Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Okay guys here goes the thread for cigar number 3. Hope that you all have fun with this and cant wait to see what you think. This will end the evening of 9/28/09 Cheers!
Review Contest 3 Cigar #3!!!!
- Thread starter Benzopyrene
- Start date
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Anybody had a chance to smoke this one yet?
Soundwave13
BoM Feb 2010
Review Cigar #3
Score: 90
Info: 7-1/2 x 40 ring paired with Killer Beans 'Nicaraguan Knife Fight' coffee.
What a beautiful lancero! Spongy yet even construction and a soft coating of 'fur' ran the entire length of this gorgeous stick.
After clipping, the perfect draw revealed the pre-light tastes of wheat bread and mild tobacco.
Only a few puffs in & I'm in love. This tastes wonderful: twangy grass & spice, coffee, milk-chocolate and an incredible richness & complexity to this medium bodied, full flavored gem.
Very little smoke was coming off the lit foot though the draw provided ample amounts to retro-hale - quite the 'wake-up' kick through the sinuses!
The strength increased with a buttery richness by the end of the second third. A bit of an uneven burn developed also needing a quick pass of the torch to correct it.
The wrapper is a bit on the delicate side of average: the cap split a bit leading to a wet 'flap' at the head. This can be annoying if it starts to unravel in a public setting, but a little twist while puffing kept it in check.
The ash is a dark tan & black core surrounded by a flakey light wrap. Not the prettiest ash, but sturdy & holds for an inch on average before being knocked off against the wall of the ashtray.
The cigar is a bit oily in taste and goes out at about the half way point. The relight provides another burst of nutty, twangy coffee. The draw tightens a bit requiring a bit of puffing. A minor mistake as it results in a bit of harshness. A quick purge puts it right back on track.
The finish on this stick is incredible, coating the palate with a woodsy/earthy butteriness through a nice easy draw. The strength again increases giving a peppery sting through the sinuses.
What a great tasting stick! The long buttery finish had me burning my fingers, I just didn't want to put this down!
I would smoke boat-loads more of these - a real treat!
My smoking partner stuck by my side & could just tell that I was thorougly relaxed and in a great mood - what a way to start the day!
Final scores:
Appearance: 14
Ash: 8
Draw: 9
Burn: 8
Smoke: 10
Flavor: 19
Uniqueness: 8
Finish: 14
Total: 90
Score: 90
Info: 7-1/2 x 40 ring paired with Killer Beans 'Nicaraguan Knife Fight' coffee.
What a beautiful lancero! Spongy yet even construction and a soft coating of 'fur' ran the entire length of this gorgeous stick.
After clipping, the perfect draw revealed the pre-light tastes of wheat bread and mild tobacco.
Only a few puffs in & I'm in love. This tastes wonderful: twangy grass & spice, coffee, milk-chocolate and an incredible richness & complexity to this medium bodied, full flavored gem.
Very little smoke was coming off the lit foot though the draw provided ample amounts to retro-hale - quite the 'wake-up' kick through the sinuses!
The strength increased with a buttery richness by the end of the second third. A bit of an uneven burn developed also needing a quick pass of the torch to correct it.
The wrapper is a bit on the delicate side of average: the cap split a bit leading to a wet 'flap' at the head. This can be annoying if it starts to unravel in a public setting, but a little twist while puffing kept it in check.
The ash is a dark tan & black core surrounded by a flakey light wrap. Not the prettiest ash, but sturdy & holds for an inch on average before being knocked off against the wall of the ashtray.
The cigar is a bit oily in taste and goes out at about the half way point. The relight provides another burst of nutty, twangy coffee. The draw tightens a bit requiring a bit of puffing. A minor mistake as it results in a bit of harshness. A quick purge puts it right back on track.
The finish on this stick is incredible, coating the palate with a woodsy/earthy butteriness through a nice easy draw. The strength again increases giving a peppery sting through the sinuses.
What a great tasting stick! The long buttery finish had me burning my fingers, I just didn't want to put this down!
I would smoke boat-loads more of these - a real treat!
My smoking partner stuck by my side & could just tell that I was thorougly relaxed and in a great mood - what a way to start the day!
Final scores:
Appearance: 14
Ash: 8
Draw: 9
Burn: 8
Smoke: 10
Flavor: 19
Uniqueness: 8
Finish: 14
Total: 90
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I enjoyed cigar #3 with some fresh brewed coffee and good ol' H2O. I fired it up at around 10am, and put her down at around 11:30am.
1. Appearance- On the pre-light aroma of this cigar I picked up cedar, bread, tobacco and just a little bit of a floral note. One of the more complex pre-light aromas I've ever had. The texture was a little soft, but it was humid and raining outside for much of my smoking time (I was in the screened-in and covered, portion of our deck...I love our deck). So I'm not sure if it was the construction, humidity or a little of both. Either way, the cigar did spring back and was pretty consistent throughout the length of this lancero. The wrapper wasveiny , but I did not notice any imperfections (spots, repairs, etc). The appearance succeeded in it's effort to make me excited about this cigar...but let's be honest, I'm kinda easy.
Score - 14
2. Ash- The ash was a very dark gray...but I think my frequent touch-ups and re-lights affected the color of the ash. It was of average strength for this vitola.
Score - 7
3. Draw- The pre-light draw was a little tight. Now again, I wondered about the humidity level of my smoking conditions. Upon lighting however, it opened up enough to be only slightly on the tight side.
Score - 8
4. Burn- Point blank - the wrapper on this cigar would not burn as fast as the filler. If I set it down to type this review (er, ah, I mean work...yeah, I'm working too...mhmm) for too long, it would go out. This to me was final confirmation that the conditions I smoked this is were indeed affecting the cigar. The good news was, the cigar never tunnelled or canoed. The wrapper itself, uniformly, would not burn as well. So despite the frequent touch ups, I was pretty confident it was not the cigar at fault here. Because I felt it wasn't the cigar at fault here, I gave the score a little more than it might have otherwise deserved.
Score - 6
5. Smoke- I thought this cigar produced copious amounts of smoke considering it was a lancero. The aroma was very representative of the flavors on the palate and thus, very pleasing.
Score - 9
6. Flavor/Blend- The first few puffs gave me coffee, cream, and cedar....with a definite spice present on the retro-hale. These flavors remained predominant throughout the cigar. The second third mellowed a little and ushered in some earthiness and a little twang. The end of the second third also delivered a little bit of that floral taste I picked up on thepre -light. The final third amped up the spice, just a little bit, and created a nice flavor crescendo. Despite the issues described in the burn and a slightly tight draw...thing this maintained a GREAT flavor profile. I was expecting some bitterness...but there was none to be found. BRAVO!
Score - 19
7. Uniqueness- I have to admit, whatever this turns out to be, I haven't had enough of them. It was a unique experience for me and a flavor profile that I did not expect in a lancero (not sure why, but I associate this flavor profile with a little more ring gauge...if that make any sense).
Score - 9
8. Finish- The finish on this cigar was long and smooth. It left me immediately wanting another! Amazing, really, considering the burn issues.
Score - 15
Total Score - 87
I VERY MUCH want to have another one of these in different conditions. I am pretty confident I need to enjoy these on a regular basis, so I can't wait to find out the secret identity of this one!
Thanks Luke!
1. Appearance- On the pre-light aroma of this cigar I picked up cedar, bread, tobacco and just a little bit of a floral note. One of the more complex pre-light aromas I've ever had. The texture was a little soft, but it was humid and raining outside for much of my smoking time (I was in the screened-in and covered, portion of our deck...I love our deck). So I'm not sure if it was the construction, humidity or a little of both. Either way, the cigar did spring back and was pretty consistent throughout the length of this lancero. The wrapper wasveiny , but I did not notice any imperfections (spots, repairs, etc). The appearance succeeded in it's effort to make me excited about this cigar...but let's be honest, I'm kinda easy.
Score - 14
2. Ash- The ash was a very dark gray...but I think my frequent touch-ups and re-lights affected the color of the ash. It was of average strength for this vitola.
Score - 7
3. Draw- The pre-light draw was a little tight. Now again, I wondered about the humidity level of my smoking conditions. Upon lighting however, it opened up enough to be only slightly on the tight side.
Score - 8
4. Burn- Point blank - the wrapper on this cigar would not burn as fast as the filler. If I set it down to type this review (er, ah, I mean work...yeah, I'm working too...mhmm) for too long, it would go out. This to me was final confirmation that the conditions I smoked this is were indeed affecting the cigar. The good news was, the cigar never tunnelled or canoed. The wrapper itself, uniformly, would not burn as well. So despite the frequent touch ups, I was pretty confident it was not the cigar at fault here. Because I felt it wasn't the cigar at fault here, I gave the score a little more than it might have otherwise deserved.
Score - 6
5. Smoke- I thought this cigar produced copious amounts of smoke considering it was a lancero. The aroma was very representative of the flavors on the palate and thus, very pleasing.
Score - 9
6. Flavor/Blend- The first few puffs gave me coffee, cream, and cedar....with a definite spice present on the retro-hale. These flavors remained predominant throughout the cigar. The second third mellowed a little and ushered in some earthiness and a little twang. The end of the second third also delivered a little bit of that floral taste I picked up on thepre -light. The final third amped up the spice, just a little bit, and created a nice flavor crescendo. Despite the issues described in the burn and a slightly tight draw...thing this maintained a GREAT flavor profile. I was expecting some bitterness...but there was none to be found. BRAVO!
Score - 19
7. Uniqueness- I have to admit, whatever this turns out to be, I haven't had enough of them. It was a unique experience for me and a flavor profile that I did not expect in a lancero (not sure why, but I associate this flavor profile with a little more ring gauge...if that make any sense).
Score - 9
8. Finish- The finish on this cigar was long and smooth. It left me immediately wanting another! Amazing, really, considering the burn issues.
Score - 15
Total Score - 87
I VERY MUCH want to have another one of these in different conditions. I am pretty confident I need to enjoy these on a regular basis, so I can't wait to find out the secret identity of this one!
Thanks Luke!
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Smoked mine last week, review will go up tomorrow night! Cheers!
1 Appearance:
Total Score: 92
Ring: 0.575
Length: 7.590
Color: Brown w/ dull golden undertone
Misc.: Slightly veiny w/ flat triple cap also.
2 Ash: Length: 7.590
Color: Brown w/ dull golden undertone
Misc.: Slightly veiny w/ flat triple cap also.
Gray w/ darker concentric rings
3 Draw:
Excellent
4 Burn:
Excellent,
5 Smoke:
Qty.: Fair amount and not too thick. Very pleasant
6 Flavor:
Pre-lite: Red Pepper, but went away quick
1/3: Complex. Woody, subtle sweetness, and earthy/leathery. Powerful through the sinuses.
2/3: Mellowed out a bit, earthy dropped some and sweetness picked up.
3/3: Sweetness dropped off and picked up a little more spice up front. A very pleasant aftertaste picked up
7 Uniqueness: 1/3: Complex. Woody, subtle sweetness, and earthy/leathery. Powerful through the sinuses.
2/3: Mellowed out a bit, earthy dropped some and sweetness picked up.
3/3: Sweetness dropped off and picked up a little more spice up front. A very pleasant aftertaste picked up
I would say this was a little beyond an everyday cigar for most.
8 Finish: IMO, the best so far in this contest.
Total Score: 92
Beautiful lancero with a superb feel to it. A slightly veiny, light brown almost golden wrapper which has a fuzzy/furry look to it. Upon being cut, the most perfect draw which gave pre-light notes of pepper, cedar and an almost grainy taste. As I light it, the cigar gives a thick, rich, white smoke. Just delightful. Notes of pepper are more than noticeable at the beginning. Wood and leather too. A gorgeous ash begins to form at the foot. White, solid as a stone and fuzzy on the outside. The 1st third gave ins and outs to flavours of pepper, nuts, cream, leather, earth and cedar. A razor sharp burn remained. The 2nd third the pepper mellowed out and a sweet-ish note appeared. Flavours still drifted in and out in a well married way. Last third began building flavour up with a notch turned up on the spices since the start.
Excellent cigar.
Appearance: 13/15
Ash: 9/10
Draw: 10/10
Burn: 9/10
Smoke: 9/10
Flavour: 18/20
Uniqueness: 8/10 (instead of grading this as me having this cigar profile before, I'll grade against it being common)
Finish: 14/15
Total: 89
Excellent cigar.
Appearance: 13/15
Ash: 9/10
Draw: 10/10
Burn: 9/10
Smoke: 9/10
Flavour: 18/20
Uniqueness: 8/10 (instead of grading this as me having this cigar profile before, I'll grade against it being common)
Finish: 14/15
Total: 89
openendstraight
Grand Corona
7 1/2 x 36ish
This smoke took about 1hr 15 min
I smoked it with a glass of ice water
Very light brown in color
no major viens
not really firm, but not spongy, kind of like fake breast that were done right
Pre-light
Great draw. Nice tobacco semll with a slight hint of chocolate. Had some hay or grassy flavor.
1st 3rd
This cigar started out very mild with some coffee, and chocolate tones. Nice abundant smoke. It left a wonderful silky smooth feeling on the tounge.
2nd 3rd
The only thing that really chnaged from the first third is that it picked up some kick and a very nice spice almost like cinnamon, but not quite.
Final 3rd
This is where this cigar drops off a bit. The flavor stayed about the same all the way through, but it began to have burn problems. It did burn even, but like a marrage, I had to work to keep the fire going.
The ash was nice and firm and held for an 1 1/2 or more the whole way.
In all this cigar was like my first time with a woman, I was filled with anticipation and desire, and then when it was all said and done I was not sure if I had a great time or not. The only difference this time was that I did not have to jump out of a two story window with my clothes in hand to get away from a large man yelling and throwing things at me.
Appearance..........14
Ash......................8
Draw...................10
Burn.....................7
Smoke.................10
Flavor..................19
Uniqueness............8
Finish..................12
Total...................88
This smoke took about 1hr 15 min
I smoked it with a glass of ice water
Very light brown in color
no major viens
not really firm, but not spongy, kind of like fake breast that were done right
Pre-light
Great draw. Nice tobacco semll with a slight hint of chocolate. Had some hay or grassy flavor.
1st 3rd
This cigar started out very mild with some coffee, and chocolate tones. Nice abundant smoke. It left a wonderful silky smooth feeling on the tounge.
2nd 3rd
The only thing that really chnaged from the first third is that it picked up some kick and a very nice spice almost like cinnamon, but not quite.
Final 3rd
This is where this cigar drops off a bit. The flavor stayed about the same all the way through, but it began to have burn problems. It did burn even, but like a marrage, I had to work to keep the fire going.
The ash was nice and firm and held for an 1 1/2 or more the whole way.
In all this cigar was like my first time with a woman, I was filled with anticipation and desire, and then when it was all said and done I was not sure if I had a great time or not. The only difference this time was that I did not have to jump out of a two story window with my clothes in hand to get away from a large man yelling and throwing things at me.
Appearance..........14
Ash......................8
Draw...................10
Burn.....................7
Smoke.................10
Flavor..................19
Uniqueness............8
Finish..................12
Total...................88
Well, this cigar seems very familiar to me. I sent Luke my guess already.
Upon examination of this lancero, it is rolled loosely. Very spongy throughout the entire cigar. If I had to base this cigar on feel alone, I would fail it, but it's only one element. Nicely placed cap, and slightly toothy. Hints of light spice, citrus, earthiness, which let's me know my guess might be right.
From start to finish, this cigar was mild, but very enjoyable. I am making this review short though. Not a memorable cigar, but worth the time. Let me know if I'm right Luke.
Appearance: 12/15 Very spongy
Ash: 9/10
Draw: 10/10
Burn: 9/10
Smoke: 10/10
Flavour: 18/20
Uniqueness: 8/10
Finish: 14/15
Total: 90
Thanks Luke again for hosting this. Love seeing what everyone else thinks about this "O" so good cigar!
Upon examination of this lancero, it is rolled loosely. Very spongy throughout the entire cigar. If I had to base this cigar on feel alone, I would fail it, but it's only one element. Nicely placed cap, and slightly toothy. Hints of light spice, citrus, earthiness, which let's me know my guess might be right.
From start to finish, this cigar was mild, but very enjoyable. I am making this review short though. Not a memorable cigar, but worth the time. Let me know if I'm right Luke.
Appearance: 12/15 Very spongy
Ash: 9/10
Draw: 10/10
Burn: 9/10
Smoke: 10/10
Flavour: 18/20
Uniqueness: 8/10
Finish: 14/15
Total: 90
Thanks Luke again for hosting this. Love seeing what everyone else thinks about this "O" so good cigar!
xddco
The Skipper
I love lanceros. They really showcase the wrapper and the roller's ability to make a smaller ring gauge cigar that can burn consistently. That said, this 7.5 x 36-38 cigar had a beautiful light brown wrapper that cased a somewhat soft cigar that I thought might have burn issues. Appearance-wise however, I have to give this one 14 out of 15 for how delicious it looked.
Clipped the triple cap with a Xikar and toasted the foot.... it starts to burn perfectly. Lots of smoke..... wood, leather, white pepper.....and a firm white ash (with flecks of dark grey throughout) that holds for about an inch before dropping. The ash holds it shape in the bowl after it drops, a further testament to the construction, despite the mushy feeling of the cigar in my hand. I give the ash 8 of 10, as it remains consistent throughout the smoke.
The draw of this cigar is flawless. Of course, it is some what loosely rolled, which contributes to this. Taking this into account, I give it a 9 out of 10. Halfway through the cigar, I get even more smoke... with little effort... like a lancero should be. The burn however, leaves me wanting.... it starts to tunnel about a third of the way through and continues to want to burn crooked despite my efforts to take it slow and touch it up....as such, I have to give it a 5 out of 10 here.
Flavor profile of this cigar remains pretty consistent throughout... pepper, wood, raw leather..... and the nicotine begins to build up about 2/3 of the way through. This kicks it up a notch.
Tons of smoke all the way through earns this cigar a perfect 10 out of 10. The flavor profile is pleasing. Not complex, but not wanting. I like this one and have to give it high marks for holding my interest for an hour... 18 out of 20 here. It is tasty, but not necessarily unique to me. I give it 7 out of 10 here. The finish is weak towards the end, due to the construction issues and burn, but the first half was sublime and I have to give it props based upon that. When I put it down, I miss it, wishing for more.... so I give it 12 out of 15.
I liked this cigar.. and that surprises me, since I am more of a dark wrapper fan. I'd put some of these away next to the lanceros I covet now.... (Oliva V, My Father, Don Carlos, El Triunfador..). This one earns a total score of 85.
And thanks again for the opportunity to try this one. They are getting better!
Clipped the triple cap with a Xikar and toasted the foot.... it starts to burn perfectly. Lots of smoke..... wood, leather, white pepper.....and a firm white ash (with flecks of dark grey throughout) that holds for about an inch before dropping. The ash holds it shape in the bowl after it drops, a further testament to the construction, despite the mushy feeling of the cigar in my hand. I give the ash 8 of 10, as it remains consistent throughout the smoke.
The draw of this cigar is flawless. Of course, it is some what loosely rolled, which contributes to this. Taking this into account, I give it a 9 out of 10. Halfway through the cigar, I get even more smoke... with little effort... like a lancero should be. The burn however, leaves me wanting.... it starts to tunnel about a third of the way through and continues to want to burn crooked despite my efforts to take it slow and touch it up....as such, I have to give it a 5 out of 10 here.
Flavor profile of this cigar remains pretty consistent throughout... pepper, wood, raw leather..... and the nicotine begins to build up about 2/3 of the way through. This kicks it up a notch.
Tons of smoke all the way through earns this cigar a perfect 10 out of 10. The flavor profile is pleasing. Not complex, but not wanting. I like this one and have to give it high marks for holding my interest for an hour... 18 out of 20 here. It is tasty, but not necessarily unique to me. I give it 7 out of 10 here. The finish is weak towards the end, due to the construction issues and burn, but the first half was sublime and I have to give it props based upon that. When I put it down, I miss it, wishing for more.... so I give it 12 out of 15.
I liked this cigar.. and that surprises me, since I am more of a dark wrapper fan. I'd put some of these away next to the lanceros I covet now.... (Oliva V, My Father, Don Carlos, El Triunfador..). This one earns a total score of 85.
And thanks again for the opportunity to try this one. They are getting better!
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