Here are some notes I have made regarding some of the sticks I have tried in an effort to find new favorites. I have been trying a lot of samplers to separate the good from the bad. Feel free to add your own comments and experiences with sticks you have tried. Generally speaking, I like a mild-to-medium smoke.

More to come as I try new brands and blends.

5 Vegas Gold – Pleasant but not eye-popping. Might be all right once in a while for something different.

826 – Good looking cigar that doesn’t smoke as well as it looks. Got hot very quickly. The one I had needed a strong draw to smoke and the smoke heated up almost from the beginning. Color me unimpressed.

Acid Cold Infusion Tea – Perhaps the most unique cigar I’ve tried. A vaguely sweet taste to the wrapper, flavor a little milder than I like (at times it seemed that there was no flavor at all). Intriguing enough that I plan to try some of Acid’s other blends

Black Pearl – Unremarkable smoke. Starts harsh, smoothes out a bit, not something I will likely buy again.

CAO Brazilia torpedo – I thought it would be better. Not a bad smoke but not a great one, either.

Carbon Copy – The (Cuban) Cohiba-esque wrapper caught my eye. Big mistake. Horrible flavor, harsh aroma. The only cigar I can remember throwing out before I got halfway through it. About the only thing it has in common with the Cuban brand it tries to mock is that it is brown.

Carlos Torano 1916 – Started out a little harsh but smoothed out quickly. Nice flavor and aroma.

Carlos Torano Casa Torano – One of the nicer smokes I have tried. Pleasant favor with no harsh undertones.

Carlos Torano Familia Cubana – A nice, smooth smoke. Becoming one of my favorite brands.

Carlos Torano Silver Edition Grand Churchill – a smooth, satisfying smoke. Lives up to the brand.

Cohiba (Cuban) corona – Hands down the finest cigar I have ever smoked. Pleasing, moderate flavor, even burn. Will the embargo ever end?

Cohiba (Dominican, “red dot”) – Decent but unmemorable smoke. Not even close to the Cuban brand whose name they ripped off.

Felipe Gregorio – a nice mild smoke, even flavor to the end.

Fonseca – A bit stronger than I like. Made me a bit light-headed, but not as much as the Padron.

Graycliff Grand Chateau Grand Cru – Aside from the Cuban Cohiba, the best cigar I have ever tasted. I smoked this one down to the very nub, which is rare for me. It never got harsh or hot. A cigar I would definitely buy in quantity – if I could afford it. A great cigar for special occasions. Worth the price.

Gurkha 1887 – An okay smoke. I wouldn’t refuse one if someone gave it to me, but I won’t go out of my way to find one.

Gurkha G3 – Another smoke that didn’t turn out as well as I hoped. Smooth, easy draw, generic taste. Doesn’t stand out from the crowd.

Gurkha Grand Envoy – A decent if relatively unremarkable cigar. Nothing to really set it apart.

Havana Sweets Honey – Not a bad smoke, but obviously a cheap one.

Havana Sweets Irish Cream – Decent for an inexpensive cigar.

Indian Tabac Maduro – Nice, satisfying smoke. Not quite as smooth as the Rocky Patel, but still a good cigar.

La Aurora Perfecto Emerald – A nice, smooth smoke. Top quality.

La Aurora Perfecto Sapphire – A unique smoke. Unlike most torpedoes, tapered at both ends. A little stronger than I like, but a high quality smoke,

La Tradicion Perdomo Reserve – A unique appearance, from the red plastic wrapper to a distinctive shape. The open end tapers, not like a torpedo but rather like the neck of a wine bottle – tapers in, then comes straight out. I was left wondering which end to light. I ended up trimming the wide end and lighting it, smoking it from the narrow end. A bit harsh for the first 2-3 draws then smoothed out. Not a bad smoke.

Macanudo Portofino – My favorite cigar before I got into trying other brands. I smoked it mainly because the gift shop at the hotel I always stayed at in Las Vegas sold them, and it was the only cigar they sold apart from the cheap bulk brands. Still a pleasant smoke, but there are better choices.

Macanudo Portofino Robust – As the name implies, a little stronger flavor than its white-tubed cousin. Had an odd aftertaste I didn't care for much.

Montecristo – Non-distinctive smoke with a bitter aftertaste. Not one of my favorites.

Oliva Serie V – Nice, satisfying smoke. Not too strong or too mild. A few more of these might make it into my humidor.

Padron – Too strong for my taste. If a cigar makes me light-headed like this one did, I’m not inclined to buy more of them.

Punch Grand Cru – Harsh, tasted like a much cheaper smoke. I've tasted store brands that were better than this.

Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 – One of the clear winners. A nice, smooth, even-burning smoke, pleasant all the way to the end.

Hello Orca! Give the Torano 1599 Exodus a try. Right now it be my favorite Torano. I am about to be samplin some Virtuoso's, supposed ta the strongest Torano. All in all Indian Tabac's be at the top a my list, along with tha Vibe Corojo by Patel. I like em strong.

I appreciate the suggestions. A few I have tried since the initial post:

Gurkha Legend - The name "Legend" seems to be more hype than fact. I don't like any of the Gurkhas I have tried all that well.

La Gloria Cubana - I'm always suspicious when a cigar maker includes a reference to Cuba in the name of the cigar, as if they are trying to make up for some deficiency by alluding to a Cuban heritage. Not so this stick. Aside from a very odd aroma when I first lit it (sweaty armpits is about the only way to describe it), this turned out to be a very good smoke. The only problem was that the stick I had was a tough draw at times, which interfered with my enjoyment of it. I will buy a few more of these.

La Paloma Corojo - A decent medium-flavor smoke. Nothing harsh or offensive about it. Not quite as good as the La Gloria (see above), but still worth buying.

Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve - The top of the Rocky Patel line. Honestly, I liked the 1990 blend as well or better, at about half the price. As with all the RPs I've tried a good quality smoke. It just falls a little short in the value department against its stable mates.

I was just checking my humidor to see what Toranos I haven't gotten to yet. I have an Exodus 1959, a Virtuoso, a Signature Collection and a Casa Torano. The Casa Torano I've tried before, but the others are all new to me. I'll let you know what I think of them. Indian Tabac is a good stick at a good price. A lot of the guys at the cigar lounge I hit most Fridays smoke nothing else.

Hey orca - guess I made a bit of a typo before, shoulda typed Exodus 1959 , anyway, roger that on the Gurkah's. I liked em for a while but now see em as over rated for the bucks. Every Torano I ever tried has stayed right at the top a my list, for both flavor and construction.

I thought that was probably what you meant.

After reading your comments, I decided to make the Carlos Torano Exodus 1959 the next stick out of the box. I can see why you are so fond of them. Even though it was a little stronger than what I customarily smoke, this is about the closest to Cuban flavor I have found so far. The only other cigar that truly rivals the Cuban Cohiba among the ones I have tried so far is the Graycliff, which is a different flavor entirely. Like the La Gloria I had some draw problems with the Exodus, but this is one great stick.

There will be more Exodus 1959s in my humidor. It is an excellent smoke. I have not been disappointed in a Torano yet, but this is the best of the lot to date. I appreciate the tip. Maybe the Virtuoso tonight.

I could be talkin all day about draw problems. I deal with em myself, can't get a handle on em. No consistancy in the problem for what Ive found. Have ya tried many a tha Indian Tabacs? They be a stronger stog but PACKED fulla flavor!

__________________
By the age of 50 every man has the face that he deserves...........George Orwell

So far I've only tried one Indian Tabac. It's a tick below the Rocky Patels I've tried but you can tell that the same care went into them. They are a good low-priced smoke.

I tried the Torano Virtuoso last night and the Torano Signature tonight. Both are good smokes, but like you I prefer the Exodus 1959. Toranos never disappoint. I would have to say so far that among the smokes I can get regularly, the Toranos and Patels are my favorites. I like the Graycliff a lot, but at $25-30 a stick I can't buy many of them.

I tried me a Virtuoso last night and like most Toranos I be now holdin it in high reguard. Construction was impecable (which be par for Torano) and the draw was perfect. Maybe a bit under humidified since they arrived only last wednesday via UPS. Ya might want ta try the Indian Tabac Candela, I got me one a those in the bag for the drive home from work this evening and man, my chops are waterin already
Have a great weekend!

__________________
By the age of 50 every man has the face that he deserves...........George Orwell

Thanks for the tip on the Indian Tabac Candela. I will have to pick one up. I bought three Carlos Torano Exodus 1957s and two La Gloria Cubanas today, along with a crystal humidifier for my humidor. For some reason my humidity stayed regulated for about a week and then started to drop (today it was at 51 percent). Of course, we are approaching the dry season in the desert and our humidity is already down to about 15 percent. The humidifier I bought is really overkill for my humidor, but given how dry it is here I decided to buy the biggest one the cigar shop had. It was only $6 more than the next smallest one, which according to capacity should have been the one to buy.

Orca, I be sure ya would enjoy the I.T.Candella. It be in the medium range and it's a whole stick fulla flavor!

Good luck on tha humidity thing.I be in constant combat with tha humidity situation myself. I have 2- 100+ capable boxes, one be decent and one be not so decent. The one I think be decent be a 5 Vegas Century combo box what seems ta have a pretty good seal, tha other one be a cheapie from Cubancrafters which I have now quit usin altogether due to an inferior seal. Seems I either got dry sticks or I got mold creepin in. Cant seem ta find a hydrometer I can trust

__________________
By the age of 50 every man has the face that he deserves...........George Orwell