Another slow night at work that allowed me to sneak out for a much deserved cigar break. This stick I received as part of the Powerhouse 16 sampler. Complimenting this cigar was a fresh pot of Folgers - decaf.

My pre-light inspection revealed few veins, and even no hard spots as far as I could tell. As I lit the cigar, I felt the draw was a bit tough but not enough to warrant any kind of corrective action, such as re-cutting. As I smoked the cigar, the draw remained the same as did the plain flavor. The taste of the cigar wasn’t bad per se, but nothing to draw me back to this cigar in the future.

After nearly ten minutes, part of the wrapper started pulling away. As I smoked through it, it burned and fell off without causing any any more issues with the smoke.

After an hour and change, i was finished with it. The beautiful natural wrapper of this cigar could not overcome the average taste enough to justify scoring this cigar over a B-. If you decide to try a Black Pearl, be sure to bring something to drink with you. The two cups of coffee I had with it were barely enough to stave off the cottonmouth.

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A quiet night at work allowed for a non-yard gar experience. This time, I chose an Aurora 1495 series, one that I got with my powerhouse 16 sampler.

I settled in with a cup of fresh coffee, and performed my pre-light inspection. The natural wrapper beared a fair amount of veins, but not too much. The hardness of the cigar was consistent throughout and I could find no visual defects of any kind. After cutting and lighting, I noticed the draw was rather loose.

As for the taste, I decided that this cigar was decent and nothing jumped out at me as for flavor and early on, it seemed as though it lacked smoothness. The burn was even and the ash was very uniform. I had no trouble at all. This is a very well constructed cigar.

After an hour, I was finished with it. This cigar, in my opinion is better than a cheap-o yard gar, but not one I would run out and buy a box of. If the price was right, I might buy again. I’m scoring the Aurora 1945 series a B-

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Ah yes, another cigar from the Powerhouse 16 Sampler, from Thompson Cigars. This was pretty much a bad time for a cigar I planned on doing a review on. I had just awoke from an afternoon nap, brushed my teeth then came outside to the tasting booth for a cigar.

My pre-light inspection revealed no visible construction issues. The wrapper looked clean and neat and is an attractive looking cigar. My squeeze test revealed no hard spots, and had consistent softness throughout.

After lighting and taking the first few puffs, I was a bit bored with it. I thought about the flavor of this cigar was average at best, maybe I was expecting something more.

As the cigar was about halfway through, I began to enjoy it a bit more. Was my initial taste affected by the toothpaste from me brushing my teeth? Possibly.

As the burn neared the band, I began experiencing some very severe wrapper cracking. I managed to keep it all together until I dumped it, but it was pretty bad.

Overall, the flavor of this cigar was decent. Nothing to write home about, and I won’t run out to buy another one but a good smoke. The appearance of this cigar was the best thing going for it, and maybe I had expected something more. I’m giving this a C+.

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Here is another great smoke from the Powerhouse 16 sampler I picked up from Thompson Cigars. I’ve been working a lot, so I decided I’m going to smoke this cigar at work tonight.

My pre-light inspection revealed no issues with the wrapper that might cause problems or an unpleasant smoking experience. My “squeeze test” indicated that this was a rather tightly rolled cigar, and I might be here a while. There were no hard spots, and the density of the cigar felt consistent throughout. The maduro wrapper felt tough and thick.

After lighting, I was pleased with the draw, and of the flavor. As I smoked it, I became more impressed with the taste. This was a medium flavor cigar, and was very smooth. I really enjoyed everything about this cigar.

With this cigar, I drank a couple cups of coffee. I would have preferred beer, but they frown on that at work. After 65 minutes I dumped the nub and it was perfect timing; it was time to go home. This is a cigar that will always have a home in my humidor and I recommend it. I’m giving it an A-.

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The Padron is one of the sticks I picked up in my Powerhouse 16 sampler, and due to me having to leave for work in a couple of hours, I settled for an iced tea to drink with my cigar. I gathered all my equipment and headed to the tasting booth.

I went with the Padron today, because it was a bit shorter and since I have a lot to do before going to work, I didn’t have a lot of time.

During my pre-light inspection revealed a very small cap, and I was a little worried about it. The cigar seemed to be rolled quite loose, as it was very soft all the way down the barrel with no inconsistencies.

I cut the cigar and did a draw test, and decided this would probably be a quick smoke as easy as the draw was. At first I thought maybe it was too loose, but I later decided it was “just right”.

After lighting up, I was a bit surprised with the flavor. It was a bit stronger than I was expecting, and had a strong peppery aftertaste that hit about two seconds after releasing the smoke. I liked it. I have to wonder if the sweetness of the iced tea I was drinking enhanced this flavor.

The looseness of this cigar did not allow for big ash, if you’re into that sort of thing. After about 3/4″ the first ash dropped.

About halfway through the smoke, I noticed the wrapper had a developing issue near the cap, as shown in the picture. I was able to glue it down with saliva and didn’t have any issues with it.

After 50 minutes, the cigar was done and I dumped it. I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed this cigar, and of the Powerhouse 16 cigars I’ve tried so far, this is the best one. The wrapper issue kept this from being an A cigar, so I’m giving it a strong B+.

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I scored the Felipe Gregorio in my Powerhouse 16 purchase, and decided to fire it up while camping. I was sitting around doing a whole lot of nothing, drinking a Goose Island Honkers Ale when I broke this bad boy out.

This cigar comes with a double band, and is marketed as a Thompson Exclusive. The Connecticut wrapper appeared flawless, and looked like a quality cigar. Before I cut it, I did the standard “Squeeze Test”, this revealed no hard spots, and consistent give all throughout.

While I was smoking, I decided that this was indeed a great cigar. Perhaps my first impression impacted me, it is truly a beautiful cigar that packs a lot of flavor. Right now my humidor is a bit full, but would like to have a few more of these babies in the future.

Being marketed as a Thompson Exclusive, I’ll be waiting for these to come on sale then I’ll certainly purchase some. I’m giving this cigar a “B+” and highly recommend trying it.

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