esteban Carreras joins the illustrious company of Rocky Patel and Frank Llaneza in naming a cigar after that year. So what's the big deal?  Let's check Wikipedia for some hints.

  1961 Birthdays: Wayne Gretsky... Henry Rollins... Vince Neil... Ray "Boom-Boom" Mancini... George Clooney... Melissa Etheridge... Boy George...

  Cigar makers Hockey fans? I don't think that Miami has been a big force in hockey. Motley Crue fans, perhaps? I think Black Flag was better. Boxing, 'ER" reruns, Gay pop singers? Must not be a birthday thing..

  1961 Events: Adolf Eichmann's death sentence... Alan Shepard goes into space on the Mercury-Redstone 3... Roger Maris tops Babe Ruth's home run record... failed Bay of Pigs invasion... Fidel Castro declares Socialism for Cuba. Ahh.. I think we're getting warm.

  So, 1961 might mean more to Baby Boomer cigar aficionados than anyone else.

Esteban Carreras 1961 Robusto

  Esteban Carreras 1961 envelops a blend of  Dominican and Nicaraguan fillers with a Sumatran binder and Cameroon wrapper. The wrapper is medium brown in color and has mild veining over a mildly toothy surface. While burning, the ash at the core of the cigar is strikingly white.

  The flavors start out as sweet grass and dirt in a mild-medium bodied presentation. After the first inch, the earthiness recedes in favor of a leathery compliment to the dominant sweet grass notes. The last third still finds sweet grass and leather, with a subtle spice creeping in as the cigar winds down.

  Not a bad cigar if you like sweet grassy flavors, but the Esteban Carreras 1961 won't push the Fuente Hemingway out of my humidor. The 1961 robusto runs $6-7 on the shelf, which isn't terribly expensive. Still, I'd just as soon spend the extra $1-2 for the Hemi.