Getting your feet wet pass II cigar reviews

The 3 judges for this contest are:

BlindedByScience
Infinity
LilBastage

I'd like to thank each one of them for agreeing to be the judges of our first contest. No sucking up, bribing, or brown nosing of the judges will be allowed! :laugh:

Oh! I see how you are! :sign:

Cigar: Perdomo Reserve Cameroon
Size: "R", robusto 5x54
Location: my deck
Book: Ian McEwen, On Chesil Beach

Executive Summary: A complex medium smoke with roasted, nutty, sweet and woody aroma. Highly recommended. 9.1/10

Appearance: The wrapper is toothy, dark brown, slightly mottled and rough. No perceptible veins. The cigar itself was slightly squashed (my fault - didn't box the 5-pack immediately) at the open end, but very firm to the touch and smoothly rolled - no lumps, no veins, nothing. The absence of veins and smoothness of construction clearly indicates quality and attention to detail. I have 3 kinds of Perdomo Reserve in my humidor, and the band does not say "Cameroon" or offer any guidance in this respect; it is attractively modern, not conservative, in silver, gold, and black. The rough wrapper drops the appearance to an 8/10; subsequent research reveals that some merchants call it "silky" - they are clearly smoking crack, but it is still a nice looking cigar.




Flavor and Aroma:The prelight draw is barnyard, to the extent that I would have guessed ISOM prior to smoking. The initial draw is smoky-sweet, with overtones of bitter chocolate. The first third has dominant aromas of nuts and baking spices, with a sweet caramel-floral top note and a roasted bottom note. At this point, it was clear that I was smoking the cameroon - the distinctive aroma makes the presence of african wrapper tobacco obvious. The smoke is very smooth and medium in intensity, with very rich flavors. The second third loses the floral aroma, but the spice increases in intensity proportionally. The dominant aroma is of leather with a caramel top note. The barnyard prelight aroma has fully disappeared by this point. The final third has dominant roasted (coffee) and woody aromas, significantly more intense than the prior 2/3, with strong baking spice, mild pepper, and a faint sweet top note remaining. It moves into medium-full territory by the end, but there is no acridness or bitterness whatsoever. Bravo. 9.5/10




Construction: The draw is perfect. The burn is straight across, with no need for correction or even rotation, and the cigar as a whole burns slowly - this cigar could be smoked in 1 hr, or drawn out to 2 hrs, without protest. The first ash was at 1.5 inches, second at 2.5 inches, third immediately before nubbing. The smoke is cool, partly due to the perfect draw and partly due to the large ring gauge. The ash is solid and salt and pepper in color. It stays lit for more than 10 minutes unattended, surpassing all prior benchmarks. 9.5/10.




Time Elapsed: 1 hr 25 minutes

Jonesy said:

The 3 judges for this contest are:

BlindedByScience
Infinity
LilBastage

I'd like to thank each one of them for agreeing to be the judges of our first contest. No sucking up, bribing, or brown nosing of the judges will be allowed! :laugh:

Click to expand...

Well crap, there went my philosophy. :laugh:

Good thing this isn't a beauty contest... :whistling: :whistling:


:laugh:

Three days left people!

Come on fellas....post em up!

Cigar: Island Prince Momona Light
Filler: Sun Grown Kauai
Wrapper: Connecticut shade leaf grown in Ecuador
Ring Gauge: 50
Length: 5 3/4
Origin: Kauai, HI (rolled in Nicaragua)
Manufacturer: Kauai Cigar Co.

Setting: My deck, outside temp 75 with a slight breeze but sheltered from it by some very large trees. Late afternoon/ early evening.

Drink: Sam Adams Octoberfest
Fresh toothpick standing by

This is a fantastic cigar.
I had the pleasure of having one last weekend.
I decided to do a review because I am going to be placing one in the pass.
Enjoy.






The overall appearance is very nice.
Nice even color, nice smell, notes of earth and spice
Construction is just about flawless.
I punch cut this baby

Pre light draw is very earthy, very green taste.



I begin by toasting the foot slightly 6:35 PM (18:35 for Souldog)

From the first few puffs you can tell right away this is a very nice smoke. Large volumes of billowing smoke emerge from my mouth. Making it water. I am tasting notes of earth and a slight leathery return as well as a sweet grassy hint.



There is a slight uneven burn but it is not concerning me, I think it will correct itself.
The ash has split so I will perform a little “ash management”



During this very pleasant first third the flavor has remained consistent.

Second third 6:55 PM (18:35 for Souldog)





The second third, this is quite a strong little guy.
Still smoking great consistent flavor profile and the burn corrected itself as suspected.
The ash is a bright white and holding firm.
Still providing very large volumes of smoke. Not to hot just right.




Opening another Sammy….

This cigar is very pleasant but it seems to be sneaking up on me a little. The force is strong in this one!
I tap the ash for the second time 7:08 PM (19:08 for Souldog)
One phrase that comes to mind with this cigar is quality. This is a no BS cigar. There is a flavor explosion going on now. My God I am in tobacco euphoria.

Last third begins 7:20 PM (19:20 for Souldog)



Just as the in the beginning this cigar is delivering the same notes as the first. It is still delivering very large amounts of cool smoke too. Earthy Earthy Earthy is all I can say.
I am preparing to strip the band. She comes off clean.

I taste little more strong flavors now. The same earthy young grassy taste, just a little more pronounced now.
I perform a slight purge with my lighter and it is right back where it started. Cool fresh earthy with loads of smoke.
I must say volcanoes do wonders for the soil. Man this thing is good.
I can almost feel myself in the islands.

Ready to insert toothpick 7:45 PM (19:45 for Souldog)

This cigar is truly nub worthy. I know one thing I do not want this to end.
Still at this point most cigars are delivering plenty of bitter return….not this one.
Same great flavor as when it was first lit.

There is about one inch left now. Starting to get a little warm on the lips. Thank God for toothpicks!

Last puff 7:56 PM (19:56 for souldog)
As good as the first. This cigar in my opinion is terrific. One of my top ten favorites.





It is grown in the youngest dirt on earth. These cigars are going to be fantastic if they lay down in your humis for a year or so. I suggest you all contact Putz Mulligan and acquire a box for yourselves.
Those of you after me in the pass, I am sorry I can only put one in. Sorry Jonsey I doubt this will make it back to you!

My review will be in before 6 p.m. est. on Sunday. I promise.

Let's go guys!! Anyone who hasn't done one yet that can a spare couple of hours should participate. Excellent reviews by all. Thanks Jonesy.

beyond the band said:

Cigar: Island Prince Momona Light
Filler: Sun Grown Kauai
Wrapper: Connecticut shade leaf grown in Ecuador
Ring Gauge: 50
Length: 5 3/4
Origin: Kauai, HI (rolled in Nicaragua)
Manufacturer: Kauai Cigar Co.

Setting: My deck, outside temp 75 with a slight breeze but sheltered from it by some very large trees. Late afternoon/ early evening.

Drink: Sam Adams Octoberfest
Fresh toothpick standing by

This is a fantastic cigar.
I had the pleasure of having one last weekend.
I decided to do a review because I am going to be placing one in the pass.
Enjoy.

The overall appearance is very nice.
Nice even color, nice smell, notes of earth and spice
Construction is just about flawless.
I punch cut this baby

Pre light draw is very earthy, very green taste.

I begin by toasting the foot slightly 6:35 PM (18:35 for Souldog)

From the first few puffs you can tell right away this is a very nice smoke. Large volumes of billowing smoke emerge from my mouth. Making it water. I am tasting notes of earth and a slight leathery return as well as a sweet grassy hint.

There is a slight uneven burn but it is not concerning me, I think it will correct itself.
The ash has split so I will perform a little “ash management”

During this very pleasant first third the flavor has remained consistent.

Second third 6:55 PM (18:35 for Souldog)

The second third, this is quite a strong little guy.
Still smoking great consistent flavor profile and the burn corrected itself as suspected.
The ash is a bright white and holding firm.
Still providing very large volumes of smoke. Not to hot just right.

Opening another Sammy….

This cigar is very pleasant but it seems to be sneaking up on me a little. The force is strong in this one!
I tap the ash for the second time 7:08 PM (19:08 for Souldog)
One phrase that comes to mind with this cigar is quality. This is a no BS cigar. There is a flavor explosion going on now. My God I am in tobacco euphoria.

Last third begins 7:20 PM (19:20 for Souldog)

Just as the in the beginning this cigar is delivering the same notes as the first. It is still delivering very large amounts of cool smoke too. Earthy Earthy Earthy is all I can say.
I am preparing to strip the band. She comes off clean.

I taste little more strong flavors now. The same earthy young grassy taste, just a little more pronounced now.
I perform a slight purge with my lighter and it is right back where it started. Cool fresh earthy with loads of smoke.
I must say volcanoes do wonders for the soil. Man this thing is good.
I can almost feel myself in the islands.

Ready to insert toothpick 7:45 PM (19:45 for Souldog)

This cigar is truly nub worthy. I know one thing I do not want this to end.
Still at this point most cigars are delivering plenty of bitter return….not this one.
Same great flavor as when it was first lit.

There is about one inch left now. Starting to get a little warm on the lips. Thank God for toothpicks!

Last puff 7:56 PM (19:56 for souldog)
As good as the first. This cigar in my opinion is terrific. One of my top ten favorites.

It is grown in the youngest dirt on earth. These cigars are going to be fantastic if they lay down in your humis for a year or so. I suggest you all contact Putz Mulligan and acquire a box for yourselves.
Those of you after me in the pass, I am sorry I can only put one in. Sorry Jonsey I doubt this will make it back to you!

Click to expand...

This is indeed a great cigar!! I am glad that markmarksman and Charlie hooked me up on these when they were there earlier this year!! Thanks guys!!

Jim

Wading through the options of cigars to review, my eyes were drawn to the brilliant yellow ring of the CAO Flavor. Glad that it is only a four inch smoke, I venture into the unknown territory of flavored cigars.


After clipping the head off of this thing, I ran my lips over it the end to resettle the wrapper, and the mango-citrus fusion burned in my lips as my mouth begged me not to light this thing.
Thankfully the construction and the draw of this cigar has allowed for a fast light.

This is a Petit Corona sized cigar. Not taking the flavour component into account. The construction of this cigar is very good. I am a very slow smoker--or long talker--so I tend to have to relight my cigars. The draw of this cigar, though, was near perfect in that I never had to relight, or huff-and-puff to keep it going. Yet at the same time it wasn't like smoking a straw...there was just enough draw that it insured I could enjoy the flavour explosion.

What I do not understand about flavoured cigars is after your lips have smacked off the outer layer of sugary crap, the rest of the smoking experience takes like burnt carbon.
Even my dog knew better

Having moved a 1/3rd of the way into the cigar, you can actually begin to taste a smoother blend that makes me love normal C.A.O. cigars. I won't try to decide if it is a bosionberry of huckleberry hint, but there does appear to be some nuttier and earthy flavors from the Dominican filler that they waste in this mango-madness.

You know what, I was wrong, it's not mango its peach flavored.

Just in case you think I would have bailed on this and not really finished the whole thing...

The construction, burn and draw of this cigar is why I enjoy CAOs other cigars such as the L'Anniversarie and Brazilla.

My first pass, so fittingly it's going to be my first review as well. I chose the Padron Serie 1926 Natural No.2 for my review. I can't find the link at this moment but BBS wrote the definitive work on the 1926 Natural IMO so I decided to have some fun with my review since I cannot improve upon previous work. I did my review while fishing in Canada, so my review is aptly called:

We all came out to Hudson,
on the Lac Seul shoreline.
To do some fishing with the Old Man,
we had one week's time.
I brought a Serie 1926 No. 2,
it had a Natural wrap.
But some Noobler with a Colibri,
burned the stick to the nub.

(My)Smoke on the water,
Cigar on the lake.
Smoke on the water.





I burned down this gorgeous stick,
it's taste was pure tobacco.
With just a hint of condensed milk,
a little spice too, though.
When it all was over,
it's finish was clean and phat.
I mostly smoke the Maduro kind,
but this Nat may have changed all that.


(My)Smoke on the water,
Cigar on the lake.
Smoke on the water.





I ended up smoking alot of 'gars,
several different pipes as well.
But this cigar topped all the rest this week,
the flavors seemed to gel.
With a few old RASS, a few BBFs,
I have not a regret.
Of all the stogies I smoked this week,
I know, I know I'll never forget

(My)Smoke on the water,
Cigar on the lake.
Smoke on the water.

um, sorry my photos are so huge...I will try to change that...

how do I change that?

Pompous Pugs said:

um, sorry my photos are so huge...I will try to change that...

how do I change that?

Click to expand...

I'm glad they were gigantic. I was trying to figure out what the cigar with the G on the band was (never had a Graycliff before) so I clicked on it twice and it was able to read it loud and clear.

Since the forum autoformats them to 640x480, I wouldn't bother with resizing, renaming, rehosting, and editing.

10 reviews so far people....I'm kinda disappointed that more of you haven't done a review for this contest seeing the great prize pack that was donated!

Contest will end two weeks from today on Sunday September 14th @ 6pm EST

Click to expand...

Still plenty of time!

I'll have one in before the deadline.

C'mon guys, 10 more reviews by tomorrow night!!!!!

I apologize to all involved that I won't be able to post a review. Its been raining all weekend and since I can only smoke outside..well thats quite hard to pull off. That and I have my kids this weekend, whom I don't smoke around, and whome won't be gone until about 8 pm tommorrow night, well past the deadline. I don't think the rain is going to stop anyways.

On top of all that, I've had one hell of a crappy night, and well I just don't feel like doing much of anything, least of all, smoking.

In the spirit of Rod wanting to bring CP back to it’s intended roots, by throwing all you vulgar asshats out of the Chat Room, I wanted to enrich the CP Community and fellow cigar aficionados’ knowledge of an often maligned, overlooked, and misunderstood facet of our cigar hobby. This object of my affection harkens back to my early days of exploration into the mysteries of the cigar leaf and its effects on the people who embrace it. As a child, I would observe men smoking cigars and saw how they carried themselves within society, all the while having a bright outlook on Life by being kind and pleasant to one another. Gentlemen, with churchill parejos in hand, delicately holding them like a newborn child, proudly puffing as the day unfolded…and I wanted to be one of those men!

Although I will talk about one particular company’s efforts within this genre, I also want to educate the casual and skilled cigars smoker alike about this cigar phenomenon. As Tony (tone-ny) says,” I smoke, therefore I am”…and I have lived my life by that philosophy since my early childhood. When Jonesy posted this contest, I though long and hard about what brand, type, and origin of cigar I would review, but subconsciously he already gave me my direction without my knowing. As many of you may know by now I was raised around Cuban Cigars, my Father and Uncles all smoked them and as far as I was concerned, that’s what cigars were. So I considered the traditional Masters of the Leaf, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann, Partagás, or Hoyo de Monterrey. Proud makers of cigars who’s vitolas would warm the heart of any B/SOTL …but I kept going back in my mind to one company, that to me, defined cigar smoking for countless generations.

Let me take you back to a time of no Internet, a time of no central air conditioning…a more carefree age where life seemed to stand still for days and weeks at a time. Gatherings of cigar smokers were never pre-arraigned; they just happened…and happened with a robust frequency. What we call ‘Herfing’, they called everyday life….what we now call a ‘Cigar Event’ was to them, the daily meeting at a local pub or a friend’s dinner table. All this time, what did I notice as one of the marquee brands while these gentlemen gathered to discuss life’s daily challenges?

Now Jonesy has joked and made a mockery of this vitola in one of its illustrious incarnations, but with that frivolity I finally realized what I must do…the direction I must take in posting my review for the “Getting Your Feet Wet Pass II”…..

Cigar Name: White Owl Blunts Xtra: Peach & Strawberry
Edition: Regional Release; North America, New Jersey
Vitola: 5 ¼ X 41
Wrapper: Natural Connecticut Broadleaf Habanesis Hybrid HTL
Binder: Cross Pollinated Ecuadorian Rosado/African Cameroon, Oak & Maple Leaves; Finely Chopped HTL
Filler: Volado & Seco; Piloto Cubano, San Vicente, Filipino Ligero, Indonesian Sumatra & N. Carolina Tarheel
Released: Every Tuesday
Quantity: 400M Per Year
Rarity: -9/10



White Owl is a classic cigar that's rich in tradition and history dating back to 1887; it’s also the flagship brand of the General Cigar Company for close to 90 years. This particular parajo is very unique in size as it falls in between a Mareva/Petit Corona and Short Panatela at 5¼ X 41 and embodies all the rich ancestral characteristics of its predecessors. You can see and feel that great care has been taken to preserve this venerated cigar’s taste and consistency over time. These have been known to be highly counterfeited for many years but provenance is extremely high with these as I trust my source, Rite-Aid Pharmacy Group’s cigar buying prowess is second to none.

I chose these two distinctive cigars because I found no reviews at CP to help guide my fellow cigar lovers if they wanted to explore this type of exotic blend.
Here we go....and as you will read, the cutter will not be needed. Also note that I will wear white latex surgical gloves as to not contaminate the exacting taste profile.




Prelight Impressions

These are both beautiful cigars. The smooth, supple, desert dry Homogenized tobacco leaf wrapper was expertly applied, the signature “fold over’ cap was flawless and they are pre-perforated for immediate smoking enjoyment. Take note all Cuban & S. American cigar producers, this could save precious time in cutting and punching premium grade cigars! These vitolas are delicately machine made in Dothan, Alabama in a 4th Generation factory and because of this mechanized dedication, both cigars were visually identical in every way. The roll and fill were positively perfect with the barrel of the cigar feeling firm with no bibulous awareness when gently squeezed; this should be expected due to their hermetically sealed plastic tubes. Aesthetically speaking, this duo is in my top 10 of any cigars being produced in the Southern States at this time.

The pre-light draw on each was effortless and clean with no feeling of obstructions present. As I will be reviewing two cigars simultaneously, I will be separating my reviewing notes from time to time.

Prelight Inspection

In my effort of supplying my fellow CP members with the utmost in information regarding my review, I went the extra mile and purchased 2 of each cigar so I can not only give you all the detailed tasting notes, but construction observations well. My next step was to surgically cut open each vitola and inspect its ecumenical architecture.

Strawberry

As soon as I removed this cigar from its plastic domicile, the room was filled with a wonderfully nauseating botanical bouquet that reminded me of the exotic fragrances I experienced in the ‘Red Light District' of Paris. This aroma held bold characteristics of Canadian Cavendish and New England Earliglow…with just a hint of Peruvian Poppy. When I finally opened this stick up, I was overwhelmed with the freshness of the flavoring used in its construction.



As you will can plainly see, White Owl spares no expense in the componential pursuit of their flavored cigars. While some were easily identified, some escaped my definition. I will revise my review when I reference the appropriate material.

Peach

This version within the White Owl lineup is similar but with a different choice in fruit. When I tapped this one out of its synthetic tubos, it too filled the air with a delightfully repugnant scent I have not experienced since my days in the Haight-Ashbury alternative smoke shops. Immediately present were notes of early harvest Clingstone and Freestone Late Season, at times there was a fleeting hint of Acapulco Gold. Both cigars utilize a handsome 'mechanically hand cut' short filler.



Once again you can see the quality components used by General Cigar in their product line. In this cigar like the previous version, there were some tobacco types not easily identifiable.

For those cigar fans unfamiliar with the unique HTL wrapper, let me explain a little further. HTL is the acronym for Homogenized Tobacco Leaf, a meticulous and laborious process of pulverizing the tobacco leaves which are then mixed with mysterious source fibers, pure cellulose, and boiling hot water to create a paper-like pulp. The pulp is squeezed, formed and processed through a series of serpentined rollers until it is dry and spun into 6 foot tall rolls of mouth watering cigar wrapper. This beautiful uniform sheet of tobacco is subsequently used for the high-speed, high quality production of these tasty treats. These particular vitolas are produced under the watchful eye of legendary cigar master, Don Juan Fox…the genius behind the ‘Carolina del Pantera’ line.

The Smoke

Both vitolas burst with flavor when I pre-moistened them prior to light up. With the Strawberry stick I noticed hints of alpinia galanga, berberis, Bolivian coriander, and figwort. Consequently, with the Peach version I noted distinct flavors of ginseng, horehound, Hogwart mandrake, and orris root...now who would have thought that? Absolutely amazing! Further proof that the White Owl blenders spare no expense in crafting their cigars. This just contributes to the mystery of these alluring treats.

Strawberry

As I charred the barrel of the cigar and took the first puff, I was greeted with volumes of sparse, gray, thinly veiled smoke...what a treat I tell you. The first inch or so rewarded me with flavors of pancreas, Siberian chaga, wild ginger, wormwood, and regurgitated wasabi. WOW!



As I worked my way through to the half way point, the cigar really opened up to me with a myriad of emetic flavors that had me on my knees on my backyard deck. The short filler ash would hold rock solid for a half an inch or more and was a beautiful shade of notebook paper gray, separating like an onion in layers. That HTL really performed as intended! The aroma was light and powerfully offensive with notes of shopping bag and fennel.



At this point I will defer to the other vitola as I smoked them simultaneously.

Peach

The lighting of this cigar was a sight to behold. As I touched the flame of my Colibri jet to the barrel, it came to life like a swamp punk. As I took a deep pull, flavors of Thai basil, St John's Wort, and couchgrass cannabis tickled my nose. After I experienced the initial foretaste, this vitola really kicked in at the 1 inch point. I was now enjoying a deeper pure homogenized tobacco flavor along with even more complex balsa wood notes. The lingering aroma was pleasant as I noticed a light brown residue on my surgical gloves...must be HTL plume.



As I continued through to the mid point, it hit me, WOW! Nicotine buzz! My vision got blurry, my legs got wobbly and I had a funny feeling in my stomach....I like it. Very similar to an Opus experience. This baby hit like a Billy Barber hip check! The sensation was very titillating and engrossing to say the least. Ash stayed strong and the burn was even for a 1/4 inch at a time. Black currant was prevalent now.



I had two totally different experiences with these exotics so at this point I wanted to compare the two cigars to their organic counterparts in taste. I purchased some imported Panamanian Cling peaches and Costa Rican Damiana strawberries.



While I took a puff of each cigar followed by a nibble of fruit it became abundantly clear to me. Puff after puff, bite after bite, the lingering aftertaste of each was refreshingly loathsome and worthy of some lip licking. As this exercise continued and my stomach twitched and my mouth filled with volumes of saliva, again it was very apparent....these kinds of cigars are not for the faint of heart.



In conclusion, I did learn a lot while embarking on this odyssey on how to get in touch with my inner taste buds and control my gag reflex, which I am sure was Jonesy's intended goal. I would recommend everyone to try these or similar cigars if for no other reason than to.....to say you tried one. I am also convinced that any Habanophile would enjoy these cigars as well, especially if they were depressed and suicidal.

Enjoy :laugh:

It looks like we got a winner here. Hands down the best review! Nice job ironpeddler!

The latex gloves sealed the deal. I guess there is no point in doing a review. After that review, your best investment would be a $.99 tongue scrapper.