moki
el Presidente
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2003
- Messages
- 9,418
The Evil Dr. Moki's Group Blind Taste Test #1
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside
There behind a glass stands a real blade of grass
Be careful as you pass, move along, move along
Come inside, the show's about to start
Guaranteed to blow your head apart
Rest assured you'll get your money's worth
The greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth
You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo
You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll, oh
Summary
Ten brave souls have been chosen to receive ten unbanded cigars of various origins, price points, and quality. The cigars will be naked, with their heads clipped, in individual, number plastic baggies. The participants have paid $100 each to join in the group blind taste test, which covers the cigars, and shipping... some cigars will be worth more than $10 each, some will be worth less.
They will then smoke these cigars in numerical order at the rate of 1 every 3 days (on average), and PM their blind review write-ups to me, adhering to the "Review Guidelines" (see below).
I will then format, collate, and tally the results, and post them to this thread once I have received all reviews for a particular cigar.
The Participants
The following brave and adventurous souls will be participating in this blind taste test:
√ bfreebern - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0215 - paid!
√ BlindedByScience - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0222 - paid!
√ Brickhouse - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0284 - paid!
√ enerjay - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0291 - paid!
√ insight - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0307 - paid!
√ grateful1 - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0314 - paid!
√ NorCalCigarLover - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0321 - paid!
√ sinnyc* - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0338 - paid!
√ Smokyballs - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0345 - paid!
√ tone-ny - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0352 - paid!
* sinnyc had to replace Pete... sadly, he's going to be traveling during our test.
√ = cigars have been received in good order.
The Goal
The journey is the reward! The goal here is to enjoy some fine cigars, and see what the blind reviewers think of said cigars when the are unencumbered by their preconceptions. I will also see if we can extrapolate any trends in terms of what cigars were the most liked, whether cost, origin, etc. has anything to do with enjoyment, etc.
The Reviews
Once you receive your cigars, start smoking! Some participants may only be able to smoke on weekends, so smoke 2 or 3 each weekend if that's the case.
Do not post your reviews in this thread! Instead, PM your blind tasting reviews to me, and ensure they adhere to the "Review Guidelines" (see below).
Since the reviews will be PM'd to me, you can smoke them as quickly as you like. If you know you will be away/busy at some point during the test, just smoke and review a few ahead of time, no worries.
Just please do not hold the test group up, because I will not post cigar reviews until all 10 have been received by me. I want to do it this way so that I can format the reviews to be consistent, as well as summarize the results in a meaningful way.
I would like to post a new cigar blind review at least every 3rd day from the start of the test.
Review Guidelines
What you're reviewing is the taste of the cigar. I have clipped the caps off of the cigars to mitigate the empirical data that can be gleaned from the cigar, but please do not examine the wrapper, vitola, etc. I realize the temptation is great, but just light the cigar up and smoke it.
To make the reviews interesting, I have some mandatory information I'd like each reviewer to submit. The goal isn't to embarrass anyone, but rather to see if we can establish any trends in the cigars that are reviewed. We can't do that without meaningfully standardized data.
To that end, each review that is submitted to me via PM must contain the following:
Cigar #: the number of the cigar you smoked
Tasting notes: be as long or as short as you like, describing what you tasted when you smoked the cigar
Origin: what country you think the tobacco in the cigar is principally from
Age: how old (in years) you think the cigar is
Price: pick one of the following price-points: budget, everyday, premium, super-premium
Rating: 1-10, 10 being the best... how good was this cigar overall?
Marca: a guess at exactly what cigar line (eg: Cohiba, Flor Fina, etc.) you think you smoked
...that's it. While I realize that some of these categories may be complete shots in the dark, at least please take a stab at them.
Review Schedule
To keep this blind taste test moving along, here are the target dates for having each cigar smoked and a review that adheres to the "Review Guidlines" sent to me via PM by. Remember that you can "smoke ahead" and submit reviews to me via PM prior to these dates if you want or need to, so ensure that you're not lagging behind.
The cigars were well packed, you don't need to let them "rest" in your humidor before starting to smoke 'em!
Cigar #1, Cuban H.Upmann Naturales tubos, early 1980s (6.1" x 37) - premium/rare -- 6.25/10, reviewed on Thursday, March 6th - (√ 9/10:bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)
Cigar #2, non-Cuban Ashton VSG "Round" Robusto, 1997 (5 ½" x 50) - premium/rare -- 5.45/10, reviewed on Sunday, March 9th - (√ 10/10:bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)
Cigar #3, non-Cuban Cabaiguan WCD 120, 2007 (4 5/8" x 42) - everyday/rare -- 6.94/10, reviewed on Wednesday, March 12th - (√ 10/10:bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)
Cigar #4, Cuban Bolivar Gold Medal, 2007 (6.5" x 42) - premium -- 6.65/10, reviewed on Saturday, March 15th - (√ 10/10:bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)
Cigar #5, non-Cuban Ashton ESG Robusto, 2007 (5 1/4" x 52) - super-premium -- 6.45/10, reviewed on Tuesday, March 18th - (√ 10/10:bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)
Cigar #6, Cuban San Cristobal de la H. La Punta, 2001 (5.5" x 52) - everyday -- 5.75/10, reviewed on Friday, March 21st - (√ 9/10:bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)
Cigar #7, non-Cuban Davidoff Millennium Blend Lonsdale, 2006 (6" x 43) - premium -- 6.6/10, reviewed on Monday, March 24th - (√ 10/10:bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)
Cigar #8, non-Cuban Tatuaje Cojonu 2003, 2005 (6 ½" x 52) - premium -- 6.28/10, reviewed on Thursday, March 27th - (√ 10/10:bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)
Cigar #9, non-Cuban Avo LE05, 2005 (5 3/8" x 52) - premium -- 6.45/10, reviewed on Sunday, March 30th - (√ 10/10:bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)
Cigar #10, Cuban Cohiba Panatelas, 2003 (4.5" x 26) - everyday -- 6.19/10, reviewed on Wednesday, April 2nd - (√ 10/10:bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)
Read the Final Results Summary
Enjoy!
This blind taste test is meant to be fun and educational, both for participants, and for onlookers. I leave you with the following links, which are chock-full of advice that you may choose to take to heart or ignore at your leisure:
Cigar Tasting 101 -- some notes on how to taste cigars, as well as a "tasting wheel" that may assist you in verbalizing taste profiles
What affects the taste of a cigar? -- my unabashedly biased opinions on what can affect the taste of a cigar... with copious links to external information sources
That's it... let's get it on!
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside
There behind a glass stands a real blade of grass
Be careful as you pass, move along, move along
Come inside, the show's about to start
Guaranteed to blow your head apart
Rest assured you'll get your money's worth
The greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth
You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo
You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll, oh
Summary
Ten brave souls have been chosen to receive ten unbanded cigars of various origins, price points, and quality. The cigars will be naked, with their heads clipped, in individual, number plastic baggies. The participants have paid $100 each to join in the group blind taste test, which covers the cigars, and shipping... some cigars will be worth more than $10 each, some will be worth less.
They will then smoke these cigars in numerical order at the rate of 1 every 3 days (on average), and PM their blind review write-ups to me, adhering to the "Review Guidelines" (see below).
I will then format, collate, and tally the results, and post them to this thread once I have received all reviews for a particular cigar.
The Participants
The following brave and adventurous souls will be participating in this blind taste test:
√ bfreebern - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0215 - paid!
√ BlindedByScience - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0222 - paid!
√ Brickhouse - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0284 - paid!
√ enerjay - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0291 - paid!
√ insight - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0307 - paid!
√ grateful1 - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0314 - paid!
√ NorCalCigarLover - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0321 - paid!
√ sinnyc* - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0338 - paid!
√ Smokyballs - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0345 - paid!
√ tone-ny - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0352 - paid!
* sinnyc had to replace Pete... sadly, he's going to be traveling during our test.
√ = cigars have been received in good order.
The Goal
The journey is the reward! The goal here is to enjoy some fine cigars, and see what the blind reviewers think of said cigars when the are unencumbered by their preconceptions. I will also see if we can extrapolate any trends in terms of what cigars were the most liked, whether cost, origin, etc. has anything to do with enjoyment, etc.
The Reviews
Once you receive your cigars, start smoking! Some participants may only be able to smoke on weekends, so smoke 2 or 3 each weekend if that's the case.
Do not post your reviews in this thread! Instead, PM your blind tasting reviews to me, and ensure they adhere to the "Review Guidelines" (see below).
Since the reviews will be PM'd to me, you can smoke them as quickly as you like. If you know you will be away/busy at some point during the test, just smoke and review a few ahead of time, no worries.
Just please do not hold the test group up, because I will not post cigar reviews until all 10 have been received by me. I want to do it this way so that I can format the reviews to be consistent, as well as summarize the results in a meaningful way.
I would like to post a new cigar blind review at least every 3rd day from the start of the test.
Review Guidelines
What you're reviewing is the taste of the cigar. I have clipped the caps off of the cigars to mitigate the empirical data that can be gleaned from the cigar, but please do not examine the wrapper, vitola, etc. I realize the temptation is great, but just light the cigar up and smoke it.
To make the reviews interesting, I have some mandatory information I'd like each reviewer to submit. The goal isn't to embarrass anyone, but rather to see if we can establish any trends in the cigars that are reviewed. We can't do that without meaningfully standardized data.
To that end, each review that is submitted to me via PM must contain the following:
Cigar #: the number of the cigar you smoked
Tasting notes: be as long or as short as you like, describing what you tasted when you smoked the cigar
Origin: what country you think the tobacco in the cigar is principally from
Age: how old (in years) you think the cigar is
Price: pick one of the following price-points: budget, everyday, premium, super-premium
Rating: 1-10, 10 being the best... how good was this cigar overall?
Marca: a guess at exactly what cigar line (eg: Cohiba, Flor Fina, etc.) you think you smoked
...that's it. While I realize that some of these categories may be complete shots in the dark, at least please take a stab at them.
Review Schedule
To keep this blind taste test moving along, here are the target dates for having each cigar smoked and a review that adheres to the "Review Guidlines" sent to me via PM by. Remember that you can "smoke ahead" and submit reviews to me via PM prior to these dates if you want or need to, so ensure that you're not lagging behind.
The cigars were well packed, you don't need to let them "rest" in your humidor before starting to smoke 'em!
Cigar #1, Cuban H.Upmann Naturales tubos, early 1980s (6.1" x 37) - premium/rare -- 6.25/10, reviewed on Thursday, March 6th - (√ 9/10:
Cigar #2, non-Cuban Ashton VSG "Round" Robusto, 1997 (5 ½" x 50) - premium/rare -- 5.45/10, reviewed on Sunday, March 9th - (√ 10/10:
Cigar #3, non-Cuban Cabaiguan WCD 120, 2007 (4 5/8" x 42) - everyday/rare -- 6.94/10, reviewed on Wednesday, March 12th - (√ 10/10:
Cigar #4, Cuban Bolivar Gold Medal, 2007 (6.5" x 42) - premium -- 6.65/10, reviewed on Saturday, March 15th - (√ 10/10:
Cigar #5, non-Cuban Ashton ESG Robusto, 2007 (5 1/4" x 52) - super-premium -- 6.45/10, reviewed on Tuesday, March 18th - (√ 10/10:
Cigar #6, Cuban San Cristobal de la H. La Punta, 2001 (5.5" x 52) - everyday -- 5.75/10, reviewed on Friday, March 21st - (√ 9/10:
Cigar #7, non-Cuban Davidoff Millennium Blend Lonsdale, 2006 (6" x 43) - premium -- 6.6/10, reviewed on Monday, March 24th - (√ 10/10:
Cigar #8, non-Cuban Tatuaje Cojonu 2003, 2005 (6 ½" x 52) - premium -- 6.28/10, reviewed on Thursday, March 27th - (√ 10/10:
Cigar #9, non-Cuban Avo LE05, 2005 (5 3/8" x 52) - premium -- 6.45/10, reviewed on Sunday, March 30th - (√ 10/10:
Cigar #10, Cuban Cohiba Panatelas, 2003 (4.5" x 26) - everyday -- 6.19/10, reviewed on Wednesday, April 2nd - (√ 10/10:
Read the Final Results Summary
Enjoy!
This blind taste test is meant to be fun and educational, both for participants, and for onlookers. I leave you with the following links, which are chock-full of advice that you may choose to take to heart or ignore at your leisure:
Cigar Tasting 101 -- some notes on how to taste cigars, as well as a "tasting wheel" that may assist you in verbalizing taste profiles
What affects the taste of a cigar? -- my unabashedly biased opinions on what can affect the taste of a cigar... with copious links to external information sources
That's it... let's get it on!
