DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3

Great review guys. I try and save reading this until I can do it while I am enjoying a cigar myself. It truly adds to the enjoyment of my smoke!

Keep up the good work.

[srduggins]

Great read so far. Looking forward to the rest of this

[Samsquanch]

Really enjoying this thread - makes me want to begin to slow down and start paying attention to what I'm smoking.

[Brutus2600]

Alright, got it done! I hear Jimmy is done as well, so look forward to seeing it!

[DBall]

I'll be posting it up soon... just got back from a little vacation... I haven't forgotten about ya.

[Brutus2600]

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

[DBall]

jimmyk26 cigar #5
***************

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

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

[DBall]

What they smoked:



2009 Por Larranaga Panetela

jimmyk26 score: 8.0
Brutus2600 score: 8.0

Wow... an exact tie in the scores! Again, pretty similar in notes too with only minor differences.

Great job, guys!

[issues]

Nice reviews. I do like these cigars.

Great morning cigar with plenty of flavor but a little inconsistent...

Another masterpiece of a thread Dan, keep it rolling!

[bsmokin]

I am just discovering this thread now! Wow! This is awesome. Great reviewers doing a great job. Great cigars being reviewed. Awesome, large pictures of everything. I love it. Thanks so much for this guys!!!

[DBall]

Jimmy's got #6 in...

[Salvelinus]

Great reviews so far guys. Enjoy reading through these. Need to develop my palate a bit. Right now I seem to be stuck on A. cigar I like or B. cigar I don't like

[waffle]

I just want to know where Brutus got that LGC lighter... I love it!

[Brutus2600]

Originally Posted by waffle

I just want to know where Brutus got that LGC lighter... I love it!

I picked it up a couple months back from Atlantic Cigar Company, however it's showing sold out on their site and I've not seen it elsewhere. You might call them and see if they're planning on getting anymore in.

Also, I'm planning on getting my next review in tomorrow morning Maybe tonight if the GF decides she doesn't want to do anything, but I think she is wanting to go see Despicable Me

[Brutus2600]

Review 6 finished and on it's way to Dan

[DBall]

jimmyk26 Cigar #6
***************

Here is round #6...man this is awesome thank you so much for the opportunity to try such great cigars.

#6:

Initial impressions - This tasting flight has really changed my perception of cigars. When I saw this cigar in the bag I though it was a big cigar, maybe a Toro or Double Robusto. To my surprise, it measures 5.5" x 46 RG, a Corona Gorda! So for better or for worse, Dan you have officially altered my perception of cigar sizes. The dark, smooth, oily wrapper on this has almost no veins showing; it looks like a great leaf. Capped with a nicely applied triple cap, the cigar has no noticeable soft spots. The wrapper, however, does appear to be lifting slightly along the spiral edge. When I bring the cigar up to my nose, the wrapper smells of hay and leather while the foot offers up a sweet tobacco scent. The pre light draw is perfect and it leaves a taste of hay and unsweetened cereal on my palate.


Initial puffs - Right away there are rich earth and leather flavors that are backed with a strong spice especially noticeable through the nose. The smoke is thick and drawing well.

1/3 - The initial flavors of earth, leather, and spice have carried right on through this first third. They are also joined by a dark sweetness, like you get in dark, bitter chocolate. The burn is fantastic, the smoke is thick and plentiful, the is draw smooth, and the ash is developing a zebra like quality alternating between light and dark rings. The cigar has a dry finish. Through out this section the flavors have settled down a bit with only the spice retaining its strength. There has also developed a sharp grassiness that I am beginning to think is the "twang" everyone keeps talking about.


2/3 - Now this cigar is starting to show its strength, which is impressive because I am only in the first half of the cigar. The flavors are proving consistent and powerful. The grassiness has picked up a bit and now reminds me more of dry green tea. The rich leather and earth are ever present and the spice is still firing through the nose. The finish on the cigar is short for every thing except the green tea which lingers. The cigar continues to perform perfectly. I actually got lost in this section of the cigar only to be pulled back by the ash that fell into my lap before I could take a picture!


3/3 - Entering this final section, the cigar has taken on a slightly tannic characteristic, something I don't remember ever getting in a cigar before. I am even temped to even say this cigar is developing much like a glass of earthy red wine. I am now also tasting cinnamon and nutmeg. The burn line has wandered a bit, but it is still smoking beautifully. Nearing the middle of this third the earth and leather reclaim their dominance on my palate and the spice continues to present through the nose. It continues like this until I physically can't hold the cigar any more.


Final thoughts - This is a big, solid cigar (there, I said it, 46 RG is now "big" in my book) that delivers on its flavor, strength, and smoking characteristics. On top of all of this, it is a good looking cigar with the smooth dark wrapper and solid construction. Even though the burn did wander a bit, it never stopped smoking well. Although the flavors were very good, it didn't have the complexity that I found in other cigars in this tasting flight (not necessarily a bad thing). The straight forward flavors coupled with the tannic nature of the final third leads me to believe that this cigar has plenty of long term aging potential. Before I started this tasting series, I had a preference for strong cigars that had plenty of spice, earth, and richness. This cigar brings me back to that time by fitting my preferred flavor profile almost perfectly. I could see myself smoking lots of these cigars given the opportunity.


Rating: 9.3 - It is the type of cigar that I have always liked smoking, rich and strong with nice smoking characteristics.

[DBall]

Brutus2600 Cigar #6
*****************

Here's review 6!

Initial inspection looks like the cigar is about 5 1/2 x 42, silky smooth wrapper, great construction, minor plume, and what looks like a quadruple cap on it. The more I look at this cigar the more excited I am to try it.



Initial Light 10:30 - Prelight draw brings the taste of sweet tobacco, hay, spice, and a hint of raisins to my tongue. If this is any hint of things to come, this will be a complex and flavorful cigar! The draw is tight, but not too much so. Toasted the foot and lit the cigar and the initial burst of sweet, creamy, smoke with hints of cinnamon were quite the boutique of aromas.



First Third - The smoothness of this cigar is surprising. It's mild without being bland, and it's already making me sad that I only have one of these unknown sticks to smoke (and if any of the previous cigars are a hint, not easy to obtain either, lol). The draw is a bit of an issue, it's pretty tight and I have to take two or three puffs to get a good amount smoke, but it's the least of my worries right now. Hints of vanilla, sweet hay/tobacco, and cinnamon are still very easily distinguishable. The ash is a wonderful white with gray streaks and is still holding on nicely at almost one inch. I think the knot in the cigar holding up my draw is towards the end of the stick unfortunately, but I've been able to massage it a little without cracking the wrapper and it's opened up a little.

On a side note, nobody is mowing their yard this morning, all I hear are birds and the occasional dog bark, it's warm but a nice cool breeze is left over from the rain yesterday, and along with this cigar it is making this morning a wonderfully relaxing break from the stressful week.



Second Third 10:59 - With some previous cigars in this taste test, I've felt that I've had to work to discern any flavors out of the cigar at all. This cigar I'm having to work at discerning WHAT flavors I taste. Although it's enjoyable work I am getting hints of almonds on top of the previous vanilla and sweet tobacco taste. Honestly, this cigar is probably the "sweetest" cigar I've smoked. Not sweet like the sugar tipped POS swisher sweets, it's not a sweetness on my lips, but just like the smoke itself seems laced with sugar. I'm not sure how else to describe it The ash is still phenomenal, the second part holding on nicely. The burn has stayed pretty even, and even the draw has opened up some.



Final Third 11:34 - This cigar has continued to be amazing. There haven't been ups or downs, just consistent greatness! All flavors described previously have continued throughout the cigar, and even recently developed some minor toffee notes. The sweetness probably peaked halfway through the cigar and has died down some, but that hasn't detracted from the cigar at all. With only one minor touch up after I ran inside to refill my coffee, the burn has been fantastic, and I've only had to ash twice so far (probably will only be three total for the entire cigar).



Finish time 11:53 - Out of all of the cigars I've reviewed so far, I can say I haven't enjoyed another this much. Such an all around amazing smoke, and would LOVE to get my hands on more of these as soon as I find out what it was. The flavors were full, plentiful, and fantastic. After the first third the cigar opened up enough that the draw wasn't an issue at all. The burn and ash couldn't have been better. My only worry is with my luck this is going to be a well aged CC that I won't be able to duplicate for years even if I bought some

Appearance and construction: 1.5 out of 1.5
Smoke and ash: 1.5 out of 1.5
Burn: 2.9 out of 3 (minor ding for the single touch-up I did)
Overall flavor: 4 out of 4

Total: 9.9 out of 10

[macsauce13]

Awesome! Ohh, and I beat DBall before he announced the cigar!

[DBall]

What they smoked:



2009 H Upmann Mag 46

jimmyk26 score: 9.3
Brutus2600 score: 9.9

Aren't these things great? I may have one tonight... but I'm nearly out.

I gave many of these away and then after a few months in the humi and after over half the box was given out, they became MAGNIFICENT. I need more, but they aren't free... unfortunately.