Mad Dog

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Size: 5×50, Robusto

Wrapper: Sumatran

Filler: Panamanian

Strength: Medium-Full

Price: Box of 20, $114.99; 5-pack, $25.99

Grade: 8.8

Matt over at Tex Cigars recently sent us a couple of the Mad Dog sticks in the Robusto size. This blend is only sold as a Robusto and Torpedo, and is hand-made in Panama. Often grown with a bit of volcanic soil, cigars from Panama can carry some unique flavors. Though many cigars are produced in this region, less are actually shipped from Panama, which Tex lists as one of the unique features of the Mad Dog.

The Mad Dog rested in our humidor for a couple months and we’ve been itching to give it a shot. You can learn more about this cigar here.

This review comes from our close friend Chris; He and his wife just celebrated the birth of their first child, a healthy little boy named Lane! Everyone welcome Chris, and congratulate him on the new addition!

Appearance 1.8:
The appearance on this stick is beautiful—a reddish brown Sumatran wrapper that is very smooth and oily, the Mad Dog makes a great first impression. There are minimal veins and no soft spots—very well constructed. The pre-light draw is solid with notes of sweet pepper. The band on this stick is eye-catching, with a shiny chrome outline of a Mad looking Dog set against a black background.

Burn, 1.5:
By far the biggest deduction, the burn on stick struggled from the beginning. The “v” shaped burned only worsened as the smoke progressed. Though the ash was consistently colored and held well, the crooked burn required several touch-ups to correct. On the positive side, the draw on the Mad Dog was nearly perfect and never burned hot. The smoke emitted had a very sweet and enjoyable aroma and thick clouds were produced throughout. Had the burn been straighter, this stick would have scored around a 1.8 on burn, soaring it to a 9.1 overall grade. So, if burn issues don’t bother you, this is a high scorer!

Flavor, 2.8:
The Mad Dog transitioned exceptionally well; beginning with strong notes of pepper, by the second third the stick had mellowed out into a very sweet and smooth tasting cigar. The sweetness was complemented by a leathery taste that was very enjoyable to the palette. Great complexity, consistency, and flavor, the Mad Dog is a winner in the flavor category. There was also some noticeable body to this medium-full stick, which made the experience nice and relaxing.

Overall, 2.7:
At just under $6 a stick, I’d say this is a solid value. In fact, I would consider buying a box of these at the current price point of $114.99 per 20. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this cigar, even with the burn issues. The great flavor profile and beautiful appearance prevented me from being totally distracted by the required touch-ups. As I said earlier, had the burn on this stick been better, we’d be looking at a score into the low 9s. Thanks to Tex Cigars for providing this excellent House Blend.

(Total: 8.8)

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Quick Fire: Isla del Sol

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Let’s get this out of the way: I am not a big fan of flavored cigars. Since moving on from Swisher Sweets and Black n Milds years and years ago, I haven’t craved a flavored cigar. However, my dad loves them. After dinner at my folk’s, I started digging through his humidor. It was full of the CAO flavor line, Tabak Especial, his remaining Kahlua’s, other cheap flavored sticks he is trying out, a few nice non-flavored he is saving. After fighting off the temptation to steal his only Decade, I picked up the Isla del Sol, his latest attempt at finding a lower-priced daily smoke.

The Isla del Sol is produced by Drew Estate, of ACID fame, and conceals Nicaraguan filler with a Sumatran wrapper. Each filler leaf is infused with Sumatran Mandheling coffee beans. It is a value smoke and a box of 20 can be purchased for under $50.

The appearance on this stick is pretty solid; the draw was perfect and the ash was a nice whitish-gray, though it fell at the one inch mark. The sweet flavor is very strong on the lips but luckily for me the flavor is not as strong during the smoke as it is on the lips. I definitely detected hints of coffee but I also detected strong flavors of vanilla. The smoke was squishy to the touch but did not burn fast or hot.

This was a decent smoke; I was kind of looking forward to it being finished though and if I wasn’t having a good time outside with my family, I probably would not have burned it as long as I did. My son came outside when I was about 2/3 through it and I put it down happily. But, if you like flavored cigars and are looking for a value, I’m told this would be right up your alley; my dad loves it, if that helps any!

Single Worthy: YES
Box Worthy: NO
Grade: C-

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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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