Blind Cigar Review Thread #2

[MichaelD]

That makes perfect sense, and especially since there's a picture of it all around somewhere lol

Absolutely. That very cigar is likely visible in that photo.

 

[Corneighdo]

Yeah, this was a lay up for ya C!

Just wanted to get a "blind" perspective on the taste.

 

[CMontoya79]

Yeah, this was a lay up for ya C!

Just wanted to get a "blind" perspective on the taste.

I like the flavored present now. There are certain cigars that perform best young. Others need age because young they aren't very enjoyable. If you like em young/fresh, smoke now. I think this one has potential to explode with flavor come 6-12 months downtime.

 

[vortex]

That one would have stumped me. Great review AND guess.

 

[golfgar]

Mystery Cigar





Pre-light aroma is light but leathery.

Used a “V” cut on this pyramid.

Toasted the foot using a Rocky Patel 5 burner lighter. First draws give a light character to the cigar with plenty of smoke and a perfect draw.

The stick has a very firm feel and seems perfectly rolled. Smooth wrapper with the slightest of toothiness. The ash is a bit flaky at first and the wrapper has developed a couple of small cracks but no big deal.

The leather notes are becoming more prominent and distinct but still a bit one dimensional and a slight bitter note on the back of the mouth, not ugly, just a different flavor.

A bit longer more prominent bitter notes as the cigar approaches the ½ way mark. The burn also turns a bit funky with the ash still flaky. Some nice tobacco notes are starting to appear on the draw.

At a bit past ½ way it’s now starting to get a runner and it’s hard to keep lit. Have to keep drawing hard to keep it going but it comes back and I just hope I’m not getting it too hot. All the bitter taste is gone and little tobacco tang is starting to mix with some pepper taste.

Finally went out and had to relight. Flavors are ok after relight, a little peppery but much like the beginning of the cigar. The runner is mostly gone with just a bit of the stem or whatever it was left. Actually a bit more mild and smoother than in the middle of the smoke. Bitter taste is gone, very astonishing.


The roll A (firm but draws great)

The ash C (flaky)

Wrapper B+ (just a couple of little nicks but beautiful looking)

The burn C (have had worse but it got squirrely in the middle)

Unlit aroma B (not intense but very good)

Flavor B (overall decent flavor but not complex rather one-dimensional leather with some tobacco)


All in all a pleasant experience and a very decent cigar. Thank you mjolir01 for the opportunity to smoke it!

My guess is something Dominican as that was the prevalent profile. Not mild like I would expect from a Montecristo but more like an Upmann. Doesn’t seem like it would be a LaFlor as the ones I’m used to are normally stronger in flavor.

 

[golfgar]

This is the last couple of pics. What a crappy job I did posting. No order to the pics and the verbiage doesn't coordinate with the pics. I posted the pics from the phone and wrote on Word then copied to the post.

 

[golfgar]

Ok so I was way off.

 

[vortex]

Hey, even LFD makes a boner once in a while. The lancero was the best of that line.
Still, a valiant effort and you did mention LFD, even if only to dismiss it.

 

[mjolnir01]

Larry, I'm glad it kept you guessing and was pleasant enough, although I was hoping it'd take you on more of a journey.

 

[mjolnir01]

AF PT test done for another six months! Only 0.6 points away from validating it for a whole year... oh, well maybe next time.

After probably a bit too much ado (is it really late October already?), Caesar's mystery torpedo's time has come. Upon inspection a few things stick out. The wrapper is really light and the foot is closed. This narrows it down considerably and I’m thinking initially it could be something from Warped. A cursory glance at their website reveals that their belis are 5” and this guy is right on at 6”, so I rule that out. It appears to have pressed veins, so I try to remember, “Has C dabbled in custom rolls?”

My pairing is a nice neutral beer, Sam Adams Octoberfest. I really enjoy the Marzen/Vienna Lager style, and while some craft beer snobs might scoff, I think Sam Adams does this one really well… I look forward to it every year.

I clip the head with a slight bias and sample the cold draw. Damp wood, but mostly just a solid tobacco flavor. Never lighting a closed-foot cigar with the torch, I instead set the stick aflame with just good-old matches.

The first third of the mystery stick opens up with a typical blast of white pepper, which soon yields to a core flavor of cereal. It’s nutty, sweet, and buttery—making me instantly think of Cheerios. There’s also a distinctive oak flavor hanging out in the smoke, suggesting something Chardonnay-like. Is it the tell-tale twang of a Habano? Not sure yet.

I gently tap off the first ash a full inch and a half into the cigar. Going into the second third, the flavors morph a little bit, with green bell pepper joining in adding a vegetal complexity to the ever-present Cheerios. At about the 50% point the finish solidifies into a tangy lemon-citrus taste which adds even more curiosity to the mystery stick.

(Nevermind the pile of toys & boxes in the foreground of the mountain picture... my 3 year-old son insists that's a solidly-built house...)

Going into the final third, the cigar maintains this intermingled profile of cereal, sweetness, hardwood, butter, all topped off with lemon drops. I get these hardwood flavors from a lot of Dominican cigars, but my homework continues to steer me towards Cuban. The idea is further confirmed by the fact the profile is not falling apart well into the final third—a telltale sign of quality ISOM construction.

The blind cigar only begins to veer from its solid profile with a short nub remaining. The profile isn’t failing per se, but it is morphing in the espresso-direction. The lemon finish remains. After a quick purge, the green pepper returns, but this cigar quickly lets me know it’s given all it has left. I let it go with a little under an inch to go.

The guess? The flavors didn’t completely convince me of ISOM, but I’m going to trust my google-fu over my whacky-tastebuds. I’m guessing a custom-roll Cuban.

Well, crap. Completely missed the La Reina release by Warped. It wasn’t on their site during my cursory glance. El Titan de Bronze rolling could explain the Cuban-style veins. Honestly, even if I would have seen that, I probably still wouldn’t have guessed Warped as most Aganorsa tobacco lately has been giving me a distinct malt characteristic that I didn’t get in this guy. The honey sure was there in spades, though.

Thanks, Caesar for giving me an opportunity to have such a rare cigar. I enjoyed it!

 

[CMontoya79]

Excellent review. Glad you enjoyed the stick. They are something else.

 

[CigSid]

Great review!! Love it!

 

[mjolnir01]

Excellent review. Glad you enjoyed the stick. They are something else.

Thanks for the kind words, Caesar. Again, apologies it took WAY too long to post this. Pretty weak on my part.

Certainly right on how good it was though, although that's true with most of what Kyle Gellis is doing these days. The La Reina has me wondering now if that "Aganorsa malt" I've been getting from all my Illusiones/Casa Fernandez/Warped lately is all in my head.

 

[golfgar]

Nice review! Well done.

 

[CMontoya79]

Thanks for the kind words, Caesar. Again, apologies it took WAY too long to post this. Pretty weak on my part.

Certainly right on how good it was though, although that's true with most of what Kyle Gellis is doing these days. The La Reina has me wondering now if that "Aganorsa malt" I've been getting from all my Illusiones/Casa Fernandez/Warped lately is all in my head.

I’ve noticed that sometime we do that to ourselves. We acquire a certain something that stands out in our memory and can be difficult to shake. Maybe try some orange, citrus, or lemon lime soda with your next Aganorsa and see if there is any change. Water alone is great but the acidity in those sugary beverages helps clean out your palate. If your not into soda, try a sparking water flavored with citrus of some kind.

 

[bfreebern]

My pairing is a nice neutral beer, Sam Adams Octoberfest. I really enjoy the Marzen/Vienna Lager style, and while some craft beer snobs might scoff, I think Sam Adams does this one really well… I look forward to it every year.

(Nevermind the pile of toys & boxes in the foreground of the mountain picture... my 3 year-old son insists that's a solidly-built house...)

Thanks, Caesar for giving me an opportunity to have such a rare cigar. I enjoyed it!

Great review and pictures! I enjoy Sam Adams Oktoberfest as well, it's a nice change up from my stout heavy rotation. My kids still do this and they are 12/10/8. They are like cats, buy them an expensive toy and they play with the boxes.

 

[Brickhouse]

Congrats on the test. I have my Army one this Friday. Twice a year for me no matter what.

Nice stick!

 

[vortex]

I enjoyed your review and now have another Warped to try. Hardwood, huh? Try sandpaper!

Itried the Sam Adams Oktoberfest once and meh. Maybe give it another shot. Having cut my teeth on real Bavarian I'm a permanent Bavarian Snob. Maybe I'll start forum?

 

[MNBrian]

Well folks, I threw on my winter parka and took a dive into the 30 degree air to enjoy my blind pass from Larry. Here’s my review!



Brilliant construction. No triple cap. I’m thinking non cc right off the bat, despite the fact that it’s constructed like a lot of the very nice isom cohibas I’ve seen lately.


My immediate thought is warped La Colmeda just because they have similar impeccable looking Colorado wrapper sticks. But I could be way off.


A little pepper on the predraw and something like nutmeg.


I give it a v cut and dive in.


30 degrees today so it’s about as warm as it’s gonna get for me.


There’s a real sweetness to this stick. Honey smooth. I haven’t been smoking much for non cc’s lately but it definitely doesn’t have the rough edges.


The retrohale gives just the slightest hint of balanced white pepper. Totally my jam. Not a fan of black pepper in my cigars. I prefer that stuff to be on my eggs, not in my smoke.


The burn is really holding strong, clean edges. Which is saying something. This low temp usually wreaks havoc on burn lines, cold air pressing the burn in and causing a little tunneling. Usually have to smoke quick to keep the outside hot and burning at the same pace as the inside. Which is also why winter smoking means turning to smaller rg.


First third maintained a lot of the same. What I’m calling nutmeg, a hint of white pepper, and honey. A part of me thinks it might be a Davidoff but the only Davidoff I’ve ever smoked had a little more complexity. Same well-balanced nature but I really don’t know the profile of a Davidoff so well. I’m confident it’s not anything Altadis created. Might be a Long Live The King? Or maybe an Ezra Zion stick? I have not much experience with either of those but I don’t recall many Colorado wrappers on either. Possibly something by Oliva? But the series V that I enjoy has a very different profile.


I forgot to measure it but it looks to be about 6 inches by 46 rg. Definitely under 50.


The ash is really holding well which has me circling back to Warped. I’m just really impressed with the construction.


Now some graham cracker and some peanut coming in with the second third. A hair more bitterness on the tongue as I’m probably going a bit fast.


Third third finished about the same. No real changes that I noticed.


Final thoughts: overall a solid stick. It didn’t knock my socks off but I’d smoke this in my daily rotation and be totally satisfied. I’m guessing warped is wrong but it’s the closest thing I can think of.


Reveal: forgot to take a picture at the end but it was an Oliva serie O. Dang-nabit! I’m pretty sure I even mentioned Oliva. Shoot!


Well played Larry! Really appreciate the smoke and the experience! You delighted me with something I haven’t tried before!! Really solid stick!

 

[Corneighdo]

Great Review Brian!

Stay warm!