Be kind this is my first official review on here
Date: 2/6/11
Cigar: Man O' War: Armada (6.5 x 56) by: Abdel "AJ" Fernandez
Cost: $20 :hanghead:
Drink: Dos Equis
Appearance: This cigar has a dark oily Ecuadorian Sumatra Maduro wrapper. This is a heavy solid cigar, this is the way cigars should be built. I am giving the appearance a 9.6/10.
Pre-Light: Nice smooth draw and I get a bit of mocha on the pre-light draw.
Cut: I punch cut this cigar. The punch was clean and came out with no loose tobacco.
First 1/3 of the cigar: The first couple draws lets you know that this is a powerful cigar. Not overwhelming by any means but it has some umph behind it. Flavors noted were pepper with a sweet maduro mocha flavor. Nothing was overwhelming, an excellent balance between sweet and spicy.
2/3 of the cigar: The ash was holding pretty good with minor flakes then fell as I was taking the picture, so not a solid strong ash. The flavors started to change going into the second third. The pepper started to fade and a woodsy/earthiness came in. It was not a cedar flavor, a bit harder to explain but a very nice flavor. Smoke has become very creamy like most of the MOW series. Along with the woodsy flavor the sweet maduro and a slight chocolate were present.
Final 1/3 of the cigar: Heading into the final third the flavors continued to be very well balanced. Still a complex symphony of flavors but all is working together very well. The power starts to come back but not over-powering. Throughout this cigar there is NO shortage of flavor! Very impressive cigar, all I can say is WOW!
Strength: This is a full bodied complex flavored cigar.
Smoke time: Smoke time was a bit over 2 hours (most of the Super Bowl). Which was good it was one of those smokes you just didn't want to end. There was a clean burn throughout the cigar, I never once had to touch it up. I never once had to relight the cigar.
Summary: I have have always been a big fan of the Man O War series (except the Virtue). With my enjoyment of the series I bit the bullet and purchased an Armada. These sell for approximately $20 a stick or $500 for a humidified chest of 32. You can also find these in some sampler deals on Ccom and CI, it would be easier to swallow. If you enjoyed the MOW Ruination then this is a good step above it, if you are willing to pay the price. Overall I give this smoke a 9.4/10. The Ruination is half the cost and just a bit less of a cigar, so price wise the ruination is the smarter purchase but the Armada is a must try at least once! :thumbsup:
Excellent build, Super complex flavors, Lots of smoke, but a bit too pricey.
Date: 2/6/11
Cigar: Man O' War: Armada (6.5 x 56) by: Abdel "AJ" Fernandez
Cost: $20 :hanghead:
Drink: Dos Equis
Appearance: This cigar has a dark oily Ecuadorian Sumatra Maduro wrapper. This is a heavy solid cigar, this is the way cigars should be built. I am giving the appearance a 9.6/10.
Pre-Light: Nice smooth draw and I get a bit of mocha on the pre-light draw.
Cut: I punch cut this cigar. The punch was clean and came out with no loose tobacco.
First 1/3 of the cigar: The first couple draws lets you know that this is a powerful cigar. Not overwhelming by any means but it has some umph behind it. Flavors noted were pepper with a sweet maduro mocha flavor. Nothing was overwhelming, an excellent balance between sweet and spicy.
2/3 of the cigar: The ash was holding pretty good with minor flakes then fell as I was taking the picture, so not a solid strong ash. The flavors started to change going into the second third. The pepper started to fade and a woodsy/earthiness came in. It was not a cedar flavor, a bit harder to explain but a very nice flavor. Smoke has become very creamy like most of the MOW series. Along with the woodsy flavor the sweet maduro and a slight chocolate were present.
Final 1/3 of the cigar: Heading into the final third the flavors continued to be very well balanced. Still a complex symphony of flavors but all is working together very well. The power starts to come back but not over-powering. Throughout this cigar there is NO shortage of flavor! Very impressive cigar, all I can say is WOW!
Strength: This is a full bodied complex flavored cigar.
Smoke time: Smoke time was a bit over 2 hours (most of the Super Bowl). Which was good it was one of those smokes you just didn't want to end. There was a clean burn throughout the cigar, I never once had to touch it up. I never once had to relight the cigar.
Summary: I have have always been a big fan of the Man O War series (except the Virtue). With my enjoyment of the series I bit the bullet and purchased an Armada. These sell for approximately $20 a stick or $500 for a humidified chest of 32. You can also find these in some sampler deals on Ccom and CI, it would be easier to swallow. If you enjoyed the MOW Ruination then this is a good step above it, if you are willing to pay the price. Overall I give this smoke a 9.4/10. The Ruination is half the cost and just a bit less of a cigar, so price wise the ruination is the smarter purchase but the Armada is a must try at least once! :thumbsup:
Excellent build, Super complex flavors, Lots of smoke, but a bit too pricey.
