A relatively new comer to the cigar scene, the Padilla brand has already received accolades from well known cigar magazines and discussion groups. I recently enjoyed the Padilla Miami Torpedo and was impressed by what seems to be a good blend with excellent aging potential.

As good and as solid as the cigar is now, it is in my opinion a little rough around the edges. I believe a couple of years will tone down the power a bit, marry all the present notes and perhaps bring out even new depth all at the same time.

The wrapper on the Torpedo is smooth and oily. The notes on it are buttery, peppery and accompanied by some cacao. Lighting up exuded an aroma of cinnamon and other musky spices. There is a delicious cacao aroma that permeated my office.

The smoke is very creamy at this point. There is sweet cedar and baking spices on the palate initially. These notes are accompanied by white pepper. There is a clear peppery effect, reminiscent of Cuban wrappers, which gives body to the rich smoke.

Half way through, the smoke intensifies a bit. The flavor turns toward leather with some espresso and woody undertones. I noticed that, at this point, the cigar should not be rushed. Doing so may turn out some sour notes; so take it easy and enjoy the complexity of the full smoke.

The power picks up quite a bit in the last third. For beginners, or anyone not used to this level of fullness, the last third may better be put down.

The leather picks up again, and the smoke begins to take on a certain chewy quality. Sweet spicy and cedar notes comprise the medium finish.

No doubt, the Padilla Miami Torpedo is a good full-bodied cigar with the potential to become a truly great smoke.

I admit to knowing relatively little about the GrayCliff line of cigars, since, as you could imagine, they are rather rare in Europe. After getting acquainted with the cigars in the last few months, I can heartily recommend them.

We’re not talking here about a cigar that will knock your socks off with power. The cigar is flavorful, smooth, easy and yet substantial. This is a stick will please everyone.

The GrayCliff vintage 1999 Robusto has dark aromas on its wrapper. It’s slightly herbal on the one hand with marked caramel and cacao. The draw was a little loose, but the sweet woody initial aroma of the light as well as the creamy texture of the smoke made me overlook it.

The initial notes yield to complex notes of hay, cedar, and baking spices; maybe cloves. The cigar progresses well and burns evenly. The ash builds up well right up to the first blue band.

A pleasant progression of flavor goes toward a more roasted profile around the half way mark. Expect roasted nuts and toasted bread to be thrown into the mêlée and pretty much lead to a pleasant finish, which reminisces of the early wood and spicy notes. It’s an extremely refined smoke for everyone.

For more information on these ‘99 Vintage GrayCliff Cigars, you can check them out at Cigars Direct.

The Cusano Corojo ‘97 Torpedo has earned great marks from prestigious publications like Cigar Aficionado and others. It’s also touted as “Dark and Spicy” on the manufacturer website. Since I have also heard them described as very full-bodied cigars, I set my expectation “gears” up for a powerhouse smoke and reached for the stick.

I had but pulled the cigar from the humidor, hadn’t even lit it yet, when a shadow of doubt began to cloud my mind. The cigar had all the marks of a light bodied, rather blond cigar.

I clipped it, lit up with a nice cedar strip and the cloud of doubt got cemented in. This isn’t a full-bodied cigar; it’s light, very light… but on it went.

The smoke was plentiful, and smelled slightly peppery, buttery and spicy. A faint little stitch of leather lingered in the background of the lightly spicy flavors. I found the ash to be quite solid, though in my opinion this particular specimen had been rolled a bit too loosely; the resulting draw was a bit loose for my taste.

The cigar burned very well, never threatening to go out in the 90 minutes or so I smoked it in. There was a slight progression toward sweet woody notes with what I can only describe as a blond leather undertone. I say “blond” because it isn’t like the dark leather notes of a full-bodied cigar. It is reminiscent of leather, but as if coming from a distinctly light-bodied stick and perhaps even blond tobacco. Does that make sense? It’s quite unique, I must say, and a nice achievement for Cusano.

The last third of this torpedo rose quickly to a buttery cedar note accompanied by some spice. The smoker must beware though. Too much solicitation at this point can return some acrid notes and may even ruin the experience all together.

Keep it smoking cool, lay it down at the first sign of bitterness, and enjoy an agreeable finish for a good hour.

Overall, my first impressions were affected negatively by the overeager Cusano publicity. Labeling a cigar “Dark” and “Full-bodied” seems to be in fashion these days as smokers’ preferences have moved in that direction of late, but in this case it proves counter productive. Since the manufacturer’s description has found its way to major publications, I have undoubtedly come to question their objectivity.

Think light-bodied, maybe a light-medium, with spicy notes and that distinct leathery undertone, and I believe you will be pleased with this stick.

For more information on these ‘97 Cusano Corojos, just click on any image above or check them out at Cigars Direct.

Let’s face it. Even as anti tobacco forces attempt to ban cigars throughout the country, they can’t ban freedom of speech. I have been revamping the t-shirt shop to include more unique designs, excellent print quality, more colors and a better interface. In addition to the current designs, I’ll be periodically adding new ones.

This means that I have phased out the Cafepress stuff and moved over to Printfection. Not only is their quality top notch, but they allow me to keep my copyright on anything I upload. I’m sure you’ll find this move beneficial. To place a special request on any of these designs, feel free to use the contact form.

As far as posters, mugs, etc., you’ll still be able to get those from Cafepress, but I will no longer update any apparel designs.

Here are a few of the many new designs. As always, lets take it to ‘em!