DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3

[Brutus2600]

No rush Dan, I knew you were out of town from your other post so I wasn't antsy

[DBall]

jimmyk26 cigar #5
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Here is round #5:

Initial impressions - This cigar, sized approximately 5" x 36, is wrapped with a light brown leaf that looks roughly applied with stretching and bunching, uneven cuts that appear on the spiral line of the wrapper edge, and more than a few veins. Topping this cigar is an equally rough looking cap with jagged edges. The wrapper appears to have some nice looking plume on it. While inspecting the cigar I notice a few soft spots that indicate that it was unevenly constructed. I get a red pepper and natural tobacco scent off of the wrapper while the foot presents a hay and sweet tobacco aroma. The prelight draw has a bit of resistance and leaves a natural tobacco and leather taste on the palate.


Initial puffs - The cigar is producing plenty of smoke and is presenting rich earth, leather, spice, and a sweet grassiness.

1/3 - The draw seems to have tightened up a bit, but it isn't prohibitive. Right now I am tasting richness, in fact I almost can't place the flavor. What I do notice is that it reminds me of a well aged steak. Along with that richness I am getting spice, leather, and espresso on the palate with some spice and woodiness through the nose. For the ugly little package, this cigar is producing all types of flavors. This cigar packs quite the spice punch in this first third. The finish is dry and a bit gritty.


2/3 - At the beginning of the second third the spice is continuing to be a powerful influence and it is joined by a coffee and wood. The burn line is staying consistent and it seems to be burning through the soft spots without much ado. The flavors have mellowed out a bit, but there is still a nice spice tingle on the palate. The burn has gone a bit funky with the ash turning upwards, likely due to the soft construction I noted earlier (it looks like I spoke too soon earlier). Nearing the end of this third, the cigar picked back up on flavor with notes of wood and a musty grassiness.


3/3 - Coming into the final third the burn evened out after the askew ash dropped. The woody spice is the dominate flavor with a nuts and hay through the nose. On one puff, I got a distinct and powerful taste and smell of soap surprising, but not totally off putting. After this puff the cigar took on a floral aroma that I begin to notice through the nose. Here the cigar makes a strange flavor turn, there is a soapy floral finish to the smoke that reminds me of what would happen after I said one too many four letter words when I was young. Not very pleasant, but I have enjoyed the cigar this far so I muscle through it. At the very end of this cigar, the spice and wood reappeared (thankfully) to close out my experience.


Final thoughts - I really want to like this cigar for the gruff appearance, explosion of flavors right away, and the plentiful spice throughout the cigar, but the onset of soap and the lingering finish of hand soap make that difficult. Given that this is a blind tasting and I only get one sample I would really like to try some more and see if the soap thing is a one off.


Rating: 8.0 - A solid smoke with potential to score much higher. It was hindered heavily by a strange occurrence of soap at the end and uneven construction.

P.S. - I did nub it though. See picture.

[DBall]

Brutus2600 Cigar #5
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Between being out of town for work last week, helping my parents move, a wedding (not mine!), and getting picked for jury duty for a case that will last all week...I've been a little later than my normal Saturday or Sunday review! Well, I had a little while this evening to finally catch my breath, and got to review! So here we go...

DBall's Blind Review #5!

Upon initial inspection, this cigar is about 5 x 34, has a smooth wrapper (albeit not the prettiest I've seen), and feels well constructed with no soft spots and isn't too firm.



Initial light 9:10 - Prelight draw has a burst of hay aroma. It has a tight draw, but not plugged. Upon lighting the cigar, I get a creamy, but spicy flavor. Odd mix, but it's a very smooth and still a slightly spicy cigar. Almost a vanilla hint to it. Draw is still tight, but produces nice amounts of smoke.



First third - The smoke is still creamy, but there is a woodsy, campfire aroma. Hints of leather and a nutty aroma. The ash is a grayish white, and doesn't hold on well, first fell off after about a 1/4" and the burn isn't very even at all.



Second third 9:30 - The power just went out and I had to scramble around to get the internet back up, in the process the cigar went out. Relight didn't leave any unpleasant taste, so I'm not too worried. Ash is still loose, burn is a little better, and the draw has loosened up some. The nutty flavor has grown in strength, while the leather and woodsy aromas have faded, and the vanilla hints are all but gone.



Final third 9:46 - While I haven't felt like I was rushing this cigar at all, it has certainly gone by very quickly. For having burned so quick, it has stayed cool and flavorful throughout. While the flavor hasn't been complex (still hitting on mostly just nutty, woodsy aromas), it has been pleasant. The burn has gone from even, to uneven, and flip flopped a couple of more times. Having just unintentionally licked my lips, the cigar has actually left quite a pleasant, almost sweet, tobacco flavor there that I guess I normally don't notice while smoking.



Finish time 9:58 - Having smoked this in the evening, I would've usually chosen a stronger cigar, as I enjoy my more full bodied cigars in the evening and my lighter, smoother cigars in the morning with my coffee. This would've paired wonderfully with coffee I'm sure. I enjoyed the cigar so much I almost nubbed it, but it was almost burning my fingers and the smoke was getting pretty hot.

Appearance and construction: 1 out of 1.5
Smoke and ash: 1.25 out of 1.5
Burn: 2.5 out of 3 (it burned consistently...just not evenly)
Overall flavor: 3.25 out of 4

Total: 8 out of 10