Rocky Patel Premium Cigars (RPPC) has announced a new vitola to its Hamlet 25th Year line, a Salomon size. The new vitola was shown off at this summer’s IPCPR trade show and will be shipping late October. Like the rest of the line, it was created by Cuban cigar blender and master roller, Hamlet Paredes.
This was an excellent cigar. I have never come across a PDR that I didn't enjoy, but this one was among the best. I could also sense in it great aging potential and I believe time will only bring out more of the spice and coffee bean I detected in pre-light. These will not be around long, and I would advise against hesitation on purchasing some of these, as they will not lost long. I remember debating on pulling the trigger on a box of these when they were available years ago, and now regret not buying it even more. Buy a box of these, you will not be sorry.
Camacho have announced the release of the original Diploma in the 11/18 figurado format. Made with hand-selected high priming Original Corojo tobaccos, the Camacho Diploma blend has been re-introduced to the marketplace for smokers who want a unique, intense and flavorful cigar.
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·"Even though I found this cigar lacking a wow factor, the flavors were solid. Defined transitions between the thirds held my interest. I wouldn't grab this one for a special occasion although I would gladly smoke one again." -Gregg (McGreggor57)
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·While the Diademas size was amazing I always find them a struggle with construction, burn, etc. This cigar from a construction point of view was on point. The burn was great, and the cigar smoked perfectly. Would I spend $100 on this cigar if it was regular production? Of course not. Definitely a treat to smoke and I was happy to get the chance. I give this a score of 93.
Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG), parent company of General Cigar, has announced a new version of their Buffalo Trace blend, “Buffalo Trace Special F." This was made in collaboration with famed whiskey maker Buffalo Trace. The name Special F comes from the unique and difficult-to-roll shape, figurado. This new blend also uses a binder aged in authentic Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels from the brand’s Kentucky distillery.
"I’ll be honest… I was a bit put off by the immense size of this cigar. I normally gravitate toward lancero, corona, and robusto sizes so this is definitely out of my comfort zone. Now that I’ve finished it I think I may have been missing out. The large size allowed me to enjoy the nuanced flavors longer and really helped to make me relax and realize how good life is. This is a cigar to spend quality time with and would be excellent paired with high-quality coffee. I would highly recommend this to a friend and would be proud to smoke another very soon!" -Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)
"The flavor profile on this one wasn’t normally something I’d go for, but it certainly wasn’t offensive or bad. It was well-balanced up until the final third. It didn’t get unhinged at that point, just lost some of the sweetness until the very end. There was a decent amount of complexity, and the transitions flowed smoothly and made sense. It performed well, with very little attention needed. I probably won’t stock up on these, but I can think of several people I’d recommend it to." -Chris M. (Chris)
"Overall this was a pleasant cigar to smoke sensed a little nicotine buzz during the final third nothing off-putting, however, very enjoyable smoke I would definitely recommend this to friends who like a milder cigar. The cigar would go well with coffee and cream, or for the beer drinker maybe a blond ale style beer. " -Angel M. (Angel)