Review Contest 3 Cigar #1!!!!
- Thread starter Benzopyrene
- Start date
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
tomorrow night!
Soundwave13
BoM Feb 2010
Review Cigar # 1
Score: 64
Info: 7.5 x 48 ring paired with Peets Major Dickasons Blend coffee & Water
This ugly Churchill had 'character': veins, bumps, creases a few green spots and sunspots. The color reminded me of raking leaves in the fall. As far as feel, it didnt have any soft spots, was slightly giving to a pinch and actually had a little fur in the right light
After a clean clipping with the Palio, I noticed the pre-light draw was surprisingly good for a stick of this size. It tasted woody, nutty and of mild tobacco.
While putting some fire to it, the smell of the smoke was not unpleasant: cedar and a bit of vanilla, but then I took a sip My first impression was dry, bitter wood. For some reason chewing on birch bark came to mind No, I dont ever recall chewing on birch bark, but then, I did a lot of strange things in my youth that I dont remember It did have an incense-like quality that was similar to some aged smokes Ive had. Almost like sandalwood sticks that survived a flooded basement ten years prior.
The ash had a flaky light grey exterior with an interior consisting of dark grey & tan. It seemed to hold on, but I didnt test it beyond 1-3/4, more out of the need to occasionally correct the uneven burn. Not really a big deal a few passes with the torch & a minute to relax & it was back in the game.
The draw remained good throughout the stick delivering a clean finish on the predominately woody notes. Kind of like chopping slightly wet wood while camping or raking damp leaves The tastes werent horrible- in fact, midway, I got the urge to do some yard work Nah I am relaxing, trying to enjoy my cigar with my girl Maggie.. Oh sh!t Maggie!?
I guess I was paying a bit too much attention to the smoke & not enough to the puppy swimming in some potting soil Hey well, she's too cute not to forgive...
Im no expert on aging, but I got to speculating that this stick, as most, would be better with age But Some sticks give you the distinct impression that they have a shelf life, not to mention the mild body of the smoke & lack of natural oils (to the point of leaving the tongue feeling dry). Perhaps some of the bitterness might be smoothed out. It left a dry, treated-leather-spice aftertaste that started to make me feel like a headache would be in my near future. I guess this stick has some kick to it after all. Smoking this began to feel too much like a chore & was laid down to its final rest at about 2 inches.
Final scores:
Appearance: 11
Ash: 7
Draw: 9
Burn: 6
Smoke: 7
Flavor: 10
Uniqueness: 5
Finish: 9
Total: 64
Score: 64
Info: 7.5 x 48 ring paired with Peets Major Dickasons Blend coffee & Water
This ugly Churchill had 'character': veins, bumps, creases a few green spots and sunspots. The color reminded me of raking leaves in the fall. As far as feel, it didnt have any soft spots, was slightly giving to a pinch and actually had a little fur in the right light
After a clean clipping with the Palio, I noticed the pre-light draw was surprisingly good for a stick of this size. It tasted woody, nutty and of mild tobacco.
While putting some fire to it, the smell of the smoke was not unpleasant: cedar and a bit of vanilla, but then I took a sip My first impression was dry, bitter wood. For some reason chewing on birch bark came to mind No, I dont ever recall chewing on birch bark, but then, I did a lot of strange things in my youth that I dont remember It did have an incense-like quality that was similar to some aged smokes Ive had. Almost like sandalwood sticks that survived a flooded basement ten years prior.
The ash had a flaky light grey exterior with an interior consisting of dark grey & tan. It seemed to hold on, but I didnt test it beyond 1-3/4, more out of the need to occasionally correct the uneven burn. Not really a big deal a few passes with the torch & a minute to relax & it was back in the game.
The draw remained good throughout the stick delivering a clean finish on the predominately woody notes. Kind of like chopping slightly wet wood while camping or raking damp leaves The tastes werent horrible- in fact, midway, I got the urge to do some yard work Nah I am relaxing, trying to enjoy my cigar with my girl Maggie.. Oh sh!t Maggie!?
I guess I was paying a bit too much attention to the smoke & not enough to the puppy swimming in some potting soil Hey well, she's too cute not to forgive...
Im no expert on aging, but I got to speculating that this stick, as most, would be better with age But Some sticks give you the distinct impression that they have a shelf life, not to mention the mild body of the smoke & lack of natural oils (to the point of leaving the tongue feeling dry). Perhaps some of the bitterness might be smoothed out. It left a dry, treated-leather-spice aftertaste that started to make me feel like a headache would be in my near future. I guess this stick has some kick to it after all. Smoking this began to feel too much like a chore & was laid down to its final rest at about 2 inches.
Final scores:
Appearance: 11
Ash: 7
Draw: 9
Burn: 6
Smoke: 7
Flavor: 10
Uniqueness: 5
Finish: 9
Total: 64
LOL, I just realized I spelled Vein wrong. Sorry about that. I spent the last 8 years working for a company making moisture separator 'vanes'. It took me about a year to spell it right for them. Bad habit, I'll correct that on the next review..
WhiteLightning
This is WhiteLightning!
I can't wait to find out what cigar this is.
Review:
Good looking cigar at first; veiny, yet oily wrapper; that felt quite consistently rolled. Flowery pre-light with the foot giving notes of cedar. Clipped the cap to find a TIGHT draw. A soft massage worked for shite. Poker didn't do wonders either (and it had been resting at 65%...wouldn't like to imagine it at 70%). The ash was white and mostly solid, and the cigar gave an attractive blue smoke. Flowers, cedar and earth were the notes on the 1st third; along with (mostly) something horrid.
Appearance and pre-light = 11/15 - Good loking on the outside and it didn't seem as bad as it was
Ash = 8/10 - Neat ash. Firm, white and solid.
Draw = 3/10 - Not plugged per se, but nearly. HORRID draw.
Burn = 7/10 - Decent burn.
Smoke = 8/10 - Pretty looking blue smoke. If only...
Flavour = 7/20 - YUCK! I'll put it this way: Meg's brother can smoke anything and not care. Even a cigar left halfway a week before. And he didn't like this.
Uniqueness = 7/10 - Flowers and shite aren't as common in a cigar.
Finish and experience = I had to take a glass of milk and smoke something decent to wash out the inch I had of this cigar before putting it out.
Luke, what did I do to deserve this?
Good looking cigar at first; veiny, yet oily wrapper; that felt quite consistently rolled. Flowery pre-light with the foot giving notes of cedar. Clipped the cap to find a TIGHT draw. A soft massage worked for shite. Poker didn't do wonders either (and it had been resting at 65%...wouldn't like to imagine it at 70%). The ash was white and mostly solid, and the cigar gave an attractive blue smoke. Flowers, cedar and earth were the notes on the 1st third; along with (mostly) something horrid.
Appearance and pre-light = 11/15 - Good loking on the outside and it didn't seem as bad as it was
Ash = 8/10 - Neat ash. Firm, white and solid.
Draw = 3/10 - Not plugged per se, but nearly. HORRID draw.
Burn = 7/10 - Decent burn.
Smoke = 8/10 - Pretty looking blue smoke. If only...
Flavour = 7/20 - YUCK! I'll put it this way: Meg's brother can smoke anything and not care. Even a cigar left halfway a week before. And he didn't like this.
Uniqueness = 7/10 - Flowers and shite aren't as common in a cigar.
Finish and experience = I had to take a glass of milk and smoke something decent to wash out the inch I had of this cigar before putting it out.
Luke, what did I do to deserve this?
Loved your analogies, openendstraight. This is a great review! I had a Partagas SD#4 robusto the other night. The draw was so tight, it could never open up its flavors. Fully 2/3s of the inside was some woody plug that extended the first 4 inches of the cigar. I got the feeling a restrictive draw kept you from feeling that you experienced all this cigar might offer on some other occasion.
Stick seems to be a Churchill it's stats were 50 x 7 1/8"
Upon inspection of the cigar it was a beautiful medium brown tone, with no large veins. It was somewhat malleable, but not like your Johnson after spending a few minutes in the shower with your wife. The cigar had no predominate flavor, and the only aroma I could get was that of virginal tobacco.
I prefer to punch my cigars, rather than cut, and in hindsight this was not a great choice for this stick (but more on that later). I used a 8 mm punch. The cigar still displayed no flavors, and the draw was just a little tight, not like a crack whore's jeans, but tight all the same.
1/3
Very woodsy and some grassy undertones with just a hint of pepper, nice white and grey ash, and draw was a little firm. The cigar did not want to supply with me with much smoke.
2/3
All hints of pepper went away and was replaced by stronger grassy and earthy tones. At this point the draw has not changed, and the ash altough beautiful in color was like a teenage Southern Baptist virgin would not stay with me past the first inch. Still very little smoke.
3/3]
Draw never opened up, and pepper and spice lingered about, but like Ben Afleck they never realy played a good leading roll. It started to get a little harsh and bitter toward the end, but not bad enough to make me walk away. The finish was better than the rest of the stick, but that is not saying much. I never had to relight, and only touched it up a few times.
Total smoke time 1hr 21 minutes, and the beverage of choice was an Arnold Palmer while sitting by the pool in 95 degrees with a slight breeze.
To say this cigar was mild would be a monumental understatement.
Appearance.....14
Ash................ 8
Draw.............. 7
Burn............... 9
Smoke............ 7
Flavor/Blend....16
Uniqueness...... 7
Finish.............13
So I guess it did not score well with me. Total of ....81
xddco
The Skipper
I have to admit, I read the first few reviews of this cigar and did my best to approach it with an open mind. It's hard not to let prior intelligence influence your expectations, but with the appropriate attitude, I think I did a good job.
Upon first inspection, the thing that struck me first about this cigar was the pointed cap. It looked almost a like a torpedo cap, but had a perfect disk top cap, despite it's poorly wrapped first cap. Inspection of this churchill sized smoke revealed a slightly veined wrapper that was evenly colored. The cigar was not very firm, was light in the hand and loosely rolled for a premium smoke. It smelled almost musty, with strong tobacco and earth aromas, prior to lighting. Appearance: 10 points
I clipped the cigar with a Xikar and torched it up. First taste of the wrapper is bitter, like fresh tobacco. Draw is good, with plenty of dark smoke. Right off the bat, the smoke leaves a metallic finish that softens after the first few draws. I get peat and wood flavors, it tastes like the smell of a winery's large vat aging rooms. The cigar does burn evenly at first, with a nice whitish ash that was loose. It held for the first inch and then began to burn less evenly, continuing this trend through the entire smoke.
Ash: 6 points
As I get through the first third of the cigar, the draw remains consistent and satisfactory. Tastes evolve to include a vegetal character, reminding me of raw carrots, with pepper on them. Halfway through I lose the pepper and that earthy taste, like the smell of a bag of potatoes, predominates again. There is a faint spice in the background. I keep hoping for it to come out, but it never gets there. Burn is consistent... slightly skewed to one side, but never so bad that I have to touch it up or relight it.
The draw actually improves after the half point and the smoke gets lighter and more dense. My wife says it smells "pleasant"......not overpowering or acrid... which is more than I can say for the direction the taste is heading as I begin the last third of this smoke.
Draw: 8 points
Burn: 7 points
Smoke: 7 points
As I get to the finish, I have to stop this one. It gets very bitter, despite efforts to purge it. I finally let it burn out....
It is a disappointing finish, forcing me to consider it a mediocre cigar. The whole time I smoked this cigar I kept hoping for it to come around. Although I am confident that some age would soften the flinty and earthy profile, I think the construction and blend doomed it from the start. A long filler cigar, it reminded me of a second or overrun. The bad thing about this mild to medium bodied smoke is that I really like this vitola... but I can't get that hour and fifteen minutes of my life back. The good thing is that I was able to wash the taste out with some Macallan and had time to knockout a La Perla before hittin the sack :cbig: and there are more cigars to follow in this contest!
Flavor: 12
Uniqueness: 5
Finish: 8
Total: 63
Classification: Close, but no cigar!
Upon first inspection, the thing that struck me first about this cigar was the pointed cap. It looked almost a like a torpedo cap, but had a perfect disk top cap, despite it's poorly wrapped first cap. Inspection of this churchill sized smoke revealed a slightly veined wrapper that was evenly colored. The cigar was not very firm, was light in the hand and loosely rolled for a premium smoke. It smelled almost musty, with strong tobacco and earth aromas, prior to lighting. Appearance: 10 points
I clipped the cigar with a Xikar and torched it up. First taste of the wrapper is bitter, like fresh tobacco. Draw is good, with plenty of dark smoke. Right off the bat, the smoke leaves a metallic finish that softens after the first few draws. I get peat and wood flavors, it tastes like the smell of a winery's large vat aging rooms. The cigar does burn evenly at first, with a nice whitish ash that was loose. It held for the first inch and then began to burn less evenly, continuing this trend through the entire smoke.
Ash: 6 points As I get through the first third of the cigar, the draw remains consistent and satisfactory. Tastes evolve to include a vegetal character, reminding me of raw carrots, with pepper on them. Halfway through I lose the pepper and that earthy taste, like the smell of a bag of potatoes, predominates again. There is a faint spice in the background. I keep hoping for it to come out, but it never gets there. Burn is consistent... slightly skewed to one side, but never so bad that I have to touch it up or relight it.
The draw actually improves after the half point and the smoke gets lighter and more dense. My wife says it smells "pleasant"......not overpowering or acrid... which is more than I can say for the direction the taste is heading as I begin the last third of this smoke.
Draw: 8 points
Burn: 7 points
Smoke: 7 points
As I get to the finish, I have to stop this one. It gets very bitter, despite efforts to purge it. I finally let it burn out....
It is a disappointing finish, forcing me to consider it a mediocre cigar. The whole time I smoked this cigar I kept hoping for it to come around. Although I am confident that some age would soften the flinty and earthy profile, I think the construction and blend doomed it from the start. A long filler cigar, it reminded me of a second or overrun. The bad thing about this mild to medium bodied smoke is that I really like this vitola... but I can't get that hour and fifteen minutes of my life back. The good thing is that I was able to wash the taste out with some Macallan and had time to knockout a La Perla before hittin the sack :cbig: and there are more cigars to follow in this contest!
Flavor: 12
Uniqueness: 5
Finish: 8
Total: 63
Classification: Close, but no cigar!
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Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Yowza! I cant believe that everyone isnt liking this. Cant wait to get my review up tonight!
BrooksW
BoM June '09
(Note: I did not read any of the reviews before smoking or writing my own.)
The stick itself is a very nice light golden brown, albeit with very noticeable veins running up and down the length of it...The wrapper is flawless construction wise, and smells faintly of Cinnamon and tobacco...The cigar is VERY spongy when squeezed (almost to the point of distraction), but still seems very dry...
After lighting, I was expecting a bit of a kick (as most cigars these days give), but in the first few puffs, all I got was a little spice, and a very woody (woodsy?) taste...as the stick progressed a bit, the spice increased a bit, but nothing major at all...seemed to me to be a very typical Cuban flavor...a very mild beginning...
The Second 3rd started out the same as the 1st- Woodsy with a touch of spice, and perhaps a bit of floral as well, but nothing to write about (or at least, nothing MORE to write about then I already did)...I got a bit of cedar as well, but again, just nothing all that interesting...
**Sigh** The last third did not change AT ALL, all the way down to the frakin nub...More woodsy, more cedar, and more (MILD) spice...I am a bit surprised that something could remain almost exactly the same in 7.5 inches of smoking, but there you go...Having said that, it did not get bitter, even to the nub (although it did burn a bit hot in the last .5 inch)...
Some Final Notes:
* This was a VERY mild cigar, almost like smoking air...I bet you would get more enjoyment out of huffing wood primer (if there is such a thing)...
* The Draw was perfect all the way through, and the burn SUCKED for about 2 inches, then evened out to perfection for the rest of the stick...
* It was a fairly fast burning stick (for it's size), and only took 1 hour and 21 minutes to finish...
The Bottom Line: If you looked up "Consistently Boring" and "Mild" in the dictionary, there would be a photo of this cigar. Almost no change at all for the entire stick, just Wood, wood, wood, wood and wood...(you might say it gave me a WOODY!...sigh)...while it was not a BAD cigar by any means, there are about 80 Trillion better sticks out there that I would pick up before this one.
Final Score: 70
The stick itself is a very nice light golden brown, albeit with very noticeable veins running up and down the length of it...The wrapper is flawless construction wise, and smells faintly of Cinnamon and tobacco...The cigar is VERY spongy when squeezed (almost to the point of distraction), but still seems very dry...
After lighting, I was expecting a bit of a kick (as most cigars these days give), but in the first few puffs, all I got was a little spice, and a very woody (woodsy?) taste...as the stick progressed a bit, the spice increased a bit, but nothing major at all...seemed to me to be a very typical Cuban flavor...a very mild beginning...
The Second 3rd started out the same as the 1st- Woodsy with a touch of spice, and perhaps a bit of floral as well, but nothing to write about (or at least, nothing MORE to write about then I already did)...I got a bit of cedar as well, but again, just nothing all that interesting...
**Sigh** The last third did not change AT ALL, all the way down to the frakin nub...More woodsy, more cedar, and more (MILD) spice...I am a bit surprised that something could remain almost exactly the same in 7.5 inches of smoking, but there you go...Having said that, it did not get bitter, even to the nub (although it did burn a bit hot in the last .5 inch)...
Some Final Notes:
* This was a VERY mild cigar, almost like smoking air...I bet you would get more enjoyment out of huffing wood primer (if there is such a thing)...
* The Draw was perfect all the way through, and the burn SUCKED for about 2 inches, then evened out to perfection for the rest of the stick...
* It was a fairly fast burning stick (for it's size), and only took 1 hour and 21 minutes to finish...
The Bottom Line: If you looked up "Consistently Boring" and "Mild" in the dictionary, there would be a photo of this cigar. Almost no change at all for the entire stick, just Wood, wood, wood, wood and wood...(you might say it gave me a WOODY!...sigh)...while it was not a BAD cigar by any means, there are about 80 Trillion better sticks out there that I would pick up before this one.
Final Score: 70
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Tonights mystery cigar is accompanied by a nice glass of Zacapa 23 year.
Pre-Light: I find this stick to be very dull looking. Lots of veins and bumps, along with a spot where the wrapper wants to come off. Very dry looking as well.
A quick sniff of the stick before lighting gives off a not so pleasant smell, kinda like old poop.
A squeeze of the stick reveals just a little bit of sponginess to it.
Right off the bat, Im getting earth and wood, not pleasant at all. The draw is very firm.
Id like to say I was able to review this stick by 3rds, but this was not the case. This was more thoughts as I went along
This stick seems REALLY young to me. Not a lot of flavor change thus far. Hardly any smoke at all and the ash is darkish grey. Decent burn so far. Just picked up a little bit of floral flavor. Ash fell off about ½ inch in to it.
After smoking it for about 30 minutes, a re-light was required. Same earthy, tobacco flavor, floral is gone, not much else happening. Thank God for good rum.
Im just about done with this stick, not quite halfway through. It keeps going out, and now is starting to tunnel a bit. This stick has been quite mild, and boring. No flavor change whatsoever. Earth, Woods, Tobacco, and a horrid taste left in my mouth. Again, thank God for good rum.
Appearance..... 8
Ash................ 6
Draw.............. 5
Burn............... 9
Smoke............ 3
Flavor/Blend.... 5
Uniqueness...... 1
Finish............. 6
Total Score: 43
Verdict: Ill pass on this one, and wont recommend it to anyone.
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
still missing a couple I think but mine will be up soon!
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Okay guys, well after two long weeks of waiting to see what the first cigar of our review contest was the moment is finally upon us. It is with much disappointment I present you with the Bolivar 109 5th Avenida Regional Edition for Germany 2009. This is a pre-release of this cigar, but nothing could have prepared me for all of your negative reviews. So without further adieu, here is my review
This was a beautiful 109 shaped cigar with a nice light tobacco aroma pre-light. The ash was light grey with a wide spaced stacked ash that was moderately sturdy. The draw was perfect throughout and burned even throughout as well. This was a tremendously light smoke, and there was nothing resembling any Bolivar I have ever smoked present in it. I have noticed that the Bolivar regional editions are much lighter than their regular line counter parts, but this was almost like borderline smoking a poorly stored 70 year old stick. The smoke started out with a light woody core that was soon completely painted over by the aftertaste of smoke on my tongue.
There was no hope for this cigar flavor wise, and it being so light didn’t help. The only other thing I noticed in this cigar was that towards the final third it got tremendously bitter for a while, and towards the end it began to get hot. I hate saying this, but honestly this cigar scored average in the uniqueness category because it was so unbelievably flavorless. I’d like to come back to the positive though, and that would be that the construction of this cigar was pretty good. The smoke it produced with each puff was thick, and the burn never went out on me until the final third, where it had to be re-lit a few times.
Overall, this cigar couldn’t end soon enough, and being that I was reviewing it for a review contest I felt obliged to smoke it all. So, will I be buying a box of these cigars? Well, I believe we all already know the answer to that one, but at least now I know what to expect. Overall, I was very disappointed, as I really love the 109 shape, and I generally love Bolivars.
A-15/15
A- 8/10
D-10/10
B- 8/10
Fb- 5/20
U- 6/10
S- 9/10
F- 5/15
Total- 66/100
This was a beautiful 109 shaped cigar with a nice light tobacco aroma pre-light. The ash was light grey with a wide spaced stacked ash that was moderately sturdy. The draw was perfect throughout and burned even throughout as well. This was a tremendously light smoke, and there was nothing resembling any Bolivar I have ever smoked present in it. I have noticed that the Bolivar regional editions are much lighter than their regular line counter parts, but this was almost like borderline smoking a poorly stored 70 year old stick. The smoke started out with a light woody core that was soon completely painted over by the aftertaste of smoke on my tongue.
There was no hope for this cigar flavor wise, and it being so light didn’t help. The only other thing I noticed in this cigar was that towards the final third it got tremendously bitter for a while, and towards the end it began to get hot. I hate saying this, but honestly this cigar scored average in the uniqueness category because it was so unbelievably flavorless. I’d like to come back to the positive though, and that would be that the construction of this cigar was pretty good. The smoke it produced with each puff was thick, and the burn never went out on me until the final third, where it had to be re-lit a few times.
Overall, this cigar couldn’t end soon enough, and being that I was reviewing it for a review contest I felt obliged to smoke it all. So, will I be buying a box of these cigars? Well, I believe we all already know the answer to that one, but at least now I know what to expect. Overall, I was very disappointed, as I really love the 109 shape, and I generally love Bolivars.
A-15/15
A- 8/10
D-10/10
B- 8/10
Fb- 5/20
U- 6/10
S- 9/10
F- 5/15
Total- 66/100
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