Kafie 1901 6x60 Maduro

Wow, another day, another great cigar to review!

This time I wanna draw everyone's attention to Kafie Cigars. I had a conversation recently with a cigar maker who said something that really rang true with with. He said, simply, "There really aren't any bad cigars being made these days." 

You know what, he was pretty much right. Since the 90's the industry has evolved so much that the market is flooded with really tasty selections. That makes the reviewer's job both a pleasure and a challenge. 

The Kafie Don Fernando Maduro 6x60 was a beautiful cigar. The band was stunning and the ribbon at the foot was a nice touch. It was wrapped in a succulent Maduro, which was almost veinless, and topped with a triple cap. The smell was sweet and rich.

It had a smooth draw, not too smooth though, there was just enough resistance. The first puff was earthy, with just a hint of pepper, and a surprisingly smooth retrohale.

The burn is what really excited me about this stick. I enjoyed this cigar for almost three hours. It's what a buddy of mine calls an eighteen hole cigar. It burned very evenly, and the ash held on much, much better than most.

This was a medium body cigar, and it sweetened a little at about an inch. At about an inch and a half a sweet malted aroma came through. The half way point offered up hints of leather and sweet cream....yum!

The smoke rolled off of this bad boy, and the final third was spicy. I found this to be a very luxurious cigar. Like my buddy said, there really are no bad cigars out there, but there are some that fit your pallet better than others. This one suited mine, and I strongly recommend it to you. 

Flavor.                 4.6

Burn/ash           4.6

Smoke                 4.8

Construction    4.7

Value.                  4.7

Draw.                  4.8

Overall.              4.65

May GPC Promotion

For the month of  May Enrique Sanchez of Global Premium Cigars (1502) is giving away a sampler. I reviewed these sticks a month ago and really enjoyed them. To enter you need to go to Global Premium Cigars on Facebook and "like" them. After you do just send me an email at helluvacigar@gmail.com or one of our many social medias saying "I like GPC."

That's it.

A winner will be drawn at the end of the month and bada bing bada boom, they get free ticks courtesy of 1502 and Helluva Cigar!

Cuba Aliados Miami SE

Cuban Stock Miami SE Podcast

There are two kinds of cigar companies, the traditional companies, and the upstarts. Start ups like Drew Estates and a Paul Stulac are some of my favorite upstarts, and Cuba Aliados is one of my favorite traditional style brands.

The late great Ronaldo Reyes left Cuba decades ago but took the skill and tradition of the island country's cigar tradition with him. His descendants, always mindful of the shoes they had to fill, offered up the Miami Special Edition on the seventy-fifth anniversary, hoping to honor their founder's legacy. Mission accomplished.

The stick is made with Nicaraguan long fillers, a Dominican binder, and dark Nicaraguan Habano wrapper. The construction was far above average, with few veins and an ample triple cap. The wrapper smelled sweet and spicy and the pre-light draw was goldilocks....just right. 

The fist few puffs were sweet and light, with a peppery retrohale. A smokey spice lingered on the back of my tongue and teased me, making me want more.

The burn was exceptional and the ash held on forever. The first third had hints of aged oak. It was full and satisfying. The stick smoked for a luxurious hour.

Just passed half way the pepper unfolded in earnest. I hadn't had a smoke in a couple of days, and it really hit the spot!

The finish was sweet and cool. The flavor lingered well after the cigar was done, leaving me all warm and fuzzy. This is a nice stick. 

Somewhere in the great beyond, I can see Ronaldo. In my minds eye he is playing dominos with old Cuban ex-pats, and he is smiling down on his family. They know how to honor a man who knew how to make a cigar.

Note: I tried and entire sampler. There were no bad cigars, and the profile included everything from value smokes to top notch cigars. This company makes some wonderful cigars, and I recommend trying a sampler soon to get the full effect.

Construction.       4.6

Draw.                   4.7

Burn/Ash.             4.5

Flavor.                  4.6

Smoke.                4.5

Value.                   4.5

Overall.                 4.6

312 Line by DeSiena

DeSiena 312 Line Review

Almost a decade ago the DeSiena family travelled 'en mass to their native Italy. The family has owned Doc James Cigar and Golf for years, and for much of that time they have debated starting their own line. The family trip is what pushed them over the edge. They not only decided to make their own brand, they decided to give it the family name, and their crest. I like that.

I respect people that are willing to tie their reputation to the product they produce. In an age where big box stores have eliminated mom and pop businesses it's great to see someone planting the flag, tying their name to the cigars they make, and making them better than they have to because of it.

I tried a 6x60. I'm a Robusto guy. I do not like bigger ring gauges. They sacrifice flavor for size in my not so humble opinion. I like robustos because a 45 minute smoke fits my lifestyle and attention span. I tried the 6x60 anyway. I'm glad I did.

The DeSiena's are made in Placensia's Tobacos de Oriente factory in Danli Honduras. The Blend is as follows:
Filler: Viso Colombia, Viso Jalapa Nicaragua, Ligero Esteli Nicaragua, Ligero Honduras.
Binder: Honduras
Wrapper: Viso Habano wrapper grown in the Jalapa Valley, Nicaragua.

Yeah, the DeSiena family weren't about to tie their name to an average cigar. Good for them.

They wrapper was oily and virtually veinless. The construction was classy. It smelled sweat and tasty. When I fired it up there was an initial wave of white pepper that faded into a smooth cedar flavor. The medium/full strength was attention getting but never overpowering.

Half way through the stick shifted gears. It became very aromatic and smooth with hints of nutmeg and cocoa. The finish was creamy, so creamy I wanted to stick a toothpick in the nub and smoke it to the final millimeter.

I am a lucky guy. I get to smoke and review cigars all they time. Lately I've had a lot of good ones. This one isnt good.....it's special. It is made like someone was putting heir reputation at stake. The DeSiena family should be proud. In fact, I hope they take another family trip soon.

www.docjames.com


Construction. 4.8
Draw. 4.5
Ash/Burn. 4.6
Smoke. 4.5
Flavor. 4.8
Value. 4.6



Overall. 4.6

Asylum 13 Review

Asylum 13 Review Podcast

I don't like cheap cigars, but I love affordable ones. Some of the makers out there make cheap, poorly constructed cigars and sell them at premium prices. Others, like Asylum, do the opposite.

I tried the Asylum 13 recently, drawn to it by its low price and interesting band. With so many different lines out there the new sticks on the market need a hook to draw you in. The name asylum and the ominous band did it for me. I would have bought the cigar at eight bucks, but was happy to try it for six.

The 13 is a sexy looking 5 by 50 puro with very few veins, an oily wrapper the color of chocolate cake, and a well constructed triple cap. All tobacco is from Nicaragua, and the wrapper gives off a sensual coffee scent.

The draw on this stick is solid, but eases up as you go along. It produces a good volume of smoke, and the smoke rolls off of the tip impressively when held. The ash was medium grey and held on well enough to suit me.

The flavor was spicy, and very full, with just a touch of white pepper. Between the spice and the fullness my tongue tingled after a few puffs, which left me impressed at the strength of this cigar.

The spice faded some at about a half inch in, opening the cigar up to some rich, dark coffee overtones. By the half way the coffee was dominate and the ash was holding on I pressingly. The flavor was full, and very rich.

The final third added nuttiness to the flavors that were already present, mingling nicely with them. I was very impressed.

All in all this was a nice cigar. It wasn't the most complex cigar I have reviewed, but it was damned tasty, and well worth the six dollar investment.

Construction. 4.5
Draw. 4.4
Burn/Ash. 4.5
Smoke. 4.6
Flavor. 4.5
Value. 4.7

Overall. 4.5

Cuban Stock Royal Selection

Cuban Stock Royal Torpedo Review

You know, cigars are often marketed as being in the possession of a classy guy. We've all seen the pictures of a guy reclining in a leather hair, bow tie undone, blowing smoke.

Well I'm not a classy guy. I'm a dirt ball biker who hasn't worn a bow tie since my mommy made we wear a clip on at Easter one year. I was three. I do, however, know a classy stick when I see one. Cigars are my passion. I smoke them joyously and review them for fun. Everyday, when I wake up in the afternoon anticipating working graveyard shift I go to the door to find packages there from cigar companies. You would be amazed at how many I throw away. They come in Manila envelopes, wrapped in newspaper. Cracked and broken in shipping.

I don't review those cigars. If a company sends a shitty product to a review they are going to send a shittier product to you. I refuse to enable those kinds of companies. Fortunately, Cuban Stock Cigars isn't one of them.

The package was a cardboard box. The smokes were sealed in a vinyl pouch and packed in bubble wrap. The shipped it UPS. I knew before I smoked one it would be good. These guys take pride in their product.

Their pride showed in the foot band and embossed band. It showed in the oily, mearly veinless, Ecuadoran Wrapper. It showed in the high level of construction. It shows in the box pressed shape and the fact they age their tobacco for six years in oak barrels. They make a great looking cigar and ship it with care. They get it.

The wrapper smelled like sweet Java and the ash held on for almost two inches. There were no construction issues, no cracking or flaking. The draw was great and the burn razor sharp. They get it.

The earthy flavor at first mingled with pepper. It got my attention and midway it turned to a deep, full coffee flavor. I used to have a friend with a coffee shop. he roasted his own beans. he gave me one covered in milk chocolate to eat one time. it was a lot like that.

The final portion was oak and dried fruit (apples?) with a soft,sweet, nuttiness that gave the stick complexity.

This is one hell of a cigar. In two days I'm meeting my son. I was separated from him 22 years ago. He is twenty five now and loves cigars. I'm taking him this series to try. It's that damn good!

Construction 4.8/5
Draw. 4.6/5
Burn/Ash. 4.8/5
Smoke. 4.6/5
Flavor. 4.7/5
Value. 4.7/5

Overall. 4.7/5

My Father Robusto #1

My Father Robusto #1 Podcast Review

The story of the naming of the My Father line is near legendary. Jaime Garcia named the line in honor of his father Don "Peppin" Garcia. If have a lot of friends that smoke them, but somehow, all these years, I somehow avoided them, choosing others instead. I wasn't prejudiced against them, and I loved the story, but somehow my fingers always found another stick in the pile instead.

Eventually I submitted to the collective nagging of my pals and tried them, taking notes as I went. Here is what I found. The Ecuadoran wrapper was a beautiful chocolate like shade Ii found it just a bit toothy, with a few veins present. All in all the appearance was mouth watering, from the detailed band that looked like it was from another era to the sweet smell of the wrapper I started really looking forward to this cigar.

The predraw was full of sweetness and rich tobacco. Once I fired it up i found the draw to be good, if not great, and the smoke output was decent also. I found the first few puffs to be peppery with leather thrown in, though the pepper faded soon enough.

About halfway in the stick became smooth and creamy. The smoke really rolled at this point. It was quite nice and I left myself a note to write about how much I enjoyed This portion of the cigar. The note was unnecessary, as the memory of this part of the cigar lingered.

Unfortunately, at this point the stick was canoeing and there was flaking pretty much all the way through. This was by far the worst thing about the cigar, and it dimmed what was an otherwise enjoyable experience. I did contact several friends that enjoy My Father Cigars and they each said that my experience was atypical. I am grading in the curve a bit. Flaking and canoeing are annoying, but those faults were far outweighed by the wonderful flavor.

The finish was dry and sweet, with just a touch of what might have been cedar. The retrohale had a similar flavor and I ended up smoking the Robusto for a memorable 45 minutes or so. The smoking time makes a robusto perfect for my busy schedule, and this one fit it perfectly.

Taken as a whole this cigar was very good, if not great. Was it a Helluva cigar? Maybe not, but it does stand out from a herd of quickly forgettable smokes. I liked it and would recommend it at the $8 a stick price.


Construction. 4.4
Draw. 4.6
Burn/Ash. 3.9
Smoke. 4.2
Flavor. 4.8
Value. 4.7


Overall. 4.5