Any interest in a 24 member review contest???

[Benzopyrene]

Heres what I had in mind. I am looking for 24 members of BOTL to commit to a contest where we review cigars every 2 weeks or every month depending on what seems to be the best for you all. Here's how this would work.

There will be 23 members (24 with me as moderator), and I will pick out 3 months worth of cigars (6 cigars if we do every 2 weeks, or 3 cigars if we do one a month) I will then send every member who is going to participate a price and they will send a check to me for 1 of each cigar and like 5 dollars for shipping. I will purchase these boxes of cigars and will ship them out to you all unbanded except for a white band with the date of smoking them. The 25th cigar from the box will go into the pot for the winner.

Every member will be given a set of criteria to follow for rating the cigars and a 100 point scale which to follow. However beyond following the basic guidelines one may add pictures, colorful language or anything else they can think of to write the best review (bad or good) about the cigar which they smoked. The reviews will be posted under one thread and when they are all posted I will post my review with all of the cigars details.

We will do this every 2 weeks or month, until the 3 months of cigars have been smoked. At the end of the 3 months there will be a vote (all botlers can vote) and the person who has the best reviews based on this vote will win the pot of 5 or 6 cigars that are left.

I figured this might give a bunch of us the opportunity to hone our reviewing skills and also to get to know each other. This is a contest that can be continued for years if people like it. I am not eligable to win being the moderator, and my purpose is to collect the monies, buy the cigars, get
them all shipped out on time, and to write the final review.

So, Id love to get this going asap, but I want to see how many people are interested. This is something we can do with fewer people as well, but I thought if we had a bigger group then we might really get to know more people. Anyway, let me know what you all think.

[Greg]

I'll play!

[Benzopyrene]

2 so far:blob: more more!

[Benzopyrene]

Give me some feedback guys. What could be different? Whats not appealing about this?

[KWAL72]

I am not so sure my palet is refined enough to really add anything. I buy a smoke...smoke it, and decide if its crap or not. But you never hear me say...It finished nice with earthy tones and a hint of choclate made...possibly choclate made from virginal breast milk. :)

So having said that...

[dpricenator]

I want to, but times are tight, and I don't want to be in a spot to not participate one month. I also can't write very well. I'll ponder a little, since ii won't be making any other cigar purchases, this might be a way to satisfy my craving to buy cigars. F-it sign me up.

[Benzopyrene]

Thats 3 we can do this with less people, but Id like to have at least 12 guys.

[dpricenator]

Thats 3 we can do this with less people, but Id like to have at least 12 guys.

Keep bumping it, and give it a bit of time, we'll get interest. If my broke illiterate ass is joining I'm sure there are some more guys that would like to play as well.

[Angry Bill]

im in sir!

[dpricenator]

im in sir!

I was wondering when you were going to find this thread. That,s 4

Come one guys you don't have to be wordsworth or a refined pallet to tell us what you think of a cigar.

[Angry Bill]

I was sleeping and smoking a huge Coronado, which I have beenn smoking for over an hour. hehe

[no_substitute]

i'm in

[smokey the bear]

what price range were you thinking?

[Benzopyrene]

$7-15

[Greg]

Habanos?

[Benzopyrene]

maybe :lookaroun you just gotta wait and see. We need about 6 more guys though first.

[Headbanger]

I like the new idea, just do not want to start making any more commitments until the weather breaks. Too cold and windy outside during the winter months. If this were to start 3-4 months from now I would probably join in.

[Greg]

I like the new idea, just do not want to start making any more commitments until the weather breaks. Too cold and windy outside during the winter months. If this were to start 3-4 months from now I would probably join in.We can meet up at Brewer's :halfgrinw

[Headbanger]

We can meet up at Brewer's :halfgrinw


Until Feb 1st, then the statewide indoor ban kicks in. :crying:

[Benzopyrene]

I am hoping that people will enjoy it and more will join in and we can continuedoing it in 3 month blocks. That way mre people can have the opportunity to win. Gives us a chance to get to know each other better and also allows us brothers to smoke the same cigar and see what everyone has to say about it. This is the best idea Ive had in years, so Im excited to get it going.

[Headbanger]

This is the best idea Ive had in years, so Im excited to get it going.



Glad you like it. :rofl:

[Greg]

Until Feb 1st, then the statewide indoor ban kicks in. :crying:
I think some places get a 'hardship exemption' :dunno:

" The final compromise allows bars to seek three-year "hardship exemptions" if they can prove their businesses are hurt by a smoking ban. Details of how those exemptions work would be set later by state health officials. Even those businesses would have to snuff out smoking by 2011."

http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=1109301

[Headbanger]

I think some places get a 'hardship exemption' :dunno:


Does Brewers? I thought only places that sell or have a tobac license will be able to. I imagine clubs will start to be created in the larger cities like the one in Gambrills.

(Yeah, sorry for the threadjack)

[Greg]

Does Brewers? I thought only places that sell or have a tobac license will be able to. I imagine clubs will start to be created in the larger cities like the one in Gambrills.I will ask tomorrow.

Sorry for the threadjack.....

[Rich K]

This is a really awesome idea, and I'm in...unless it's particularly expensive. How much are you projecting for the total cost per person?

[Benzopyrene]

3 months, 2 weeksish per month, 1 cgar every 2 weeks at 7 to 15 bucks a stick so around $ 60-80 per 3 months. Then the winner based upon board votes gets 1 more of each stick. That would be my estimate.

[Benzopyrene]

People who said they would be interested:
1. Benzopyrene
2. Fredneck
3. Dpricenator
4. Angry Bill
5. No Substitute
6. Rich K

Id like to get to 10, but Id be willing to start it off with this list. Let me know guys if you wanna get this thing rolling, and Ill pick out the stogies, get you all rules, get you all a price, and we can get this rolling and hopefully be able to start in February. Cheers!

[Greg]

I'm out...

[Garvey]

Benzopyrene --

I'll bite. It will be fun trying to develop the palate and writing reviews. Just keep me posted!

[Angry Bill]

Come on Brothers. A lot of people already do reviews. This is another way yo smoke some cigars and tell us all abou them. Not sure about the rest of you, but I do this with Dogwatch Social Club each week (Waiting on my shipment of club cigars now!)

[Rich K]

Perhaps the most interesting part of this for me is that the cigars won't have bands on them, so it will be like a blind taste test. I'm still pretty new to the world of cigars, but I think I generally know what I like. At the same time, I keep thinking about the blind taste tests for colas, and die-hard Coke drinkers often end up believing the generic cola is better. So I'm pretty stoked to find out if the tastes I think I have are really the tastes I have.

So even if you're not the best reviewer (and I imagine I'm not), there's plenty to be gained from this adventure. Take the plunge, y'all.

[Hendy]

I'm in if there is room for one more.

Thanks

"Your brother from another mother".

Scott (Hendy)

[djs134]

I'm game. PM Sent.

[TexaSmoke]

I'm in

[Benzopyrene]

People who said they would be interested:
1. Benzopyrene
2. Garvey
3. Dpricenator
4. Angry Bill
5. No Substitute
6. Rich K
7. Hendy
8. Djs134
9. Texasmoke

Here is the latest list. I think we have enough guys to do this now, so Ill give it one more day. Tomorrow Ill pick the cigars out and get everyone a price for the 3 months worth of cigars and we can get this thing rolling! If you've changed your mind about this please let me know. Thanks guys, this is going to be a blast!

[Benzopyrene]

bump.

[Angry Bill]

We doing one a month or one every two weeks. I like the every two weeks myself.

[Benzopyrene]

Every 2 weeks. Im gonna try and get final price and final list to everyone tomorrow evening. Just finishing picking out all the smokes!

[Smurf]

nice idea, i wont play since my palatte is not so refined, but great concept for a club.

[Angry Bill]

Nice Benz...

[Benzopyrene]

Final List! Like I said Ill try to get final prices to you tomorrow, and a list of the guidelines as well. This is a great group of guys for this and it is going to be a blast.

1. Benzopyrene
2. Garvey
3. Dpricenator
4. Angry Bill
5. No Substitute
6. Rich K
7. Hendy
8. Djs134
9. Texasmoke
10. Altercall

[Benzopyrene]

The money received list::guitar:

1. Benzopyrene (paid)
2. Garvey
3. Dpricenator
4. Angry Bill
5. No Substitute
6. Rich K
7. Hendy
8. Djs134
9. Texasmoke
10. Altercall

[Heatmiser]

Benz - If someone drops out, I'd be happy to take their spot. Thanks!

[dpricenator]

The money received list::guitar:

1. Benzopyrene (paid)


Hey no way did that guy get his money in that fast. Are you playing favorites?

[Smurf]

I am interested, but my ability to review might not be that usefull to you becuase I have only been smoking a few months, something like 3-6 cigars a week.

[dpricenator]

Benz - If someone drops out, I'd be happy to take their spot. Thanks!

I am interested, but my ability to review might not be that usefull to you becuase I have only been smoking a few months, something like 3-6 cigars a week.

I don't want to speak for Benzo, but the original request was for 24 participants, so i assume there is still some room. I am only smoking for 6 months, so acctually trying to review will be difficult for me as well. I don't expect to win, but want to see if I have the same thoughts as the more experienced reviewers.

[Smurf]

Yeah, cool. I like the idea of comparing reviews, as well as the oppertunity to try some different cigars.

[Benzopyrene]

Okay guys I need you all to do me a favor. Please pm me your mailing addys that you want the cigars to go too. Ive received a couple of checks and I dont know who they belong too, because there is no screen name with them, so this will help me. My bad on that one. Ive pcked out all of the cigars, and Im just waiting on 4 more checks before I get them out to everyone. Cheers! Hares the list as I have it now, but there are a couple checks not listed per above.

The money received list:

1. Benzopyrene (paid)
2. Garvey
3. Dpricenator
4. Angry Bill (paid)1/14
5. No Substitute
6. Rich K (paid)1/14
7. Hendy
8. Djs134
9. Texasmoke
10. Altercall (paid)1/14

[Benzopyrene]

The money received list:

1. Benzopyrene (paid)
2. Garvey(paid) 1/14
3. Dpricenator
4. Angry Bill (paid)1/14
5. No Substitute
6. Rich K (paid)1/14
7. Hendy
8. Djs134
9. Texasmoke
10. Altercall (paid)1/14

[Benzopyrene]

The money received list:

1. Benzopyrene (paid)
2. Garvey (paid) 1/14
3. Dpricenator 1/19 (paid)
4. Angry Bill (paid) 1/14
5. No Substitute
6. Rich K (paid) 1/14
7. Hendy (paid) 1/25
8. Djs134 (paid) 1/18
9. Texasmoke (paid) 1/17
10. Altercall (paid) 1/14

[Rich K]

Gents, I trust the money's already in the mail so we can get this thing started?

[dpricenator]

Yeah, mine was sent on monday I believe, maybe it was tuesday, but it's out. My bad guys I had a bunch of sh!t come up

[Benzopyrene]

Ive heard from everyone. All money has been sent, but still waiting to receive a couple. Hoping to get the cigars out asa I get the last check deposited. Ill send everyone their own DCN. Cheers all, pm me with any questions.

[Benzopyrene]

We are getting close to getting this bad boy rollin gents!

[Benzopyrene]

Waiting on the last 2 checks to arrive and then the cigars will go out, and we can get this thing rollin. It will run Feb-APR, and if you all like it we can do it again, and if not, well, it was worth a shot. Cheers!

[Benzopyrene]

K guys. Im going to try and mail cigars out tomorrow as long as Im not stuck at the hospital all day, so keep an eye out this week. First rating will be from Feb1 - Feb10.

[Rich K]

Thanks for all the work you're doing on this, bro. It can't be easy to organize everything, and I really appreciate it. And I'm really freaking stoked to get some good smokes in the mail.

[RigilKent]

to late to join i guess i never read through this review but if some one drops im all over it.

[TexaSmoke]

Great looking forward to try afew new items.

[WalterLars]

If there is a opening left i'm in.

[RigilKent]

sent my money out sat. Morning thanks Benz. for letting me in on this

[Benzopyrene]

K guys I sent the cigars out about 30 mins ago to all f those whose money I have received. Still waiting on a couple guys. I sent the cigars priority mail with dcn's and got $75 of insurance on each one. Should be fun. Look for the contest rules in your pm mailboxes either tonight or tomorrow. Cheers!

Darryl Neher 0307 1790 0000 6808 0115
Richard Kasper 0307 1790 0000 6808 0139
Andrew Walker 0307 1790 0000 6808 0146
Bill Bevans 0307 1790 0000 6808 0108
Daniel Sokoloski 0307 1790 0000 6808 0153
Scott Henderson 0307 1790 0000 6808 0092
David Price 0307 1790 0000 6808 0085
Jay Crumley 0307 1790 0000 6808 0078


You should all receive your packages between thurs and sat!

[Rich K]

Do the packages have the rating system and stuff in them? Or is that going to get posted here?

[Rich K]

Or wait...I clearly didn't read as well as I should have.

I'd be upset at my students for this, but here I am doing it myself. My bad.

[RigilKent]

let me know when you get my payment if you could.

Rigil

[Benzopyrene]

Lol... thats okay, because I meant to put it in the boxes, but my printer is out of ink, so I had to nix that idea for the moment. Anyway, Ill get them to you soon.

[Angry Bill]

Cool. Looking forward to the smokes and the rating contest.

[Hendy]

I am fu**in pumped up on this. This will be excellent.

Benzo, thanks for all the hard work. Looking forward to the start.

Later

Hendy

[dpricenator]

I am fu**in pumped up on this. This will be excellent.

Benzo, thanks for all the hard work. Looking forward to the start.

Later

Hendy

Yeah what he said:glassesgr

[Angry Bill]

Yeah, what they said.

[Benzopyrene]

Cigar Review Contest Guidelines

So everyone has been sent six cigars labeled 1-6. The numbers corespond with the following smoking dates:
1= Feb 1- Feb 14th
2= Feb 15- Feb 29
3= Mar 1- Mar 15
4= Mar 16- Mar 31
5= Apr 1- Apr 15
6= Apr 16- Apr 30

So I will start a thread called Review contest cigar 1 (or 2 or 3 etc) on the first day of smoking eligability, and sometime during these two weeks you all will smoke and rate the selected cigar. When all of the ratings have been submited or the final day of the period has ended I will then post my review revealing what cigar we all just smoked. Please do not guess the cigar we are smoking as some of you may know, and others may not! Here are the review guidlines that must be followed for rating each cigar.

1. Appearance- How does the cigar smell before its smoked/ How does the cigar look to you? How is the texture? the color? the shape? its appeal? any damages? or patches? etc etc (Points 15)

2. Ash- is it sturdy? color? texture? demonstative of good construction? (Points 10)

3. Draw- how is the draw? tight? loose? draws can change throughout the cigar. (Points 10)

4. Burn- Does the cigar burn even the whole smoke? Semi-even? One side have problems? How many times did it need to be re-lit because it went out on you? (Points 10)

5. Smoke- Is the smoke scant or thick? is it aromatic? is it visually pleasing? Is it representative of the draw? (Points 10)

6. Flavor/Blend- What do you taste? Look for a core flavor, and then find the hints about it. Does it change at the half? does it change every third? are the first two puffs incredible followed by a total let down. This is where you can develope your palate! (Points 20)

7. Uniqueness- how unique was this cigar compared to others you have smoked? Was the profile different? How so? Newer smokers will usually have higher scores in this section because they havent smoked as many cigars, but maybe you will be tremendously surprised by my selections. (Points 10)

8. Finish- How did the cigar end? This is so important because if it doesnt leave you relaxed or it begins to become really hot or bitter then that can ruin a smoke. Did it leave you feeling like you were in a different place? Was it smooth? Did you smoke the whole cigar or leave half of it? (Points 15)

So these are the rating guidelines you all are to follow for rating the cigars on a 100 pont scale. Anything else you want to add is what will set apart the winner of ths competition. Ex: history or the cigar, photos, beautiful writing... etc. Even if you hate the cigar you can still win the competition, because its about the best review, and not who rated the cigars the highest. The rating is a formality, but the review is the meat of it. Please again! Do not guess the cigar before Ive posted the review revealing what it is.

At the end of 3 months, I will post poll for the entire board, and everyone will vote for who they thought had the best review out of all 10 of you. Whoever gets the most votes wins the 6 pack of each of the cigars still banded. I ask that you dont vote for yourself, and that you vote for someone else, but obviously I cant monitor that, so Ill jut have to trust you all on it! Ill remind you all again when the time comes. Please PM me with any questions. Good luck and I look forward to reading you all's reviews!

[Benzopyrene]

Anybody receive their stogies today?

[Garvey]

package received. they are acclimating in the humidor as i type....

they look and smell good....

[Altercall]

Got em today!

[TexaSmoke]

:sadpace: Not sure, I'm still at work

[Angry Bill]

Got mine today! Almost smoked the first one... lol.. But thought better. Besides, it needs to get ready in my humi

[Hendy]

As you know, gotem

Hendy

[dpricenator]

no sign of them here

[TexaSmoke]

I got mine :smokingbo

[djs134]

Mine are resting comfortably in the Humidor!

[Benzopyrene]

So everyone except 1 of you should have em today, so feel free to light up at midnight if you cant resist.:guitar:

[dpricenator]

Just got delivered, they look good. There is a little turmoil at the house today so i may have to wait until the weekend. Unless it's gets too crazy and then I'll be smoking in my car at midnight! Wish me luck

[TexaSmoke]

Just got delivered, they look good. There is a little turmoil at the house today so i may have to wait until the weekend. Unless it's gets too crazy and then I'll be smoking in my car at midnight! Wish me luck

Planning on smoking it Sunday. Letting rest a could days before lighting it.

[RigilKent]

so i guess im the one who wont get them today. have fun Bros ill be joining you soon

[Rich K]

Got mine today, and I'm pretty stoked. #1 certainly smells like something I'll enjoy smoking. Too bad I can't taste it quite yet.

[Benzopyrene]

look later this evening, and Ill be posting the 1 cigar review thread, and the games can begin at midnight!:smokingbo

[Benzopyrene]

I think we should go ahead and get this thing started! Welcome Gentlemen to the first (hopefully of many) Botl cigar review contest!!!!! Let the review begin!!!! That is when I start the thread Review contest cigar 1! Cheers!