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The Evil Dr. Moki's Group Blind Taste Test #2

I'm not shocked by the Padron, I really don't care for the natural, but the maduro's are usually stellar.

As I've kinda discussed with Moki before about some maduro londres, some/most of the box has tasted just acrid/stale. so they're buried deep, maybe they're a sick padron? wtf...

Thanks for these Blind tests Andrew, they're extremely entertaining and educational.
 
WOW... what a difference in the ratings. I have a box of 2K and 4K maduros in the humi and haven't had a bad one yet. But I am a Padron whore; so, what do I know :sign: .
 
Wow I'm shocked at this. The 3000 is a great smoke. The differences between the x000's line natural and maduro are also not nearly as distinct as they are in many other cigar lines. As a matter of fact, I've seen boxes of both sitting right next to each other and you literally had to get within a foot of the box to notice any difference in wrapper color between the two.
 
Cigar #8 review

blind2_cigar08.jpg


ELittle said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 5/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 4/10 - Overall: 4.6/10

Price: $6.00

Review: First third: This cigar has a light coating of cedar sap on it and a nice light brown wrapper. The draw is very easy before lighting. When I tried to light it, it wouldn't light. I used my torch for about 45 seconds on it, but there was a core in the middle of the cigar that just wouldn't light. Once I got it lit, I noticed a pepper taste, slight coffee tones, and a medium strength. The coffee flavor developed more towards the end of the first third.

Second third: The cigar is still kind of peppery and kind of mild in flavor. It's still having trouble staying lit. There is kind of a bitter flavor developing now, as well as a core of tobacco that won't burn in the middle of the cigar, creating a kind of nipple looking thing sticking out.

Final third: The cigar seems to be mellowing even more now, and the pepper and spice are fading away. There is a stronger nicotine punch towards the end, but that's all. It's burning very unevenly at this point and the flavor is just kind of "tobacco" tasting, nothing special.

This cigar was ok, but nothing special.

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insight said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 4/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 4/10 - Overall: 4.3/10

Price: $7.00

Review: First third started off light and grassy and remained fairly mild throughout. There was a cedary taste at points but otherwise the flavors were very muted. Into the second third I had to clip a bit more because of excessive tar buildup (so much so that it was staining my lips). I had clipped quite a bit to start off and the cigar was drawing fine the whole time, but nothing could stop the tar, even multiple re-cuts. The second third and final third were marked by a woody flavor with a slightly sweet aftertaste, and tar dripping out the head until the end. The tar really ruined it for me and made it difficult to give this a fair review beyond what was there for this particular cigar (versus the line, whatever it is).

Price: $6-8

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Kingantz said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 8/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 8/10 - Last 1/3rd: 8/10 - Overall: 8/10

Price: $8.00

Review: What a gorgeous belicoso cigar with a Colorado claro wrapper that has plenty of oiliness and very well constructed. There’s a slight give when squeezed and a good weight in the hand. I clip the cap at an angle and find the draw perfect with tastes of straightforward tobacco.

Beginning 1/3
I use the Z-Plus Zippo to put fire to the foot until a uniform burn is going. After blowing on the embers, I take a draw. A mild to medium bodied smoke comes through with a smidgen of cinnamon spice. Flavor is that of vanilla, sweet caramel, and roasted nuts. The finish is very good and lasting on the palate. Delicious! The burn is good with a light gray ash forming and holding well. Tooth is noticeable as well.

Middle 1/3
The burn is still going good with the ash a light gray with noticeable tooth. Flavors continue to be that of vanilla, roasted nuts, orange zest, and a hint of cocoa in the undertone. The finish is delicious and lasting. It seems the draw has wanted to tighten a little, and so I clip a hair more off the tip opening it up well and smoke flows effortlessly. A small amount of spice is still coming through, hitting the back of the throat perfectly.

Final 1/3
The burn has stayed sharp throughout, however the ash has gotten quite flaky towards the last third. The smoke has stayed a fairly consistent mild to medium body with a nice splash of spice hitting the back of the throat. The flavors have remained delicious throughout as well with a more straightforward tobacco coming through in the end. The finish has been long and lasting leaving a delicious taste on the palate.

Summary:
Fantastic smoke. Delicious flavors of vanilla, caramel, roasted nuts, orange zest, and hints of cocoa throughout. The burn was perfect throughout with a strong light gray ash and perfect draw. A fantastic, long finish lasted on the palate well after putting the cigar down.

Beginning 1/3: 8
Middle 1/3: 8
Final 1/3: 8

Price point: $8

H. Upmann No. 2!

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bfisher88 said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 8/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 8/10 - Last 1/3rd: 7/10 - Overall: 7.6/10

Price: $9.00

Review: I usually do not like this vitola so this was a surprise to me. It had a very rich chocolate taste to it, very well balanced flavors. Burn was great throughout (which was good cause I smoked it in the hot tub). Flavors were very complex and flavorful all of the way through this and never got harsh at all. I very much enjoyed this cigar. I had a hard time pinpointed flavors on this one. Was trying to get my girlfriend to try as well cause she is pretty good at it actually and she had no idea. Said it smelled very nice though. Very curious as to what this one is so I can get more.

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enerjay said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 8/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 7/10 - Last 1/3rd: 8/10 - Overall: 7.6/10

Price: $8.50

Review: Well this was quite a challenge. I smoked the cigar wrote my review, had a computer melt down and had to recreate
the memory of the cigar two weeks later. And I ahve been smokeing 3-4 cigars a day.

So, I will say this cigar started out very nice, leather and coffee, in the first 1/3.
Second 1/3 was much the same with hints of chocolate. However I had a little run that need correcting.
Last 1/3 fished with coffee and leather still present with chocolate on the back of the tounge.

OR MAYBE I JUST HOPE IT WAS THAT GOOD !!!

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Napa_Smokes said:

Rating: n/a - has bowed out of the blind taste test

Price: n/a - has bowed out of the blind taste test

Review: n/a - has bowed out of the blind taste test

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jfields said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 3/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 3/10 - Last 1/3rd: 0/10 - Overall: 2/10

Price: $6.00

Review: 1st third: (3) Draw is a bit sweet with a somewhat Tangy/bitter finish that creeps up on you. Some floral and earthy flavors. Overall, not much about this cigar I am enjoying.

2nd third: (3) Really turns bitter. I held out hoping it would get better.

Chucked it........Couldn't go on..........Bleh!!!

3rd third:----------------------


Summary: Not for me! Could have been this paticular blend. May be possible that it was just this one paticular cigar sample.

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grateful1 said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 4/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 6/10 - Last 1/3rd: 6/10 - Overall: 5.3/10

Price: $9.00

Review: Nice cigar...more OK. Aftertaste was rough at times but mellowed. 'Specks' on the cigar could have been from a cedar wrap...which sways me to think of a King B. The undertones were consistent after the first inch. Sometimes that means it may have age. I havn't had one in a while but I'll go on a limb and say an OR King B.

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BlindedByScience said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 6/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 5/10 - Overall: 5.3/10

Price: $8.00

Review: A nicely shaped belicoso this time around. Mine has a rather bright green spot on the wrapper right about where the wrapper would have probably been. In my experience, it won’t make a bit of difference, but it is rather interesting. Pre light, the wrapper and foot are almost odorless, save for some slight pepper in the far background. A snip with the Palio yields a draw that’s very, very open. Slow going will be required to keep this one from getting too hot. Fire time….

Start to finish, this was a very, very mild cigar. Nothing bad, but nothing special jumped out. Some nicely aged, basic tobacco tastes but very little in complexity or flavors to speak of. Slight grassy tastes in the background, but that was about it. A slight touch up with the torch was needed at about 1/3 of the way in, but other than that the burn and construction were fine. A tiny bit of pepper on the tongue was noted in the back half. I kept waiting for something to note, but it was very plain, almost bland. Good, unobtrusive, but nothing special. A decent if very plain, very average cigar in my opinion.

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Seanholio said:

Rating: n/a - did not submit review

Price: n/a - did not submit review

Review: n/a - did not submit review

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Lowest rating: grateful1 2/10
Highest rating: Kingantz 8/10
Average rating: 5.6/10

6 - pretty good cigar, I'd smoke it if it was given to me, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it
5 - okay cigar, enjoyable enough, but nothing special


Lowest price: jfields $6.00
Highest price: bfisher88 $9.00
Average price: $7.69

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Cigar #8 is actually a...

blind2_cigar08_banded.jpg


OR AF King B (2005) - price*: $7.16

Commentary: The testers did a pretty damn good job getting the price of this cigar... and it is indeed an original release AF King B. These cigars were hyped originally, then met with great disappointment. I cracked open a box from the initial release to see if perhaps they had improved a bit.

This cigar was met with pretty good results from a number of folks... Kingantz, bfisher88, and enerjay gave it very high marks... jfields panned this cigar, and Phil and Evan smoked the cigar in a hot tub again, once more getting identical results.

Nothing really atypical here, as we've seen in every blind taste test, some people loved the cigar, some people hated it, and some thought it was middle of the road. Did they all smoke the same cigar? Yes they did. :)

Onto number 9 folks!

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* Denotes the price I paid for this cigar, not necessarily the MSRP
 
Great googly moogly. Definitely got me on that one. I've smoked a King B before, but don't remember it tasting like that. Course, it wasn't an '05. Good one!
 
Ah! That explains a lot. I've never had a King B that I liked out of the six or so that I've tried (two from 06). I'm guessing these cigars just are not for me as I didn't get anything that Greg did.

My wife must have looked at that faces I was making and told me "Why don't you put that thing down if you're not enjoying it." :laugh:

I really struggled to give it a fair shake before I had to chuck it. Didn't enjoy that one from the start.
 
The KING B. Darn I have like three sitting in my cooladore, I should have taken the time to smoke one and than just pulled a review of that. :whistling:
 
Wow what a shocker. I have only had one of these but did not like it at all. I like the Cuban Beli's much better. Don't know what it was about this one but I loved it. Now on to find a box of OR's :whistling:
 
Not surprised on this one at all. I think when we talked about this one I said it was a Fuente SG from 05/06, i.e., the King B (even though it is technically a rosado). I am one of the few that seem to enjoy these occasionally but the critical issues of tar and sap keep them from becoming part of my usual lineup. I am really glad you stuck this one in, because I feel it is a largely overlooked cigar (despite me getting a dud this time). Also: I think your hottub imagery has something to do with homo-erotic derelict pirate fantasies.
 
Cigar #9 review

blind2_cigar09.jpg


ELittle said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 7/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 7/10 - Last 1/3rd: 7/10 - Overall: 7/10

Price: $9.00

Review: First third: This cigar looks delicious. It has a nice sandy colored wrapper, and the prelight draw shows a nice draw. This cigar was kind of dry though, when I clipped the cap off there was dust, but it still smoked very well. It starts out medium in strength with a noticeable nutty flavor and a slight amount of spice creeping up at the end of the first third.

Second third: There is a very mild creaminess and a slight spice developing now, as well as a very pronounced nutty flavor, almost pecan like, it's actually very delicious. It seems to have mellowed out nicely in this third.

Final third: The flavor is mellowing out a little bit more now. It's nice and mild with that pronounced nutty flavor still. The cigar has started to tunnel a bit towards the end and is requiring a few touch ups.

This was a very consistent and good cigar. It had perfect construction and a minor burn issue near the end, but overall this was one of the best i've smoked so far.

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insight said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 7.5/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 7.5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 8/10 - Overall: 7.7/10

Price: $20.00

Review: Summary: be as long or as short as you like, describing what you tasted when you smoked the cigar, your impressions of it, etc.

First third: The prelight draw is firm and spicy. The smoke starts out 'hearty', characterized by spice and leather. The first third was very robust and pleasant without much variance from the initial flavors.

Second third: The body of the smoke lightens up a bit and takes on an earthy flavor. Some of the characteristics remind me of some of what I noticed in a JL Obus I smoked a while back, but the finish is different. Again, there isn't much variation but the smoke is consistently enjoyable.

Final third: Into the home stretch the flavor gets a bit rough and the rustic leather flavor from the initial portion returns. The strength really picks up and I notice more of the nic punch than before. Just as I get to the end (like right about an 1 1/4 inches left) a creamy nutty flavor creeps in that is very rich. I enjoyed this despite not personally detecting a lot of complexity to it. There is something familiar about the cigar but I can't pinpoint it for some reason.

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Kingantz said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 7/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 7/10 - Last 1/3rd: 7/10 - Overall: 7/10

Price: $7.00

Review: Another nice looking belicoso cigar with a Colorado shade wrapper that is somewhat coarse with veins throughout and noticeable oils. The weight is good in the hand and a slight give when squeezed. I clip the cap at an angle and find a spot on draw.

Beginning 1/3
I put fire to the foot and get a good white pepper spice on the back of the throat with taste of vanilla, cocoa, wood, nuts, and dark brown sugar. The smoke itself is a medium body with a lasting finish. There’s a salty sweetness on the lips that is quite good. The burn is fairly sharp with a medium gray ash forming.

Middle 1/3

Halfway in and the cigar still has a good burn with a strong whitish gray ash that is holding strong. Tastes of vanilla, cocoa, and roasted nuts continue to come through with a nice spice on the back of the throat. Towards the last part of the middle third, the finish seemed to turn slightly short, but still very good on the palate.

Final 1/3
The burn wanted to go to one side, however corrected itself well. The spiciness seemed to pick up a notch and had a good burn when exhaling from the nose. Flavors darkened slightly to a nice charred wood with earth undertones and a good dark cocoa taste. The finish wasn’t as long as in the beginning, but still very good. I’m finding my mouth to have a bit of dryness after exhaling.

Summary:
Another very good cigar with lots of creamy, light smoke that was medium in body. There was a perfect amount of spice coming through and a nice finish on the palate. The burn was sharp throughout with a strong light gray ash. Lots of good flavors came through with vanilla, cocoa, and roasted nuts and then turning darker towards the end.

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bfisher88 said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 6/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 6/10 - Overall: 5.6/10

Price: $5.50

Review: Summary: From thr start this thing was pretty boring imo. Good construction and burn but the flavors were just meh and didn't really do it for me. No real complaints about this one just wasn't a big fan. Had some grassy tones and seemed fairly mild. Just really didn't impress me.

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enerjay said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 7/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 7/10 - Last 1/3rd: 7/10 - Overall: 7/10

Price: $5.00

Review: First 1/3rd: #9 Cigar first 1/3 burned well, taste of woody (pine) and earth (tea)

Middle 1/3rd: #9 Once again the cigar is burning perfect, wood and earth are still present and flat.

Final 1/3rd: #9 very much the same as the first 2/3 of the cigar just not much there.

Summary: Cigar number NINE, just did not do it for me. Earth and woody flavor were present (I looked at the tasting wheel).
The burn was very good. However I just did not pick up much flavor. I smoked this one early in the day I wonder if that has anything to do with it?

Price: $5.00

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Napa_Smokes said:

Rating: n/a - has bowed out of the blind taste test

Price: n/a - has bowed out of the blind taste test

Review: n/a - has bowed out of the blind taste test

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jfields said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 8/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 8.5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 8.5/10 - Overall: 8.3/10

Price: $9.00

Review: 1st Third: Lots of smoke on a somewhat loose draw. I don't know if it's because I worked out just prior to sitting down with this, but this is an extremely salty tasting cigar. I also taste toasted nuts. Turns into a creamier profile after the first 3/4 of an inch. A fantastic profile that I really an enjoying. The draw becomes perfect in the last part of this third. (8)

2nd Third:This part evolves into very strong wood flavors, and gives off a scent/taste that reminds me of musty old leather bound books. Several other flavors that I just can't seem to identify. Towards the end of this third I start tasting some leather on the finish. A very complex cigar so far. (8.5)

3rd Third: Leather becomes more predominant entering this part of the smoking experience. Pepper and spice on the finish, picks up along with some tea notes that quickly go away. Goes back to leather and hay along with other flavors that I still can not pick out. (8.5)

Summary: Excellent complex smoke in my book. Performs well from beginning to end. I'd love to put some of whatever these are away in my humi. I'm going to guess that it might be a Bolivar Beli Fino and at least that it is Cuban??


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grateful1 said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 3/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 3/10 - Last 1/3rd: 0/10 - Overall: 2/10

Price: $4.00

Review: The looks and feel of this cigar where nice. The draw was even good...the taste was AWFUL.
I wanted to puke from the after taste....are we all smokng the same cigar - I hope not!!!

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BlindedByScience said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 4/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 5/10 - Last 1/3rd: 4/10 - Overall: 4.3/10

Price: $6.00

Review: Summary: Another nice looking Beli. This one is (as I remember) a bit lighter in color than the last one. Slight notes of white pepper on the wrapper when smelled closely. The draw is much like the last smoke – very open, and almost flavorless. Did I get two #8’s…?? Nope – they do look different. Let’s see how this one smokes….

Not much to see or taste here. This one was bland and flat. Disappointing. Nothing evil or obnoxious, but very, very little flavor to be had. Burned OK, looked like it had potential, but nothing going on in the flavor department. Start to finish, this one was a sound asleep.


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Seanholio said:

Rating: First 1/3rd: 4/10 - Middle 1/3rd: 6/10 - Last 1/3rd: 8/10 - Overall: 6/10

Price: $12.00

Review: The cigar started out with a nice leathery taste, but not great. Hints of coffee and cocoa teased me, but it was a frustration rather than a good tease. In the second third, the coffee became more prevalent, balancing the leather nicely. After a purge, the last third revealed an excellent balance of all three tastes, each one coming to the fore and then transitioning to the next. Near the end, it got hot and ashy. The Sweet Spot didn't last long enough, but then, it never does.

I'd put this as a $12 cigar, and I'm guessing it is Cuban in origin.


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Lowest rating: grateful1 2/10
Highest rating: jfields 8.3/10
Average rating: 6.1/10

6 - pretty good cigar, I'd smoke it if it was given to me, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it
5 - okay cigar, enjoyable enough, but nothing special


Lowest price: grateful1 $4.00
Highest price: insight $20.00
Average price: $8.60

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Cigar #9 is actually a...

blind2_cigar09_banded.jpg


Juan Lopez Obus RE France (2006) - price*: $21.00

Commentary: This cigar is by far the most expensive cigar in the blind taste test thus far. It's a Cuban cigar, and one of the "shiny second banded" regional releases. Even so, it didn't fare much better than some of the much less expensive and more pedestrian cigars in the taste test.

I put this cigar in on purpose because it's a brand and release that I figured most of the testers probably have not tried. My theory is that people are good at identifying cigars they've had before, but not very good at determining much of anything about cigars that they've never had in terms of origin, etc.

In any event, Grateful1 absolutely hated this cigar... tossing it before even finishing it... and BlindedByScience didn't seem to care for it at all either. Yet we had a number of people who really liked it. Standard.

Insert cliché line: Did they all smoke the same cigar? Yes they did. :)

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* Denotes the price I paid for this cigar, not necessarily the MSRP
 
Very Good. I sat with Grateful1(Gary) on another occasion recently as we both smoked an Obus, and he could not stop raving about it.

This is a great thread.
 
The funny part is...I've smoked one before and it was completly different.

Now, I've sat through a rough patch in a cigar to see if it will turn...this one...SUCKED.

From beginning to the time I HAD TO put it down.

Well, I have one or two more....we'll see.

Thanks for the 'after'taste! :D
 
The funny part is...I've smoked one before and it was completly different.

Yep, they were different... this one had no band. ;)

But seriously, all of the Obus for this blind taste test came from a single sealed box that I open just for the test. So everyone smoked "the same thing" as much as is possible with cigars.
 
Very Good. I sat with Grateful1(Gary) on another occasion recently as we both smoked an Obus, and he could not stop raving about it.

This is a great thread.

Yeah so... that's either the variance that is inherent with any hand made product (and all the more reason to never judge a cigar marca by just a few samples), or other factors influenced his experience with the cigar (mood, knowing it was an expensive cigar, whatever).
 
#9 was a good example of the JL line as a whole though...either you like it or hate it.

So far, hoping to get a single cigar that everyone agrees on seems to be out of the question...even if there was a Drew cigar thrown in there I'm sure that the reviews would be all over the place. Gary's review puts the whole experience into perspective for me. Band on - Great cigar; Band off - Bad cigar (Yeah I know what you said about it being different, but it's really the point that I am looking at instead of factual evidence)
 
#9 was a good example of the JL line as a whole though...either you like it or hate it.

So far, hoping to get a single cigar that everyone agrees on seems to be out of the question...even if there was a Drew cigar thrown in there I'm sure that the reviews would be all over the place. Gary's review puts the whole experience into perspective for me. Band on - Great cigar; Band off - Bad cigar (Yeah I know what you said about it being different, but it's really the point that I am looking at instead of factual evidence)

If the last blind taste test is any measure, it's just never going to happen. Some cigars will overall be rated higher than others, but you'll rarely get anything remotely unanimous.

Since we have just two cigars to go, this seems like a good time to list the cigars we've seen so far, and their ratings:

1) Rating: 7.24/10 -- Davidoff Millennium Blend Lancero (2008)
2) Rating: 6.90/10 -- Bolivar Gold Medal (2007)
3) Rating: 6.70/10 -- Cuesta-Rey Stanford's Cameroon Reserve Churchill No.1 (2008)
4) Rating: 6.10/10 -- Juan Lopez Obus RE France (2005)
5) Rating: 5.80/10 -- Pepin Garcia "My Father" Robusto (2008)
6) Rating: 5.60/10 -- OR AF King B (2005)
7) Rating: 5.50/10 -- La Flor Dominicana Coronado Corona Especial (2008)
8) Rating: 5.40/10 -- AF 858 Natural (2008)
9) Rating: 4.50/10 -- Padrón 3000 Natural (2008)

Sorry, Jorge! :)
 
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