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The Evil Dr. Moki's Group Blind Taste Test #1

moki

el Presidente
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
Messages
9,415
The Evil Dr. Moki's Group Blind Taste Test #1

Frank.jpg


Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside
There behind a glass stands a real blade of grass
Be careful as you pass, move along, move along

Come inside, the show's about to start
Guaranteed to blow your head apart
Rest assured you'll get your money's worth
The greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth
You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo
You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll, oh


Summary

Ten brave souls have been chosen to receive ten unbanded cigars of various origins, price points, and quality. The cigars will be naked, with their heads clipped, in individual, number plastic baggies. The participants have paid $100 each to join in the group blind taste test, which covers the cigars, and shipping... some cigars will be worth more than $10 each, some will be worth less.

They will then smoke these cigars in numerical order at the rate of 1 every 3 days (on average), and PM their blind review write-ups to me, adhering to the "Review Guidelines" (see below).

I will then format, collate, and tally the results, and post them to this thread once I have received all reviews for a particular cigar.

The Participants

The following brave and adventurous souls will be participating in this blind taste test:

√ bfreebern - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0215 - paid!
√ BlindedByScience - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0222 - paid!
√ Brickhouse - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0284 - paid!
√ enerjay - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0291 - paid!
√ insight - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0307 - paid!
√ grateful1 - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0314 - paid!
√ NorCalCigarLover - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0321 - paid!
√ sinnyc* - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0338 - paid!
√ Smokyballs - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0345 - paid!
√ tone-ny - DC# 0306 2400 0000 6836 0352 - paid!

* sinnyc had to replace Pete... sadly, he's going to be traveling during our test.

√ = cigars have been received in good order.

The Goal

The journey is the reward! The goal here is to enjoy some fine cigars, and see what the blind reviewers think of said cigars when the are unencumbered by their preconceptions. I will also see if we can extrapolate any trends in terms of what cigars were the most liked, whether cost, origin, etc. has anything to do with enjoyment, etc.

The Reviews

Once you receive your cigars, start smoking! Some participants may only be able to smoke on weekends, so smoke 2 or 3 each weekend if that's the case.

Do not post your reviews in this thread! Instead, PM your blind tasting reviews to me, and ensure they adhere to the "Review Guidelines" (see below).

Since the reviews will be PM'd to me, you can smoke them as quickly as you like. If you know you will be away/busy at some point during the test, just smoke and review a few ahead of time, no worries.

Just please do not hold the test group up, because I will not post cigar reviews until all 10 have been received by me. I want to do it this way so that I can format the reviews to be consistent, as well as summarize the results in a meaningful way.

I would like to post a new cigar blind review at least every 3rd day from the start of the test.

Review Guidelines

What you're reviewing is the taste of the cigar. I have clipped the caps off of the cigars to mitigate the empirical data that can be gleaned from the cigar, but please do not examine the wrapper, vitola, etc. I realize the temptation is great, but just light the cigar up and smoke it.

To make the reviews interesting, I have some mandatory information I'd like each reviewer to submit. The goal isn't to embarrass anyone, but rather to see if we can establish any trends in the cigars that are reviewed. We can't do that without meaningfully standardized data.

To that end, each review that is submitted to me via PM must contain the following:

Cigar #: the number of the cigar you smoked

Tasting notes: be as long or as short as you like, describing what you tasted when you smoked the cigar

Origin: what country you think the tobacco in the cigar is principally from

Age: how old (in years) you think the cigar is

Price: pick one of the following price-points: budget, everyday, premium, super-premium

Rating: 1-10, 10 being the best... how good was this cigar overall?

Marca: a guess at exactly what cigar line (eg: Cohiba, Flor Fina, etc.) you think you smoked

...that's it. While I realize that some of these categories may be complete shots in the dark, at least please take a stab at them.

Review Schedule

To keep this blind taste test moving along, here are the target dates for having each cigar smoked and a review that adheres to the "Review Guidlines" sent to me via PM by. Remember that you can "smoke ahead" and submit reviews to me via PM prior to these dates if you want or need to, so ensure that you're not lagging behind.

The cigars were well packed, you don't need to let them "rest" in your humidor before starting to smoke 'em!

Cigar #1, Cuban H.Upmann Naturales tubos, early 1980s (6.1" x 37) - premium/rare -- 6.25/10, reviewed on Thursday, March 6th - (√ 9/10: bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)

Cigar #2, non-Cuban Ashton VSG "Round" Robusto, 1997 (5 ½" x 50) - premium/rare -- 5.45/10, reviewed on Sunday, March 9th - (√ 10/10: bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)

Cigar #3, non-Cuban Cabaiguan WCD 120, 2007 (4 5/8" x 42) - everyday/rare -- 6.94/10, reviewed on Wednesday, March 12th - (√ 10/10: bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)

Cigar #4, Cuban Bolivar Gold Medal, 2007 (6.5" x 42) - premium -- 6.65/10, reviewed on Saturday, March 15th - (√ 10/10: bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)

Cigar #5, non-Cuban Ashton ESG Robusto, 2007 (5 1/4" x 52) - super-premium -- 6.45/10, reviewed on Tuesday, March 18th - (√ 10/10: bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)

Cigar #6, Cuban San Cristobal de la H. La Punta, 2001 (5.5" x 52) - everyday -- 5.75/10, reviewed on Friday, March 21st - (√ 9/10: bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)

Cigar #7, non-Cuban Davidoff Millennium Blend Lonsdale, 2006 (6" x 43) - premium -- 6.6/10, reviewed on Monday, March 24th - (√ 10/10: bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)

Cigar #8, non-Cuban Tatuaje Cojonu 2003, 2005 (6 ½" x 52) - premium -- 6.28/10, reviewed on Thursday, March 27th - (√ 10/10: bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)

Cigar #9, non-Cuban Avo LE05, 2005 (5 3/8" x 52) - premium -- 6.45/10, reviewed on Sunday, March 30th - (√ 10/10: bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)

Cigar #10, Cuban Cohiba Panatelas, 2003 (4.5" x 26) - everyday -- 6.19/10, reviewed on Wednesday, April 2nd - (√ 10/10: bfreebern, BlindedByScience, Brickhouse, enerjay, grateful1, Insight, NorCalCigarLover, sinnyc, Smokyballs, tone-ny)

Read the Final Results Summary

Enjoy!

This blind taste test is meant to be fun and educational, both for participants, and for onlookers. I leave you with the following links, which are chock-full of advice that you may choose to take to heart or ignore at your leisure:

Cigar Tasting 101 -- some notes on how to taste cigars, as well as a "tasting wheel" that may assist you in verbalizing taste profiles

What affects the taste of a cigar? -- my unabashedly biased opinions on what can affect the taste of a cigar... with copious links to external information sources

That's it... let's get it on!
 
What an all-star lineup you've assembled there. This is going to be an absolute blast to see unfold. I can't wait to see those reviews. :thumbs:
 
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside
There behind a glass stands a real blade of grass
Be careful as you pass, move along, move along

Come inside, the show's about to start
Guaranteed to blow your head apart
Rest assured you'll get your money's worth
The greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth
You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo
You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll, oh
I saw that performed live in 1972 and it was a fantastic show. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Frank Zappa, though...... :p

Looking forward to this one, Moki - thanks for the inclusion.

Cheers - B.B.S.
 
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside
There behind a glass stands a real blade of grass
Be careful as you pass, move along, move along

Come inside, the show's about to start
Guaranteed to blow your head apart
Rest assured you'll get your money's worth
The greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth
You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo
You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll, oh
I saw that performed live in 1972 and it was a fantastic show. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Frank Zappa, though...... :p

Looking forward to this one, Moki - thanks for the inclusion.

Cheers - B.B.S.

Humm, Yes thanks for the invite. Nothing like testing my own humility.

FA08016.jpg
 
The cigars have been chosen; their caps have been snipped off. They have been carefully numbered and packaged, and will be shipped out on Thursday, February 28th. See the first post in this thread for your tracking number.

Ginseng has been sent a copy of the secret identities of the cigars that you have been sent. It's no use bribing him, he won't talk... I just felt like I wanted to have an "escrow" account of sorts for this information, given that you all are paying money to participate in this test.

Finally, do take the time to read over the "Review Guidelines" listed in the first post in this thread. I'd like to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding what should be in the reviews, and how to submit them to me.

Finally, if you could post in this thread when you receive your package of cigars, that'd be appreciated!
 
I have posted the cigar review deadline schedule in the first post in this thread. The cigars should all be arriving to the participants either this Saturday, or at the latest, this coming Monday.

The first review isn't due to be submitted until Thursday, March 6th... so that should be plenty of time for everyone to get the gears in motion. Just please make sure your reviews adhere to the "Review Guidelines" in the first post on this thread.

Remember, if you know you'll be busy during the week, or will be away at some point, just "smoke ahead" and PM me your cigar reviews ahead of schedule. I will take care of putting them together on the aforementioned days.

Enjoy folks, this is going to be fun! :)
 
I love these blind tastings from Andrew... One of these days I would love to participate just for the enjoyment of seeing if I can crack the "code" :rolleyes:
 
I love these blind tastings from Andrew... One of these days I would love to participate just for the enjoyment of seeing if I can crack the "code" :rolleyes:

There's no code... other than the mystery that is the sense we call "taste"! :)
 
Oh man...the anticipation....

....it'll be interesting to see the difference in the tastes, smells, etc. of everyone involved.
 
I love these blind tastings from Andrew... One of these days I would love to participate just for the enjoyment of seeing if I can crack the "code" :rolleyes:

I view Andrew's Blind Tasters as an educational experience for the participants. You get a variety of smokes and you get to taste them with a minimum of prejudice. It forces you to really pay attention to the cigar rather than the band.
 
Sorry I couldn't participate in this Andrew but thanks very much for the invite. This should be a hoot to watch. Have fun guys!

NA
 
Sorry I couldn't participate in this Andrew but thanks very much for the invite. This should be a hoot to watch. Have fun guys!

NA
x2.

Timing is everything Andrew ??? Enjoy guys.

Brian
 
It looks like Tone-ny's may be showing up today!

Label/Receipt Number: 0306 2400 0000 6836 0352
Status: Processed

Your item was processed and left our KEARNY, NJ 07032 facility on February 29, 2008. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later.


...or at least, it is in NJ, not far from his home! Tomorrow for sure if not today.
 
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside
There behind a glass stands a real blade of grass
Be careful as you pass, move along, move along

Come inside, the show's about to start
Guaranteed to blow your head apart
Rest assured you'll get your money's worth
The greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth
You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo
You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll, oh
I saw that performed live in 1972 and it was a fantastic show. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Frank Zappa, though...... :p

Looking forward to this one, Moki - thanks for the inclusion.

Cheers - B.B.S.

Actually, it was Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Do I win?
 
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