A cheap bastid like me is always on the hunt for a good cheap smoke. And if you look close enough at the descriptions of some of these cheap bundle cigars, you may be surprised at where they are made. The VLH 400 is made at Raices Cubanas (aka Tabacalera Tropical), known for such premium cigars as Illusione and AB Tempus. As soon as I saw that, I was sold on trying out a bundle.
Nice smokes. Don't expect an Illusione second, these are their own line of budget cigars made just for Famous Smoke Shop. Well constructed, heavy in the hand but a good draw. A few have burned unevenly, but for $2 a stick I can forgive that. Plus I can't say definitively that they burn crooked because it was a really humid summer, and I had A LOT of burn and draw problems with many cigars that I smoked (should say
tried to smoke).
Starts off pretty full-flavored, with straight up tobacco and spice, and by the halfway point the "strength" mellows out a bit and they take on a bit of wood and floral flavors. Toward the end, the smoke starts to taste very earthy and sweet. This one burned a lot better than the previous ones. Figures...by the time they start performing well I am almost out of them.
:-)
These are made in a bunch of different sizes, with a Criollo or maduro wrapper, and even 1 size with a Connecticut wrap. I haven't tried the maduros or CTs yet but I plan on it soon.
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