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Yeah... the first one I had was decent, those since have been more than a bit lackluster. Never got the fruit flavors out of this cigar, personally. One thing I'll do if I really wanna taste the cigar for all it has is that I will pair it with sparkling water... good, neutral palate-cleanser. :tu |
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Hurry up and smoke #3 Brian, I want to know what it is!
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Nice reviews!
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Great reviews guys. I don't really like smoking with root beer, it tends to bitter out my cigar. Try cream soda, the sweetness compliments many creamy cigars perfectly. So far both of you seem to be pretty similar with your findings and ratings, this is fun to watch!
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Yeah, that or pellegrino. And it's not thaht the root beer didn't work for ya as much as the Vegueros is a kinda flat cigar ;) Quote:
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I only drink mineral water when reviewing a cigar now. It's refreshing and has a crazy good palate cleansing power :D |
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Subscribed, glad to see this going again.
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This is awesome. Will continue to read the reviews. Really cool idea!
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Wow this is amazing....love it!
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I will smoke #3 in the morning :)
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ApexAZ Cigar #3
************** 4/14/2012 It's another windy day in Phoenix, but my allergies aren't acting up too bad. Hopefully the wind won't cause me any burn issues. This time I will be pairing the cigar with some citron Perrier, per the advice of Dan. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7094/6...0a6eabf67d.jpg Pre-light Cigar #3 is just shy of 5.5" long and has a ring guage of about 44 or 46 I'd say. It seems to be about corona in size. It has a smooth natural wrapper with small veins all throughout. It's not as velvety to the touch as the others were, but very smooth instead. The construction appears to be great with a triple cap and there are no noticeable soft spots. It actually feels pretty firm compared to the others. I don't detect any distinct scents from the foot other than just sweet tobacco. The pre-light draw is pretty tight, but so were the others so we will see. No flavors other than tobacco and some cedar came through that I could detect. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5038/7...4a13304aa9.jpg 1st Third I lit the cigar and immediately noticed the draw is very tight. I start to squeeze the cigar a little harder than before in different areas closer to the head and think I feel a plug. Although I'm struggling to get any smoke from it, it's very smooth. I don't have a proper draw tool yet, so I used a super small phillips head screwdriver. This seemed to do the trick and opened the draw up some. This cigar has a nice sweet flavor, but I can't really place what it is. Sweet cream and vanilla comes to mind, but I'm not really sure. I also get some toasty charred wood flavors and very faint pepper that lingers on the tongue for a few seconds. It's mild in both body and strength. The burn isn't perfectly sharp, but doing well enough in this wind. The salt and pepper ash dropped on their own into the ashtray after about 1/2 inch. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6...15ba83c8d4.jpg 2nd Third I reached the 2nd third in about 25 minutes. The draw is giving me a lot of trouble and I'm not detecting much flavor except for charred wood. The burn is also not very even and the cigar is tunneling. It also doesn't seem to want to stay lit as I work my way into the area where I felt the plug. I don't know if this is due to the plug itself, the gap in the tobacco from trying to open it up some, or too much moisture. Maybe it's a combination of the 3, I don't know. After touching up several times and getting past that burnt taste from charring the leaf, I'm starting to get some decent flavor out of it, but I am really having to work for it. I really don't have much to comment on as far as flavor, but the body is more mild-medium now. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5327/7...9860fceeb3.jpg Final Third About 40 minutes in I'm at the final third. I blew through the 2nd third in like 15 minutes due to all the touchups it required. I'm really struggling to get anything out of the cigar at this point. It's like trying to suck on a milkshake that's too thick and practically sucking my face inside out. I am getting some nice sweet cream flavors and maybe a hint of coffee. I tried to open up the draw again and the flavors turned to crap. It's as though the channel it creates messes with the flavor. I assume this is because the smoke is no longer passing through all of the tobacco as it should be. After a few puffs and about 1.5" left in the cigar, the flavors are starting to return and the draw is a bit easier. It seems as though I'm beyond the area where the plug was. I also notice that some of the ash is brownish in color. I'm not sure if this is something to do with the tobacco, or from the torch. Flavor is still a sweet cream flavor, but more pronounced. The body is more medium now and strength has built to medium as well. With a little less than an inch left, it tunneled and expired again, so I just called it quits after 65 minutes. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5470/6...7036bd741a.jpg Conclusion Man, I really wanted to enjoy this cigar, but I have to give it a 6/10. I think if I didn't have the draw issues, it would have been much better and more deserving of a higher score. When I was able to get flavor from it, they were delicious, but it was huge struggle and all the touchups really hindered the progress of the smoke. Next one I will cut the cap a few days in advance and test the draw and possibly leave it out for a bit before lighting. Sorry guys =( Hopefully Josh didn't have the draw issues I did. I'm looking forward to reviewing #4 in the next few days. Thanks, DBall! Score: 6/10 Total smoke time: 65 minutes |
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smitty81 Cigar #3
*************** https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...32869656_o.jpg This stick appears to be a box pressed cigar and it had a rut on the first 1/3rd of the stick like something heavy was laid across it. Maby this is where a band was??? The wrapper is lite and had the texture of paper. The stick doesn't seem to give off to much smell prior to being lit. A few small veins in the wrapper and a double cap? The stick had a good draw prior to being lit. There was only one thing that came to mind when I took a pre-light draw. The taste of chlorine in swimming pools came to mind immediately. First 1/3rd https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...43661483_o.jpg I usually have to really think about it if I can taste caramel in a cigar or not. Not with this one. This one had a very deep rich caramel taste on the first draw, almost like sticking a spoon of caramel in my mouth! The smoke aroma was nice too, it was a deep rich tobacco/aftershave smell. This thing is burning razor sharp too. 2/3rd https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...86934385_o.jpg The taste of caramel is still present but not as sweet. Now a cedar flavor is becoming dominant. Still burning very well. Not to much to touch on in the 2/3rd. Draw remains good and I'm just enjoying this cigar. Last 3rd https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...56005796_n.jpg The caramel was gone and it was just a nice cedar taste now. The burn had to be touched up once or twice on the last third, draw was still good. I smoked it down to about half of what is pictured above and then gave up as it was just harsh. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- I REALLY enjoyed this cigar! I liked everything about it from the draw, aroma, taste, burn, burn time. I'm more of a maduro kind of guy but I wouldn't mind finding more of these if possible. This cigar really caught me off guard. 9.2/10 |
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What they smoked:
http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/w...yx/BTT5-03.jpg 2005 Romeo y Julieta Corona ApexAZ score: 6 smitty81 score: 9.2 Every time I smoke one of these, I get unreal grassiness. Hell, I tried another one after reading Josh's review last week. No love for me... I don't get any of those flavors... then again, different strokes for different folks. Presently, I'm on my balcony with a RyJ Corona from 98... I like these much better... :D |
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Send them my way!
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By the way, Brian, try it with unflavored sparkling water next time... I once had someone tell me that the citrus will cut down on the other flavors you taste....
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Seems like something I would enjoy...great reviews! I'm really impressed with the detail and how comprehensive you guys are....kinda intimidates me from writing reviews
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Hmmm, I didn't get much grass, but then again I didn't get much of anything except for the occasional sweet cream and charred wood flavor, which may be the sweet that Josh and I both tasted. I think the draw and burn issues really made it screwy though.
As far as being intimidated, don't be! I don't have a trained pallet whatsoever, so I just do my best to describe what I'm tasting. The rest is easy because its just a matter of documenting the details. |
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Gosh I love these threads.
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Also about the reviews, I'm not good at reviews. I just write down what I taste basically and document what I observe about the cigar. It's pretty basic. Heck, look at my review compared to ApexAZ's. That guy can write a good review. Mines just basic. |
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Thread jack on.
If you want to participate in your own Blind Tasting here is the thread. http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...t=927&page=118 |
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These are great reviews, thanks for taking the time guys!
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ApaxAZ Cigar #4
************** 4/21/2012 Today the heat broke triple digits signaling the end of spring and start of summer, so I waited for the sun to go down before starting. To go with tonights cigar I'll be sipping a double of Shieldaig 18 along with some Perrier. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/6...0653b17f9c.jpg Pre-light This cigar is 5.5" long and has a ring guage around 44. This cigar has a natural velvety wrapper with small veins. Triple capped, the cigars construction seems very good and has a slight spongy feel to it with no soft spots. The foot has a mild scent of sweet tobacco and grass. The pre-light draw seems slightly tight, but okay to smoke. The draw reveals only subtle sweet tobacco and hay flavors. 1st Third As I lit the cigar, I found the draw to be absolutely perfect. Once it started to settle, it was very smooth but somewhat flavorless. The aroma wafting from the end was very pleasant. For about the first half inch the cigar was extremely mild and hard to really pick out any real flavors. A little further in (around the time of the picture) I started to get a faint leather like flavor on some draws, while others were more of a sweet creamy flavor. I also keep noticing the aroma of the smoke and it just smells fantastic. The ash finally dropped after about 1 inch and at this point I started to really like how things were unfolding. The smoke developed into more of a medium body and had a sweet flavor somewhere in between caramel and vanilla. Although not quite the same, it reminded me of the Por Larranaga. The burn was pretty good with some minor tunneling. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/6...876771cb0f.jpg 2nd Third It took me about 25 minutes to progress to the 2nd third. So far the Perrier has been an excellent pallet cleanser, which is good because this cigar has been delicious. I also found that the scotch paired well. The cigar was so good I had to will myself to pace it. I continued to get a mainly sweet cream and vanilla flavor, as well as some other flavor mixed in that I couldn't quite place. I want to say it was like toast, but not really sure. Have I mentioned how good this has been so far? Even the smoke from the end smells sweet and delicious. The cigar has been tunneling slightly and I had to relight once, but overall the burn has been very straight and the ash consistently breaking off on it's own after about an inch. The flavor is medium bodied and the strength is mild, which is good because I don't smoke for the nicotine. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7134/6...f778b888d9.jpg Final Third At around the 55 minute mark I had about a third to go and began to feel a little sad as I realized the end was nearing. The smoke was more medium to medium full in body and the flavor was still very sweet, but more of a creamy caramel flavor instead of vanilla. I also detected hints of leather, and some red pepper bite near the end. The deeper I got, the more it reminded me an opus x, only sweeter, smoother and not quite as strong. I really like the opus line and this was like a refined version with more complexity. The strength increased a little, which is to be expected this deep into a cigar, but still only in the medium range. I had to pick up the pace a little to keep the cigar from tunneling and going out, otherwise the burn continued to be very good. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7...7de79cd45e.jpg With a little less than an inch left, the tingling from the heat was was my cue to finally call it quits. http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/6...bcb7f1765e.jpg Conclusion Indeed, this cigar was life changing for me. My experience is limited with plenty of stuff I still haven't tried in my short 10 months of experience, but as of right now this was the best cigar I've ever had Because of this, it gets a perfect score. This will be the cigar by which everything else will be measured until something else can top it. It started out a little bland, but quickly developed into a complex, interesting and delicious experience through the entire length of the cigar. Although I was sad when it ended, I went inside with a feeling of immense satisfaction. Thank you, Dan, for providing me the opportunity to experience it. I don't know how I will ever be able to repay you. I'm really looking forward to #5. Score: 10/10 Total smoke time: 90 minutes |
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smitty81 Cigar #4
*************** I love Maduro and darker cigars generally, So I was pretty excited to try this cigar. https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...27068204_n.jpg Stick 4 appears to be 5.5" long and 42 Ga. or so. Darker wrapper, Maduro? Smells of manure and a lite cocoa smell is present also........ A couple small veins in the wrapper whith what appears to be a single cap? The draw seems good and the taste is of hay and it has a lingering cardboard aftertaste. First 1/3rd https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...08911876_n.jpg What little smoke there is has a very nice aroma to it. The first few puffs once it was lit was a creamy, velvety chocolate taste. It wasn't real strong which disappointed me. Seems to burn pretty sharp. The ash held on for about an inch before it fell off. It kind of reminds me of a Diesel minus the toasted marshmallow flavor. Maby an espresso like taste. None of these flavors have a strong presence at all. 2/3rd https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...84071965_n.jpg The cigar has started to go downhill in taste starting in the 2/3rd. I am now pretty strong cardboard taste.I had pretty high hopes for this cigar because of the darker wrapper but these are not the flavors I am expecting from a darker stick. https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...20934988_n.jpg The cardboard hangs on untill the end of the 2/3rd. The last third. The flavors are now cardboard and a burnt wood. I have decided that the first inch of this cigar has enjoyable but everything after that has put me off. https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...80123326_n.jpg If this is a CC, I have to say that I have had way better smokes that were bought here in the states for around the $3.00 range. This cigar was just a let down in the flavor department IMOP. After the first few draws on this cigar I had thought this might develope into a good cigar with some nice chocolate flavors but it failed to deliver. I am going to give this cigar a 5/10. |
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What they smoked:
http://i725.photobucket.com/albums/w...yx/BTT5-04.jpg 2011 Ramon Allones Allones Extra ApexAZ score: 10 smitty81 score: 5 Ha! I love these things. I put this in as a way to test my theory that NC smokers would like this cigar... hahaha. I smoked one today, in fact, to see how I felt about it. This mo fo was STRONG and definitely not my favorite cigar. I picked up a fair amount of them and fully intend on letting the rest of the boxes sleep for a long, long time. I think it is funny that these 2 have such differing views. If one likes it, the other hates it... and these were all side by side from the same box... :D Quick question... are either of you blowing the smoke out your nose? If not, try it. :tu |
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I wish I was a newb :r
DBall, you're the man. |
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Dball........I retro-haled a little on each of your cigars. I guess I don't really get anything out of it.:confused:
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Wow, that round was very interesting. Great selection of sticks Dball!
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Really enjoyed this round - different strokes for different folks.
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Yep, I always blow some out through my nose. I thought it was awesome. I wouldn't have said it was very strong though.
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Ehh... I just smoke old, crusty crap. This cigar is 20 years too young....... :r |
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Dan's at it again! I love these threads. :tu
Good job on the reviews, guys...keep it up! |
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Yeah, just love these threads. Great reviews as always.
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Dan's the man. I really enjoy these blind taste test threads. :tu
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Thanks for the reviews gents, always enjoy reading them.
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Great reviews so far.
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