The great Fyodor blind taste test!

[Fyodor]

Just bustin' on you bro.
[/quote]


No problem at all, feel free and I hope you enjoy the thread. :thumbs:

 

[altercall]

Fyador, I am enjoying it. I think you're doing a great job. I know I would have no hope in this competition. Above everything it's great to see you're taking this so well. I look forward to the rest of it.

 

[moki]

Cigar no.3



O.k. I'm not sure if Moki is trying to kill me or what but this cigar just isn't right. To be honest I only smoked about one inch but I can't go on. This cigar is harsh, bitter and has a rough bite to it. It has hints of dirt and a little cedar(seriously). It tunnels something awful. So Moki will probably inform me it's a Cuban Davidoff or something but even if it is I don't know if I'll pick it back up and try it again. I found this cigar frightening. Because it's so bad it's probably Cuban and Moki is trying to prove a point with it But I'm gonna guess it was made in a country not meant to be growing tobacco. Maybe a fake Cuban? Sorry for forfeiting this one but I have no choice. I sure hope this was meant as a joke, otherwise I certainly got a bad specimen.


Verdict- nonCuban
Sorry Moki, I forgot to give my rating. 1/10

Wow! I almost hope there was something wrong with that cigar you smoked....!

Cigar #3 results

Fyodor says:

Cigar rating: 1/10
Origin guess: "a country not meant to be growing tobacco"
Cuban/non-Cuban: non-Cuban

Survey says:

Actual origin: Nicaraguan
Cigar #3 is a: non-Cuban Tatuaje Black Label (5 5/8" x 46)

Commentary:

I'm a little bit surprised here... I've never had a negative experience with the Tatuaje Black Labels... I've found these cigars to be incredibly flavorful yet extremely smooth. Given how much your olfactory senses affect taste, I can't help but wonder if your recent sickness doesn't have something to do with this review?

Either way, that's a good lesson... there are factors outside of the tobacco and your taste buds that can affect how you'll perceive the taste of things.

You nailed this one, Fyodor, it is indeed not Cuban. When you get a chance, try another Tatuaje Black label, though. I'm still confused as to how a cigar like this could rate a 1 out of 10... but there it is!

Note to readers: I clipped both the head and the shaggy foot off of this cigar; you can see some other non-blind reviews of this cigar here.

Results so far:

#1 - Cuban Montecristo Tubos 1970s -- (5/10) guessed non-Cuban, Domincan or Honduran - Incorrect
#2 - non-Cuban Cabaiguan WCD 120 -- (9/10) guessed Cuban - Incorrect
#3 - non-Cuban Tatuaje Black Label -- (1/10) guessed non-Cuban, "a country not meant to be growing tobacco" - Correct!

Score: Cigars 2, Fyodor 1

 

[audilicious]

black labels in experiments...

:angry:


this is rather entertaining though.

 

[Fyodor]

Something realy HAD to be wrong here. It burned really weird. It tunneled like crazy and smelled aweful. Who knows?

 

[Fyodor]

Cigar no. 4



I found this cigar agreeable. It was a pleasant smoke that I would try again if offered one but not one I would be likely to buy. Pre-light smell was a little rich and had some light barnyard notes. It started off mild-medium and built to a solid medium body. The base flavors are wood and coffee mixed with milk. It has a slight floral flavor that comes in and out that I actually found enjoyable. It added a little bit of complexity to a mostly straight forward cigar. The finish had some mineral hints and a light tangy citrus quality but not as prominent as I would expect to taste in a Cuban. When passing it through the sinuses I detected some richness and a bit of a chocolate taste. I feel this cigar is likely a mixture of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco but if I had to pick one I would say Dominican due to the light floral notes that I have sometimes associated with cigars from that country. It's a very "neutral" tasting cigar and I wouldn't be surprised if it was from any of the major cigar countries. 7/10


Verdict- nonCuban


I still have a cold but it doesn't seem to be affecting my taste and smell all that much. Food is tasting like it always does so I assume everything is working.

 

[moki]

Cigar no. 4



I found this cigar agreeable. It was a pleasant smoke that I would try again if offered one but not one I would be likely to buy. Pre-light smell was a little rich and had some light barnyard notes. It started off mild-medium and built to a solid medium body. The base flavors are wood and coffee mixed with milk. It has a slight floral flavor that comes in and out that I actually found enjoyable. It added a little bit of complexity to a mostly straight forward cigar. The finish had some mineral hints and a light tangy citrus quality but not as prominent as I would expect to taste in a Cuban. When passing it through the sinuses I detected some richness and a bit of a chocolate taste. I feel this cigar is likely a mixture of Dominican and Nicaraguan tobacco but if I had to pick one I would say Dominican due to the light floral notes that I have sometimes associated with cigars from that country. It's a very "neutral" tasting cigar and I wouldn't be surprised if it was from any of the major cigar countries. 7/10


Verdict- nonCuban


I still have a cold but it doesn't seem to be affecting my taste and smell all that much. Food is tasting like it always does so I assume everything is working.

Cigar #4 results

Fyodor says:

Cigar rating: 7/10
Origin guess: Dominican
Cuban/non-Cuban: non-Cuban

Survey says:

Actual origin: Cuba
Cigar #3 is a: Cuban H. Upmann Sir Winston (7" x 47)

Commentary:

Well, at least we didn't have a 1/10 nightmare here again! This cigar seems to be what many cigar smokers consider to be an extremely stalwart Cuban cigar. In conjunction with the Partagas Lusitania, Cohiba Esplendido, Punch SS#2, and a handful of other cigars, this is one of the "classic" Cuban cigars.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed this cigar a bit more. It isn't Dominican or Honduran, but rather it is Cuban. Hopefully your taste buds are back at full strength, we're tearing through this blind test with excellent progress!

There are still some interesting/fun cigars to come, so dive in!

Results so far:

#1 - Cuban Montecristo Tubos 1970s -- (5/10) guessed non-Cuban, Domincan or Honduran - Incorrect
#2 - non-Cuban Cabaiguan WCD 120 -- (9/10) guessed Cuban - Incorrect
#3 - non-Cuban Tatuaje Black Label -- (1/10) guessed non-Cuban, "a country not meant to be growing tobacco" - Correct!
#4 - Cuban H. Upmann Sir Winston -- (7/10) guessed non-Cuban, Dominican - Incorrect

Score: Cigars 3, Fyodor 1

 

[Infinity]

Sir Winston has always been a consistent, flavorful smoke for me. I have yet to have a bad one but I have never had one on a blind taste, so who knows.

Brian

 

[moki]

Sir Winston has always been a consistent, flavorful smoke for me. I have yet to have a bad one but I have never had one on a blind taste, so who knows.

Brian

Well, he didn't really say it was bad (gave it a 7/10)... in fact, it seemed from the review that he seemed to really like it? Just didn't guess it was being Cuban is all...

 

[Fyodor]

Sir Winston has always been a consistent, flavorful smoke for me. I have yet to have a bad one but I have never had one on a blind taste, so who knows.

Brian

Well, he didn't really say it was bad (gave it a 7/10)... in fact, it seemed from the review that he seemed to really like it? Just didn't guess it was being Cuban is all...

Yeah, I did like it. I've never had a Sir Winston before but always wanted to try it. Knowing how much these cost though I wouldn't consider it worth the extra money based on this particular example. And disapointingly it wasn't as good as my favorite Cubans.

How much age did this one have Moki?

 

[Infinity]

Sir Winston has always been a consistent, flavorful smoke for me. I have yet to have a bad one but I have never had one on a blind taste, so who knows.

Brian

Well, he didn't really say it was bad (gave it a 7/10)... in fact, it seemed from the review that he seemed to really like it? Just didn't guess it was being Cuban is all...

7/10 is fair. I'm saying, IMO, it's better than 7/10. It's one of those consistent "long" smokes and definitely worth the price to me Fyodor but again, the point I am making is
that this blind test experiment has resulted in throwing the cat among the pigeons. You say that you really wanted to try it but now wouldn't pay the price for another. Under
normal circumstances (whatever normal happens to be), this stick may be on your "have to have" list. Conversely, I may be thinking like you.

Brian

 

[rbbrock]

Sir Winston has always been a consistent, flavorful smoke for me. I have yet to have a bad one but I have never had one on a blind taste, so who knows.

Brian

Well, he didn't really say it was bad (gave it a 7/10)... in fact, it seemed from the review that he seemed to really like it? Just didn't guess it was being Cuban is all...

7/10 is fair. I'm saying, IMO, it's better than 7/10. It's one of those consistent "long" smokes and definitely worth the price to me Fyodor but again, the point I am making is
that this blind test experiment has resulted in throwing the cat among the pigeons. You say that you really wanted to try it but now wouldn't pay the price for another. Under
normal circumstances (whatever normal happens to be), this stick may be on your "have to have" list. Conversely, I may be thinking like you.

Brian

That's what I love (and hate) about this experiment. Yes, it's nominally about whether there is a "Cuban" taste profile, but it also shows how expectations and external factors can influence taste. Now, this is good, in that we are all made aware that we may not actually like that hyped up, super expensive cigar as much as we think. On the other hand, only Fyodor will know that for sure! Unless we start up a bunch of trades imitating this thread, in which we all trade blind fivers, the rest of us don't know how much we really like the taste, and only the taste, of our current favorites.

 

[Fyodor]

Sir Winston has always been a consistent, flavorful smoke for me. I have yet to have a bad one but I have never had one on a blind taste, so who knows.

Brian

Well, he didn't really say it was bad (gave it a 7/10)... in fact, it seemed from the review that he seemed to really like it? Just didn't guess it was being Cuban is all...

7/10 is fair. I'm saying, IMO, it's better than 7/10. It's one of those consistent "long" smokes and definitely worth the price to me Fyodor but again, the point I am making is
that this blind test experiment has resulted in throwing the cat among the pigeons. You say that you really wanted to try it but now wouldn't pay the price for another. Under
normal circumstances (whatever normal happens to be), this stick may be on your "have to have" list. Conversely, I may be thinking like you.

Brian

Actually I would really like to try another. This one doesn't settle well with me. I should have liked this cigar more. It's hard for me to believe this cigar wouldn't taste obviously Cuban. I am in no way going to judge this cigar by this one taste test. It was on my must try list, but the odds of me spending the money on a box has always been low.

 

[septumus]

That's what I love (and hate) about this experiment. Yes, it's nominally about whether there is a "Cuban" taste profile, but it also shows how expectations and external factors can influence taste. Now, this is good, in that we are all made aware that we may not actually like that hyped up, super expensive cigar as much as we think. On the other hand, only Fyodor will know that for sure! Unless we start up a bunch of trades imitating this thread, in which we all trade blind fivers, the rest of us don't know how much we really like the taste, and only the taste, of our current favorites.

I was actually just talking about trying to get a blind taster for myself going possibly through my B&M last night in chat. I'm game for blind taster trades if you are! This is definitely a test I would like to put myself through albiet not quite as publicly as the one Fyodor is going through

(edited for clarity)

 

[moki]

That's what I love (and hate) about this experiment. Yes, it's nominally about whether there is a "Cuban" taste profile, but it also shows how expectations and external factors can influence taste. Now, this is good, in that we are all made aware that we may not actually like that hyped up, super expensive cigar as much as we think. On the other hand, only Fyodor will know that for sure! Unless we start up a bunch of trades imitating this thread, in which we all trade blind fivers, the rest of us don't know how much we really like the taste, and only the taste, of our current favorites.

Actually, I highly suggest you do just that. It can be quite fun

 

[Infinity]

That's what I love (and hate) about this experiment. Yes, it's nominally about whether there is a "Cuban" taste profile, but it also shows how expectations and external factors can influence taste. Now, this is good, in that we are all made aware that we may not actually like that hyped up, super expensive cigar as much as we think. On the other hand, only Fyodor will know that for sure! Unless we start up a bunch of trades imitating this thread, in which we all trade blind fivers, the rest of us don't know how much we really like the taste, and only the taste, of our current favorites.

Actually, I highly suggest you do just that. It can be quite fun

I think it will be terrible, I don't want to go there...LOL

I don't enjoy doing cigar reviews with cigars I know, it takes away from the enjoyment of me and my cigar in never never land. Doing a blind test requires too much energy
and as can be seen by this and other blind tests, too much "blind" searching is skewing taste and perception. Honestly, that's what I'm seeing happening here. Fyodor is working so
'hard establishing taste profile, he is, IMO, in effect, destroying his taste buds ???

Brian

 

[moki]

Doing a blind test requires too much energy
and as can be seen by this and other blind tests, too much "blind" searching is skewing taste and perception. Honestly, that's what I'm seeing happening here. Fyodor is working so
'hard establishing taste profile, he is, IMO, in effect, destroying his taste buds ???

Brian

I'm not sure I understand how blind taste testing can skew taste and perception? If anything, it'd be putting both back into line, because you're no longer influenced by the band, the "Cuban mystique", or any other preconceptions...?

 

[mmburtch]

Doing a blind test requires too much energy
and as can be seen by this and other blind tests, too much "blind" searching is skewing taste and perception. Honestly, that's what I'm seeing happening here. Fyodor is working so
'hard establishing taste profile, he is, IMO, in effect, destroying his taste buds ???

Brian

I'm not sure I understand how blind taste testing can skew taste and perception? If anything, it'd be putting both back into line, because you're no longer influenced by the band, the "Cuban mystique", or any other preconceptions...?

Personally, when I review a cigar, I spend way too much of the experience waiting for, hoping for or imagining flavors. It would be interesting to see these same cigars not reviewed, but simply smoked and then guessed at. I wonder what the results would be if all that was required of the smoker was "I like it or don't" and "this is what I associate with cuban cigars, or don't"

 

[septumus]

Personally, when I review a cigar, I spend way too much of the experience waiting for, hoping for or imagining flavors. It would be interesting to see these same cigars not reviewed, but simply smoked and then guessed at. I wonder what the results would be if all that was required of the smoker was "I like it or don't" and "this is what I associate with cuban cigars, or don't"

Truthfully this is how I review cigars. I'm not one of those people who can pick blueberries with a hint of cilantro out of a smoke but I know that there are either good, bad or mediocre flavors present. I can't identify them but I can definitely let you know whether or not they are good My cigar log book is amusingly bare of helpful comments other than "robust flavor", "spicy" or "creamy and smooth".

edit: typo

 

[Fyodor]

Cigar no.5





This is another good one, I definitely enjoyed it. It had a nice prelight smell and some noticeable cinnamon spice on the prelight draw. In the first two thirds it held the Cinnamon flavor and had some notes of cedar and chocolate. It was full bodied, but not overly so, rich and flavorful but lacked a bit of complexity. In the last third it really grabbed my attention by gaining some complexity and developing some cocoa and some nice tangyness on the finish which had me questioning my original assertion of the country of origin. In the end it developed some Cuban like elements but I'm going to go with my original take on this cigar and say it is Nicaraguan. This one is a bit tough to call though. 8/10



Verdict- nonCuban




Happy Valentines day! I hope everyone enjoys the holiday.