Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Alright guess its time for me to get this one up. This one will end on November 1st guys. Peace!
Review Contest 3 Cigar #5!!!!
- Thread starter Benzopyrene
- Start date
CIGAR #5
5 1/8x 42ish
Good looking cigar great construction, a little spongy but not to spongy if ya know what I mean.
Pre light draw ..got a bit of grass with some sweetness.
Enjoyed this stix with a cup of coffee it took me about 1 hour and 10 min to finish.
The first couple of puffs were extremely bitter but it was gone in 2-3 puffs . I will not count it against this smoke for I might have screwed up the toasting of the cigar.
The first 1/3 of this cigar I got a taste of wood and some of that sweetness ......almost like black licorice..at this point the cigar is producing a lot of nice creamy smoke.
The second 1/3 of the smoke I detected woody, earthy and the sweetness was gone....starting to get a bit stronger at this point but nothing over powering
THe last 1/3 of this bad boy Was great...I got hints of wood some pepery under tones..and surprisingly the sweetness came back
All and all this was a great smoke one that I would like to smoke again in the future.....It was a well made stix.that produced just that right amount of smoke....didn't get to hot on me.. all thought not one of the most complex cigars I have had it gave you just enough complexity it keep ya interested to the end .......great smoke.
Appearance 14
Ash 9
Draw 10
Smoke 9
Flavor 17
Uniqueness 8
Finish 13
Burn 10
Final 90
5 1/8x 42ish
Good looking cigar great construction, a little spongy but not to spongy if ya know what I mean.
Pre light draw ..got a bit of grass with some sweetness.
Enjoyed this stix with a cup of coffee it took me about 1 hour and 10 min to finish.
The first couple of puffs were extremely bitter but it was gone in 2-3 puffs . I will not count it against this smoke for I might have screwed up the toasting of the cigar.
The first 1/3 of this cigar I got a taste of wood and some of that sweetness ......almost like black licorice..at this point the cigar is producing a lot of nice creamy smoke.
The second 1/3 of the smoke I detected woody, earthy and the sweetness was gone....starting to get a bit stronger at this point but nothing over powering
THe last 1/3 of this bad boy Was great...I got hints of wood some pepery under tones..and surprisingly the sweetness came back
All and all this was a great smoke one that I would like to smoke again in the future.....It was a well made stix.that produced just that right amount of smoke....didn't get to hot on me.. all thought not one of the most complex cigars I have had it gave you just enough complexity it keep ya interested to the end .......great smoke.
Appearance 14
Ash 9
Draw 10
Smoke 9
Flavor 17
Uniqueness 8
Finish 13
Burn 10
Final 90
Soundwave13
BoM Feb 2010
Cigar Review #5
Score: 83
Info: 5-3/16" x 42 ring Corona paired with Virgils Root Beer
The wrapper on this corona was silky smooth with no soft spots and only one small area that had some slight wrinkling. The cut revealed a bit of 'bunching' at the cap, seamingly used to 'fill in' some empty space at the head before applying the wrapper's cap, leaving a concave tip. The pre-light taste was mild with hints of cocoa through a firm draw.
Once lit, the draw let enough smoke through to keep my spirit's up. A grassy-twang came through with a coffee & milk-chocolate core. The body was full, yet the strengh was medium-full which suits me well, as I have been backing off from some of the high-octane cigars lately.
The ash is 'tiger-striped' with tans, light greys & dark greys alternating the length before it dropped in the ash tray at about the one inch mark. At the 2/3 point it started to get a bit harsh, the chocolate notes taking a back seat as the coffee taste got oily & slighty bitter.
The burn remained even and noticably loosened up at the 1/2 way point producing ample smoke. I'm 90% sure I've had this before and think it would be better paired with coffee, but I'm really loving the flavors as I slow down a bit & pace myself with this stick, sipping my root beer and enjoying the cool, overcast morning.
At the 3/3 point I started to pick up lots of walnuts & cashews with hints of rich dark chocolate. It has virtually no spice, yet a pleasant sting occurs when passed through the sinuses.
The burn became a bit uneven near the end, nothing a quick pass with the torch couldn't cure, however the draw started to tighten up making it difficult to properly 'nub'.
After about an hour of enjoyment, the last couple of 'sips' came off a bit acidic on the tongue, yet left a surprisingly pleasant finish. Overall I really enjoyed this cigar & look forward to revisiting this one again soon!
Final Scores:
Appearance: 13
Ash: 8
Draw: 7
Burn: 9
Smoke: 8
Flavor: 17
Uniqueness: 8
Finish: 13
Total: 83
:cbig:
Score: 83
Info: 5-3/16" x 42 ring Corona paired with Virgils Root Beer
The wrapper on this corona was silky smooth with no soft spots and only one small area that had some slight wrinkling. The cut revealed a bit of 'bunching' at the cap, seamingly used to 'fill in' some empty space at the head before applying the wrapper's cap, leaving a concave tip. The pre-light taste was mild with hints of cocoa through a firm draw.
Once lit, the draw let enough smoke through to keep my spirit's up. A grassy-twang came through with a coffee & milk-chocolate core. The body was full, yet the strengh was medium-full which suits me well, as I have been backing off from some of the high-octane cigars lately.
The ash is 'tiger-striped' with tans, light greys & dark greys alternating the length before it dropped in the ash tray at about the one inch mark. At the 2/3 point it started to get a bit harsh, the chocolate notes taking a back seat as the coffee taste got oily & slighty bitter.
The burn remained even and noticably loosened up at the 1/2 way point producing ample smoke. I'm 90% sure I've had this before and think it would be better paired with coffee, but I'm really loving the flavors as I slow down a bit & pace myself with this stick, sipping my root beer and enjoying the cool, overcast morning.
At the 3/3 point I started to pick up lots of walnuts & cashews with hints of rich dark chocolate. It has virtually no spice, yet a pleasant sting occurs when passed through the sinuses.
The burn became a bit uneven near the end, nothing a quick pass with the torch couldn't cure, however the draw started to tighten up making it difficult to properly 'nub'.
After about an hour of enjoyment, the last couple of 'sips' came off a bit acidic on the tongue, yet left a surprisingly pleasant finish. Overall I really enjoyed this cigar & look forward to revisiting this one again soon!
Final Scores:
Appearance: 13
Ash: 8
Draw: 7
Burn: 9
Smoke: 8
Flavor: 17
Uniqueness: 8
Finish: 13
Total: 83
:cbig:
Nice cigar, good flavors of light spice. Good ash, decent draw, but had some construction issues of the cap unraveling.
Overall, gave this one a 80, just cause of the flavor.
Overall, gave this one a 80, just cause of the flavor.
1 Appearance:
Total Score: 88
Ring: 0.620
Length: 5.236
Color: Greenish-Yellow, getting darker near foot
Misc.: Triple cap, flat head, & few rinkles hear and there.
2 Ash: Length: 5.236
Color: Greenish-Yellow, getting darker near foot
Misc.: Triple cap, flat head, & few rinkles hear and there.
Typical gray w/ darker concentric rings. Ash held great. 1 1/2" before the first drop, and 2" for the second. It burned down to less than 1/2" left in the cigar and still held on when I put it in the ashtray.
3 Draw:
Excellent
4 Burn:
started out uneven, but caught up about 1/2 through the cigar
5 Smoke:
Qty.: Normal about of bluish smoke
6 Flavor:
Pre-lite: seamed a little mild
1/3: Creamy sweetness and a little bit of black pepper through the sinuses. Slight earthyness
2/3: Pepper picked up a bit then mellowed.
3/3: More of the same creamyness.
7 Uniqueness: 1/3: Creamy sweetness and a little bit of black pepper through the sinuses. Slight earthyness
2/3: Pepper picked up a bit then mellowed.
3/3: More of the same creamyness.
Nothing extremely unusual.
8 Finish:
I like to have these for my morning coffee and cigar ritual.
Total Score: 88
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Looking for more reviews guys. Mine will be up tomorrow since I got fortunate enough to get a job interview in Seattle, so chillin here til tomorrow. Peace!
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Okay guys This cigar was a Fonseca Cosaco from April 2004, my review to follow when I get home from work.
Soundwave13
BoM Feb 2010
Wow - I wouldn't have guessed that (& didn't)!!
:applause:
:applause:
xddco
The Skipper
OK... I am finally getting around to posting this one. First, Let me say that my pallet had been influenced by several cigar events over the past few days, what with the Drac hysteria and an Oliva and Torano event. That said, I sat down with a few fingers of Macallan in the evening to enjoy a cigar and this one was on deck.
View attachment 5916
My first impression of this cigar was very positive. It was firmly rolled and heavy in the hand for a corona. The wrapper was toothy with a large vein running the length of the cigar, but was consistent in color and did not have the bitter taste you often get from a Habano or Colorado wrapper. I give it 12 out of 15, if only for the veiny wrapper.
View attachment 5917
I clipped it with my Xikar and toasted the foot. Nice sweet smoke ensued, and the draw, although a little tight, allowed me to quickly get this one going. First few draws are just OK. Medium to mild with no predominant flavor other than tannic tobacco. I'm OK with that for the first inch or so in most cigars....but the cigar begins to burn unevenly almost immediately as it catches the large wrapper vein seen above.
View attachment 5918
I try to touch it up as soon as the ash drops at the 1.25 inch point, and it begins to burn a little straighter. I finally start to get some flavor in the profile too.... leather, some fall spices.... and it mellows out a bit. The draw remains a little tight, but when I work at it, the cigar burns a little too hot and it really doesn't improve the smoke density.
View attachment 5919
As the flavor profile began to kick in, I started to like this cigar and began to anticipate another dimension as I crossed the halfway mark. I'm not a real corona fan and I prefer a fuller bodied cigar, but this mild to medium one had some potential. As I moved into the final third, I picked up a coffee undertone and bitter chocolate..... and the tannic finish subsided. The draw improved too. The ash hung on for almost two inches, supporting the solid constructon I felt during the pre-light inspection. Unfortunately, it quickly began to burn down the vein again and the draw tightened up a bit.
View attachment 5920
As the draw tightened up, my efforts to finish it caused it to burn hot and become bitter. This was disappointing, to say the least, since I was just starting to pick out some nice flavors in this smoke. I finally gave up on it.
View attachment 5921
So, how did it fare?
Ash: 9/10 This was a bright spot.
Draw: 7/10 Adequate, but inconsistent
Burn: 7/10 No real tunneling, but not consistent either.
Smoke: 6/10 There... but not as thick or aromatic as I expected. Too much work.
Flavor: 13/20 Would have loved to have the middle of this cigar three times, rather than smoking this one.
Uniqueness: 7/10 Nothing special, but also had potential
Finish: 6/10 A real weakness for me... too minerally and tannic.
Score: 67
As you can see, this one didn't do it for me. Between the burn and draw issues, I am sure I had a bad one, but based upon this experience, I would have to pass on this stick, even at half price.
View attachment 5916
My first impression of this cigar was very positive. It was firmly rolled and heavy in the hand for a corona. The wrapper was toothy with a large vein running the length of the cigar, but was consistent in color and did not have the bitter taste you often get from a Habano or Colorado wrapper. I give it 12 out of 15, if only for the veiny wrapper.
View attachment 5917
I clipped it with my Xikar and toasted the foot. Nice sweet smoke ensued, and the draw, although a little tight, allowed me to quickly get this one going. First few draws are just OK. Medium to mild with no predominant flavor other than tannic tobacco. I'm OK with that for the first inch or so in most cigars....but the cigar begins to burn unevenly almost immediately as it catches the large wrapper vein seen above.
View attachment 5918
I try to touch it up as soon as the ash drops at the 1.25 inch point, and it begins to burn a little straighter. I finally start to get some flavor in the profile too.... leather, some fall spices.... and it mellows out a bit. The draw remains a little tight, but when I work at it, the cigar burns a little too hot and it really doesn't improve the smoke density.
View attachment 5919
As the flavor profile began to kick in, I started to like this cigar and began to anticipate another dimension as I crossed the halfway mark. I'm not a real corona fan and I prefer a fuller bodied cigar, but this mild to medium one had some potential. As I moved into the final third, I picked up a coffee undertone and bitter chocolate..... and the tannic finish subsided. The draw improved too. The ash hung on for almost two inches, supporting the solid constructon I felt during the pre-light inspection. Unfortunately, it quickly began to burn down the vein again and the draw tightened up a bit.
View attachment 5920
As the draw tightened up, my efforts to finish it caused it to burn hot and become bitter. This was disappointing, to say the least, since I was just starting to pick out some nice flavors in this smoke. I finally gave up on it.
View attachment 5921
So, how did it fare?
Ash: 9/10 This was a bright spot.
Draw: 7/10 Adequate, but inconsistent
Burn: 7/10 No real tunneling, but not consistent either.
Smoke: 6/10 There... but not as thick or aromatic as I expected. Too much work.
Flavor: 13/20 Would have loved to have the middle of this cigar three times, rather than smoking this one.
Uniqueness: 7/10 Nothing special, but also had potential
Finish: 6/10 A real weakness for me... too minerally and tannic.
Score: 67
As you can see, this one didn't do it for me. Between the burn and draw issues, I am sure I had a bad one, but based upon this experience, I would have to pass on this stick, even at half price.
xddco
The Skipper
I actually smoked the cigar a few days ago, as noted above, but did not get around to posting til today. And actually, I was surprised by the cigar's identity......I would have guessed Dominican, not cuban.... :dunno:
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
bump for the poll