5 Vegas Series A

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Size: Robusto, 5.5×55 (Apotheosis, Box Pressed)

Wrapper: Costa Rican, Maduro

Filler: Mixed long filler of Dominican, Nicaraguan, and Honduran (Aged 4 years)

Strength: Full

Price: Box of 10, $45.00

Grade: 8.7

Being a fan of the 5 Vegas Classic and Gold Double Nickel, I was really looking forward to trying out the full bodied offering from 5 Vegas (You may see my review on the Gold here). The Series A comes in an amazing 9 different shapes; ring gauges range from 44 to 58 and the length from 4.5 to 7. I grabbed these sticks from cigarbid.com at a great price and they’ve been resting for a few months; so let’s get to it!

Appearance 1.8:
The box press on this smoke is very nice and, coupled with the dark oily wrapper, it really is appealing to the eye. The cigar was firm to the touch and besides a little filler extending past the wrapper, it was perfect in construction. The black and gold label is a wonderful combo with the dark maduro wrapper. The pre-light aroma was of mocha and leather with some barnyard notes toward the foot. The cold draw produced notes of sweet tobacco with a cinnamon spice on the end.  By now my mouth was watering and I was ready to fire this stick up!

Burn, 1.7:
The Series A cut, toasted, and lit well, with the first draw producing a nice amount of fragrant smoke. The smoke burned evenly throughout with no touch ups or re-lights required. The deduction in this category is a result of the ash not holding longer than about ½ inch. This corrected itself towards the end of the smoke but for the first half it was constantly falling off and this resulted in a somewhat warmer smoke than I expected.

Flavor, 2.5:
Roasted nuts and coffee really hit me on the first draw of this smoke. I expected a shot of spice because of the pre-light draw, but it never showed up. The first third was very tasteful with notes of roasted nuts and cocoa; there was a hint of spice on the end but not cinnamon—it was more of a roasted pepper spice.  The second third produced more notes of the mentioned spice, but the cigar soured a little bit in this part which was disappointing. The last third of the smoke opened back up into notes resembling the first third, but with some fruitiness showing up on the finish. I should also mention this is a full bodied smoke.

Overall, 2.7:
At a price of $4.50 a stick, this is a good buy for the money.  Though not the most complex stogie on the market, it would be a great everyday smoke for those that seek out full bodied offerings. The flavor profile was interesting and, if not for the second third, it would have been excellent. All in all I’ve liked every 5 Vegas smoke I have ever had; this is a good smoke for a good price, which is what we are all looking for, right?

(Total: 8.7)

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5 Vegas Gold, Double Nickel

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Size: Double Nickel, 5 x 55, (Box Pressed)

Wrapper: Connecticut

Filler: Honduran, 5 year age

Strength: Mild-Medium

Price: 5-pack, $18; Box of 20, $65 (Purchased from Cigar Bid Sampler)

Grade: 8.9

Here in Georgia the dog days of summer make it hard to really enjoy a smoke due to the humidity, but one evening last week it dried up a bit.  With frogs croaking and crickets humming, I fired up the 5 Vegas Gold Double Nickel and tried to enjoy the nice summer night.

Appearance, 1.8:

Two things really jump out on the appearance of this smoke; the box pressed shape and the gorgeous Connecticut wrapper. The cigar appears to be constructed well with a very firm texture and well-constructed cap. The wrapper did show some veins towards the head but evened out towards the foot. The label was just awesome, as you can see from the picture above—just a really nice, classy label wrapping the box press. The pre-light draw produced a burst of pepper with a hint of leather at the end, which was consistent with the pre-light aroma of the wrapper.

Burn, 1.8:

The stick toasted well and produced a nice white ash on the wrapper. As I lit the filler, it produced a huge mouthful of smoke on the first draw that was a more pronounced pepper and leather, similar to the pre-light draw. The cigar held a nice white ash for over an inch before I decided it was time to knock it off. The cigar burned evenly with a slightly tight draw all the way until the last 3^rd and then it started to burn a little uneven, but other than that it was perfect.

Flavor, 2.5:

I always assumed these smokes were really mild yet flavorful. Well they definitely are flavorful but they also lean toward mild/medium in my opinion. The first third produced a smoke that was somewhat peppery with some leather and spice thrown in. As the cigar moved into the 2/3, it mellowed into a creamier smoke with a hint of citrus. The smoke from the 1/3 to 2/3 was very cool with little or no heat from the draw. The 3/3 continued with this creaminess but the pepper also returned toward the very end and the smoke started to heat up.

Overall, 2.8:

The value of this smoke is its biggest asset in my opinion; for under $3.50 a stick retail, you get an aesthetically beautiful cigar that is very flavorful and somewhat complex. I enjoyed this smoke and hated to see it end. I am looking forward to firing up another one in the very near future because I am sure it will be just as good or even better.

(Total:  8.9)

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Reo

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Size: Robutso, 5×52, Box-pressed

Wrapper: Sumatran seed grown in Costa Rica (Aged 5 years)

Filler: Honduran and Nicaraguan mixed long-fillers

Strength: Medium-Full

Price: Box of 20, $49.99

Grade: 8.8

Coming from Rocky Patel and blended by EO Brands, the Reo was originally released in 2005. I purchased a 5-pack from Cigar Bid a year or so ago and I payed around $17; the boxes are currently on sale at Cigars International. Listed as a medium-full bodied smoke, the Robusto is shaped with a very nice box-press.

Appearance, 1.7:

I used a punch on this stick and the pre-light draw was perfect; the smell from foot to cap was consistently sweet with no variation in between. The box-press was very nice and the triple cap really set this off as a top quality cigar. The stick had a nice weight to it with only sleight veins. The dark, oily stick was complimented by a large, multi-colored band.

Burn, 1.9:

The quality and hold of the ash was nearly perfect. A slight gray with very few inconsistencies in color, the ash held well beyond the first 1/3. The draw from the pre-light matched perfectly during the burn; the draw was superb throughout the entire stick. There were no touch-ups, runs, or re-lights required and the burn was a perfect circle throughout. It lit very easily with a great cloud of smoke from the first puff.

Flavor, 2.6:

The largest deduction of points came in the flavor profile, though this doesn’t say much since very few points were deducted throughout the smoke. The first and last 1/3 carried similar profiles—sweet and a bit mild with a slight hint of peppermint. During the middle 1/3 the more mild sweetness passed and a slight harshness arrived, though very brief; The middle 1/3 showed why this is considered a medium-full smoke, though I’d classify this stick as simply medium. The middle section also brought a bit of pepper in the back of the throat. With the shift in flavor, this stick ranked high for me in complexity.

Overall, 2.6:

This stick ranked perfectly on my value rating; this is an excellent smoke, especially when you can get a box of 20 for under $50. I enjoyed this smoke immensely and would certainly recommend it as a box purchase; this stick has been in my humidor for close to a year and the flavor profiles improved from my earlier smoke a few months back. Final words, an excellent smoke!

(Total: 8.8)

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