DESCRIPTIONS OF CIGARS FOR LIMITED TIME SMOKING

DESCRIPTIONS

Here are descriptions of a range of good, rich cigars which can be comfortably smoked when you have only 20-40 minutes available.

Cuban cigars:
You know the Montecristo, the Hoyo de Monterrey, The Romeo y Julieta No.3 – more descriptions unnecessary.

Maybe you haven’t yet tried these:

H.Upmann Half Corona 90mm x Ring44   Single R201.00  -15%
A small attractive Havana with a good even draw; surprisingly complex flavours for such a small cigar. This cigar offers a compact experience with the breadth of a more traditional cigar, lasting just about 30 minutes. It is an excellent choice for a midday break or a pre dinner smoke, for all levels of smokers.
Released in 2011, it is one of the smallest on the market - making it popular among smokers who are short of time.

Jose L Piedra Petit Cazadores   105mm x Ring 43   Single  R116.00   -15%
The Piedra family came to Cuba in the 1880's from the Spanish province of Asturias. They settled near the town of Santa Clara, which lies at the heart of the Remedios region where tobacco has been grown since the 16th century, and started to make cigars. 
The Jose L. Piedra Petit Cazadores Cigar is handcrafted with the finest leaves from the Remedios tobacco region of Cuba. The traditional Tripa Corta Totalmente a Mano technique is used to produce these smokes - meaning short filler totally hand-made. It is one of the best value Cuban cigars.
This Cuban cigar provides you with a 25-minute smoke. 

Partagas Serie D No.6   90mm x Ring 50   Single R316.00  -15%
Partagas is the second oldest Cuban brand, immediately recognisable by its deep, earthy flavour. The character of its blend springs from a selection of tobaccos from the Vuelta Abajo region chosen for their unmistakable richness of flavour and aroma.
Since 2014 the D6 has become a firm favourite with smokers as it is so powerful, and so short.  It packs a lot of tobacco into a fairly short body. Smoking time at least 25 minutes nevertheless it offers the usual rich, full Partagas experience.
You’ll understand why Cigar Aficionado awarded the cigar 92 points.

Partagas Shorts  110mm x Ring 42  Single R278.00  -15%
These Partagas Shorts are often overlooked. The cigar is a shorter Petit Corona (think Montecristo No.4 less 19mm) - appreciated by experienced smokers and connoisseurs alike who wish to smoke complex full bodied cigars in a shorter time.
Smoking time not less than 20 minutes
“The Partagas power comes in discreetly and before you know it, you are on an intense and rich finish and all you want to do is start again.”

Quintero Favoritos    115mm x Ring 50     Single R223.00  -15%
Quintero is one of the few Habanos brands not born in Cuba’s capital city, Havana. Instead its founder Agustin Quintero with his four brothers set up shop in the south coast city of Cienfuegos, known as the “Pearl of the South”. Then as now all the tobaccos selected for Quintero came from the Vuelta Abajo region. The Quintero cigar blend is noted for a herbal flavour with sweet aftertaste, medium bodied. In April 2012, a new vitola was launched - totally handmade, short filler, a shorter Robusto size, the Favoritos.
Being short filler it burns easily with a comfortable draw and usually a smooth taste. The flavour is true Cuban – a nice medium-bodied smoke. Will fill around 25-30 minute smoking time very pleasantly.

Quintero Petit Quinteros   105mm x Ring 43   Single R126.00  -15%
The Petit Quintero is 3mm longer and 3 ringsizes thicker that the classic Half Corona. Consider this when you are smoking it. And don’t rush it – it should last 20 minutes.

Rafael Gonzales Perlas   102mm x Ring 40   Single 174.00  -15%
This classic Half Corona was released in Spain in 2011, and arrived in South Africa 3-4 years ago. In a blind tasting, the Perla scored 91 points in a Cigar Aficionado tasting, with the comment “it delivers a lot of smoke for such a small cigar”. Also named the only Best Bargain Cigar from Cuba for 2012. The wrapper is slightly on the darker side, but the flavour is light - very smooth and satisfying. Colin and friends, and customers, were impressed by the quality of the construction and the burning rate (25-30 minutes).

Romeo y Julieta Petit Royales  (Al.Tubes)  95mm x Ring 47  R325.00  -15%
This is a relatively new vitola from Cuba – size name Caprichos – only available from Romeo y Julieta. Cuba is definitely catering to the demand for a satisfying smoke from a cigar small enough to be enjoyed for around 30 minutes. Interesting – the ring gauge is that same as the iconic Romeo y Julieta Churchill, but just about half the length.
I liked the comments: “Perfect for a winter’s day for those who don’t want to stay outside for too long!”
(We knew that feeling over the last few weeks.)
“For example, they are perfect as a companion for an espresso.”
Gives you the idea.
And they offer the same full flavour and complexity as the traditional Romeo y Julieta.

San Cristobal El Principe  110mm x Ring 42   Single R247.00  -15%
I couldn’t say it better:
“A wonderfully versatile small cigar with a delicious elegance to its taste. Perfect to accompany a pre-dinner glass of champagne or to keep with you for those brief occasions when there’s only just time for a good cigar. Light to medium, aromatic.
Make sure to smoke this one slowly to avoid the cigar burning the soft flavours. A fantastic example of a Petit Corona, this is an obvious choice for short breaks or when you’re on the go. When smoked at a leisurely pace you can expect to enjoy this smoke for around 30 minutes.”
I agree.

Vegueros Mananitas (Small Piramide)  100mm x Ring 46  Single R193.22  - 15%
It is a tradition in the Vuelta Abajo zone for the Vegueros (farmers) to make their own cigars. Visitors to this part of the Pinar de Rio province often want to try such cigars. And so the “post revolution” brand Vegueros was founded in 1997, fully handmade. The brand was transformed in 2012 with shapes and sizes more suitable for the modern cigar smokers - thicker, shorter vitolas, including this piramides, the Mananitas.
Vegueros Mananitas is a great medium to full-bodied smoke for short breaks or “when time is of the essence!”

The names of each of the new Vegueros vitolas are part of the Cuban farmers’ vocabulary.
If you’re interested, from the top of the plant the leaves are named:
Corona - Centro gordo - Segundo Centro Fino - Primer Centro Fino - Segundo Centro Ligero - Primer Centro Ligero - Uno y Medio - Libre de pie - Mañanita
The mañanita, the leaf of the plant foot, is harvested first. The leaves are too small for the larger Habanos cigars.

Cigars from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, Ecuador, and more.
“Cuban cigars are great, but they are not alone in their greatness” Cigar Aficionado

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Between the Lines   114mm x Ring 54   Single R517.00  -20%     (Now R714.00)
Aged Dominican filler and binder are then wrapped “barber pole” fashion in alternating layers of USA Connecticut Shade and USA Connecticut Broadleaf.
The result is a Perfecto cigar with a rich, mellow taste, very comfortable draw and perfect combustion
In 2020 it achieved a Cigar Aficionado rating of 90

Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story   102mm x Ring 49    Single  R271.00  -15%
Considered by many to be the best of the shorter cigars, it was the first of the Hemingway range, and still the most popular. A medium strength small cigar that offers a mellow smoke for around 40 minutes.
The filler is aged Dominican leaf, the binder is Dominican, and the wrapper is African Cameroon.
Cameroon is known as a “toothy” wrapper leaf. The “toothiness” comes from tiny bumps on the wrapper, which are actually little pockets of oil which are a great source of flavour.
One can see why Cigar Aficionado gave it a rating of 92 points in 2021.

Arturo Fuente Machetero Short Robusto   95mm x Ring50    Single  R164.00  -15%
A Nicaraguan Puro - made exclusively with Nicaraguan tobacco varieties through Arturo Fuente. It has a smooth, velvety wrapper leaf offering the promise of a good smoke. Smoking time of the Machetero Short Robusto should be about 25 minutes. Medium strength Machetero cigars belong to the own creations of the Meerapfel family, which has been in the cigar business for 5 generations and over 140 years.

JCN Perla Del Mar "P" Short Robusto     95mm x Ring 56   Single R220.00    -15%
Perla del Mar (Pearl of the Sea) is a discontinued Cuban brand, resurrected by JCN in 2012.
Handmade using a blend of Nicaraguan filler leaf selected from Pueblo Nuevo, La Reina, Condega, and Jalapa plantations, with Nicaraguan binder, and a fine Ecuadorian Shade wrapper.
The cigar is pressed using the Tampa-style, which gives the cigar a more rectangular shape than the typical square box-press. A style said to help the various leaves to “marry” and offer a more balanced smoke.
“This blend is a perfect cigar for those who are looking for a quality smoke that’s not in your face but delivers solid flavors without breaking the bank.”

La Aurora 107 Sumo Short Robusto   101mm x Ring 58   Single R313.00  -15%
The La Aurora 107 has a filler blend of leaves from Dominican Republic, Brazil, Nicaragua and Peru. As you smoke it, it starts mild and spicy, and increases to a medium to full bodied smoke. The very oily wrapper is Ecuador Sumatra Sun-grown with a bright natural reddish colour.
It is said that La Aurora president “Guillermo León’s new love is this 4 x 58 format. He is introducing it everywhere. This short format cigar packs a lot of flavor and has a nice kick to it as well.”
Smoking time around 35 minutes.

La Aurora 1495 ECU 15 min break  89mm x Ring 42    Single  R159.00  -15%
Cigar Master José Blanco composed the 1495 series of La Aurora.
Dominican Corojo forms the binder around a blend of Dominican and Peruvian ligero, with a Sun-grown Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper. The result is a medium-dark colour cigar with a rich taste, but not over-powering strength. Great with a pre-dinner drink or a morning Espresso.

Oliva Nub   102mm x Ring 60     Single prices R405.00 to R473.00   -15%
The Oliva Nub cigars need no introduction, but read more on http://www.wesleys.co.za/archives36a.html#364
They are relatively short (102mm) but exceptionally thick - Ring 60 nearly 24mm
If this isn’t too much of a mouthful you can enjoy a rich, complex smoke for at least 35-40 minutes.
4 varieties of blends available.

Quorum Short Robusto  89mm x Ring 50  Single R140.00  -15%
Quorum long-filler cigars are produced in the J C Newman factory in Pensa, Nicaragua using Nicaraguan leaf filler and binder, with a mid-brown Ecuadorian Sungrown Sumatra wrapper. Ecuador has a natural cloud cover, perfect moisture conditions and a volcanic soil, all of which offer near perfect conditions for growing wrapper leaf.
Read more.
But I digress.
The Quorum cigar is well-constructed, rich flavoured, medium strength and very nicely priced.
This very short version offers an excellent smoke when time is short.

Santa Damiana Short Robusto  102mm x Ring 50  Single R277.00  -15%
The name originally belonged to a Cuban cigar; the Dominican version was launched in 1992. These mild to medium, well-balanced cigars are probably as smooth cigars as you will find, with a beautifully silky-smooth Connecticut shade wrapper and a creamy taste. The burn is even, the ash is firm and the draw comfortable, as one would expect. And the size is perfect for a “short smoke” 25-30 minutes.

VegaFina Vulcano Wood   110m x Ring 56     Single R333.00  -15%
This Nicaraguan Puro is a medium-full bodied, wide ringsize Petit Robusto with a smooth rich taste.
Rolled in the Dominican Republic, this cigar is an example of how good the Nicaraguan leaf can be:
Ligero, Seco and Viso leaf from Esteli  and Jalapa – regions known for the richest leaf, with  binder from Jalapa and a dark caramel-brown Habano 2000 wrapper from Jalapa.
VegaFina Nicaragua received from Cigar Aficionado an 88 point rating for "Excellent." At least 30 minutes.