The new Outlaw Cigar store in Olathe, Kansas

Was visiting my parents and had wanted to check out the new Outlaw Cigar store in Olathe. Wow!!! This is even better than their north KC store. Several smoking rooms available to lounge in, great humidor, and excellent selection of cigars. It is worth the trip. They still have monthly events going on which are great fun. No calendar for 2010, they promised that a new one is coming.

Santa Rosa Sancho Panza

This one was in the dark back corners of Kremer's Smoke Shop in Louisville. See reviews of this store below. By the way they have a facebook page and twitter account which I highly recommend you subscribe to. They are also starting to have many more cigar events and have started a cigar club.

Anyway, this was a cigar as touted for its very mild flavor when you just want a nice cigar without worrying about whether you could detect the subtle leathery/spice flavors etc. Even though I have stored this cigar in the humidor for at least 6 months, I still had a problem with the wrapper falling apart. This did not effect the flavor however.

Here is some comments from aspiringgentleman.com web site:

Santa Rosa Cigars (owned by Altadis) is one of those brands often relegated to the far corner of your tobacconist’s shelf. Made from Ecuadorian Connecticut Wrapper, Honduran binder, Honduran/Nicaraguan filler, and coming in a wide range of sizes, Santa Rosa cigars are made in the Flor de Copan factory in Honduras. Touted as a creamy, mild/medium cigar with a hint of spice, we sought to see whether Santa Rosa, as a budget brand, is worthy of your hard-earned dollar.
I picked up a few of the sancho panza size (4.75″ x 54) early in 2009, and after a year of relaxing, it was time for them to go up in smoke. These cigars are cleanly rolled, with no obvious imperfections or defects. The pre-light aroma is surprisingly spicy, suggesting its use as a pairing for equally spicy foods. The wrapper has a nice, tangy feel on the lips which continues through the length of the cigar, and the burn was even and consistent. While the cigar is definitely of mild to medium body, the flavours evolved nicely, starting quite spicy and ending closer to the nutty/woody spectrum. Throughout, the mouth feel is creamy with a slight dryness to the plentiful smoke. At the start of the last third, a strong bitterness started to emerge, lasting 5 minutes or so before fading as the cigar finished.

Overall, this is a cigar worth picking up at your local tobacconist, especially for its price point (under $5). Don’t hesitate to pair it with a spicy food for the first third — as you’re finishing your dish, the spiciness will fade out as the hazelnut and wood flavours settle in for the dessert course.

J. Fuego Origen 89.255

Nice cigar with a little spice, however not too harsh. Fairly decent smoke.

Wrapper: Brazilian Corojo
Filler: Nicaragua
Size: Corona (5.7×48)
Strength: Medium-Full

Rob at puffingcigars.com has a great online video and review of this cigar worth checking out:

http://puffingcigars.com/cigar-reviews/j-fuego-origen/2271/

Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial 92.595

Was not sure if this was going to be a good cigar or not since I had not read anything about it. It ended up being a very enjoyable smoke without a lot of harshness. Several people commented on the nice aroma of the smoke from this.

Bonitasmokeshop.com had this information:
A delicious medium to full bodied cigar which is a magnificent blend of Nicaraguan binder and filler with a mouth watering Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. This new Reserva Especial cigar line is blended by Jaime Garcia son of legendary master blender Don Pepin Garcia.
The 6 size line of Jaime Garcia Reserva Especial cigars is made with a blending of 2 different kinds of Nicaraguan tobacco. One tobacco is grown by Garcia and his father Pepin. The other is tobacco from the well known Oliva Tobacco Company of Tampa, Florida. The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is the perfect compliment to this outstanding new brand.

And stogieguys.com had a good review also:
This cigar, blended by Jaime Garcia, stands out from the myriad sticks produced by My Father Cigars. For starters, it sports a dark, oily maduro Connecticut broadleaf wrapper, used only occasionally by Jaime and his father, Pepin Garcia.

And when you smoke it, you’ll find a flavor profile that differs significantly from what you expect from the house of Pepin.

The 54 ring gauge Toro does kick off with spicy notes. Mixed with the thick, woody flavor of the wrapper, though, it is a deep and sharp taste. From the start, the smoke is thick and profuse. The spice drops off after about half an inch and an earthy, damp hay taste takes over.

The taste changes aren’t finished yet. About halfway down the six inch stick, you’ll begin to notice more and more of that typical maduro sweetness. The spice reemerges, too, and creates an interesting combination.

It’s a little difficult to find a lot of definitive information on these sticks. Having been introduced to the market late last year, but hitting most retailers’ shelves only recently, the My Father Cigars’ website doesn’t appear to even list them. The company’s site appears to be undergoing extensive work, though, and doesn’t have much information about anything.

I think it’s clear, though, that the filler is Nicaraguan. One site described it as a blend of tobacco grown by the Garcias and by the Oliva Tobacco Co. Despite some sites listing the binder as Nicaraguan, a press release about the cigar’s launch event at the Cigar Inn in New York confirms that it is Ecuadorian.

On the other hand, there’s no dispute about quality. It’s first rate, from appearance and construction to flavor and price. I paid $6 for the Toro, a small investment for a top-flight experience. I give this cigar four and a half stogies out of five.

Estaban Carreras Habano 88.915

This cigar looked good, has a dark maduro wrapper. It ended up smoking a little more harsh than I expected and did not enjoy this cigar nearly as much as I thought I would. It was rolled very nice and has a nice heft to it which I enjoy. Just not to my taste preferences.

Wrapper: Nicaraguan
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 5 1/2 x 54
Tomscigars.com had this to say about it however:

Pre-smoke & Construction:
Giving the cigar the ol once over, I found it to be visually pleasing. Overall it looked rugged, with a few large veins and a few bumps here and there. Towards the head, there were a few soft spots, but nothing that I was concerned about. Sniffing the foot and wrapper revealed a slight pepper and a touch of sweetness. The pre-light draw lacked any spice, and tasted like rich tobacco and soil. The burn required a few minor touch-ups, and the ash held for an inch or so. Overall, no complaints in the construction department.
Flavor:
Right off the bat, the first third started in the full body range. Despite this, it was very smooth, delivering pillowy clouds of white smoke. The flavor seemed pretty straight forward with some kind of wood, pepper, and the occasional sweet earthy note. As the cigar progressed towards the end of this third, it became very creamy.
The second third continued with those full bodied flavors. The pepper transformed itself in to more of a sweet spice. The smoke remained smooth and thick. This gave it a rich, creamy sensation. I couldn’t detect earthy notes in this third. Everything was just rich and smooth. Very enjoyable.
The last third ventured higher into the full bodied range. This made it harder for me to pick apart flavors. I chock it up to a lacking palate, and a characteristic of the cigar. The smoke had a cooling effect when exhaling. Again, there was a sweet spice present and a touch of wood. It wasn’t quite mocha, and wasn’t quite caramel. The smoke remained thick and creamy.
Conclusion:
Some advice… Smoke this after a meal. I smoked this before dinner and had no problems, but hey, I smoke a lot. I had a decent sized nicotine buzz but nothing sickening. I could see this being a problem for those with less of a tolerance. I would have nubbed this cigar even further, but the buzz told me “It’s time to stop!” If you are like me and enjoy a good full bodied cigar, I’d say definitely give this a try.