Gurkha Class Regent

Size: Toro (6.0 x 50)
Body: Medium
Wrapper: Havana 2000
Binder: Indonesian
Filler: Dominican (Cuban seed)
MSRP: $4.50

This is hands-down a very beautiful cigar. The box-press gives it a unique look, especially as it is not "evenly" box-pressed, but rather more rectangular. The construction feels spot-on, and the wrapper has no major flaws. The band is attractive as well, not as obnoxious as Gurkhas normally are. The cold pre-draw gave me a taste of berries, with spice on my lips. I couldn't wait to light it up.

To start things off, the cigar had a mild-medium body, unlike the description. The predominant taste in the first third was a sort of leathery-oak combination, with a little spice mixed in to keep things interesting. As I progressed through the first third, the spice got progressively stronger... but practically dropped off about halfway through the first third, which caught me off-guard. It was still there, but not nearly as much.

Moving into the second third, the oak-tones change flavor slightly, more mesquite than oak. This doesn't last too long, however, and the oak flavors return. The predominant flavor is still leather and oak throughout the second third, with a hint of spice. By the end of the second third, the spice has faded out, and by this point the cigar has progressed from mild-medium to medium.

As I reach the last third, I began to notice a different taste entering the flavor profile, barely noticeable. It took a couple puffs to place it - berries (remember my cold-draw?). As I continued through the smoke, this flavor became more predominant until it overshadowed the aforementioned oak-and-leather combination, becoming the predominant flavor. The spice makes a little bit of a comeback, but is phased out by the end. The flavors were dynamic enough to keep a more experienced smoker entertained, but simple enough for anyone to enjoy - a great combination.

The draw was an excellent combination of resistance and flow, and the smoke was a great amount - not the most I've had, but a respectable amount. Towards the end of the last third, it turns into huge globs of smoke. I had a couple burn issues, but I credit that to dropping the cigar at one point, so I won't fault Gurkha for that. The ash hung on for a respectable inch-inch and a half (although, like I said, I dropped it at one point), which is good enough in my book.

Overall this was a great cigar. It is very enjoyable smoke for those that prefer the flavors I've mentioned (leathery-oak and berries towards the end, with some spice). After writing this, I looked up the info for the header and found out that CA had rated it a solid 90 - impressive. I'm not giving it a 90 just yet (for me, a cigar has to knock me off my feet to get a 90), but you should get over your aversion to Gurkha and check this smoke out if you see it lying around for a good price.

Overall: 4.3/5
Final Grade (factors in price): 4.2/5

Angolom

5 Vegas Gold Maduro

Size: Toro (6.0 x 50)
Body: Medium
Wrapper: Maduro (Pennsylvania Broadleaf)
Fillers: Nicaraguan and Honduran
MSRP: approx $4

The 5 Vegas Gold Maduro is a beautiful looking smoke with a beautiful band - It screams tasty just by looking at it. I couldn't wait to light it, so I'll get right into the review.

The cigar starts out with a strong taste of bitter cocoa, something I thoroughly enjoy in a maduro. A little bit of pepper fades in and out every now and then, barely discernible except in the aftertaste. As I moved into the second third, the bitter cocoa taste faded into a creamier coca taste, more akin to milk chocolate. Also, the spices become more noticeable, although still not consistent. As you entered the final third, the spice become both stronger and constant, although the slightly creamy cocoa is still the predominant flavor. Also, a slight "barnyard" taste enters the smoke, which when mixed with the milk-chocolate taste gives a slightly leathery aftertaste.

Unfortunately, the burn was abysmal. I must have given this smoke at least seven or eight relights, minimum, and I didn't even nub it. I have already had a couple other 5 vegas maduros (I try not to review it until I've had at least two), and they both had similar burn issues. The ash may have held on longer if I hadn't had to relight it so many times. Worse yet was the draw - I cut it with my perfecto cutter, and then used a punch, and then a bigger punch, and still it was difficult to get much smoke from the cigar.

In conclusion, while I enjoyed the classic maduro flavors coming off this cigar, predominantly of both bitter and creamy cocoa, the burn and draw issues made the smoke extremely difficult to enjoy. After writing this, at least 50% of the sites I looked at said the same, as pertains to the draw. Bad burn and bad draw make for a bad experience.

Overall: 2.5/5
Final Grade (factors in price): 2.3/5

Angolom

CAO Gold Maduro

Size: Corona (5.5 x 42)
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Maduro (Brazillian)
Filler: Nicaraguan
MSRP: Approx $5.50

       I got these CAO Gold Maduros on a steal, and was enthusiastic about writing my review for them, as several sites had high rankings. The wrapper is a very dark, beautiful Brazilian. The bands are attractive, but not obnoxious. Before you even light the cigar, you can smell the stereotypical maduro flavors floating off the wrapper - a hint of cocoa and leather, mixed with a barnyard smell.

       Right off the light you get a strong taste of bitter cocoa, with a slightly woodsy aftertaste. There was a slightly spicy undertone which I have come to associate with nicaraguan wrappers. Moving into the second third, you start to notice the spices become mixed in with the smoke. The spices weren't regular or consistent, which kept things interesting - you never knew what you were going to get on your next puff! The predominant flavors in the second third were identical to the first third, however - bitter cocoa with a woodsy aftertaste.

       As you approach the final third, and up until the nub, the cocoa taste fades out and is replaced by a very smooth, leathery taste which coats the mouth, removing the spices that faded in and out during the second third; these spices still show up from time to time, however, but very infrequently.

       The burn was razor-sharp, requiring no touch-ups whatsoever. The ash held on for a good inch and a half, which is respectable in a corona-sized cigar. However, sliding the band off was impossible without damaging the wrapper - having smoked a couple of these already, they were the same as well - which was a disappointment. The draw was consistent and relatively easy.

       Overall the cigar was tasty as far as maduros go, but nothing to rave about. It certainly does not deserve its MSRP of $5.50-$6.00, but something closer to $3.

Overall: 3.8/5
Final Grade (factors in price): 3.5/5

Slow-Aged Lot 826 by Perdomo

Size: Glorioso (6.0 x 52)
Strength: Medium
Wrapper: Connecticut Natural
Filler: Nicaraguan
MSRP: $2.50
-Can get on CBid for $1-$1.25 regularly

       I recently acquired a 5-pack of these off of CBid, and they've been adjusting in my humidor. Being a Perdomo lover, I couldn't wait to try out what could potentially become my next go-to. The cigar boasts a connecticut natural wrapper (as described by Perdomo), which is slightly veiny in places. I also noticed that the cigar was somewhat  soft, but overall had good-not-great construction.

       The cigar was slightly difficult to light, requiring a little bit of love to get it going. The first couple puffs brought a slight hint of pepper along with them, but this quickly disappears, leaving the smoker with a flavor profile that consists of a very creamy body accompanied by a slightly woodsy taste. The cigar also had an aftertaste that brought a hint of cocoa along with it - somewhat different from what I've come to associate with lighter-wrappers, but pleasantly surprising. Oddly enough, about halfway through the first third I got a faint leather aftertaste as well. This passed very quickly though, allowing the cigar to return to the aforementioned flavor profile.

       Working my way into the second third, I started to notice the slightly peppery taste that I received off the light returning into the flavor profile. This pepper fades in and out throughout the second third, but returns in force by the end of the second third. When it returns, it brings an aftertaste of almonds (its easier to recognize this if you've roomed with someone who drinks almond milk, like me). The pepper taste gets steadily stronger until the end of the smoke, becoming the predominant flavor about halfway through the last third.

       The burn was consistent throughout the smoke, never requiring any touch-ups. Unfortunately, the ash did not hold on very long, which was a slight disappointment. The cigar did, however, produce an impressive amount of smoke, and have a ridiculously easy draw - so smooth it felt like breathing, which were major positives.

       Overall this was a good cigar, providing a creamy, woodsy flavor profile with a spice bomb at the end, with easy draw and a good burn. While not an impressive smoke, it is a good cigar to try for any of you who enjoy either Perdomo or creamy, peppery smokes.

Overall: 3.6/5
Final Grade (factors in price): 3.6/5

Angolom

Rocky Patel Vudu Robusto

Size: Robusto (5.0 x 50)

Strength: Full

Wrapper: Maduro

Filler: Nicaraguan

MSRP: $4

        The Rocky Patel Vudu has been sitting in my humidor for a few months now, and I've been itching to try it. The band has received a lot of criticism for being black-on-black and hard to read, but I found it to be edgy and creative, in its own way. The wrapper is a beautiful maduro color, only slightly veiny. Throughout my smoke the ash only fell off once, which was very impressive - and different from other review sites experiences. I also had no burn issues, aside from a slight touch-up at the beginning - the cigar had a fairly even burn throughout (and i'm pretty OCD about my burn).

       The cigar was very easy to light, and the first puff brought an explosion of spice with it like a one-two punch. The cigar gave out huge globs of smoke that just wouldn't quit, even until the nub. The spice dies out within the first 10 puffs or so, and leads to a very creamy, earthy cigar, with a hint of sweetness and cocoa that is just barely strong enough to notice, giving it a very interesting flavor profile that I don't normally find in maduros. Other reviews discuss the spice completely dying out after the first few puffs, but I noticed an intermittent spice starting about halfway through the first third, fading out, and then picking up about halfway through the stick again, and continuing until about the end of the second third.

     
       Towards the beginning of the second third I also began to notice a slightly leathery taste entering the flavor profile in place of the intermittent spices, which is very characteristic of maduros. As the spice fades out, you  notice some of the other flavors more clearly, predominantly a slightly sweet, slightly woodsy taste. This is one of the reasons I love maduros, and I was thoroughly pleased - a creamy smoke that also tastes like a maduro? Two, please! About halfway throughout the cigar I started to notice the intermittent spices returning. However, other reviews seem to indicate there is a flavor-bomb of spices that continues until the end, but I did not find that to be the case. The spices seemed to fade out by the end of the second third. The flavors that appeared in the second third of the cigar remained until the end, but strengthened in taste, especially the leather taste.

       Overall I found this cigar to be a great smoke, especially for the money. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it, and I got no heat from the cigar, even at the nub - a sign of good construction. With its MSRP at $4, and the ability to regularly find the cigar for half that, It's a cigar that I'll definitely smoke again when I get the chance.

Overall: 4.4/5

Final Grade (factors in price): 4.5/5

 Angolom