The blind taste test thread

[Lumberg]

OK Guys I think you knwo the score. If you have any doubts please read this thread.

Each person will get a mismatched pair at random. Thus each type is guaranteed to be smoked by at least two different people, and each person is assured of receiving at least two different cigars. When possible the sticks will be from the same box, right next to each other, or at least from the same batch.

I suggest you let your sticks rest for at least one week with the individual cigar bag OPEN in the environment and humidity of your choice. My cigars have been stored at between 65 and 70% for a minimum of 4 weeks. But they have been in their bags for a couple of days already now, and will be so for a few more days at least. The guys in Hawaii and on the west coast will probably need more "rest" time. Some will have damage from removing the bands. That's just part of it.

Once all instances of each cigar have been smoked and reviewed, its identity will be revealed. Some cigars are represented more heavily than others.

just try not to have had too many beers before you smoke, and make the cigar the first if you're smoking more than one at a time.

Most of all, have fun and ENJOY!

As far as the reviews, be honest. Don't try to mimic the styles of others. Don't feel like you are somehow worse than others because you don't taste "hints of coffee and leather."

DO concentrate on the more concrete things about the cigar, like how it feels when you roll it back and forth in your palm. the color, wrapper, burn, ash consistency, how well the head dealt with punching/cutting, the draw, etc.

Only post in this thread if you are a participant. Please post to acknowledge receipt of the box, and then to review. Each participant should have at most three posts on this thread (1 to acknowledge, one for each review). It would probably be best to just edit the same post, cos with 29 participants and 58 cigars to review, this thread is going to get crowded fast.


The participants are, in no particular order,

Drake
BurningDoDo
grand cru #2
BlindedByScience
Diesel Grinch
JAEwing
Shibumi
AVB
cigarsarge
cletus
wam79
stevehawk
KiltedCraftsman
bchem
Gonz
kevpriest
IgwanaRob
bhaney
KayakinBoy
Peekay
BohemianRed
cigardawg
LC-Smoker
junkman_56
Cheeze
Pyre
jcpyro
Jeffro600
BigMacFU

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
----------------------------------
Edit: Identity section:
1 and 2 are JR Ultimate #5 Oscuro
3 and 4 are JR Ultimate Cabinet #10
5 and 6 are Ashton Heritage Puro Sol Corona Gordas
7 and 8 are AF Don Carlos Belicosos
9 and 10 are AF Chateau Fuente Sungrowns
11 and 12 are Opus X "Power Rangers"
13 and 14 are Padron Delicias Naturals
15, 16, & 17 are Padron Delicias Maduros
18,19, & 20 are Don Tomas Candela Robusto with the 20 year old wrapper
21-25 are Purisco Chirchill Maduro
26-38 are Colinas Petit Corona, which I happen to love when I am in the mood for a mild smoke.
39 and 40 are RP Vintage 2nds Robustos
41 and 42 are Rolando Reyes, Jr. Bundle Torpedos
43 and 44 are Habanos Gold Lonsdales
45-48 are Colinas Chuchill (same blend as 26-38 I believe but they taste different (and not as good) to me.
49 through 58 are Red Label Panatelas
"By PEDRO RAMOS
This famous ex-New York Yankee's pitcher was born in Cuba, in the heart of the tobacco plantations. He was taught how to grow tobacco & make cigars by his father & grandfather. He now manufacturers one of the finest cigars available today."
Cbid says:
"Red Label is a handmade Dominican that was once an expensive brand during the cigar boom. A well-aged, mild, Sumatra-wrapped cigar composed of all-Dominican long-filler tobaccos. Pleasant, unobtrusive and mellow, with some cedary notes."


Got them on Cbid. I don't think they are made anymore, and the cello was very, very yellow. (Sorry LC-Smoker!)

 

[Jeffro600]

Nevermind, saw you answered it in the other post...

 

[Diesel Grinch]

I just got my package #5 and #50. Going into the coolidor for a bit. :thumbs:

 

[BurningDoDo]

got mine today as well. i recieved #21 and #33. can't wait to smoke'm. thanks Lumberg!!

 

[stevehawk]

Received the sticks for me and KiltedCraftsman today. I have #8 and #55. Jeremy will have #17 and #31.

They are resting in the humi. I plan to let 'em rest for the next 10 days and smoke them sometime next weekend.

Thanks, Lumberg! I look forward to the blind taste test and will post my reviews when the "work" has been done.

 

[IgwanaRob]

#49 and #12 arrived safely.

John, Paul, George, and Ringo did not accompany them

Edited 8/28 @ 1:50 PM: Starting #49 now

~~~~~~~~~~ Cigar #49 Review ~~~~~~~~~~

This morning, as I was about to sit down and try #49, I noticed it was covered one one side with white furry mold. The CF/SG that I had brought out as a back-up also had some mold on it. Checked the small humi I had these in, and they seem to be the only ones affected (#12 looks fine, as do the rest of the small cigars in that humi - in fact # 12 looks like a damn fine specimen, and I can't wait to try it). Humidity seems high in the small humi (the crappy analog hygro is reading about 75% after adjusting for the difference from the last time I checked it - about 5% higher than it is usually), but the humidity is really high here overall the past couple of days.

Since I smoked something out of this humi last night with no problems, I decided to brave this anyway and took it outside.

What a difference the lighting makes. First thing I notice is there are several spots on the wrapper where it is cracked at the seams, and there are several veins (one large and full length). The cap looks like an afterthought, more like just a continuation of the wrapper than of a separate thing. The entire wrapper is covered with small, barely noticeable, green spots that appear to be water spots. The foot end of the wrapper is a couple shades darker then the head, despite it being one continuous leaf. It's not a pretty looking stogie by any means.

Construction: 5

The stick is 6" x ~40 gauge, and lightly colored for the most part (see above). Definitely not what I'm used to size wise. The stick feels fine to handle, although kind of skinny for my hands. The construction feel is very inconsistent - soft to brittle. It bends easily in 2 spots, and slight pressure causes the wrapper to separate where it's already cracked. The head feels a lot more solid than the rest of it - almost like a plugged cigar.

Size and Feel: 6.5

It smells, well fresh and plain would be how I'd describe it. The cap snipped off rather easily. Pre-draw is almost non-existent. It's like trying to suck a McDonald's milkshake with a coffee stirrer. Lighting is no problem, and despite the pre-draw, or lack thereof, it actually draws fairly well with ample amounts of smoke - surprising for it's size really. Ash is grey to bright white, nicely speckled, and the burn seems fairly even. Lasted about an inch before committing suicide and falling to the concrete as I picked it up, with half staying solid and the other half exploding in flakes. Even when the cracked wrapper became an issue, it still managed to burn quite evenly.

Burn: 8

Taste is not too bad. Mild to sightly medium bodied, and fairly smooth - at least at the beginning. A lot better than I would have thought it to be based on it's appearance and smell. It has a small bite to it that I can't put my hand (or tastes buds) on. Like fresh tobacco sprinkled with sugar to disguise it's infancy, if that makes any sense. The smoke itself smells almost like that of a regular cigarette. Taste seems to be fairly consistent, although the smoke seems to get hotter and more bitter as it progresses. Once the wrapper become unmanageable a little more than halfway through, the taste changed for the worse, but it still was bearable enough to finish. It's obvious that the taste would have remained consistent and decent if the wrapper was not already falling off.

Taste: 7

Burn was fairly consistent, despite the wrapper apart midway. Taste was fairly constant, although the smoke suffered when smoked too quickly. Once it got halfway, it did go out once as the wrapper started to peel away.

Consistency: 7.5


Overall, not too bad - especially if the MSRP is reasonable ($2-4). It's a very quick burning stick, something to smoke when out with the guys when you don't mind something happening to the stick (splashed with water on a boat, etc.), and you don't want to dedicate too much time to the cigar. Good for passing out to your mooching buddies as well. Not a special occasion cigar by any means. I don't think I'd buy it by the box/bundle, but if I needed something else in my stash that I have no problems handing out, I'd keep a few. I've had worse, and definitely wouldn't turn it away if it was handed to me, but would easily choose something else if given a choice.

Overall Experience: 7



Size and Feel: 6.5
Construction: 5
Burn: 8
Taste: 7
Consistency: 7
Overall Experience: 7


Edited 8/28 @ 7:20 PM: Starting #12 now

~~~~~~~~~~ Cigar #12 Review ~~~~~~~~~~

Heck, it's a cloudy ominous looking Sunday - why not smoke the second stick? The first thing I noticed is that this thing looks remarkably like the OpusX XxX - from the superior looking cap right down to the size and shape. Just a hair under 5" and about a 49 gauge in girth. A clean reddish brown, though not quite as dark as the XxX's I have (see second picture above). Slightly noticeable veins, and the wrapper is damaged slightly near the top - should no be an issue at all. Overall, this thing is nearly perfectly built.


Construction: 8.75

This is pretty much my normal size preference in a cigar - I prefer my smokes closer to the 50 gauge range, although the smaller Opus sizes are exquisite. It's fairly firm with a slight give, and consistently that way from head to foot. Well made is all that really needs to be said. It feels at home in my hand, an important thing to any smoker.

Size and Feel: 9

The initial smell is quite yummy, and pre-light draw is fairly tight. It even smells like a Fuente. Not as powerful as the XxX, although that could be because it's been removed from it's cello (I've noticed that the stick that remain in their cello retain a more powerful smell). Lighting it is no problem at all. Quick to take to the flame, and evenly at that. It did go out after only a few minutes, but that's most likely due to neglect as I tried to type and edit all my horrid spelling errors. Re-lighting was easy. Ash is fairly white, but I had to knock it off when I touched it up to keep it lit. It does has a tenancy to want to go out if left alone for too long, and it would burn unevenly when I slowed the pace down.

Burn: 7.75

Initial taste shows hints of a strong cigar ahead of me. After half an inch it's obvious that there is some power behind this one. Almost over-powering at first, to the point that the flavor is being muted. Smoke is volumous and relatively cool. A quick sip of the formerly cold Starbucks vanilla frappuccino I brought out with me, followed by some cool water, helps clear things out and I notice a floral tinge to the smoke now. Slightly floral taste as it progresses, with a lot of spicy kick to it. Not complex, but fairly straight forward. Smoke is medium hot when smoked fast, cool when paced, and strong too - it stings to get too much in my nose (my nose doesn't like the strong stuff, even though my mouth does). Halfway though the taste does smooth out with a mild creamy texture, but there's still plenty of kick in this stick.

Taste: 8

Both taste and construction were straight and forward throughout, with only slight changes in flavor. The only complaint is the need for attention means I can't leave it for too long or it will try to go out, yet it's too strong to smoke fast (My head is swimming at the halfway point). Several touch ups were needed throughout the smoke, but I suspect the humidity is at fault more than the quality of the stick itself.

Consistency: 7.5

It's 82% humidity @ 77° out here, which probably contributes to the minor burn problems along with the fairly high humidity it came from this morning (I didn't let it sit outside the humi as long as the first one). I have found that some sticks just don't like being smoked with this level of humidity, most notably the Fuente stuff I like, as well as some of the Indian Tabec stuff. Smoked it almost to the nub (about a smidgen more than an inch and a half left) before it was starting to get hot.

Slightly stronger than something I would smoke on a regular basis, but something I would definitely smoke a couple times a month if I had them on hand. I probably wouldn't give this out to my friends unless they were experienced smokers. It has the construction of a higher end premium - at least in the $10 range. Would buy a few at a time, but probably not a full box. Considering the construction and straight forward full flavor I would not be surprised to find if this was indeed a Fuente product, but then again I am a newbie so I may be far off

Overall Experience: 8.5


Size and Feel: 9
Construction: 8.75
Burn: 7.75
Taste: 8
Consistency: 7.5
Overall Experience: 8.5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Thanks for the oportunity Lumberg, looking foward to the reveal! :thumbs:

 

[cigarsarge]

Mine and cletus's smokes arrived today. #15, #23,#38, and #46 are resting comfortably. :thumbs:

 

[cigardawg]

The sticks for LC-Smoker and I arrived today. Will get his to him tomorrow. Will put mine down for a few days before smoking. :thumbs:

 

[bhaney]

I recieved my smokes today as well. I am going to give them a week in the humidor then I will commence the review. Thanks again for the oportunity to participate.

Brandon

 

[Cheeze]

Received my end yesterday, I put it in the humi and will smoke in the next couple of days!!!

 

[Pyre]

Received my package today also. Smokes #16 and #26 are resting quietly in my humidor.

 

[Jeffro600]

Got mine yesterday...#1 and #47. Im going to let them chill out in the humidor for a couple more days and will get you a review on them early next week.

 

[junkman_56]

Got home from work today and found the cigars waiting for me
I got #'s 11 and 58. They look great...
They will rest in my humidor for about a week before I fire them up.

Thanks again Lumberg, you put a lot of effort into this. :thumbs:

 

[Lumberg]

LOL@IgwanaRob

<steeples fingers>EXcellent</steeple>

 

[stevehawk]

#49 and #12 arrived safely.

John, Paul, George, and Ringo did not accompany them

[snapback]213798[/snapback]​

LOL@IgwanaRob

<steeples fingers>EXcellent</steeple>

[snapback]214405[/snapback]​

Ah... now I get it... no "Beatles"...

Sorry, Lum, for the extraneous post! Could not help myself! :whistling:

 

[Shibumi]

I got # 24 & #58 today. You know the drill, will rest a little in the coolerdor and then get smoked next week sometime with my reviews to follow. Thanks again Lumberg.

 

[junkman_56]

I got # 24 & #58 today. You know the drill, will rest a little in the coolerdor and then get smoked next week sometime with my reviews to follow. Thanks again Lumberg.

[snapback]214439[/snapback]​

I also got #58...
Lumberg, are there multiple #'s out there??

Edited: I just went down stairs and confirmed that #58 is on the baggie I received.

 

[KayakinBoy]

Got mine yesterday, didn't look at the numbers, just put them in the humi for resting.

 

[Shibumi]

I got # 24 & #58 today.  You know the drill, will rest a little in the coolerdor and then get smoked next week sometime with my reviews to follow.  Thanks again Lumberg.

[snapback]214439[/snapback]​

I also got #58...
Lumberg, are there multiple #'s out there??

Edited: I just went down stairs and confirmed that #58 is on the baggie I received.

[snapback]214440[/snapback]​

Mine defintely say's #58 too. Let me know if you want me to change the number.

 

[Drake]

mom said my packaged arrived yesterday. i'm going to go pick it up today.