blind 5ers
- Thread starter navyvet
- Start date
@Kantucky end has been received. Good looking sticks brother as well the bodyguards! I do appreciate it and I will be getting to them hopefully sooner than later.
Sent From My New Galaxy S7 Edge - SM-G9HUNDREDBILLIONpoint4 And BEYOND!!! This Poops All Over iPhone and iPad and whatever other Apple Poo you working with!
Sent From My New Galaxy S7 Edge - SM-G9HUNDREDBILLIONpoint4 And BEYOND!!! This Poops All Over iPhone and iPad and whatever other Apple Poo you working with!
#3 @navyvet (I will edit photos in with my phone after posting the review)
Name: #3
Size: 5.5" x ~52
Shape: Robusto Largo?
Cigar enjoyed with the following:
Beverage: Diet Coke
Snack: --
Review:
Appearance: This cigar’s wrapper is very rustic and leathery, both in the texture and the appearance. It has almost zero scent, save for some very slight hay. The veins are very prominent and there is plenty of tooth on the leaf. Triple cap is almost perfect. Firm body, very little give. I straight cut through the cap, snug draw with very interesting flavors… I am detecting salt, cedar, and something else that I cannot wrap my head around.
The Burn: One last time, three matches and it the cherry roars to life. Very mild, earthy, toasty flavor from the get go, seems that very Dominican-esque. The wrapper might be tricky to deal with, only half an inch in and the burn goes crooked. Seems like a very thick wrapper, explains the heavy veining. Construction seemed to improve as the burn progressed, ash held tight long into the first inch. Flavors are somewhat muted, has that odd Honduran/Indonesian clove/spice flavor. Still earthy and woody however.
Second third starts and the body has increased to a medium. Not sure what I think about it, very interesting, slightly spicy now. Flavors are still quite earthy and the clove has increased. Draw snugged up a little bit more, but the burn is quite straight. Ash stays on for about an inch at a time. Somewhat similar to the Montecristo you sent me Ryan, slightly less complex. Body continues to climb to medium-full, really should grab a snack lol.
Last third starts and really nothing has changed, tighter draw, some heat and a touch of bitterness starting, but still earthy, woody and clove heavy. Seems like a good place to end it before it gets too hot.
Overall Impression: Interesting cigar that ramped up the body as the cigar progressed. Started mellow and earthy, ended nearing full bodied with a very spicy component that might have been due to the heat at the cherry. Maybe with another stick and an open draw this thing would be a good coffee-paired stick. Now that I think of it, that flavor at the beginning was like sucking on a green coffee bean hahaha! Not the most complex cigar I have ever had, but would be nice for the beginning of the day after a large breakfast with a nice, mild French pressed coffee.
Guess: I have no idea what this could be, maybe another NC Monte?
Answer: RyJ Nicaraguan Puro, not sure I have ever seen these, maybe they have them at the B&M. I was way off, Nicaraguan tobacco all the way through the cigar, maybe that’s the spicy component that I found during the whole length.
Thanks for the fun blind review Ryan! Bunch of sticks I have never had before and, of course, possibly my all-time favorite cigar that threw me down the slope headfirst, AB American Sun Grown. And thanks to your re-introduction, I immediately bought a box and they are aging away. Those will be the ones that I give to newbies as a “gateway drug” that hopefully gets them hooked as well (along with psyko’s
).
Name: #3
Size: 5.5" x ~52
Shape: Robusto Largo?
Cigar enjoyed with the following:
Beverage: Diet Coke
Snack: --
Review:
Appearance: This cigar’s wrapper is very rustic and leathery, both in the texture and the appearance. It has almost zero scent, save for some very slight hay. The veins are very prominent and there is plenty of tooth on the leaf. Triple cap is almost perfect. Firm body, very little give. I straight cut through the cap, snug draw with very interesting flavors… I am detecting salt, cedar, and something else that I cannot wrap my head around.
The Burn: One last time, three matches and it the cherry roars to life. Very mild, earthy, toasty flavor from the get go, seems that very Dominican-esque. The wrapper might be tricky to deal with, only half an inch in and the burn goes crooked. Seems like a very thick wrapper, explains the heavy veining. Construction seemed to improve as the burn progressed, ash held tight long into the first inch. Flavors are somewhat muted, has that odd Honduran/Indonesian clove/spice flavor. Still earthy and woody however.
Second third starts and the body has increased to a medium. Not sure what I think about it, very interesting, slightly spicy now. Flavors are still quite earthy and the clove has increased. Draw snugged up a little bit more, but the burn is quite straight. Ash stays on for about an inch at a time. Somewhat similar to the Montecristo you sent me Ryan, slightly less complex. Body continues to climb to medium-full, really should grab a snack lol.
Last third starts and really nothing has changed, tighter draw, some heat and a touch of bitterness starting, but still earthy, woody and clove heavy. Seems like a good place to end it before it gets too hot.
Overall Impression: Interesting cigar that ramped up the body as the cigar progressed. Started mellow and earthy, ended nearing full bodied with a very spicy component that might have been due to the heat at the cherry. Maybe with another stick and an open draw this thing would be a good coffee-paired stick. Now that I think of it, that flavor at the beginning was like sucking on a green coffee bean hahaha! Not the most complex cigar I have ever had, but would be nice for the beginning of the day after a large breakfast with a nice, mild French pressed coffee.
Guess: I have no idea what this could be, maybe another NC Monte?
Answer: RyJ Nicaraguan Puro, not sure I have ever seen these, maybe they have them at the B&M. I was way off, Nicaraguan tobacco all the way through the cigar, maybe that’s the spicy component that I found during the whole length.
Thanks for the fun blind review Ryan! Bunch of sticks I have never had before and, of course, possibly my all-time favorite cigar that threw me down the slope headfirst, AB American Sun Grown. And thanks to your re-introduction, I immediately bought a box and they are aging away. Those will be the ones that I give to newbies as a “gateway drug” that hopefully gets them hooked as well (along with psyko’s
).If any of you are lurking and want to try something new and fun, I highly recommend doing the blind review! This was quite eye-opening to different flavors and really confused the crap out of my tastebuds. I really am new to this hobby and lifestyle and these reviews really make you appreciate every inch of these wonderful bunches of tobacco.
I’d gladly do this again anytime.
I’d gladly do this again anytime.
Blind Cigar Review Sample 1 from @Kantucky
6 1/2 x 52 - Dryish feeling and looking wrapper. Smells of a Nica stick and cold draw taste of a nica stick. Double cap, seams visible with some veins present.
My Assumptions
Nicaraguan mostly. I find myself leaning to a multinational blend.
At first glance I thought maybe a habano wrapper without a lot of oils, but smoking i thought Sumatra due to flavor.
In the beginning I was thinking Pepin made (but I couldn't because its a double cap), later I thought EP Carrillo that's utilizing Nicaraguan tobaccos in the blend (by flavor) and then possibly Kristoff. Im going with EPC.
1st
Nutty, peppery, caramel sweetness. Sweet chocolate. A little earth. Pepper kicks in full gear after 1st few puffs. The initial woody note is a cedar. Red pepper as well as black pepper are detectable. A little later im getting natural tobacco and seems like the caramel is more of a white chocolate sweetness. The pepper and sweet white chocolate seem to be competing for profile domination. This a good flavored cigar. Im beginning to think it has Criollo from the pepper and my mouth is getting dry.
2nd
Cedar, earth, pepper, chocolate (not white chocolate) sweetness. Some hay. Chocolate and pepper dominate the profile. The ash drops with a loud thud being about 2 inches long. Later the sweetness tones down but very much still present. Some peanuts. Woody, peppery, chocolate, nutty. The earth fell off for a while but its back to a degree. Some spice now.
3rd
The red pepper drops back a bit and as the last third approaches im getting a lot more earth and it seems it may hold the profile. The generic spice has increased. Profile is more earthy, spice, chocolate. No more nuttiness at this point in time. Cedar, sweet cedar. The cedar is growing, hoping to takeover the earth as top spot. The chocolate has pretty much departed and bakers spice has grown a bit. Well, ok, chocolate is still here. Now chocolate has top spot with spice, earth, and pepper is still in the background. Flavors start to intensify. It's starting to burn hot just a tad. Nub has all the previous flavors with the earth front and center. It is a little soft and a bit hot but neither of these are excessive. I'm tasting cedar again. The nub cooled down and the the softness wasn't much a problem if it wasn't burning hot. As I continue through the nub I stumble upon a treasure chest. Like in a video game. Once it's open I'm getting a really amazing earth and sweet floral profile that was not anywhere to be found previously. It continued this way until I put it down. This definitely won nub of the year, if there was an award for that. There should be an award for that. I want that nub as a full cigar.
It definitely has pepper and a good amount of sweetness throughout the entirety of the cigar even when they aren't front and center you can't miss it.
For the better part of the cigar it was medium bodied, medium-full flavored, medium strength. Later it moved up to medium-full bodied & flavored and medium plus strength. By the end it was full strength cigar but on th elower end of full.
It clearly had a double cap which makes me want to rule out some companies that are known for producing high quality cigars this has thrown me off quite a bit because flavor wise I can't see it not being a decent stick and at the size I'd say it's at least a 9 dollar cigar but 11 bucks seems appropriate. So I'm going with a Nicaraguan-laden blend produced by EP Carrillo, there was a time when I started to think Dominican (but I'm sticking with my guns on this, no fair weather in me). Now that i have my thoughts on the table and about to sit this down let's check out the envelope.
This took 5 minutes shy of 3 hours to smoke
Score 93/100
La Flor Dominicana 1994 Rumba
A Dominican cigar with a San Andres wrapper, I believe it's a natural. I was ohh so wrong. But leave it to LFD to have so much pepper in a Dominican cigar. I think my palate served me right with this but my eyes and brain didn't work well. Habano, Sumatra? And I knew it was dry but I didn't even think of San Andres because it wasn't dark.
Anyway great stick one of the better cigars I've smoked recently, thanks for this. The full version of the nub should be called LFD December 1994.
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Blind Cigar Review Sample 2 from @Kantucky
5 5/8 x 44 or 46 (Corona Extra or Corona Gorda) - Very strong aroma of leather, barnyard and natural tobacco. Wrapper has a dry look and appears like it has hair or a suede look, chocolate brown with a slight marble look to it. Minimal veins that don't protrude out, seams are tight, and a nice triple cap applied.
1st
The cigar opens up with pepper and some wood notes. Its feels almost full with the initial few puffs. A little sweetness is detected as well chocolate. Pepper is very dominating. The sweetness and pepper start to meld together. The sweetness is a sugar cane like sweetness. This a slow burner 40 minutes in and just over an inch through.
2nd
There is a bit of coffee in the background. There are also notes of cedar. Now im picking up some barbecue and a little earth in the background. At this point I wonder if its El Gueguense or a Warped Cigar. The mesquite picks up and joins the pepper and sugar cane. This is very good. By the halfway point I'd say there isn't much in the way of fleeting tertiary notes or an abundance of different secondary notes either. I wonder if I pull up a review what behind the scene flavors they describe, for me this is pretty straight to the point. There is a little leather though. The mesquite has picked up and I'd say its the core of the profile at this point in time. The sweetness is complimenting the mesquite and pepper and is more of a caramel. Earth is the tertiary note. Its there but it's not really exposing itself through the other flavors.
3rd
The caramel has dropped down quite a lot but still noticeable. An unknown spice has made it's way in and coffee is a secondary note along with the caramel. It's also a little more earthy.
Nub
Mesquite and pepper are primary, caramel is secondary and some earth and coffee round it all up. Im tasting some white pepper along with all the red pepper.
Intensity
This jumps out of the gate with medium-full body, flavor, and strength. By halfway the body and flavor are full. By the last third its full on all fronts. Seriously my body is asking me to put this baby down in the last third and I don't recall ever feeling this way on a stick of this size.
Complexity
Complexity wasnt so much in different flavors as it was in the varying levels of the flavors it did possess. I thought it had a medium amount of complexity.
Construction
Ash shows tooth. Ash is a grey a little fragile looking but holds on good. Construction is great. Draw is perfect with a nice resistance and it produces a well above normal amount of smoke.
Smoke Time
2 Hours
Score 93/100
My Assumptions
Before lighting: Not a clue.
While smoking: During the 2nd third I came to the conclusion this is either an El Gueguense or a Warped Cigar.
Upon Completion: This is certainly a Nicaraguan puro no questions asked unless the wrapper isn't Nica.
The Verdict
Liga Undercrown Corona ¡Viva!
Thanks for another great one. This doesn't look like any I've had before this and I had a much better experience flavor wise than I have before with these. Also the strength on this one was a good tick higher as well.
Not sure why I have posted this final blind review from the the sticks @Kantucky sent me.
Here's the scoop.
This one was labeled number 1, so naturally, I smoked it last. Yellow cello got me a little excited to smoke this cigar. I'm learning that I like a little age on my cigars. Problem is, I'm too impatient to let the cigars age. Thankfully, David has more will power than I do and is generous enough to send one my way. Good brother!
It's a dark, oily wrapper. Some veins and a bit toothy. The aroma is great. Smelled like leather, chocolate and tobacco.
Cut and light. This cigar is producing some good, thick smoke. Flavors are balanced and nice and blended. I'm guessing this cigar has at least 2 years on it.
This is a flavorful cigar that I think has mellowed with age. Spice and cocoa are what I get. I'm thinking the wrapper is Connecticut Broadleaf (one of my favorites) but this isn't so crazy strong as some others. Balanced and nicely blended. This cigar has at least 2 years aging.
The pepper spiced up in last 3rd. Still smooth and did knock me off my feet. I'm not sure as far as guesses go, but this tastes like $10+ cigar to me. Or at least I should say it taste better than a lot of cigars I've paid $9+ for.
Solid construction- no issues throughout. Smooth draw, and an even burn. Never had to touch it up. I really enjoyed this smoke.
And the reveal:
Partagas Black w/ 2-3 years of age. I never had one before. I'm surprised it was this good. Has to be helped by the age.
Thanks again @Kantucky for the sticks. I'd love to do another round of bling testing if anyone else wants to.
Here's the scoop.
This one was labeled number 1, so naturally, I smoked it last. Yellow cello got me a little excited to smoke this cigar. I'm learning that I like a little age on my cigars. Problem is, I'm too impatient to let the cigars age. Thankfully, David has more will power than I do and is generous enough to send one my way. Good brother!
It's a dark, oily wrapper. Some veins and a bit toothy. The aroma is great. Smelled like leather, chocolate and tobacco.
Cut and light. This cigar is producing some good, thick smoke. Flavors are balanced and nice and blended. I'm guessing this cigar has at least 2 years on it.
This is a flavorful cigar that I think has mellowed with age. Spice and cocoa are what I get. I'm thinking the wrapper is Connecticut Broadleaf (one of my favorites) but this isn't so crazy strong as some others. Balanced and nicely blended. This cigar has at least 2 years aging.
The pepper spiced up in last 3rd. Still smooth and did knock me off my feet. I'm not sure as far as guesses go, but this tastes like $10+ cigar to me. Or at least I should say it taste better than a lot of cigars I've paid $9+ for.
Solid construction- no issues throughout. Smooth draw, and an even burn. Never had to touch it up. I really enjoyed this smoke.
And the reveal:
Partagas Black w/ 2-3 years of age. I never had one before. I'm surprised it was this good. Has to be helped by the age.
Thanks again @Kantucky for the sticks. I'd love to do another round of bling testing if anyone else wants to.
Needed to finish up my round of reviews with @ginoc so I smoked the last one while playing some night golf last night. Probably not the best way to truly review a smoke but hey. Notes will be a little short because of that.This was a very dark colored habano 6x50 smoke. It doesn't show in the first picture but I honestly had trouble determining pre-light if it was habano or Maduro. The prelight draw was a very sweet tobacco taste- a taste I usually associate with maduros.
This cigar didn't have a lot of flavor changes for me (again, I was golfing so I may not have noticed something). Throughout the smoke I tasted mostly a sweet tobacco taste just like the pre-light. That taste lasted throughout the entire cigar. Mixed in with that I could sense either a strong nutty taste, or that of hay. It went back and forth but never changed out of those profiles for me.
All in all I found this cigar to my liking. It was fairly mild/medium to me- that could be related to the last few smokes I've had being powerhouses though. It's probably a medium smoke. Though I didn't sense a ton of different flavor changes, I liked what I got.
I've got the cheat sheet at my office so reveal will have to wait until tomorrow. I really couldn't say what it was. It might be something new that I haven't had yet, but the cigar felt like I've been there before. Just can't put my finger on it.
Thanks Gino for the trade, sorry it took me a little while to finish them up. Now onto the blind review trade with @atllogix - looking forward to another round of these.
Totally forgot to point out that the review above was the white band cifuentes by partagas. Good smoke.
I am taking all my other review sticks with me on vacation next week and will try my best to get through most/all of them.
My apologies for the delay in doing so- I'm not old, but I am forgetful.
I am taking all my other review sticks with me on vacation next week and will try my best to get through most/all of them.
My apologies for the delay in doing so- I'm not old, but I am forgetful.
Finally getting to my first review of my trade with @atllogix.This stick was a 6x52 toro, very dark habano wrapper with a triple cap and no visible seams. The prelight aroma is very pungeant and reminds me of a liga smell. The prelight draw is a sweet tobacco flavor but it's the smell more so that has me interested.
1st third- this smoke started out fairly mild and almost had a sweet taste as though it was a Maduro. To be honest I cut a light on to verify that this was a habano wrapper. The first inch was uneventful really, just the sweetness that had me wondering. Enjoyable, but surprising. And then flavors started coming from all angles. A white pepper flavor was primarily dominant in the first third. I also got notes of hay and cocoa. For the most part the mildness remained. What made this cigar very interesting was that every now and then, for a puff or two, I got a complete spice bomb flavor that I would describe as absolutely full in body and strength. The. It would dissipate.
2nd third- In the second third of this smoke I started to experience some burn issues. First just a touch up or two from a little canoeing. Not a ton of change in flavor profile. The differences I would note in particular are the normal corojo flavor that I expected from the onset, and that it developed into a more medium bodied cigar rather than the mildness I started with. A welcome change, as I was still enjoying all of the flavors that I've already listed. The smoke constantly changed around within those flavors and I was finding it quite enjoyable.
Unfortunately at the end of the second third of this cigar the burn issues got the best of me and I gave up. It could totally be my fault- smoking this stick while on vacation- in close proximity to the beach with a nice breeze and only a few hours after a good rain shower. It certainly might have been the elements that gave me the construction issues I experienced, but I can't rule out the fact that I may have just gotten a dud out of the batch. No big deal either way because it was a good smoke.
Final thoughts- I really have no idea what this cigar is. Something about it seems familiar but I can't put my finger on it. Despite the issues described above I really enjoyed this smoke, and despite having to touch it up quite a bit, got almost an hour out of the first 2/3. I definately would smoke this cigar again, and may consider purchasing a fiver when I find out what it is.
I should note that I didn't bring the cheat sheet with me so I'll have to report back after vacation on what this stick was.
Update: this turned out to be a Quesada 40th anniversary toro. Interesting as I already have one I've been procrastinating trying out. Looking forward to a revisit on this one. Good enough to buy several I'm pretty sure.
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You gotta be flipping kidding me. My apologies brother, sure I can't do anything about the one I grabbed out the box, but I guess I need to have better luck in my hands when I go to grabbing. Please let me know without the sugarcoating, if another one turns out with issues.
No worries man. It happens to even the most top notch smokes sometimes. And like I said it could have been the weather or wind. I enjoyed it either way.
