Pages

Monday, March 21, 2011

Johnny-O Cazadores

 
I got this cigar a while back from one of my good BOTL, but have little background on it.  From what I understand they are custom rolled sticks (by Johnny-O of course) made from Cuban tobacco.  I've heard mixed opinions on the actual pedigrees of the tobacco, so we'll just have to see how it smokes.  'How can I tell if these Cubans are fake or not? -SMOKE IT!'

It's a bit chilly out tonight, but not bad enough to stop me from enjoying a cigar.  Lighting with matches for a change tonight, and drinking water.

Pre-light - A very rugged, leathery wrapper covers this smoke, in a dark, almost black color.  The pre-light draw is light and gives a ton of sweet tobacco.

First Third - The easy draw gives way to tons of smoke, and boasts a cedary spice over sweet tobacco, leather, and coffee.  The flavors are much fuller in body than I had expected and lie between medium and full at the moment.  The Cazadores' texture and flavor notes seem to remind me a bit of the Drac, though not as complex.  Though the draw is on the lighter side, the burn is sharp and the ash (though looser) stays on well.

Second Third - The spice has died down, leaving more leather and some chocolate in it's place to mingle with the coffee and tobacco flavors.  The body has mellowed out a bit now, as the flavors start to blend together more.  D/A/B are still great.

Third Third - The flavors have stayed fairly consistent from the first third, though I'm getting a bit of bitterness here and there.  Not a huge turn off, but for the sake of full disclosure...  The construction is still great, and the coffee notes are hitting the spot right now.

Conclusion and Score - I enjoyed this cigar, as it had plenty of tasty coffee, cedar, and tobacco notes.  I can't honestly say that it tasted like exactly like Cuban tobacco, but there were some hints of 'Cubanesque' flavors.  The construction was immaculate and the wrapper had a nice rough, leathery feel to it.  I would give this stick an 89 rating- if the bitterness towards the end had been absent (might have to grab some for aging to see), it could easily break the 90s.