Blind Cigar Reviews

This is the review for the mystery cigar gifted to me by stevehawk in the blind PIF. Now I had decided I was going to smoke this tonight because my wife and 7 month old son have both caught a cold in the last two days and I have a feeling I am not far behind. However, the cigar gods felt like toying with me tonight.

So I started by giving the cigar a closer look and preparing to take some pictures only to find the digital camera battery was dead. I threw it on the charger for a half hour or so and set the cigar on my desk. As I am reaching for the camera to put the battery back in I knock over a desktop picture frame which conveniently lands on the cigar !@$!%!@%# Oh no! The wrapper is torn near the cap, this might pose a problem!



The good side- A very nice maduro churchill. The cigar is veiny and oily, but not excessively so.



The bad side: The tear in the wrapper is big enough to have loosened a good portion of the wrapper. I decide to use my punch instead of the xikar in hopes of minimizing the damage but ~2 inches of wrapper near the cap flake off :angry:

Not to be deterred from my mission I head outside to torch this baby up, wrapper problems be damned! The prelight draw is very smooth and doesn't seem to be drastically affected by my idiocy at this point. I start to toast the foot and my colibri runs out of fluid. Lets try again! I get the cigar lit and ease into the first third.



The burn is remarkably even and consistent, with a thick white ash. The first third starts off fairly mild, with a slightly sweet nutty flavor. After a couple of inches I exhale a bit through the nose and detect some hints of coffee. The cigar tastes familiar at this point, and I am pretty sure it is Dominican. At about this point the ash falls off and the cigar switches gears a bit. The spicyness picks up but the smoke stays very smooth.



A bit into the second third, the wrapper tries to quit on me but I'm not having it. I tighten it up and hold it in place while I move along. The coffee flavor returns and is here to stay. Unfortunately as the cigar approaches the last third the remaining wrapper falls apart and I have to put it down (and it had already been going 1 1/2 hours!). The picture of the binder minus wrapper came out blurry but I am sure everyone can imagine what it looks like.

So I go back inside and open up the extremely well wrapped enevelope to find:



I have had toranos before but never this type or this vitola. Despite the unfortunate problem with the wrapper this was a really enjoyable cigar. I will definitely try another one and will do my best not to drop anything on it :blush: Thanks for the chance to try this out Steve

I'm sorry you had the wrapper issues! I enjoy these and always try to have some on hand. Good review. :thumbs:

Nicely done, Insight. I guess the cigar gods were in a mischievious mood that night.

Wilkey

I always have a few Torano Signatures around. Nice sticks.

Nice review! Your luck sounds like mine! :laugh:

Nice review, Phil. I've enjoyed a Signature recently also.

So here I am finally alone with my mystery cigar. The wife is in bed, the dogs are probably doing something they shouldn't and the office door is locked. Just had a nice dinner Bison Burgers with fresh tomato and sauteed onions. I serve 'em on soft potato rolls with some hard pretzles.

This is a monster of a cigar. Ring size has to be over 50 and the wrapper is dark, smooth and slightly oily. At this point I wonder if I should have left it in the humi for a day or two after it's long journey from California. But, it looks too good to pass up and I am smoking it now.

Accessories:

1 bottle of spring water
1 box Swan extra long matches
1 double edge cutter that fits 64 ring cigars (1 inch!)

Initial Impressions:

This is a nice-looking cigar. The first light is smooth. The large ring and long cigar combo creates a cool smoke. Much milder then I expected with such a dark natural wrapper. Nice bone white ash starting to develop.

The smoking of it:

The beginning
This cigar calls for a nice spirit to help accentuate the subtle flavors. Maybe something in the 10-15 year range. I'm off to the bar to find something worthy of the smoke.

I have returned and the cigar chose some 10 year old W.L. Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. I tried to steer it to some 25 year old rum or some Oban but the cigar was insistent.

A match made in heaven. When I find out what this cigar is, this combination is a keeper!

The middle

A nice consistent smoke throughout. No real overpowering flavors but the match against the Kentucky Bourbon is fantastic. I am about 30 minutes in now and wondering how long this cigar will last. I am guessing I will pass the 90 minute mark with no problem. This only issue is I am out of bourbon and need to make this glass last.

Got a tiny bit of canoing on the side but otherwise the taste has not changed. I can't quite explain the flavor but every inch seems a little different. It seems to be getting a bit more pronounced in taste now, and there is a pleasantly spicy back end.

Still going

I have smoked this monster down to a 2" nub and still going. The taste just keeps getting better and I have already got the page of my favorite cigar shop up to buy a box when I finally open the envelope. I have licked the bourbon glass clean BTW.

The Unveiling

I am burning my fingers now and still smoking. Thanks again to Insight for the wonderful smoke. I owe you one! After all that its a Cigar International Blue Label. I am pleasantly surprised! They will be getting an order from me soon.

This was a great smoke and I would rate it an 8 on a 1-10 scale. A must try if you like a large ring, complex smoke and have some W.L. Weller hanging around the liquor cabinet.


Fish



F

Great review! I chose a CI Legends Blue (Matasa) because I really wanted to see how it would stand up to a blind test. I picked up a box of these after trying one prompted by the series of reviews in this forum on the CI Legends line. I think this and the black (La Aurora) pack a pretty good bang for the buck.

Good review, Fish! :thumbs:

It's always nice to find a new stick that tastes great and is reasonably priced. I've been thinking about these since the CI Legends taste test as well, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Maybe now is the time to hunt down a couple.

Angryfish’s mystery cigar review.

Well after a long day building my new humidor I thought I’d sit down and smoke.

Cigar 5-1/2 x 44
Wrapper-dark in color, maduro or oscuro

Pre-Smoke
Cigar was boxed pressed and very dark in appearance. It had a rich tobacco smell right off the bat and the foot gave off some light leathery notes that were pleasant.

Cut
The cut was smooth, but the wrapper began to peel away almost immediately and I eventually had about two inches of wrapper flapping in the wind.

Light
No problems here. A very simple light due to the small ring gauge and the light only got off when the cigar finally reached the torn wrapper.

The Smoke
My first impression was that I had never smoked this particular cigar before. The taste was foreign to my smoking experience. The smoke was very thin at the beginning and it only revealed a light, but not unpleasant tobacco flavor. This remained solid throughout the cigar and it wasn’t until the halfway point that I started to notice a slight sense of hickory that rested on my palate for a short while before it vanished. The finish was light and short with a gentle tobacco flavoring along with a subtle sense of wood.

Well this is about as far as I got in the cigar before the torn wrapper really threw off the smoking experience. I had to put it out a little after the half waypoint.

The cigar was a Sancho Panza Double Maduro La Mancha, a value cigar that would probably go well with coffee, but its one dimensional flavor really leaves me under whelmed in the taste and complexity arena. In the vast and growing feild of value cigars, I would gravitate toward others.

Nice review Marc. I tend to think in similar terms when it comes to categorizing cigars (i.e., this would go well with xxxxxxx but is not really a cold afternoon smoke).

Blind cigar review- mystery stick from Mark Twain

Setting: in my herf mobile. Not too cold today, about 20 degrees outside, actually had to turn the heater down while enjoying this stick.

Beverage: Cool glass of water

Appearance- Nice dark brown wrapper, size is a 6.5x44ish, looks to be well constructed.

Smell- nice cigar aroma, this is gonna be a good smoke if the smell is any indication.

Burn- Lit up well, had to do a minor touch up in the beginning of the 2nd third, but that was it. No relights needed for this baby.

Prelight draw is excellent and held through the whole smoke.

The cops and fire dept came tearing through the neighborhood as I smoked this stick. The joys of living in a trailer court. Swissy, was that you in the fire truck?

On to the flavor….

1st third- Rich full flavor. What is that taste? It is good, but I cannot put my finger on what it is. Reminds me of the Rolando Reyes smokes I have tried, but better.
Spicy feel in my mouth after each puff. Strong, but not overpowering. After an inch into the cigar, the spice backs off just a bit to a more mellow, yet still rich flavor. Got some woody/nutty taste in there.



2nd third- What is that taste?!?! It is still there. Good (and I mean really good!) but what words are right to describe it? Hints of chocolate are making themselves known now. The ash is hanging on real well. It fell off three puffs after the photo below was taken and rolled into my lap. I was actually able to pick up the ash intact and toss it out the window. Pretty cool!



Final third- Mildest part of the cigar so far. Still rich flavor with that unknown tastes still hanging on. The chocolate undertones are more pronounced. More creamy than the first two thirds, very good cigar!

Here it comes! Nicotine buzz! Weeeeeeeeee!!! Oh yeah baby! I am loving it!

I nubbed this guy. Did not want to put it down. It was that good. :love:



Final thoughts-

This is one of the best smokes I have ever had if not the best. The mixture of flavors was fantastic. Spice, some sweet, creamy rich flavor and that unknown taste that will haunt me till I can find words to put to it.

I drove the herf wagon down to get the mail as I contemplated this smoke. I want another one of these. Just hope it is within my price range.

I came inside and am still trying to put words to the taste. Got cleaned up for the wife, sat down and opened the envelope after writing the above comments….

Oh my god!!!!!



I just smoked my first ever ISOM!!!!! A Romeo y Julieta Cazadore!

I had been waiting for a special time to try my first ISOM. Well this blind review could not have been a better occasion. I am not sure if I should cry or become aroused right now.

Thank you Marc! You just made my year!

I am at a loss for words right now..... think I will just leave this review as is while I bask in the afterglow of my first Cuban.

Gonna go do a happy dance!!

bilder said:

I am not sure if I should cry or become aroused right now.

Click to expand...

Um.... Cry please, I couldn't handle thinking about the other thing. :0

Nice review, welcome to the dark side. I basically felt the same about the Sig VI I was gifted three years ago. Tough to put into words but very frigging tasty. :thumbs:

Very nicely done!

Faaaaaantastic review. Very well done. This is one of my favorites from the vintage.

Wilkey

Very happy to hear that you enjoyed it. The cazadore is a hell of a cigar indeed.

That right there is a wonderful review!!! :thumbs:
Thanks!!!

Great review, very well done! Sometimes reading a really good review and hearing the joy of someone elses experiance is just as good as the real thing. Two thumbs up! :thumbs:

Great review Bilder! Glad to hear your first dark side experience was a good one

Great review!

I love pictures and not to much text in a review, and your one was perfect :thumbs: