Gran Habano 'Gran Reserva #5' 2010. 6x50. Nice build with straight lines and smoothed veins. Cedar wrapped. V-cut was flawless. Light took a minute but wasn't a issue. Medium draw pre- and post-flame. 

First third was oak, leather, roasted leaf. Second third adds earthy, herbal notes, almond, mild ground spice, with a creamy mouthfeel. Final third is smooth herbal, soft wood, round and nutty on the exhale. Ash is mostly marbled but with some dark spots. Burn was slightly uneven through the midpoint, requiring some touch-ups.

This was an excellent cigar, a well-aged, big smoke with a myriad of bold flavors. The construction was excellent, with a perfect cut and packed fill that needed more flame but was worth the extra attention for its dense draws of flavor. The complex taste roamed continually down the stick, with nice round, mild notes supporting a big earthy leaf expression. Not a perfect cigar, but its strengths more than make up for its shortcomings. Well recommended, if you can find it.

From the company:

"Gran Reserva is back - bigger and bolder than ever. Gran Habano Gran Reserva #5 2010 continues the tradition of the well-aged Gran Habano Gran Reserva line. This version was rolled three years ago - back in 2010 - using a rich blend of vintage tobaccos aged 7 to 8 years prior. But what's most different about this installment is the strength, a full-bodied handmade with plenty of power. Additionally, some chunky big-ring size options are present and relatively affordable considering the healthy amount of costly vintage tobaccos rolled within.

To craft this blend, an 8-year-aged Nicaraguan Corojo wrapper, a 7-year-aged Nicaraguan binder, and an 8-year-aged all Nicaraguan long-filler blend are used. This combination offers a rich and hearty blend that's chock-full of spices, earth, espresso, and wood. Mellowed slightly by time, but still safely in the fuller-bodied spectrum, Gran Habano Gran Reserva #5 displays an elegant smoothness backed by ample flavor."

[source: cigarsinternational.com]

J. Fuego Gran Reserva Corojo No. 1. Nice little cigarillo, a little bigger than most. Rich marbled shade on the wrap with some veins. A touch oily.  Perfect cut and light. Draw was a bit of a strain pre-light, which followed through the first third. After that point, the draw was excellent to the band. Taste was slightly sweet on the wrap, with a rich roasted leaf taste on the intake. Halfway down, the taste dips, but has faint notes of roasted coffee. Even firm ash that held at an inch. This is a decent cigar whose draw starts out a little difficult and whose flavor drops as it burns. Not the best, but definitely not a bad way to pass 30 minutes.

From the company:

"Grand Reserva Corojo No. 1. As rich and complex as they come, this is refined smoky with a full bodied and a lot of character. The Fuego family has been in the business of growing, blending, and rolling cigars for five generations (since 1876 when J.Fuego was founded as a leaf growing company) in "El Corojo" farm, Cuba. It was in 1995 when the family migrated to Central America. In 2006, after years growing, blending and making cigars for other companies, Jesus Fuego launched "Tabacos S.A." with the release of the "J. Fuego" brand with his Natural and Gran Reserva lines. This, as a celebration of 130 years of his family in the cigar industry. Since then Tabacos S.A. has introduced the J. Fuego Delirium, the 777 brand with Maduro, Corojo and Zero lines. The Origen brand was also introduced in 2010 with great acceptation from the consumers. We are proud to offer a wide variety of flavors and prices in our cigar selection, made with tobaccos grown exclusively for Tabacos S.A. Enjoy."

Saint Luis Rey Reserva Especial Rothchilde Maduro. 5x50. Dark dry wrap with pronounced veins and uneven surface. Cut was terrible, requiring several passes to get clean across. Draw was poor pre-light, but much better down the stick. Burn was poor, with the filler burning far faster than the binder or wrap. I had to relight the wrap to get it back on track. Aromas of hard wood, walnut, rich leaf. Ash clung a good two inches before the fall, dark gray at first, becoming cleaner mid-way. Taste of sweated tobacco in the first third. More rich, creamy tastes moving the second. Some pepper notes toward the band. By the final third, it was finally a proper, enjoyable smoke.

Normally, I'd blame all these shortcomings on improper storage. However, looking at the cut crown at the start, it's clear that the cigar was packed unevenly, resulting in the poor cut, inconsistent draw, and abysmal first-third burn. As the ash reached its first inch, empty pockets appeared, further revealing its poor construction. The ingredients are clearly here, just not the build. Because I've had good smokes from SLR before, my bet is that this was constructed by a rookie at the plantation.

Technically, a Rothchild(e) cigar is 4.5x48. This cigar is actually a Toro, even after factoring in the crown and foot, so even that was not correct. Some apprentice messed this up this otherwise fine cigar. They need to shadow their masters a little longer.

From the company:

"Looking for a great cigar? Look no further than the Saint Luis Rey Maduro. Expertly crafted in Honduras, these exquisite cigars are beautifully packaged in lovely semi-boite nature boxes. Saint Luis Rey cigars achieve their exceptional full flavor and enticing aroma through a unique blend of Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Peruvian long filler tobaccos, a Nicaraguan binder and a San Andrés Morrón wrapper. It is a bold, full-bodied smoke with rich tastes of coffee and tobacco that will please the experienced cigar smoker."

This cigar was problematic from the start, but got better mid-way.

Pockets in the ash from the poor build. I'll have to revisit this one.