DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #4

[bishjd123]

Great reviews. Glad to see this back up and running.

I'm so glad this is back on track, I really enjoy reading these reviews.

[jonumberone]

#9 is on fire as we speak

[Bageland2000]

This is a great thread guys, thanks for posting all these reviews

[jonumberone]

#10 after breakfast

[DBall]

Originally Posted by jonumberone

#10 after breakfast

#10? You never sent number 9!

Which reminds me, I need to put up #8... life's been busy, but a very good kind of busy.

[jonumberone]

It's all done just need to upload the pics.

you should have both within the hour

[CRIMPS]

#9 will be put to the flame either tonight or tomorrow night. Looking forward to seeing #8

[CRIMPS]

#9 sent.

[jdawg]

I just found and read through this thread. Really great stuff!

Great reviews guys, been a joy to read. Look forward to the rest of them.

[DBall]

jonumberone Cigar #8
******************

With all this snow on its way, and trucks backed up onto the street, I’ve resigned myself to being stuck at work for a very long time tonight.
Going to try and make it easier by smoking #8.



Initial Thoughts.

I pull out my handy ring gauge guide sent to me by Triple F, and find the stick is 5 X 42.
The wrapper is a silky coffee brown with few veins.
I squeeze from cap to foot and find a rock solid spot about where the band would be.
This doesn’t seem to affect the draw at all.
The pre-light draw is sweet, with a hint of anise that leaves a tickle on the tip of my tongue.



First Third

I light up and find the first few puffs to be very muddy and musky. I attempt to go to my nose and am shocked at how much burn I get right off the bat.
About an inch in and I’m still finding the flavors to be muddled.
There is nothing distinct and nothing too stellar yet.
This stick is burning really fast as well, not 20 min in and I’m about to move into the second third.



Second Third

I start of this part with a purge, trying to move this stick into some sort of direction other than the path it’s on.
I let it sit for a few minutes and I am getting a bit of earth and leather.
A bit into it and my friend cedar rears its head.
As soon as those flavors started to pop out a bit, they recessed back into this mish mash of blah.



Last Third

There really isn’t much new here to report except that the flavors seem a bit more toasted in this final third.
Going to my nose is unbearable and I can't find a reason to continue down to the nub.



Final thoughts

I'm going to call this stick "$7.99 Buffet".
It was a bit like heaping mounds of cheap food onto a plate, none of it any good, and coming back to the table with a pile of food and flavors.
I would have to say that these are not ready yet, but unlike the PLPC Dan sent in review #1 I have no interest in seeing where these go from here.
This stick was just Blah!

Final Score
4.5/10
Smoke time 1hr 3min

[DBall]

CRIMPS Cigar #8
**************


Cigar #8 looks to be about a 5” stick with a 42 or 45 ring gauge.

Pre-light. The wrapper has some noticeable, raised veins. The foot starts dark brown and as you move towards the cap, lightens up to a nice peanut butter tan. I also notice just a little oily sheen... just a little. The smell is a stronger nutty smell. Cutting the cap, the wrapper seems very thin, taking very little force to cut. I take a draw and taste nothing more than some straw.


First third. As I toast the foot, I waft a little smoke and can smell a creamy, toast smell. I like it. The first puff is incredibly smooth... cuban cigar smooth. I taste some hazelnut coffee. I love it. I take a few more pulls to fully light the foot. I suddenly hear the wrapper crack. Sure enough, about an inch of the wrapper shows a crack. As I pull on the cigar, the crack continues to grow. I can still pull on it without completely loosing the suction, so I ignore this. This isn't going to stop my experience tonight.


Second third. The wrapper looks like it was wrapped around a bottle rocket that exploded. As the cigar warms up, it starts to expand it would seem. You would think I was smoking an ice cream cone. Cookies and creme, maybe.

The flavor profile is gaining some complexity, tasting a slightly burnt toast and coffee. I taste it on the back of the tongue. Still smooth and creamy. I am really enjoying this.


Last third. I go to the nose and this really confirms the burnt hazelnut smell. Just a little zing, but worth it. The cigar continues to burn straight. The flavors continue, but the burnt hazelnut has picked up. In fact, the burnt flavor has overpowered any coffee or nut taste at this point, which I don't mind. Very little spice. If anything, pulling on the cigar 3 or 4 times leaves the tongue almost numb for a minute.


Final Thoughts. A full flavored, medium bodied stick. The flavors changed from a very creamy hazelnut to a burnt straw. The wrapper blowing up was interesting. Honestly, though, this didn't really affect the smoking experience, which I was worried about. I fell in love at the beginning, but the love affair faded at the end (she had kids).

I give this cigar a 7. I would definitely smoke these again.

[DBall]

What they smoked:



2010 Romeo y Julieta Coronitas en Cedro

jonumberone score: 4.5

CRIMPS score: 7

I had high hopes for these when I bought them... I really like RyJ's. These don't do it for me.

[landhoney]

Originally Posted by DBall

I had high hopes for these when I bought them... I really like RyJ's. These don't do it for me.

Give 'em 10 years, then see how you feel and report back.
If you don't like them then, you know what to do.

[Superbad]

10 years is a long time to wait to see if they come around.

[landhoney]

Originally Posted by Superbad

10 years is a long time to wait to see if they come around.

This made me laugh, in a good way not a 'laugh at you' kind of way Bobby. So true in one sense, and yet in another reality not so true.

In one sense, do we really need all these cigars? Outsiders would not understand, "Why do you have so many cigars???" But in our reality it makes some kind of sense.

I personally see aging in a similar way. Does it make sense to sit a box of cigars aside for ten years waiting for them to come around? Well to me it does. But seriously the 10 years was slight hyperbole. I will say though that I've yet to have a 10+ year old RyJ disappoint, whereas fresh they do so regularly.

That's one reason they call this place the asylum.

TL/DR or 'Nutshell' version: RyJ's often need some down time, don't always judge them fresh, down the road they will rarely disappoint if you like RyJ's at all.

[DBall]

I'm spoiled because I got a box of 07 RyJ Coronas that were INCREDIBLE... I thought all fresh RyJ's would be like that. Pretty sad when I smoked these.

Oh well, there's only about 1 or 2 left in that box... it won't last 10 years...

[DBall]

jonumberone Cigar #9
******************

It’s frigid out with freezing rain, I couldn’t think of a better time to light #9



Initial Thoughts
Stick 9 has a nice light brown color to it. I don’t have my ring gauge guide so best guess is 5.5 X 46.
The wrapper has a little tooth to it and some well defined veins.
I squeeze and find a hard spot right at the foot.
Pre- light draw is perfect and the flavor is very grassy.



First Third
Right from the word go I get a very distinct and defined flavor, however I can’t put my finger on what it is yet.
An attempt at my nose produces some burn and doesn’t do much to help me describe what I taste.
I am finding it to be woodsy; I am also getting a tart like flavor that brings apple to mind.



Second Third
As I smoke more some cocoa notes are starting to come through. The woodsy flavor has mellowed but the tartness persists.
I am noticing that the ash isn’t holding well. It keeps falling off every ¼ inch or so.
The cocoa is gone and it is replaced by some cedar.



Final Third
At the start of the last part I go to my nose and feel a lot of burn.
Immediately after, I start to get some cinnamon.
The odd tartness is still present. Is this the Cuban twang I’ve heard about?
The wood and cedar flavors are meshing nicely and the cinnamon adds a nice touch of spice.



Final thoughts
I think I will call this one “apple pie covered in chocolate, baked on a cedar plank in the woods”.
For me this smoke had an odd combination of flavors that somehow worked well. The stick seemed to be all over the place, yet right where it belonged.
Burn and draw were flawless, and I had 4 relights all in the final third, that kind of soured the experience.
I wanted to nub it, but keeping it lit was becoming a hassle.

Final score 8/10
Smoke time 1hr 46min

[DBall]

CRIMPS Cigar #9
**************

Prelight
Looks to be a 6” x ~50rg stick. The initial smell is a very light hay. I cut the cap and the pull is a little tight, but definitely workable. The wrapper has some raised veins with a relatively smooth wrapper, just a little tooth. The construction looks tight.



First 3rd
I taste a dark chocolate, which fades quickly after I expel the smoke. There is a little spice at the tip of the tongue, but this fades quickly as well. The aftertaste remains very earthy. The flavors spike, but this all seems like it fades quickly. Lots of smoke, initial smoke is slightly yellowed, but transitions quickly to a blueish smoke. The wrapper starts to split again. Nothing serious.



Second 3rd
It seems like this cigar has calmed some. I still have some dark chocolate and earth, but the flavors don't fade as fast. I take two long pulls to stoke the stick back to life. I get a lot of creamy oil on my tongue (that's what she said). There is very little sweetness to this cigar. Instead, I taste a lot of tanginess. I don't mind this.



Last 3rd
I am drinking iced tea, with some lemon, to clear my palate some. My next few puffs I notice an increase in wood flavor and my brow reports some chili powder spice. The aftertaste still has some dark chocolate. Again, no sweetness exists that I can pick up. The burn is still consistent and the draw is still tight and hasn't loosened any since I started the cigar.



Overall thoughts
This cigar produced a lot of oil. I could taste the oils long after I finished the cigar, including the chili powder. Unique. I have smoked a number of “spicy” cigars. To me, this was completely different. I didn't taste black pepper at all.

The cigar was medium bodied and medium-full flavored. Total smoke time was 1 hour and 10 minutes. I would smoke this cigar again, but this wasn't my favorite.

Rating: 7/10

[DBall]

What they smoked:



2000 Rafael Gonzalez Corona Extra

jonumberone score: 8

CRIMPS score: 7

I lit one of these up a week or 2 ago and got the great taste of light, freshly milled black pepper... not the painful peppery-ness of an NC, but a wonderful and light primary flavor. Lots of floral and sweet as the cigar went on to the final half. I passed it around and the sentiment was mirrored... without me even saying anything (as I didn't want to ruin it with the power of suggestion). Makes me wish I didn't give so many of these away and that I had many, many more left.