Oneoff

First off...before I say anything...the taste...it was wonderful. Very similar to that unique sweet-salt twang of a mid-aged medium-to heavy ISOM.

Next: NOTHING kills a cigar for me worse than a bad draw. Construction is annoying, but I can work with it, and touch it up, appearance...well, I'm not smoking to win any beauty contests...taste...sure it's really important, a (very) close second, I think, perhaps even tied for importance, but the draw, the draw is so integral to the act of smoking...it IS the first step after the preliminary cut and light, it is the act of pulling the air through the ember, onto the leaves, into your mouth, the action by which the cigar ceases to be tobacco and becomes smoke, becomes the nectar we are coaxing out of the plant to enjoy...the draw, is, distilled, the primary and neccesary condition to enjoy the smoking of a cigar, IMHO.

I cut this cigar, took a pre-lihgt draw, and knew immediately that we were going to have problems. I took a little more off, I used what few tricks short of a poker I was willng to try (it wasn't plugged, just REALLY tight).
I lit her up, and got thin whisps of smoke. the flavor was there immediately. Delicious. Leather, coffee, and that chocolate covered potato-chip sweet-salt yumminess I love so much. BUT, it was there thinly, a ghost of what I KNOW this cigar has to offer. I sat for a little over an hour, coaxing thin amounts of this wonderful flavor out of the cigar. I hated fighting with it, as all I wanted was a relaxing smoke. I ALMOST chucked it and started over...but couldn't bring myself to.
Perhaps it was a little moist. I bought 2 of them, and the second is sitting in my ISOM humi right now at about 61%, and perhaps I will smoke it early next week.

If this cigar has the same flavor, with a better draw, I will write again telling you all so. I hope I can.

I don't think I rememebr hearing such nice things about the flavor of these cigars. Maybe I got really lucky with the taste, while getting a tight draw. Perhaps the next one will give me huge thick clouds of mediocre flavors...I hope not, but there is only one way to find out....

Smoke,

Great review and a fantastic rumination on the aspect of draw. I am with you 100% on this issue. Like you, I found the flavors extremely compelling but the draw a bit tight. If the remaining sample I have opens up, I would definitely consider splitting a box.

Wilkey

Agreed, adn thanks for the kind words. If the draw opens, and the taste stays as good, I'd be down for a split.
When are you sampling yours? I figure a few days at 60-61% (probably until monday or tuesday night) should do it.

smokelaw1 said:

Agreed, adn thanks for the kind words. If the draw opens, and the taste stays as good, I'd be down for a split.
When are you sampling yours? I figure a few days at 60-61% (probably until monday or tuesday night) should do it.

Click to expand...

Oh gosh, no. I'd give it at least two weeks. The next warm day I'll spark up.

BTW, what sizes did you pick up?

Wilkey

Huh. Didn't think it would take that long. That is, if it was even the moistness that did it. OK, easy enough, I will follow the advice and give it two weeks. (But in two weeks, I mihgt have forgotten completely about it! You'll ahve to remind me!)
I got the Corona Gorda.

I have had a couple of the OneOff PC's and found them to be wonderful cigars, great flavor and a good draw.
I agree with Ginseng 100%, let those bad boys sit for at least 2 weeks in your humidor before smoking them.
Due to past issues with cigars bought from my local B&Ms (too wet and tight draw), I always let them rest in my humidor before smoking them.

Funny that you guys always rest 'em for two weeks. I tend to put NC's in the ISOM humi for a few days end find that they are good to go. then again, if I already think there might be an excess moisture draw problem, two wweeeks is nice and conservative.

Two weeks would be the bare minimum. I've had tight drawing cigars that took months to loosen up. Next time if the pre-light draw is tight just pop it back in your dryest humi and check the draw from time to time until it's ready to smoke.

I would have laid this cigar back down, had I not been at the store, wanting to smoke then and there. I didn't want to risk cutting any of the other sticks i had purchased in case of the same problem, and none of the two I brought was exactly what I was in the mood for at the time.
Two weeks (minimum) it is, then.
I love that I keep learning stuff here.
I feel liek I am gaining a decent knowledge of most cigars, and compared to the average person, I have a wealth of knowledge now. But in here, I am constantly humbled by the amount of experience I find, and the fact that the advice here proves right such a large percentage of the time just continues to amaze me.

Thanks all.

Very nice review law. These do sound like tempting sticks. Never herd of them until now..

Very nice review. You obviously paid attention in Eng. Comp. I agree that draw is most important.

Doc.

I have a couple of the Oneoff Allegria...how different are the two cigars? If they are close...I will light one up tonight.

-Fetter

fetterjohn said:

I have a couple of the Oneoff Allegria...how different are the two cigars? If they are close...I will light one up tonight.

-Fetter

Click to expand...

Check this thread for a bit more info.

Wilkey

Thanks for the link, Ginseng.

-Fetter

Captain B gifted me one of these, a longsdale or panatela? It had a nice draw (65%) and lots of smoke. It was mild-medium with a great taste. Nice for the AM. Cool label too. :thumbs:

Well, last night, micro-herfing with CoventryCat and Rob300c, I lit up the second of these Oneoff Corona Gorda. I figured I had followed everyone's advice and kept it at 6% for two weeks, it would smoke great, and that flavor that I fell in love woithwould be there....
Well, total disapointment. Another bad draw.
It teased me with just enough smoke to think it might get better. At one point, it even opened up for three puffs or so, and I thought I had a cigar on my hands, not some anemic smoke-whisping stick of over-prived tobacco incense. But no, no love from the Oneoff.

Again, the bad draw f'd me up, and I put the cigar out after approximately an inch...maybe 1.5 (Rob, Bill, you remember?) Lit up a Mag 46 and enjoyed big mouthfulls of smoke. Then the SLR PC..thanks Bill...what a nice little stick that was...even made the detour around that nasty accident pleasant!

On top of the draw problems, the flavors, while still good, were not the sweet nectar of the Gods that I recall from the first one I smoked. WIll I try oneoff again? probably. Not this vitola, though, after going 2 for 2. I really had high hopes for these sticks, and am really disappointed.

I think you smoked it not quite half way. There's nothing worse than a plugged cigar. :angry: My guess is that it was rolled too tightly.

We had a great time at the casino even though the craps table wasn't too generous to us

Here's a link to an article about that accident that forced our detour.

Oh, I gave it more of a chance than I thought. Like I said in my initial review in this thread, a bad draw just kills the experience.
Man, that craps table sucked. Luckily the blackjack table (scowling dealer and all) almost made up for it.
That accident looks brutal. Hope everyone makes it.