Butera Royal Vintage

The Butera Royal Vintage is a Dominican made cigar, has a Dominican binder and filler, and a Connecticut Shade wrapper. Internet searches say this stick has a mix of six different tobaccos, but I didn't find the mix. The wrapper is light tan, and was supple to the touch, not brittle at all. The version I smoked was a Capo Grande. It was long and thin, not typically my favorite sizing for a cigar. Price on this stick was just under $10. Olik found it to be one of his favorites, so I had to try it out.

On first lighting, I thought I was breathing through a straw. I literally received no flavor for the first 20 minutes of this cigar. I was a touch disappointed at this, but remembered that I just moved from a robust cigar to a mild. After the initial 20 minutes, it started to have a bit of a spicy flavor, but almost imperceptibly so. It was definitely a smooth, light smoke.

I didn't really get into the full flavor of this cigar until close to the end of it. I had literally been smoking on this for an hour before I felt like I was getting the promised flavors. It was smooth, woody, a little spicy, but I never noticed the creamy "buttery" flavor I was promised. I tried really hard to taste it, and thought for a second I did, but it was probably just peer pressure.

This thing burned like a champ. At no time did it run. I did, towards the end, even up the cherry, though I really wouldn't have needed to; I'm OCD like that, I guess. It was a well packed, and had a decent draw without being too easy. (I have moved to using a punch instead of my usual V-cutter. It offers me the protection from getting tobacco in my mouth, but seems to give me a better draw on the cigar. Plus, the punch is built into my lighter. How cool is that?!) At no time did I have to re-light, which is a pleasure.

My total smoke time for the Butera was almost 1.5 hours, considering of course I was there with two other people and jabbering about work and life. (But hey, that's half the fun, right?) Overall, this was a decent cigar, and a good choice for the beginning smoker, but I would probably not smoke this particular model again. It simply did not offer me the flavor profile I was looking for.

So to review:
Butera Royal Vintage
Size: Capo Grande
Cost: $10
Length of smoke: 90 minutes
Flavor: extremely light, imperceptibly spicy, supposedly creamy
TGT Rating: 6/10
Note: TGT ratings are completely subjective, as everybody has their own taste preferences. Smoke with caution, gusto, and an open mind.

Camacho Triple Maduro

I have been trying to venture outside of my comfort zone a little with the whole “trying new cigars” thing. It is with this in mind that I tried the Camacho Triple Maduro. When I mentioned to the guys at the smoke shop that I was looking to broaden my horizons and try something with more body, they mentioned this cigar to me, but warned me that I should eat beforehand, and that it will more than likely make me feel dizzy. One of the guys said he smoked it and couldn’t walk straight for a few minutes. I thusly avoided it for two weeks until I proclaimed, “Damn the man!”

At this point, I would like to mention that it actually has been two weeks since I smoked this cigar, and am thus relying on my admittedly feeble memory. So bear with me.

This was a good smoke. The price point is a touch higher than most, running about $15. Well worth the money though. When I opened the plastic, I smelled it, which I am wont to do, as I have seen people in the movies do this and assumed they know what the hell they’re doing. The wrapper is pungent and dark, but not unpleasantly skunky. I will say now that I have been forgetting to document ring size, so I shall endeavor to do so henceforth. The wrapper was not brittle, like some of the cigars I have had in the past, but I don’t know if that has to do with age or quality or both. I’m not fond of getting a lot of tobacco leaf in my mouth, and brittle wrappers bother me.

Initial lighting and pull on the Triple Maduro was not very tasty. I won’t go so far as to say it was harsh or nasty or anything, but I was regretting it taste-wise at the beginning. Five minutes in and I changed my mind. The flavors mellowed out and became actually quite pleasant. It was spicy, and left the roof of my mouth a little tingly, which was really nice. I smoke with a bottle of water next to me, as I have found “swishing” the water around after a drag lets me taste the tobacco flavors more.

Remember the warnings listed above? I was scared of this cigar before I smoked it. I mean hands shaking WTF am I doing scared. Admittedly, this was the “darkest” cigar I’ve had to date, but it didn’t knock me on my ass like they said. It burned well, only running towards the middle-to-end of the burn, and lasted about 50 minutes. Again, apologies for not gathering ring size info, as that would affect smoke time.

So to review:
Camacho Triple Maduro
Ring Size: unknown
Cost: $15
Length of smoke: 50-60 minutes
Flavor: dark, smooth, spicy
TGT Rating: 8/10

Welcome to The Box Press!

Hello webbernet! I am The Great Thaytan, and among many other things I am an amateur cigar smoker. I have recently undertaken a mission to smoke a new cigar once a week and jot down my personal findings about said stogie. Keep in mind i did say AMATEUR. I have next to no clue what I am doing here, but as in any undertaking worth its salt I am dedicated to the process of learning!

I remember my first cigar, such as it was. I was a senior in high school. Like many days prior, I would get to school early to hang out with my friends. Invariably, one of us would say, "hey, you really wanna be here?" To which the rest of us would reply, "Hell no!" Or something similar. On this particular slack-filled day in history, we decided to trek an hour or so down the road to the beach. Oh, Gulf of Mexico, how I miss your murky waters and stench of dead sea life.

Anyway, one of my buddies, Jerry, usually stopped and purchased (gasp) Swisher Sweets. Yes, Swisher Sweets, which are to cigars what Olive Garden is to the Italian consulate. Nevertheless, being seventeen and highly suggestible, I partook. I was told never to inhale, which I promptly did, causing me to nearly eject a lung and parts of breakfast. But I persevered, and got through it. From then on I was hooked, but not in the nicotine-is-my-heroin way.

Years later, I was hanging out with another friend, Juan. Juan worked in a liquor store that had a walk-in humidor. Humidors always fascinated me. I really enjoy walking in, being hit by the slightly warm, moist air, the scent of tobacco and ozone heavy in the air... it just feels right. My roommate says I might have a touch of sinesthesis. He may be right. Anyway, Juan introduced me to my first REAL cigar: the Macanudo Portofino. For those unfamiliar, this is sold in a white tin with a screw-on lid. To me, it was like going from Taco Bell to Outback Steak house; they're both cigars, but one is DAMNED well better, and you didn't have to be an aficionado to know the difference. I savored it like it was the last one on earth... light, smooth, relatively inexpensive, and much tastier than Swisher could ever have fathomed. It changed my cigar life permanently.

Yes, I know, many people out there see the Macanudo Portofino as a lower end cigar. I was a kid making 6 bucks an hour, don't judge. For me it was a revelation, and though I don't smoke them anymore, it will always hold a place in my heart as my first.

So, on to today, cosmically speaking. Recently, some work buddies and I have been frequenting a local cigar store chain, heretofore known as the smoke shop. One of said buddies and I have endeavored to smoke a new cigar every Friday, and eventually work our way through the entire walk-in humidor. In an effort to aid my addled memory, I am jotting notes about each one and taking a picture of the band. It was brought to my attention that others may or may not be interested in this venture. Who am I to judge the taste of someone else?

So here it is, The Box Press. I will not be visiting the smoke shop today, but I will begin my chronicling soon enough. I hope to update on Saturdays while the freshly smoked cigar is still in memory. I have a few already in the bag, and I'll shoot those out when I can, but expect regular updates.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em!

Thaytan