Alec Bradley Coyol Robusto Review

Posted on November 29, 2017 by thecashkeepers

When I first started smoking cigars, the Alec Bradley Tempus and Prensado were making big waves in the cigar industry. They were both getting high ratings, reviews, and accolades constantly. I could not get enough of the Tempus and I then fell in love with the Black Market as well. I really enjoyed the whole Alec Bradley line at that time. The last 2-3 years I haven’t been as impressed with their new blends and releases. Hopefully the Coyol will bring me back into the fold!

Blend Profile
Wrapper: Honduran Trojes
Binder: Nicaraguan and Honduran
Filler: Nicaraguan and Honduran
Country of Origin: Honduras

Appearance & Smell
This cigar has a very gritty and unpolished appearance. It did not look very smooth at all. Having two labels helped to dress it up a bit though. The smell has a very strong hay and earthiness to it.

Smoke Preparation
I found myself away from home with only an inexpensive plastic double cutter, so that’s what I used to get a flat cut on the end of the Coyol. I also used a no-name quad torch to get the Coyol lit and burning.

Burn & Draw
In this first picture after being lit, you can see that it started to burn a little bit crooked. This was a trend that continued throughout the entire cigar. The draw was nice and the smoke was thick and tasty. Having to repeatedly touch up the cigar was pretty frustrating though.

Strength & Body
This cigar stayed at a consistent medium and towards the end of the cigar it because a little more medium to full. It did keep a consistent body, not too much flavor variation as the smoke went on. The cigar started with a bit of spiciness and did incorporate the hay/earthiness that I smelled prior to lighting. After a bit the spiciness wears off but the hay and earthiness continued until the end of the cigar.

Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, I don;t think this cigar is the one to bring me back into the Alec Bradley fold again. It wasn’t a terrible stick but it is one that I probably wouldn’t pick up again for myself. Having to fight to keep the burn even was bothersome, the lack of variation in taste, and the overall lack of depth pushes me away from the stick. I did enjoy that Alec Bradley is experimenting with newer tobaccos and really going outside of the box to push the uniqueness of the Coyol, this blend just wasn’t my cup of tea though.

Source: Purchased Locally
Brand Information: Alec Bradley

Celius Root Pipe Refurb

Posted on November 20, 2017 by thecashkeepers

I must admit that I had never heard of the Celius Root pipes before I found this one in a large group of pipes I had purchased. When I first held it, I could tell that it was a nice pipe and it felt good in the hand. After doing some research, it turns out that I was right, it is a nice pipe line. This one says “Celius Root Denmark Pawn 19”. The stem was the main part that needed love but the bowl was already pretty good. Here are the before pics:

Stem
To get rid of the oxidation and the tooth marks, I wet-sanded the stem with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. I then cleaned the inside of the stem with pipe cleaners and high proof vodka. The stem is finished up with a buffing of red tripoli and a buffing of carnauba wax.

Bowl
The bowl really didn’t have a lot of cake build up so I just did a light reaming. The reaming revealed a couple of crags inside the bowl and those drive me crazy. To get rid of the crags, I used a professional grade bowl coating on the inside to make it all even. Then I used some q-tips and brushes with vodka on the inside of the shank to clean it up. The crags on the rim all seamed pretty good without any burns or cake so I left it the way that it was. The bowl received a very light buffing of carnauba wax on the bottom side of the shank where it was smooth.

Here is the finished product:

Thank you for looking and feel free to let me know what you think of the finished product!

Gispert Intenso Cigar Review

Posted on November 19, 2017 by thecashkeepers

Some of my best friends have been bragging about the Intenso cigar since the cigar dropped this spring/summer. I haven’t had time to get to it but it had been on my list. Well, I was at a cigar event and I decided that it was time! Here is the rundown of the Intenso!

Blend Profile
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Dominican Republic and Nicaragua
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Vitola: Belicoso 6.13×52
Blended by: AJ Fernandez

Appearance & Smell
Ooooooo weeeeeeee! This has a nice toothy wrapper! It also has a little bit of a veiny appearance. The texture feels nice in the hand though. It feels well-rolled, not too soft and not too firm. The smell is rich and earthy with a hint of clay. The picture above shows the belicoso with a flat cut already.

Smoke Preparation
With the belicoso I opted for a flat cut with Xi1 from Xikar and lit it with a generic no-name triple torch that I had on hand. Pre-light cold draw was giving me notes of earthy pepper.

Burn & Draw
This cigar lit evenly and the draw was perfect. There were many times I got caught up in conversation, it stayed lit the whole time. I didn’t have to touch it up once or re-light at all. When I encounter a cigar that is this well-rolled, it really does make it so much more enjoyable. The ash held on well, there were no problems with flakiness.

Strength & Body
This is definitely a full bodied smoke! Most of the Gispert line is all milder, so they went a little bit in a different direction with AJ Fernandez’s influence. The pepper stays consistent throughout. This cigar stayed smooth throughout the whole smoke. Sometimes peppery cigars can get bitter towards the end but this one never did that.

Final Thoughts
I have heard a few of my friends compare this cigar to the Padron 1964. I will admit that it had a lot of the same tastes and smoke. I wouldn’t say it’s exactly the same as a 1964 BUT I will say that if you like the 1964, you will like the Intenso. In most shops it is a $7 cigar, so it helps with the budget too! I loved the full-bodied, creamy smoke and I think it is safe to say that I would definitely purchase this cigar again. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Source: Purchased Locally
Brand Information: Altadis USA

Weber Meerschaum-Lined Refurb

Posted on November 14, 2017 by thecashkeepers

I have had this pipe hanging around for at least a couple of years. I keep seeing it but get distracted by other pipes/jobs. I had a friend contact me yesterday about finding a groomsman gift and he specifically asked about meerschaum or meerschaum-lined pipes. Awesome! The perfect opportunity to finally get this pipe cleaned up!

Here are the before pictures:

Stem
I wet-sanded the stem with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. This process helps remove grime and oxidation off the stem. I didn’t get a picture of it, but this stem did have an extra metal part on the tenon. I used steel wool on the metal part. Scrubbed the inside of the stem with pipe cleaners and vodka. The stem gets finished with a buffing of red tripoli and a buffing or carnauba wax.

Bowl
I lightly reamed the cake build-up off the inside. I was very careful to not hurt or damage the meerschaum-lining. Some of the lacquer/stain was coming off of the bowl already, so I decided to remove the stain completely. I sanded the outside of the bowl with 500 grit, 1000 grit, and 1200 grit. I then lightly sanded the top of the meerschaum-lining to bring back some of it’s original white color and smooth it out. The bowl gets finished with a buffing of red tripoli and a buffing of carnauba wax.

Here is the finished product!