It only took the better part of five months to get this sorted all the way around, but, HERE WE GO!
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This blind review cigar came from Bill
@CigSid, so right off the bad I'm 99.99% sure this is ISOM, but Bill is a sneaky bugger and I wouldn't put that other .01% past him. We've got what looks like about a 5.5 x 42, maybe? The wrapper is a lighter habano-looking golden brown with requisite triple cap. Knowing CCs as I don't, though, I'm not too concerned with the wrapper shade -- it could be anything. I compared it to a few cigars in my stash, and I'm confident it is
NOT a PLPC (which was my first thought upon opening the package), but the petite corona size seems to match up well with Bolivar, RyJ, and Punch cigars that I have. My next cold guess is
RyJ Milles Fleure. Why, you may ask? Bill sent along two of them to sample, and I also wouldn't put it past sneaky, sneaky Bill to see if I could place the profile after smoking them both. Anyway, onward:
Pre-Light: The aroma is very light, and that of hay or straw; not fresh grass like my notes say from my previous blind review. I circumcised it with the Colibri guillotine, and the cold draw was nearly perfect in its resistance; not plugged in the slightest. The tastes were very light tobacco. There honestly wasn't much to the cold draw.
Light: I used my trusty €2.00 kitchen torch, and the toast was easy. The initial draws upon giving it heat produced leather and some pepper (white, maybe? I'm not Jon -- sorry). I expected the CC cream flavors, but did not experience any this time.
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First Third: I lit up at 1613, so we'll start it there. My brain said I was tasting lightly toasted bread (as opposed to burnt bread or baked bread), and maybe some burnt cream (creme brulee'ish) as it went on. The cigar was heartier than I was anticipating, guessing that it was going to be a CC. It settled down about midway through the third, and there was no harshness in the nose or throat. I ashed it at about 1 1/2", and the ash was dark gray and flaky; typical CC ash. At the end of the third, I got some notes of woodworking sawdust, and it reminded me of Shop class long ago. My impression at the end of the first third is either
RyJ or
Bolivar. It's too "dark" to be H. Upmann, and it doesn't have the cream notes I'm used to experiencing with JL.
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Second Third: Siri says we entered the second third at 1633. I'm doing nothing but taking notes and watching the dogs be morons, so I'm giving the cigar my full attention. I'm starting to taste sweet, new leather. Again, I'm reminded of Shop class when we made bracelets and belts and stuff. I remember
@jfields saying a while ago that he doesn't base his tastes off of a flavor wheel, but off of what memories certain notes invoke. I'm getting a lot of that with this cigar. In the second, I'm getting kind of an oily, alcohol-like finish in my mouth and throat. It's not unpleasant, just notable. This third also brought about more wood, but that of wood burning, like the sign people at the mall or the fair do in their kiosks and booths. As the second third draws to a close, nothing really stands out, as the woody notes have dissolved. Just some tobacco. My thoughts are more
Bolivar than
RyJ at the moment, but still clinging to those two.
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Final Third: Starting in at 1650, with rich, rich tobacco tastes. This is the flavor I "taste" in my mind when I think of smoking tobacco. When I was a kid, this is what I pictured Winston cigarettes tasting like. Hey, it's
my story, ok...? The nicotine is starting to show its face, as my left hand is getting a wee bit shaky. I'm getting lightly toasted bread, once again, kind of swirling around with oaky, woody notes (I think). The burn has been great on this cigar the whole way. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't clock an end time, but based on the times of the thirds, it's safe to say this was just a little over an hour.
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FINAL GUESS: I went back and forth between RyJ and Boli this whole time, having ruled out H. Upmann and Juan Lopez. It's certainly not, from my non-expert experience, Ramon Allones -- is there even a vitola of this size? If it's something else, I'm stumped (pun maybe intended), as I don't have great experience across the Habanos S.A. line like some of y'all do. Heck, this is Bill we are talking about here, so this may end up being a pre-embargo cigar directly from John F. Kennedy's secret stash. My final guess, I'm going with my first guess:
RyJ Mille Fleure.
And, survey says:
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Damn, I was pretty sure it was one of those two. I'm a bit surprised it was a JL -- I'm a bit disappointed in myself, honestly. Oh well, thanks for letting me play along, Bill! I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar, and I love doing these blind reviews because it forces me to slow down and really pay attention to the smoke as I'm going along. No reading, or podcasts, or anything. Just cigar contemplation. I learn something every time.
Alright, Jon. You've already obtained your blind review cigar. Light that sumbitch up!
