Motown Cigar Group

The following are cigars that I have found to be excellent, good, fair, decent, etc..

Hoyo DeMonterrey (Honduran) Full flavored, very well made. All sizes are good. I have a review of the small Demitasse size below. The Excalibur line is a fantastic, full flavored cigar.	Jose Marti (Nicaraguan) The robusto is my favorite. Make sure you smoke the Nicaraguan line. The Dominican version is too mild and one dimensional.
La Finca (Nicaraguan) Try the coronas or the robustos. Priced great, usually well made. A good, everyday-type cigar.	La Eminencia (Honduran) Available from Vincent and Tampa Cigar Company. Try the Fancy Cubanita for $15 a bundle! 1-888-CIGARS2.
JR Ultimates (Honduran) Try any of these in double maduro. Excellent. JR Ultimate Cabinet The "upscale" version. Excellent.	Padron (Nicaraguan) Excellent cigars. Well made and flavorful. I recommend the 2000 and 3000. I also have to give a heads up to the Londres, a very nice corona size smoke, the Chico, a panatella, and the Delicias, which is a great backup to the 2 or 3000s.. These are secretly my favorite cigars. If I could only smoke one cigar, the Padron would be it.
Macanudo (Dominican and Jamaican) Old time cigar smokers cringe at these due to their mildness, but I really like them. Absolutely one of the highest quality, best made cigars out there.	Partagas (Dominican) See Macanudo comments, but maybe with just a bit more oomph.
Punch (Honduran) See Hoyo De Monterrey Comments. The Grand Cru series is a full flavored, somewhat creamy tasting cigar and is one I highly recommend.	La Gloria Cubana (Dominican) A straight-up full flavored Dominican (some are also made in Miami). Also try the El Creditos which are the seconds of the La Gloria Cubana line. Recommended.
Tabantillas (Dominican) At $25 a box from JR, these are great, especially aged.	San Vicente (Nicaraguan) Also 25 bills and also a good cigar.
Te Amo and Te Amo New York New York (Mexican) I do not like Mexican cigars.. In my opinion, Mexican cigars taste like straw or grass. The but the NY NY line is really good and actually has a cinnamon taste to it.	Villar y Villar Yet another inexpensive Nicarauguan. Try the trumpet size.
Bahia Costa Rican and very interesting. The "Gold" series is a nice, mild, creamy cigar.	Flor de Florez Nicarauguan and very tasty.
Belinda My cigar buddy John Gehman turned me on to these. Try the Cabinets. Very nice.	Arturo Fuente I really enjoy the Hemmingway Short Stories and for a cheap alternative, Curly Heads are quite good. But, for the cigar that will rock your world, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE Fuente Don Carlos #2, which is an outstanding cigar!
La Unica Before all the hype, these were really affordable. Sold by the bundle, they are a really solid made cigar. Made by the Newman family in conjunction with the Fuentes. Finally, they are coming back to earth a little bit price-wise. Try the #400	Morro Castle Nicarauguan. Not the greatest cigars I have had. I've tried several boxes, but found them one dimensional and mostly plugged, even with aging. Not recommended.
Baccarat Rather mild with a touch of sweetness. Supposedly, some sweet gum is applied to the cap, thus the sweet taste. These are fairly well made and aren't that bad. Give 'em a try.	Puros Indios I have only had a handful of these and all of them were robustos. I must say that they were very well made and had a nice, consistent full flavor througout. A very nice cigar.
Bolivar The Domincan Bolivars are pretty good. They are extremely well made and have a nice consistent taste and burn. They are in no way, however, comparable to their Cuban counterparts. They are far too one-dimensional to be considered anywhere near as good as the Cubans. Recommended.	Bauza A decent cigar. All of the ones I have smoked have been full flavored, but tended to burn rather hot. The flavor, however, makes up for the hot burn and overall, the Bauza is a nice cigar.
Canaria D'Oro From the people who bring you the Macanudo and Partagas. This cigar is a sleeper. It is a fine cigar. Rather mild, but very well made, a consistent straightforward taste, and a price tag about half that of a Macaudo or Partagas. I guess you could call these a "Poor Man's Macanudo". Recommended. Update 2/2001 - This cigar is being phased out. Most retailers are selling them for $30 a box while they last. I suggest if you like them to stock up. At that price, they are a bargain.	Cuesta Rey I have smoked the 95 and the 1884 from this series. Well made, but just a little too mild for my taste. They are competitively priced and are a good beginner's cigar.
El Rey del Mundo A very nice full flavored Honduran. Excellent construction. A powerhouse. Try the Rectangular.	Don Diego A very nice Domincan. Always consistent. Rather mild for my tastes, but a very well made cigar. This is a good recommendation for those new to cigar smoking.
H. Upmann One of the first "real" cigars I ever smoked. These are Dominican and are very good. Recommended.	Las Cabrillas Too one dimensional for me. Rather bland. A person just beginning to smoke cigars may enjoy their mildness.
Lew's Smokers I've had a few bundles of these and have enjoyed them thoroughly. Ugly wrappers, mixed filler, but great taste. I've taken these on hunting trips. Great giveaway or poker cigars.	JR Special Jamaican From what I have gathered, these used to be Jamaican but have been made in the Dominican Republic the past few years. These are a nice, mild smoke. If you like mild, with just a touch of sweetness, give these a try.
Remedios Nicarauguan. Not too bad. These are not the most flavorful cigar, but they are fairly well made and with 6 months of age on 'em, smoke very well.	Royal Jamaica I know people who swear by these. I am not one of them. I actually have found all of these I have smoked to be somewhat dull, if not bitter. To each his own.
Don Jose Inexpensive bundles. Don't waste your time with these. Not much taste at all, unless you like straw.	Don Mateo Another inexpensive bundled cigar, this one being from Honduras. They burn a little hot and are an ugly cigar, but they have a nice, full taste to them. Marginally recommended.
Henry Clay Give me anything with a Connecticut Broadleaf Wrapper. Excellent, full taste. They are ugly, but hey, who cares? Great cigar.	La Aurora/Leon Jimenes Made in the same factory. The La Aurora has a Cameroon wrapper and comes in cardboard boxes. The Leon Jimenes has a Connecticut Shade wrapper and comes in cedar boxes. Both are very good. I give the nod, albeit slightly, to the La Aurora because I like the taste of the Cameroon wrapper.
JR Alternative to the Macanudo Duke of Devon An excellent mild to medium cigar. Beautiful Connecticut Shade wrapper. This cigar may be better than its namesake. Highly recommended.	Old Fashioned #500 (Macanudo Duke of Devon) These are seconds of the Macanudo Duke of Devon. Not as nice in terms of appearance, but excellent straightforward Mac taste. The Robust line has a little more flavor. These are a good buy.
Old Fashioned Cohiba Red Dot Second Nice cigar. Looks like a first in my opinion. Good Dominican, but no where near a Cuban Cohiba in terms of taste. Recommended.	JR Mystery Domincans Every third one is plugged, buy hey, for the price, who cares. Excellent mild to medium cigar and a bargain to boot. Rumor has it these are actually Fonseca or Fonseca Vintage cigars.
JR Alternative to the St. Luis Rey and Rafael Gonzalez From what I have been told these are the same cigar. Torpedo shaped with an excellent full flavor. Some have tight draws, but for under $2 for a torpedo, they are a good bargain. My buddy George loves these.	Hoyo DeMonterry Demitasse My newfound winter cigar. Here in Michigan, the weather from November to April is damn cold, and smoking in the screen porch demands a short cigar. This little beauty is 4 x 39 and is about a 15 minute little powerhouse. Very recommended, especially if you are looking for a short cigar.
Cuesta Rey Centenario A very nice cigar. I smoked the Pyramid #9 and thoroughly enjoyed it. A mild, smooth cigar with perfect construction.	Consuerga These are seconds of Hoyo DeMonterrey, Belinda, Punch and El Rey's. You never know what the cigar is going to be a second of, but I will tell you what, for the price, you can't beat 'em. The Robusto size, #9, is a nice, medium strength, easy drawing cigar.
Camacho Corojo A powerhouse of a cigar. The corojo leaf wrapper impacts a very strong, yet flavorful taste. These were made to compete with Cuban cigars in terms of strength and taste. A good cigar, well made, but not for the faint of heart. If you like your beef rare, enjoy Jack Daniels straight up, you'll like this cigar.	Camacho Havana The other cigar in the Camacho line. This cigar is identical to the corojo but doesn't use the corojo wrapper. What results is an very good cigar. It is not as strong as the corojo and is somewhat medium in strength. I feel this cigar is much more complex and flavorful.
Sosa These are always perfectly rolled and burn well. A mild to medium cigar in my opinion and one well worth smoking. Try the pyramid.	Dunhill Yes, I know, the name evokes tweed jackets, expensive cars and money, and of course well-made cigars. Dunhill's are a good cigar, but not worth the expensive price tag that accompanies them. There are many cigars out there with the mild taste of a Dunhill that aren't going to set you back $10+ apiece.
JR's Genuine Counterfeit Cuban Tough to review. The several I have had were wonderful taste-wise, but were solidly plugged due to being rather wet. My suggestion, if you buy these, would be to let them sit for a while to stabilize, as like any other JR product, they tend to ship rather damp. They are a beautiful looking cigar however.	Mayorga I've had quite a few of these and can say that the small pyramid size in maduro is excellent. Not a powerhouse, but not weak either, this cigar is more of a medium bodied offering. The taste starts off mild but builds to a nice finish. These are priced decently, so give 'em a try.

Of course, this list will be added to...Have an opinion on any of these cigars?

Montecristo #2 (Cuban) Review: Fantastic. Full flavor. Increased as the cigar is smoked. A classic.	Bolivar (Cuban) Literally knocks my socks off. These are very full flavor, and like the Montecristo's they build as you smoke them. Numbs the tongue! Very highly recommended. The Belvederes are an excellent machine made. If these were legal in the U.S., they would be my "every day" cigar.
Cohiba Esplendido (Cuban) One word: Awesome.	Hoyo DeMonterrey (Cuban) Well made, full bodied. Very good. But, in my opinion, not as good as those above.
H. Upmann (Cuban) Very good, although I found this cigar one-dimensional	Ramone Allones Good cigar. The ones I've smoked have been the machine made. More mild than most Cubans, but very well made and an excellent straightforward taste.
Partagas Petit Corona A very nice little cigar. Full flavored, with that distinct Cuban taste. A nice, 20-25 minute cigar.

Topper (Domestic) These are short-filled and machine made, but they are all-tobacco and are a damn good cigar, especially, the extra oscuro. These have become my regular cigar. For $40 for 50, they are a good deal. The Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper is so full-flavored you want to eat it.	Travis Club (Domestic) The Senator is a good cigar. Combinatation of long filler and short, machine made, all tobacco. I also have been enjoying the Especiales, a maching-made long filler, similiar to the main Travis Club line, but in a simple cardboard box whereas the regulars are in a wooden box. At $19.95 for 25, a very good value. Connecticut shade wrapper, and a very fat 55 ring gauge perfecto size. Available from Finck Cigar Company Finck also makes a decent long filler, Charles the Great (Honduran) and Lamb's Club (Dominican).
Parodi (Domestic) Dry cured cheroots that don't have to be humidified. Definetely have there own taste, but are really pretty good.	Munniemakers Ugly, short filler, and machine made. With this combo, you would think they are horrible. Nope. Very good cigar, with taste that rivals many of the overpriced garbage out there. Domestic, made by FD Graves. Around $30 for 50.
JR Famous (Domestic) Machine made, but the only extremely cheapie machine-made, ala AyC or El Prouducto, that I like.	Backwoods Don't laugh. These little guys come in foil wrapped 8 packs and are a fine, all tobacco, cigar. These are wrapped in Connecticut Broadleaf, which gives 'em a full flavored tatse.