DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #4

[DBall]

Originally Posted by Samsquanch

OUT FOR DELIVERY, September 29, 2010, 9:15 am, SEATTLE, WA 98122

How is it they are both delivered on the same day on opposite sides of the country...not that I'm complaining!!!

Incredible, right? Looks like you should have them tonight!

[Samsquanch]

About to head to the bar to wish bon voyage to a good friend who is retiring and moving down to Costa Rica. Looking forward to getting home and since they were hardly in transit perhaps lighting up #1 this evening, it is a beautiful one out there.

[Samsquanch]

Package arrived safe (can't say the same for my mailbox, got this package and bombed on the same evening, 17 cigars total, insane!)

[DBall]

Had review #1 from Dom in my PM box this morning. The man wastes no time at all!

[Brutus2600]

Oh dang!

[DBall]

jonumberone Cigar #1
******************





Initial thoughts

The stick appears to be a touch over 5 inches in length. I squeeze the stick and find a very soft spot an inch above the foot. I also find two very hard spots, one about an inch above the soft spot, the other an inch from the cap. There are a few veins on the wrapper that aren’t very pronounced when I feel them. The wrapper appears to be very wrinkled and has about a dozen bluish green discolorations. I imagine this is what my grandmother’s legs would look like if they were filled with tobacco. Pre-light aroma is very musky, again reminding me of my grandmother. Pre-light draw is fine and I get a sweet grassy taste.







First third

After I light the initial taste I get is very sweet. After about a half an inch the sweetness disappears and is replaced with a woodsy taste. I’m getting a lot of smoke but I find it very thin. As I am about to move into the second third, the sweetness is back along with some cedar.







Second Third

The sweetness, cedar and woodsy flavors continue into the second third. So far the flavor has remained consistent . I keep trying to go to my nose, It’s a technique I haven’t mastered yet. I’m really looking for something more from this stick, but I am just not getting it.







Final third

I haven’t commented on it yet, but the draw and burn have been terrific. I thought I may have some burn issues because of how humid it is outside. The flavors have shifted finally. I’m getting a nutty flavor and the sweetness is entirely gone. The cedar is still there but it is faint. As I smoke a little more the sweetness comes back and is more identifiable now. It is very fruity and tart like a pear.







Final thoughts

All in all this stick wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great either. While I was smoking, I felt like I wanted more. I wonder if it’s my undeveloped palate picking up subtle flavors making me want more, or if this stick was truly lacking them. The flavors I did pick up, I felt were well defined.

Smoke time 1 hr 50m

Final score 6.5/10

[DBall]

Samsquanch Cigar #1
******************

Thanks again for the opportunity Dan, enjoying this!



Review #1



Beautiful day in Seattle so I found a nice park on Lake Washington with a view of Mt Rainier to enjoy my first cigar of this round.







It is medium brown in color with a few veins but nothing too noticeable. The wrapper seemed a little wrinkled in places, maybe this is common and I just am paying extra attention to this one. Squeeze test it seemed perfect, no serious soft spots. Triple cap clipped with my Palio. Pre-light it drew perfect with a nice mild flavor. Time to light.









1/3



Lit up nice and fast with lots of dense white smoke. Mild flavor and not really able to discern any specific flavors. The draw is perfect on this baby. Ash is holding well for the first inch.







2/3



Building in strength a bit, burn has been even up until now. Just caught a hint of hazelnut.







3/3



Feeling the strength but it may be just because I haven't eaten in a while. A few touch ups on the burn now but nothing too serious. Other than the hazelnut, which was faint, I haven't picked up on any distinct flavor. It may just be my noob palate though. A nice mild tobacco flavor throughout.







Final thoughts



Enjoyed this cigar, flavor was very mild and I've found that my tastes have been trending towards the medium to fuller smokes lately so I probably wouldn't pick this one up.



Total score - 6/10

[DBall]

What they smoked:



2008 Por Larranaga Petit Corona

jonumberone score: 6.5

Samsquanch score: 6

I really expected higher numbers from these. However, they are mild and these two are primarily NC smokers.

That's gonna be the challenge with this and most other of these threads... trying to look past the lack of power in some of these cigars and embrace (or in some instance, hunt for) the subtlety and nuance. Not saying by any stretch that the reviews are "wrong" or anything... everyone's palate is different and everyone should smoke what they enjoy.

Also, a lot of people don't feel these are quite ready yet with so few years on them. While I think they are decent cigars, they don't blow me away yet either.

1 down, 9 to go!

Thanks for this thread Dan, I like the reviews

[DBall]

Another quick note... I've never been to Seattle but have always wanted to.. Those pics are AWESOME!

Oh, and it's easier to pinpoint flavors out the nose. All ya do is blow the majority of the smoke out your mouth than close your mouth and blow the rest out your nose. Another thing I find really helpful is the occasional purge (blowing out through the cigar). Mix those two techniques in and see if there's any difference.

[Samsquanch]

In the first picture just above the boat you can faintly make out Mt. Rainier. I moved here from North Carolina a couple years ago and love it!

I'll definitely try the nose trick on the next one and purging as well. The next one will be going up in smoke this weekend!

Originally Posted by DBall

Another quick note... I've never been to Seattle but have always wanted to.. Those pics are AWESOME!

Oh, and it's easier to pinpoint flavors out the nose. All ya do is blow the majority of the smoke out your mouth than close your mouth and blow the rest out your nose. Another thing I find really helpful is the occasional purge (blowing out through the cigar). Mix those two techniques in and see if there's any difference.

[hscmit]

nice work guys

[Brutus2600]

Good to see the first reviews so quick! I enjoyed reading them...can't wait for the next one

[DBall]

Originally Posted by Brutus2600

Good to see the first reviews so quick! I enjoyed reading them...can't wait for the next one

I know what ya mean... I wanna see them all at once, but at the same time, the 1 per week thing makes the fun last longer.

I'll probably only post one per week anyway

[CRIMPS]

Great reviews... and entertaining as well

[Samsquanch]

Second review inbound this evening.

[jonumberone]

Review #2 Delivered

[jonumberone]

The suspense is killing me

[DBall]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

The suspense is killing me

Me too... I literally haven't been home long enough to get the images (which are on my laptop) all weekend. The best thing is, my memory sucks ass and I don't even remember what I sent you till I see the pics.

[jonumberone]

Plans are for #3 tonight