Alec Bradley 'Sanctum' Gordo. 6x60. Excellent build with straight lines, smooth leaf ends, subdued veins. Medium brown wrap. Cut and lit very well. Medium draw pre- and post-light. 

First third tastes of leather, earthy spice, nutmeg, walnut, mild pepper. Creamy from the start. Round, spiced sustain with each puff. Second third continues from the first, with added roasted leaf, woods, dark herbal. Final third is smooth mild tobacco, balanced herb, some pepper, yet still creamy and rich.

Ash is clean and dense, well marbled with light gray shades. Holds two+ inches tight. Burn was even throughout with no issues and little maintenance on my part. Mouthfeel was creamy, soft smoke, rich.

This is an outstanding cigar, a great big smoke with expertly crafted balance throughout. The herbal spice is all over this stick but always underneath, supporting roasted leaf and smooth wood tones. The taste and feel is creamy and rich end to end, and the flavor profile is always pleasure as it changes. 

This is one of those cigars that does not have a "turning point." It was excellent every moment. I smoked it down to under two inches and it was a pleasure to the last puff. That's especially impressive considering the large size of the cigar. Strongly recommended.

Special thanks to CigarsCity.com for providing this cigar. They say you make a friend for life when you give someone a cigar, and you are indeed a friend to BrewSmokeBreak.com.

From the company:

"Our new introduction! The Costa Rican binder has great body, while the Colombian tobaccos add to the great aroma. Combine these tobaccos with those from select regions in Honduras and Nicaragua, and you’ll savor a four country blend that is as complex as it is unique."

[source: alecbradley.com]

"The Alec Bradley Sanctum series will delight cigar aficionados with an amazingly broad spectrum of flavors and a bold, yet balanced character. Built around a blend of luxurious tobaccos from four different nations, the Alec Bradley Sanctum Gordo is at once lively, satisfying and composed. Don't miss out on this tasty jewel! 

The Alec Bradley Sanctum Gordo is a thick 6.0" x 60 cigar that is loaded with plush filler tobaccos from Colombia, Honduras and Nicaragua. A hearty Costa Rican binder leaf and a tantalizing Honduran Corojo wrapper leaf complete the plump stick to deliver a velvety hour or so excursion. 

Once the Alec Bradley Sanctum Gordo flares to life, wood, earth and spice notes ease out of a beautifully formed draw. Bursts of pepper kick up the tempo, while hints of nuts, cream and dried fruit add complexity to the medium-to-full bodied experience that finishes with a memorably rich encore. 

The Alec Bradley Sanctum Gordo is as gratifying as they come and should be in the regular rotation for anyone who likes voluptuously delicious cigars that are neither harsh nor pretentious. Available in boxes of 20 big sticks, the Alec Bradley Sanctum Gordo will prove a scrumptiously ideal after dinner smoke."

[source: cigarscity.com]

Sobremesa Torpedo Tiempo. 6x54. Nice build with smooth veins and leaf end. Dark brown leaf, nearly Maduro, with some darker shades. Cut and lit well. I went with a slanted cut on the torpedo tip and the crown held perfectly. This aggressive cut often reveals the craftsmanship of a torpedo wrap. Draw was easy pre- and post-light.

First half taste has a strong hard wood impression. Dark earthy spice and bitter nuts coat the tongue through a roasty, almost charred wood aroma. Second half began with a mild pepper tone, earthy herbal notes, wood taste throughout. 

Ash was mostly clean, flaky, with dark spots, delicately holding nearly two inches before a prompt drop. Burn was uneven at the start, corrected by the first third with a bit of flame, only to stray again at the midpoint. 

This is a fine cigar, one that starts and ends with a continual wood expression over dark spice and flat herb flavors. The draw was mostly smooth all across, needing more frequent puffs at the end. The aroma was consistently roasty wood, but the burn needed cradling down to the band. It's otherwise a well constructed smoke that provided a pleasing hour session.

Special Thanks to CigarsCity.com for providing this cigar for review. This was my first Sobremesa, prompting me to seek out more them.

From the company:

"Sobremesa's Torpedo Tiempo cigar has roots from a familiar name that's known by most cigar lovers all over the world. Steve Saka, once of Drew Estate, has re-emerged with his very own brand: Dunbarton Tobacco & Trust and one of the most luxuriously rich and savory cigars to be unveiled in recent memory: the Sombremesa Torpedo Tiempo. Loaded with seven different tobaccos, the Sombremesa Torpedo Tiempo is a cigar aficionado’s delight and an exercise in blending mastery. The Sobremesa Torpedo Tiempo is built around a filler blend of Viso, Seco and Ligero tobaccos from Nicaragua, as well as a Pennsylvania Broadleaf from Lancaster County. These tobaccos are tucked into a Matacapan Negro de Temporal binder leaf from San Andres, Mexico and then surrounded by a La Meca Habano Rosado wrapper leaf from Ecuador developed by the Oliva family. The result is a truly magnificent 6.0x54 gem. The hour or so Sobremesa Torpedo Tiempo experience begins with a thick woody undertone that ties together lively spice, earth and coffee notes. The medium-to-full bodied journey grows ever more complex as dark fruit nuances expand the broadly textured strokes painted with each lasting puff. Crafted by the experts at Joya de Nicaragua using the finest tobaccos available that have been blended to maximize taste and minimize harshness, the Sobremesa Torpedo Tiempo is a must-have treasure for anyone in search of big taste without a bite."

[source: cigarscity.com]

Rocky Patel 'Edge Maduro B52' Gordo. 4.5x60. Good construction with mostly straight lines, subdued veins. Dark brown with charred spots. Wrap is heavily sweated and nicely oily. Cut well. Lighting took a couple of minutes of gentle roasting. Medium draw pre- and post-flame, becoming a touch easier mid way down.

First half tastes of black pepper, cocoa powder, cedar. The tobacco flavor is roasty, bitter on the back end. Second half tastes of leather, sweet woodsy spice, herbal notes, dark fruit. The tastes becomes creamy going down the stick, and the spice profile becomes more pronounced.

Burn was quite uneven at first, but was corrected by the second third. Ash was marbled with light and dark gray patches, not as clean as I prefer.  

This is an excellent cigar, but one not meant for beginners. It is aggressive on all fronts, including its taste, mouthfeel, length of smoke, immense draw, and sweaty charred maduro wrap. If you like bold cigars with strong tobacco and spice flavor, you will surely love this big cigar. Highly recommended.

Full Disclosure: I smoked this cigar with goblets of barleywine on a mostly empty stomach. This is a rookie move, particularly for someone that has been enjoying cigars and beer for decades. The evening did not end well for me, to put it mildly. Learn from my mistake! Have a fine full meal before lighting up the B52. You can thank me later.

From the company:

"Edge Maduro. The Edge remains the hottest and bestselling cigar in the country. Wonder why? Consistency! Consistency! Consistency! Rich flavor, complexity and value make this one of the greatest selling brands ever. Full-bodied and full-flavored is an understatement."

[source: rockypatel.com]

"According to the man himself, Rocky Patel Edge B52s were made to accommodate the man who wants that big taste but doesn’t have a whole lot of time. They’re short (4 ½ inches) and stout, but no less flavorful and intense than their full-height counterparts. It’s the Edge experience you know and love...miniaturized. Rocky Patel Edge B52s come with your choice of wrapper leaf: a dark, oily maduro or an ultra-robust Corojo. In both cases, the double binder duo hails from Nicaragua and Honduras, and the filler is top secret. One thing Rocky did reveal is that the filler mix includes a dose of Panama ligero, and the overall character is medium to full in body. Flavorful, impactful, and easily enjoyed in a hurry, this is just what you need for those harsh winter months ahead."
[source: cigarsinternational.com]

Oliva 'Serie G' Churchill. 7x50. Medium brown wrap. Nice box build with straight lines and smoothed veins. Good cut and light. Medium draw pre-light, quickly becomes smoother draw post-light. First third has a taste of rich Cameroon leaf and bright notes of allspice. Second third has light wood notes, creamy wrap, nutty exhale. Closer to the band, the spice mellows but the woodsy flavor retains with a mild leaf exhale. Burn is even throughout. Ash is clean, light gray, holds well at two inches.

This is a solid cigar, one that I've enjoyed many times. A good go-to cigar with exceptional craft, a punchy flavor in the first half followed by a creamy taste in the second. I’ve always been a Cameroon fan, and this stick is a delight. Highly recommended.

From the company:

"Serie G is a medium body blend made with an African-Cameroon wrapper. The unique flavor notes of this wrapper are complemented by the natural richness of Nicaraguan Habano fillers."
[source: olivacigar.com]

I enjoyed this Oliva G on the sidewalks of the Tower District during the Rogue Festival. My sister and a bug mug of chocolate chai tea accompanied my smoke.

PSyKo Seven Robusto. 5.5x50. Excellent construction with smoothed veins and leaf ends. Light brown shade on the wrap. Cut and lit well. Medium draw pre- and post-light. Mostly even burn down to the band. Tastes of mild, creamy tobacco, nutty notes, almond. Faint spice on the back end. Ash is clean light gray that holds nearly a little over an inch before a neat drop.

This is a solid cigar, a mild taste in a well made stick. Nothing outrageous as the marketing would suggest, but a good smoke nonetheless. Certainly a good value smoke. The name comes from the seven-leaf blend used in the filler, which normally would impart more complexity, but it's at least enjoyable. Recommended.

From the company:

"Disconnect from chaos and commotion, medicate your mind with PSyKo SEVEN. Fade away with an exclusive blend of seven tobaccos from six countries expertly crafted in the Dominican Republic. Experience the unexpected juxtapositions of PSyKo SEVEN: a clean white box opens to reveal a blood red interior; a smooth start leads to a bold finish. Drop out, tune in, and light up an experience unlike any other. PSyKo SEVEN – Medicate Your Mind."

Psyko cigars come wrapped in a "prescription" for your needs