DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test Thread

[DBall]

Sweet... Flying through the reviews!

Any thoughts in retrospect on the 1st cigar, guys?

[Flat4boxer]

Originally Posted by DBall

Sweet... Flying through the reviews!

Any thoughts in retrospect on the 1st cigar, guys?

2nd review is in

I throughly enjoyed the 1st cigar and feel that Slavac must have gotten a hold of a dog.

[DBall]

Awesome Kelly! Zipping right through them... I'll wait to post yours until Brad's comes in.

Originally Posted by DBall

Awesome Kelly! Zipping right through them... I'll wait to post yours until Brad's comes in.

Inbound tonight.

I had to have had a shitty example of Cigar 1. Literally my lungs hurt after trying to smoke it from drawing so hard.

[DBall]

Originally Posted by Slavac

Inbound tonight.

I had to have had a shitty example of Cigar 1. Literally my lungs hurt after trying to smoke it from drawing so hard.

[Smokin Gator]

Thanks for doing this guys... I enjoyed the first review and look forward to the rest.

[Starscream]

Subscribed. I'm blind reviewed out as of late. It's nice to see some other people do this for a change. Doing blind reviews really helps to refine your palate.

[MedicCook]

Excellent reviews.

[DBall]

No review #2 from Brad yet....

[Sailchaser]

Dan,

Great Idea !!!!

It's so true how peoples opinion can differ so much on the same sticks and how different each stick can be even from the same box


This is a good thread for all to watch

Nice gesture

[safariguy]

Originally Posted by DBall

No review #2 from Brad yet....

He's probably busy:

Originally Posted by DBall

No review #2 from Brad yet....

Sorry boss, got rained out last night. Soooooon.

2nd review's submitted

[ade06]

Great reviews so far!

Is it just me, or did the first examples of cigars actually look significantly different from each other? VRs are quality made, and Brad's first cigar not only tasted horrible, but the pictures themselves showed a cigar of lesser quality.

Is it possible there was a mix-up on the first?

Cheers

Cy

[rack04]

Originally Posted by Cyanide

Is it just me, or did the first examples of cigars actually look significantly different from each other? VRs are quality made, and Brad's first cigar not only tasted horrible, but the pictures themselves showed a cigar of lesser quality.

Is it possible there was a mix-up on the first?

Cheers

Cy

I was thinking the same thing.

Originally Posted by Cyanide

Is it just me, or did the first examples of cigars actually look significantly different from each other? VRs are quality made, and Brad's first cigar not only tasted horrible, but the pictures themselves showed a cigar of lesser quality.

Is it possible there was a mix-up on the first?

Cheers

Cy

I don't think so. If you look at the pictures closely, the burn looks almost the same, the wrapper the same and length. IMO, I got a cigar that should've been pitched during quality control. My cigar even had a very large off colored blemish you can see in my pictures.
That coupled with it's draw, taste and poor construction (kept falling apart) I don't think it was a good representation of what the company puts out.

I'd like to try one more of them one day just to see what's what.

[DBall]

Originally Posted by Cyanide

Is it just me, or did the first examples of cigars actually look significantly different from each other? VRs are quality made, and Brad's first cigar not only tasted horrible, but the pictures themselves showed a cigar of lesser quality.

Is it possible there was a mix-up on the first?

Cheers

Cy

Originally Posted by rack04

I was thinking the same thing.

Nope... same cigar. Both seemed to have difficult draws. When I made these packages, I had the bags pre-numbered, took the pics, removed the bands and placed them in the bag one at a time so there would be no errors. Sounds possible that Brad just got a bad one... draw problems ruin everything about a cigar because it just pisses ya off. Sad that it was that cigar, though, because I LOVE VRs...

[DBall]

Slavac Cigar #2

**************************************


Cigar: Mystery Cigar 2
Setting: Back Deck again, 75deg night, just after a light rain.
Drink: Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale

Initial Impressions: Cigar is another small one, yet the construction seems flawless. It has what I assume is a triple cap, no flaws visible, light/medium veins and appears a bit oily. This will be fun.



Cut and pre-light draw: Nice tight wrap. Easy draw though not what I would consider loose. Draw reminds me of a Cx2 or Man of War. Tastes slightly earthy with a hint of pine and leather.

Lit easily using my tri-torch.

Draw after lighting: Medium draw and for lack of a better word, 'ideal.'

First Third: From notes: "Oh yes, this is bliss."
Clouds of smoke with a smoothe, even draw.
No hint of bitterness anywhere on the palate.
From this impression, I would consider this a medium bodied cigar.
Tight white ash with an even burn.
Flavors are a hint of leather, mostly tobacco with no sweetness.
Toward the end of the First Third, the burn became slightly uneven though it appears to be self-correcting.
Absolutely lovely.


^Slightly off burn lines, nice tight, white ash.

Second Third: Burn continues to be slightly uneven. Ash is white and seems to be a bit looser, but not shaggy.
Burn stopped being self correcting at this point.
Lost its ash at the 3/8ths mark.
Flavors are a bit stronger now. Tasting more peat, earth, tobacco. Reminds me of a Cohiba black in flavor. This cigar seems more full bodied now than medium.
Slight tar taste on the end of 2/3, but it is very slight.
Amazing thus far. Truly enjoyable smoke.


^As BigAsh would say, "Don't knock the ash."

Third Third: From notes: "I love this cigar. I will name her Consuela. If I didn't have Amy, I would run away with Consuela.
Taste remains the same from the Second Third. Tar taste has gone and all that remains is earth, tobacco and love.
Bit of a funky ash angle for some reason.
This cigar still emits clouds upon clouds of white smoke despite it's smallish nature.
Lost the ash again with about 1.5" of ash buildup.


^Funky ash. Bit of shagging, but very minor. Despite uneven burn, never had a runner.

Final Impressions: This smallish cigar took about 40 minutes to smoke, which is ideal for a late night smoke before bed.
Would I buy again: In a heartbeat.
Would I smoke again: Not only would I smoke this one again, I would recommend this to my friends/family.
Overall Rating With 10 the highest possible and 0 the baseline: 9.0/10

Final Thoughts: This is one of the few cigars I've nubbed until my lips couldn't stand the heat. This was truly an amazing cigar.


__________________

[DBall]

Flat4boxer Cigar #2

******************************************

Mystery cigar #2 is a short, maybe 4" stick. This is a very well constucted cigar with a medium dark wrapper.



Prelight

After clipping the end off, prelight draw worries me as it tastes like a Swisher Sweet and it has a firm draw.

Light

Pleasently supprised that it is not a Swisher. The draw is firm and full bodied smoke fills my mouth with a hint of spice.



First Third

There is a bit of uneven burn goin on with that bit of spicyness hanging on. Hints of leather are coming out. A medium gray ash is holding will. The spice hints are mellowing out about 1 inch into this cigar.



Second Third

Volumes of smoke are coming easy. At this point it seems to turn to a medium-full bodied smoke. Leathery notes continue with hints of some type of berry add to the complexity of this cigar. The uneven burn continues but no touch ups are needed.



Third Third

The medium-full bodied smoke becomes more steady. The hints of berry and leather mellow out. One slight touch up was needed after the long ash dropped. This is a great morning smoke with a cup of coffee.



Overall I'd give this stick a 8.9 out of 10. I would recommend this cigar and would probably buy a fiver just to have on hand.

Thanks for reading.