Marco-Polo
Go Irish Go!
Cigar: Betrus Etiquette Rouge
Size: Belicoso, 7x50
Wrapper: Connecticut
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican
Executive Summary: A mild, grassy cigar and not my usual cup of tea. But very attractive and well constructed, and solid competition for the mild cigar crown. 7.9/10
Background: These Felipe Gregorio cigars were bought in March on CBid, 5/$5 these were available at CI. Cello is slightly discolored, indicating a cigar of a certain age. Apparently they're very popular in Europe. I'll be adopting the Cigar magazine/Saxjazzman marking rubric from here on for consistency's sake, and to make the final tally somewhat less opaque.
Appearance: Very smooth Connecticut wrapper, light brown to tan. Small veins. Band is dark red with a dark gold text, very classy/conservative looking, although readability is compromised because of the lack of contrast (but who reads the text anyway?). Belicoso tapers smoothly to a rounded point, and the taper is quite long compared to other pyramides/torpedo/belicosos; combined with the 7 inch length and slightly narrower diameter, it's a leggy fashion model of a cigar. Barrel of the cigar is even and firm to the touch. No blemishes whatsoever. Top shelf appearance without being overwrought, 9/10
Taste: The aroma is slightly earthy pre-light, but the initial taste post-light is smooth, very mild, somewhat like hay and earth. Lack of roasted or barnyard smells. There's a sweetness to the smoke as well, which continues through the first third. The flavor intensity increases constantly through the cigar but never reaches a solid medium. After the first 2 inches, the cigar develops a slightly bitter aftertaste on the back end, combined with a grassy/sweet pepper flavor and hazelnut and vanilla aroma on the front end. The back third loses some of the sweetness in favor of a stronger nutty, toasty flavor. Smoking too fast accentuates the bitterness to the exclusion of the other flavors, so cigarette smokers be warned. On the plus side, the aroma wouldn't bother my wife, either. 6/10
Construction: There is a sharp, straight black burn line and the ash is slightly crumbly but holds on well. The color of the ash is salt and pepper with razor marks from the burn. Draw is extremely good without being loose. The smoke is cool. No evidence of canoeing or any other irregularities. Not much smoke while the cigar stands, but plenty of dense smoke on the draw - enough to be a great cigar to blow smoke rings with. This is the kind of construction I wish all my cigars had. 8.5/10
Time elapsed: 1 hr 20 mins
Edit: corrected a spelling mistake and marked "construction" down by 0.5 for the crumbly ash.
Size: Belicoso, 7x50
Wrapper: Connecticut
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan, Dominican
Executive Summary: A mild, grassy cigar and not my usual cup of tea. But very attractive and well constructed, and solid competition for the mild cigar crown. 7.9/10
Background: These Felipe Gregorio cigars were bought in March on CBid, 5/$5 these were available at CI. Cello is slightly discolored, indicating a cigar of a certain age. Apparently they're very popular in Europe. I'll be adopting the Cigar magazine/Saxjazzman marking rubric from here on for consistency's sake, and to make the final tally somewhat less opaque.
Appearance: Very smooth Connecticut wrapper, light brown to tan. Small veins. Band is dark red with a dark gold text, very classy/conservative looking, although readability is compromised because of the lack of contrast (but who reads the text anyway?). Belicoso tapers smoothly to a rounded point, and the taper is quite long compared to other pyramides/torpedo/belicosos; combined with the 7 inch length and slightly narrower diameter, it's a leggy fashion model of a cigar. Barrel of the cigar is even and firm to the touch. No blemishes whatsoever. Top shelf appearance without being overwrought, 9/10
Taste: The aroma is slightly earthy pre-light, but the initial taste post-light is smooth, very mild, somewhat like hay and earth. Lack of roasted or barnyard smells. There's a sweetness to the smoke as well, which continues through the first third. The flavor intensity increases constantly through the cigar but never reaches a solid medium. After the first 2 inches, the cigar develops a slightly bitter aftertaste on the back end, combined with a grassy/sweet pepper flavor and hazelnut and vanilla aroma on the front end. The back third loses some of the sweetness in favor of a stronger nutty, toasty flavor. Smoking too fast accentuates the bitterness to the exclusion of the other flavors, so cigarette smokers be warned. On the plus side, the aroma wouldn't bother my wife, either. 6/10
Construction: There is a sharp, straight black burn line and the ash is slightly crumbly but holds on well. The color of the ash is salt and pepper with razor marks from the burn. Draw is extremely good without being loose. The smoke is cool. No evidence of canoeing or any other irregularities. Not much smoke while the cigar stands, but plenty of dense smoke on the draw - enough to be a great cigar to blow smoke rings with. This is the kind of construction I wish all my cigars had. 8.5/10
Time elapsed: 1 hr 20 mins
Edit: corrected a spelling mistake and marked "construction" down by 0.5 for the crumbly ash.