Brent had a solid career. 14 seasons, 2x rings, Slam Dunk champ in ‘96. Always shot well from deep and never became the detested villain that his pops was (Rick).
Not-so-fun fact: While they were teammates on the Spurs and close friends, Tony Parker was having a sexting fling with Brent’s wife that ultimately blew up both of their marriages (Tony’s w/ Eva Longoria).
1997 Score - Artist’s Proof Holofoil (parallel; inserted 1:35 retail packs)
1998 Flair Showcase - Row 1 (“Showtime” inserted 1:6 packs)
2001 Fleer Triple Crown - Glamour Boys (inserted 1:24 hobby/1:20 retail packs)
Liga Privada “10 Aniversario” - Robusto, 5.5x54
- Connecticut Criollo wrapper
- San Andrés negro binder
- Nicaraguan, Honduran fillers
- 10 months rest at 65% RH
Great looking cigar, strong aromas of cedar and cocoa and very rich milk chocolate on the cold draw. This translate to the early flavors along with a nice mixed terroir and molasses sweetness. Burn is uneven and needs some early touch ups. Oak joins in the second, woodsy notes are bold with lots of sweetness for balance, cinnamon and brown sugar. Fillers are burning faster than the wrapper, a couple voids appear. These issues progress into the second half and flavors are greatly affected. Fillers look off as well, burning to hard clumps with a black ash. The wrapper has completely stopped burning and can no longer hold a light. Second half is essentially ruined, major disappointment.
I would love to consider this a one-off, but I’ve noticed a huge drop in quality over the past year or two with LP and have seen similar sentiments. Underfilling has been a trend for me across the 9, T52 and H99, which is absolutely unacceptable at these price points. I think I’ll be taking a break from buying for a while after this experience, unfortunately.
Tatuaje Monster Series Smash “Drac” - Robusto, 5.25x52 BP
- Ecuadorian Habano Maduro wrapper
- Nicaraguan binder, fillers
- Box date Aug 2024, stored at 65% RH
Great construction, like the rest of this box. Sweet, woodsy profile to start. Finish is long right away with toasted cedar, maple syrup and cocoa. Very rich, medium plus body. A big burst of sweet cream and chocolate hit at about an inch and a half. Oak joins in the second, body and legs increase. Graham and salt at around halfway. Really bold last third, a little toastier towards the end. Great blend, ages quite nicely.
Asylum 13 - Robusto, 5x50
- Nicaraguan Habano wrapper
- Nicaraguan fillers
-16 weeks rest at 65% RH
Dark, mottled and oily wrapper. The fillers look very toasted and are kind of hard to the touch pre-light. Early flavors of musty, damp earth. Algae water? Some leather and anise gradually build. The musty flavors come and go, similar to the other 2 I’ve had from this 5-pack. Toasted/burnt oak in the second half, gets a little too harsh. Put down with about 2in to go. To the bottom of the humidor for a couple years the last two go.
2003-04 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection - Game Jersey Patch (randomly inserted; SN’ed /100)
1995-96 Fleer Metal - Metal Force (inserted 1:54 Series 2 retail packs)
1997-98 Bowman’s Best - Best Picks Atomic Refractor (inserted 1:96 packs)
1995-96 SkyBox Premium - Meltdown (inserted 1:54 Series 2 hobby packs)
Inserted 1:18 Series 2 packs
1999-00 Topps - Certified Autographs (inserted 1:351 packs)
Davidoff “Signature” - 2000 Tubo, 5x43
- Ecuadorian Connecticut Shade wrapper
- Ecuadorian binder
- Dominican fillers
- 5 months rest at 67% RH
I’m not much of a CT Shade guy but this cigar is a different story. Perfect construction and flawless wrapper leaf. Immediately creamy with cashew, light coffee, hay and a subtle sweetness. Richness and creaminess are on an upward trajectory the whole way and there are no early bitter hay notes like many Conns. Subtle citrus twang, graham cracker, soft baked bread. Closer to medium than mild with a delightful and delicate complexity. Sweet cream, nuts, graham lead the way in the second half, body bumps up a notch. Burn could not be more perfect, stack of dimes ash. The perfect morning cigar in an ideal vitola, just over an hour burn.
Rocky Patel “DBS” - Robusto, 5.5x50
- San Andrés wrapper
- Nicaraguan, Pennsylvania Broadleaf binders
- Honduran, Nicaraguan Broadleaf fillers
- 1 year rest at 65% RH
Last of a 5-pack smoked over the past year. Well-made and nice-looking cigar, the bands are huge but contrast nicely. Earthy, dark, astringent to start. Fair amount of black pepper, cocoa, malt and cedar. Creaminess entered earlier in the smoke with each cigar, balanced by a nice caramel sweetness. Cedar-forward in the second half with creamy malts. All 5 cigars burned and smoked well, which I must say was a pleasant surprise. Probably the best I’ve had from RP.
Oliva “Black Swan” - Toro, 6.5x52
- Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper
- Ecuadorian binder
- Nicaraguan fillers
- 7 months rest at 65% RH
First time trying this vitola but I’ve enjoyed the smaller formats. Firm roll but light in the hand. Needed kind of a lot of cigar glue to fix the loosely fastened cap end. Medium plus start, very woodsy with oak and cedar. A little slow to build but wakes up in the second, finish lengthens. Toasted caramel balances a really nice bomb of broadleaf earthiness, great middle third. The last gets a little muddled. Draw and burn were solid. Decent cigar, not as good as the No.4 and corona gorda vitolas. Great value for the price.
2003-04 Bowman Chrome - Gold Refractor (randomly inserted; SN’ed /50)
At 7’6” Bradley was one of the more notable shot-blockers in the 90s. Watching him vs. Gheorge Muresan was quite the sight.
Fun fact: Bradley was once fined $10k for refusing to attend a team meeting at a strip club due to his religious beliefs.
Casdagli Club Mareva “Gran Mareva Gold” - Corona, 5.5x42
- Ecuadorian Corojo wrapper
- Dominican binder
- Dominican, Nicaraguan, Peruvian fillers
- Produced at Kelner Boutique Factory
- 7 months rest at 65% RH
Immaculate construction. Aromas of rich cedar and mixed terroir. Cold draw has loads of sweet cocoa. Sweet and creamy cedar to start, complex terroir. There’s a distinct jalapeño kick on the finish, which is very long off the bat. Creaminess ramps up quickly. Sourdough bread, syrupy molasses and a bouquet of delicate flavors that are hard to put into words.
A pizza crust note appears in the second 3rd with some vegetal. Huge jump in body and richness at halfway, from medium to nearly full. Light, creamy coffee, oak, toasted rye bread. A lemon citrus enters and forms a lemon meringue finish with the cream. This morphs into more of a key lime pie when some graham cracker comes through. Last 3rd is toastier, cedar, graham, wheat, cracked pepper. Strong finish. Perfect burn over 90 minutes. One of the better cigars I’ve ever had. Casdagli is a treat.
Aganorsa Leaf “La Validación Habano” - Toro, 6.25x52
- Ecuadorian Habano wrapper
- Nicaraguan binder, fillers
- 3.5 months rest at 65% RH
Build feels even and firm. Wrapper is smooth and oily with tight seams. Mild-med start with leather, earth, caramel and touch of cream. There’s a small void right down the center of the fillers that causes a bit of burn trouble, this fades after a couple inches. A nice twang enters at the end of the first. Leather grows bolder with the citrus twang, notes of anise and a bit of cocoa. Burns behaves in the second half. Not too complex but a decent blend.
Tatuaje Monster Series Smash “Face” - Robusto, 5.25x52 BP
- San Andrés wrapper
- Nicaraguan binder, fillers
- Box date Aug 2024; stored at 65% RH
Cruising through this Monster box. The Face starts off with a subtle dry cocoa and leather. Gradually increasing earthiness and black pepper. Quite bold by the second with chewy and meaty smoke. Coffee, cream, more pepper. Very rich. Just a touch of bitterness in the last third. Nice blend overall, sharp burn and perfect draw.
1996 Stadium Club - Prime Cuts (inserted 1:72 Series 1 retail/1:36 hobby)
2004-05 Topps Chrome - Slice of Success Refractor (randomly inserted; SN’ed /25)
1993-94 Fleer Ultra - Scoring Kings (inserted 1:36 Series 1 hobby packs)