Great review Clint! Love the ashtray!
The cigar is a Tatuaje Havana VI...
The cigar is a Tatuaje Havana VI...
Problemsolverjc's Blind Review Thread
- Thread starter problemsolverjc
- Start date
Nice review broseph.
Love the pic heavy commentary.
Keep em coming
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4
Love the pic heavy commentary.
Keep em coming
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4
cgraunke
BoM March '14
Thanks guys.
That was kind of intimidating.
I bet the guys at the smoke shop were looking at me funny, taking notes and shooting pictures for two hours!
That Havana VI is one I've had and liked but now everytime I smoke another one I'll be thinking of it in a whole new light. Thanks for providing this experience for me, it is quite eye opening!
I'm excited for round two! :thumbup:
That was kind of intimidating.
I bet the guys at the smoke shop were looking at me funny, taking notes and shooting pictures for two hours!
That Havana VI is one I've had and liked but now everytime I smoke another one I'll be thinking of it in a whole new light. Thanks for providing this experience for me, it is quite eye opening!
I'm excited for round two! :thumbup:
Totally agree, smoking blind opens up a whole new level to this hobby. Couldn't appreciate the quality of other's reviews till I got my hands dirty
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Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4
D2
6x52 (eyeballed)
Palio cut
Paired with water
Smoked in shed 35F full stomach
Gorgeous mottled maduro wrapper with a deep red tone, some toothiness
Pre-cut: pretty faint smells of hay/grass, spring barnyard
Cold draw of dry dark leather, aged tobacco and raisins
Toast the foot and lights easily with a soft-flame.
1/3
This thing starts off with strong & intense flavors of rich earth, cocoa, and sweet leather
not my typical morning cigar but would go great with strong black coffee
2/3
Smoothing out. Chocolate muffin and french roast coffee blend with the first third's leather and deep earth.
A woody cedar is coming through now. Going into the last third Dark leather is back in control
Havn't thought of the draw until now and that is a good thing--smooth with copious amount of smoke.
3/3
Leather, raisins, burnt dirt, bitter chocolate/coffee
Its a bit one sided in flavors and I am a little bored by this stage and was thinking this blend would be better showcased in a robusto/shorter cigar.
I did touch up the burn line 3 different times, nothing crazy but I'm a bit of stickler for even burns. Ash held for over an inch.
I enjoy the direction of this cigar. It's a bit of a one trick pony, heavily skewed towards one side of the spectrum--Nica flavor bomb--this cigar showcases its strengths well.
While not the most nuanced, there are times when this cigar is exactly what I'm looking for. Strong in your face, no need to pick out delicate idiosyncrasies . During the first third especially I thought the flavors were similar to Liga 9 and Tat Rerseva, towards the middle I was reminded of LFD oscuro (not a nica, I know ), and finally at the end a JDN antano dark.
smoking time: 1.5hrs
Flavors: Full
Strength: Medium/full
Score: 8.6
I would enjoy smoking more of these esp. given the price point (I see these being under $6) and pairing with a strong stout or coffee
6x52 (eyeballed)
Palio cut
Paired with water
Smoked in shed 35F full stomach
Gorgeous mottled maduro wrapper with a deep red tone, some toothiness
Pre-cut: pretty faint smells of hay/grass, spring barnyard
Cold draw of dry dark leather, aged tobacco and raisins
Toast the foot and lights easily with a soft-flame.
1/3
This thing starts off with strong & intense flavors of rich earth, cocoa, and sweet leather
not my typical morning cigar but would go great with strong black coffee
2/3
Smoothing out. Chocolate muffin and french roast coffee blend with the first third's leather and deep earth.
A woody cedar is coming through now. Going into the last third Dark leather is back in control
Havn't thought of the draw until now and that is a good thing--smooth with copious amount of smoke.
3/3
Leather, raisins, burnt dirt
, bitter chocolate/coffee Its a bit one sided in flavors and I am a little bored by this stage and was thinking this blend would be better showcased in a robusto/shorter cigar.
I did touch up the burn line 3 different times, nothing crazy but I'm a bit of stickler for even burns. Ash held for over an inch.
I enjoy the direction of this cigar. It's a bit of a one trick pony, heavily skewed towards one side of the spectrum--Nica flavor bomb--this cigar showcases its strengths well.
While not the most nuanced, there are times when this cigar is exactly what I'm looking for. Strong in your face, no need to pick out delicate idiosyncrasies . During the first third especially I thought the flavors were similar to Liga 9 and Tat Rerseva, towards the middle I was reminded of LFD oscuro (not a nica, I know
), and finally at the end a JDN antano dark.smoking time: 1.5hrs
Flavors: Full
Strength: Medium/full
Score: 8.6
I would enjoy smoking more of these esp. given the price point (I see these being under $6) and pairing with a strong stout or coffee
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You got one!!! Well done! A JdN Antano Dark Corojo
Sweet, not that guessing is the point, but a big thanks for making this happen brother. I've only smoked one JDN Antano dark--during the Summer--but I guess it stuck out. It was a great learning experience all together and humbling.
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Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4
Thanks for playing along!!!
C3 review
Vitola: robusto
Strength: medium-full
Body (flavor): full
Construction: firm feel. Dark wrapper. Small visible seams and viens. Buttery smooth wrapper. Double cap.
Burn time: 1hr 40min
Prelight foot smells: barnyard and spice.
Prelight draw: chocolate and fruit?? Lol.
1st 3rd
(Tell me this isn't a Liga. I dare you!!! Lol.)
Initial light tasted like cedar and earth. The finish was a little spicy and tasted like black coffee. Retrohail is smooth no burn. Tons of smoke coming off this thing and after about 10 min starts to taste like espresso and dark chocolate. Closer to the second third the ash fell. Its still producing tons of smoke. On the draw and off the foot.
2nd and final 3rd
All espresso and chocolate. A littlw pepper in the final third but amazing all the way. I forgot to take final photos for the last third and end, my son woke up from his nap and was keeping me busy lol.
I posted my guess on instagram literally 15 min in. This has to be a liga, nothing else I've ever seen smokes like that off the foot. My guess is T-52 all though possibly a UF-13 as I've only had one and can't quite remember exactly what it tastes like just that it was great lol.
Edit: forgot the score. I give this a 9 out of 10. It was great.
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Vitola: robusto
Strength: medium-full
Body (flavor): full
Construction: firm feel. Dark wrapper. Small visible seams and viens. Buttery smooth wrapper. Double cap.
Burn time: 1hr 40min
Prelight foot smells: barnyard and spice.
Prelight draw: chocolate and fruit?? Lol.
1st 3rd
(Tell me this isn't a Liga. I dare you!!! Lol.)
Initial light tasted like cedar and earth. The finish was a little spicy and tasted like black coffee. Retrohail is smooth no burn. Tons of smoke coming off this thing and after about 10 min starts to taste like espresso and dark chocolate. Closer to the second third the ash fell. Its still producing tons of smoke. On the draw and off the foot.
2nd and final 3rd
All espresso and chocolate. A littlw pepper in the final third but amazing all the way. I forgot to take final photos for the last third and end, my son woke up from his nap and was keeping me busy lol.
I posted my guess on instagram literally 15 min in. This has to be a liga, nothing else I've ever seen smokes like that off the foot. My guess is T-52 all though possibly a UF-13 as I've only had one and can't quite remember exactly what it tastes like just that it was great lol.
Edit: forgot the score. I give this a 9 out of 10. It was great.
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C3 is an Oliva Cain Maduro Nicaragua - I can see why you thought LP...
Mexican wrapper around a "straight ligero" blend of triple-fermented longfillers, with some Seco and Viso
Mexican wrapper around a "straight ligero" blend of triple-fermented longfillers, with some Seco and Viso
Ahhh nooo. Lol. I'm hanging up my guessing hat lmao. The cool part is I like this a lot and I actually have three of these in the humi. Just had never smoked one yet. It looks like I like Olivas that's two now.
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Cains are a very different breed of Oliva... if you like spicy, try the cain daytona... I found it full of peppery spice!
Apologies for the crappy photo, the kids were sleeping, my phone was all I had to work with at the time.
Band: A1
Color: Colorado
Size: Robusto
Ring Gauge: Around 56ish maybe?
The prelight smells and flavors were about the same, a slight sweetness with an earthy base. The initial light along with the first third hit me with heavy black pepper, an earthy (grass / hay) base and slight leathery hint. The draw was in the medium to firm range with a mild to medium strength. Moving into the second third the pepper became less intense still with an earthy base and the addition of a more intensified tobacco flavor. The draw started to firm up and the strength became more of a medium and produced less smoke. The profile stayed the same throughout the final third. The burn was pretty sloppy, multiple touch ups still produced sloppy burn. Overall it still had a decent balance and smoothness from the oily wrapper.
Construction: Solid, the pack was tighter near the cap.
Strength: Medium
Body: Medium
Burn Time: 1hr 30min - 2hrs
Overall Rating: 7.6
Reminded me of something Arturo Fuente.
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A1 is a Four Kicks by Crowned Heads. A medium strength Dominican smoke. The wrapper is Ecuadorian Habano.
Incidentally, I have had similar lighting issues with the Four Kicks on a number of occasions...
Incidentally, I have had similar lighting issues with the Four Kicks on a number of occasions...
Sweet deal I was interested in trying this stick, I'll check that one off the list!
cgraunke
BoM March '14
Cigar B3 - from problemsolverjc
Size: 6"x54
Reviewer Level: Extremely Novice!
Location: Tobacco Grove indoor smoking lounge - Maple Grove, MN
Date: 25Nov2013 18:10 - 20:10 (2:00 total burn time, cut short part way in to the final third)
Pairing: Water
Appearance: light brown wrapper, prominent veins & seams
Feel: average, some hard spots
Smell: fought with this a bit as I was distracted by other smoke in the lounge, sweet cocoa?
Cut: Xikar MTX Multi-Tool, clean, no splits or unraveling
Pre-light draw: restricted, cut it back a bit further but no change, still tough, sweet tobacco, leather, cocoa, a little spice on the lips
Light: Xikar Tech Double Jet, ~1.5" above the flame, easy full even light
First Puffs: ample smoke, a "dry" taste, very mellow
First 1/3: Very mild. None of the spice I was expecting from the pre-light, at least not in my mouth but a bit on retro-hale. Tastes of cocoa & earthy fruits (raisin/date) immediately reminded me of the Verdadero line. Plenty of smoke on the draw but no significant smoke on the foot after it sits. White-gray ash w/ minimal flaking. First ash drop at about 3/4", solid, no crumbling. No real change in flavors as I continue. Ash has become much more flakey after the first drop, and more "salt & pepper" looking. More of the raisin/date fruit. Burn has become a bit uneven, but corrected itself quickly. Just a little spice appearing as we approach the 1/3 mark. Ash dropped again, right at 1/3.
Second 1/3: Tasting more of the fruit. Spice is picking up a bit, but it comes and goes, more noticeable on the finish. Seeing more sweetness, and even mint chocolate?! I think this was the cigar I could smell when I opened up the shipping box. Ashed again at the halfway mark and started to lose it's burn, so I touched up before it completely went out. Continued on after this with more of the same flavors.
Final 1/3: Draw continues to be tough, having to work hard at it, but still lots of smoke off the draw. Another uneven burn, but again corrected itself rather quickly. Still sweet, minimal spice, a little more nutty. Very mellow/"plain" in comparison to other cigars I've had. Started to get a bit of a nicotine high about halfway through the final third. Had to drop it off with about an inch left to smoke. Shop closed up 10 minutes ago ad I'm one of the last ones here. Need to start earlier next time! I would guess this is maybe a 2:15-2:20 smoke if I would have finished it.
Conclusion: Overall, a very light easy-going cigar. Maybe a morning coffee cigar flavor-wise, but I'd be worried on an empty stomach as I was feeling this one by the end! It was good, had some good flavors, I just got bored by the end. Not necessarily a bad thing, but some people want complexity. I would probably smoke again if I were in the mood.
Score: 7/10
Size: 6"x54
Reviewer Level: Extremely Novice!
Location: Tobacco Grove indoor smoking lounge - Maple Grove, MN
Date: 25Nov2013 18:10 - 20:10 (2:00 total burn time, cut short part way in to the final third)
Pairing: Water
Appearance: light brown wrapper, prominent veins & seams
Feel: average, some hard spots
Smell: fought with this a bit as I was distracted by other smoke in the lounge, sweet cocoa?
Cut: Xikar MTX Multi-Tool, clean, no splits or unraveling
Pre-light draw: restricted, cut it back a bit further but no change, still tough, sweet tobacco, leather, cocoa, a little spice on the lips
Light: Xikar Tech Double Jet, ~1.5" above the flame, easy full even light
First Puffs: ample smoke, a "dry" taste, very mellow
First 1/3: Very mild. None of the spice I was expecting from the pre-light, at least not in my mouth but a bit on retro-hale. Tastes of cocoa & earthy fruits (raisin/date) immediately reminded me of the Verdadero line. Plenty of smoke on the draw but no significant smoke on the foot after it sits. White-gray ash w/ minimal flaking. First ash drop at about 3/4", solid, no crumbling. No real change in flavors as I continue. Ash has become much more flakey after the first drop, and more "salt & pepper" looking. More of the raisin/date fruit. Burn has become a bit uneven, but corrected itself quickly. Just a little spice appearing as we approach the 1/3 mark. Ash dropped again, right at 1/3.
Second 1/3: Tasting more of the fruit. Spice is picking up a bit, but it comes and goes, more noticeable on the finish. Seeing more sweetness, and even mint chocolate?! I think this was the cigar I could smell when I opened up the shipping box. Ashed again at the halfway mark and started to lose it's burn, so I touched up before it completely went out. Continued on after this with more of the same flavors.
Final 1/3: Draw continues to be tough, having to work hard at it, but still lots of smoke off the draw. Another uneven burn, but again corrected itself rather quickly. Still sweet, minimal spice, a little more nutty. Very mellow/"plain" in comparison to other cigars I've had. Started to get a bit of a nicotine high about halfway through the final third. Had to drop it off with about an inch left to smoke. Shop closed up 10 minutes ago ad I'm one of the last ones here. Need to start earlier next time! I would guess this is maybe a 2:15-2:20 smoke if I would have finished it.
Conclusion: Overall, a very light easy-going cigar. Maybe a morning coffee cigar flavor-wise, but I'd be worried on an empty stomach as I was feeling this one by the end! It was good, had some good flavors, I just got bored by the end. Not necessarily a bad thing, but some people want complexity. I would probably smoke again if I were in the mood.
Score: 7/10
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Nice review Clint!
B3 is a Swag Infamous Limitada... Full body dominican cigar with a dominican habano wrapper...
B3 is a Swag Infamous Limitada... Full body dominican cigar with a dominican habano wrapper...
cgraunke
BoM March '14
Cigar B2 - from problemsolverjc
Size: 6.825"x50
Reviewer Level: Extremely Novice!
Location: Tobacco Grove indoor smoking lounge - Maple Grove, MN
Date: 10Dec2013 18:00 - 20:00 (2:00 total burn time, cut short part way in to the final third)
Pairing: Water (& later, Dr. Pepper)
Appearance: dark brown wrapper, like aged dark leather, prominent vein down one side & seams seemingly seperating away from the cigar body
Feel: mostly spongy, some random hard spots
Smell: couldn't pick up an unlit scent, B&M was busier than usual
Cut: Xikar MTX Multi-Tool, clean, no splits or unraveling though it seemed a bit dry (due to transport in winter MN air?)
Pre-light draw: perfect draw, just enough resistance to know there's something there but didn't have to work for it, no noticeable taste, no noticeable smell
Light: Xikar Tech Double Jet, toasted ~1.5" above the flame, easy full even light
First Puffs: immediate smoke off the foot and plenty in the mouth, a very light taste of cocoa or chocolate
First 1/3: Smoke off the foot dissipates immediately upon setting down. Full white smoke off the draw, not thick but abundant. More cocoa/chocolate, minimal bite on the retro-hale, but noticeable. Constant, but very light, smoke off the the foot. Average smoke off the draw. Gray/black flaky ash that dropped at about 3/4" but held solidly formed in the ash tray. Draw is tightening a bit. More spice this time on retro-hale. Dropped a solid little ash again after another 3/4". Very consistent even burn. Dropped another 3/4" ash coming in right at the one third mark.
Second 1/3: Picking up a little more spice, minimal but still noticeable. Still the same very light cocoa/chocolate flavors, mostly just tobacco. Draw is noticeably increasing. Starting to get a little nicotine buzz. Grabbed a Dr. Pepper from the checkout counter hoping the sugars would save me from going down that road... At about the halfway point, as if on a dime, the cocoa gave way to rich dark fruit (date/raisin/cherry) and I have to assume this was in part influenced by adding the soda sugars to my palette. Smoke off the draw is getting "thicker" and more gray. Draw is becoming increasingly more difficult.
Final 1/3: Starting to get a headache. Re-cut, took a good 1/16"-1/8" off the top and got back to the draw that was present at the beginning of the cigar. Oils are stating to show on the wrapper. I think I started to rush, smoke faster, and in turn it's smoking hotter releasing the oils from the wrapper. More leathery in taste, but still a showing of the rich fruit. Now I have a full-on headache, approaching nic-sick head swimming level right about the time the B&M is ready to close up shop and I gladly call it quits halfway through the final third.
Conclusion: It may just be me and my particular presence that day, but I feel that was a nic-bomb that snuck up, kicked my ass to the ground, then kicked me square in the jaw when I was down just for good measure. The rate I was going I probably would have puked if I finished it! Needless to say, I was relieved to see 8:00 roll around. I really was not expecting that with how innocent the thing started off, and was totally unprepared for what awaited me at the end!
Score: 8/10 - I would gladly smoke one again, preferably a smaller vitola if available, and see how I fare with it. Let's just say I'm curious...
*PICTURES TO FOLLOW LATER TODAY***
Size: 6.825"x50
Reviewer Level: Extremely Novice!
Location: Tobacco Grove indoor smoking lounge - Maple Grove, MN
Date: 10Dec2013 18:00 - 20:00 (2:00 total burn time, cut short part way in to the final third)
Pairing: Water (& later, Dr. Pepper)
Appearance: dark brown wrapper, like aged dark leather, prominent vein down one side & seams seemingly seperating away from the cigar body
Feel: mostly spongy, some random hard spots
Smell: couldn't pick up an unlit scent, B&M was busier than usual
Cut: Xikar MTX Multi-Tool, clean, no splits or unraveling though it seemed a bit dry (due to transport in winter MN air?)
Pre-light draw: perfect draw, just enough resistance to know there's something there but didn't have to work for it, no noticeable taste, no noticeable smell
Light: Xikar Tech Double Jet, toasted ~1.5" above the flame, easy full even light
First Puffs: immediate smoke off the foot and plenty in the mouth, a very light taste of cocoa or chocolate
First 1/3: Smoke off the foot dissipates immediately upon setting down. Full white smoke off the draw, not thick but abundant. More cocoa/chocolate, minimal bite on the retro-hale, but noticeable. Constant, but very light, smoke off the the foot. Average smoke off the draw. Gray/black flaky ash that dropped at about 3/4" but held solidly formed in the ash tray. Draw is tightening a bit. More spice this time on retro-hale. Dropped a solid little ash again after another 3/4". Very consistent even burn. Dropped another 3/4" ash coming in right at the one third mark.
Second 1/3: Picking up a little more spice, minimal but still noticeable. Still the same very light cocoa/chocolate flavors, mostly just tobacco. Draw is noticeably increasing. Starting to get a little nicotine buzz. Grabbed a Dr. Pepper from the checkout counter hoping the sugars would save me from going down that road... At about the halfway point, as if on a dime, the cocoa gave way to rich dark fruit (date/raisin/cherry) and I have to assume this was in part influenced by adding the soda sugars to my palette. Smoke off the draw is getting "thicker" and more gray. Draw is becoming increasingly more difficult.
Final 1/3: Starting to get a headache. Re-cut, took a good 1/16"-1/8" off the top and got back to the draw that was present at the beginning of the cigar. Oils are stating to show on the wrapper. I think I started to rush, smoke faster, and in turn it's smoking hotter releasing the oils from the wrapper. More leathery in taste, but still a showing of the rich fruit. Now I have a full-on headache, approaching nic-sick head swimming level right about the time the B&M is ready to close up shop and I gladly call it quits halfway through the final third.
Conclusion: It may just be me and my particular presence that day, but I feel that was a nic-bomb that snuck up, kicked my ass to the ground, then kicked me square in the jaw when I was down just for good measure. The rate I was going I probably would have puked if I finished it! Needless to say, I was relieved to see 8:00 roll around. I really was not expecting that with how innocent the thing started off, and was totally unprepared for what awaited me at the end!
Score: 8/10 - I would gladly smoke one again, preferably a smaller vitola if available, and see how I fare with it. Let's just say I'm curious...
*PICTURES TO FOLLOW LATER TODAY***
B2 is a Romeo y Julieta 1875 Reserve Maduro in a Churchill size. Medium strength stick from the Dominican Republic, and has a Connecticut Maduro wrapper. 90 rated at Famous (based on user ratings).
I would agree that it is a pretty heavy Vitamin N stick...
I would agree that it is a pretty heavy Vitamin N stick...