Blind Cigar Review Thread #2

[g-smoke]

Have to apologize for my delay in getting this review done, but I also have to say I'm glad I waited because it was a perfect day for sitting down in the back yard to do a blind review.

Early in the afternoon, my family and I took a nice walk through the neighborhood. We heard that the city of New York was giving away trees for families to plant in their yards so we wen to check out the event. Unfortunately, the trees must have all been given away on Saturday because we couldn't find anything at all once we got there. All was not lost, however, as we stopped at the store and I stocked up on charcoal for the grill and a few craft beers to sample.

Once we got home, I figured it was due time to sit down in the back yard with the blind smoke Greg sent me and I took a quick look at my notes I wrote down when I initially looked at the cigar:

2010-04-08: Haven't smoked it yet but the appearance of the mystery stick -- claro wrapper makes me think it looks a bit like a Cohiba Siglo VI or a Juan Lopez Selection No. 2... Possibly something in the Hoyo de Monterrey line.
Smoke it this weekend.

Well, I didn't smoke it that weekend, but no big deal as all good things come to those who wait... Now on to my smoking experience:

• Looks to be around 48 RG five inch long. Feels light in the hand but it's a firmly packed smoke, not under filled at all. About 2 or 3 veins along the wrapper, its a rustic looking stick but the light claro (I think) wrapper gives a litte refined class.
• Once clipped, I taste grass and hay in the cold draw. After lighting, I taste a little salt and nutty tones in the first few puffs. Subsequent puffs bring a little tingle to my lips. A little white pepper?
• I feel like I've tasted this before. Now starting to feel like it's a Hoyo. Reminiscent of the HDM Churchills I've smoked in the past. Not a strong smoke so far, plenty of flavors going on, but in the mild-medium spectrum. The draw is tight but not plugge and offers an interesting amount of resistance, seems to enhance the flavor by making pull pretty hard, but not impossibly so, which results in lots of nice smoke.
• Speaking of the smoke, I notice that it's very aromatic almost reminding me of baking bread. On a relatively empty stomach I can feel the smoke in my gut but it's not overpowering at all.
• Forthcoming flavors include cinnamon and more salt spice.
• Nice light gray ash in the first inch and the burn is straightening out.
• Ash fell off after first inch. Am now getting pretty consistent cinnamon in the puffs. Still on the mild side. Seems to be going well with the Dale's Pale Ale i'm drinking with it. The hoppy tang of the beer is blending well with the baking bread flavors.
• Almost halfway in the smoke flavors remain fairly consistent but a bit more body and lingering creamy aftertaste. Some more sweetness is coming through as well. No more spice to be found
• Into the last half the wrapper starting to split. Which I've had happen on other HDMs before as well.
• Final inch or so flavors are still very nice. Getting roasted nuts on the front end with a little bit of bitter cocoa or coffee flavors on the finish.

And for the pictures and final unveiling...

Enough second guessing. I'm sticking with my initial prediction that it's a HDM. It's not a size I've smoked before... If I had to guess, which I do, I'd say it is an HDM Epicure #2.

And now the great unveiling... It's an HDM EPICURE NO. 2! Huzzah!

What an awesome experience. My newb palate validated... For now, anyway. Thanks Greg for the chance to taste one of these, in what turned out to be the perfect Sunday afternoon smoke.

 

[thinde]

This cigar looks to be a robust (5"x50) and is box pressed with a triple cap. The construction is a little rough, with vanes apparent in the wrapper and the edges of the wrapper not smooth.

Pre light draw is easy but not loose.

The first third is full of smoke, with an easy draw. Nothing distinct about the flavor but the smoke is medium bodied and very smooth. The burn is somewhat uneven but not in need of a touch up at this point.

A third of the way through and all I can say is it is still a very smooth medium bodied smoke, but still has no distinctive flavor. No pepper, no earthy flavors, no cinnamon or other spices. Burn is somewhat uneven but still not in need of a touch up.

Middle way through and it is still a good smooth smoke with a great draw but also still has no other flavors. The burn is not improving but still not in great need of a touch up. Also,as I smoke this cigar I get the feeling with each draw that if I set it down for more than a moment, it is going to go out.

Last third of the stick is a little stronger but it is also getting a little spongy and the smoke getting hot. Maybe this is because I'm trying to get more out of this than its got. The burn is also not improving and needs to touched up a couple of times.



My guess? Cuban Robusto with some age on it. Other than that, I have no ideas other than what I think it is not; Cohiba, Partagas or Monte.



Surprise, surprise….it is a Saint Luis Rey Regios….I've had a few of the Series A, 08, and they were nothing like this. I'll have to try a few other SLR's before I pass judgment.



Sorry about the quality of the photo and thanks for letting me play Gordon.

Tom


Edit to remove link. Heck with the quality of photos, now I have no photos...Sorry folks.

 

[g-smoke]

Sorry to see this didn't give you much flavor, Tom. Luck of the draw I think. I had quite a few from this box of SLR regios that tasted great -- earthy and chewy with some of that stewed fruit folks talk about. But like you I've had a couple that just didn't taste like anything. Sorry that you got one of those. Hopefully the others I sent you can make up for that.

 

[thinde]

Sorry to see this didn't give you much flavor, Tom. Luck of the draw I think. I had quite a few from this box of SLR regios that tasted great -- earthy and chewy with some of that stewed fruit folks talk about. But like you I've had a couple that just didn't taste like anything. Sorry that you got one of those. Hopefully the others I sent you can make up for that.

Gordon,

I realize my review was not flattering. I’ve thought about it daily since I wrote it and need to apologize to you and the board for not giving it the thought or time it deserved. Although I have never been able to acutely describe what I am tasting and I am in a pretty shitting mind set right now, I should not have taken it out on your stick.

My sincere apology,
Tom

 

[g-smoke]

Gordon,

I realize my review was not flattering. I’ve thought about it daily since I wrote it and need to apologize to you and the board for not giving it the thought or time it deserved. Although I have never been able to acutely describe what I am tasting and I am in a pretty shitting mind set right now, I should not have taken it out on your stick.

My sincere apology,
Tom

No need to apologize, my friend. Sometimes cigars just suck. Me -- I'm the type of guy who throws a stick away if I don't like it. Life's too damn short. I took no offense, and don't believe any was made.

 

[thechenman]

Sorry about the wait all. No excuses. Smoked this about 4 days ago, and have been bad about posting this. Anyway, here it goes...I received this cigar from thinde for the Blind Review PIF II. Did I guess right? Read on and find out...

Format: Robusto (a fat one at that)
Ring Gauge: 50 or 52
Length: 5 inches (give or take a bit)
Paired With: Coca-Cola Zero
Lighter: ST Dupont Maxijet (Matte Black)
Cutter: Palio (Burlwood)

Smoking Conditions: I smoked this cigar on Monday night sitting on a bench on my front porch at about 10:30pm EDT. It had been a long day following a long weekend (and I don't mean I had an extra day off). I had put the kids to bed, walked the dogs, and picked up the house a bit. Before I started to do some work in preparation for tomorrow's daily grind, I decided I would treat myself to a cigar (provided by thinde), and follow through on my commitment to do a blind review. The weather was probably in the low 60s, humidity was relatively low. The cigar being reviewed had been sitting in my humdidor for a little over a week @ a 63% rH.

Appearance: The cigar was very light in color, almost like a very light latte. There is one greenish splotch in the middle of the cigar adn several "Angel's Kisses" on the wrapper. It looks like a very fat robusto. Slight veins visible, but nothing negative about them. The aroma of the cigar is that of sweet tobacco. A whiff of the foot reveals a slight hint of black pepper. The head is topped with a triple cap. All of this does not tell me much, but the triple caps opens the realm of possiblity that this could be a Cuban cigar...maybe..

Construction: The cigar is well rolled. It feels firm with very little give. No soft spots that I could detect. The foot was slightly underfilled. The triple cap was well applied. I cut the triple cap cleanly, and take a draw. The draw is just slightly tighter than I normally like, but overall I would have to say it is good. Promises to be a good smoking experience thus far, but I still have no real indication of waht cigar this is.

First-Third: I ignite my torch lighter and methodically torch the foot of this cigar. It actually takes a little while to get going. I blow on the foot to get a nice even orange glow. A good amount of smoke was coming off the cigar at this point and I took my first puffs. Initial taste was that of grass (not a Cohiba or Trinidad type of grassiness) with an herbal scent through the nose. I could taste a bit of saltiness on my lips. Lots of blue and white smoke drifing around my head. The cigar starts out quite mild, but I can tell it is slowly building up towards medium.

The burn is slightly wavy while the ash is gray and white. Not completely solid as there is some slight flaking, but very slight. As the cigar develops I am beginning to taste some nuttiness. The smoke tastes fairly light. I'm disappointed that the cigar is suddenly not putting off much smoke except when I'm puffing. I like lots of smoke coming off my cigar. As the cigar builds to a medium body, I am detecting a sweetness in the back of my tongue and am getting what I describe as a Cuban "twang" which I can definitely detect now. My guess is a Cuban cigar at this point, but which one? The grassy taste and herbal scents are gone. The cigar is completely nuts and coffee now. Nutty flavor dominates. Definitely medium bodied as I near the end of the first-third.

Second-Third: The burn is still slightly wavy and the ash is holding solid at well over an inch. Given the factors I've observed right not, I'm thinking it is either an Hoyo de Monterrey (Epicure No.2) or a Montecristo (Open or Edmundo). There aren't too many Cuban cigars that are this size and shape, at least not that I know of; and at this point that "twang" is telling my tastebuds that this cigar is definitely Cuban. At this point the coffee is beginning to fade a bit and the cigar is getting sweeter and sweeter. Nuts still dominate the flavor profile. I'm also tasting tobacco. The strength seems to be picking up a bit and some of that earlier grassiness is coming back. The ash fell of its own volition at about 2 inches. Bye bye...as it landed on my foot.

At this time the shade of the wrapper leads me to think this cigar is and Hoyo de Monterrey, but the flavors are telling me Montecristo. With Hoyo de Monterrey, I usually get a woodiness in the cigars profile and I have not tasted any of that in this cigar. Not yet anyway. But I don't recall seeing a wrapper this light on a Montecristo Edmundo before, or any Montecristo for that matter. Then again, I'm not familiar with the Open line. Maybe it is one of the Montecristo Opens? I recall those have pretty big ring gauges. As I'm contemplating this, the coffee comes back to dominate the cigar. No nuts, no grass, slight sweetness remains.

Final-Third: As I continue to smoke, I begin to get hints of nuttiness again, the coffee is not as dominant, and I am tasting a bit of black pepper along with toasted tobacco. Now I tend to be a fast smoker, so the final-third of some cigar occasionally will get a bit harsh on me, but this cigar has not gotten hot at all. The cigar has been solidly medium bodied since late in the first-third, but I am surprised to be feeling a bit of a nicotine kick at this point. I rarely get this feeling with Cuban cigars. Hmmm. Despite the pepperiness coming through the cigar is still quite smooth. I'm impressed that it has not needed any relights or touch ups. I hate having to do that when I'm trying to enjoy a cigar. I smoked it down to just a little over an inch.

Blind Rating: I really enjoyed this cigar. While I would not rate it a great cigar, it was an very good cigar. My blind rating would be an 89.

Best Guess: Still all this comes down to the final guess. What cigar is this. I'm positive it is a Cuban cigar. Given the size and shape, there are very few options in terms of possible Cuban cigar matches. I originally was thinking Hoyo de Monterrey, but the flavor profile did not match up at all. No woodiness whatsoever. That leaves me with Montecristo in terms of marcas with a regular production cigar of this shape and size (to be the best of my knowledge anyway). I've narrowed it down to two choices. It is either an Edmundo or the Open (don't know the name of the vitola in the Open line). However, I am going to go with the Edmundo as I've never smoked an Open, and the flavor profile of this cigar IMHO is somewhat similar to what I remember Edmundos to taste like. So...best guess..Montecristo Edmundo. May I have the envelope please (drumroll in the background)?

Yes! Yes! Yes! it is the Montecristo Edmundo (07). Thanks thinde for a fantastic smoke and a great experience. I hope you all enjoyed reading my Blind Review.

 

[thinde]

Nice job Dave. You have a much better handle on what you are tasting than I have.
Good luck.
Tom

 

[thechenman]

Thanks Tom. I really enjoyed the cigar. I was guessing 08, so I did get the year wrong. I suspect these will also be even better with a few more years of age...if they last that long. Appreciate you giving me the opportunity to review it.

 

[jayro75]

After a completely crap week I decided I needed to sit back with a nice long smoke. I grabbed the stick sent to me by Dave (Chenman) and figured I'd do my review. The stick is a Double Corona size with a Triple Cap leading me to think it may be a CC. I definitely have some smoking time in front of me. I clip the cap and get a good draw, maybe a little firmer than i like but no plugs in the stick.

Putting flame to foot it fires right up and I'm initially hit with a bit of spice which disappears almost as soon as it arrived. The draw is good and there's plenty of smoke coming through. I'd say the stick is more on the mild/ Medium body side with flavor of Tea leaves and maybe bits of honey sweetness. It's a very clean smoke which tastes familiar.

Jumping into the 2nd third the tea remains predominant but there's a more woodsy floral undertone to it. At certain points it powers up a bit only to settle right down. The flavors remind me of an aged Saint Luis Rey I smoked a while back but I can't be positive.

Into the last 3rd and the flavors remain consistent with a tad more cedar peeking through. As I get closer to the nub it starts becoming more peppery which isn't surprising since at this point there's almost no cigar left.

Total smoking time came in at just about 2 hours and 15 minutes. As I said i needed to sit back and unwind. I really enjoyed this smoke and want to thank David alot for it. This was exactly what i needed tonight after the shitty week I had.

Now to find out what it is .... It was a Saint Luis Rey Double Corona from '08. I knew the flavor profile but really thought it had some age because of the cleanness and smoothness of the smoke.

I'll try to get some pics up later. I took them with my phone so it's a bit of a pain to get them up.

Thanks again Dave.

 

[thechenman]

After a completely crap week I decided I needed to sit back with a nice long smoke. I grabbed the stick sent to me by Dave (Chenman) and figured I'd do my review. The stick is a Double Corona size with a Triple Cap leading me to think it may be a CC. I definitely have some smoking time in front of me. I clip the cap and get a good draw, maybe a little firmer than i like but no plugs in the stick.

Putting flame to foot it fires right up and I'm initially hit with a bit of spice which disappears almost as soon as it arrived. The draw is good and there's plenty of smoke coming through. I'd say the stick is more on the mild/ Medium body side with flavor of Tea leaves and maybe bits of honey sweetness. It's a very clean smoke which tastes familiar.

Jumping into the 2nd third the tea remains predominant but there's a more woodsy floral undertone to it. At certain points it powers up a bit only to settle right down. The flavors remind me of an aged Saint Luis Rey I smoked a while back but I can't be positive.

Into the last 3rd and the flavors remain consistent with a tad more cedar peeking through. As I get closer to the nub it starts becoming more peppery which isn't surprising since at this point there's almost no cigar left.

Total smoking time came in at just about 2 hours and 15 minutes. As I said i needed to sit back and unwind. I really enjoyed this smoke and want to thank David alot for it. This was exactly what i needed tonight after the shitty week I had.

Now to find out what it is .... It was a Saint Luis Rey Double Corona from '08. I knew the flavor profile but really thought it had some age because of the cleanness and smoothness of the smoke.

I'll try to get some pics up later. I took them with my phone so it's a bit of a pain to get them up.

Thanks again Dave.

Good call on the cigar Jay. Glad to see that you enjoyed the smoke.

 

[NASTY]

It's easy to type a guess once you have seen the band **cough cough** RIGHT JAY? *cough cough* :laugh:

 

[jayro75]

It's easy to type a guess once you have seen the band **cough cough** RIGHT JAY? *cough cough* :laugh:

Dick! :sign:

I guessed this one pretty quickly and was completely shocked when I did.

 

[Wisco]

My wife and I sat out on the back porch with our 4 month old son. It was a nice day with a little sun but the house shades the back porch in the evening.

I examined this cigar and new I hadn't tried this vitola before. 6 3/8 and 43 ring gauge. Definitely never enjoyed this one before. The wrapper was a milk chocolate brown. It had on prominent vein and the construction looked great. There wasn't much oiliness to it. I clipped the triple cap and gave it a quick draw. It was a little blocked. After inspecting it I noticed a bit more stems at the cap than any of the other cigars I have tried. I lit the cigar and we were off and rolling. It lit nicely and I was getting quite a bit of smoke. After the first couple draws the burn was way off and the draw was very tight. It took constant attention to keep the smoke coming.

The light sharply corrected to a perfectly straight line without any coaxing. The strong tobacco flavor dominated the beginning third. I started to think that the cigar was a bit familiar. The strong tobacco flavor led me to think it tasted a little like a cuban but quickly thought it just didn't have that familiar cuban taste. I didn't notice much pepper at all throughout the cigar. The draw continued to be distracting. The tobacco taste mellowed out a bit. I'd say the smoke was medium bodied. As I continued the flavor wasn't very complex and I didn't notice too many transitions but the flavor was solid and tasty throughout.

So it comes time for the guess. It was a bit familiar, strong tobacco flavor, I don't think it's a cuban. I have no frickin idea! (Newb inexperience bites me in the rear again)

Tat Havana Cazadores!

Thank you Jason. Loved getting the chance to review this.

 

[Nashkicker]

I thought I knew right away what this cigar was. I promtly went to me desktop grabbed out an Illusione epernay and realized they were not the same.

Undaunted I decided to fire this puppy up. Immediately I am hit with a creamy smoke that I have definately had before. In fact I think that the last cigar I smoked was also the same. Very smooth with a slight peppery finish on my tongue. About a third in the suspense was killing me so I decided to open the envelope and find out if my second guess was right. Arturo Fuente Anejo 50. Ding, ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. The last cigar I had was a 48. Thanks Wisco I am glad that you sent that one as the review smoke as I probably would have saved it otherwise!

 

[Wisco]

I thought I knew right away what this cigar was. I promtly went to me desktop grabbed out an Illusione epernay and realized they were not the same.

Undaunted I decided to fire this puppy up. Immediately I am hit with a creamy smoke that I have definately had before. In fact I think that the last cigar I smoked was also the same. Very smooth with a slight peppery finish on my tongue. About a third in the suspense was killing me so I decided to open the envelope and find out if my second guess was right. Arturo Fuente Anejo 50. Ding, ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. The last cigar I had was a 48. Thanks Wisco I am glad that you sent that one as the review smoke as I probably would have saved it otherwise!

Nice job. That was the idea, smoke em if you got em!

 

[tomthirtysix]

I thought I knew right away what this cigar was. I promtly went to me desktop grabbed out an Illusione epernay and realized they were not the same.

Undaunted I decided to fire this puppy up. Immediately I am hit with a creamy smoke that I have definately had before. In fact I think that the last cigar I smoked was also the same. Very smooth with a slight peppery finish on my tongue. About a third in the suspense was killing me so I decided to open the envelope and find out if my second guess was right. Arturo Fuente Anejo 50. Ding, ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. The last cigar I had was a 48. Thanks Wisco I am glad that you sent that one as the review smoke as I probably would have saved it otherwise!

About a third of the way in you gave up on reviewing it blindly?

 

[jayro75]

I thought I knew right away what this cigar was. I promtly went to me desktop grabbed out an Illusione epernay and realized they were not the same.

Undaunted I decided to fire this puppy up. Immediately I am hit with a creamy smoke that I have definately had before. In fact I think that the last cigar I smoked was also the same. Very smooth with a slight peppery finish on my tongue. About a third in the suspense was killing me so I decided to open the envelope and find out if my second guess was right. Arturo Fuente Anejo 50. Ding, ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. The last cigar I had was a 48. Thanks Wisco I am glad that you sent that one as the review smoke as I probably would have saved it otherwise!

About a third of the way in you gave up on reviewing it blindly?

Where's the review part? All I see is him guessing and giving up.

 

[Nashkicker]

I thought I knew right away what this cigar was. I promtly went to me desktop grabbed out an Illusione epernay and realized they were not the same.

Undaunted I decided to fire this puppy up. Immediately I am hit with a creamy smoke that I have definately had before. In fact I think that the last cigar I smoked was also the same. Very smooth with a slight peppery finish on my tongue. About a third in the suspense was killing me so I decided to open the envelope and find out if my second guess was right. Arturo Fuente Anejo 50. Ding, ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. The last cigar I had was a 48. Thanks Wisco I am glad that you sent that one as the review smoke as I probably would have saved it otherwise!

About a third of the way in you gave up on reviewing it blindly?

Where's the review part? All I see is him guessing and giving up.

I thought I knew right away what this cigar was. I promtly went to me desktop grabbed out an Illusione epernay and realized they were not the same.

Undaunted I decided to fire this puppy up. Immediately I am hit with a creamy smoke that I have definately had before. In fact I think that the last cigar I smoked was also the same. Very smooth with a slight peppery finish on my tongue. About a third in the suspense was killing me so I decided to open the envelope and find out if my second guess was right. Arturo Fuente Anejo 50. Ding, ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. The last cigar I had was a 48. Thanks Wisco I am glad that you sent that one as the review smoke as I probably would have saved it otherwise!

About a third of the way in you gave up on reviewing it blindly?

Where's the review part? All I see is him guessing and giving up.

Sorry won't let me edit. i am not much of a reviewer. When i thought I knew what the cigar was I opened the envelope and was right. Next time I will get into ita bit more. Writing reviews is definately not something I do everyday but I would like to give it a go more often.

 

[bluue13]

I figured that the end of the last full week of work before summer vacation would be a great time to try my hand at the blind review.

I had just finished up dinner and headed out to the back yard with my pup tagging along and my mystery stick and ginger ale in hand.

The construction of the stick was very nice with a few sun spots and a bit of a wrinkle near the foot, no big deal! I gave construction an 8.5/10
The aroma was fantastic. Sweet, grassy, reminded me of when you go to the farmers market in the fall and that sweet smell of hay bales and corn stalks is in the air.
The prelight draw was very tasty. Sweet, a bit of a light smokey-ness and once again the hay that I got from the initial smell.

Guesses yet? Not a one.

I put my torch to the foot and got a nice even burn going. The smoke coming off the foot was deliciously sweet and toasty.

1st third:
The first few deep draws I took were incredibly smooth. There was a nice toasty flavor that reminded me of almonds and vanilla. A nice flaky light gray/white ash was forming and held firm until tapped off. The burn was a bit uneven but that doesnt bother me too much. As I progressed through the first third of this stick the flavor remained consistently sweet and smooth. Very enjoyable thus far.

2nd third:
The burn was beginning to get a bit more jagged and uneven and I had to do a few touch ups but again I'm not one to complain too much. The sweet/vanilla undertones remained with a bit of a more toasty caramel flavor developing. Toward the middle of this part of the cigar I had to pull a bit more heavily to get a decent amount of smoke and I think this was because it was quite humid outside. Still very tasty. Heading toward the final third, I started to get a nice mild spice almost like cloves but it wasnt heavy or overpowering in the least.

Final third:
The flavor really developed nicely in this part of the stick despite the burn issues I had been facing throughout. I had finished my ginger ale at this point and ran inside real quick to fix myself a wee dram of Talisker. As I continued to finish out the cigar I was getting really nice toffee flavors and a consistent undertone of vanilla and toasted almonds.

Overall this was a great stick. I gave it an 8.5-9/10, and I though I had it pegged as some type of Dominican because of the sweetness. Boy was I wrong:

Diplomaticos #2
Thanks, Nash for the opportunity to try this stick! I enjoyed it thoroughly!

-Greg

 

[MoeCizlak]

Very well done, sounds delicious.