Thurman Thomas Connecticut Toro (6x52)

This is the second of the Thurman Thomas cigars I was sent for review by StogieBoys. I have to admit I wasn't as excited about the Connecticut as I was the Maduro, my mistake lol. Lately I have been smoking more Connecticut wrapped sticks, it's only fair to include them on the site, and I have found many excellent and flavorful sticks. This is one of those Connecticut wrapped stogies that you won't be bored with or wonder where is the flavor. The wrapper on the Connecticut reminded me of mocha and had a oily sheen and light tooth. The veins were small and the seams were smooth. Like the Maduro, this is a well constructed stick made in the General Cigar factory in the Dominican Republic. The wrapper doesn't offer much of a smell, save for some very light notes of hay and cocoa and the aroma at the foot is of hay a well. The samples I received were both a bit spongy but had no soft spots or flaws that I could find. I used the StogieBoys V-cutter on the Connecticut, just as I did with the Maduro. The draw was just a tad more free than I usually like but still well within my tolerances. The cold draw offered notes of mildly sweet field grass and hay.
The initial third opens up with tons of flavor with notes of coffee and some light caramel notes jumping out front. Surprisingly the Connecticut offers a bit more peppery zing, especially on the retrohale, than the maduro. The finish is moderate and has a leathery crispness to it. About 3/4 of an inch in the peppery spice calms a bit as the smoke become more creamy. Going into the second third a toasted nuttiness joins the coffee and caramel as a herby spice jumps in on occasion. As I started into the final third the creaminess becomes more hearty and savory. The peppery spice that was present in the first third has made a comeback. It isn't overpowering at all but does leave a nice tingle in the nose and on the sides of the tongue. The coffee notes move to the background as notes of leather and a piney woodiness move in to finish the burn. This was a great stick, consistently medium body and full flavor throughout the burn just like the maduro. This is a Connecticut wrapped stick with more than enough body to satisfy the seasoned smoker. The Maduro and Connecticut have similar flavors, but the way they present themselves are different. Ash held to just over an inch at a time and only one minor burn correction was needed. The Connecticut and Maduro are different enough in flavor profiles to warrant giving both a go. Construction on both was excellent and both were equally enjoyable. The price point on the Connecticut is also around 3.60 per stick, giving you a very nice "bang for your buck" ratio. You can find more info on Thurman Thomas and his cigars at www.thurmanthomascigars.com and you will only find his cigars on StogieBoys.com. Thanks again to Sheryl and the great team at StogieBoys for providing the samples for the review. I highly recommend trying both blends in the Thurman Thomas line. Both are available as a single, bundles of 25, and boxes of 25. The Maduro review can be found HERE

Thurman Thomas Maduro Toro (6x52)

The nice folks over at StogieBoys.com sent me a surprise prize pack for the next giveaway (Details will be posted soon) and also sent a couple of the Thurman Thomas Connecticut and Maduro to review for the site. If you're not familiar with Thurman Thomas, he is a Hall of Fame running back who spent most of his NFL career playing for the Buffalo Bills. Like golf, football and cigars pair well together. I decided to start with the maduro first since I am fan of that maduro sweetness. There isn't a lot of blend information on these sticks, but I can tell you that they are made in General Cigars in the Dominican Republic and utilize Dominican long fillers. The Milk Chocolate brown wrapper has minimal veins and smooth seams. The maduro is rock solid, well packed, and has very little give when pinched. The body offers up the aroma of barnyard and hay and the foot offers some light earthy notes. I used by StogieBoys V-cutter to clip the cap and found the cold draw to be just a tad on the firm side of perfect. The flavors on the cold draw were of cocoa and molasses. The wind is not blowing at all so I used matches to toast the foot and get things started with no problems.

The Initial third opens with some very nice flavors. Notes of cocoa and a nice earthy spice, balanced by the mild maduro sweetness. The finish is moderate and has a caramel-like tone. There is a touch of spice, especially noted on the retrohale, that leaves a tiny tingle on the tongue. As I progress through the first third notes of coffee start to emerge. Going into the second third the cocoa moves to the background as the coffee moves into the foreground. The smoke and the finish have taken on more of a creamy texture as the coffee notes become more rich and really work well with the subtle earthy spice. There are a few woody oak notes popping in on occasion as well. Going into the final third the woody oak notes take on some depth and really start to shine. The caramel-like finish has become more of a dark roast with a bit of a black coffee bitter sensation. This in no way detracted from the smoking pleasure. Construction on the samples I received was excellent and ash held to around 1.5" at a time. The maduro's burn went a touch wavy but always corrected itself with no help from me. Final verdict? For the 3.60 per stick price tag, you're cheating yourself not to give them a try. They are exclusive to StogieBoys and can be purchased as a single or in bundles of 25 and boxes of 25 (like myself, some people love box collecting). You can find more information about Thurman Thomas at  www.thurmanthomascigars.com and find his cigars only at StogieBoys.com. Once again, thank you to Sheryl and the StogieBoys team for providing the samples for the review. The review of the Thurman Thomas Connecticut can be found HERE

C&C Connecticut Toro (6x52)

I was contacted by stogieboys.com awhile back, they asked if I would be interested in doing a few reviews for them on some of the new products they were getting in. Smoke a cigar and write a review? I am in! They sent me some of the C&C LRMD and the C&C Connecticut to try out. After a week or so worth of rest the time has come to give them a go. First up for review is the C&C Connecticut. For those unfamiliar with C&C it is a brand launched  by Joe Chiusano, a name you might recognize from the Cusano brand. As usual I won't get into too much brand information, I know you really just want to know how it smoked. The wrapper is a Ecuadorean Connecticut which houses a Dominican binder and filler. The rustic looking wrapper has minimal veins and is a caramel light brown color. The body offers scents of hay with a touch of sweetness and the foot offers the aroma of molasses. The body is firm and well packed with very little give. I clipped the triple cap with my Xikar MTX and found cold draw to near perfect with notes of sweet field grass. I used my single flame pocket torch to toast the foot and get things going. The Initial third opens with notes of hay and toasted nuts. After about half an inch some butter notes and light notes of cedar join the mix along with a natural sweetness. The finish is long and nutty and there is a decent amount of peppery spice to the retrohale. Going into the second third the body kicks up a notch as an earthy spice emerges and moves to the foreground. The toasted nut flavors are still present but the hay has started to retreat to the background. As I start the final third I noticed some light coffee notes starting to make themselves known as the earthiness  and toasted nut is joined by woody cedar. The body was mild-medium for the entirety of the burn and the smoke maintained a nice creaminess. The ash held close to two inches at a time and was a medium gray in color. I have been adding a lot more Connecticut wrapped sticks to the review list lately and honestly have started to turn my opinion around on them. This was a very flavorful cigar with enough body to satisfy my full body craving palate. This would be a great cigar for a change of pace from a heavier smoke and also great for the cigar newbie. Stogieboys has these available in singles, 5 packs, and boxes of 18. Thanks again to Sheryl at stogieboys.com for providing the sticks for this review. The C&C LRMD review can be found HERE