orangedog
Navin R Johnson
Upfront, sorry for the crappy pics... but (A) my go to camera is a cell phone and (B) I'm not good at taking pictures. I'll leave that up to Jere, JerseyJay, etc.
So PLUSH sent me a few Mercer "PDRs" to try a while back, they were from 2010. I was told that they needed time to sit (or read that somewhere, can't remember), so decided randomly to smoke one today. Wasn't planning on posting about it, but ultimately figured I would (another reason the photos weren't top notch... lack of intent... or so I tell myself).
Anyways:
First off... wrapper is dark... looks nice. Construction and burn were excellent! Not sure who rolled these... whether Mercer had Handsome Jimmy do these or someone else, but the roller can roll a good Sublime in my book.
Flavors... interesting... a good range. Sweetness (cocoa, raw sugar, etc.) and a bit of spice (light pepper, not a ton of pepper), and some leather/gaminess.
I was a bit worried at first... upon lighting (and the first half inch or so) this thing was bitter, tasted awful like fresh cheap tobacco... I expected the whole cigar to be terrible and regretted lighting it so early - was thinking it needed to sit for a few more years. Could be that I had the flame too close to the end, although I usually avoid overheating out of the gates. Plus I lit then cut, which I find brings me good luck. So maybe the first 1/2" just sucked.
In any event, I was soon proven wrong. Turned out to be a good stick.
To indulge in the debate a little bit... this reminded me of a neutered Tat (i.e. not a ton of pepper) with a CBL wrapper and a thin ribbon of cuban filler. Which actually is a big win, if you can imagine. There was some uneasiness not really knowing what you're smoking, but that's more attributable to OCD than the hobby.
The flavor profile isn't exactly what I look for in a cigar, but it was good. Was it worth the price at $17-$18 each? I think for a lot of people it would be, if you can get over the issue of not knowing what goes into them, and what was represented in marketing them. For me? Eh, I'd probably put my money somewhere else. When first released, the Monte Sublimes were this price or cheaper, and are a WAY better cigar. I would be ok to pony up the extra $12 and go for the ED 54. Or pay the same amount and get Sig VIs. Would I buy these in bulk? Maybe at about $10 each, maybe $12, and if there weren't 100 other cigars on my radar.
Hope this helps. :thumbsup:
And thanks again PLUSH for sharing. It was quite enjoyable and I'm glad I was able to try one.
So PLUSH sent me a few Mercer "PDRs" to try a while back, they were from 2010. I was told that they needed time to sit (or read that somewhere, can't remember), so decided randomly to smoke one today. Wasn't planning on posting about it, but ultimately figured I would (another reason the photos weren't top notch... lack of intent... or so I tell myself).
Anyways:
First off... wrapper is dark... looks nice. Construction and burn were excellent! Not sure who rolled these... whether Mercer had Handsome Jimmy do these or someone else, but the roller can roll a good Sublime in my book.
Flavors... interesting... a good range. Sweetness (cocoa, raw sugar, etc.) and a bit of spice (light pepper, not a ton of pepper), and some leather/gaminess.
I was a bit worried at first... upon lighting (and the first half inch or so) this thing was bitter, tasted awful like fresh cheap tobacco... I expected the whole cigar to be terrible and regretted lighting it so early - was thinking it needed to sit for a few more years. Could be that I had the flame too close to the end, although I usually avoid overheating out of the gates. Plus I lit then cut, which I find brings me good luck. So maybe the first 1/2" just sucked.
In any event, I was soon proven wrong. Turned out to be a good stick.
To indulge in the debate a little bit... this reminded me of a neutered Tat (i.e. not a ton of pepper) with a CBL wrapper and a thin ribbon of cuban filler. Which actually is a big win, if you can imagine. There was some uneasiness not really knowing what you're smoking, but that's more attributable to OCD than the hobby.
The flavor profile isn't exactly what I look for in a cigar, but it was good. Was it worth the price at $17-$18 each? I think for a lot of people it would be, if you can get over the issue of not knowing what goes into them, and what was represented in marketing them. For me? Eh, I'd probably put my money somewhere else. When first released, the Monte Sublimes were this price or cheaper, and are a WAY better cigar. I would be ok to pony up the extra $12 and go for the ED 54. Or pay the same amount and get Sig VIs. Would I buy these in bulk? Maybe at about $10 each, maybe $12, and if there weren't 100 other cigars on my radar.
Hope this helps. :thumbsup:
And thanks again PLUSH for sharing. It was quite enjoyable and I'm glad I was able to try one.
