Back by Popular Demand: Tobias' Po' Boy Masochist Extravaganza

[Tobias Lutz]

17. La Diferencia Cubana
This was a 7” churchill from the Po Boy II pack. It is available from CI in packs of 40 for $65, so this is not your bottom of the barrel .99 stick It had a light brown wrapper with some wrinkles down the length and on the side of the cap. There were two large veins but it was well filled with a solid foot and no soft-spots. The foot had an odor of tobacco and maple syrup. The punch exposed a tight draw with a slightly acidic tone as if it had been sprinkled with a bit of lemon juice.
I don’t have a whole lot to say about this cigar. It was quite unremarkable, both in regards to the good and the bad. The burn was fine, almost razor sharp through the first half when I began to slightly stray but it corrected itself. It had a very mild profile and tasted of tobacco and burning grass. Nothing spectacular, but void of anything to mock. It was on the mild side for my preference, but that is subjective. The flavors didn’t develop or morph along the way and you finished with the same reasonable and passé taste with which you began. If you smoke because you’re compelled to have something on fire hanging out your mouth and are satisfied by mild, uncomplicated flavors…let me introduce you to your dream cigar
The single best part of the cigar: There was nothing that rose notably above the rest
The single worst part of the cigar: There was nothing that stood out negatively against the other parts.
Overall rating on a scale of 1-10: 7.5 (I almost fell asleep while smoking it, but it was pleasantly absent of some of the characteristics that have jarred me from my boredom while smoking these budget sticks.)

[Tobias Lutz]

26. Cuban Delight
This 7” stick has interested me since I first unpacked the Po Boy II sampler. Firstly, the band caught my eye because the shade of green in the center is reminiscent of the paint in my grandmother’s house when I was growing up, and I dig anything that reminds me of my grandmother. Secondly, it advertises itself as a “Premium Cigar”. Always be wary of a stick that feels the need to promote itself as “premium”. Finally, it clearly says on the band “Export of Cuba”, even though the CI site states it is made in the DR. While total bs, I found this amusing. It was a medium brown stick with some wrinkles in the wrapped and a handful of moderately sized veins. The cap was a little shoddy and the foot was slightly damaged. It did however feel pretty full and the draw was moderately tight with “darker” flavors- slightly bitter and more robust.
This one started off rather bold with a strong medium profile and a fair amount of kick. There was faint leather and an oily nuttiness that came through early on. The smoke then settled down into a mild-medium place with woody flavors and remained as such through the duration of the cigar. The burn was decent and the flavors weren’t bad, but they certainly were not stellar. I’ve smoked a very limited number of habanos in my life, but I assure you that this was so far removed from what I expect when I light a CC that it wasn’t even funny. I actually read the CI reviews for this stick and most people seem to buy a flavored version rather than the Churchill. In the end I think it would have been better simply by being able to produce more smoke. It didn’t reward you with much quantity or quality wise.

The single best part of the cigar: The name/band/claim of origin. Amusing to say the least.
The single worst part of the cigar: The lack of smoke. You didn’t get much and so the flavors had to stand on their own (which was unfortunate).
Overall rating on a scale of 1-10: 6.8 (Nothing fantastic, but it gets the job done. Definitely NOT an export of Cuba )