Lumberg
Opus Lover
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2003
- Messages
- 3,708
I've always been a fan of Candelas. I was fascinated by them when I first started smoking and I like the flavor. I enjoy Green Tea and the flavor of most candelas does have some green tea like flavor to them. The lone exception so far has been JR Ultimate.
So I got one of these out of a pass a while ago and liked it. I recently finally got around to ordering a box and have smoked several. The first couple were kind of inconsistent. The ash kind of flowered and they didn't hold together too well.
Oh on the wrapper; the story goes that they were inventorying the warehouse a few years ago and found a bale of tobacco that was marked something else. When they opened it it turned out to be Candela. I guess aging is supposed to mellow a cigar and Candelas are already mild and so there are supposed to be super-mild. I tend to favor kick-your-ass cigars like Opus X and Joya de Nic Antano, but like I said I also have soft spot in my heart for candelas.
Also an interesting historical note: up until the 1960s Candela was the most popular wrapper in the US, such that Candela was and still sometimes is referred to as AMS for American Market Selection (sort of like the lighter natural wrapper is still called EMS or English Market Selection, reflecting the predominant British preference).
Another historical note: up until WWII the most popular tea in the US was green tea. When war broke out we couldn't get our tea from China anymore and we switched to Ceylon and India for our tea. Ever since, black tea has been more popular in the US.
So anyway I smoked the first couple sticks within days of getting the box in. Now that they are settled in the sticks are much better behaved. Ash is straight and firm. The wrappers tend to be a little veiny but that's never been a problem for me.
The punch provided plenty of draw. These are relatively loosely rolled, unlike Opus for example so if you use a punch on a cigar stored at 70% for ever the draw will still be more than ample.
The taste is mild as you would expect, but not creamy or bland the way some natural wrappers are. FOr example I find the natural Chisels exceptionally bland. These definitely provide more flavor.
The quality of the blend is slightly better than what you'd expect for a $2 cigar. Not great; the flavors of the filler could probably be chosen to complement the wrapper a little better; at the same time you could argue that they stand in contrast to the wrapper, which allows you to taste it better.
It's hard to explain why I like this cigar. I guess for the same reason you might enjoy a Coke. You're not going to impress anyone but it hits the spot.
Quality 2.5/5
Value 4.5/5
I think a lot of people would characterize this as anywhere from a good change-of pace cigar to a borderline yard-gar.
Definitely a good choice to have in your quiver at a herf when you know you will be smoking several cigars. It's not going to make you sick and dizzy, and if your taste buds are burned out from smoking 2 Opi back-to-back it's a good change of pace as I said. It will probably clear your palate so you can taste the next cigar better. Probably a good conversation piece too, if the others aren't too snobbish!
Despite my best efforts I find myself apologizing for this cigar, when in reality there is nothing for which to apologize. It's a nice cigar. I'm no expert but I'm no newbie either. I really like these cigars. 'nuff said.
So I got one of these out of a pass a while ago and liked it. I recently finally got around to ordering a box and have smoked several. The first couple were kind of inconsistent. The ash kind of flowered and they didn't hold together too well.
Oh on the wrapper; the story goes that they were inventorying the warehouse a few years ago and found a bale of tobacco that was marked something else. When they opened it it turned out to be Candela. I guess aging is supposed to mellow a cigar and Candelas are already mild and so there are supposed to be super-mild. I tend to favor kick-your-ass cigars like Opus X and Joya de Nic Antano, but like I said I also have soft spot in my heart for candelas.
Also an interesting historical note: up until the 1960s Candela was the most popular wrapper in the US, such that Candela was and still sometimes is referred to as AMS for American Market Selection (sort of like the lighter natural wrapper is still called EMS or English Market Selection, reflecting the predominant British preference).
Another historical note: up until WWII the most popular tea in the US was green tea. When war broke out we couldn't get our tea from China anymore and we switched to Ceylon and India for our tea. Ever since, black tea has been more popular in the US.
So anyway I smoked the first couple sticks within days of getting the box in. Now that they are settled in the sticks are much better behaved. Ash is straight and firm. The wrappers tend to be a little veiny but that's never been a problem for me.
The punch provided plenty of draw. These are relatively loosely rolled, unlike Opus for example so if you use a punch on a cigar stored at 70% for ever the draw will still be more than ample.
The taste is mild as you would expect, but not creamy or bland the way some natural wrappers are. FOr example I find the natural Chisels exceptionally bland. These definitely provide more flavor.
The quality of the blend is slightly better than what you'd expect for a $2 cigar. Not great; the flavors of the filler could probably be chosen to complement the wrapper a little better; at the same time you could argue that they stand in contrast to the wrapper, which allows you to taste it better.
It's hard to explain why I like this cigar. I guess for the same reason you might enjoy a Coke. You're not going to impress anyone but it hits the spot.
Quality 2.5/5
Value 4.5/5
I think a lot of people would characterize this as anywhere from a good change-of pace cigar to a borderline yard-gar.
Definitely a good choice to have in your quiver at a herf when you know you will be smoking several cigars. It's not going to make you sick and dizzy, and if your taste buds are burned out from smoking 2 Opi back-to-back it's a good change of pace as I said. It will probably clear your palate so you can taste the next cigar better. Probably a good conversation piece too, if the others aren't too snobbish!
Despite my best efforts I find myself apologizing for this cigar, when in reality there is nothing for which to apologize. It's a nice cigar. I'm no expert but I'm no newbie either. I really like these cigars. 'nuff said.