RevSmoke's Blind reviews

[fissure]

Got them all smoked, just need to write up the reviews from my notes

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by kgoings

Awesome!

I like the Punch Corona, I'd overall say that I recommend it. A slight box pressed stick with a typical Cuban wrapper, firm, leaving a grey flaky ash. It is more of a medium bodied smoke, with leather, coffee, cedar, and a pleasant room note.

Glad you liked it. I am curious to see what you all think of the next few cigars.

Especially #6 - each of you has a different #6 based upon your particular likes and dislikes.

Originally Posted by Emjaysmash

Hope you had a good time in MI, and I hope the time with your wife was...fruitful.

Glad to have ya back on, Todd!

Had a great time. It was wonderful to be away - and great to be alone for a couple days.

Thanks for the welcome back.

Originally Posted by fissure

Got them all smoked, just need to write up the reviews from my notes

Looking forward to see what you thought of them (see above note).

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[RevSmoke]

On to cigar #3.

from dyieldin:

Here is #3.

0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality 2.1 - 2.9 = fair 3.0 - 3.5 = good 3.5 - 4.5 = excellent 4.6 - 5.0 = superior
Rev#3

1) Aesthetics: the look of the cigar – This cigar was rather coarse and kind of dry looking. Also kind of ugly, in part due to shipping, kind of beat up looking. Medium brown andf lightly veined with a couple of water spots. Looks like a 6X42.
Score for aesthetics:*** 2.0

2) Pre-light Construction: There was a soft spot in the middle but the foot seemed very tight and dense. It did look very well rolled as far as no lumps, bumps or twists. There was what appeared to be a stem at the start of the last ¼ from the head and a split at the foot of about .5in. I suspect both are due to shipping. It has a slight sweet hay smell. The cap cut clean and it has a damm nice draw, even slightly loose.
Score for Pre-light construction: 2.9

3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: It drew well, so the firmness noted about was not to worry. Smoke pulls through on its own with little effort. It did burn crooked most of the time but corrected itself quickly and was fine with no corrections by me. Smoke was slightly on the hot side but O.K.(I tend to smoke too fast too). The ash was very light grey, almost white. It is very solid and clumpy. It does seem to be burning fairly fast.
Score for post-light construction: 3.5

4) Flavor and strength: What does it taste like?
I would say this is more medium bodied, not quote full. It has a fruity, sweet taste that I found fairly rich. I noted some floral in the first third along with a haylike taste. A pleasant smoke. I found it did not build in flavor but more in strength with a lisght change in complexity as I smoke it, it was more flavorful. In the 2nd third I had a nice sweet orange citrus taste that I rather enjoyed. This faded in the last third to a more sweet fruity sweetness.
Score for flavor and strength: 3.5

5) Finish/Aftertaste: Some of the fruity tastes linger for a time.
Score for aftertaste: 3.5

6) Aroma: It had a nice aroma, more of a flowery tobacco smell that was O.K. but nothing to write home about.
Score for aroma: 3.0

7) General Comments:
Looks can be deceiving in this case. It was a lot better that it looked in the start.
I had coffee with this one and thought it was a good matchup and would be a good smoke to start the day.
This did remind me of something I smoke before but I could not put my finger on it. I can only venture a wild guess on this one, Belinda?
I would buy them if the price was in the low end.
Sum it up as you would to a friends ("That cigar was awesome!") - That is a totally smoke able cigar.
Overall score for the cigar: 3.5

8) Recommendation: I would recommended this one if it has a fairly low to mid price on its head.

[RevSmoke]

#3 from Kgoings:

1) Aesthetics: Natural in color. 150mm X 49 gauge. The cigar had a semi dry sheen with a couple veins. 4.5

2) Pre-light Construction: Not much of a smell to the cigar, seems to be a hard spot right in the middle, no soft spots. Prelight draw is extremely tight, I hope its not plugged. 3.7

3) Post-light Construction: Upon lighting my fear came true, cigar is plugged. Very hard to draw much of anything at all. I used a draw poker a couple times and it did nothing to the draw. 2.0

4) Flavor and Strength: I could only finish the first third of this cigar, and the flavor I got I didnt like. The only think I tasted was pepper. Hot on the tongue. 1.0

5) Finish/Aftertaste: Long finish which was the same as the flavor pepper only. 1.0

6) Aroma: The aroma of this cigar smelled very nice. I am not sure if the flavors would have developed into something nice but I still would have given it a low rating. I don't like the pepper flavor. 4.0

7) General Comments: Plugged cigar, the only flavor I got was pepper. 1.0

8) Recommendation: Not Recommended. I would give it another try to see if it changed its complexity and flavors.

Over All 2.0

[RevSmoke]

#3 from Fissure:

Cigar #3 has a ring gauge of 46 while being 6 inches long.



1. The cigar has a light wrapper that seems pretty dry. It has some minor veins, but nothing horrible.

Aesthetics score 3

2. Construction was a little spongy with a medium density. The wrapper was pretty well cracked at the foot, maybe from the dryness. It had a grassy barnyard smell to it.

Construction Score 2.5

3. The cigar has a very nice draw, with a little bit of smoke pulling through after taking a draw. The ash is very light gray and a little flaky. The ash holds on for only about an inch. It does burn evenly and is cool smoking. It does get spongier as you continue to smoke.

Post Light Construction Score 2.5

4. This is a mild cigar that starts off bland and slightly bitter. The more I smoke I get some woody flavor, but that's about it. It continues the bitterness with some acidic properties thrown in, even after repeated purging.

Flavor and Strength Score 2

5. The aftertaste is slightly bitter, with no real flavor at all. The bitterness dries out my mouth and makes me want a drink. Not pleasant.

Aftertaste score 2

6. The aroma is not as bad as the taste, but still underwhelming. It smells light and grassy.

Aroma score 2

7. I did not enjoy this cigar mostly due to the bitterness. It was really unpleasant.

Overall score 2

8. I would not recommend this cigar to even the casual cigar smoker who is used to Macanudo's or Gurkhas

[RevSmoke]

What did they smoke? Famous Nicaraguan Cameroon Lonsdale (6X46) @$41.99 for a bundle of 20, purchased in early Oct. of 2009. This was the one "yard gar" of the bunch.

Yes, they are a bit on the softer side, but they burn decently. Interestingly, when I first got these, they were quite tasty, sweet with that Cameroon spice and a bit of a Nicaraguan punch to it. I liked the aroma quite a bit, spicy sweet is the best way to describe it. As for aftertaste, it doesn't linger very long, and what is there is on the spicy side.

Something happened though about a couple months ago, a bitterness appeared in one I was smoking, and I didn't appreciate it. I added them to the tasting to see what others would think.

Early I would have recommended these for someone looking for a inexpensive, spicy stick. Where they are at now, I don't know that I could recommend them.

I must say, I am glad you all tried them and that it wasn't just me.

But, as I have a few more of these, I hope they come around.

Thanks guys.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[RevSmoke]

I won't say what the next two cigars are, but I am really looking forward to getting the feedback of the reviewers on them.

And, each reviewer got an extra cigar, something that I thought they should try, given their own stated preferences and dislikes.

So, I am kind of anxious about the next ones.

[RevSmoke]

Hello, anybody home?

[kgoings]

Can't wait to smoke the other 3, I will get one done this weekend.

Thanks!

[Emjaysmash]

Originally Posted by RevSmoke

Hello, anybody home?

I am!

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by kgoings

Can't wait to smoke the other 3, I will get one done this weekend.

Thanks!

You will enjoy them. Trust me.

Originally Posted by Emjaysmash

I am!

I see you. Wait to see what I have for you at the herf?

[Emjaysmash]

Originally Posted by RevSmoke

You will enjoy them. Trust me.



I see you. Wait to see what I have for you at the herf?

Lmao! Last time I heard it was YOUR birthday, not mine!!

[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by Emjaysmash

Lmao! Last time I heard it was YOUR birthday, not mine!!

What's birthday got to do with it?

[RevSmoke]

Here is cigar #4 for dyieldin

A good one! This one went very well for me.



0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality 2.1 - 2.9 = fair 3.0 - 3.5 = good 3.5 - 4.5 = excellent 4.6 - 5.0 = superior RevSmoke #4

1) Aesthetics: the look of the cigar – This is a smooth, dry, medium brown wrapper that I thought was pretty. It had a very nice look, small veins, a triple cap and appears to be about a 48X5.

Score for aesthetics: ***4.8

2) Pre-light Construction: a roll of the cigar between fingers reveals there are no soft spots and has a nice firmness to it, a seemingly dense pack. It is of medium weight and very well rolled. The clip was very nice and clean, did not squeeze or crush.
Upon clipping it revealed a well aged tobacco smell that has a somewhat of an earthiness about it.

Score for Pre-light construction: 4.8

3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: This one had a great draw with just a touch of firmness, just the way I like ‘em and. does smoke pulled through on its own. There were no soft spots that appeared after lighting and it had a razor sharp burn that I found to be nice and even. The Smoke was not hot, more on the cool side. The ash is fairly solid and layered with a nice very light grey, almost white color to it.

Score for post-light construction: 4.8

4) Flavor and strength: This has a great sweet kind of a candy taste to it, not caramel but something close to that, a taste I could not ID but a great taste nonetheless.
I’d have to say this is more in the medium to mild range. I found a slightly earthy, very fruity and sweet flavor. It was fairly rich, not harsh with a floral and occasional woody note that I found to be very pleasant. It did build in flavor and complexity as you smoked it, flavorful and complex in the middle third. I did this down to the last inch and it did get a little bitter but I do not hold this against the cigar, sometimes you just do not want to stop a good thing.

Score for flavor and strength: 4.8

5) Finish/Aftertaste: I liked this Finish and aftertaste on my palate after each puff, it left and nice fruity and somewhat floral finish and I found it to be very pleasant. There was also an taste underlying everything else, a kind of metal thing, like iron, Just kind of an odd thing, yet pleasant and it did add to the profile rather and detract. All is well.

Score for aftertaste: 4.8

6) Aroma: This had a nice light, mild floral/perfumed note to it.

Score for aroma: 4.8

7) General Comments:
Did you particularly enjoy of with a certain food or beverage? I had coffee with it and think that it did not match well due to the floral tastes. A plain drink like water would be best here.
Did they appeal more at certain time of day? It is a bit lighter and mild to me and would work as a great midday smoke.
Did it remind you of something? No, not a clue here.
Would you buy them? Yes!
Sum it up as you would to a friends ("That cigar was awesome!") “Try one of these or I kick you in the balls.”
give it an overall score (this is not a total, or an average of the others - it is you overall rating of the cigar)
Overall score for the cigar: 4.8

8) Recommendation: Would you recommend the cigar?
Pick one of the following and explain:

Highly Recommended – A solid smoke across the board that scores consistently on all points.

[RevSmoke]

kgoings version of #4

1) Aesthetics: Natural in color and a bit mottled, this cigar 'looks' old. 125mm X 48 gauge. The cigar had a nice oily sheen with a couple veins. 4.5

2) Pre-light Construction: Nice prelight smell of tobacco, no hard or soft spots but a very dense cigar. There is a small crack in the wrapper that looks like it happened when it was rolled...or it was repaired with pectin. Prelight draw is perfect. 3.7

3) Post-light Construction: Good draw, I was hoping that since the crack looked repaired that the cigar wouldnt break apart when it got to that section, but it did expand and crack much more. It didnt effect the smoking of the cigar other than the looks of it. 4.0

4) Flavor and Strength: This was a medium bodied cigar. The flavors were very nice, it started in the first third with a predominant cedar flavor with a slight toffee like sweetness. As the cigar progressed into the second third the flavors added a very slight almost unnoticeable spice on the tip of the tongue. In the final third the sweetness faded with the cedar remaining and some leather flavor began to be noticeable. 4.8

5) Finish/Aftertaste: Long finish of predominantly leather with a very very faint soft spice. Very nice 4.5

6) Aroma: The aroma of this cigar smelled very good, the sweetness was most noticeable in the aroma. 4.5

7) General Comments: Very nice cigar, so far this is my favorite one. I loved the sweetness and flavors of the cigar. 4.8

8) Recommendation: Recommended. I would definitely buy and recommend this cigar to others. Can't wait to see what it was.

Over All 4.8

[RevSmoke]

fissure's review of #4

Cigar #4 is a 5" x 50 ring gauge.



1. The cigar has a medium caramel colored wrapper with very few minor veins.

Aesthetics score 3

2. Construction was very nice on this cigar. It had no soft spots with a medium fill. Nicely rolled with a nice woodsy earthy smell.

Construction Score 4

3. The cigar has a perfect draw, with a little bit of smoke pulling through after taking a draw. The ash is nice and solid while being a light gray in color. Burns great for the first 1/3 and then needs a couple touchups. Produces lots of smoke.

Post Light Construction Score 3

4. This cigar starts off spicey with a little bit of acidity. After the first inch the acidity lifts and I am left with a strong black pepper spice. I would say med/med-full body.

Flavor and Strength Score 2.5

5. The finish is very peppery with a little acidity left on the palate.

Aftertaste score 2.5

6. Aroma consists of a medium strength woody smell. Not unpleasant.

Aroma score 3

7. Maybe a Don Pepin Cuban Classic? Too much black pepper for me. One of the DP's I do not/would not buy for myself.

Overall score 2.5

8. I would recommend this cigar for someone looking for a black pepper bomb. While not my forte, some people seem to love this.

[RevSmoke]

Number 4 was an AF Don Carlos Robusto from May 2009.

Nice job guys. I think you guys covered it very well.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[Emjaysmash]

Nice reviews!

[RevSmoke]

This isn't a dead thread, just a slow one. Am waiting on reviews of #5 and #6. When I get them, I'll post them up here.

#5 is a great smoke --- at least in my estimation. I am curious to see what they all say.

#6 is a different cigar for each reviewer, so am interested in the takes of each on their respective smoke.

Peace of the Lord be with you.

[Emjaysmash]