MNI Labs: Reviews

MNI Labs: Reviews From Motion Pictures, Food, Drink, and Ci**rs. We forensicly review EVERYTHING!

CAO Brazila Gordo (6x60)Very,VERY good smoke for an unrated cigar. Mellow Coffee and Chocolate notes right from the sta...
12/20/2025

CAO Brazila Gordo (6x60)
Very,VERY good smoke for an unrated cigar. Mellow Coffee and Chocolate notes right from the start, leading into a more Bold profile of Leather & Oak after the First Third. Did start coming undone at the end of the Second Third, but maintained the rich flavor. For such a large gauge stick, it surprisingly didn't give me the ni****ne buzz I normally get with larger full bodied ci**rs.

8.6

Yet another 2024 Finck's Cigar Bash grab bag prize. I overheard someone say it was one of the Top 10 Ci**rs one year by...
01/07/2025

Yet another 2024 Finck's Cigar Bash grab bag prize. I overheard someone say it was one of the Top 10 Ci**rs one year by Cigar Aficionado. I say, Well worth it!

When I first started smoking ci**rs over 20 years ago I loved a mild Connecticut in the way of a Monte Cristo or Ashton. I bought a Hemingway Arturo Fuente at a liquor store and remember it tasted like dirt, I hated it and vowed never to buy another. Well, I didn't buy the two given to me and saw it was one of the first lit up when I saw men and women going through there Grab Bags. So one night, while sitting outside with my smoking hot wife, I pulled a Jack Burton and said, "What the Hell."

I was very pleasantly surprised after the first couple draws, allowing the smoke to dance on my tongue. Not dirt. Mild, Mellow, but Robust in Black Pepper, Leather, and slight Dark Chocolate after taste.

If you can find one, BUY IT!

ARTURO FUENTE
Rosado Gran Reserva
R54 ( Toro 54 x 6 1/4")

8.7

SMORES NIGHT! I read somewhere that the Kintsugi from Alec Bradley, paired well with Chocolate or Coffee. I tried the ...
01/06/2025

SMORES NIGHT! I read somewhere that the Kintsugi from Alec Bradley, paired well with Chocolate or Coffee. I tried the cigar before the sweets and found it to be Medium in Body and Earthy, with notes of wood and Black pepper.

The flavor profile did sweeten up a bit after diving into a piece of Chocolate buried in a fluffy pillow of fore roasted marshmallow. I would skip this smoke in favor of the Magic Toast, or the Tabak from Drew Estate if pairing with an evening treat.

ALEC BRADLEY
Kintsugi
Robusto (50 x 5")

7.4

Another hit winner from the 2024 Finck's Cigar Bash in San Antonio, Texas. I read and read on this cigar and vowed to n...
01/03/2025

Another hit winner from the 2024 Finck's Cigar Bash in San Antonio, Texas. I read and read on this cigar and vowed to not get one until the annual beach trip to the South Texas Coast. Well, one found its way in my grab bag, and I lit it as soon as I saw it.

I love just about anything Metallica, and when I read that James Hetfield was apart of this, it opened my eyes. What I didn't know was how good this thing was going to be. Dark, Oily, and Bold. The Blackend cigar hit all the notes from the 1988 song. One of my favorites as well. Dark Chocolate, Earthy Spices, and creamy finish...it's one of the best!

DREW ESTATE
Blackend M81
Toro (52 x 6")

9.4

I always bring smokes to our annual family beach trip to Port Aransas in South Texas. This trip I brought a few Blacken...
01/03/2025

I always bring smokes to our annual family beach trip to Port Aransas in South Texas. This trip I brought a few Blackend by Drew Estate for the guys, a Wicked by Diesel, and this Double Perfecto Gurkha Centurian.

Rated as a medium bodied cigar, this limited stick hits your pallet with bold black pepper notes in a woodshop with a leather strap mixed in. A man's man cigar without the subtle notes I tend to look for.

I guess this is how the Sultan of Brunei likes his cigar, while driving one of his many McLaren F1s.

GURKHA
Centurian
Double Perfecto (60 x 6")

5.9

I always brong smokes to our annual family beach trip to Port Aransas in South Texas. This trip I brought a few Blacken...
01/03/2025

I always brong smokes to our annual family beach trip to Port Aransas in South Texas. This trip I brought a few Blackend by Drew Estate for the guys, a Wicked by Diesel, and this Double Perfecto Gurkha Centurian.

Rated as a medium bodied cigar, this limited stick hits your pallet with bold black pepper notes in a woodshop with a leather strap mixed in. A man's man cigar without the subtle notes I tend to look for.

I guess this is how the Sultan of Brunei likes his cigar, while driving one of his many McLaren F1s.

GURKHA
Centurian
Double Perfecto (60 x 6")

5.9

When a beer at the Texas Renaissance Faire costs $15...naturally, you by a $30 bottle of Mead and a Horn to drink it out...
01/03/2025

When a beer at the Texas Renaissance Faire costs $15...naturally, you by a $30 bottle of Mead and a Horn to drink it out of of.

Honestly, I have tried Honey Mead (Wine) in the past and was not impressed. But at the Ren Fest, you live a little. Try new things, and do weird s**t. So I did. Boy, I don't regret it...not one bit.

I expected a weak wine, putrid/sour berry drink, and was pleasantly surprised with a chilled liquid bursting with sweet, and slightly sour, Blackberry over a 5 buck chuck wine after taste. Served in the custom made Horn I bought at a stall nearby, I enjoyed walking through the crowds of people dressed like a Marvel vs DC fighting game, laughing and drinking from my horn of mead. It was Super Hero Weekend anyway...Bub.

WILDFLYER MEAD AND BEER CO.
Unsolicited Advice Blueberry Mead
750ml 13%

9.1

My New Years smoke for 2025. Medium Bodied and Spicy, with a lot of Leather notes. I thought of being in my Grandfathe...
01/02/2025

My New Years smoke for 2025. Medium Bodied and Spicy, with a lot of Leather notes. I thought of being in my Grandfather's basement workshop several times smoking this 45 minute stick.

No smooth edges. This is a man's man cigar.

PDR CI**RS
El Trovador Rosado
Robusto (52 x 5")

6.8

I recieved this stick from the 2024 Finch's Cigar Bash in San Antonio, and was asked to trade it for something else the ...
01/02/2025

I recieved this stick from the 2024 Finch's Cigar Bash in San Antonio, and was asked to trade it for something else the whole time. I was also told by the guys in the group, it was among their favorites...so I hid it away for cooler weather.

I paired this sweet and dark with a hot cup of coffee sitting by the fire with my wife. Right out of the plastic, you can smell the Coffee/Cocolate notes from the Maduro wrapper, and my saliva glands immediately went to work!

Another DE sweetend cap, but not nearly as sweet as the Sweet Jane previously reviewed. The coffee, chocolate, and a small amount of nutty notes rounded out a very enjoyable 45 minute smoke.

DREW ESTATE
Tabak Especial
Negra
Toro (52 x 6")

8.6

Another cool night in the Fall/Winter another stick to warm the old bones. I received this cigar from the 2024 Finck's ...
12/26/2024

Another cool night in the Fall/Winter another stick to warm the old bones. I received this cigar from the 2024 Finck's Cigar Bash in San Antonio. It was was the #2 Cigar of the Year in 2016, with a 95 rating from Cigar Aficionado, and it is very deserving.

Full bodied smoke that hits the ground running...no break in period required. Nuts, Dark Chocolate, and a hint of Coffee/Espresso danced on my tongue very shortly after lighting, and never went away. Very Good!

ROCKY PATEL
Sun Grown Maduro
Robusto (50 x 5")

9.1

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Round Rock, TX

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