Hoya De Monterrey Le Hoyo de Dauphin ('01)

I received this stick a while back after a trade or box split of some sort, can't exactly remember but thank you whoever sent it!  I've been itching for some mild Cuban flavor lately and figured this should do the trick.  Despite the 'issues' with '99-'01 CCs, I expecting this to be a good smoke, but we shall see!

Cut with my Xikar while sitting on the front porch, drinking water and some bourbon.  Lit with matches.

Pre-Light - Very light caramel wrapper, a nice tug on the draw with minimal cold draw flavors.

First Third -Initial flavors are very mild, with a floral/vegetal notes and a bit of cedar that hits the back of your throat.  Definitive Cuban flavors, though quite mild even for a HDM.  The draw has a typical CC tug, and construction seems solid thus far.  I immediately realized that the bourbon was much to strong for this stick on its own, and resolved to drink some water after each sip.  This is definitely a morning coffee habano.

Second Third - Similar flavors to the first third, with a more grassy flavor now.  The construction is still solid, though the ash doesn't last too long, maybe a half inch before it becomes brittle.

 
Third Third - Can't say there is much more going on here.  As the smoke comes to the end, the flavors are mainly the grassy and 'garden' notes from the first and second thirds, as the cedar has all but dropped out.  Construction continues to be spot on.

Conclusion and Score - This would be a great relaxing smoke with some coffee, sitting on the porch in the morning.  Not to say it was too mild, but this was definitely very light in both body and flavor, earning an 84 from me.  I wouldn't hesitate to smoke this stick again, but it was much too light for me to make regular visits.  Basically a perfect 'background' smoke if you know what I mean.

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.