Talk radio superstar Rush Limbaugh spent the better part of this week at the Pebble Beach Golf Course, where he participated in the AT&T National Pro-Am, walking from hole to hole with a Double Ligero Chisel in his mouth. So much does he like this cigar, that he will be seen smoking two of these, back to back, during his three hour radio program on a daily basis. Yet, don’t be fooled; Rush is a heavy weight when it comes to cigars, and the the Flor Dominicana Double Ligero Chisel is a powerhouse of a cigar that is certainly not to be taken lightly by the majority of us.

This cigar, while way too strong for the causal or inexperienced smoker, is a solid smoke with plenty of delicious aroma and flavor. The pre-light scent of this one is slightly muted, but dark and earthy. The saxophone-mouthpiece looking head is intriguing, but quite functional, as it cuts rather well and is very comfortable to hold in the mouth while delivering a good amount of smoke. Despite the unusual shape of the head, the draw is near perfect.

Now, this cigar has a slight burn problem, so it’s not a light-n-forget smoke. Nearly every time I’ve had one, I’ve had my lighter in hand to correct the burn slightly before it gets out of hand, which it will, if left unchecked.

Once lit, the aroma of the smoke is fine and slightly sweet. An initial burst of spice and pepper, quickly yield to a rather sweet taste that I can only compare to a burnt caramel-like taste; it makes me think of the top of a creme brulee (did I mention I lived in France?). The sweetness is very well balanced though, by strong notes of good espresso beans. Suffice it to say that it is very pleasant and enjoyable. A temptation to continually draw in the flavorful smoke must be thoughtfully resisted if one is to get past half way, since the sheer power of this double ligero has been known to floor the best among us

I normally take plenty of time to enjoy this one (almost two hours), as this is not a cigar that likes to be rushed. Then, in the last inch, I politely part companies with it, while still engulfed in the long, sweet, woody finish of this great smoke.

Try one some time and see for yourself.

It’s amazing the feel that some cigars have the moment you pick them up and hold them in your hand. I always find that if it’s a great cigar, it will feel like a great cigar, and this is certainly the case for the Joya de Nicaragua Celebracion Torpedo. Just picking it up, taking look at the foot and feeling the consistency between my fingers immediately sends an “mmmm….” signal from hand to brain.

Well, once again, my fingers were right on. This cigar began to deliver an exquisite leathery taste after lighting. It was not overpowering at all. I would say it had a great progression that never got harsh. The flavors of leather and earth were dominant, with some cedar and toward the end a bit of spice, though not significant. The cigar produced great amounts of thick smoke that just hit the spot.

The burn was slightly off at times but nothing to complain about. The ash was definitely solid, like the best out there. The draw too was spot on.

Now, here comes the sad point (for me) in this review. Into the last third the cigar began to go out and eventually became impossible to keep lit. I retired it soon after that, to avoid ruining what up till now had been nothing short of a great smoke. Plus, I am probably to blame after all, for keeping it a bit over humidified. Well, it did leave me wanting much more… but sadly I only had one in my humidor this time. I brought these back to Europe from the U.S. and just couldn’t bring back too many cigars.

So, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Joya de Nicaragua Celebracion Torpedo, and would highly recommend it as a medium-bodied smoke (certainly not to be taken lightly). Now the only thing left (for me) to do, is go online and order some more.

Midnight was approaching (in Europe) and the local programming coming to an end when I went to my humidor to chose a good companion for what was to be an all-nighter of NFL madness; yes, the greatly anticipated Superbowl XL was finally here.

I looked around and picked the Padron 6000 I had kept in my humidor for a couple of weeks, and dare I say, it proved a worthy companion.

The P6000 It is a torpedo shaped cigar with a very sharply pointed cap. From the get go, the construction spoke for itself. A nice dark wrapper on a cigar that felt solid, yielding dark earthy tones on the pre-light. I knew I had a solid one here.

Lighting it up was a breeze and the burn was good; correcting itself along the way every time a slight unevenness developed. The draw on this one was a bit loose for my taste but in general this cigar is often accused of having a tight draw, so I didn’t complain.

The flavor, though not extraordinary, was distinct, and rich. A rather pungent aroma and taste of cedar with plenty of leather and spice dominated the flavor pretty much from start to finish. I noticed that the taste did not get more complex or stronger in the last third. In fact, I would say it only got smoother and maybe even a tad creamy in before the end… and believe me, I took this one to the bitter end.

As for the ash, it was not as solid as I have seen, but it definitely held on for a good while, down to almost half way before falling off.

The finish was medium with predominantly cedar tones and some nuts. A very good cigar overall, and worth a try by anyone with a penchant for fuller bodied cigars, if only perhaps a bit overpriced.

At the risk of sounding like a pessimist and beginning my review of this cigar on a negative note, I must say that the first thing that struck me this time around was the unseemly, poor construction of this Havano. I would like to submit that perhaps this does not necessarily reflect on this particular brand’s workmanship, as much as the more general decline in quality control of Cuban cigars, and especially so in comparison to the exceptional attention to detail that premium cigars from Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic benefit from these days. For the sake of this review, however, I will dismiss the construction flaws and wrapper imperfections as the slightly more common “occasional” fluke of Cuban cigars.

The wrapper was a too bumpy for my liking, with some vegetable gum visible in certain areas, with what seemed to be an attempt to cover up damage on a wrapper leaf; hence my comment above.

All of that laid aside, though, the pre-light smell of this cigar is distinctly Cuban and delicious. This one was earthy with cedar and spice notes. Once lit, the aroma was of dark espresso and very earthy. The draw was easy, too easy for my liking, but the smoke was plentiful and great tasting; and so, I soon forgave the lose draw.

The ash was not as solid as I have seen, but not bad. The color was the typical “salt and pepper” gray of Cuban cigars.

Where this cigar really excelled was in the development of complexity as it burned. This must be a perfect example of how a progression of flavors and complexity can be achieved in a cigar by tobacco blending “know how”. While this kind of flavor development may not always be desired (since depending on the smoker’s preference, one might desire a cigar to stay full-bodied, or light-bodied all the way through), it did give this cigar a very interesting characteristic. The flavors turned with outstanding subtlety and balance from light sweet woody and spicy notes in the first third, to darker and richer coffee, pepper and cedar notes in the second third, to a full flavor of earth, rich leather and coffee in the last third with ever more spicy pepper. This fact made me think of how tricky cigar blending is, and how this cigar was an example of masterful skill.

At first glance I admit to thinking that this cigar would disappoint, but as the cigar burned on it ultimately turned into a very satisfying and relaxing smoke. It was not my impression that this cigar packed any kind of nicotine punch, and so, overall, I would rate this cigar as medium bodied, noting that the last third does kick up the flavors and body a notch or two.

I would recommend this cigar any day, to any level of enthusiast; noting that, as with other Cuban cigars, you make sure to inspect them before purchase.