As far as cigars, you have smokers who will vehemently stick to their one or two brands and then you have smokers who will try a little bit of everything in search of the perfect smoke. I am proud to say I fall into the latter. Recently a good friend of mine visited the Cigar Factory in New Orleans and gifted me with some Plantation Reserves.

For those who aren’t familiar with this line (including me), Cigar Factory is located in the French Quarter and is the place to go to for all lovers of the leaf while in the Big Easy. At any given moment they might have four or five Torcedores (cigar rollers) working on creating quality smokes.

Upon first inspection, this is an average looking cigar. The wrapper has some veins and the seams aren’t perfect. This Churchill has a very firm feel from top to bottom. Additional the label is cut a little funny. Nevertheless I was excited to get going with this smoke as a I got a mellow spice from the pre light draw.

After toasting the foot, I can tell I am going to really enjoy this Plantation Reserve. I am getting a creamy buttery taste which I am in love with. The draw is great too. I am getting an ample amount of smoke and the burn line is pretty much stable. The ash is a pale grey and is very tight and is holding on strong.

Ten minutes into this smoke we are still in a nice mild body zone but I am getting a small kick of spice now which I have no problem with. The creamy flavor is heavier as it is coating my tongue after every exhale of smoke. So far I am very impressed with this Plantation Reserve.

If I were a coffee drinker this cigar would be a good complement.

As I near the final third, this cigar has really opened up for me. The flavor is thicker and fuller without being too strong and overpowering. I am still getting nice notes of cream. The burn is excellent to say the least and the ash has been solid throughout my smoke.

While the Plantation Reserve won’t win any beauty pageants, this an excellent cigar. Better yet it is priced around 5-6 dollars. Check out http://www.cigarfactoryneworleans.com for more information.