La Flor Dominicana in the past couple of years has earned a reputation for full bodied bombers like the Double Ligero and Litto Gomez Diez cigars. But that’s not all they do. The Reserva Especial is a real sweetheart of a cigar that aims for finesse rather than a crushing blow to the senses.

Cigar Insider (as featured on the LFD website) calls the LFD Figurado a belicoso. It isn’t really, because torpedoes and belicosos are like parejos in that they have straight sides. “Torpedo” and “belicoso” are often interchangeable terms, it seems, but they are distinguished from pyramids, which are figurados having non-parallel sides and a slightly conic cylinder. This Figurado, I believe, is actually a pyramid. No doubt somebody will disagree with the way I’ve split these hairs, and that’s okay.

The dimensions of this figurado are 6 1/2 inches by 32 graduating to 52 at the foot. (Don’t ask me where the 32 comes from. I think there’s some theoretical mathematics at work here.) The wrapper is an even and smooth Ecuadorian grown Connecticut seed leaf with a little bit of ripple in the veins. The binder is Nicaraguan, and the filler is piloto cubano from La Flor Dominicana’s farm in the DR.

The aroma from this pretty stick is sweet and elegant. It’s floral like the best Connecticut wrapper often is, but with a dollop of spice as well. The flavor is very mild for the first inch or so, and then gentle flavors of nuts and wood enter into the mix. The smoke is creamy at first and just gets more so until it reaches an almost buttery texture. At the mid point the flavors pick up a little more heft, but stay basically the same, while the rich aroma continues its long-legged strut down the catwalk. There’s a little bump in the octane at this point, but nothing to kick it past medium grade.

The foot unraveled a bit at first, which I’m going to attribute to operator error; aside from this, it burned perfectly and had no construction defects. I’m not sure if there was much age on this particular stick since I received it in a trade, but I’ll be picking up a few more to experiment with. At six dollars apiece, or about $150 a box, it’s not a thoughtless purchase. I might have to sample a few more singles and give them some thought.

This is a gorgeous, if somewhat flamboyant cigar. It’s not huge on flavor, but it’s long on looks and aroma. I’d hand this out to deserving new smokers in a heartbeat, but first I’d put a few in reserve for myself.

A panatela is a long, thin, and currently unfashionable cigar. The latin root of the term is “pan” which means bread. Panatela is a diminutive form of the word; in Italian it means a small loaf, or a thin biscuit. In Spanish it can also mean pound cake, which might cause some confusion if you’re looking for cigars in a Spanish bakery. In this case you may want to document your experience for a future BBC comedy sketch.

Panatelas can be from about 5 1/2 to 7 inches in length with a ring gauge from 34 to 38, sort of like a thin lonsdale. It is one of the historically “standard” sizes but in recent years it has become increasingly rarer due to the trend toward larger ring gauges. The long thin aspect lends it an elegant appearance which according to some people makes it more attractive to female smokers. That sounds to me like a stereotype, so I’m not going to give it too much weight; on the other hand I’m sure there are guys out there who would feel a little uncomfortable smoking this in the pub. I can hear the Virginia Slim jokes already.

The thin ring gauge makes this a difficult cigar to roll: the most common problem is a tough draw because there are so few leaves to work with. Aside from the annoyance of a bad draw, a tight roll will result in a bitter and tarry smoke. On the other hand, if the roller overcompensates and rolls the cigar too loosely, the burn will be too hot and the flavor unbalanced.

I am happy to report that the Padron panatela suffers from neither of these problems. The cigar is actually quite soft to the touch, which I thought might be an indication of a loose roll, but the roll turned out to be perfect. It had an easy draw and an even and fairly slow burn.

It isn’t the prettiest cigar in the world — the wrapper has a few large veins and a variegated black and brown appearance. The color is similar to the finish on my Gibson 335, now that I think of it.

The Padron panatela is typical of Padron’s Thousand series. It’s full flavored from the first draw with a long finish and a slight bite that mellows after the first inch or so. The flavor is predictably woody with some rich coffee bean flavors, graduating after the mid point to a milder roast.

Despite its delicate size factor this is a full-bodied cigar that means business. It is a little tempting to smoke this one too quickly because the small ring gauge results in a smaller volume of smoke, but don’t. Take your time with it and it won’t get hot or bitter.

There isn’t a whole lot of change or complexity in this cigar, aside from the mellowing effect after the first inch or so. The lack of complexity with smaller ring gauge cigars is often due to the fact that fewer leaves can be incorporated in the blend. And while the flavor here doesn’t span the spectrum, the part that it focuses on is quite tasty.

If you like the Padron Thousand series cigars, and you can appreciate the “panatela experience,” you will most likely enjoy this cigar as well. At two to three dollars a throw, it’s worth a try. And if you’re afraid to be seen smoking an overgrown Virginia Slim, you can always herf it up Cigarfan style: by yourself in the back yard, with the dogs. The dogs may laugh at you, but they won’t tell anyone.

Rocky Patel started it all with his bandless Edge cigars packed in rough-hewn crates. Camacho followed up on the theme with El Legend-ario, and the Cubans have been going nekkid for years. But now that Rocky has responded to the copycats with a joky promotion for Edge “Counterfeits” in the latest CI catalog, I don’t know how much longer the trend can last. Even the Cubans have started banding cigars that have never had bands before… and Rocky is now banding Edges at the foot! Bandless cigars may soon be on the endangered list. Despite all this, Altadis showed up late to the party last year with a bandless Nicaraguan called Omar Ortez Originals.

Omar Ortez is a native Nicaraguan tobacco man who in the past has worked with Philip Wynne in the production of Felipe Gregorio and Felipe II cigars. Ortez established Agroindustrial Nicaraguaense de Tabaco in 1995, and is also the blender of the Exile brand cigar made in the NATSA factory. He oversees a “vertically integrated” production facility (like Padron) where he controls every aspect of the process — from seed to smoke.

Omar Ortez Originals are presented without bands and come packed in unfinished crates of 60. So far three sizes are available: robusto, toro, and torpedo.

The manufacturer is a little tight-fisted with information about the blend, admitting only Nicaraguan wrapper, Nicaraguan binder and –wait for it — Nicaraguan filler. But looking at this cigar I’m really reminded of the Ecuadoran leaf used on Aurora’s Pueblo Dominicano and 5 Vegas Limitada cigars: the smooth sheen and widely spaced veins are eerily similar. It’s a rustic looking cigar, a little rougher than the Auroras, but that goes along with the whole tough guy 60-count crate thing. Like you might pick up a crate of these at the tack store while you’re loading up on alfalfa for the herd.

It opens up with a woody flavor typical of Nicaraguans, accented by a metallic twinge that dissipates after a couple inches. It’s a full flavored smoke, but for the first third the aftertaste is very mild with no spice. There’s a nice aroma here: simple wood at first, followed by some light spice that makes the aroma smell almost like sandalwood. Not what I expect from a Nicaraguan wrapper, but very nice. The flavor moves into bittersweet chocolate territory in the second third and the aftertaste becomes slightly bitter. Towards the end of this cigar the flavor becomes sweeter, almost chocolate liqueur-like. Unusual, unexpected, but not unpleasant.

Omar Ortez Originals are Nicaraguan puros that really don’t smoke like Nicaraguan puros. They’re medium to full bodied cigars with good construction, fine taste, and an unusually sensitive aroma. They’re far less aggressive than I expected, which is probably a good thing. What they lack in power is balanced very nicely by a complexity that belies their appearance.

And get this: they’re affordable. If you play your cards right, you can pick these up for less than three bucks a stick. As Borat would say: “You like! I very excite!”

Puros Indios by Rolando Reyes, Sr. is made in Danli, Honduras with no Honduran leaf. For some reason Don Rolando just doesn’t like Honduran tobacco. Instead, he uses Ecuadoran wrapper, Ecuadoran binder, and filler leaves from Nicaragua, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. I’ve smoked a lot of these over the years because they’re decent tasting affordable cigars.

Rolando Reyes has a reputation as a hard-nosed tobacco man who watches his factory like a hawk. He reportedly examines every single cigar produced by his company and can tell a bad batch of cigars merely by weighing them in his hand. After the workers have gone home for the night he looks over the day’s production, and if he finds too many mistakes from a roller he turns that worker’s table upside down and leaves a note reading “ojo” to let that unfortunate soul know that the Don has his eye on him.

Puros Indios cigars are mild to medium in body and have a fine woody aroma with a floral element that makes them easy to smoke just about any time of the day. The flavor is leathery with a very soft finish and aftertaste. The only drawback that I’ve found is a slightly metallic flavor that comes and goes. I find that the flavor goes quickly downhill after the two-thirds point, so if you’re a nubber you might want to look elsewhere.

Most of them have good construction as well, with the exception of some of the smaller ring gauges that have, in my experience, been rolled a bit tight. Time to knock over a couple rolling desks, eh Rolando?

You can find these in most places for under four bucks per stick, sometimes under two if you buy them by the box on one of the auction sites. I always have some on hand for the ride home from work or to hand out to moochers. Because even moochers need love.

Kaizad Hansotia, the maker and master marketer of the Gurkha label, claims that his Master’s Select cigars are modeled on the 1957 Bolivar. Evidently a box of preembargo Cuban cigars washed up on the shore at Beach Cigars and they thought they were so good that they would try to replicate the blend. Good idea, because around every corner lurks a cigar rep who will tell you how similar to Cubans his cigars are, and unless you’re intimately familiar with this rare and contraband product, there’s no disproving him. (Of course, a box of 1957 Bolivars would not be contraband in the U.S. But you get the point.)

Readers of this blog are likely aware of how tiresome I find marketing tools, and I could go on about it, but at the end of the day it’s the cigar that speaks for itself. Like any other kind of evaluation, it’s best to recognize the advertising for what it is and move on.

Gurkha’s Master’s Select line includes three zeppelin perfecto sizes: big, bigger, and biggest. (Zeppelin, I have come to learn, refers to a perfecto that has its largest ring gauge in the center of the cigar. Thanks Matt!) The Number One is the biggest size at 6 x 60. The Nicaraguan grown Habana 2000 wrapper is smooth but just slightly toothy. It’s an attractive and impressive looking cigar.

Made in the Dominican Republic (probably in the Navarette Torano factory) with a Dominican binder and filler from the DR and Honduras, this stout cigar is packed full of tasty tobacco. It draws well from both sides before clipping, but I had to assume that the band was on correctly and clipped about half an inch off what the band indicates is the head.

The first thing I noticed was how slowly this cigar burns. It took a good fifteen minutes just to burn through the tip, producing a nice solid white ash. The flavor is earthy with overtones of cedar, which is accompanied by a very heavy aroma of wood. Smoke this cigar in public and it will get you noticed not only for the unusual shape but for the intense room aroma as well.

It is very well constructed, despite a wavering burn line. I don’t smoke perfectos this large on a regular basis, so it was interesting to observe the flavor changes as the cigar grew in ring gauge and then fell. It started out fairly mellow and creamy, an earthy base with nutty notes. Slowly the nuts gave way to a woody flavor, and by the end of the cigar, a little after the mid-point, the flavor gets intensely peppery. The finish is mild and quick to start with and by smoke’s end is sinus tingling with lingering spice.

I’m not sure if this is typical of perfectos, but the smoke gets very intense after reaching the thickest part of the cigar. I enjoyed this particular cigar for maybe an inch beyond this point, where the sheer strength of the smoke began to mask all of the other subtleties and started to burn a little hot. I spent an hour and a half to reach this stage, so I figured I got my money’s worth.

The Master’s Select Perfecto No. 1 is a friendly, but serious cigar. This is a ten dollar cigar that sells for half that, or even less if you keep an eye on the auction sites.

So when you’ve finished your last box of 1957 Bolivar, don’t despair. Reach for a Master’s Select!