Jeff's quest...

[jlada]

Cigar Number 2​

Preconceptions:

Probably between 4.5" to 5" (was shorter than #1)
Probably a low 40's ring gauge.
Slightly veiny, medium brown.
Excellent construction.
Bulbous head.
Triple cap.
Good weight in hand - firm roll, very little give on squeeze.

Pre-light:

Spice/leather. This will be a doozy. The pre-light draw flavors linger in the mouth.

Beginning:

First draw - WHOA!!!!! Spice/flavor bomb. Holy &@%#! Out the nose and quickly comes a small cough. Nasal passages give a quick "Hey, Jeff... you're an a-hole" remark. Perhaps I got it too hot? Nope! I let it sit a moment and came back - powerful little bugger this is!

Draw is somewhat tight, but not enough to be annoying. Burn is razor sharp. Ash is rather dark.

3/4" in:

Spice. Powerful. Full. Almost to the point of just being powerful for the sake of being powerful. Ligero monster, perhaps?

This stick is not for the faint of heart. I'm liking it, but it's verging on just too much power.

In the middle:

One dimensional. Still has thickly prominent spice and harsh tobacco flavor. Ash is still somewhat dark. It's hard to take large draws off of this and still exhale through the nose. A newbies nightmare.

The end:

Toned down ever so slightly. Getting pretty hot at this point. One dimensional. Getting acrid. The power overwhelms any specific flavor notes. The nasal passages straight up burn. I pan it with a slightly under an inch to go.

Guess:

Young. Powerful. Spicy. Full-bodied through and through. Didn't evolve. Pungent.

Gonna have to say an "off" Tatuaje or some Nicaraguan cigar. Perhaps an Angeles? Chock full of ligero, much? Whatever this is, a sadomasochist was behind rolling it. If it's Cuban (triple cap bias), then I have no friggin' clue and I'm fairly confident I have never smoked this cigar before.

If it's a Tat - that's a shame, because I love Pete's cigars. This was either an "off" smoke, or some sort of sick joke by Greg.

 

[Kingantz]

Cigar Number 2​

Preconceptions:

Probably between 4.5" to 5" (was shorter than #1)
Probably a low 40's ring gauge.
Slightly veiny, medium brown.
Excellent construction.
Bulbous head.
Triple cap.
Good weight in hand - firm roll, very little give on squeeze.

Pre-light:

Spice/leather. This will be a doozy. The pre-light draw flavors linger in the mouth.

Beginning:

First draw - WHOA!!!!! Spice/flavor bomb. Holy &@%#! Out the nose and quickly comes a small cough. Nasal passages give a quick "Hey, Jeff... you're an a-hole" remark. Perhaps I got it too hot? Nope! I let it sit a moment and came back - powerful little bugger this is!

Draw is somewhat tight, but not enough to be annoying. Burn is razor sharp. Ash is rather dark.

3/4" in:

Spice. Powerful. Full. Almost to the point of just being powerful for the sake of being powerful. Ligero monster, perhaps?

This stick is not for the faint of heart. I'm liking it, but it's verging on just too much power.

In the middle:

One dimensional. Still has thickly prominent spice and harsh tobacco flavor. Ash is still somewhat dark. It's hard to take large draws off of this and still exhale through the nose. A newbies nightmare.

The end:

Toned down ever so slightly. Getting pretty hot at this point. One dimensional. Getting acrid. The power overwhelms any specific flavor notes. The nasal passages straight up burn. I pan it with a slightly under an inch to go.

Guess:

Young. Powerful. Spicy. Full-bodied through and through. Didn't evolve. Pungent.

Gonna have to say an "off" Tatuaje or some Nicaraguan cigar. Perhaps an Angeles? Chock full of ligero, much? Whatever this is, a sadomasochist was behind rolling it. If it's Cuban (triple cap bias), then I have no friggin' clue and I'm fairly confident I have never smoked this cigar before.

If it's a Tat - that's a shame, because I love Pete's cigars. This was either an "off" smoke, or some sort of sick joke by Greg.

Cigar Number 2 - Tatuaje Havana VI Angeles - roughly $5 a stick

Spot on Jeff! Excellent job! I am a bit disappointed in how the cigar smoked for you. I have actually gotten to where I really enjoy these little smokes and although find them spicy and full bodied, to have a nice flavor as well. I'm thinking that one was as you said, off. Again, excellent job my friend!

 

[jlada]

YES!

Now I don't feel like such an idiot!

Greg: 1 - Jeff: 1 :laugh:

Ah hell... #3 coming up within an hour or so.

 

[CRQuarto]

I love this thread! :thumbs:

 

[jlada]

So I decided to grill myself a nice dinner: My very own Elijah Craig Chicago steak, cooked medium and some AWESOME fresh grilled asparagus. More on this recipe later.

My belly being full, I threw some Eagles in the CD player and I decided to attack:

Cigar Number 3​

Preconceptions:

Probably a little longer than 5"
Probably mid-upper 40's ring gauge.
Hardly any veins, light brown.
Couple large green spots on the wrapper leaf.
Above average construction.
Bulbous head.
Obvious triple cap.
Light weight in hand - firm roll, very little give on squeeze.

I was slightly concerned when doing the squeeze test on this cigar. I found one EXTREMELY hard spot right beneath the wrapper about 1.5" above the head. More on this later.

Pre-light:

Distinctive salty taste on the wrapper/tobacco. Inhale is dank, stale; somewhat dirty/dusty. Almost like going into an old home or attic and tasting the air. Perhaps like smelling an empty apartment full of cardboard boxes. Yes, that's it. Papery.

Interesting and curious.

Beginning:

Dull. Not many flavors prominant here. Perhaps a bit of hay. Almost reminds me of the smell of the soybean harvest that happens here. I get a flashback to the farmer markets that pop up here in the summer. Out the nose I get a hint of something chemical, but I can't quite nail what it my be. It's not ammonia... but it's... odd. Not necessarily bad, just intriguing.

Draw is fantastic. Ash is gray-white. Burn is razor sharp. Pretty boring at the start, but am thinking this cigar could go great places.

About 1" in:

Ahhh yes... here we are! This cigar has arrived! Some floral notes? Grainy, even. Hmm... earthy/grassy/floral. A warming sensation fills the nostrils. Me likey! The flavors coat the mouth and linger.

Ash hangs on like a champ. Draw is great, burn is great.

In the middle:

The nares try to pick up anything that overwhelms, but this cigar is extremely well balanced. I'm picking up a little bit of spice at the throat. A bit peppery, but the earthy/grass tones are prominant in the mouth. Excellent medium bodied smoke. Good lasting finish that left me wanting to take another drag.

The end:

Start to run into trouble. Remember that "hard spot" I mentioned? When the burn approached this point - BLAM! Light switch - instantly a foul charcoal/wood flavor overwhelmed everything. About 20 seconds later, the wrapper cracked revealing a GIGANTIC stem. To give you an idea, it was about as thick around as 2-3 toothpicks, and about an inch long. Very unacceptable that this made it past quality control. Pics of it coming later.

Nonetheless, post stem-extraction the cigar still smoked very well. The spice picked up quite a bit, but this was more than likely due to it getting a bit warm. Not hot, just warm enough to notice. The tobacco flavor really starts to come through. I'm sad that it's over.

Guess:

Started "meh". Evolved. Tons of different flavors/aromas, with none grabbing the reigns and telling the others where to get off. Balanced. A great smoke after a great dinner.

Gonna have to say Cuban. I'm fairly confident I have had something like this before. I want to lean towards a RA or Boli, but wouldn't be surprised if Greg tricked me.

Anyway, a good smoke. My favorite thus far. Gonna say $8-$10 a stick, medium-bodied, Cuban. Maybe a couple years on it, but a few more would make this outstanding.

Now, go ahead and tell me it's a Diplimaticos or not Cuban at all so I can run off and be the village idiot again :laugh:!

Late edit: Typos fixed.

 

[Kingantz]

So I decided to grill myself a nice dinner: My very own Elijah Craig Chicago steak, cooked medium and some AWESOME fresh grilled asparagus. More on this recipe later.

My belly being full, I threw some Eagles in the CD player and I decided to attack:

Cigar Number 3​

Preconceptions:

Probably a little longer than 5"
Probably mid-upper 40's ring gauge.
Hardly any veins, light brown.
Couple large green spots on the wrapper leaf.
Above average construction.
Bulbous head.
Obvious Triple cap.
Leight weight in hand - firm roll, very little give on squeeze.

I was slightly concerned when doing the squeeze test on this cigar. I found one EXTREMELY hard spot right beneath the wrapper about 1.5" above the head. More on this later.

Pre-light:

Distinctive salty taste on the wrapper/tobacco. Inhale is dank, stale; somewhat dirty/dusty. Almost like going into an old home or attic and tasting the air. Perhaps like smelling an empty apartment full of cardboard boxes. Yes, that's it. Papery.

Interesting and curious.

Beginning:

Dull. Not many flavors prominant here. Perhaps a bit of hay. Almost reminds me of the smell of the soybean harvest that happens here. I get a flashback to the farmer markets that pop up here in the summer. Out the nose I get a hint of something chemical, but I can't quite nail what it my be. It's not ammonia... but it's... odd. Not necessarily bad, just intriguing.

Draw is fantastic. Ash is gray-white. Burn is razor sharp. Pretty boring at the start, but am thinking this cigar could go great places.

About 1" in:

Ahhh yes... here we are! This cigar has arrived! Some floral notes? Grainy, even. Hmm... earthy/grassy/floral. A warming sensation fills the nostrils. Me likey! The flavors coat the mouth and linger.

Ash hangs on like a champ. Draw is great, burn is great.

In the middle:

The nares try to pick up anything that overwhelms, but this cigar is extremely well balanced. I'm picking up a little bit of spice at the throat. A bit peppery, but the earthy/grass tones are prominant in the mouth. Excellent medium bodied smoke. Good lasting finish that left me wanting to take another drag.

The end:

Start to run into trouble. Remember that "hard spot" I mentioned? When the burn approached this point - BLAM! Light switch - instantly a foul charcoal/wood flavor overwhelmed everything. About 20 seconds later, the wrapper cracked revealing a GIGANTIC stem. To give you an idea, it was about as thick around as 2-3 toothpicks, and about an inch long. Very unacceptable that this made it past quality control. Pics of it coming later.

Nonethless, post stem-extraction the cigar still smoked very well. The spice picked up quite a bit, but this was more than likely due to it getting a bit warm. Not hot, just warm enough to notice. The tobacco flavor really starts to come through. I'm sad that it's over.

Guess:

Started "meh". Evolved. Tons of different flavors/aromas, with none grabbing the reigns and telling the others where to get off. Balanced. A great smoke after a great dinner.

Gonna have to say Cuban. I'm fairly confident I have had something like this before. I want to lean towards a RA or Boli, but wouldn't be surprised if Greg tricked me.

Anyway, a good smoke. My favorite thus far. Gonna say $8-$10 a stick, medium-bodied, Cuban. Maybe a couple years on it, but a few more would make this outstanding.

Now, go ahead and tell me it's a Diplimaticos or not Cuban at all so I can run off and be the village idiot again :laugh:!

Cigar Number 3 - Bolivar Coronas Extra ONU CCUN (JAN99) - Roughly $8 - $10 per stick

Ah another excellent job Jeff my friend! Definitely not a village idiot today! Only thing would be the age guessed, which you were off just a few years. These have actually been hit or miss, and I was hoping it was a hit on the one I sent. Sounds like it was close. I know the ones that have hit for me have been very good smokes. You done good man, you done good!

 

[jlada]

Well, shucks! Can't win 'em all :laugh:!

An excellent cigar, Greg! In retrospect, I think the dusty/dank/stale pre-light probably should have tipped me off to it being aged. I've not had a Boli of this age. Odd that it reminded me of RA.

Thanks for the chance to taste a decade old Boli! :thumbs:

 

[rectifythis]

I have some from this era and I found the same thing....hit or miss....both with construction and flavor. When you get a good one though, it's a treat. I actually prefer mine with less age on it. To me they take on a 'tea' like flavor, it's not a bad thing, just different.

Kudos to Jeff and Greg for this thread.

 

[masterp0606]

Nice review. You give me hope that one day I will become a great cigar connoisseur such as yourself.

 

[wavescrashing]

This is an awesome idea. Sounds like a lot of fun. Good luck on the others Jeff

 

[jlada]

I promised pictures:

Cigar 1

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Pic 5
Pic 6
Pic 7
Pic 8
Pic 9


Cigar 2

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Pic 5
Pic 6

Cigar 3

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Pic 5
Pic 6
Pic 7
Pic 8
Pic 9

 

[Kingantz]

Stick No. 7​

What a week. Month end closing is always fun! Got off work a little early today, so grabbed Jeff’s blind stick no. 7 and headed to the back porch. This is a nice looking double-robusto sized cigar with a Colorado shade wrapper that is smooth and oily with no prominent veins to be seen. There’s a slight give when squeezed and the weight is good in the hand. I punch the cap and find a perfect draw with a rich cocoa flavor coming through in the cold draw.

After torching the foot and a good burn going, I take a few puffs and then a slow, long draw. Wow! Lots of black pepper spice hits the back of the throat from the medium to full bodied smoke. I get flavors of cocoa, earth, wood, and worn leather as well as a rich nuttiness. The finish is somewhat clean and semi-lasting on the palate. The spice is quite strong through the first inch, burning the nostrils while exhaling through the nose; however settles down slightly once past the one inch mark.

The burn is sharp with a medium to light gray ash forming that holds strong until knocked off about every inch. Smoke flows freely through the perfect draw and flavors of cocoa, earth, and worn leather continue with a taste of earth in the undertone. The finish is still rather clean and not all too lasting, but decent nonetheless.

A third in and the ash became loose and fell on its own, luckily in the ashtray. This is one very powerful cigar leaning towards a full body with a good amount of black pepper spice still coming through. The flavor continues to be good with cocoa and leather with earthy undertones. The ash is quite flaky now with pieces coming loose and falling easily. I find a very good draw with lots of smoke coming from the sharp burn.

Towards the end, the cigar did get a little acrid with a strong, charred wood taste at times, however there was a good, straightforward tobacco taste coming through as well in the full bodied smoke. Strong black pepper spice continued to hit the back of the throat.

This was a good cigar with a full bodied smoke and lots of spice. There were good flavors of cocoa, wood, and worn leather with a nice earthiness. The burn was sharp with the ash a bit flaky. I want to say the leaf was Dominican; however I’m leaning more towards Nicaraguan. Possibly some sort of Tat. Pricewise probably $6 to $8.

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4

 

[sinnyc]

*Taps foot impatiently*

 

[jlada]

Have to wait until I get home in the morning to verify which this is. Should be home around 0715 EST.

I've come down with a nasty cough/cold/sore throat/congestion/earache/etc over the past week or so and have not been up to smoking any of Greg's sticks. I am getting over it pretty well and will be smoking some soon.

Very late edit: Hilarious typo that left a noun in it's singular form instead of the plural... kinda made it sound like I was performing sexual favors.

 

[jlada]

Number 7 was a Don Pepin My Father No. 1 Robusto.

This is actually the same cigar you smoked for cigar #2 in moki's review. HERE you said:

Kingantz said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 3/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 3/10 - Last 1/3rd: 4/10 - Overall: 3.3/10

Price: $5.00

Review: This was a nice looking cigar with noticeable oils in the medium brown, smooth wrapper. There was a good weight in the hand, and I found a couple of soft spots that ran the length approximately an inch or so. I sniffed the foot and got a tobacco smell with some cocoa. I let my wife take a smell and she said it was like stinky feet. I punched the triple cap and found the draw a tad bit on the loose side, but still enough resistance to hopefully smoke okay.

Beginning 1/3
I put fire to the foot and blew the embers to get an even burn. After a few puffs to get it burning good, I took a good draw and was hit with a heavy blast of strong pepper spice. There wasn’t much flavor in the medium bodied smoke to speak of. Possibly a hint of lightly toasted bread. Other than that, just straightforward tobacco. The burn was good with a loose, white ash that was quite flaky. Bits falling off here and there. Nothing in the way of a finish.

Middle 1/3
There isn’t much more here than in the beginning 1/3 really. Still getting a heft dose of pepper spice in the medium bodied smoke. I kept thinking there was a hint of cocoa in there, however it just kept escaping me. The burn continued to be decent with the ash remaining white and flaky. Ashing the cigar, I saw there was a couple of tunnels running down the center. The draw was good, still getting a nice enough resistance to smoke well.

Final 1/3
Heading into the final 1/3, I started to detect a bit of flavor. That of a black coffee with hints of woodiness. The smoke strengthened only slightly to a medium-full and the pepper spice continued as before. On in, there was definitely a little more flavor that was dark and only slightly lasting on the palate. The wrapper cracked with about an inch and a half left and the cigar bulged out a little, and the draw became quite loose towards the end. Tastes of very strong, black coffee came through with a small amount of cocoa and wood.

Summary: I’m not too sure about this cigar. The burn was decent enough with a white, flaky ash, however I have to say the flavor was quite bland through about ¾ of the smoke. Only towards the end did I begin to really pick up tastes of black coffee and a dark woodiness. It very much reminded me of a cigar I smoked not long ago. Hmmm…

Similar tastes noted but you characterized the body of the smoke much differently. Also, it's a Nicaraguan puro, so you were pretty good on the guess. Great job, my friend!

 

[Kingantz]

Very interesting. This one was very strong in body, however the one in Moki's blind test was much milder. Maybe the one Andrew sent was a My Father Light. :laugh:

 

[jlada]

Very interesting. This one was very strong in body, however the one in Moki's blind test was much milder. Maybe the one Andrew sent was a My Father Light. :laugh:

Perhaps a Don Pepin Garcia My Step-Father?

 

[Kingantz]

Very interesting. This one was very strong in body, however the one in Moki's blind test was much milder. Maybe the one Andrew sent was a My Father Light. :laugh:

Perhaps a Don Pepin Garcia My Step-Father?

LMAO!!

Hope ya feeling better soon Jeff! Unfortunately, it seems I'm coming down with yet another cold as well. I am definitely sick of being sick. Springtime c'mon!!

 

[jlada]

Finally getting over my cold, so I turned on some tunes and decided to attack:

Cigar Number 4​

Preconceptions:

Looks robusto-ish.
About 5".
Probably 48-50 gauge.
Couple large veins, light brown.
Good construction.
Grainy wrapper.
Somewhat flat head.
Odd looking cap. Looks like a double cap or mediocre triple cap. Cap looks somewhat like an afterthought.
Medium weight in hand - semi-firm roll, some give on squeeze.

Pre-light:

Dull. Not much flavor coming through. Mild straight tobacco flavor. Not much to be noted.

Beginning:

Immediate spice. Warms the nostrils. Grass/earth noted but a tinge of wood.

Draw is good. Ash is very dark. As it burns, it leaves white specks as documented HERE. Burn is favoring one side, but not too much. Pretty interesting.

About 1" in:

Cigar naturally ashed. Spice is starting to fade. Earthy notes dominate, but still a distinct wood flavor. Aroma is somewhat like a camp ground at night. I can't quite peg anything that "stands out". Medium bodied, nostrils still slightly warm on the exhale.

Ash remains very dark. Draw is great, burn still favoring, but it always correct itself.

In the middle:

Trying to pick up anything that overwhelms, but the cigar is "boring". Still medium. Spice is all gone. Definitive woody/straw flavor. Doesn't really evolve so to speak... hmmm...

The end:

Spice comes back a bit. Getting a little acrid, so I slow down my draws. The finish is intriguing... leaves a nice flavor in the mouth. It's definitely a little woody, somewhat reminds me of the flavor/aroma of sawdust. Perhaps a piece of straw. The body doesn't pick up much. Unfortunately, the cigar didn't evolve much.

Guess:

Started reasonably "spicy", but waned. Maintained a grass/earth/wood flavor throughout most of the cigar. Pretty confident I don't keep a lot of these on hand. If I do, perhaps this stick is older than my stash.

You've got me stumped. There's no obvious triple cap, so I can't say I have a Cuban bias. The white specks in the ash were kind of nifty - as I don't see those much. A decent smoke, but somewhat boring because it didn't have any distinct change. I'm suck between Dominican or Cuban... perhaps with a few years because the spice tried to come through, but didn't quite deliver. I wouldn't go out of my way to find many of this. It just didn't get my juices going - but perhaps that is due to the lingering effects of my cold.

Probably my least favorite thus far, save for the "off Tat". Gonna say $5-$7 a stick, medium-bodied, perhaps a few years old, Cuban? Maybe H. Upmann? Who knows. I'm stumped. Wouldn't suprise me if this was meant to be a curve ball and is a random every day domestic.

WTF is this, Greg?

Edit for pictures:

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Pic 5

 

[Kingantz]

Finally getting over my cold, so I turned on some tunes and decided to attack:

Cigar Number 4​

Preconceptions:

Looks robusto-ish.
About 5".
Probably 48-50 gauge.
Couple large veins, light brown.
Good construction.
Grainy wrapper.
Somewhat flat head.
Odd looking cap. Looks like a double cap or mediocre triple cap. Cap looks somewhat like an afterthought.
Medium weight in hand - semi-firm roll, some give on squeeze.

Pre-light:

Dull. Not much flavor coming through. Mild straight tobacco flavor. Not much to be noted.

Beginning:

Immediate spice. Warms the nostrils. Grass/earth noted but a tinge of wood.

Draw is good. Ash is very dark. As it burns, it leaves white specks as documented HERE. Burn is favoring one side, but not too much. Pretty interesting.

About 1" in:

Cigar naturally ashed. Spice is starting to fade. Earthy notes dominate, but still a distinct wood flavor. Aroma is somewhat like a camp ground at night. I can't quite peg anything that "stands out". Medium bodied, nostrils still slightly warm on the exhale.

Ash remains very dark. Draw is great, burn still favoring, but it always correct itself.

In the middle:

Trying to pick up anything that overwhelms, but the cigar is "boring". Still medium. Spice is all gone. Definitive woody/straw flavor. Doesn't really evolve so to speak... hmmm...

The end:

Spice comes back a bit. Getting a little acrid, so I slow down my draws. The finish is intriguing... leaves a nice flavor in the mouth. It's definitely a little woody, somewhat reminds me of the flavor/aroma of sawdust. Perhaps a piece of straw. The body doesn't pick up much. Unfortunately, the cigar didn't evolve much.

Guess:

Started reasonably "spicy", but waned. Maintained a grass/earth/wood flavor throughout most of the cigar. Pretty confident I don't keep a lot of these on hand. If I do, perhaps this stick is older than my stash.

You've got me stumped. There's no obvious triple cap, so I can't say I have a Cuban bias. The white specks in the ash were kind of nifty - as I don't see those much. A decent smoke, but somewhat boring because it didn't have any distinct change. I'm suck between Dominican or Cuban... perhaps with a few years because the spice tried to come through, but didn't quite deliver. I wouldn't go out of my way to find many of this. It just didn't get my juices going - but perhaps that is due to the lingering effects of my cold.

Probably my least favorite thus far, save for the "off Tat". Gonna say $5-$7 a stick, medium-bodied, perhaps a few years old, Cuban? Maybe H. Upmann? Who knows. I'm stumped. Wouldn't suprise me if this was meant to be a curve ball and is a random every day domestic.

WTF is this, Greg?

Edit for pictures:

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4
Pic 5

Cigar Number 4 - Vegas Robaina Famosos '07 - Roughly $6 - $7 per stick​

Wow! Someone that doesn't like VR Famosos! :laugh: Out of all the VR's, the Famosos is my favorite. I wonder if it was your coming off your cold, an "off" cigar, or that you just don't like the profile. Great job on the origin and the price point. Right on both of 'em!