Cameroon wrapper is among the finest, sweetest, most aromatic tobacco grown in the world, so it’s no surprise that Cuban Crafters takes advantage of the Cameroon mystique to wax exotic in their description of this cigar:

In search of the perfect blend, various tribes in Cameroon, Africa were visited by our scouts. After years of searching an ultra premium Cameroon wrapper was located. It blended perfectly with the Cuban seed tobacco from Tabacalera Esteli. It is grown by a tribe in a small village on the western edge of Cameroon, close to an active volcano named Mount Cameroon. The country’s most fertile soils are in this region, and the tobacco is among the world’s most expensive.

Doctor Livingstone, I presume?

Not that I have anything against tribal contact in an effort to procure the finest tobaccos. I visit the Las Vegas Paiute Tribal Smokeshop on a regular basis in the furtherance of just this cause. No hypocrite am I.

But on to the cigar: This is a solidly rolled, stout torpedo — I might be tempted to call it a short pyramid instead — with a rough but attractive wrapper. I would not guess this to be Cameroon by sight. No tooth, and that’s the truth. The head on this one is finished, unlike the pig-tailed Cameroon torpedoes on their website, and the foot is unevenly cut.

The pre-light draw is very liberal, almost loose. I worried for a moment that this was an indication of poor construction, but this turned out not to be the case. It lit up like a charm and burned fairly even all the way to the band.

The filler and binder on this smoke are Nicaraguan, and true to form the base flavor is woody. It’s a little bit papery at times, but paper is still wood, right? On top of this floats the cameroon — not as sweet and spicy as many other cameroons, but aromatic just the same. The smoke is smooth and medium bodied from start to finish, with a decent kick at the end.

The aftertaste is a little bit bitter, slightly green and aspirin like. It’s the same sort of flavor I get from Indonesian wrapper and some Mexican smokes.

Overall this was a decent cigar, but not really my cuppa. Maybe a few months in the humidor would cure it of the rough spots.

If you like that Indo-Mexican tartness you might want to give this one a shot. Keep a few on hand just in case you happen to meet Stanley in darkest Cameroon.

In my review of the Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduro I noted that the wrapper used for that cigar is the same as the one used for the Onyx Reserve (as well as the delightful Backwoods). At the time I expressed surprise because the Romeo tastes nothing like the Onyx. After trying this Onyx, which has been idling in my humidor for about a year, I think I will have to back off a little from that statement.

The Onyx Reserve, like the Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduro, is made in La Romana, Dominican Republic, for Altadis USA. The wrapper is Connecticut broadleaf maduro. The binder is Nicaraguan, and the filler is a three country blend of Nicaraguan, Dominican, and Peruvian leaf. Yes, it’s the same combination used in the R y J Reserve Maduro. Could they be made in the same factory, even? Perhaps.

The wrapper is a solid dry maduro with just a touch of dust. I’m not sure if this is plume or what, but it gives the cigar a very matte black look. The first taste is rich and earthy, similar to but not quite as bold as the Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduro. (Keeping in mind the age of this sample, it may have mellowed a bit.) The earth blends in well with the sweetness of the maduro.

It gets woodier and takes on a little pepper at the half-way point. The funky overtones give way to bittersweet chocolate, and this flavor pretty much takes it to the finale. It’s a little salty on the tongue, and the aroma is very cedary and at times even floral. The only real drawback is a bitter aftertaste.

The construction on this stick was perfect. The draw is generous and the burn is even all the way. It forms a respectable dirty gray ash that has a yellowish tinge.

This is a great medium bodied cigar, in the same class as the Romeo y Julieta Reserve Maduro and K. Hansotia’s Signature 101, but better. Considering how close it is to the R y J in flavor and composition, and the fact that the Onyx sells for about a third less than the Romeo, I know which one gets my vote.

Each time we turn into The Sopranos we get to see Tony Soprano in his car, lighting up a cigar as the opening credits roll. So it is fitting that HBO should extend a meaty palm to CAO and license the Sopranos edition of cigars. In 2005 they did just that, and at the RTDA that year CAO unleashed three sizes of pricey Sopranos smokes.

This is the smallest of the three sizes, the Associate, a standard robusto at 5 x 52. Also available are the Soldier (toro) the Boss (double corona) and the just released “Tony Soprano Signature,” an extra-large toro with a 60 ring gauge.

The wrapper used for the Sopranos series is Brazilian mata fina. I was interested for this reason to see how it would compare to CAO’s Brazilia line, which uses a Brazilian arapiraca leaf rather than mata fina. The cigar is completed with a Honduran binder and an interesting combination of Nicaraguan, Dominican and Columbian filler. Columbian leaf is a rarity as well, but CAO has used it before in their CX2 double-cameroon sticks.

I was frankly quite surprised by the Associate. I was expecting something along the same lines as the Brazilia Gol! — something rich and spicy. Instead, the Associate turns out to be a sweetheart.

The wrapper on this cigar is an attractive shiny maduro, and the roll is flawless. It fired up without a hitch and burned straight all the way. It forms a solid white ash that wants to spend some time with you before hitting the ashtray.

The first flavor is a delicate sweetness, a smoky maple syrup. The smoke is surprisingly light and smooth, and at no point did it develop any kind of bite. There is a hint of licorice, but that’s it from the spice cabinet. The base flavor is earthy, but even this is fairly muted. Mostly this is just a very relaxing easy-going cigar. Toward the end it turns up the chocolate. After removing the band and nearly burning my fingertips I laid this one to rest.

The Sopranos “Associate” is a refined and relaxing cigar that took me by surprise. It’s not the powerhouse I expected, but considering the fact that my expectations were based on a fictional family of mobsters on television, perhaps I get what I deserve.

Unfortunately the price on this limited edition from CAO is a little bit prohibitive. But I would recommend it anyway as a special treat, especially for tough guys with a soft spot.

La Gloria Cubana Reserve Figurados were introduced by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo in 2004 as a limited edition cigar. Only two master rollers, hand picked by Ernesto for their superior skills, are assigned to the Reserve Figurados. The tobaccos for this line are aged for three months in specially designed cedar bins to impart an extra spiciness — and then they are aged for three months further in the box.

The line was expanded in 2005 to include two maduro wrapped cigars — the Regalias Perfectos, and the Felicias Maduro pictured above. These are the only two sizes wrapped in Connecticut broadleaf maduro, but they are also available in Ecuador grown Sumatra.

The size is 4 5/8 by 49, a small but beautiful figurado reminiscent of Fuente’s Hemingway Short Story. The wrapper on this cigar is rich with oil and smells good enough to eat. So good in fact that I think I’m going to give you a close up:

The name “Felicia” is a tribute to Ernesto’s mother. You know she has to be proud of her son. It’s a beautiful cigar, and a testament to the fine art of cigar rolling.

Like most LGCs this one is made in the Dominican Republic. The binder is Nicaraguan, and the filler is a Nicaraguan-Dominican blend. The prelight draw is tight due to the perfecto foot — once this burns off the draw is also perfecto.

The initial taste is peppery, sharp but not strong. There is a little bit of a bite. The aroma is of sweet wood — cedar, almost piney. A few minutes later there’s some sweetness from the maduro, and a bit later some sulfur. The aroma remains true to its cedary base.

I picked this cigar tonight because I wanted something fairly short. By 8:30 it had cooled down outside to about 107 degrees from the 114 during the day. It wasn’t a double corona kind of evening, by my standards anyway. Even so, this cigar lasted a good 45 minutes. My only gripe is that it burned a little hot toward the end, but by that time the coal was touching the band anyway and it was time to go in and cool off.

The aftertaste is rich and chocolatey — strangely similar to the scent of the cigar in a pre-lit state. So in this way it comes full circle. A very nice smoke. I’d really like to try the larger Regalias sometime, perhaps in the fall when the desert is a little more cigar friendly.

I received this smoke as part of a sampler trade on Club Stogie. Thanks Bonggoy!