Cigar Watch

Cigar Brand? Habanos Puros Fuerte

Size Name? Magnum 58

Length/Ring Gauge? 58 x 6

Purchase Date? June 7, 2008

Box or Individual? Individual

Smoking Date? June 17, 2008

Packaging? Boxed w/bands

Price (Per Cigar or Box)? $5.25 each

Where Purchased? Herf House (Richmond, VA) Thanks Mr. Bundles!

Country Where Made: Nicaragua

Meal/Beverage: Sweetened Ice Tea & Water

Overall Appearance and Presentation of Cigar (Max. 20 Points) (17 of 20)

Wrapper Color? ( 4 of 4) Dark sun grown wrapper

Consistent Color Within Box? (2 of 2)

Oily/Dry? (2 of 2) Rich oily texture

Veiny/Smooth? (3 of 5) Few veins but not overly veiny

Cap Construction? (1 of 1) Perfect Cap

Packaging? (2 of 2)

Ease of Cutting? ( 2 of 2) Even a rookie can’t screw this one up!

Construction (Soft, Hard)? (1 of 2) Very firm which would signal lots of tobacco but it created a tight draw

Lighting and Burning Properties (Max. 15 Points) (13 of 15)

Even Initial Light? (1 of 1) Takes some time to light but it does light evenly

Even Burn? (9 of 11) Initial Even 50% Slight canoeing along a vein 75% Even

Resting Smoke (light & even, smoldering)?

(1 of 1) even & steady

Burn Rate (fast, perfect, slow)? (1 of 1) Slow and deliberate

Ash (Solid, Black, White and Crumbly)?

Solid gray ash that held on for the first 4”of the cigar. I was very impressed with the filler tobacco.

Require Re-Lighting? (1 of 1) No re-lighting required

Construction (Max. 30 Points) (25 of 30)

Initial Draw TIGHT 50% Slight improvement 75% Normal even draw ( 22 of 27)

Wrapper Stays Intact? (3 of 3)

Taste (Max. 35 Points) (30 of 35)

Light, Medium, Full-Bodied?

Medium to Full

Bitter, Harsh, Smooth? Smooth taste

Sweet/Salty? Slightly salty with a sweet aftertaste similar to pretzels

Bland, Vegetal, Spicy, Peppery?

Peppery in the final third of the cigar

Describe Any Changes in Body or Flavor: Strong tobacco and cedar flavor; slight mocha note in the 1^st third

Aroma (Rich and Smooth and Acrid)?

Rich pleasant tobacco aroma

Finish? Medium finish but not impressive or overwhelming

Comments: Overall this was a good cigar although not very complex and certainly not exploding with flavor as advertised. Once I got past the sensation of slurping a McDonald’s shake (the initial tight draw), this cigar was a consistently flavorful and pleasant smoke with a subtle flavor change but nothing dynamic. (By the way, has the vein disappeared from my forehead yet?) I kept getting the taste of pretzels on my palate but that may have been influenced by my choice of beverage. This cigar is definitely medium bodied at the outset and takes a gradual turn toward full bodied in the final third of the cigar. I would definitely smoke this again but it did not make my hallowed pantheon of great smokes.

Total Score / Grade: 85