Review Contest 3 Cigar #6!!!!

[Benzopyrene]

This one will be due on 11/14/09 and that will conclude our review contest. Only guys who posted their reviews on every thread will be eligable to win the six pack of smokes. We will have a poll when this is all over if necessary. Please guys try to get this last one up even if you havent been able to get all of them done. Lets end this contest with a bang. Cheers!

 

[Frank N]

I'm going to try to get home early enough to smoke mine tonight.

 

[Moro]

I’m getting sick, so this review might be a tad bland.

An attractive wrapper in colour and oils, yet with some veins, that gives notes of earth and vanilla; a foot with notes of pepper. Once cut, the cigar gives, within a superb draw, notes of pepper, earth, cedar and vanilla.

Neat, solid ash with concentric rings and a thick, rich, white smoke coming out of it were noted from the beginning.

The first third was mostly pepper, and a tad overwhelming to any subtle note. Good, but made me think this could use some years on it.

The 2nd third allowed the pepper to mellow giving way to notes of creamy vanilla. Quite interesting, and the creaminess quite unexpected.

The last third was quite more mellow on the pepper and just remained like so for the rest of the cigar. Like a soothing massage after a long, hard day; it allowed to just sit back and relax.

Scores an 83 for me.

 

[oldglory]

going to go burn it now.........:grin:

 

[Soundwave13]

Cigar Review #6
Score: 72

Info: 6" x 46 ring corona gorda paired with Dr. Pepper & water

The wrapper on this was veined & ugly, but the stick was firmly packed and once cut revealed a perfect draw with a distinct cinamon flavor that reminded me: you can't always judge a book by it's cover. (Though first impressions can be lasting ones...)

I quite enjoyed lighting this up getting ample smoke reminding me of raisins and spicy white pepper around a coffee core. Not overly complex, but enough going on to keep my interest despite the puppy romping around attention seeking.

Alot of the flavors I was identifying, I typically enjoy: Pepper, coffee, raisins, spice, walnuts & a little grassy sweetness, however there was something developing that was not so pleasant. Something similar to burnt wheat toast.

At the 1/3 mark a little cream comes through alternating with a Pepin-esque profile (if rolled in dirt first) mixed with a bit of dried apple. Starting to get a bit harsh & I'm taking my time...

The burn was self-correcting, though never pretty, allowing a firm ash to build up before dropping well after 2 inches.

Overall I started thinking this would be a decent 'yard-gar' or 'walking stick': it did seem to pair well with the cool Autumn-ish breeze, smell of damp leaves & family dog making a game of pulling up the dead pepper-plants... But honestly, I don't think I would add it to my regular rotation, especially with all the great new sticks out this year.

A sour quality reared it's ugly mug at the 2/3 point making the mouth water, yet ironically leaving the tongue feeling dry. The coffee flavor was being strong-armed out by bitterness & was quite harsh when passed through the sinuses.

The qualities I liked in this cigar are fading fast leading to burnt popcorn again. At a tongue-biting 2 inches, I decided to cleanse the palate with a glass of water & let it rest for a few. Upon my return I discovered the stick still lit and still delivering harshness. Being quite unpleasant at this point, I laid it down to it's final rest, having served it's purpose and without entirely scarring my day.

Final Scores:
Appearance: 12
Ash: 8
Draw: 10
Burn: 8
Smoke: 9
Flavor: 11
Uniqueness: 6
Finish: 8
Total: 72

:noemotion

 

[oldglory]

Cigar #6
6X44
Smoked this cigar with some Murphy Stout
Took about 1 hour 10 min


First 1/3 of this cigar was great Chocolate and some earthy under tones

This stix produced wonderful smoke....nice and creamy.

The 2nd 1/3 of this cigar was not its best......got bitter one me in spots

Coffee flavors started to pick up
Got some pepper in on the finish

The last 1/3 of this cigar made up for the piss poor middle of the cigar

The bitter turned into a toffee flavor and the pepper picked up a bit.

this was not one of the best in this contest....but not a bad cigar.

Now for the scores

Appearance: 14
Ash: 9
Draw: 10
Burn: 9
Smoke: 10
Flavor: 15
Uniqueness: 8
Finish: 11

total 86

 

[Frank N]

Well, I didn't get around to smoking this until Friday night. I ended up working too much this week. But here it is.

1 Appearance:

Ring: 0.713”
Length: 9.098”
Color: Dark Brown with dull gray undertones
Misc.: Round head, one off color spot, smooth wrapper.
​

2 Ash:

Light gray. I knocked it off the first time at 3/4" while trying to rest my hand on something. After that, it held on well.
​

3 Draw:

Ok, no major problems
​

4 Burn:

Uneven at about 1/2", then straightened out. In the last third, I had to relight it 5 times. I could not keep it burning.
​

5 Smoke:

Qty.: Normal about of white smoke
​

6 Flavor:

1/3: slight creamy sweetness and a little bit of red pepper through the sinuses.
2/3: I did not notice any changes other than the pepper spiked for a brief moment.
3/3: Butane, butane, butane. With all the relights, the flavor dropped off pretty quick
​

7 Uniqueness:

Nothing unusual outside of the inability to keep it lit.
​

8 Finish:

Seemed pretty middle of the road. I would not run out and buy boxes, but would not necessarily shy away from it if handed one again. It was not very complex though.​

Total Score: 80 due to all the relights.

 

[xddco]

As I pulled this cigar out of the humidor, I couldn't help but notice the heft of this 6x46 smoke and its beautiful dark wrapper. The cigar was firm to the touch, throughout its length, and all indications were that this was going to be a great one, as its first impression was impressive.





Clipped with my Xikar, I slowly toasted the foot of this cigar and took in a pleasantly sweet aroma. I poured a few fingers of Remy VSOP and sat back to enjoy. The first few pulls were meeting my expectations, thick, creamy white smoke and effortless draw. The wrapper's sweetness on the lips laid the foundation for the taste of the smoke as I got the cigar going. Half an inch in, I picked up leather, bittersweet chocolate, white pepper..... and a little harshness on the finish. The ash was firm and almost white and held for 2.5 inches before dropping off.



Unfortunately, by this time, I had lost the spice and chocolate nuances.....they were replaced with an earthy finish that reminded me of damp peat. It wasn't unpleasant; but I have to admit, I expected this cigar to build in complexity and it did not. (I think the fact that I was not drinking my normal accompaniment: single malt scotch, helped save this one too.)

The final third remained true to the rest of the cigar... consistent flavor, dense smoke, firm ash.... and enjoyable. It started to burn a little crooked here, but it corrected itself quickly. I did not get the harsh bitter nic buildup that I often get in the final throes of a cigar, so I have to give this one another thumbs up for that.



I smoked this one to the nub.



This cigar was perplexing. Great construction. (I only ashed it twice!) Beautiful appearance. Nice finish. Dense smoke. Nice aroma. So much potential. On the other hand, it was one dimensional. A little too earthy and lacking complexity. Would I buy it ....probably not? I would hire the guy who rolled it though... and I'd love to try it in another vitola. Here's how it broke down for me:

Appearance: 14/15 - Got to give it the nod here... it looks tasty!
Ash: 10/10 - Strong here too.
Draw: 9/10 - No complaints.
Burn: 9/10 - Almost perfect.
Smoke: 9/10 - Dense and creamy.
Flavor/Blend: 13/20 - Major letdown here. I expected more. It teetered on the edge, but never delivered.
Uniqueness: 6/10 - The only thing unique about this cigar was how well it was made.
Finish: 12/15 - Nice finish, all the way to the nub, but needed more flavor.
Total: 82

This is the last cigar in this series. I would be remiss in my reviews if I did not thank Benzo for putting this together. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed reading the other reviews and comparing them to mine. The added dimension associated with smoking for a review, which forces you to really "bond" with the cigar and dissect it, was also a learning experience... and reminds us that each smoke is a unique creation made by hand, solely for our personal enjoyment. There aren't too many other things in life that you can say that about.

 

[Benzopyrene]

K guys think some of you are gonna be surprised by this one. This cigar is an Arturo Fuente 858 Sungrown all from a box from 2002. I already have this one written up. as I smoked it back in August, just have to find it. and I will get it posted up. Cheers!

 

[Soundwave13]

Wow- I am blown away by that!!! I would NEVER have guessed that!!!

I'd like to echo xddco and say thank you to Luke for running this - what a great experience to approach these cigars blindly & a few real surprises in there that really put things in perspective!

It was great being a part of this & I look forward to doing it all again sometime!

:applause:
AJ

 

[Moro]

Wow...I smoked an 858 SG. :smokingbo

Thanks for this, Luke! Fantastic idea! Count me in for the next one.

 

[Benzopyrene]

Thanks for participating guys. If you cant tell Ive gotten a little busy and have not had a whole lot of time to get my reviews up. I will definately get this last one up for you all in the next couple of days. Apparently a lot of others got busy too as There are only maybe 4-5 of you who did every review after the frst one. Any suggestions for if do this again would be appreciated. Just shoot me a pm, and I will get trader ratings up eventually guys I promise. Cheers!

 

[oldglory]

Where are we at on this boss...

 

[oldglory]

bump..............

 

[whodeeni]

Benzo....

Can I play the next time you guys do this? :cjump: *grinz*

This one will be due on 11/14/09 and that will conclude our review contest. Only guys who posted their reviews on every thread will be eligable to win the six pack of smokes. We will have a poll when this is all over if necessary. Please guys try to get this last one up even if you havent been able to get all of them done. Lets end this contest with a bang. Cheers!

 

[Benzopyrene]

bump for the poll

 

[kockroach]

Interesting little contest you had going there Luke. Pretty sweet format!

 

[Benzopyrene]

Arturo Fuente Flora Fina 8-5-8 Sungrown
Filler: Dominican Republic Binder: Dominican Republic Wrapper: Ecuador
CA rating: 86 (June 02) My rating: 81 (7/19/09) Price: $12.00
Length: 6 1/4” Ring gauge: 47 Size: Corona Gorda
Color: Natural Store: from a fine brother Box: X-mas 2001​

This is always been one of my favorite cigars. So I decided to head down to Lake Michigan and smoke one. It' was a beautiful day outside with lots of people are walking around, some people were flying by on segues, homeless people were lying around, and with sixty-five degree weather in July... all in all it's a nice day. The cigar itself is beautiful with a chocolate brown wrapper across which a lighter brown seems to track with the veins on the cigar. The band presentation contrasts well with the wrapper. The ash is light gray all the way through the cigar, and it's stacked like pancakes, and was relatively sturdy throughout. The draw was superb and the smoke was very aromatic, pleasing to more than one passerby. The burn was been relatively even throughout the smoke except for one side that I had to relight a few times, which probably had to do with the cigar sitting on one side for too long. The core flavor started woody with some noticeable spice throughout that caught me off guard quite a bit. I feel like the cigar has gotten a little bit stronger with age, as I remember it as more of a medium bodied smoke, and this is definitely full-bodied. At about the one third mark the cigar began to exhibit ammoniac harshness that only lasted for a moment but it was something that I did not expect and a seven-year-old cigar. I found that there were a few more patches of this harshness scattered throughout the rest of this smoke. The spiciness of the cigar mellowed down in the second third, and the core woodiness began to really shine. Throughout the rest of the cigar it seemed to maintain its core flavor with very little else in the way of undertones, and I would have to say that this experience is definitely different than I remember. Overall, the experience was enjoyable, but I thought that the cigar tasted a little bit young, especially with the moments of harshness and ammoniac flavors I experienced in the cigar. I think that I'm going to let these cigars sit for a little while longer.

CA Description

Shapely and dark, this cigar has an excellent draw. The smoke is strong and woody, with notes of cedar and orange peel. Medium to full bodied

Rating Distribution

App- 15 Ash- 8 Draw- 10 Burn- 9 F/B-14 Unq- 4 Smoke- 10 Fin- 11