Cuban Crafters Cabinet Selection Torpedo Figurado

Published Monday, October 30, 2006
Compiled by Steve Kang (debaire)

Pre-Smoke Comments

Joel Augenstein (Augie753): This was a good looking cigar. The veins were relatively small and the wrapper was smooth. The color did lighten near the tip, and it was a little lumpy at the tip as well, nothing too bad though. I would have given this even higher rating but it was box pressed and instead of being square it was lop sided. Well, this was a firm cigar with almost no soft spots, but a little light in weight. The pre-light draw was good, maybe slightly loose, but I don't mind that. It lit evenly and burnt evenly with a great draw and lots of smoke for the first inch or so, but as we got further in, it burnt uneven with little smoke for the rest of the way. About 2 inches in, it was tunneling a little, but only continued for an inch. It was also hard to keep lit after that first inch. The ash was flakey throughout.

J. Weston (jpweston): Very rustic looking torpedo with a pig-tail cap and unfinished foot. The wrapper is a nice dark/milk chocolate color with quite a few veins and a light oily sheen to it. It looks like the stick has been slightly square-pressed - nothing extreme, but the corners are noticeable. This makes me grumble a bit since I have very little luck with square/box pressed cigars burning well. It just seems to be my curse. Other than that, the cigar looks very inviting. Giving the stick a whiff, I get a hearty tingle in my nose accompanying rich earth/tobacco/spice aromas. I'm thinking this is going to be very flavorful and potentially quite strong. I'm glad I've already eaten...

There are no noticeable soft spots and it seems well constructed. I snip the head with my Xikar Xi2 cutter and get a nice clean cut. Everything seems in order at the site of the cut - no gaps or spots where the filler is loose. Pre-light draw is just right - a little resistance, but not much.

No flavors really stand out pre-light - just rich tobacco.

Aaron H. (H311oLHD): Appearance and Construction: This cigar was a 6.25 x 52 pigtailed belicoso. The wrapper looked absolutely beautiful. There were very few veins and the cap wasn't very noticeable. The box press was a nice and even rectangular shape.

Burn: The cigar burned extremely unevenly and ashed itself way too easily.

Draw: The cigar was extremely loose and produced virtually no smoke. I had to relight this cigar at least 5 times.

Aroma: To be quite honest, I don't pick up a lot from a cigar's aroma, but my buddy is very good at it. He said the cigar's aroma was okay, but since I kept having to relight, soon it just became a tar-filled aroma.

Carl Johnsen (CJOHNSEN3): Appearance and Construction: Hmmm...Very Interesting. Apparently a box(?) pressed torpedo/pyramid capped off with an exotic looking "twist" at both ends. The wrapper is a dark brown with a clearly veiny, leathery look and texture with a bit of tooth to it to boot! Quite intriguing and Olde Worlde, with a slightly raw and "just rolled" look to it.

The construction appears solidly workmanlike, firm with no soft spots and a very slight give when rolled betwixt the thumb and fingers.

Burn: The burn is a tad uneven, but requires no re-lights or touch-ups. Smoking the cigar produces a nice white ash, which easily holds for fully the first third before dropping off. All in all, perfectly acceptable...

Draw: The pyramid design clearly calls for a double guillotine cutter, which is what I quickly deploy. Ah...to my delight, the pre-light draw is nearly perfect! I apply a wooden match, which seems most appropriate for such a bold looking smoke.

Aroma: The pre-light aroma is earthy, with a vague hint of "fragrance" to it. Fermented aging or aromatics? I wonder...

All in all, this is a package that seems to say "you will taste me right from the first puff!" This is a cigar that barges into the room and demands your attention! Based on these initial impressions, I decide to pair it with a Samuel Adams Cream Stout.

Dave Fulks (DAFU): 6" belicoso with pigtail and unfinished foot. Mottled chocolate brown wrapper with a slight box press and oily sheen. It's firmly bunched, no soft spots noted. Ample smoke with little effort, and a nice whitish ash that easily held on 2".

Eric Ridgely (eagle eyes eric): Burn would not stay flush - even after re-lighting on "dead" side. With 1/3 left this stick died and I never tried to relight it - wasn't worth it to me.

Smoke Comments

Joel Augenstein (Augie753): As with the construction, this cigar started pretty good for about an inch. It was a different flavor than I'm used to, medium to medium-full body. It was nice, but not my cup of tea, but I could see how someone else would like it. However, after the first inch it was harsh on and off and bitter most of the way. Some humidor time could have possibly smoothed thing out... maybe.

J. Weston (jpweston): After lighting, there is an initial blast of flavor - rich tobacco and spice. Very intense - almost to the point of being too much, but mellows out 1/3 of the way through the cigar. From there on, deep roasty/toasty flavors emerge along with a woodsy flavor. Those flavors lock in and remain steady through the rest of the cigar. Definitely full flavored and enjoyable.

In the summer, when it gets to one-hundred-and-hell in the afternoon/evening, I get most of my smoking time in during the morning - before the broiler in the sky gets to churning. I'm really glad that this smoke was not my first of the day, otherwise I would have been toast. In my opinion, this is not a beginner's cigar. It would be perfect after eating big meal - especially some grilled tri-tip.

I did run into my usual box/square pressed cigar issues: difficult to light and uneven burn. These are so common, that I think it's just me. Consequently, a couple of touch-ups were required to correct the burn. After the 1/2 way point, the burn evened out and all was well. The cigar consistently provided a good amount of thick flavorful smoke that was quite strong.

The ash was very solid with a few flakes here and there. It took forever to drop and did so with a bit of a "thud." Very nice.

The initial blast of flavors kind of got me to thinking that I was going to get knocked on my ass, but everything mellowed out nicely, while still being full of flavor. Now, I don't know if that's just because I got used to it or if the roll was that way on purpose. Either way, it worked well.

Aaron H. (H311oLHD): Flavor: I definitely thought that this cigar had a medium-full body. The flavor of this cigar was quite bland for me.

Taste/Aftertaste: At first I tasted a bland woodsy/cedar taste and then I just tasted the bitterness of the tar.

Carl Johnsen (CJOHNSEN3): Flavor: The first puffs are surprisingly smooth for such a formidable looking character. As I prefer a medium bodied cigar, I am pleasantly surprised and delighted! By the midway point, the slight "tingle" on the tongue reveals the strength, yet the smoke remains smooth, with a robust character.

Taste/Aftertaste: The smoke remains remarkably smooth right to the end. The last third becomes more powerful as the pace slows. The tingle encompasses the entire tongue, eased by my last swigs of stout.

Dave Fulks (DAFU): his was definitely a full bodied cigar in my humble opinion (IMHO.) It started out with a strong, sweet spice and cedar flavor gradually building up in strength. A fairly complex cigar it started to pick up meaty and grassy notes around the halfway point along with some chocolatiness. It never got harsh, though I could detect a little bitterness which may have been due to youthfulness or overhumidification. The finish was long and sweet with a cedarish tang.

Eric Ridgely (eagle eyes eric): Has a bitter, short lived, taste. Smoke smells good but taste in mouth is lacking any body. Can't find a hint of any specific tastes - the only thing that comes to me is as a kid walking around with a piece of field grass in my mouth during a summer day. 1/4 way down it did liven up some but not enough for me to have a desire to buy this on a constant basis

Summary Comments

Joel Augenstein (Augie753): This cigar reminded me of a Victor Sinclair I had a couple of years ago, not my flavor profile. Aging this for a while may have cleaned up some of its problems but not all. This isn't a cigar I would search out for, not my cup of tea.

J. Weston (jpweston): I enjoyed this cigar. I would like to see the flavors in the beginning toned down a bit and carry through longer. From my limited experience, I'm thinking that this is a Nicaraguan puro with a little extra ligero thrown in for good measure. I would look to pick up a fiver of these for post BBQ enjoyment with friends.

Aaron H. (H311oLHD): Unfortunately, I did not like this cigar very much at all. I have a feeling based on some other reviews of this one that I might have just gotten the bad one in the whole bunch, so I might give this one another try in the future. With that being said, I had a very rough time smoking this as long as I did, the relights just make me frustrated b/c it took away from the relaxation aspect and interrupted the conversation I was having with a buddy.

Carl Johnsen (CJOHNSEN3): As a gentleman who prefers a medium bodied smoke, I am pleasantly surprised that the bold character is accompanied by such smoothness, which belies my initial impressions. All in all I am quite taken with this cigar. While perhaps a bit too much for the uninitiated, it seems sure to please many a BOTL.

Dave Fulks (DAFU): I really wanted to like this cigar, however it was a little bold for my tastes. THe construction, complexity and flavors were there, so I'm thinking those who enjoy fuller bodied cigars will probably like this one. I'd give this one another shot (after finding out its identity) maybe on a full stomach and after a few drinks...

Eric Ridgely (eagle eyes eric): Wouldn't call this stick a dog rocket by any means but this stick did not win me over. I would smoke it again in a setting such as camping, out on a boat fishing - places I don't have to pay attention to what I'm smoking. People around me would enjoy the smell of this more than I would enjoy smoking it.

Scores

Review Results

Final Score: 31.13 out of 50 - 3 Stars -- Average