Thompson's prose

[Maggs44]

Got mine today, thanks!

 

[Maggs44]

There it continues the aging process that takes it from an already good cigar to a spectacular one.  Now it's equal to the Trinidad and Cuban Cohiba and other $10 Cuban cigars.....

Thanks for the smokes Golfgar.

I guess I will be one of the first to take the test and report.

I am not sure if they were refering to domestic Trinidads, but that is what I had and what I am comparing it to.

My Trindad:
Country of Origin: Dominican Republic
Flavor: Medium - Full
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican and Peruvian
Belicoso Box Pressed 52 x 6 1/8"
Age, over 2 years.
Smoked yesterday.

Nice construction, very earthy pre light aroma. The draw was perfect, the burn was uneven throughout but not a problem. Taste was spicy, peppery with a very nice creamyness. It seemed to be milder than I anticipated untill I got through about 3/4 of it when I started to feel a real buzz.. sort of snuck up on me. That was about 1 hour into it, so I let it die then even though there was still another 15 mins left on it. I just wanted to enjoy the finish.

Overall, a very good smoke.

The La Condesa Churchill.
Dominician Republic
Length: 7 1/2
Ring Gauge: 50
Strength: Mild To Medium
Wrapper: Natural

The prelight aroma was very nice, hard to define, but pretty strong. Contstruction looked good, some small veins... but looks are deceiving.

It was very hard to light, very hard draw. I then examined it more closely and found it to be kind of soft on each end, but rock hard in the middle. I tried to massage it to loosen it a bit and that is when I felt a very large amount of veins on both sides of the stick.

Once lit, the first taste I got was of strong pepper but soon became slightly sweet and creamy. I had to work hard to keep it lit, and I constantly massaged it in hopes it would loosen up. It never did. All my massaging (guess I need to invest in an ice pick) caused the wrapper to flake and unravel. This caused extreme tunneling.

I smoked it like that for about 15 mins, till it went out, which was a shame, because I really enjoyed the flavor. It had a nice finish.

About 10 minutes after it went out, I tried relighting it but alas that was a mistake because it tasted hot and bitter, and that spoiled the nice finish that it did have.

Overall, the tobacco was good, the cigar just too much work to enjoy. Maybe (hopefully) the other one will be constructed better, because I think it has possibilities.

Bruce

 

[PuroBrat]

I got mine today, will smoke one ASAP and save one for some dor time to see if it needs rest. They look good tho, really good :thumbs:

 

[AVB]

I smoked one today on my way home. I didn't know cubans were so dull First, even after sitting in a dry box for a full 24 hours it was still too wet. I couldn't keep it lit unless I puffed every 15 seconds. I tried that for a while until I started to feel a little light headed so I let it go out as that isn;t the best way to drive. Once I got home I clipped the foot again and gave it another shot. Still the same problem.

The flavor was flat and fairly mild but with the constant puffing it did get hot and a bit acid. I only made it through about half way before I chucked it. I'll try the other one in a few days to see if there is any difference. I think if I can get the burn out problem fixed it will be a mild unexceptional smoke good for working in the yard but not too much better than that.

 

[PuroBrat]

Last night I smoked one of the Thompson "Better than a cuban" La Condesa cigars from golfgar.

I would say, it is obviously NOT cuban, but it was a damn good smoke, would love to get a box for my humi if I had the $$ :angry:

Perfect Draw, flawless burn, and a sweet woody/nutty flavor with hints of banana peel. Very pleasant smoke with a lot of volume.

NOT better than my best cuban, but better than any Cohiba I ever smoked

Thanks for the fun Golfgar

 

[aeroswat]

ok i smoked the la condesa
wrapper had some blue stains on it, a little veiny, prelight draw was a little tight, lit ok, draw was still tight very little smoke, peppery taste, nice silvery ash about inch long, after about 3 inches couldnt keep it lit,
even though it tries very hard to be a Cuban, it is nowhere close, even my young palate could tell difference, compared against a Monte #2 which i smoked earlier, a great yard gar for the price,
will let the other one rest until New Years
Thanks for the smokes Golfgar
Shawn

 

[cvmfour]

So many are having problems lighting them, do ya'll think it could be they might be too wet still?

 

[cigarsarge]

Smoked mine tday. Was not a bad yard gar. I didn't have the burn problems some had. It stayed lit and had a fair burn. I had to correct it twice. It seemed to have a nutty taste. It had a brief peppery finish. It did not compare with a Cohiba, but then again I didn't really expect it to. I might buy this cigar if it were cheap for fishing or yard work. I'm going to let the other one sleep for a while to see what happens.


Thanks Golfgar! :thumbs:

 

[psyktek]

Smoked one of the La Condessa's today, or rather half of one. Nice cedary pre-light aroma, pre-light flavor a little "green" despite the maduro wrapper. Very light draw, ragged burn, flaky and loose ash.
Flavor nondescript, certainly not Cuban/Cohiban by any stretch. Will probably not bother with the other one until a long time from now. Looks like a lot of variability from the prior posts, wonder if these are being made in different factories and boxed by Thompson's?

 

[Maggs44]

So many are having problems lighting them, do ya'll think it could be they might be too wet still?

My lighting problem was not from wettness but from being plugged. It was as hard as a rock, with a huge amount of veins on both sides. I puffed and puffed and barely anything comes through.

 

[cvmfour]

Well first let me say that there is nothing like going out side with a beverage of your choice and enjoying a cigar. That being said, here is my review of this particular cigar:

When I took it out of it's cello it looked pretty yummy with veins throughout. The only blemishes on the wrapper I noticed were 2 cracks going about 1/4 around the wrapper itself.

It wasn't hard to light at all. A few puffs after it was lit, I noticed a hole about the size of a BB (bb gun pellet) through the outside of the wrapper. I thought it could have been a tobacco beetle but noticed throughout the whole cigar, that hole was there and I could see where it originated through the head. The ash was very loose, it didn't take a lot to flick it into the ash tray. I had none of the problems listed above about tight draw or burning out when you got to the middle. Towards the end, I got a major buzz that snuck up on me and is still with me as I type this. It was a pretty good cigar for the price I guess. Although it seems to be a hit and miss cigar. Thompson's need to bumb up quality control on it.

Thanks for the sampling again Golfgar! :thumbs:

 

[golfgar]

I smoked one this weekend. Perfect setting, perfect prelude (for this cigar). Had a good dinner, a big, juicy, well marbled prime cut ribeye seasoned just right, or a hot dog (whatever makes the story better), Cheetos, and other little league food. Had a Guiness and went out to the deck. Since we are in the process of moving and this was at the new house, the only available chair was one of those fold up things. I painted all day and was looking forward to relaxing with a beverage and a cigar. The beverage was great. In fact, when it was opened, it all poured out into the forzen mug with no problem. When the cigar was lit it would constantly go out. I will only make a couple of more remarks. Looks great. Good start. Lacks depth. If it is as old as they say where is the yellow cello? Satisfied the need to enjoy the evening with a Monte. One of those other $10 or more cigars they wrote about. There is one more to be smoked.

Would it be rude to send one to the current Cigarpool winner?

 

[AVB]

I smoked one this weekend. Perfect setting, perfect prelude (for this cigar). Had a good dinner, tube steaks.............

I haven't heard a grown man admit to eating tube steaks since...................well....................ever. :0 :0 :0

 

[golfgar]

ok, edited.

 

[bfreebern]

Uh hehehe, you said Tube Steak (in my best Beavis voice).

 

[STYX&STONED]

Smoked one last night.

Out of the cello this thing smells pretty good, but it had a few soft spots that caused a F'd up burn with a sloppy ash. The draw was on the light side and the taste at first was kinda woody (yes smart @$$e$, I said woody) but seemed to lose that taste as it became a little harsh tasting. Kinda reminds me of a Helix Natual. I let the other one sit awhile longer and see if it gets any better or WORSE.

Competing with any CUBAN?

I THINK NOT!!!!!

But I will say it was a little like the first few Helix I tried to smoke, but I would rate this a tad (small tad) better than the Helix....................


Thanks again golfgar for the chance to prove them wrong!!!

 

[Roseysman]

Well I was gonna smoke it on the 4th, unfortunately my B/inlaw showed up with some Davidoff Aniversario #3's and oh well ya know the rest . So the 2 LaCondesa's are still sitting in my humi but I swear I wont smoke anything this weekend till I try one of these 1st when I get to my campsight. And then I can throw my .02 in. ???

 

[gawntrail]

Picked mine up from the neighbor (who picked up our mail while we were on sabatical). These dudes have sat in a crate for two weeks in the USPS box and ziplock. I'm going to torch one this afternoon and see if it explodes (J/K). I'll put them in the humi and let them settle down some. I'll get back to you guys on these in a couple of weeks.

Thompson's does have some nice boxes. We'll see about the contents.

M. Gipson

 

[Beefcube]

I waited and watched the others post about the smoking experiences, this gave a lil' more time for the sticks to adjust from shipping.

Wrapper; small veins, no cracks, no holes, looked good
Cut; actually a bad cut, kinda torn
Draw; very easy, no problems
Light; with a wooden match it lit very quick, no effort
Ash; greyish, flakes, never hit it as it fell off by itself quickly
Smoke; alot of smoke during draws, but none seen in between puffs, never went out but no smoke
Flavor; very woody, not cuban but not unpleasent (?), was a funny strong after taste kinda "chemically" taste, did these have PG in them?

As good as a 10$ premium ..No
I'll compare it to the 2$ Fuente's ("Curly-Heads" I think they are called) I buy for yardwork and empty pocket times.

Would I smoke them again.. Yes, lets hope the other one I have has no problems that others have stated.

I think the 49$ a box is right for these everyday smokes.

THANKS for the lil' game here golfgar.... Matt

 

[CoventryCat86]

I shold have posted a while back but I got mine too, thanks Golfgar

I'll try to get to 'em ASAP :thumbs: