Famous Nic Selection 3000

[Saxjazzman]

This thread will review:

Name: Famous Nicaraguan Selection 3000 (Grand Robusto)
Size: 6.00 x 60
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habana Natural
Binder: NIC
Filler: NIC
MSRP: 20 cigars in a bundle for $80
Price Payed: $35 on auction
Stated Strength: Full
Comments: The first blend of this cigar was hot. There is speculation that the blend has changed and it is not the same cigar that came out a year or so ago. This is a cigar put out by Famous in PA. This cigar has been aging in the humi for about 8 months.



For original thread discussion see Start Up Thread

 

[Saxjazzman]

To keep it standard, we would rate the cigars in three categories.

A) Appearance--How the cigar looks, how the pre-light smell is, the wrapper, etc.

B) Taste---How is the taste? Spicy, strong, bland, airball, etc. How did the taste progress, etc.

C) Construction---How did the cigar perform in terms of draw, burn, ash, etc.

To rate the cigars we would use a number from 5 to 10, 5 being one you would not even give Fidel to smoke and ten being a damm good cigar. The final rating number would be determined by the following:

A + B + (1.5)C divided by 3.5. This is similar to how Cigar Magazine does it but it is a little different. I realize that this is not perfect and there may be better ways but this would work also. Thanks for the reviews!!

 

[SammyP]

~Edit: Oops! Didn't read the thread that started this off. Didn't realize that SJM was passing these around for review. Haven't been around much lately. I'll leave my review, even though it's a different vitola. If it's deemed to muck up the thread, feel free to delete!

I haven't had one in a while, but I figured I'd offer my opinion to maybe help jumpstart this thread. I've never had one of the "originals", but these have been a staple in my humi for the past 4 or 5 months. I smoke the "presidente" (8X52)....never had the grand robusto.

a) Appearance: I find them to be consistently well made. They're pressed, but not sharply--they're pretty much oval shaped. The wrappers always look good; not the prettiest in the world, but never had one with any major veins or anything. I always punch mine, and have never had a problem. Pre-light smell is of strong tobacco. I'd give it a 7.

b) Taste: Again, I haven't had one in a while, but I'd classify it as a full bodied, earthy smoke with a hint of spice. Not terribly complex, nor any dramatic changes besides becoming quite strong in the final third. I'd call it a 7.5.

c) Construction: Not too firm, not too spongy, they draw just right when punched. The light grey ash is farily firm, but lacks the concentric rings like some of the higher dollar smokes. I can't really fault them for that, though. The presidente, being such a large vitola, smokes nice and cool. I can't find any real complaints......a solid 8.

If I did my math right, that works out to about a 7.6 overall. I really like these, and the big prez is a lot of smoke for the money.

 

[Saxjazzman]

~Edit: Oops! Didn't read the thread that started this off. Didn't realize that SJM was passing these around for review. Haven't been around much lately. I'll leave my review, even though it's a different vitola. If it's deemed to muck up the thread, feel free to delete!

I haven't had one in a while, but I figured I'd offer my opinion to maybe help jumpstart this thread. I've never had one of the "originals", but these have been a staple in my humi for the past 4 or 5 months. I smoke the "presidente" (8X52)....never had the grand robusto.

a) Appearance: I find them to be consistently well made. They're pressed, but not sharply--they're pretty much oval shaped. The wrappers always look good; not the prettiest in the world, but never had one with any major veins or anything. I always punch mine, and have never had a problem. Pre-light smell is of strong tobacco. I'd give it a 7.

b) Taste: Again, I haven't had one in a while, but I'd classify it as a full bodied, earthy smoke with a hint of spice. Not terribly complex, nor any dramatic changes besides becoming quite strong in the final third. I'd call it a 7.5.

c) Construction: Not too firm, not too spongy, they draw just right when punched. The light grey ash is farily firm, but lacks the concentric rings like some of the higher dollar smokes. I can't really fault them for that, though. The presidente, being such a large vitola, smokes nice and cool. I can't find any real complaints......a solid 8.

If I did my math right, that works out to about a 7.6 overall. I really like these, and the big prez is a lot of smoke for the money.

This is great SammyP!! I passed out the cigars for review, but any comments on the cigars are welcome. The point is to add as much information about the cigar on the thread and develop a discussion so the BOTLs and SOTLs out there know how the cigar performs. There are a lot of us looking for a good bundle or low price cigar to enjoy and hopefully these threads will put out the information so people can make an informed decision. So your post was perfect!! If you have any info on the others please post. Thanks!!

 

[ilcchef2]

I've gone through two bundles of the OR robustos. These are a very well made smooth and tastey cigar. Just every 3rd cigar or so is so loaded with ligero that it may cause you to go lay down for a half an hour or so afterwards!!!

 

[Saxjazzman]

I've gone through two bundles of the OR robustos. These are a very well made smooth and tastey cigar. Just every 3rd cigar or so is so loaded with ligero that it may cause you to go lay down for a half an hour or so afterwards!!!

Thanks for your input. It really helps build the data on this cigar. Keep them coming!! :thumbs:

 

[rectifythis]

Thanks again to SJM for providing the goods...I have wanted to try one of these.

I only had one to try and review so this may be somewhat of an unfair judgement.

A. Appearance: 7.5
This thing was huge! 60 gauge. Some moderate veins, a silky looking wrapper with no major flaws. At the foot I noticed the filler was swirled with a very dark leaf (ligero???) The prelight smell was mild and earthy. The prelight draw seemed a bit tight with the same mild taste.

B. Taste: 7
I never got to try the 'old' blend so I have nothing to compare to. Upon lighting, it was not the powerhouse I was expecting to be hit with. It was robust with the faintest hint of spice, and still a bit harsh for being 8 months resting. Overall mild tobacco flavor-nothing popped out at me but maybe a hint of twang. It is good, not bad... but not spectacular either.

C. Construction/Performance: 5
Smoke volume was below average, probably due to massive gauge and tight roll. Ash was light, flaky and held to 1.75 inches suprisingly as inconsistent as it was. The burn was consistently uneven and required multiple touch ups...it is behaving like a short filler. The wrapper peeled in the middle and 1/2 through just about exploded on me. After much frustration, I proceded to dismantle this thing. It was in fact all long filler, but much of it looked like tree bark.

Total Score A+B+(1.5)C/3.5=6.3

Final Thoughts:
I don't want to throw in the towel on this cigar quite yet. I think I would give a toro or robusto size a chance before calling it. Off the cuff, I would guess this to be a decent cigar for 2 bucks.