REVIEW--JR Alternative Edicion Limitada

Recently when I ordered a box of Havana Blend from JR Cigars, they sent me two complimentary examples of their Alternative Edicion Limitada cigars. These were modeled after the Cuban Montecristo C. A short corona with a dark wrapper and dark filler, it looked really good, and I thought it was a great way to promote the house blend. After all, Havana Blend allegedly has 1958 Cuban tobacco in it, so it was a good guess on JR's part that I would be interested in their "Cuban" cigar.

Well... I let them sit in the humidor for a bit and then smoked one of them. It was probably the fullest-powered cigar I had ever smoked, it made me crazy dizzy, but I finished the darn thing. It was good, but way too much. I smoked the second "Montecristo" about a month later, and it was a great surprise. It had mellowed considerably, and it was an absolute joy. I had my usual Coca-Cola (mixed into Jim Beam) while I smoked this stick. Very rich, very full-flavored and smooth, lots of smoke; letting it rest for a while was the best choice I could have made. I was so relaxed smoking that "Montecristo C" that at one point I leaned back in my chair, stretched, and the cigar slipped out of my mouth. Somehow it tumbled so the lit end wound up against my neck. Ouch!

The blister lasted about a week.

JR says that the Olivas are responsible for the blend, and whatever Oliva is involved with, I will smoke. I have yet to smoke a bad stick that has their fingerprints on it.

If you're looking for a full-power cigar that's easy on the wallet (I don't think any of the Edicion Limitada cigars are over $40, and you get twenty of them), look no further. They come in several sizes, but I wish they offered a greater variety of sizes, like a nice 6x50. The closest they come to that is a 5.5x50, which is fine. They also have a "Cuban Alternative" line which may or may not be as good, but it has the sizes I like; I haven't tried one of those yet, so that's another review!

REVIEW--Punch Elite 3-Pack

Well imagine my surprise when I visited the local smoke shop and actually bent down far enough to see what was on the lower shelf....I spied with my little eyes a package of three cigars bearing the name PUNCH followed by ELITE 3-PACK and had to buy one. The "Elite" is Punch's 5.25 x 46 corona-size cigar, and it's a great value, much cheaper than the larger Punch cigars and one of the better ways to experience one of the best medium-full cigars being made today. Contained in this 3-pack was a regular Punch, a Gran Puro, and an Uppercut, the three popular blends of this cigar. I have only smoked Original Punch, or Punch Classic, or whatever you want to call it, so I was eager to try the other blends.

The Gran Puro (so named because the wrapper, binder, and filler are all Honduran) was the first one I tried and it was delightful. Lots of spice and a strong flavor, but not overpowering. The spice mellowed after a while but the medium-full flavor remained, and it was very smooth. Punch makes this blend in several larger sizes, and they're offered as singles or five-packs by various on-line retailers. Yes, I'll buy more.

The Punch Uppercut is their Nicaraguan mix and they have their own approach to an otherwise standard medium-full smoke. I like Nicaraguan blends because they have a "bite" to them; it's sharp and tasty. It's mostly present with the full-bodied smokes (like Rocky Patel) but isn't as prominent in the medium-flavored sticks (such as Flor de Oliva). Anyway the Uppercut was a nice in-between flavor. It had the "bite" but it was tempered by the rest of the blend, and it was okay. I had higher expectations. I thought it would taste like a Rocky. I wanted it to taste like a Rocky so I would have another excuse to buy more Punches. I would try it again, but only if I couldn't get a Gran Puro first.

And what can I say about the Original Blend? I discovered Punch cigars by accident one day when I went looking for an Arturo Fuente Spanish Lonsdale, and the shop didn't have any, but they had the Punch equivalent, and the shop owner said it was just as good and a buck or two cheaper.... what the heck. Well, I was hooked after the first few puffs. Wonderful medium-full flavor, a blend of Honduran, Dominican, and Nicaraguan, very smooth. I can't remember the last time I smoked a Fuente, actually. That's right, I haven't smoked one since, and it's been at least three years. Hey, Punch: When I die, I want to be buried with a box of Punch Pitas, please. Thanks!

REVIEW--Hoyo de Monterrey Governor

If I had my way, all I would smoke would be Hoyo de Monterrey or Punch, in their various sizes. These are my favorite cigars. The blends are full but at the same time have a mild creaminess and I think that comes from the Dominican leaf they use (mixed with Honduran and Nicaraguan leaves). They're just plain good cigars, and I was able to experience the Hoyo Governor, their 6x50, tonight (it's the same as the Punch Pita). I can't remember the last time I smoked a Hoyo, so I was eager to light up. The usual flavor was there along with a terrific draw and slow burn. A friend was over at the house, and he lit up his pipe using his preferred Balkan blend, and we sat on the porch solving the world's problems and watched the fog roll in and listened to the coyotes in the hills wail and spotted a pair of stray deer that had wandered in from other parts of those hills.

Not a bad way to kill a Saturday night.

I smoke a lot of cigars so popping close to $100 for a box of my favorite Hoyos and Punches is out of the question. I like the Consuegra brand because those are Hoyo and Punch's seconds (and the seconds of other similar cigars) and I take the Connie band off right away so the only giveaway that the Consurgra isn't a "first" is the lumps or discolored wrapper--and those blemishes needn't bother anybody because it all goes up in smoke. These "seconds" are terrific cigars. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. And it's the best way for me to enjoy my preferred brand; every now and then I'll pop for a single or five-pack and leave the band on, but then I ask myself why I'm paying full price for a "pretty" cigar that also goes up in smoke.

For a while I was smoking the JR Alternative to those cigars, and JR makes a fine product, no question, but while they are "similar" they are not "the same" and the Connies are truly "the same" and can't be beat.

Everything else I buy is an attempt to find a similar blend that's cheaper, and while I find really good cigars and enjoy every single one of them (I've really been impressed with the Cubita Nicaraguan, for example, as an under-$50 premium bundle; another brand, Riata Nicaraguan, is a powerful smoke with it's Honduran blend and Mexican binder that's also a winner), I keep coming back to my opening statement: if I had my way, all I would smoke would be Hoyo de Monterrey or Punch.

Maybe when I get rich selling books I'll buy only those.

Then again, maybe not. There are so many cigars to enjoy....

REVIEW--Rocky Patel Vintage 90 (Box-Pressed Churchill)

After my last experience with a Rocky Patel cigar I had to try another, and the one I picked out was the Vintage 90 Churchill, box-pressed. I don't know about you, but I'm  really starting to like box-pressed sticks. I was skeptical at first, because why would anybody bother to do that? Cigars should be round, ham blammit. But then somebody got me a Punch Elite Rare Corojo for my birthday and it was box-pressed and there was no way I would going to turn down a Punch so I lit up and decided that a box-press wasn't so bad.

Anyway, this 7x48 stick is a good one, but doesn't have the same flavor as the Fusion MM I reviewed; this tells me that Rocky uses a variety of blends and this is a good thing indeed. Smoke any size Punch and you get the same flavor. That isn't a bad thing, either. But I liked the surprise with this particular Rocky; I thought I knew what I was getting, and I got it (a robust full flavor) but it was different enough from the other one and I didn't think I was smoking the same thing in a different size. It's a whole different cigar.

The draw was terrific, the flavor, as I said, robust and full, the construction was great and it took about two hours to smoke. It was never bitter or harsh and remained very smooth throughout. In fact, toward the end, the robust flavor turned a little creamy; a nice finish.

Check one out if you haven't already!