The Evil Dr. Moki's Group Blind Taste Test #2

[moki]

sssshhhh.... Don't bias the testers

 

[Nimrod]

Awesome. I have a box of these. :thumbs:

 

[moki]

Cigar #6 review

ELittle said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 7/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 6/10 - Last 1/3rd: 6/10 - Overall: 6.3/10

Price: $12.00

Review: This is my favorite size of cigar, a lancero. The wrapper is nice and oily and the cigar has a pigtail on it. The smell of this cigar before lighting it is very good, almost Cuban like. The prelight draw has just a little bit of a pull to it which is perfect.

The first third of the cigar burns nice and even, has a very mild creamy flavor with a little bit of an earthy tone to it. The ash is very flaky and it starts out at a medium strength.

The next third of the cigar is getting creamier and also seems to be getting a little more mild than the beginning of the cigar and a very small amount of spice begins to be present.

The final third of the cigar was about the same as the first. The spice picks up a little more, that nice creamy taste is still present. The cigar finished with an almost cocoa flavor and a somewhat more full flavor profile.

This was a decent cigar that I might buy in the future. It was consistent in its profile throughout the entire smoke.

I think this cigar retails for $12.

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insight said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 8/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 5.5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 7.5/10 - Overall: 7/10

Price: $20.00

Review: First third: The smoke started a bit rough with a uneven quick burn and an easy draw There is a woody flavor that is fairly delicate. The first third of this cigar was notably mild.

Second third: A prominent nutty flavor sets in for an inch or so then fades. The flavors of this cigar cut in and out a lot for me, making it difficult to really profile the smoke. None of them are prominent enough for any real period of time to dominate the flavor of the cigar. I gave this third a low rating because for the majority of it the cigar was very one dimensional. Personally I still enjoyed what it had to offer but it wasn't all that interesting.

Final third: There is a hint of fresh rainwater. You can guess why... Then the nutty flavor returns and becomes the driving force of the cigar until the finish. I really enjoyed the way the cigar ended and despite the mediocre middle third I could see myself smoking more as a change of pace.

Price:$20+


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Kingantz said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 9/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 9/10 - Last 1/3rd: 8/10 - Overall: 8.6/10

Price: $13.00

Review: Number six is a beautifully constructed pigtailed lancero with Colorado shade wrapper that is smooth with veins running the length. There’s only a slight bit of oiliness to it and a very nice weight in the hand. I punch the pigtail cap; find the draw with a good resistance, and a musty aged tobacco flavor coming through.

Beginning 1/3
I put fire to the foot and take a couple puffs to get the fire burning evenly, and then take a slow, long draw. There’s a perfect pepper spice on the back of the throat and a delicious nuttiness with chocolate flavor coming through. I can also detect the slight bit of mustiness as well. It has a delicious long finish and all I can think of is creamy chocolate.

Middle 1/3
The burn is sharp through to the midway point with a strong whitish gray ash forming. I continue to get chocolate notes with a nice nuttiness coming through in the medium bodied smoke. There also seems to be a bit of orange zest as well. The finish is superb, long and lasting on the palate. The spice is spot on.

Final 1/3
Heading into the final third, the flavor is a straightforward rich tobacco with undertones of nuts and cocoa. The burn continues to be sharp with a strong whitish gray ash forming. The smoke itself remains a medium body with a perfect amount of spice. There is an incredible lasting finish. Uh, well, I wasn’t paying close enough attention it seems. I seemed to start detecting a slight bitter, funky flavor and then it happens. A nice big glove of tar on the tongue. Oh yeah, THAT was nasty. Whew! After rinsing a bit with the water I had handy, I figured I could go ahead and finish, just be careful not to touch the tip. BAM!! I did it again! Okay, well enough is enough. I hated to put it down as it was so good, however the tar did me in. I will say that I didn’t realize it until I stepped inside that my head was quite woozy. An oh so good woozy though.

This was a fantastic smoke. It had a perfect spice, perfect body, with delicious flavors of chocolate, nuts, and a nice orange zest. The burn was perfect as well with a strong ash and a long finish, all matching my palate perfectly, excellent cigar. I just hope there’s more available and affordable once I find out what it is! I have a feeling though….

Price Pint: $12 - $15

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bfisher88 said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 7/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 4/10 - Overall: 5.3/10

Price: $11.00

Review: The cigar started off with a very creamy, almost buttery taste to it, if that makes sense. Very smooth flavors but fairly mild. Construction and burn were both great with this one. Halfway through, tar started to bubble out on me, which got on my tongue, and I think made the cigar taste pretty bad from then on. But the first half I liked!

Price: 10-12

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enerjay said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 9/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 9/10 - Last 1/3rd: 8/10 - Overall: 8.6/10

Price: $9.00

Review: First 1/3rd: 9 Cigar number SIX had a beautiful wrapper. Put the flame to the stick, plenty of draw. Burn was steady and even.

Middle 1/3rd: 9 Cigar SIX still burning great plenty of draw and flavor.

Final 1/3rd: 8 Cigar SIX still with an even burn, flavor held steady, however toward the very end she burned a little HOT.

Summary: SIX, is my kind of cigar. Lancareo's I have come to love. The cigar was smooth from the start with plenty of smoke and a nice even burn.
Tasting notes of honey and almond with hints of coffee. The fl over carried over from the start all the way to the end. The burn never need a touch up
and I smoked it till my fingers were burning. Great cigar.

Price: 8-10 El Centrino, DP.

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Napa_Smokes said:

Rating: n/a - has bowed out of the blind taste test

Price: n/a - has bowed out of the blind taste test

Review: n/a - has bowed out of the blind taste test

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jfields said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 7.5/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 7.5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 7.5/10 - Overall: 7.5/10

Price: $7.00

Review: 1st: I almost had my mind made up that I was not going to like this cigar due to it's smell on the prelight. The first five or six draws change that preconception. My lips are tingling right from the start. Thick copious amounts of light brown smoke every time I blow out, with white smoke coming out the lit end. Perfect draw with lots of a spice that I'll describe as a mild cayenne pepper on the tounge. (7.5)

WHAT A LONG FINISH!!!

2nd: I'm wondering if this is an ordinary cigar that's been sitting. Hasn't evolved much, but the spice and tobacco flavor are good. Just spicy yet smooth! I might reach and say I detect a small amount of citrus on the finish. (7.5)

3rd: Same as above. (7.5)

Summary: Not a bad smoke. I'm guessing a little down time possibly. Not overly complex, though a good smoke for sure. I have no clue who made this cigar whatsoever. I doubt I have ever tried one before this.

Price Point: $7.00

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grateful1 said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 6/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 6/10 - Overall: 5.6/10

Price: $11.00

Review: Nice cigar, just not for me. I'd say it's a cameroon just because I had some bitter tastes now and them. Draw was good all the way thru, full smoke and even burn. Earthy and a light wood/grass. Low score was due to the bitterness.

Price: $11


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BlindedByScience said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 8/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 8/10 - Last 1/3rd: 8/10 - Overall: 8/10

Price: $12.00

Review: Summary: A nice Lonsdale-ish sized cigar. Smooth, nice brown wrapper with a pigtail cap. Pre light, the wrapper gives off some white pepper and vanilla notes. Smells very nice. Draw is very open, with some nice dusty, hay like tastes. Interestingly, the pre-light draw and tastes had none of the notes the wrapper plainly had. Went back and forth a couple of times to be sure; very interesting. Let’s give this one the “flame job” and see what we see.

From start to finish, this was a great smoke. Started right off the bat with what I would call “classic” Cuban tastes; some very nice, dusty, aged tobacco tastes with some rather grassy flavors in the background. One thing I noticed several times as I was smoking this one was the really nice, aromatic smell of the smoke. Reminded me very much of some of the nicer AVO’s I’ve had. By the mid point, the spice was more prominent on my tounge and the smoke was still very dense, and very creamy. This subtle change continued right up until I was burning my fingers and had to call it quits. From start to finish, this was a smooth, mild, wonderful cigar that had a nice aromatic smell and a taste profile that left little to be desired. Perhaps the nicest one of the bunch, so far. Thumbs up…!!

Price: This was a good one, maybe $12.00

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Seanholio said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 10/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 9/10 - Last 1/3rd: 6/10 - Overall: 8.3/10

Price: $12.00

Review: First third "Foreplay": 10/10
Second third "The act": 9/10
Final third "Afterglow" : 6/10

She stood in the doorway, her fine light brown skin almost olive in color. Her perfume wafted toward me, subtle, teasing, and undefinable.

Our lips met, and the perfume peaked to recognition. Floral. Not rosy, but subtler, like an orchid, mixing with the fine Corinthian leather. She was not to be denied, keeping her ash solidly locked on, not letting go. Almost psychotically clingy, that ash. I kept pushing for more, but she grew fiery, denying me her charms, remonstrating to take it slow As time wore on, she opened up, giving up her essence. Our heat washed away the floral perfume, leaving only the heavier leather, growing in intensity until we reached the summit. As we reclined, basking in the glow of our shared pleasure, eyes closed, everything changed. The heavenly leather began to sour, needing to air out for next time. Her breath lost the glamour of freshness, fading to the halitosis of a long-time smoker, ashy and dissatisfactory. Still, in the afterglow, the calm surrounded us, until the fires of wakefulness were extinguished, just a memory to be treasured.

I say Cuban, $12 stick.

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Lowest rating: bfisher88 5.3/10
Highest rating: enerjay & Kingantz 8.6/10
Average rating: 7.24/10

8 - excellent cigar, I would stock up on these cigars to ensure I have a constant supply
7 - good cigar, I'd buy more of these cigars and smoke them regularly

Lowest price: jfields $7.00
Highest price: Insight $20.00
Average price: $11.88

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Cigar #6 is actually a...

Davidoff Millennium Blend Lancero (2008) - price*: $18.50

Commentary: So this was an interesting cigar! This is officially the most highly rated cigar in the blind taste test thus far, breaking the "7" barrier with a 7.24! Other than jfields, everyone seemed to give this cigar a fairly high price point, even though who didn't particular care for the cigar overall, which is interesting. Is it because of the quality of the construction?

Insight was the closest in terms of the price point of these cigars. Davidoffs are not cheap, but perhaps to some, worth it? It's also interesting to me that some people have consistently found the middle and the finish of these cigars to be not so good. Perhaps it is because the cigars are young, the finish is a bit rougher than some people might like.

Again we see a range of ratings from people who didn't like the cigar that much, to those who loved it. The overall range is bumped up a few notches, though, we no one absolutely despising the cigar... which given the price point is probably a good thing.

Again note the variance in tastes people noted in this cigar, including some people thinking it was aged, others thinking it was Cuban, etc. Did they all smoke the same cigar? Yes they did.

Meanwhile Seanholio was the only one who apparently had conjugal relations with his cigar. I'm just glad he didn't take any photos.

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* Denotes the price I paid for this cigar, not necessarily the MSRP

 

[grateful1]

Well...these are in a bad place right now - or my taste was when I reviewed it. I had one fresh and another a while after and they were both better than this.

We'll see how they are in a few months.

Thanks for the taste.

To answer the question about price point being high: Mine could have been higher with less bitterness...also, the construction and draw - as well as over all look and underlying tone(read consistent) lead me to believe this was not an inexpensive smoker.

Now that I think of it...the last Davi I had seemed to be a little bitter...hmmm, maybe I learned something about my tastebuds....NAH!

 

[Seanholio]

The differences in taste are quite pronounced, and I don't think mine were due only to what I ate before smoking. I perceive the storage the week before smoking to be of greater consequence. I was in Chicago over the weekend, meeting up with the awesome boys out there. I took #6 with me because I mistakenly thought I might have to kill time someplace where I could smoke. Well, I never had any opportunity to kill time, thanks to my awesome host, and you can't smoke anywhere in Chicago anyways. The cigar spent a week in my traveldor, which had 2oz of beads inside, but Chicago is dry as a bone this time of year, so I think the stick got dryboxed before smoking, which would tend to reveal other flavors.

Perhaps Davidoffs just smoke better a little dry?

 

[moki]

The differences in taste are quite pronounced, and I don't think mine were due only to what I ate before smoking. I perceive the storage the week before smoking to be of greater consequence. I was in Chicago over the weekend, meeting up with the awesome boys out there. I took #6 with me because I mistakenly thought I might have to kill time someplace where I could smoke. Well, I never had any opportunity to kill time, thanks to my awesome host, and you can't smoke anywhere in Chicago anyways. The cigar spent a week in my traveldor, which had 2oz of beads inside, but Chicago is dry as a bone this time of year, so I think the stick got dryboxed before smoking, which would tend to reveal other flavors.

Perhaps Davidoffs just smoke better a little dry?

I think it's probably because you had sex with your cigar, Sean.

 

[insight]

Sean do you have sex with your cigars with cello on or off?

 

[indyrob]

Points to BBS for pulling the similarities of an AVO. You should have ran with it a little more, you probably would have nailed it as the Davi.

 

[jfields]

Sean,
Didn't you smoke this right around the time you HERF'd with IBQTEE1?...........I'm just saying. :whistling:

 

[Seanholio]

Andrew, that was just wrong!! :sign:

Sean do you have sex with your cigars with cello on or off?

cello on! It's a dangerous world out there, and I'd hate to catch the beetles.

 

[Nimrod]

I would love to try this cigar. For $18.50, I think I will pass.

Thanks again for this blind taste test everyone, and moki too. :thumbs:


Davidoff Millennium Series

Davidoff Millennium Blend cigars are the most powerful and limited cigars of the entire Davidoff line. A special blend of full-bodied Dominican tobaccos and sun-grown wrapper from Ecuador were selected for the Davidoff Millennium Blend. Like all Davidoff cigars, the quality of the cigar’s construction is impeccable.

Country: Dominican Republic
Wrapper: USA / Conn. (not Cameroon)
Binder: Dominican Republic
Filler: Dominican Republic
Strength: Full

 

[mufflerman]

Excellent review, Seanholio! I was cracking up the whole time. I am really getting into these.
The BGM review was very eye-opening.
Is anyone taking over Napa's spot, or is that not possible?
Great job so far Moki!

 

[enerjay]

Number six was quite a surprise. I have come to enjoy the lancero quite a bit.

With all of us smoking the same sticks and coming up with different profiles for the same cigars, why?

What could we all do to create a tasting plat form.

Cigar #9 is smoking just fine. :whistling:

 

[moki]

Number six was quite a surprise. I have come to enjoy the lancero quite a bit.

With all of us smoking the same sticks and coming up with different profiles for the same cigars, why?

Well, if nothing else, when someone says XXXX cigars tastes good, and XXXXXX cigar is crap, you can take it with a grain of salt.

 

[grateful1]

Number six was quite a surprise. I have come to enjoy the lancero quite a bit.

With all of us smoking the same sticks and coming up with different profiles for the same cigars, why?

What could we all do to create a tasting plat form.

Cigar #9 is smoking just fine. :whistling:

It would have to be made per person, per cigar, per year.

 

[jfields]

Number six was quite a surprise. I have come to enjoy the lancero quite a bit.

With all of us smoking the same sticks and coming up with different profiles for the same cigars, why?

Well, if nothing else, when someone says XXXX cigars tastes good, and XXXXXX cigar is crap, you can take it with a grain of salt.

What's one persons garbage, is another mans treasure! :sign:

Like they always say time and time again, taste is subjective. I'm guessing what Andrew is also trying to show is that a manufacturers band, and price point can play a big part in the mental scheme of things.

I wonder if I would have liked the Davidoff as much if I had bought it with the band on..............Would I have expected more from it?

 

[tomthirtysix]

I wonder if I would have liked the Davidoff as much if I had bought it with the band on..............Would I have expected more from it?

That's a great point. Usually, when thinking of the bias in reviewing a smoke blind vs non-blind, I think of seeing the band and saying to myself "Ohhh this is a <brand>, it'll be good," making me think it's better than it is if smoked blind. I never thought of it the other way around.

 

[tsmckenney]

Interestingly, the Cuesta-Rey Stanford's Cameroon Reserve Churchill No.1 is the highest rated cigar from either blind taste test (so far... except for the Cabaiguan WCD 120 which scored 6.94/10)...

A premium fiver says the Cuesta-Rey will go down by the end of this test. Who says it will stand?

Commentary: So this was an interesting cigar! This is officially the most highly rated cigar in the blind taste test thus far, breaking the "7" barrier with a 7.24! Other than jfields, everyone seemed to give this cigar a fairly high price point, even though who didn't particular care for the cigar overall, which is interesting. Is it because of the quality of the construction?

And the Cuesta-Rey goes down! Technically, it went down with the Gold Medal. So, the Davidoff Mill Lancero holds the honors of highest ranking. Very good cigar, but I'm kind of surprised it has the highest ranking.

Moki, that photo is fng sick as sick as sick. You're sick dude. :laugh:

 

[Yeahthatsme]

A quick suggestion to people reading this thread who are not involved, if you find this interesting then repeat it! Grab a friend and trade 5 cigars with numbered bands, smoke through them and exchange the answers. Me and matt(42) did such a trade a little while back( I still haven't smoked them all, hehe) and have been enjoying the surprises. It really opens your eyes.

 

[tomthirtysix]

A quick suggestion to people reading this thread who are not involved, if you find this interesting then repeat it! Grab a friend and trade 5 cigars with numbered bands, smoke through them and exchange the answers. Me and matt(42) did such a trade a little while back( I still haven't smoked them all, hehe) and have been enjoying the surprises. It really opens your eyes.

So, you're playing the role of Grapes? :laugh: