Review Series: El Triunfador #6

So I'm finally here with the last vitola review in the El Triunfador line from Pete Johnson series. Today I smoked the most different in appearance of the entire line, the #6. This is a long review, so I want to keep this intro section short. On with the smoke...


Specifics
Vitola: Lancero
Length: 7 1/2
Ring Gauge: 38
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $8.10 (when bought in boxes of 25)
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: Coke

Pre-Light

The El Triunfador #6 does not come in cello like all the other cigars in this line. It is perhaps because of this that pre-lit aroma on my cigar was very weak.What I did smell was a slight, sweet tobacco scent but it was very weak. Also, the #6 is not box-pressed like all the others so aside from the obvious difference with the length, the cigar feels much different in your hand. To complete the differences in appearance against the rest of the line, the #6 has a pig-tailed cap. The wrapper was a nice, even chocolate brown and had a lot small veins running all over it. This cigar was a bit more rugged looking then the other El Triunfadors. The pig-tailed cap clipped easily and the pre-lit draw was interesting. I got similar flavor notes as from the other El Triunfadors, but I also picked up something that tasted like raisins. This was something very different and took me by surprise.

First Third

My El Triunfador #6 started out with a really rich cream flavor mixed with some warm wood notes and a flavor that I had almost forgotten about from a previous El Triunfador vitola -- anise. The cigar produced a lot of smoke for its small ring gauge and the ash held tight for about an inch. There was a interesting profile to the ash. When on the cigar, the ash looked nice and firm. But once dropped into the ashtray, the ash crumbled into a pile of dust. Not a big deal and it didn't take away from the cigar, it was just a difference worth noting. Burning through the first third of my #6, the flavors only intensified and were really starting to blend nicely. The warm wood flavors balanced out the bite of the anise and the cream kept your palate feeling cool and refreshed. The body on the cigar was mild, perhaps the mildest of the line.

Second Third

After dropping the ash to start the second third of my El Triunfador #6, the cigar went out. This was the only construction problem I had with this stick and, once re-lit, the cigar continued to burn perfectly all the way to the nub. After the re-light most of the anise flavors dissipated, but in its place, I started to pick up that familiar white pepper taste that I have gotten in almost all of the El Triunfadors. In the flavor blend, the refreshing cream notes were still there, as well as the woodiness, but the white pepper addition really added a bit of strength. The body of the cigar picked up to a medium. Throughout the second third, the flavors were very strong and really enjoyable. This was a relaxing cigar, but also one that kept my interest with complex tastes.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my El Triunfador #6 was amazing. I was getting all of the flavors I had experienced in the first two thirds with the white pepper, the cream, the anise, the woodiness (which was now bordering on sweet cedar) and, if that wasn't enough, a peppermint note started to creep in. All of these flavors blended perfectly for me, not one of them overpowered the rest. The finish on the cigar was relaxing and cool, never once with any harshness. I smoked this stick until my fingers burned. The body was the same medium from the second third with the smoke volume never weakening from the first puff to the nub.



Final thoughts: Before I smoked this El Triunfador #6 I was ready to crown the #3 the best of the bunch. Well, I would have been wrong because, in my opinion, this stick is the king of the line. I could smoke this cigar everyday and I don't think I would tire of it. The flavors are strong and blend perfectly to create a relaxing yet exciting smoking experience.

Thanks: Thanks goes out to all my readers who went with me on this journey through the El Triunfador line. I had a lot of fun smoking the different sizes, seeing just how different the experiences were within the line. A special thanks goes out to anyone who left me a comment on any of these posts because I value feedback highly as a way to improve my reviews. And, finally, a VERY special thanks goes out to Dan at New Havana Cigars for providing me the opportunity to smoke all of these cigars. If you would like to purchase any of the El Triunfador cigars, please visit my sponsor New Havana Cigars and tell them Crooked Burn sent you.

Dan



 


 

EVENT: CAO

House of Cigar (House_Of_Cigar on Twitter) in Powell, Ohio, hosted a CAO event tonight with my favorite cigar rep in the business, Miguel Schoedel. Miguel and I go back quite a few years now and it's always great to hang out with a old friend. I picked up some great swag and had a blast burning down a stick and shooting the breeze. Big thanks to House of Cigar for hosting the event, to Miguel for his generosity with the special cigar he hooked me up with out of his own personal collection. Some pictures from the event below:

Review Series: El Triunfador #2

Only two more to go in this series of reviews and tonight I took on the El Triunfador #2 from Pete Johnson. The #2 boasts the largest ring gauge in the El Triunfador line and is the only stick to have a torpedo shaped head. I like torpedo vitolas because I always seem to get a better cut than on a standard round-headed cigar. I'm not sure why, it just seems to be that way. Again, this review is sponsored by New Havana Cigars. If you have not already, please visit the site and tell him Crooked Burn sent you.

Specifics
Vitola: Campanas
Length: 5 5/8
Ring Gauge: 46
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $7.20 (when bought in boxes of 25)
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: Coke

Pre-Light

My El Triunfador #2 had a perfectly solid chocolate brown wrapper that may be the smoothest I have seen within the line. The cigar did a have few small veins and one bigger vein leading to the cap, but they were nicely smoothed down and I figured wouldn't cause any burn issues. Being the biggest in ring gauge of the bunch, the El Triunfador #2 felt much heavier in the hand than the other vitolas. When pinched from the head to the foot, the cigar was well-packed with no soft spots. The pre-lit aroma was faint, but from what I could pick up, it smelled like natural aged tobacco. After easily clipping the head, the cold draw was free but tasteless.

First Third

The normal torch I use to light cigars with was out of gas, so I lit my El Triunfador #2 with some matches laying around the smoking lounge. Even with this larger ring gauge, and me without my torch, the cigar lit very easily and immediately started producing thick clouds of smoke. The burn was as perfect as can be and the ash held solid for just over an inch. The initial flavors from the El Triunfador were similar to most of the sticks in the line, with an initial blast of white pepper followed by a deep woodiness. (note: I have still yet to get that cedar taste like I got in the #3 in any of the other vitolas.) The thing I liked about this cigar over a few of the others (if you have read the review series you know which ones), was that the flavor profile seemed to be back to that strong point where I could really taste what was going on. Toward the end of the first third, the white pepper faded and I was left with just a rich woody taste.

Second Third

The second third pretty much smoked all the way through how the first third ended. The only real flavor that was coming through was the stong wood taste. At one point the smoke got a little bitter on me, but that only lasted two or three puffs before we were back to that nice creamy texture. I do think that during the second third, the body of my El Triunfador #2 picked up almost into the med-full range. This was a difference from all of the other El Triunfadors I had smoked, which never came close to reaching that strength. The burn, again, was perfection.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

The final third of my El Triunfador #2 started with something unexpected. After the second third, I was fairly certain this cigar was going to finish up the way it had been going. I knew I was wrong when I started tasting some peppermint and a stronger natural tobacco taste. These flavors came on so strong that the woodsiness almost completely dissipated. I was shocked and pleased, to say the least, at the turn of flavors. Getting closer to the nub, the cigar started to get a little hot and the woodsiness started to creep back in, but I would still say the dominating flavors were peppermint and natural tobacco. Getting even closer to the nub, the cigar became to hot and harsh, so I had to put it down. During the final third, the body of the cigar also went back more into a medium range than a medium-full. Maybe there was something in the middle of the stick that caused those few harsh puffs that also strengthened the smoke? Who knows.

Final thoughts: Note to anyone who smokes the El Triunfador #2. Do not give up on this stick to early. I found the final third of the cigar to be the most interesting. I still don't think this is my favorite of the El Triunfador line, but it is in the upper half at this point.

Dan

Review Series: El Triunfador #4

I'm now on the back stretch of my El Triunfador from Pete Johnson series review. With three sizes still to smoke, this Sunday I went with the classic Robusto #4. Again, if you are interested in purchasing this cigar, please visit my sponsor New Havana Cigars and tell them Crooked Burn set you.

Specifics
Vitola: Robusto
Length: 5
Ring Gauge: 48
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $6.73 (when bought in boxes of 25)
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: none

Pre-Light

The wrapper on my El Triunfador #4 reminds me of the #3 in this line because it was an even, dark,  chocolatey brown with minimal veins. All of the other vitolas have had some marbling in the color, but the #3 and the #4 are solid. Two differences I picked up on the #4 that I did not experience in the other sticks was that this one had a slight floral aroma to it while unlit and, once clipped, it had a tighter draw than the others. The pre-lit draw had a minimal sweet tobacco taste.

First Third

El Triunfador #4 lit very easy and immediately produced tons of thick, creamy smoke. Although the smoke was very dense, the flavors were not nearly as strong right from the get go like I had experienced with the other El Triunfador vitolas. I got some woody notes mixed in with a mild white pepper. Basically, it had the same tastes as the other sticks, just not as powerful. The burn on the cigar was perfect and the ash was nice and solid. Although the pre-lit draw was a little snug, once lit, the cigar opened up perfectly and was very easy to smoke. The body was medium.

Second Third

This cigar burns beautify. Smoking through the second third of the cigar, I would say this size of the El Triunfador burns the most evenly and most slowly. Being the second largest of the ring gauges offered, I guess that comes as no surprise. The thing that was a little disappointing this far was the flavor. I was still getting the same flavors from the first third with wood and white pepper, but the flavor was weak. I don't mean weak in power or body, but weak in the amount of flavor. I was not experiencing the complexity that I had with most of the other sizes' flavor profiles.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

 The final third of my El Triunfador #4 was just the same as the first two thirds of the cigar. The burn was spot on and never needed relighting. The amount of smoke the cigar produced was still massive, but the flavors were just not there. The woodiness was nice and the pepper kept showing that it was there, but just not in the same way I had expereinced before in this line of cigars.

Final thoughts: I enjoyed the cigar and, if I had not smoked a bunch of the other El Triunfador vitolas, I would probably have a much more glowing review. The construction was close to perfection and the stick required no maintenance, but in my opinion, the #4 just does not hold up to the others.

Dan

Event: EO Cigars

House of Cigars in Powell, Ohio, hosted an event on Friday sponsored by EO Cigars. I had a great time hanging out with friends (and my very cool, cigar-smoking wife...who added this in during editing) and meeting the co-owner of EO, Eddie Ortega. Eddie is a great guy and I had a blast chatting with him about cigars and the industry. He even mentioned putting a trip to Nicaragua together for some bloggers, which had me all ears. A big thanks goes out to House of Cigars for hosting this event and to Eddie for his time and the gifts. It was a really great event!

Review Series: El Triunfador #5

Today's review brings Part Three of my series review of the new El Triunfador from Pete Johnson. The El Triunfador #5 is such a small vitola that I decided it would be better to do this review in a first and second half break down, rather than my standard thirds. If after the review you're interested in purchasing this cigar, please visit Crooked Burn sponsor New Havana Cigars and tell them I sent you. It won't get you any discount at this time, but it will let them know you're a fan and that helps me out. Thanks and enjoy.

Specifics
Vitola: Minutos
Length: 4 3/8
Ring Gauge: 42
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $5.62 (when bought in boxes of 25)
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: Coke

Pre-Light

The wrapper on the El Triunfador #5 was the oiliest I have come across within this line. The color was similar to the #1 with a marbling of lighter and darker chocolaty brown. It had a few small veins ( nothing to be concerned about) and seemed to be very tightly-packed. When pinched, it had almost no give. The pre-lit aroma and draw were both sweet tobacco. It was surprising how free the pre-lit draw was with how stiff the cigar felt when pinched. The construction on all of the El Triunfadors I have smoked have been top notch.
 
First Half

Once evenly lit, the El Triunfador #5 started off with the familiar white pepper spice, but this time it was not as strong as the others thus far. Matched in strength from the get-go was a really nice warm, woodsy flavor. The flavor was not cedar, but more earthy. I was expecting that powerful white pepper that I've had from all the other El Triunfadors, but maybe the small stick size prevented such a strong punch? Another difference in the El Triunfador #5 is the ash. This vitola has the strongest ash I have seen within the line up to this point. As you can see in the picture, the ash held on for pretty much the entire first half of the cigar. The burn was perfect and razor straight. The smoke volume was big, as it has been with all the other El Triunfador cigars, and very smooth on the palate. Towards the middle of the stick I started to pick up some peppermint notes. The body was a solid medium.

Second Half 

The second half of my El Triunfador #5 was completely dominated by that warm woodsy flavor. The peppery spice had faded away, and the shortly lived peppermint notes also diminished. The smoke volume was still very large, and the burn, still top notch.  I never had to re-lite this cigar. The body was a very relaxing medium. Towards the very nub of the cigar the pepper did creep back in, but only for a puff or two before I could no longer smoke the stick for fear of burning my fingers.


Final Thoughts:  

El Triunfador #5 is not as complex in flavor as some of the larger vitolas within the line. The cigar started pretty much on par with the other sticks, but turned more one dimensional the further I burned it down. That is not to say this is not another great cigar, as I would say it is; it is just not as exciting in flavors. The stick is so small that I have to give it props on it's strong ash and ability to produce such a large amount of smoke. I could see this stick as a great choice if you're short on time, and want a cigar that you can lite, smoke, and not have to worry about keeping it going.

Dan 

Review Series: El Triunfador #1

Today, I'm continuing on with my series review of the new El Triunfador from Pete Johnson. In case you missed the earlier posts, these cigars were generously provided to me by Dan (NHCDAN on twitter), the owner of New Havana Cigars.

Specifics
Vitola: Lonsdale
Length: 6 1/2
Ring Gauge: 42
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $6.75 (when bought in boxes of 25)
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: Coke

Pre-Light  

My El Triunfador #1 had a slightly less consistent color in the wrapper than the #3 I reviewed. The wrapper was mainly a milk chocolate color, but in some areas, there was a slight marbling with a lighter tan as well. The cigar also had one small vein running from the foot all the way to the cap. This vein was so small, though, that I didn't think it would effect the burn at all. The pre-lit aroma was faint, but what I did smell was of natural tobacco. Once clipped, the draw was free but lacked any real flavors.


First Third

The first puff after lighting the stick, I was hit with that same white pepper flavor that I had gotten from the #3. This cigar is very spicy at the start, but again, like the previous review, the spice didn't last long. Five or six puffs in, the cigar started to mellow and some other flavors started to emerge. Unlike the #3, the first flavors I got off of this cigar (after the pepper rush was over) were not cedar, but were what I would describe as a hay taste. The draw on the cigar was great and the smoke was very creamy but another difference from the #3 to the #1 was showing up...and that's the ash. The ash on my #1 was very weak. So weak, in fact, that even after just 1/4-inch burn, it fell onto my shirt. Not so classy.


Second Third

Starting my second third of my El Triunfador #1, the flavor profiles changed up again and started to take on the familiar anise and ceder notes. Those were the same flavors in strength as I had experienced in the #3 review and were very enjoyable. The ash was still very weak and flaky but the smoke volume and texture did not give any impression of a loosely-rolled stick. The body was a mild to mild-medium and very relaxing.

Final Third and Final Thoughts

In the final third of my El Triunfador #1, I got one more new flavor to the party. The anise flavor was still very strong, but the cedar had now given way to more of a burnt wood taste, which was great because I am a fan of that particular flavor profile. The body of the cigar towards the nub also picked up in body just slightly, but not enough for me to put it into the solid medium category.


final thoughts: The El Triunfador #1 is another great cigar. The flavors, like in the #3, changed a lot and never left me bored. The weak ash on the cigar was a bit annoying and somewhat embarrassing when you drop it on yourself in a room full of seasoned cigar smokers, but I can deal with it. I'm not a big fan of hay-tasting cigars, so I was glad when the first third flavors ended. Personally I would buy the #3 before I would buy another #1, but I'd rather smoke either of them over a lot of other cigars.

Dan

Series Review: El Triunfador #3

I'm not going to go into much detail with the intro section of these reviews because they are all from the same line of cigars. I'll list the specifics, my smoking environment, and then get right to the review. Again, these cigars were provided by New Havana Cigars. Please visit their site to help support this blog. 

To kick off this new review series, I decided to start with the vitola that is right in the middle of the line in size: the El Triunfador #3. I figured this stick could be a good base to see how the blend tastes and then move on from here with smaller and larger sizes.

Specifics:

Vitola: Corona Gorda
Length: 5 5/8
Ring Gauge: 46
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Price: $6.52 (when bought in boxes of 25)
Smoking Location: House of Cigar, Columbus, Ohio
Beverage: Coke

Pre-Light

The El Triunfador #3 had a beautiful wrapper. The color was an even, dark, milk chocolate brown with minimal veins. The scent of the unlit cigar was of sweet tobacco with some earthy notes. Once clipped, the overall draw was free with slight resistance and had a mild sweet tobacco flavor. I pinched the cigar from head to foot and the stick had a give to it, but no soft spots that I could detect.

First Third

Once evenly torched, the El Triunfador #3 opened up with a blast of strong white pepper flavor. I could feel the spice not only on the front of my palate but also resting in the back of my throat. Anyone that has smoked a  Tatuaje cigar knows the flavor I'm talking about. The smoke was thick and creamy when exhaled, but the finish was rather short. Around six or seven puffs into the cigar, the white pepper spice started to fade and a cedar flavor started to make it's way to the forefront.  This was a great compliment to the opening spice and seemed to really mellow the cigar out. The ash on the stick was tight and compact and it took a good knock on the ashtray to fall -- which was a pretty nice surprise on a cigar with this ring gauge size. The body was right around medium but dipped somewhat into the mild side.

Second Third

The second third of my El Triunfador #3 started out pretty much the same as the end of the first third with a strong cedar flavor and a creamy smoke texture, but then it changed up. I started to detect some flavors of anise (licorice) and a very mild peppermint. These flavors really woke me up and took me awhile to nail down. The cedar tastes were still there, but the flavor profile had become more complex with these additions. The burn on the cigar had started to be a little crooked, but it corrected itself. The draw was still perfect and the body was now a solid, mellow medium.


Final Third and Final Thoughts

El Triunfador #3, in it's final third, really hit the mark. The complex flavor profile with the cedar, anise, and peppermint, were joined now by the reemergence of the white peppery spice. The only negative I had during the final third of this cigar was the strange burn, with the burn running down one side of the stick and also some odd tunneling in the ash. The burn line was easily corrected with my torch and the tunnels didn't cause any issues in the draw, but I thought it was worth noting. The body kicked up slightly, but I would still put it in the medium category.

Final thoughts:  I could smoke the El Triunfador #3 back to back. The different flavors were always mixing up the experience and I never got bored. The body was right around where I like a stick to be when not having a huge dinner beforehand, and the finish on the smoke was far from overpowering. I did have some slight burn issues, but nothing that wasn't easily manageable with little effort.  If the rest of the El Triunfador line in the series of reviews mimics the #3, I would say Pete Johnson has another winner.

Series Review: El Triunfador

This week I'm starting something new at the Crooked Burn cigar blog. Recently, I was at New Havana Cigars visiting owner Dan Welsh (NHCDAN on Twitter) and checking out the new stock of El Triunfadors by Pete Johnson. Dan and I got to talking about different vitolas and we both agreed that, when we first started smoking cigars, we'd try only one vitola of a cigar release and base our opinion of the whole line on that one size. Well, most seasoned cigar smokers and cigar manufacturers will say that you can sometimes get drastically different flavors and profiles from the different vitolas within the same line of cigars.

We were willing to test that theory, so Dan set me up with his line sampler of the new El Triunfadors and, in the next few weeks, I'm going to smoke and review every one of them to find out whether or not I detect big differences between the vitolas. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Just last week, I smoked a new El Triunfador as a test run and, after that experience, I know this line sampler review is going to be a treat.

Some details on the New El Triunfador blend from New Havana Cigars:

"A medium bodied blend that gets a ton of flavor from the Seco leaves originating on Pepin's La Estrella farm in Esteli, it features an Ecuadorian Habano wrapper and Nicaraguan filler and is available in 6 sizes, including a lancero. (Not to be confused with the original lancero, which is still being produced with it's dark Broadleaf wrapper.)"

Sponsor: New Havana Cigars

Crooked Burn would like to announce a new sponsorship by New Havana Cigars. Dan at New Havana Cigars is a great guy and carries some of the most sought-after cigars on the market. Just recently, New Havana received some of the first shipments to the U.S. of the highly anticipated new stick from Pete Johnson, the El Triunfador. If you're a Tatuaje, Illusione, or Viaje fan, New Havana Cigars has everything you want and more.

I want to thank Dan for his support and sponsorship. I encourage everyone to visit his online shop for great boutique cigars!