dlow
Noob
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2009
- Messages
- 304
Hey Gang,
This is first review, so lets see how it goes.
Background:
First of all, a big thankyou goes out to Frank (franco593) for sending me such a nice sample of DPG smokes to choose from. Up until the pepin whore contest, I never got a chance to try a DPG blend. The first smoke I tried from the sampling I received was a DPG "blue" robusto. Unfortunately, I didn't review that cigar (though I wish I had). It was truly an excellent experience. In fact, I liked the blue so much that I immediately purchased more. I'll most likely review one of these in the near future (weather permitting). Randomly, I chose the Cuban Classic or "black" as the next DPG cigar to sample and my first to review. I knew nothing about this cigar going in to things. My notes are below:
Cigar info:
My Google sleuthing turned up the following:
Cigar: Cuban Classic AKA "black"
Vitola: Robustos
Year: unknown
Wrapper: Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Blend: From what I've read, has more Ligero than the blue, but otherwise a similar blend.
Environment:
Weather: Sunny and around 45 degrees. Small gusts of wind here and there.
Time: Around 2pm.
Humidor humidity: been 66% over the past two months. Cigar has been kept at 66% since I've received it (about a month). I didn't dry box or anything like that.
Occasion: It's just nice to not see rain and fog today. It's been cold and raining here for what seems like months. I'm also celebrating my completion of Christmas shopping.
Pairing: Coca-Cola
Initial inspection:
Some slight give to the cigar. Not quite firm and definitely not "squishy". Feels like it's rolled pretty well. I can't find any overly soft or overly hard spots. Wrapper looks pretty good with just a few prominent veins. Nothing really stands out on initial inspection. There is one small blemish near the foot. Given the location of the bad spot, it shouldn't cause any burn issues. Cap seems perfect and it clipped well with no issues.
Prelight draw is easy. Not too much resistance. Wrapper has some slight spice on my lips but not a ton (I'd prefer a little more to be honest). Some slight hay aftertaste with a good finish.
First third:
Starts spicy on tip of the tongue with slight hay aftertaste and up some light leather. Man, this thing is producing tons of great white smoke. Burn starts very even. A few more puffs in and the spice moves to the back of the throat. The finish is much drier than the blue. Getting mostly a good tobacco flavor. Other flavors are subtle. I'm not quite as impressed as I was with the blue, so far. Mid way through the first third and the burn is holding straight. No issues so far. Flavors hold steady through the first third. Spice starts strong then settles out. Other subtle flavors come an go. Mostly picking up spice, tobacco, hay, and leather (in that order). Definitely bolder than the blue.
Second third:
Spice has settled a good bit now and I'm definitely picking up more of that barnyard hay flavor, which is what I loved about the blue. I wasn't overly impressed initially, but the cigar is growing on me. However, Tobacco flavor still dominates. I notice that the ash is still holding well and hasn't dropped yet. The burn is perfect so far with a good white ash. Few more puffs in and the flavors don't change much. Ash breaks at a little over 1/4" long and it falls easily now. Smoke is really getting much smoother as I progress, mellowing out as I go. Still, I'd classify this as a full bodied smoke. I can tell that this one has more Ligero. The more I puff, the more I like this cigar. Just over 1/2 way through the first 1/3 and the tobacco flavor is definitely in the forefront now. The Spice is almost gone leaving the hay aftertaste or "finish". Burn got slightly uneven for a bit, but it is correcting itself. I'm really starting to notice the finish on this cigar, man it's long. I'm finding that flavors are much better with a good bit of rest bewtween puffs. I think I may have been smoking it too quickly, which caused the spice and tobacco to overpower the more subtle flavors. Waiting longer between puffs brings out that wonderful hay flavor and leaves time for me to really enjoy the finish. Starting to pick up hints of dark chocolate in the finish now as well. Wonderful flavors at this point.
Final third
Ash is holding well again now. Loving the creamy white smoke. The cigar still tastes great great at this point. Mostly getting chocolate and hay. I'm loving the finish. I'd say that the second 1/2 of this cigar is much better than the first. I find myself taking a puff and then spending time breathing in through my mouth and out through my nose to pick up on the finish. If I rush it, the bitterness and dryness definitely picks up. I have to remind myself to go slow with this one. Well into the final third and I'm getting a good bit of spice again. The finish is becoming nutty with the hay becoming slight if at all noticeable. Chocolate is gone by the point, which disappoints because I was really enjoying the combination of hay and chocolate. That said, the finish remains long and I'm still enjoying it. Getting near the end now and flavors are becoming a bit chaotic. Bitter then smooth. Harsh then soft and creamy. Also, seems to be losing flavors in the finish. I tried a trick I read about on the internet where you light the end of the cigar and blow to "burn off toxic gases that build up in the cigar" (not sure what thats supposed to mean). It does seem to help sometimes, so I figured what the heck, at this point I'm ready to put the stick down anyways. After doing this and letting the cigar sit for a minute to cool back down, the flavors actually back up and I start getting more hay and chocolate again (yay!). These flavors remain until the end and I smoked almost to the nub, when the sun fell behind the trees causing it to get a bit too chilly outside.
Conclusion:
Overall I'd say that this was a pretty good smoke. It burned well, produced lots of creamy smoke and the flavors were good. I still prefer the blue but this cigar was no slouch. I'd definitely smoke another. That said, I'll probably pick up a 5'er at some point, but I doubt I'd buy a box. It was certainly stronger than the blue, which is nice because I generally prefer full bodied smokes. I'd say that the black is more suited for as an afternoon smoke. I should have paired it with whiskey instead of just coke as I think this would have brought out the flavors more.
Pros:
- Tons of wonderful white and creamy smoke.
- More full bodied than the blue.
- Very long finish with slight subtle complexities.
- Great burn with no issues at all.
Cons:
- Flavors, while great for about 1/2 of the smoke (mid 2/3 to first 3/3), I wished they would have held longer.
- Can get a bit harsh and dry at times if you rush things.
- Seemed to me like the extra ligero took away from the other flavors.
General suggestions:
- Expect a more full bodied smoke than the blue and pair it accordingly.
- Give the the cigar a good rest between puffs otherwise things will go south fast flavor wise.
- Expect a long finish. This is where you'll pick up the flavors.
Pictures:
(my apologies for the quality. These were taken with my camera phone)
This is first review, so lets see how it goes.
Background:
First of all, a big thankyou goes out to Frank (franco593) for sending me such a nice sample of DPG smokes to choose from. Up until the pepin whore contest, I never got a chance to try a DPG blend. The first smoke I tried from the sampling I received was a DPG "blue" robusto. Unfortunately, I didn't review that cigar (though I wish I had). It was truly an excellent experience. In fact, I liked the blue so much that I immediately purchased more. I'll most likely review one of these in the near future (weather permitting). Randomly, I chose the Cuban Classic or "black" as the next DPG cigar to sample and my first to review. I knew nothing about this cigar going in to things. My notes are below:
Cigar info:
My Google sleuthing turned up the following:
Cigar: Cuban Classic AKA "black"
Vitola: Robustos
Year: unknown
Wrapper: Habano Rosado
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Blend: From what I've read, has more Ligero than the blue, but otherwise a similar blend.
Environment:
Weather: Sunny and around 45 degrees. Small gusts of wind here and there.
Time: Around 2pm.
Humidor humidity: been 66% over the past two months. Cigar has been kept at 66% since I've received it (about a month). I didn't dry box or anything like that.
Occasion: It's just nice to not see rain and fog today. It's been cold and raining here for what seems like months. I'm also celebrating my completion of Christmas shopping.
Pairing: Coca-Cola
Initial inspection:
Some slight give to the cigar. Not quite firm and definitely not "squishy". Feels like it's rolled pretty well. I can't find any overly soft or overly hard spots. Wrapper looks pretty good with just a few prominent veins. Nothing really stands out on initial inspection. There is one small blemish near the foot. Given the location of the bad spot, it shouldn't cause any burn issues. Cap seems perfect and it clipped well with no issues.
Prelight draw is easy. Not too much resistance. Wrapper has some slight spice on my lips but not a ton (I'd prefer a little more to be honest). Some slight hay aftertaste with a good finish.
First third:
Starts spicy on tip of the tongue with slight hay aftertaste and up some light leather. Man, this thing is producing tons of great white smoke. Burn starts very even. A few more puffs in and the spice moves to the back of the throat. The finish is much drier than the blue. Getting mostly a good tobacco flavor. Other flavors are subtle. I'm not quite as impressed as I was with the blue, so far. Mid way through the first third and the burn is holding straight. No issues so far. Flavors hold steady through the first third. Spice starts strong then settles out. Other subtle flavors come an go. Mostly picking up spice, tobacco, hay, and leather (in that order). Definitely bolder than the blue.
Second third:
Spice has settled a good bit now and I'm definitely picking up more of that barnyard hay flavor, which is what I loved about the blue. I wasn't overly impressed initially, but the cigar is growing on me. However, Tobacco flavor still dominates. I notice that the ash is still holding well and hasn't dropped yet. The burn is perfect so far with a good white ash. Few more puffs in and the flavors don't change much. Ash breaks at a little over 1/4" long and it falls easily now. Smoke is really getting much smoother as I progress, mellowing out as I go. Still, I'd classify this as a full bodied smoke. I can tell that this one has more Ligero. The more I puff, the more I like this cigar. Just over 1/2 way through the first 1/3 and the tobacco flavor is definitely in the forefront now. The Spice is almost gone leaving the hay aftertaste or "finish". Burn got slightly uneven for a bit, but it is correcting itself. I'm really starting to notice the finish on this cigar, man it's long. I'm finding that flavors are much better with a good bit of rest bewtween puffs. I think I may have been smoking it too quickly, which caused the spice and tobacco to overpower the more subtle flavors. Waiting longer between puffs brings out that wonderful hay flavor and leaves time for me to really enjoy the finish. Starting to pick up hints of dark chocolate in the finish now as well. Wonderful flavors at this point.
Final third
Ash is holding well again now. Loving the creamy white smoke. The cigar still tastes great great at this point. Mostly getting chocolate and hay. I'm loving the finish. I'd say that the second 1/2 of this cigar is much better than the first. I find myself taking a puff and then spending time breathing in through my mouth and out through my nose to pick up on the finish. If I rush it, the bitterness and dryness definitely picks up. I have to remind myself to go slow with this one. Well into the final third and I'm getting a good bit of spice again. The finish is becoming nutty with the hay becoming slight if at all noticeable. Chocolate is gone by the point, which disappoints because I was really enjoying the combination of hay and chocolate. That said, the finish remains long and I'm still enjoying it. Getting near the end now and flavors are becoming a bit chaotic. Bitter then smooth. Harsh then soft and creamy. Also, seems to be losing flavors in the finish. I tried a trick I read about on the internet where you light the end of the cigar and blow to "burn off toxic gases that build up in the cigar" (not sure what thats supposed to mean). It does seem to help sometimes, so I figured what the heck, at this point I'm ready to put the stick down anyways. After doing this and letting the cigar sit for a minute to cool back down, the flavors actually back up and I start getting more hay and chocolate again (yay!). These flavors remain until the end and I smoked almost to the nub, when the sun fell behind the trees causing it to get a bit too chilly outside.
Conclusion:
Overall I'd say that this was a pretty good smoke. It burned well, produced lots of creamy smoke and the flavors were good. I still prefer the blue but this cigar was no slouch. I'd definitely smoke another. That said, I'll probably pick up a 5'er at some point, but I doubt I'd buy a box. It was certainly stronger than the blue, which is nice because I generally prefer full bodied smokes. I'd say that the black is more suited for as an afternoon smoke. I should have paired it with whiskey instead of just coke as I think this would have brought out the flavors more.
Pros:
- Tons of wonderful white and creamy smoke.
- More full bodied than the blue.
- Very long finish with slight subtle complexities.
- Great burn with no issues at all.
Cons:
- Flavors, while great for about 1/2 of the smoke (mid 2/3 to first 3/3), I wished they would have held longer.
- Can get a bit harsh and dry at times if you rush things.
- Seemed to me like the extra ligero took away from the other flavors.
General suggestions:
- Expect a more full bodied smoke than the blue and pair it accordingly.
- Give the the cigar a good rest between puffs otherwise things will go south fast flavor wise.
- Expect a long finish. This is where you'll pick up the flavors.
Pictures:
(my apologies for the quality. These were taken with my camera phone)
