smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews

smokin5 · 07-23-2011, 07:10 PM

For those who don't know, Wayner123 & I were chosen to do 5 BTT
(Blind Taste Test) reviews of the same mystery sticks.
See "2008 Blind Smokes Review Reward Contest" in the Contests section.
So as not to influence each other's opinions, Wayne & I are posting our
reviews in separate threads, and we've agreed not to read each others'
reviews until we're done with all 5 cigars. Reviews will be in numerical order.

Here's my review of Blind Smoke No.1:

A box-pressed 6"x50 ring with mottled maduro wrapper.
Packed nicely, there's just a bit of give when lightly squeezed.
Prelight smell is faint - a hint of coffee and socks. Yes, I said socks.
Prelight draw is good, though very faint flavor of tobacco & sweet coffee.

I start with just water, figuring I'll switch to something more complementary once I get a handle on the cigar's flavors. That, and it's 1:00 PM & pretty warm here. Throw on an Allman Brothers mix & sit back.
OK, let's light this Bad Boy!

Initial flavors are disappointing. One-dimensional tobacco & faint coffee, with a flat finish of sharpness; not pepper, more like ammonia. Leaves an oily feel in my mouth. There's just not much to this one. Strength is medium, edging into medium-full. The smoke smells acrid.

After the first 1", I switch to coffee, hoping it will perk up some flavor in the cigar. No dice, the cigar just provides bitter instant coffee taste with a flat finish. On the bright side, draw & burn are good.
I soon try switching back to water, but it doesn't help.

At 2", the bitterness fades. Or are my taste buds getting numb? Whatever, it's soon back anyway. If this weren't a review, I'd pitch the cigar right now. It tastes like that look I got from the prune-faced bun-haired old lady at the supermarket last week when I set down my purchase: 2 big bourbon bottles, 6 wine bottles, a jar of peanuts & a turkey baster. Don't ask.
I soldier on, despite the flat old coffee & bitter bite continuing with every puff. Can I say "puff" here? OK, "draw" it is.

There's no appreciable change or improvement through the second half, though it is stronger. My mouth has a sharp tang of acidic charcoal. And not in a good way. Taste buds are logging onto Craigslist to find a new place to live. There's 1-1/2" left - can I put this down yet? Is anybody looking? (glance over my shoulder) Cool! I pitch it into the ashtray, and grab a cigarette for a better flavor.
End time, 2:50 PM. 1 hour, 50 minutes of discomfort.

Umm, I guess you could say I do not like it. Not one bit.
It hurt my tongue. It taste like sh-- (take that, Dr. Seuss!).
While construction was good, giving no problems in draw or burn, it never delivered in the flavor department; what little taste it gave was unpleasant.
A yardgar to avoid, for sure. It's been a very long time since I've had an El Mejor Espresso, but this reminded me of one. Shilala warned us there was a questionable cigar in the bunch - I sure hope that was it.

I'm not going to give this one a number rating, as I'm afraid any rating I give it might encourage someone to smoke it, and I don't want to be responsible for inflicting such damage to a Brother here. Suffice to say, it is NOT GOOD.
When I find out what it was, I'll post it here.

07-23-2011, 07:10 PM	#1
smokin5 Have My Own Room Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: On the Mountaintop - AZ Posts: 2,002 Trading: (69)	smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews For those who don't know, Wayner123 & I were chosen to do 5 BTT (Blind Taste Test) reviews of the same mystery sticks. See "2008 Blind Smokes Review Reward Contest" in the Contests section. So as not to influence each other's opinions, Wayne & I are posting our reviews in separate threads, and we've agreed not to read each others' reviews until we're done with all 5 cigars. Reviews will be in numerical order. Here's my review of Blind Smoke No.1: A box-pressed 6"x50 ring with mottled maduro wrapper. Packed nicely, there's just a bit of give when lightly squeezed. Prelight smell is faint - a hint of coffee and socks. Yes, I said socks. Prelight draw is good, though very faint flavor of tobacco & sweet coffee. I start with just water, figuring I'll switch to something more complementary once I get a handle on the cigar's flavors. That, and it's 1:00 PM & pretty warm here. Throw on an Allman Brothers mix & sit back. OK, let's light this Bad Boy! Initial flavors are disappointing. One-dimensional tobacco & faint coffee, with a flat finish of sharpness; not pepper, more like ammonia. Leaves an oily feel in my mouth. There's just not much to this one. Strength is medium, edging into medium-full. The smoke smells acrid. After the first 1", I switch to coffee, hoping it will perk up some flavor in the cigar. No dice, the cigar just provides bitter instant coffee taste with a flat finish. On the bright side, draw & burn are good. I soon try switching back to water, but it doesn't help. At 2", the bitterness fades. Or are my taste buds getting numb? Whatever, it's soon back anyway. If this weren't a review, I'd pitch the cigar right now. It tastes like that look I got from the prune-faced bun-haired old lady at the supermarket last week when I set down my purchase: 2 big bourbon bottles, 6 wine bottles, a jar of peanuts & a turkey baster. Don't ask. I soldier on, despite the flat old coffee & bitter bite continuing with every puff. Can I say "puff" here? OK, "draw" it is. There's no appreciable change or improvement through the second half, though it is stronger. My mouth has a sharp tang of acidic charcoal. And not in a good way. Taste buds are logging onto Craigslist to find a new place to live. There's 1-1/2" left - can I put this down yet? Is anybody looking? (glance over my shoulder) Cool! I pitch it into the ashtray, and grab a cigarette for a better flavor. End time, 2:50 PM. 1 hour, 50 minutes of discomfort. Umm, I guess you could say I do not like it. Not one bit. It hurt my tongue. It taste like sh-- (take that, Dr. Seuss!). While construction was good, giving no problems in draw or burn, it never delivered in the flavor department; what little taste it gave was unpleasant. A yardgar to avoid, for sure. It's been a very long time since I've had an El Mejor Espresso, but this reminded me of one. Shilala warned us there was a questionable cigar in the bunch - I sure hope that was it. I'm not going to give this one a number rating, as I'm afraid any rating I give it might encourage someone to smoke it, and I don't want to be responsible for inflicting such damage to a Brother here. Suffice to say, it is NOT GOOD. When I find out what it was, I'll post it here. __________________ Pobody's Nerfect.