Here’s the article from Cigarcyclopedia.  I may have to pick some of these up!  Check out the link below for more information.

The British outfitter Burberry doesn’t have much to do with cigars.

Famous for its trench coat – introduced in 1914 – the venerable firm dates back to 1856 and created its iconic (and trademarked) Burberry Check pattern as a trench-coat lining in 1920. But now a pattern pretty close to the Burberry style is on a cigar!

The “Burberry Perfecto” is a special version of the popular Padilla Habano line made in Nicaragua that’s being manufactured for mega-retailer Cigars International of Bath, Pennsylvania. According to Cigars International president Keith Meier: “This started in our retail store, during a Padilla store event. Our guys asked Ernesto [Padilla] to make something unique to give away during events and something for promotions online from time to time. We got the first shipment recently.”

The normal Padilla Habano line features an all-Nicaraguan blend, with a rich Habano wrapper, offered in three sizes. But the Burberry Perfecto is a wild variation at 5 3/4 inches long by 54 ring gauge shaped like a small Salomon-style cigar, offered only (so far) in packs of five for $35.00. There are actually three different wrappers on the cigar, arranged in a criss-cross pattern to create the astounding Burberry-like effect. Meier reports it burns well, despite the unique construction.

Talk about unusual! It’s a sure conversation starter, but don’t smoke one in a Burberry showroom; it’s not a licensed product, but a nickname for an unbelievable work of the cigar maker’s art.

Article found can be found here.

My Father Lancero #4

Size: 7.5 x 38

Appearance & Construction

This is a great looking Lancero.  It has some veins that run up and down the entire length of the cigar and it has a nice triple cap with a pig tail to top it off. You can really see the oils on this cigar as well.  The cigar felt a bit spongy when I gave it the squeeze test, but not to the point that I was worried about it causing any issues for me.  Finally, I really liked the band on the Lancero, it gave it a nice elegant appearance and seemed to fit it nicely.

Nose & Taste

During the pre-light draw I picked up a nice chocolate like flavor right away.  The aroma the cigar put off was a nice barnyard smell that I really enjoy getting from cigars for some reason.  I lit the cigar with my trusty Blazer and clipped the head with my Palio.  The first third offered up some of the chocolate flavor I picked up during the pre-light and gave a bit of spice and a little sweetness was thrown in there.  During the second third the flavor profile remained fairly consistent although the chocolate had disappeared and a touch of leather was picked up.  The final third brought some pepper along with the spice and sweetness. Some notes of chocolate came back for a second and disappeared rather quickly.

Final Notes

I was not overly impressed by the cigar.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked the cigar, but I expected just a little bit more.  I didn’t find it to be very complex and changed only slightly throughout the 7.5 inch smoke, but what it did offer was quite good.  The ash was a bit flaky and held on for about a half inch or so before it looked like I would ash on myself.  The draw was a little too loose for me which may be related to the sponginess I felt during the squeeze test.  I would recommend picking up the Belicoso or one of the other sizes over the Lancero if you run across these cigars.

Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Overall Smoking Time:  1 hour 30 minutes

The Providence, Rhode Island-based Colibri Group, known in the cigar industry for its handsome torch lighters, abruptly shut down its operation, laying off 280 employees. The official announcement was made Wednesday evening by chief executive officer Jim Fleet who stated “The current economic conditions and credit market turmoil are such that Colibri cannot sustain its current operations and as such must close its doors.”

The company has gone into receivership status, a form of bankruptcy in which a third-party is legally appointed to run the company in an effort to recoup as much debt as possible. The move was prompted by Colibri’s major shareholder, Founders Equity, which petitioned the Providence Superior Court for receivership.

“The Colibri Group is simply out of money,” Timothy P. Gallogly, the company’s general counsel, told The Providence Journal. According to Allan M. Shine, Colibri’s appointed receiver, the company owes about $14 million to HSBC Bank and almost as much to Sovereign Bank.

Gallogly attributed the company’s decision to close to the recent economic downturn coupled with a declining demand for cigar accessories.

“It’s an easy purchase to defer when you’re tightening your belt,” he told the Journal. “We tried our best. We just weren’t able to get through this.”

This comes a short period after the Colibri factory closed it’s doors in Providence, Rhode Island back in January.

La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero 452

Size: 4×52

 Appearance & Construction

 This is a very nice looking cigar.  This is the first band that I noticed from La Flor Dominicana that used a band similar to Lito Gomez’s line.  The construction is great.  The wrapper is a nice deep brown and the cigar feels nice and firm with just a slight resistance, no soft or hard spots anywhere.  I used my Palio cutter and was rewarded with a nice clean cut. 

 Nose & Taste

 I placed the cigar to my nose and the aroma I picked up was a mixture of pepper and coffee.  The prelight draw confirmed my thoughts on the pepper – it was a little sweet with some spiciness on my lips.  I lit the cigar and right away I was hit with tons of full flavor. This cigar was not lacking in the strength department either.  The initial flavors during the first third were that of espresso, hints of nuts and white pepper.  Once the second third began, the strength of the flavors dropped down a notch and the spice began to disappear.  The sweetness from the maduro wrapper began to finally surface now that the intensity from the flavors settled a bit.  
The final third wrapped up the cigar nicely with the sweet maduro flavor dominating at the very end with the espresso flavors remaining in the background.

 Final Notes

The DL-452 cigar was a great cigar.  The burn was almost flawless, only requiring a minor touch up that may have been my fault due to a BIC lighter I was forced to use from a co-worker.  The draw was perfect and produced tons of smoke.  I really enjoyed this smoke, and will be picking up a few more the next chance I get. It kept its strength throughout the cigar and I had a nice buzz going a little after the half way point.  This cigar would easily get 4 stars the first go around, but I found that the some of the flavors and their intensity seemed to be because they were a little young.  Once these settle and age for a bit longer this will be another great cigar from Lito Gomez!

Score: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Overall Smoking Time: ~45 Minutes during lunch