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3/5King

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09/06/14
6:20pm

Blind review #2
Courtesy of: Joe45

Expected Vitola: 5-1/2x38

Appearance:
Light roasted coffee wrapper, soft veins and lumpy like a sock full of change. Still has an even feel, triple cap complimented by a pigtail.

Pre-light Aroma:
Light cedar, a bit of earth and spice

Cold Draw:
Has a very firm draw. Touch of salt, cedar, and jogs a memory of
Dried fruit.

Time to put a torch to it. The aroma is very nice off the foot, soft and warm; appealing to the senses. The initial flavors I am getting are a slightly tart plum, cedar, hard candy (almost like that pineapple wrapped one that I always had as a kid..I'll have to find a picture so you can relate. You'll know the one I'm talking about as soon you see it.) It's a delicate smoke getting into the first inch. Very sharp burn line, with flavors that I think will wake up into a nice cigar. The smoke production is moderate at this point but enough to get a good taste.

Leaving the first inch is a very interesting and welcoming transition. The draw is opening up slightly and revealing higher volumes of smoke, which brings along with it an earthy cream. The body is delicate and the strength is mild at this point. I'm really enjoying the increase in smoke production and the draw is becoming a little more natural than forced. Towards the end of the first third, the flavors have blossomed into an earth filled cream that tingles the senses with a dancing peppered spice. The creaminess and body are building together and that tartness from earlier melds in the background.

Burning into the second third brings a slight increase in strength. The cream has backed off and allowed a raw almond to get noticed. A light sweetness lays along the tongue on the finish. A pine note runs through the middle of the retro hale and the spice and pepper has picked up on the back end. This mystery cigar has a very noticeable and graceful transition. The burn is still wonderful and the smoke production is treating me good. That creaminess that was building has balanced well with the modest peppery retro hale.

There's a floral note that engages here and there coming into the final leg of the stick. The cigar is mild in strength throughout, along with a medium body and some nicely balanced and developed flavors. A randomness of almond, floral and sweet notes built on the backbone of creamy pepper, all comes together in a very nice presentation. The cigar just died out as I was typing this "beautiful" description for all of you lol but the relight brought once again an "mmmmmmm" from my senses. I'm really enjoying the aroma coming off this cigar and the mild nature makes it a great empty stomach, morning smoke. The cigar is finishing with a richness to the flavor that keeps the mouth wet and salivating.

Final thoughts: This unbanded cigar has quality construction, the draw is somewhat tight but the smoke production helps make it a manageable issue. The cigar stays cool and consistent throughout. There is a nicely developed body and delicate flavors that mix well, keeping you interested throughout. It is mild in strength and delicate on the senses pairing along with a well balanced pepper on the finish. Heading towards a mouth watering richness that brings a wonderful and memorable end to the smoke session.

Burn time: 1hr 30mins

Scoring:

Overall Appearance and presentation: 14/20
Lighting and Burning Properties: 14/15
Construction properties: 24/30
Taste Properties: 30/35

Total: 82/100

REVEALED AS.....HOYO DU DOUPHIN RSE Sep 01

*I use a cigar rating sheet found online and while the taste might be a delight and definitely worth smoking, the overall score takes more than that into consideration. I refer you to the actual review to get a feel for what I think about the flavors and enjoyability of the cigar.

**These one off blind reviews are for a snap shot of this cigar; a fun way to share with you my initial impression of a smoke I know nothing about and (possibly) have never tried before. This review, in no way reflects a professional opinion. That would require more stringent guidelines and the smoking of more than one cigar per review. Although I will always try to be as professional and thorough as possible.
 
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Thanks for the reviews King. Always interested to hear your opinions. That Du Dauphin was already unbanded, so it was an easy choice. The Le Bijou was the corona gorda from the limited Puff-N-Stuff release a few years back.
 

3/5King

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09/10/14
8:40am

Blind Review #5
Courtesy Jim: aka Problemsolver

Expected Vitola: 5x48

Appearance: this thing is a beaut'.. There's a ridiculous amount of tooth and reminds me of a cats tongue. Wrapped in deep cocao, this cigar has a few veins but the are minor and don't take away from appearances at all. It has an overall very rustic feel to it. Single capped.

Pre-lit Aroma: There isn't much going on but faint cedar. The cigar was not in a cello though.

Cold Draw: cedar, a little salt on the tongue, tobacco.

TORCH TIME! The initial aroma is wonderful and pleasing to the senses as it rolls off the foot of the cigar; Meaty, toasty, woody. Pepper bomb right from the start.. There's a full and rich body to the smoke. Some good strength showing up front. The burn had me worried for the first few minutes but has evened out nicely as I make my way through the first inch. The ash is thick and stark white against it's dark and toothy wrapper. The pepper blast has nearly fully disappeared, leaving a smooth and satisfying retro. The main profile to start consists of a creamy earth.. A little nut in the background...a marked underlying sweetness. Plenty of smoke and the draw is perfect. The pepper blast has popped back into the picture which seems go be tied to the strength of this cigar. The smoke is a bit chalky and slightly drys the mouth. There's some wood coming through; earth/cane sugar/orange peel with a light creaminess finish the first third. Strength and body are medium/full...progressively.

This cigar builds to full strength fairly quickly, so you will want to exercise caution..lol. The flavors carry into the second third, the pepper attacks the senses and then darts away only to come right back and kick your sinus right in the ass. The burn waivers to the point of concern but it's just toying with me because just as quickly, it razors out again. I get a little anise wrapping around my tongue as I'm working through the middle of the cigar. Some spice is also dancing around the earth and pepper backbone. Here and there is a caramel sweetness that usually shows it's face in-between the blasts of pepper. The smoke dries out my mouth and requires a little water to wet the palette. So far the flavors are fairly consistent the whole way through although random notes pop up here and there. I'm almost reminded of rootbeer.

The final third has arrived and the smoke has stayed cool and plentiful for the long haul. I'm enjoying waving the aromas across my nose in-between puffs. It reminds me of toasted marshmallows over the campfire. Man that peppers got some kick but it doesn't carry that harsh headache with it, if you follow me. Wood/earth/cedar/spice/anise/brown sugar, followed by a sucker punch of pepper. Full strength with a slow, cool and even burn. Definitely reminded of a biting rootbeer. It died out towards the nub but worth a relight. The spice really picks up into the nub....and finishes chocolaty..yup, nub worthy. It finishes like it started, with a punch in the face..

Final Thoughts: This is a rich and flavorful smoke that will kick your ass if you let it but smacks you around the whole way through, regardless. There are plenty of flavors to pick and choose from and I probably need to smoke a few more of these just go wrap my head fully around this stick's profile. The smoke is plentiful and real easy to get to. The burn likes to play around but never gets out of line. This is a solid smoke and worth having around when you're looking for something to light up your senses.

Nub worthy; a powerhouse of flavor and strength that satisfies an N craving.

Burn time: 1hr 30min

Scoring:

Overall Appearance and Presentation: 17/20
Lighting and Burning Properties: 13/15
Construction Properties: 30/30
Taste Properties: 31/35

Total: 91/100

REVEALED AS: AGING ROOM MADURO (Rondo size 5x50)

*I use a cigar rating sheet found online and while the taste might be a delight and definitely worth smoking, the overall score takes more than that into consideration. I refer you to the actual review to get a feel for what I think about the flavors and enjoyability of the cigar.

**These one off blind reviews are for a snap shot of this cigar; a fun way to share with you my initial impression of a smoke I know nothing about and (possibly) have never tried before. This review, in no way reflects a professional opinion. That would require more stringent guidelines and the smoking of more than one cigar per review. Although I will always try to be as professional and thorough as possible.

 

3/5King

Shwing!
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09/08/14
7:45pm

Blind Review #4
Courtesy of: Jim aka Problemsolver
Expected Vitola: 6x54 Torpedo

Appearance: Medium roast coffee colored wrapper, this wrapper really looks like a leaf. Multiple veins running from head to foot and circling around. It's a very durable wrapper and has been rolled well. It has a leathery feel with consistent construction.


Pre-lit Aroma: strong cedar and tobaccos.

Cold Draw: sweet, salt, cedar. Nice open draw.

Torch Time! Cream, caramel, sweet cedar, lemon... To be honest the flavors are coming, going...morphing.. I'm really curious to see where this cigar settles after the first inch. Medium body.. Strength is yet to be seen. Wavy yet straight burn line. The first inch has come and gone leaving cream, lemon, cedar.. Moderate smoke production and the smoke is staying nice and cool. Medium body/medium strength with mild pepper on the RH.

Going into the second here the cream is building some toasty richness and the lemon is coming across as more of a hard candy and the cedar still mixing into the profile. Burn is perfect, draw is perfect. The pepper is building on the finish. An earthiness is building on top of the cream. There are some flavors in there that I'm missing/can't put my finger on yet...maybe floral and the cream is more of a creaminess than cream in the sense of milky. There's a chalkiness left on the lips. Still medium body and strength. Coming towards the end of the second; licorice, leather, strawberry notes with a nice peppery finish.

This thing is full of flavors and to be honest, they change from one puff to the next but at the same time, there is consistency in the creamy/hard candy/peppery finish. The body, strength hold medium, while the burn and draw stay solid throughout. The earthiness has also hung around since the middle of the 2nd. The pepper on the retro hale has continued to build evenly as I burn towards the finish. There is a bit of strength picking up into the finale. The cream has fell way to a pepper blast on the senses. A little bit of spice scratches at the back of the throat. If you draw lightly, you can still enjoy the cream and hard candy or take a longer pull and experience the earth and licorice. The strength has built considerably working through towards the nub.

Final Thoughts: This cigar started out rich right from the start. There were plenty of flavors swirling around popping in and out throughout. The draw was great, burn was wavy but straight throughout. Smoke production was moderate and enjoyable staying cool throughout. The strength stayed consistent until the final third where it picked up and tapped you on the shoulder. There were nice transitions but also a consistency that culminated into a well balanced yet wide ranged flavor profile. Very enjoyable to smoke and would work well with a bright cup of coffee.

Nub worthy/Finishes Strong

Burn Time: 1hr 45mins

Scoring:

Overall Appearance and Presentation: 17/20
Lighting and Burning Properties: 14/15
Construction Properties: 30/30
Taste Properties: 30/35

Total: 91/100

REVEALED AS: ALEC BRADLEY NICA PURO

*I use a cigar rating sheet found online and while the taste might be a delight and definitely worth smoking, the overall score takes more than that into consideration. I refer you to the actual review to get a feel for what I think about the flavors and enjoyability of the cigar.

**These one off blind reviews are for a snap shot of this cigar; a fun way to share with you my initial impression of a smoke I know nothing about and (possibly) have never tried before. This review, in no way reflects a professional opinion. That would require more stringent guidelines and the smoking of more than one cigar per review. Although I will always try to be as professional and thorough as possible.

 

drbell15

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Great review, I think these cigars are sleepers in the fantasy football definition.
 

3/5King

Shwing!
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nice reviews !

kinda surprising to see no tobacco notes getting picked up on any these though.

:)
I notice actual tobacco flavors on the initial cold draw, and the the pre-lit aroma through the foot. Once I've put a torch to it, I don't notice the raw tobacco flavors (in the sense of the word) I will make it a point to focus on that aroma/flavor specifically next time and see if it's something I'm missing or just describing differently.

Thanks guys.
 
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