Thanks for the review!

the biggest thing that stuck out to me... 2hr 45min! Whoa. That vitola usually last me 1.5hrs. That may be why I have never experienced the burn/touch ups like you stated. That is crazy to me that it burned that long for you. When you call yourself a slow smoker... you mean it. lol

these are easily one of my favorite cigars, and I will smoke them for as long as they are available... and then for another year or 2 on the stockpile I am hoarding... lol

thanks again for the review, Matt. You nailed it.

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EAST COAST BOMBING CREW

Wish List in BIO

Team ENFIDL!

beatnic:

I thought it had more of the characteristics of the t52, but that is not a problem in my mind.

it wasnt a problem in my mind either. I enjoy the T52 more than the No.9. i think i was about 10 minutes in when i began thinking that this was more like the T52 than the No.9. i just wanted to be sure of it before i put it in print. by the time i put it down i was sure of it.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

kuzi16:

beatnic:

I thought it had more of the characteristics of the t52, but that is not a problem in my mind.

it wasnt a problem in my mind either. I enjoy the T52 more than the No.9. i think i was about 10 minutes in when i began thinking that this was more like the T52 than the No.9. i just wanted to be sure of it before i put it in print. by the time i put it down i was sure of it.

I agree they share characteristics... but the sweetness of the SA maduro wrapper is undeniable, imo. I guess to me that adds a character that keeps it familiar to both the no. 9 and T52, while still making it it's own stand alone cigar.

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EAST COAST BOMBING CREW

Wish List in BIO

Team ENFIDL!

i didnt say it tasted exactly like it. i just feel its closer to the T52. this is a good example of how binder plays on the blend. I suspect that the binder in this cigar has more influence than the wrapper.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

1-23-12 been in my humidor since 1-7-12
Camacho Face-Off By Litto Gomez (5 3/4 x 50)
Wrapper:
Binder:
Filler:
Blender: Litto Gomez

The specifics of this blend seem to be a secret. The story yields a bit more information but again, the details are sketchy at best.
Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana and Christian Eiroa of Camacho have decided to use each others tobacco in an attempt to make a better version of the others cigars. They want to out do each other. Each company sent the other enough tobacco to make 50,000 cigars. To this tobacco each added some of their own to the mix. So in short, the blend of the Camacho Face off is mostly Honduran with a bit of Dominican.

Thanks to Garbandz on the Cigar Asylum Cigar Forum for the trade to make this happen.

This cigar is one of the cigars on my Bucket List. Since this cigar was produced in 2003 (before I started smoking cigars) and it was made in limited quantity by to companies that are in high demand, I thought I would never get to see one of these. Litto is one of my favorite blenders and Camacho produces some of the best Honduran tobacco available. I have always been a fan of Honduran tobacco so needless to say, this made my Bucket list. The La Flor Dominicana Face off by Christian Eiroa is on my bucket list also. I may need to compare. If you know where to get some of those, please let me know.

The cigar is light in color and a bit light in feel. It is lighter than I was expecting it to be. There is a decided amount of fuzz to this cigar and it is a rugged in appearance. The band is the old style Camacho band in cream with all the print in dark brown.

The lick on the cap is almost flavorless but there is an oily feel to it. There is a slight vegetable quality to it. Not too surprising being that it is a plant. Just sayin... The cap is cut with a Xikar Xi2. This brings a cold draw that is solid. There is some resistance but not too much. Just enough to let you know you are actually drawing. The flavor of this draw is a little leather and a little vegetable.

The light is with a soft flame and it light easy.
The first few draws have a very leather taste. There is also a very light coffee after taste that is slightly on the bitter side. The cigar is very smooth. Not surprising at all since it was rolled 9 years ago. There is a slight musk through the nose that seems to make the finish match the rest of the cigar well. This is a very interesting musk. It does not remind me of the signature “Kelner Musk” that is found in almost all Kelner blends. It is spicier and has more leather to it. The musk is only through the nose. Without the retrohale, the cigar is decidedly flat. Its a good thing this cigar is so smooth because it needs the retrohale.

Only 20 min in and the ash has fallen off twice. It seems to not want to hold on. The burn is even. The draw is good. It is not burning fast. There is no indicator that the ash should fall. Maybe too much Magnesium in the soil? I'm not too sure. The cigar does seem to be smoking fairly quick. This may mean that the cigar is packed light (and that could explain the weight issue in the pre-light ritual). If it is packed lightly, the ash is less dense and will fall faster.

The middle third of the cigar and the musk is taking over. The initial flavor is sweeter and the finish has picked up a black walnut note. I fully realize that this is a very specific flavor to use and I run the risk of sounding like like one of the over the top reviewers that can taste “hints of Shiitake mushrooms grown in the south of China during a colder growing season...”
However, I grew up with a Black Walnut tree in my back yard. The taste is very familiar to me and I would recognize it anywhere. It is very distinct.

The final third is roughly the same overall profile but the smoke heats slightly and gives it a more cinnamon note. The coffee note on the finish becomes stronger and the bitterness slightly more noticeable. This note is not strong enough to cause a problem. The finish lengthens slightly as well.

As the cigar winds down it heats up considerably. The bitter is slowly taking over and a burn “to the burn” probably wont happen.

I set it down once it got too bitter. It is still a nub, but I didn't want to keep smoking it until my fingers burnt.
Burn time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Burn: 10
Draw: 9
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 8
Construction: 8
Balance: 9
Feel: 9
Overall: 8.9


mirrored on my BLOG

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

nice review.
just wondering did the ash continue falling at a fast rate, or was it only like that in the beginning?

415:

nice review.
just wondering did the ash continue falling at a fast rate, or was it only like that in the beginning?

the entire time it was like that.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

hmmmm..... that will get really annoying. guess ill have to remember to smoke those outside

at lest the flavors sound interesting

as ive said before, the review is just one cigar on one day. it may have been the exception to the rule.... but it may not have been. good luck.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

Litto does make some nice sticks. Nice to see your blog finally.

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kuzi16:

as ive said before, the review is just one cigar on one day. it may have been the exception to the rule.... but it may not have been. good luck.

we'll see how it turns out this weekend. if the weather holds up ill smoke one and let you know

Face off sounds like an interesting smoke. Didn't know about it till I saw you guys talking about it. Reading about it makes it seem like this should of been an annual thing.

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PHOTO BOOTH

ⒻⓂⓅⒸ.Ⓒ

before i get into this review id like to point out once again that this will be on my blog. however, if you are looking to follow me on Facebook then you will have to like my page. there is no link on the blog to my facebook page. i cant seem to get the "like" button to work from the blog.
on that note, the RSS feed works and the Twitter button works also. thanks for reading


back to your scheduled programming...


1-25-12 been in humi since 8-28-11
Curivari Cafe 52 (5 x 52)
Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan

I purchased this cigar while in New Orleans at the Crescent City Cigar Shop, right in the French Quarter. I sat and chatted with the owner Armando Ortiz all morning and smoked cigars. He's a good guy. If you ever get there, stop in. He will treat you fairly and honestly.

In our talks that day we were discussing “undiscovered” cigars. To tell the truth, I had never heard of Curivari. It took little convincing that I needed one, but in the end, I bought one.

It has a very simple maroon and gold band that has the name of the cigar and the line extension but also the words “Calidad Suprema” that translated roughly to “supreme quality”
the cigar itself has a slight reddish hue and some rough seems. It feels oily to the touch. The bouquet before the light is light and simple. All I can smell is a classic tobacco. The lick on the cap has a bit of spice to it and it feels very oily in the mouth. A quick cut with the double guillotine reveals a light draw. The cold draw is sweet and spicy. There is almost a candy like quality to it even though I know that this cigar is not infused and has no sweet tip to it. Most of this impression is through the nose. (a retrohale on a cold draw will reveal more flavor of the cold tobacco)

lit with a soft flame.
The first few puffs are a light earthy with a very slight bitter that is not distracting at all. There is a slight musk through the nose and the finish has a bit of spice to it. All of the flavors are light and do not weigh down the palate in any way. The finish is short. The underlying flavor that rounds out this cigar is a dark coco. The burn is jagged and a corrective light is needed early.

At the beginning of the middle third the cigar mellowed out and the flavor took a step down, almost as it is settling in for the long haul. The burn is slow and there is still a slight spice on the finish. The flavors are less earthy and more coffee in nature. At best this is a medium body smoke at this point. Another corrective light is needed at the mid point.

The final third starts out very round and coco. The flavor seems to “develop”but never “change” the complexity is very subtle. The texture of the smoke is only slightly indicative of Nicaraguan tobacco. The finish gives it away to me. Otherwise I feel it embodies more of a Honduran qualities than Nicaraguan especially on the initial flavors and the overall roundness.

As the cigar winds down the coco dies out and the coffee intensifies. It does stay smooth. This cigar tastes good all the way down to the very last.
Burn to the burn.
Burn time: 1 hour 40 minutes

This is a very good cigar and it needs to be payed attention to, otherwise it will sneak past you and you will miss it.

Burn: 8
Draw: 9
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 9
Balance: 10
Feel: 9
Overall: 9.0

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

Kuzi. I had picked up a couple of the Curivari "Gloria de Leons" from Armando's shop this past Christmas.
I agree with you in that, although it was all Nicaraguan tobacco, it didn't have that signature flavor so typical of most. Also, I think this is the first cigar that I can honestly say I tasted citrus. Pricey, but a good cigar.

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" A good cigar, no matter the cost, is an investment in one's mental health "
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beatnic:

Kuzi. I had picked up a couple of the Curivari "Gloria de Leons" from Armando's shop this past Christmas.
I agree with you in that, although it was all Nicaraguan tobacco, it didn't have that signature flavor so typical of most. Also, I think this is the first cigar that I can honestly say I tasted citrus. Pricey, but a good cigar.

did you have the cafe, the classica or the 1000 series ?

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate