RIOT 55

I'm sure you've seen the post by now about my closing of the blog. Well, I was contacted by the lovely Sheryl over at StogieBoys and asked I would be willing to review their newest exclusive release. Who am I to say no to Sheryl and the fine folks at StogieBoys? So here we go without further ado, the short story behind the RIOT cigar line. The RIOT is a brand that will be exclusive to StogieBoys and is blended by none other than Master Blender Jose Dominguez himself. If you are unfamiliar with Jose, I'm almost willing to bet you have smoked a cigar at some point in time that he blended or had a hand in blending. Without listing all of his blending accomplishments, let's just say the man knows his tobacco. The RIOT is available in 3 sizes: the 45(figurado), the 55(robusto), and the 65(toro). Each of the size offerings are mad of the same Dominican tobaccos wrapped in a dark chocolate brown maduro wrapper. What makes the RIOT so unique is the chisel tip at the foot. This allows the cap to opened with just a squeeze and eliminates the need for a cutter to enjoy the cigar. The band has RIOT across the front in red letters but the i has been replaced with a Molotov cocktail. The words at the bottom are somewhat inspirational. The band reads "The successes of a man is his riot against mediocrity".  Now to the nitty gritty, let's see how it smokes. I have to admit I have smoked more than one, so I already know how this is going to end muahahaha. 

Before lighting I addressed the cigar and found a rather rustic chocolate brown wrapper with visible but smooth veins. The body of the cigar was pretty firm but with some give, I would say it falls right in between spongy and rock-solid. With that said, I'm anticipating a quicker burn than some cigars but it shouldn't burn hot or have a wild burn line. The body of the cigar offered notes of sweet field grass and the foot offered notes of cocoa with a mild sweetness. I squeezed the chisel cap and it opened perfectly, allowing me to test the cold draw. I found the cold draw to be a bit on the tight side and offering notes of cocoa with a hint of molasses. I used my handy Bugatti torch to get things toasted up and smoking with no problems. 

The initial third opens with a ton of flavor, the most notable being toasted nuts. The finish is long and nutty and there is a nice amount of spice on the retrohale but note nought to be unpleasant. Around 1/2 of an inch into the burn the spice has calmed some and the flavors are that starting to define themselves. The toasted but flavors are gaining some depth as they are joined by a oaken woodiness. The finish has found a peppery tingle that lingers on the palate that wasn't present at the time of lighting. 

As I enter the second third the toasted nut flavors are still going strong as the woody notes are moving into the background. There are some coffee notes beginning to emerge and a very faint hint of dark chocolate that pops in every now and then. The sweetness of the maduro wrapper is also starting to make itself known. So far the burn has only required now small correction and body has been consistently medium-full. There has not been any harshness, in fact it's really mellowing out for the finish.

The final third didn't see any new flavors. The complexity of this stick comes from the depth and presentation of the flavors and not so much from the amount of flavor transition throughout the burn. I don't mind a cigar being one dimensional as long as it's a good dimension. One of my favorite lighter cigars, the perdomo champagne, is fairly one dimensions but is an excellent smoke. I would put the construction and flavors on par with some cigars I have had that are double and even triple the price point of the RIOT cigar. I can only imagine what some aging would do for this already good cigar. I may just have to grab a box and age the for a bit just to see. Final verdict is that RIOT cigars are a hit and a great value smoke. StogieBoys has these for around 4 bucks per stick and I would say they are well worth that and more. Thanks to StogieBoys and Sheryl for sending these samples for review, they are quite tasty.

StogieBoys SB Classic Belicoso (6.5x52)

                                                 

This is one of the two sticks that came in this month with my Big Sexy Smokers Club membership. I ws pretty stocked when I opened the package and saw a cigar band I had never seen before. I'm always excited to try new sticks and especially the ones that are new to the market and not just new to me. So who, might you ask, would StogieBoys choose to blend their signature house brand? Well, these are blended by master blender Jose Dominguez. Jose is responsible for the incredibly tasty and wallet friendly Victor Sinclair brand. He also has his own brand known as the Jose Dominguez Signature Series, which I have reviewed one of here in the past. He has factories in the Dominican Republic and produces some very fine cigars.

Now to the part that you want to know about the most, how does it smoke. I removed the cellophane from the cigar and found the body to offer notes of hay and sweet field grass, while the foot offered notes of hay and molasses. The Conecticut wrapper houses a blend of Nicaraguan and Dominican binder and filler leaves. The wrapper has a beautiful light brown, oily shine with visible yet smooth veins. The body of the cigar is a bit on the spongy side so I expect a nice easy draw but there are no soft spots or imperfections. I clipped the cap with my trusty V cutter and did find an easy draw with notes of molasses. I toasted the foot and began my journey.

The initial third opens with toasted nut flavors by the bucket load. It is off to a very smooth start with only a touch of spice on the retrohale. The finish is toasty but does leave a bit of black pepper tingle in the back of the throat. At about half of an inch into the burn the toasted nut was joined by notes of coffee and an unidentified sweetness. The finish has taken a caramel-like tone and the smoke has become very creamy. As I progress through the first third, the flavors are developing nicely. The toasted nut flavors have moved aside a bit to allow the coffee notes to take the spotlight.

As I begin the second third the coffee notes gain a touch more depth and are still being supported by the toasted nut notes in the background. There are very faint notes of cinnamon that keep coming and going. They are infrequent and faint but still detectable. There are also some caramel notes popping in every once in awhile. Somewhere around the halfway point of the burn, the cinnamon notes become more defined and more frequent. They remind me somewhat of the "red hots" candy hearts and even seem to have a touch of sweetness to them.

The final third didn't see a whole lot of change, but I've got no complaints. This has been one very tasty and oh so smooth cigar. The coffee notes held the foreground, pretty much, since they joined the profile but were nicely supported by the other flavors. 

Final Thoughts? StogieBoys has hit a homerun with this stick. It started out, for me, medium in body and held at that point consistantly throughout the burn. Construction was top notch. The ash held firm to over an inch each time before falling. I made no burn corrections or relights while smoking this stick. The SB Classic is an incredibly smooth and flavorful cigar that would be perfect for a beginner or a seasoned smoker. It would not only be a perfect morning smoke with a cup of coffee, but a great any time smoke as well. I thought it might be a quick burner being a touch loose on the roll but it took about an hour from clip to nub to smoke. 

You can find these only at StogieBoys (stogieboys.com/sb-classic) and are priced at around 3 bucks per stick. I can see me grabbing a box of these to fill the humidor I received with the Big Sexy Smokers Club.

StogieBoys starter kit humidor (25 count)

I received my humidor and starter kit today and have began seasoning it already. If you are new to cigars and are unsure in how to season a humidor, have no fear because it comes with some great instructions. This humidor, though simple and petite, is made quite well. It has brass piano quadrant hinges and, as far as I can tell so far, has a good seal. Regardless of size or cost, if the box doesn't seal well then it is useless as a humidor.

The instructions say to use a clean, lint free cloth dampened with distilled water to wipe the inside of the humidor. Some people also use a clean sponge to wipe the inside down. I prefer bounty paper towels to be honest. I feel they give me more control over the amount of water I'm using. It is important not to over saturate the interior of the box, you're. Just wanting to dampen the wood, not soak it down. Doing so could cause the wood to warp, ruining the seal of your humidor. Wiping the box out serves two purposes. It adds moisture to the wood and cleans any very fine particles of wood left when sanding the Spanish cedar inside. The Spanish cedar of a humidor absorbs and releases moisture and serves a crucial role in the task of keeping your humidity in check. It is also very important to use distilled water instead of tsp water. Distilled water is pure and free from contaminants and minerals. You can pick up a gallon of distilled water at most grocery or drug stores. Just be sure it is steam distilled water. If in doubt just drop a google search on the brand name and you should be able to find more information on it.

The instructions then read to soak the humidifier in distilled water, removing any remaining water from the unit once the medium inside has expanded to it's fullest. After doing this, and wiping any water from the outside, place the unit inside the humidor. Then you should close the lid and let it sit for, per the instructions, at least 12 hours. They also state that it is important to keep an eye on the humidity level for the first couple of weeks. Some humidors take longer to season and condition thing others so be conscious that you may have to season it again if the wood is really dry. I placed a known digital hygrometer inside when I closed the lid to better indicate when stabilize humidity is achieved. I plan to wait a couple of days before putting this one to use so it will be stable when I'm ready. I also placed some cigar beads inside to assist the unit that came with the box during seasoning. It isn't a necessity to supplement the humidifier with another but should speed the process and guarantee I won't need to repeat the conditioning. 

The small hygrometer is the perfect size for this box. It is analog, which most seasoned smokers shun. I will be honest, I have digital and analog hygrometers in use in my own humidors. I recommend buying a digital to check your analogs for accuracy. I haven't seen an analog yet that didn't need to be recalibrated right out of the box. It is important to note that just because an analog passes the salt test, and is calibrated to 75%, it may not be accurate at other RH levels. I check mine against my digitalis in the bag while calibrating, outside the humidor, and inside. This insures that it will read true regardless of RH changes. 

The salt test is a simple and cheap way to calibrate your hygrometers. All you need to do is fill a bottle cap with table salt, add a bit of distilled water (moisten but don't saturate the salt. Then place the cap inside a sealed ziplock bag with the hygrometers to be calibrated. After several hours the humidity inside the bag will have stabilized and your hygrometers should read 75% RH. If they read higher or lower you should be able to adjust most units with a small screw found inside the back. I have had a couple where I had to remove the back and actually rotate the internal spring and needle on the face plate to calibrate them. Either way, I recommend always checking against a digital in different RH ranges before depending on an analog unit.

With all the ground work done, my box should be ready to use by morning. Now to play the waiting game. What better time to grab my smoking jacket and head outside for a cigar. Stay tuned for a update on the humidor as well as an update on my transition to cigar beads in most of my humidors. Until next time, keep em toasty!

StogieBoys Big Sexy Smokers Club

Well I am now an official Big Sexy Cigar Smoker. I have always been skeptical of the cigar clubs, especially those with $35 per month memberships. I figured take that and buy a sampler, atleast you know what you're getting. Well I believe this club is a game changer and am going to be giving it a shot. I received the starter kit today, which comes with your membership. It was shipped out to me super fast, I didn't expect it until next week but I'm not complaining. It contained a 25 capacity humidor complete with hygrometer and humidifier, a stogieboys v cut cutter, and a pretty wicked looking lighter. The humidifier is a gel bead type and much better than a floral foam you might see with a ton of humidors. The hygrometer is small and constructed of plastic so it will be lighter and more easily attached to the inside of the humidor. They also shipped my first monthly item with the kit, it was the Thurman Thomas hall of fame cigar in Connecticut and maduro. I have already tried these cigars and have even reviewed them here already. I am happy to be adding a couple more of these to the humidor so for my first shipment I am pleased. I know some might think "I have humidors and don't need the kit". Well I assure you, I have 6 humidors in use right now and my belief is that there's always room for another. If you absolutely don't want to use it as a humidor; you could gift it to a beginning cigar smoker for their first humidor, use it as a dry box for slightly "wet" cigars, use it for infused cigars (never store your infused cigars with your UN-infused), or keep as an emergency overflow humidor. Regardless of what you choose it is included with the membership so it's basically a free humidor. It is a basic 25 count but nicely crafted with brass piano quadrant hinges and a good seal. I have seasoned it and am waiting for it to stabilize inside so I can fill it with goodies. It's a small box so it shouldn't take long to season. It does come with setup instructions and instructions for care of the lighter as well.

The lighter is an Emerald dual flame lighter. I don't mean it has 2 torch jets, it has a single torch jet and a soft flame. This means you get the best of both worlds. It feels solid in the hand and appears to be pretty sturdy. I checked their website and this is 15 dollar torch that is currently listed for 8 and some change. http://stogieboys.com/cigar-lighters/emerald-cigar-lighter-silver.html The one I received was silver, not sure if colors varied or if all members get the silver. Either way it is an attractive lighter and I'm sure it will provide fire for many fine smoking occasions.

I did find a link to the entire set that they give you with membership http://stogieboys.com/starter-accessories-kit.html. It is pretty much the exact same minus the guillotine cutter. At a sticker price of 25 bucks, come on its free just for signing up so it's a win-win.

As if the starter kit wasn't enough to sweeten the deal, you also receive 5% off future orders site-wide AND free shipping. What really set this apart from other clubs, for me was they claim it will not just be cigars sent to you. You will receive "New cigars sent to you every month, plus cigar accessories and swag". At only $65 for a 6 month membership and $120 for a full year, this really is an ultimate value for a cigar club. I will review the items I received in more detail once I have out them to use, I'm looking forward to using this lighter and using this humidor for some overflow cigars.

If you would like to get your membership started, the fine folks at StogieBoys are attentive and friendly. You can join at http://www.stogieboys.com/cigar-club or give them a call at 1-888-374-7905. 

Loose Cannon 1206 by C&C Cigars Toro (6x54)

It's hard to believe the year is almost over. I realize the lack of new content here has probably lost some readership but it has been one crazy year. I spent the first part of the year getting the house, specifically the nursery, ready for our baby girl. Along with welcoming our baby girl into the world, we had to say goodbye to a couple of grandparents who passed away. I promise to make more of an effort to get the reviews pumping again, I have so many sticks I have been forced to let sit and age (not exactly a bad thing I guess). So without further delay let's get to the good stuff, a great stick that was provided for review by the great team at StogieBoys.com.

I have reviewed several of the offerings from C&C and have been very impressed with the outcome. They offer wallet friendly sticks that are oh so very tasty. The Loose Cannon 1206 has a Dominican filler and binder that is wrapped in a maduro sumatra wrapper. The wrapper has minimal veins and is a bit lighter than maduros I am used to seeing. This cigar is lightly boxed pressed and is firm to the squeeze with only a little rebound. The wrapper offered notes of light notes of cocoa and barnyard with a mild sweetness. The foot offered the same cocoa notes with more of a fruit-like sweetness. I decided to go with a punch cut on this one, for no other real reason than I wanted to. Testing the cold draw of the freshly punched cap, I found the draw to be perfect with notes of hay and sweet field grass. I used y handy single flame torch to get things going with minimal effort.

The initial third opens with warm notes of cedar and a long toasty finish. The finish has a mild sweetness that lingers on the lips and palate. There is a fair amount of spice to the retrohale, which helps to balance out the maduro sweetness. The spice lingers in the throat and on the back of the tongue. As I progressed through the first third, notes of earth and black pepper begin to develop as the cedar gains some depth.

The second third sees a slight increase to the sweetness but no real flavor changes. The flavors are complex in their presentation as each takes turns sharing center stage with each puff. The black pepper, earth, and cedar all gain depth in the second third as hints of coffee start to pop in and out. The cedar becomes the more dominant flavor around the mid-point of the cigar. The other flavors are not muted by the cedar but are complimenting it very nicely.

As I start the final third, the sweetness begins to fade out The smoke has taken on a very creamy texture. The black pepper is starting to fade out with the coffee, earth, and cedar still going strong. As the black pepper fades, toasted nut flavors take it's place. The finish become more crisp in the final third as I find myself wetting the palate a bit more frequently. It's not like a desert in your mouth but just enought to notice.

With the Loose Cannon 1206 nubbed, I find myself satisfied and ready for bed. This was just what I expected from C&C, a great cigar with a ton of flavor. The body remained, for me, medium thoughout most of the burn with a slight upkick to med-full just after the halfway point. At no time was there any harshness or hot burn. The Ash held to over an inch at a time and the burn required only one very minor correction due to wind and misty rain. If you are thinking about trying the Loose Cannon, I recommend it. It was a fine smoke and I will be hitting StogieBoys.com to place an order when I get some room in the humidor. You can grab these for 5.75 as a single, 25.95 for a 5 pack, or a box of 20 for 101.95 at StogieBoys. I think I may just have to go for the box, any less and I would just go through them too fast. Stay tuned for an upcoming review of the the Loose Cannon Trigger Happy from C&C.

Thanks to Sheryl and the crew at StogieBoys.com for providing the samples for this review, they were great. 

Alec Bradley "It's A Girl" Toro (6x50)

Wrapper: Honduran Connecticut Shade

Binder: Honduran

Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran

Body: Medium

I know I have been missing in action for awhile now but I promise it has been for good reason. Over the course of the last few months, my wife and I have been preparing for the arrival of our second child. I have remodeled a bathroom, purchased a storage building, cleaned out and entire room (and moved it's contents to the storage building), panicked over lost baby furniture hardware, and worked my tail off at work. Finally, on August the 15 our healthy baby girl came into this world. As soon as we found out the sex of the baby I knew I would have to find some cigars for the occasion. After weeks of checking out the options, I decided on the Alec Bradley Classic "It's A Girl" Toro.

I ordered two boxes so I could be  sure I had enough cigars for those who would want one. I smoked several of these before the baby was born, I wanted to taste test them before I handed them out. The first thing that caught my eye about these was the box. They are available as boy and girl and are colored accordingly. The girl version came packaged in a nice pink box with storks on the bands. I really like the picture frame on the top of the box. Inside the lid is a place to fill in the baby's birth information.  But let's get to the meat and potatoes shall we.

The Honduran Connecticut Shade wrapper had a smooth velvety texture with a but of oil. There were a few small veins but nothing that should alter the burn. The wrapper presented notes of hay with a mild sweetness and the foot had notes of barnyard with the same mild sweetness. I clipped the double cap with my trusty Xikar cutter and found a perfect draw with notes of of sweet cocoa. The body had a bit of sponginess but no soft spots or imperfections that I could find. I used my Xikar Executive to toast the foot and get things started.

The first third opened with notes of toasted nut and a touch of honey. The crisp finish it long and toasty. There is a hint of spice on the retrohale that I expect to smooth out as I progress through the burn. As I progress through the first third a few light berry notes pop in and out. They are very faint but still noticeable. At around the one inch mark the smoke takes on a warm and cozy tone. It almost compares to eating your comfort food on a dreary day. The body through the burn so far has been mild-medium and very smooth.

As I start into the second third the toasted notes have fully developed and gained some depth. There are some notes of cocoa starting to ease their way into the mix. The cocoa develops rather quickly and the toasted notes change just a bit with each draw. The resting smoke has a very pleasant aroma with a touch of sweetnesss to it. Most of the honey notes have disappeared as I near the end of the second  third.

The final third brings even more depth to the toasted nut flavors as the cocoa notes fade into the background. There are some leather and black coffee notes popping in and out and compliment the toasted nut nicely. Somewhere around the halfway mark the body kicked up a notch to about medium. 

I am very glad I chose these as my handout celebration cigar. They are flavorful and mild enough for any level cigar smoker to enjoy. The ash held strong to about an inch and a half with a dark gray color. The burn was a touch wavy but required no touchups or relights. I also purchased a box of these to age. I plan to smoke 1 out of the box every year on her birthday until the box is done. I was also able to make someone's day at the hospital with one of these cigars. Our anesthesiologist was elated that I thought to offer him a cigar. When I asked if he smoked cigars he excitedly told me he enjoyed them very much. He said in the ten and a half years he had been giving epidurals he had never been offered a birth announcement cigar by anyone. If you are planning a new arrival and want a good cigar that won't break the bank to stock up on, the Alec Bradley birth announcement cigar is worth checking out. I have seen the price on these range from 45-100 dollars. I was able to pick up 2 boxes for less than 100 bucks with some good online research. Now it's time for me to put this keyboard down and go cuddle my sweet baby girl. I hope to get back to posting regular reviews soon so stay tuned. Long ashes and happy smoking!

C&C Connecticut Robusto (5x50)

Last but certainly not least in the C&C Cigars sampler is the Connecticut. If you have read through some of my reviews then you know I once was anti-Connecticut. The Connecticut wrapped sticks today are not the flavorless air balls that I once believed all of them to be. The C&C Connecticut is certainly not one of those flavorless sticks that you just don't want to smoke again. The C&C Connecticut sports an Ecuadorean Connecticut wrapper, Dominican Olor binder, and a filler blend of Dominican Criollo and Corojo Ligero. The wrapper is a beautiful light mocha color with only a few small veins. The body is fairly firm with a touch of sponginess. The body offered notes of barnyard and hay, while the foot offered notes of hay and molasses like sweetness.I used my trusty Xikar cutter to straight cut the triple cap and found the draw to be on the loose side of perfection. The pre-light draw was easy and had notes of sweet field grass.

The initial third opens with notes of hay and toasted nuts. There is a nice touch of spice to the retrohale and a lingering sweetness compliments the long nutty finish. Somewhere around half of an inch into the burn notes of cedar begin to emerge.

The toasted nut notes have fully developed going into the second third and is joined by an earthy spice. The body seems to ramp up just a touch but is joined by a slight increase to the mild sweetness. Around the mid-point of the burn, faint coffee notes begin to make there way into the mix as the sweetness begins to fade.

The final third doesn't see much change from the second, not a bad thing in my opinion. The earthiness seems to be the dominant flavor but isn't so much to overshadow the nut and coffee notes that are still present. The notes of cedar are still noticeable in the background.

The robusto had a flavor profile that pretty well matched the toro. The robusto seemed to have just a bit more sweetness than the toro size but both were creamy and full of flavor. The spice was just enough to keep things interesting and balance the sweetness. The body remained medium-full throughout the burn and was exceptionally creamy and smooth. Ash held to just over an inch before falling each time and was a light gray color. I would recommend this stick to anyone wanting a break from a more full bodied smoking routine or even a cigar newbie. I can't say enough good things about C&C cigars so go grab a few so you can say your own good things about them. The 3 stick sampler is available from StogieBoys and contains one of each blend. Thank you to Sheryl and the StogieBoys crew for providing this sampler for review. I just hope the sinus infections are over and I can keep pumpin out fresh reviews.

http://www.stogieboys.com/c-and-c-cigars-en/c-and-c-robusto-sampler-3-pack.html

C&C Maduro Robusto (5x50)

Up second from the 3 pack C&C cigars sampler is the C&C maduro. I have previously reviewed the C&C LRMD cigar and was curious if it was the same blend or different. Either way, I am eager to see how the robusto maduro compares to the LRMD toro. The maduro sports a Arapiraca wrapper that houses a Dominican Criollo binder and a filler blend of Dominican Ligero and Cubano Seco. The milk chocolate wrapper has minimal veining, neat seams, and is just a touch oily. The body is firm with just a touch of give and no soft spots or flaws that I can find. The body offered notes of barnyard and cocoa and the foot offered cocoa and molasses. I decided to use my new black ops triple torch with built-in punch on this stick. Upon punching the cap I found a perfect draw and mild earthy notes along with hay and molasses. 

I detected notes of cocoa and rich tobacco with a bit of black pepper upon starting the initial third. There is a fair amount of peppery spice to the retrohale and a mildly sweet toasted nuttiness to the long finish. About 3/4 of an inch into the burn, the peppery spice calms a bit as the sweetness kicks up a notch and the smoke becomes more smooth and creamy.

As I progress into the second third some cherry notes begin to pop in. The cocoa has developed nicely and are joined by notes of leather and faint notes of coffee. The finish has found an increase in the sweetness to help balance the spicy that leaves a pleasant tingle on the palate and in the throat.

The final third brought some woody notes to the mix as the cocoa fades to the background. The coffee and leather notes continued through the remainder of the burn but never gained more depth.

Another great smoke from C&C and always smooth and flavorful. These are fairly complex and very flavorful. The burn required only one minor touch up throughout the burn and ash held to over an inch each time. C&C has nailed it with their line of affordable cigars for sure. In my experience, they always have great construction and burn with consistently good flavor and complexity. I recommend giving C&C cigars a try if you haven't already. StogieBoys has a sampler of the Connecticut, Maduro, and Corojo just waiting for you to try. A special thanks goes out to Sheryl and the crew at Stogieboys for providing the sampler for the review.

http://www.stogieboys.com/c-and-c-cigars-en/c-and-c-robusto-sampler-3-pack.html

C&C Corojo Robusto (5x50)

This was the first of a 3 cigar sampler sent to me for review by Sheryl and the great crew at StogieBoys. If you are like me, you love the spiciness that a good corojo wrapper brings to the table. I have enjoyed a few of the C&C cigars and found they are consistently tasty and completely underrated. The corojo wrapper has minimal veins and ha a reddish hue and an oily sheen. It is firm with some give and no soft spots or imperfections that I could find. The body offered notes of cocoa and hay, while the foot offered notes of cocoa and a mild sweetness. I used my handy Xikar cutter to straight cut the cap and found a perfect draw with notes of cocoa and molasses. 

The first third opened up with a ton of flavor, with notes of caramel taking the lead with a fair amount of spice on the retrohale. The finish is long and has a caramel tone and leaves a mild spicy tingle on the palate. As I progress through the first third the spice calms a touch as the caramel like notes are joined by light hints of coffee and mild sweetness.

The coffee notes have fully developed going into the second third. The sweetness has balanced out the corojo spiciness nicely. Notes of dark chocolate begin to pop in on occasion as well as some toasted nut flavors as I near the half-way point. 

As I enter the final third, the toasted nut notes become more of a black walnut flavor. There are some notes of cedar coming and going. The dark chocolate is still present but most of the caramel notes have faded into the background.

I am a fan of the spicy corojo sticks and this was a tongue pleaser. The spice remained pretty consistent throughout the burn but was always in good balance with the sweetness. I would say this one is on the medium-full end of medium. It had a nice complexity and the flaky gray ash held to just over an inch each time. If you are looking for a spicy yet smooth and flavor cigar in the medium body range, I highly recommend giving this one a try. In fact the sampler gives you a chance to try this and the Connecticut and Maduro offering without committing to a box or 5 pack. I can promise that a single stick is just going to wet your appetite for more C&C cigars. The sampler is only $9.95 and contains one of each blend in the robusto size. Thank you to Sheryl and the crew at StogieBoys for providing the sample for this review.

http://www.stogieboys.com/c-and-c-cigars-en/c-and-c-robusto-sampler-3-pack.html

The C&C Robusto Sampler from StogieBoys

I realize it has been far too long since my last update. I have had a run of bad luck with sinus infections,  family members passing, and trying to get ready for the arrival of our daughter in August. With that being said, what better way to make up for it the with a review of an entire sampler? I was sent the C&C robusto sampler by Sheryl and the wonderful folks at StogieBoys.com. I have reviewed the C&C LRMD maduro and the Connecticut previously in the toro size, and I am very eager to see how the sizes affect the flavors. I will give a brief run down of each cigar here and provide a link to the more in-depth review of each stick.

The C&C Connecticut has an Ecuadorean Connecticut shade wrapper with Dominican Olor binder and a blend of criollo 98 and corojo ligero filler. A fantastic mild-medium to mild bodied cigar with tons of flavor and a perfect draw. You can expect notes of toasted nuts, earth, light notes of coffee, and a nice mild sweetness complimented by the perfect amount of peppery spice.http://shaggyfeetz.blogspot.com/2013/05/c-connecticut-robusto-5x50.html

The C&C Corojo has a 2006 corojo wrapper, a corojo binder, and filler consisting of Dominican criollo and corojo ligero. This was probably my favorite of the offerings. The corojo offered notes of caramel, coffee, and some mild woody cedar notes. With a touch more kick and just a bit more spice, the corojo really hit the spot.http://shaggyfeetz.blogspot.com/2013/05/c-corojo-robusto-5x50.html

The C&C maduro sports a Arapiraca wrapper, Dominican Olor binder, and filler blend of Dominican Ligero and Cubano Seco. The maduro is the strongest of the three offerings but is still just as complex and flavorful as the other 2 blends. Rich cocoa notes abound with notes of coffee, leather, and even a few notes of cherry to provide you a fairly strong but very smooth smoking experience.http://shaggyfeetz.blogspot.com/2013/05/c-maduro-robusto-5x50.html

http://www.stogieboys.com/c-and-c-cigars-en/c-and-c-robusto-sampler-3-pack.html