smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews

jjirons69 · 07-29-2011, 01:13 PM

Just like Scott to send you a sharp woody with undertones of boiled frog.

Great review!!!

smokin5 · 07-29-2011, 04:40 PM

Yes, but better than a frog's woody. Or a boiled one.

Shilala says that Blind Cigar No. 4 was a 'regular' Indian Tabac Maduro.

The final review will be posted either later tonight or tomorrow morning.
Need to find out if we're having a Friday dinner/party at my place, first.
I'm usually the last to know.

smokin5 · 07-30-2011, 03:54 PM

Yep, had people over last night for enchiladas & margaritas.
Ended far too late for me to type on all those blurry keys.

Here is the final blind review, Cigar No. 5.
This was smoked on Thursday, 7/28, starting at 5:10 PM.

5"x50 ring robusto with a medium-brown wrapper. Slightly spongy when pressed.
Prelight smell is faint barnyard. Draw has a light give, but pretty free, giving only a light tobacco taste.
I light 'er up with no beverage to start. Don't need water, because there's plenty of it coming from the sky. Good rain here, with periodic lightning flashes. I cop a squat on my front porch to enjoy the show.

Initial taste is cayenne. And soap. More like Ivory than Zest; pretty fresh Ivory, though, before it's lathered up the armpits, so it's not gross or anything. Thankfully, the soap taste rinses away quickly after a few puffs....I mean draws.
1/2" in, the harsh pepper loses intensity, allowing a sweet-spicy flavor to emerge. Reminds me of a Pepin Garcia Black-Lite. But it doesn't make my teeth glow like a real BlackLite. Huh? Never mind. There's a creamier feel to the smoke now, and the strength is medium-to-full. This one definitely calls for a Makers Mark on the rocks. No, that's me calling for it, my mistake, we sound alike.

Earthy-caramel undertones play in at 1". The pepper has calmed more, complementing the other flavors, but it retains a bite in the back of my throat on the finish. Not as complex or full as a Pepin Black (Cuban Classic), but pretty good, nonetheless. Similar to a Famous Nicaraguan 7000 or a Fumadores (in-house brands made by Pepin). Burn and draw continue to be satisfactory.
At 1-1/2", the burn goes crooked, so I call the cops. I get a busy signal, so I take matters into my own hands at correction, burning off the slow side & purging while I'm at it. The purge helps, softening the back-throat bite and making it much easier to snork. Pretty good nose smoker at this stage. Flavors continue without much change after that, which is fine by me. Decently balanced mix of earth, caramel & pepper twinge with a slightly creamy feel.

Into the second half, there's less fullness & creaminess to the smoke, less dimension, & a cardboardy sharpness creeping in. My tasting notes say "bipolar cigar", but I honestly don't know what the heck I was talking about now. Another purge helps, but it doesn't quite return to that 'sweet spot' it earlier had at the 1" to 2-1/2" portion. Less dimension & more bite in the finish. Not unbearable, just less enjoyable than before. I know, why don't we make a cigar the just contains the short 'sweet spot' in a cigar - we could call it "DUmB" & get some guy no one's ever heard of to promote it, maybe give him a hat or something...oh, wait, that's already been done, huh?

6:10, and 2" to go. More bourbon & rainwater in the forecast. Flavor is flattening & sharpness is rising, so I try another purge. No dice. It seems to get sharper with each puff...I mean draw. With 1-1/2" left, I drop it. End time, 6:30, for total time smoked of 1 hour, 20 minutes.

This cigar seems to have peaked at the 1/4 to 1/2 mark, then went on for a disappointing second half. Kinda like a lot of Rocky Patels. Or the Arizona Cardinals. After a rocky start (no pun intended), there was a period of about 30-40 minutes when I really enjoyed it, then it was 'OK', then it went sourth (that' 'sourly south' combined). Burn stayed pretty true, needing only a touch-up or two, & draw remained consistently good throughout. If I had to give it a rating...what do you mean I HAVE to? OK... I'll say 80.
Good, but needs improvement. As far as a letter grade, I'd say

ATTENTION: Due to the Congressional budgetary impasse,
all Federal funding for cigar reviews have been stopped,
effective immediately, until further notice. We apologize
for any inconvenience this might cause you. That is all.

07-29-2011, 01:13 PM	#1
jjirons69 Haberdasher Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Jamie Location: Chucktown, SC Posts: 4,120 Trading: (94)	Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews Just like Scott to send you a sharp woody with undertones of boiled frog. Great review!!! __________________ Somebody has to go back and get a chitload of dimes

07-29-2011, 04:40 PM	#2
smokin5 Have My Own Room Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: On the Mountaintop - AZ Posts: 2,002 Trading: (69)	Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews Yes, but better than a frog's woody. Or a boiled one. Shilala says that Blind Cigar No. 4 was a 'regular' Indian Tabac Maduro. The final review will be posted either later tonight or tomorrow morning. Need to find out if we're having a Friday dinner/party at my place, first. I'm usually the last to know. __________________ Pobody's Nerfect.

07-30-2011, 03:54 PM	#3
smokin5 Have My Own Room Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: On the Mountaintop - AZ Posts: 2,002 Trading: (69)	Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews Yep, had people over last night for enchiladas & margaritas. Ended far too late for me to type on all those blurry keys. Here is the final blind review, Cigar No. 5. This was smoked on Thursday, 7/28, starting at 5:10 PM. 5"x50 ring robusto with a medium-brown wrapper. Slightly spongy when pressed. Prelight smell is faint barnyard. Draw has a light give, but pretty free, giving only a light tobacco taste. I light 'er up with no beverage to start. Don't need water, because there's plenty of it coming from the sky. Good rain here, with periodic lightning flashes. I cop a squat on my front porch to enjoy the show. Initial taste is cayenne. And soap. More like Ivory than Zest; pretty fresh Ivory, though, before it's lathered up the armpits, so it's not gross or anything. Thankfully, the soap taste rinses away quickly after a few puffs....I mean draws. 1/2" in, the harsh pepper loses intensity, allowing a sweet-spicy flavor to emerge. Reminds me of a Pepin Garcia Black-Lite. But it doesn't make my teeth glow like a real BlackLite. Huh? Never mind. There's a creamier feel to the smoke now, and the strength is medium-to-full. This one definitely calls for a Makers Mark on the rocks. No, that's me calling for it, my mistake, we sound alike. Earthy-caramel undertones play in at 1". The pepper has calmed more, complementing the other flavors, but it retains a bite in the back of my throat on the finish. Not as complex or full as a Pepin Black (Cuban Classic), but pretty good, nonetheless. Similar to a Famous Nicaraguan 7000 or a Fumadores (in-house brands made by Pepin). Burn and draw continue to be satisfactory. At 1-1/2", the burn goes crooked, so I call the cops. I get a busy signal, so I take matters into my own hands at correction, burning off the slow side & purging while I'm at it. The purge helps, softening the back-throat bite and making it much easier to snork. Pretty good nose smoker at this stage. Flavors continue without much change after that, which is fine by me. Decently balanced mix of earth, caramel & pepper twinge with a slightly creamy feel. Into the second half, there's less fullness & creaminess to the smoke, less dimension, & a cardboardy sharpness creeping in. My tasting notes say "bipolar cigar", but I honestly don't know what the heck I was talking about now. Another purge helps, but it doesn't quite return to that 'sweet spot' it earlier had at the 1" to 2-1/2" portion. Less dimension & more bite in the finish. Not unbearable, just less enjoyable than before. I know, why don't we make a cigar the just contains the short 'sweet spot' in a cigar - we could call it "DUmB" & get some guy no one's ever heard of to promote it, maybe give him a hat or something...oh, wait, that's already been done, huh? 6:10, and 2" to go. More bourbon & rainwater in the forecast. Flavor is flattening & sharpness is rising, so I try another purge. No dice. It seems to get sharper with each puff...I mean draw. With 1-1/2" left, I drop it. End time, 6:30, for total time smoked of 1 hour, 20 minutes. This cigar seems to have peaked at the 1/4 to 1/2 mark, then went on for a disappointing second half. Kinda like a lot of Rocky Patels. Or the Arizona Cardinals. After a rocky start (no pun intended), there was a period of about 30-40 minutes when I really enjoyed it, then it was 'OK', then it went sourth (that' 'sourly south' combined). Burn stayed pretty true, needing only a touch-up or two, & draw remained consistently good throughout. If I had to give it a rating...what do you mean I HAVE to? OK... I'll say 80. Good, but needs improvement. As far as a letter grade, I'd say ATTENTION: Due to the Congressional budgetary impasse, all Federal funding for cigar reviews have been stopped, effective immediately, until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause you. That is all. __________________ Pobody's Nerfect.