Cusano Habano LXI Sun Grown Robusto (5x50)

It has been an absolute mad house at work lately. We have four new-hires that are in training and not able to help carry much of the work load. That means the "vets" are having to work twice as hard to make sure the work gets done, leaving very little time for a cigar lately. I found this in the bottom of the humidor and had almost forgot where I had gotten it from. I picked this up on my last order from Famous Smoke Shop in a sampler pack. The wrapper smelled of cocoa powder and sweet cedar and the foot was a more powerful cocoa. There were a couple of decent size veins but nothing too big. It was firm with no soft spots or wrapper blemishes. I couldn't find a whole lot about this on the Cusano website. Really all they had to say about it is that it is double wrapped ("Double the wrapper, double the taste"). The two wrappers were stated as being Habano Ecuadorean and Dominican. The dual wrapper houses a dominican binder and a mix of Dominican ligero. The website said it was to be a medium-full body and full flavor. The LXI on the wrapper is a roman numeral for 61, which is one of the co-owners of cusanos birth year. I clipped the cap with my scissors and tested the draw, which I found to be just a bit on the firm side with notes of cocoa and sweet cedar. It was no problem getting it lit with my favorite single flame torch. Despite the firm draw it did produce ample amounts of smoke. The first third opened up with a spicy sweet cedar core and notes of coffee. I also noticed a hint of cherry especially on a really slow retrohale. The burn was even through the first third and produced a rather flaky light gray ash. In the second third the cherry notes faded considerably as notes of orange zest and coffee came in to the mix. The ash held to about 2 inches before giving way and falling into my lap. I saw it coming with the ash being as flaky as it was but couldn't anticipate when it would fall (don't you hate that). In the final third the cherry and orange zest completely faded away. The spicy sweet cedar that had been prominent throughout the burn was still in the forefront with a hint of coffee and, what tasted to me, like nutmeg. Through the first half of the cigar the finish was of sweet cedar and a hint of cherry. In the second half the finish reminded me of the aftertaste of amaretto, almost like the aftertaste left by tiramisu. The burn did require a couple of corrections in the second half of the cigar but was nothing too major. Honestly I didn't see this ever reaching medium-full. it started out more on the mild-medium side and finished at a solid medium body. It was decently complex and full of flavor. I wouldn't complain about receiving another one of these in a sampler or even sticking a 5 pack in the humidor. It was a nice change of pace from my usual preference of more full bodied smokes. You can find more information at www.cusanocigars.com. Price on these, in this size, is about 5.75 per stick

 

 

Paul Stulac Angel Brazilian Maduro (5x58)

Use coupon code SHAGGYSTULAC to receive 10% off your order of Paul Stulac Cigars at www.cigarstix.com. A Shaggy Feetz exclusive. Code is valid until 8/3/12 so get your orders in while it's still good! Thanks Brad!

I recently won a few of the Paul Stulac cigars on twitter, as they were having a giveaway once a certain number of followers was reached. They announced I was the winner of the first giveaway and I couldn't wait to get these in the humidor. I had seen them online and the band was the first thing that caught my eye. It is adorned with a crest, skulls, angels wings, a cross, and a pair of crossed scepters. I have to say this is the most bad ass, I mean business cigar band I've ever laid my eyes on. The stated ring gauge was 58 but I would honestly have to say close to 54. The cigar appears to have been lightly box pressed, which the 58 could have been the measurement before the pressing. The chocolaty Brazilian maduro wrapper had a few very small veins but was satin smooth to the touch. If there were any flaws in the wrapper I certainly didn't see them. The wrapper had a barnyard smell to it and the foot smelled of rich, sweet tobacco. I clipped the cap with scissors and removed the band at the foot, which had the size name imprinted in gold. The pre light draw was near perfect and had a slightly sweet earthy tone to it. It lit very easy after toasting with my single flame torch. The first third started out medium in body with notes of toasted nuts and a bit of spice complimenting a sweet cedar core. The finish was a bit sweet and had a nutty flavor to it. The ash was a nice light gray/white and was nice and tight. The second third brought more of the sweet cedar and as the toasted nuttiness started to fade, notes of cocoa and an occasional hint of light coffee took it's place. Somewhere around half way through the second third the smoke became more creamy and the spice kicked up a notch. The ash held to about 2.5" and actually fell as a result of me trying to scoot the band back. The body went from medium to medium-full at the midpoint of the cigar. At the midpoint the finish lost most of it's sweetness but maintained the nuttiness. Going into the final third the spice kicked up just a tad more as notes of leather and the sweet cedar dominated the profile with a hint of something resembling caramel, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. This was a very enjoyable smoke with flawless burn (zero retouches and no erratic burn at all) and excellent construction. The flavor profile was pretty complex and maintained the sweet cedar throughout which complimented the spice perfectly. I will have to add this to my normal rotation for sure as soon as space in the humidor (and the bank account and wife) allow. You can find out more about the Paul Stulac line at www.paulstulaccigars.com, you can also find them on facebook and on twitter. My friend Brad Bortz at www.cigarstix.com has given me a coupon code for my readers to use. The code is SHAGGYSTULAC and is good for 10% off your Paul Stulac Cigar purchase. Be sure to get your order in while the coupon code is valid (ends 8/3/12). Thanks again Paul Stulac Cigars for the opportunity to give these great cigars a try and to Brad Bortz for offering me and my readers this discount at your online store.

Android app *UPDATED*

I like keeping up with my favorite blogs but usually have to view them on my android phone. I have yet to find a good browser for doing this, it seems to crash most of them. I have a solution for android users who like to follow my blog, how about an android app. It takes the mobile version of this blog and streamlines it for easier and faster viewing. You can find the download here http://t.co/35PJJF3F . This is the first release but i hope to have a more feature packed app developed soon. I hope you will download it and check it out. Let me know if you encounter any bugs or if it force closes on startup on your device. Keep em toasty!
I Figured i would mention the app is FREE and contains NO ads to annoy you.


I received an email yesterday from the Amazon app store and my app was accepted for distribution on their store site. I checked today and it is listed, active, and ready to be downloaded. A search for "cigar" or "shaggy feetz" will land you at the download location.

Augusto Reyes Factory Select Habano Natural Toro (6x50)

2 AR Factory Sel Habano Dbl Coro Natural (7 x 48)
2 AR Factory Sel Habano Lonsdale Natural (6 x 44)
2 AR Factory Sel Habano Presiden Natural (7 1/2 x 50)
2 AR Factory Sel Habano Robusto Natural (5 x 50)
2 AR Factory Sel Habano Toro Natural (6 x 50) 

Augusto Reyes Factory Selects Habano Cigars Descriptio

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Augusto Reyes Factory Select Habano cigars are value-priced, everyday cigars blended with prime Dominican mixed-filler tobaccos rolled in sumptuous Habano wrappers. If you want a great-tasting, clean-burning smoke made with the same great quality that goes into all Augusto Reyes cigars, these medium-bodied bundles are a fantastic buy. Order some now and discover these very affordable cigars from one of the Dominican Republic's top tabacaleras.

Buy Augusto Reyes Factory Selects Habano Cigarsonline at discount prices here at Famous Smoke Shop - your source for Augusto Reyes Factory Selects Habano Cigars.

In a previous review I mentioned buying the test flight of the Augusto Reyes Factory Select Habano cigars from Famous Smoke. I mentioned doing a review after smoking a few more of them and since I am over half done with the sampler I guess it's time has come. The choice for tonight was the Toro. I wasn't able to find a whole lot of information on these as they are a famous smoke exclusive from what I could find. The wrapper is a Habano natural and had a few decent size veins but nothing terribly huge. The binder is undisclosed with a mixed Dominican filler. The wrapper was velvety and rather toothy. The wrapper had a rather sweet aroma almost like the honey nougat found in a toblerone candy bar. The foot smelled of sweet tobacco.  I clipped the cap with my double guillotine, which hasn't seen much action since the purchase of my scissors, and draw was a bit on the firm side. For the first half inch of the cigar the flavors were very muttled together. After that I was able to differentiate between the flavors a bit more easily. The first third had notes of toasted nuts, light cinnamon, and a sweet herby tone. The ash held for about 2 inches, which was a bit of a surprise from a mixed filler. The second third brought in a bit of pepper and earth as the sweetness started to fade a bit. The toasted nut flavor was still present into the second third. At around the half way mark the mild-medium body kicked up to a solid medium. As i started into the final third all of the sweetness had vanished as a hints of dark roasted coffee came into play. The toasted nuttiness also vanished leaving the coffee and peppery herb notes to finish the cigar out. It was not my favorite cigar in the price range but certainly not the worst I've had. For me, the best flavors came from the lonsdale size. it was consistent from light to nub and the flavor profile on both lonsdales I smoked were much more pronounced. At the time of this review Famous Smoke had the test flight for 14.99. That link is HERE.

La Reina Maduro Robusto (5x50)

La Reina Cigars are a blend of Corojo and Criollo 98. Corojo offers a stronger, spicier taste. These cigars are considered Medium to Full Bodied.

 My wife was recently given the opportunity to go on a trip for work called the Master Teachers Conference. In case you were wondering, she is a teacher at the local community college. She left last Sunday morning and finally arrived back today. That left me and our 4 year old at home to have "guy time". Through the course of our time I never found a minute for a cigar as I was trying to keep his mind off his mom being gone. This is the first time, other than a 2 day stay at the hospital,  they have been separated overnight. It proved to be stressful for him so I devoted my time to keeping him preoccupied with games and fun activities after we got home from work and daycare. After she and little man retired to bed it was finally "me time". I went to the humidor to pick my night cap. I was recently sent a couple of "stix" by Brad Bortz, the owner of www.cigarstix.com, and one of those was the La Reina Maduro in robusto size. I have never tried this boutique brand before so I decided to introduce myself. The dark maduro wrapper had a few visible veins but nothing that should alter the burn. It was firm through out with no soft spots. The wrapper had slightly sweet earthy aroma to it and the foot had a sweet tobacco smell. I paired it with some cold filtered water for the best discovery of the flavor profile. The cap clipped nice and clean with my freshly sharpened scissors and the pre light draw had a same slightly sweet eathy taste as the wrappers aroma. It started out, for me, a medium body with the flavor of toasted nuts, earthy spice, and a mild sweetness in the first third. The ash was a gray color and held tight for about 2 inches at a time. The second third kicked up in body bringing it to a medium-full. The toasted nut turned to more of an oaky woodiness as the earthy spice gave way to a more peppery tone and a slight hint of cedar joined in. As I entered the final third the body was on the higher end of medium-full and the strength increased a notch. The finish went from being toasty to a more woody with the occasional hint of citrus, almost like grapefruit. The toasted nut came back in the final third and the pepper seemed to intensify just a bit. I honestly didn't expect this cigar to be as complex or a strong as it was, but it was very enjoyable and the perfect welcome back to my nightly smoking routine. The draw throughout the burn was near perfect and burn went erratic on occasion but always corrected itself while it was resting. It gained body and strength as it burned down but was never harsh or overpowering. It was a very nice balance of sweet and spicy. If you like the bold and the flavorful, this one is worth trying. Thank you again Brad for allowing me to try this brand for the first time, I will definitely have to put a few more of these in the humidor for future late night smoking enjoyment. I recommend giving these a try. They are available at cigar www.cigarstix.com along with a variety of other premium boutique brands. I believe Brad has these by the box and also available as part of a sampler pack if you wanted to give them a try before committing to a box. You can find Brad on twitter at www.twitter.com/cigarstix

Sosa Sungrown Belicoso (6x54)

I received the new Cigars International catalog and flipped through it one afternoon after work. I noticed a familiar favorite brand but a unrecognized stick. This particular stick was advertised as low as 1.50 a stick for the robusto size. I put it on my list to try and went about my work week as usual. While running the rounds at work, my cell phone buzzed with an email notification from Cigars International. It was to inform me that their weekly deal was a bundle of sosa sungrown in the belicoso or churchill size for the same price that the robusto is usually offered for. Well that sealed the deal and I placed my order for the belicoso and waited in anticipation. As I have said before, I have never had a bad cigar with the Sosa name on the band. When these arrived a couple of days later I opened the box and was greeted with the smell of cocoa. They had the most wonderful chocolaty aroma when I opened the cellophane holding the bundle together. I almost forgot they were cigars and not candy bars, but caught myself before taking a bite. The only information offered on the Cigars international site is that these were maduro wrapped with a Dominican and Honduran long filler. I have smoked about 5 of these and so the time for a formal review is at hand. The dark oily wrapper was smooth and shiny with minimal veins and fantastic construction. The smell radiating from the body was cocoa but had mellowed a bit after about a week in the humidor. The aroma at the foot was also of cocoa and rich tobacco. I straight cut the pointy cap with scissors and pre light draw was perfect with a hint of cocoa and earth. Upon lighting the initial flavors that make themselves known are of cocoa and earth with a nice mild sweetness from the maduro wrapper. Burn through the first third was excellent with no corrections needed and produced a tight salt-and-pepper ash. Going into the second third the cocoa notes mellowed a bit and notes of cedar and spice joined in with the earthy tones of the rich tobacco with a hint of leather starting to shine through. The ash was still holding through the second third. the ash finally fell after the start of the final third. In the final third the leather tone came to the front as the cocoa faded to more of a light coffee with a faint pepper tone. The burn did get a bit erratic before the final third but corrected itself without any help from the torch. It maintained a consistent medium body through the entire cigar and produced ample amounts of smoke even at rest. I have to be honest, I didn't expect this to be such a complex or well constructed cigar for the price despite being a sosa cigar. I will absolutely be purchasing more of these as part of my normal rotation and look forward to trying the other sizes as well. A homerun from Sosa Cigars and Cigars International. Get more information about Sosa Cigars on twitter at www.twitter.com/sosacigars and at their website www.antilliancigars.com and Cigars International at www.cigarsinternational.com. The link to this particular cigar can be found HERE. With a price point of $1.50-$2.00 per stick at the time of this review, this is a super bargain on a tasty smoke!

 

 

The ash had just fallen.

Surprised at the ash strength

The Wenger 16999

For those who may have never seen this, it is as impressive as it is impractical. It is currently listed with the Guinness Book Of World Records as the largest Swiss Army Knife. I figured I would post it up for those who haven't seen it yet. It covers two of the subjects of my blog, knives and cigar accessories. Note the cigar scissors on the bottom side of the picture. This things weighs in at around 2 lbs. and boasts 87 implements and 141 functions. With a plethora of blades ranging from clip point, drop point, hawk bill, straight edge it has a ton of potential. I have to imagine this was  created with the sole purpose of being the largest swiss army knife and claiming the world record for such. If this would somehow break down or separate into sections it would be a ton more practical for use. I will post the list of implements stated on the wenger website but I believe they missed a few. I'm almost certain there is a flux capacitor, a grappling hook launcher, and possible even a improbability drive tucked away inside somewhere. Wenger lists this mammoth $2149.95 on it's site but I saw it listed on amazon for $999.00 with free super saver shipping. If you have an extra grand lying around and are a hardcore knife collector here is your chance to own a swiss army knife that would require a backpack to carry around. In case you're interested the link to amazon is HERE.

2.5" 60% Serrated locking blade

Nail file

Nail cleaner

Corkscrew

Adjustable pliers with wire crimper and cutter

Removable screwdriver bit adapter

2.5" Blade for Official World Scout Knife

Spring-loaded, locking needle-nose pliers with wire cutter

Removable screwdiver bit holder

Phillips head screwdriver bit 0

Phillips head screwdriver bit 1

Phillips head screwdriver bit 2

Flat head screwdriver bit 0.5mm x 3.5mm

Flat head screwdriver bit 0.6mm x 4.0mm

Flat head screwdriver bit 1.0mm x 6.5mm

Magnetized recessed bit holder

Double-cut wood saw with ruler

Chain rivet setter

Removable 5mm Allen wrench

Screwdriver for slotted and Phillips® head screws

Removable tool for adjusting spokes

10mm Hexagonal key for nuts

Removalbe 4mm curved allen wrench with Phillips head screwdriver

Patented locking screwdriver

Universal wrench

2.4" Springless scissors with serrated self-sharpening design

1.65" Clip point utility blade

Phillips® head screwdriver

2.5" Clip-point blade

Club face cleaner

2.4" Round tip blade

Patented locking screwdriver

Cap lifter

Can opener

Shoe spike wrench

Divot tool

4mm Allen wrench

2.5" Blade

Fine metal file with precision screwdriver

Double-cut wood saw with ruler

Cupped cigar cutter with double honed edges

12/20-Guage choke tube tool

Watch caseback opening tool

Snap shackle

Mineral crystal magnifier

Compass

Straight edge, ruler (in./cm)

Telescopic pointer

Fish scaler

Hook disgorger

Line guide

Shortix laboratory key

Micro tool holder

Micro tool adapter

Micro scraper - straight

Micro scraper - curved

Laser pointer with 300 ft. range

Metal file

Metal saw

Flashlight

Micro tool holder

Phillips head screwdriver 1.5mm

Screwdriver 1.2mm

Screwdriver .8mm

Fine fork for watch spring bars

Reamer

Pin punch 1.2mm

Pin pinch .8mm

Round needle file

Removable tool holder with expandable receptacle

Removable tool holder

Special self-centering screwdriver for gunsights

Flat Phillips head screwdriver

Chisel-point reamer

Mineral crystal magnifier

Small ruler

Extension tool

Sping-loaded, locking flat nose needle-nose pliers

Removable screwdriver bit holder

Phillips head screwdriver bit 0

Phillips head screwdriver bit 1

Phillips head screwdriver bit 2

Flat head screwdriver bit 0.5mm x 3.5mm

Flat head screwdriver bit 0.6mm x 4.0mm

Flat head screwdriver bit 1.0mm x 6.5mm

Magnetized recessed bit holder

Tire tread gauge

Fiber optic tool holder

Can opener

Patented locking screwdriver

Cap lifter

Wire stripper

Reamer

Awl

Toothpick

Tweezers

Key ring

Key ring

Diesel Unholy Cocktail (5x56 torpedo)

I received a Diesel Unholy Cocktail in a CI sampler I ordered some months back. I stuck it in the bottom of the humidor and forgot about it till recently. I believe it spent about 6 months in the humidor before my rediscovery of it's being there. The attractive band at the foot grabbed my attention and so I picked it for the next victim of cigar arson. This is my first taste of the diesel brand by A.J. Fernandez. This blend is available in 2 sizes, the Unholy Cocktail (5x56 torpedo) and the Short Ltd. (4.5x60). It has a chocolate brown Pennsylvania Broadlead Maduro wrapper, Nicaraguan binder, and filler from the different regions of Nicaragua ( Jalapa, Condega, and Esteli). It had a few veins but was smooth to the touch. The body smelled of slightly sweet tobacco with a bit of spice. The aroma at the foot was of hay and a bit of cedar. I chose to straight cut the cap with my scissors, which is my preferred cut. The first third had a earthy core with notes of spice and leather. It produced a generous amount of smoke despite a draw that was a tad on the firm side. The second third built on, what was for me, the medium body from the first third. In the second third the leather toned down a bit and a bit of cocoa and light coffee made their way into the mix. The final third built even more body bringing it to the full side of medium-full. The Final third was more of the second but added a light note of cinnamon and a bit more spice. The earthy core really tied this cigar together with a nice balance of mild sweetness and earthy spice. I had a few burn corrections which weakened the ash, if not for this I believe it's solid salt and pepper ash would have held strong until it was nubbed. It was a very meaty smoke, but not at all harsh, that built body and a tad bit of strength through out the burn. I have to get my hands on a few more of these for the humidor. It was a very enjoyable smoke and a perfect end to the hectic work day. I paired this with water as I do all cigars I smoke for review. The price point on these is around $3.33-$4.40 each, making it a great bargain. You can find them HERE