Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Okay guys its that time again. We are halfway through the contest and this cigar should be smoked by 10/12/09. Will get my review up o time this go around. Dont wait to the last minute! Enjoy!
Review Contest 3 Cigar #4!!!!
- Thread starter Benzopyrene
- Start date
xddco
The Skipper
I'm not normally a big fan of the corona vitola, but this one 5 1/2 inch by 46 (or so) cigar looked tasty from the start. The wrapper was flawless. It was a nice medium brown with small veins, slight roughness, consistent color. The cigar was firm to the touch throughout, indicating a densely packed and well rolled smoke. A slightly misshapen rounded cap was the only weak spot on this one. Gotta give it 14 out of 15 for appearance.
I poured a couple fingers of Macallan 18 and settled in to enjoy this smoke. After clipping with a Xikar, I tested the pre-light draw and it was perfect. A nice sweet tobacco taste hung on my palate as I lit it. It immediately produced a dense smoke that seemed to hang in the air longer than normal for what seemed to be a mild to medium bodied cigar. The first round of flavors to storm the senses were leather and mocha, with a hint of oak like tannin. The aroma was pleasant and the thick smoke contributed to the taste experience. I was liking this cigar just an inch into it. The ash was white and flaky, which surprised me, due to the firm and apparently even construction of the cigar. It held for about 1 1/2 inches and the draw remained perfect.
As I progressed into the second half of this smoke, it remained consistently mellow and began to show some earthy undertones which tended to undermine the nice coffee/mocha flavor I was enjoying. The ash darkened a bit too. At about the halfway point, the draw began to diminish a little, as the cigar began to tunnel a bit, but a quick touch up restored it back to its original excellence, and I continued to enjoy the volume of smoke and flavor profile.
The final stretch on this one took me down to the nub. Although the draw tightened up a bit toward the end, I had a hard time letting this one go. It wasn't particularly complex. It wasn't as full bodied or as strong as my normal smokes. It wasn't even a vitola I would buy. It was, however, a well made flavorful cigar that held my interest and went well with my scotch and my mood.
Scores:
Ash: 8/10
Draw: 9/10
Burn: 9/10
Smoke: 9/10
Flavor/ Blend: 18/20
Uniqueness: 7/10
Finish: 14/15
Add this to the 14/15 for appearance for a total of: 88
Would I buy this cigar? Probably not, but not because it's not worthy. Smoking this 4th cigar has opened my eyes to the fact that every once in awhile, it's OK to reach outside your comfort zone and pull something out of the humidor or off the shelf that you might not normally pick.... and then sit back and let it entertain you.
I poured a couple fingers of Macallan 18 and settled in to enjoy this smoke. After clipping with a Xikar, I tested the pre-light draw and it was perfect. A nice sweet tobacco taste hung on my palate as I lit it. It immediately produced a dense smoke that seemed to hang in the air longer than normal for what seemed to be a mild to medium bodied cigar. The first round of flavors to storm the senses were leather and mocha, with a hint of oak like tannin. The aroma was pleasant and the thick smoke contributed to the taste experience. I was liking this cigar just an inch into it. The ash was white and flaky, which surprised me, due to the firm and apparently even construction of the cigar. It held for about 1 1/2 inches and the draw remained perfect.
As I progressed into the second half of this smoke, it remained consistently mellow and began to show some earthy undertones which tended to undermine the nice coffee/mocha flavor I was enjoying. The ash darkened a bit too. At about the halfway point, the draw began to diminish a little, as the cigar began to tunnel a bit, but a quick touch up restored it back to its original excellence, and I continued to enjoy the volume of smoke and flavor profile.
The final stretch on this one took me down to the nub. Although the draw tightened up a bit toward the end, I had a hard time letting this one go. It wasn't particularly complex. It wasn't as full bodied or as strong as my normal smokes. It wasn't even a vitola I would buy. It was, however, a well made flavorful cigar that held my interest and went well with my scotch and my mood.
Scores:
Ash: 8/10
Draw: 9/10
Burn: 9/10
Smoke: 9/10
Flavor/ Blend: 18/20
Uniqueness: 7/10
Finish: 14/15
Add this to the 14/15 for appearance for a total of: 88
Would I buy this cigar? Probably not, but not because it's not worthy. Smoking this 4th cigar has opened my eyes to the fact that every once in awhile, it's OK to reach outside your comfort zone and pull something out of the humidor or off the shelf that you might not normally pick.... and then sit back and let it entertain you.
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Soundwave13
BoM Feb 2010
I love both those ashtrays! Nice review too - can't wait to try it for myself!
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
very nice review. Interested to see whayt others think!
openendstraight
Grand Corona
5 1/2 x 46 or so
I enjoyed this smoke like most, pool side with ice water. It was a bit cold (about 68) with a slight breeze.
Pre-Light
Nice deep brown not dark more like milk chocolate. No major pre-light taste other than a hint of sweetness. It had an earthy scent with a tough of raw tobacco. A few small viens, and no soft spots. The draw was nearly perfect.
1st 3rd
It kicked of with strong coffee taste. It was nice and smooth with lingering mocca in the back ground. Not a lot of smoke, but what did come was thick.
2nd 3rd
The coffe is still there, and after taste did not fade, but it did start to have some spice, not alot but there all the same.
Last 3rd
Nothing changed other than the spice seemed to fade out. The coffee and mocca stayed.
This was a very nice smoke. Sorry for not having some little quip about the cigar, but I am tired and I leave for Memphis early in the morning.
Appearance..........14
Ash......................9
Draw...................10
Burn.....................8
Smoke..................8
Flavor..................18
Uniqueness............8
Finish..................14
Total....................89
I enjoyed this smoke like most, pool side with ice water. It was a bit cold (about 68) with a slight breeze.
Pre-Light
Nice deep brown not dark more like milk chocolate. No major pre-light taste other than a hint of sweetness. It had an earthy scent with a tough of raw tobacco. A few small viens, and no soft spots. The draw was nearly perfect.
1st 3rd
It kicked of with strong coffee taste. It was nice and smooth with lingering mocca in the back ground. Not a lot of smoke, but what did come was thick.
2nd 3rd
The coffe is still there, and after taste did not fade, but it did start to have some spice, not alot but there all the same.
Last 3rd
Nothing changed other than the spice seemed to fade out. The coffee and mocca stayed.
This was a very nice smoke. Sorry for not having some little quip about the cigar, but I am tired and I leave for Memphis early in the morning.
Appearance..........14
Ash......................9
Draw...................10
Burn.....................8
Smoke..................8
Flavor..................18
Uniqueness............8
Finish..................14
Total....................89
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Glad you enjoyed it. Have fun in memphis!
Soundwave13
BoM Feb 2010
Review Cigar # 4
Score: 85
Info: 5-1/2" x 44 ring Corona paired with El Salvadore Peaberry coffee (Black Dog Coffee)
This silky smooth corona had no soft spots, consistant color, even triple cap & a bit of 'fur' that got me excited to light up & taste!
A clean snip with my favorite cutter revealed a mild tobacco taste and light cereal (think Rice-crispies) through a slightly firm draw.
When I lit up, even Maggie could tell that this was a good one.
While the cigar had a bit of a dry feel, the smoke never left the palate dry. An oily twang was immediately present giving me a nice big smile. Some of my favorite flavors appeared: bitter-sweet chocolate, coffee, cream...
The ash was consistant with a bit of a tan color in the core, dropping semi-unexpectedly after about an inch.
This stick required a patient and controlled pace: smoking too fast leaves a bit of harshness on the tongue. The barnyard & hay aftertastes were 'cut' very nicely by the acidity of the coffee - a very nice pairing!
This cigar stayed consistant through & through with good flavors, nice burn (good construction) and surprisingly ample smoke through the firm draw.
A bit of buttery pepper emerges in the last quarter replacing any creamy notes, though it didn't sting the sinuses at all. I suppose this is when most people would lay it down to it's final rest. Not me, I love smoking to the nub provided the after-taste is not too harsh.
This stick fairs well & was quite enjoyable, but I am a sucker for this 'profile'.
I like to try a new stick in the morning or at least as my 'first' for the day so I can pull as much from the experience as possible.
Yet again, I was very pleased with the selection, though I had to rate this as honestly as I could...
Final Scores:
Appearance: 13
Ash: 8
Draw: 8
Burn: 9
Smoke: 9
Flavor: 17
Uniqueness: 7
Finish: 14
Total: 85
:applause:
Score: 85
Info: 5-1/2" x 44 ring Corona paired with El Salvadore Peaberry coffee (Black Dog Coffee)
This silky smooth corona had no soft spots, consistant color, even triple cap & a bit of 'fur' that got me excited to light up & taste!
A clean snip with my favorite cutter revealed a mild tobacco taste and light cereal (think Rice-crispies) through a slightly firm draw.
When I lit up, even Maggie could tell that this was a good one.
While the cigar had a bit of a dry feel, the smoke never left the palate dry. An oily twang was immediately present giving me a nice big smile. Some of my favorite flavors appeared: bitter-sweet chocolate, coffee, cream...
The ash was consistant with a bit of a tan color in the core, dropping semi-unexpectedly after about an inch.
This stick required a patient and controlled pace: smoking too fast leaves a bit of harshness on the tongue. The barnyard & hay aftertastes were 'cut' very nicely by the acidity of the coffee - a very nice pairing!
This cigar stayed consistant through & through with good flavors, nice burn (good construction) and surprisingly ample smoke through the firm draw.
A bit of buttery pepper emerges in the last quarter replacing any creamy notes, though it didn't sting the sinuses at all. I suppose this is when most people would lay it down to it's final rest. Not me, I love smoking to the nub provided the after-taste is not too harsh.
This stick fairs well & was quite enjoyable, but I am a sucker for this 'profile'.
I like to try a new stick in the morning or at least as my 'first' for the day so I can pull as much from the experience as possible.
Yet again, I was very pleased with the selection, though I had to rate this as honestly as I could...
Final Scores:
Appearance: 13
Ash: 8
Draw: 8
Burn: 9
Smoke: 9
Flavor: 17
Uniqueness: 7
Finish: 14
Total: 85
:applause:
1 Appearance:
Total Score: 85
Ring: 0.713
Length: 5.585
Color: Yellowish-Brown near head & burnt Brown near foot
Misc.: Pretty smooth, just a slight wrinkle by the foot
2 Ash: Length: 5.585
Color: Yellowish-Brown near head & burnt Brown near foot
Misc.: Pretty smooth, just a slight wrinkle by the foot
Gray w/ darker concentric rings. The ash was great if you like it in your lap. If fell off about every 1/2"-3/4"
3 Draw:
Excellent
4 Burn:
Excellent, even with the piss-poor ash
5 Smoke:
Qty.: Normal about of bluish smoke
6 Flavor:
Pre-lite: I didn't pick up on anything major
1/3: Red pepper, slight sweetness and vegetative.
2/3: Pepper picked up a bit, but pretty muck stayed the same as the first third
3/3: More of the same, this seemed pretty one dimensional to me.
7 Uniqueness: 1/3: Red pepper, slight sweetness and vegetative.
2/3: Pepper picked up a bit, but pretty muck stayed the same as the first third
3/3: More of the same, this seemed pretty one dimensional to me.
IMO, this was nothing to jump up and down about.
8 Finish:
I would grab something else before I reached for this.
Total Score: 85
I tried to post my review four times and each time I lost the written part. Screw this damn Mac.
The cigar was good, even though I had a slight crack near the crown and burn issue halfway through.
Appearance: 13
Ash: 9
Draw: 8
Burn: 8
Smoke: 9
Flavor: 17
Uniqueness: 8
Finish: 13
Total: 85
Thanks Luke for hosting this again.
The cigar was good, even though I had a slight crack near the crown and burn issue halfway through.
Appearance: 13
Ash: 9
Draw: 8
Burn: 8
Smoke: 9
Flavor: 17
Uniqueness: 8
Finish: 13
Total: 85
Thanks Luke for hosting this again.
So...the notes I took got teared up amidst a cat frenzy...but I think I remember enough to give it a 76 and say that the appearance was decent, ash was too weak, burn was neat, smoke was a beautiful blue, flavour was decent and overall it was just one cigar, nothing more.
Sorry, Luke...
Sorry, Luke...
I enjoyed this cigar with some coffee and good ol' H20.
1. Appearance- The wrapper on this cigar a mottled look to it. It had some veins and a couple imperfections: a small split, small hole and what appeared to be a small repair. The prelight aroma was mostly of tobacco and maybe some feint cocoa. The texture was a little firm and had me thinking it might be a little dry.
Score - 12
2. Ash- The ash on this cigar was light-gray in color. It was moderately sturdy, holding on to about an inch, but did have some minor flaking.
Score - 7
3. Draw- The prelight draw was a little too tight. Upon lighting, and throughout the cigar, it remained a little too tight. I was able to open it up a little in the final third by rolling in the cigar in my fingers with a little pressure.
Score - 6
4. Burn- The tendancy of one side to burn a little faster than the other required multiple touch-ups. I think the tight draw was also a factor here.
Score - 7
5. Smoke- I wasn't able to get much smoke from this cigar, and I think think I could attribute it mostly to the draw. It was light gray in color, very much like the ash, and had an appealing aroma.
Score - 7
6. Flavor/Blend- The initial flavors upon lighting matched the the prelight aroma....mostly a sweet tobacco and slight cocoa flavors. This also describes the first third of the cigar. The second third introduced a little cream and slight coffee note. The final contained a little spice when it the draw finally opened ever so slightly. With a better burn and and draw, I'd like to see how the flavors would change, if at all.
Score - 17
7. Uniqueness- Despite being unable to determine its distinct flavor profile here, I got the feeling I've had this cigar in the past.
Score - 7
8. Finish- The cigar finished pretty well with a clean, somewhat brief finish. The last couple draws had some MINOR bitterness to them. Again, I feel the tightness of the draw played a role along with the uneven burn. The flavors were at their peak in the final third however. I put this down with about 1.5 inches left.
Score - 13
Overall, I thought this was a good, but not great, cigar. It struck me as a good option for the golf course.
Total Score - 76
Thanks Luke!
1. Appearance- The wrapper on this cigar a mottled look to it. It had some veins and a couple imperfections: a small split, small hole and what appeared to be a small repair. The prelight aroma was mostly of tobacco and maybe some feint cocoa. The texture was a little firm and had me thinking it might be a little dry.
Score - 12
2. Ash- The ash on this cigar was light-gray in color. It was moderately sturdy, holding on to about an inch, but did have some minor flaking.
Score - 7
3. Draw- The prelight draw was a little too tight. Upon lighting, and throughout the cigar, it remained a little too tight. I was able to open it up a little in the final third by rolling in the cigar in my fingers with a little pressure.
Score - 6
4. Burn- The tendancy of one side to burn a little faster than the other required multiple touch-ups. I think the tight draw was also a factor here.
Score - 7
5. Smoke- I wasn't able to get much smoke from this cigar, and I think think I could attribute it mostly to the draw. It was light gray in color, very much like the ash, and had an appealing aroma.
Score - 7
6. Flavor/Blend- The initial flavors upon lighting matched the the prelight aroma....mostly a sweet tobacco and slight cocoa flavors. This also describes the first third of the cigar. The second third introduced a little cream and slight coffee note. The final contained a little spice when it the draw finally opened ever so slightly. With a better burn and and draw, I'd like to see how the flavors would change, if at all.
Score - 17
7. Uniqueness- Despite being unable to determine its distinct flavor profile here, I got the feeling I've had this cigar in the past.
Score - 7
8. Finish- The cigar finished pretty well with a clean, somewhat brief finish. The last couple draws had some MINOR bitterness to them. Again, I feel the tightness of the draw played a role along with the uneven burn. The flavors were at their peak in the final third however. I put this down with about 1.5 inches left.
Score - 13
Overall, I thought this was a good, but not great, cigar. It struck me as a good option for the golf course.
Total Score - 76
Thanks Luke!
For the first 1/3, it seemed very one-dimensional it was basically a slight spice with hints of earthiness.
A nice med/full body smoke. There were moments that the taste got a little bitter but that was short lived......chocolate and pepper.
Still they same flavors chocolate maybe a little more pepper coming through.
All and all this was a good smoke....that last 1/3 of this smoke was great producing a lot of smoke and chocolate and coffee dominated the flavor profiles of this stick.
Appearance 13
Ash 8
Draw 9
Smoke 9
Flavor 17
Uniqueness 8
Finish 13
Burn 10
Final 87
A nice med/full body smoke. There were moments that the taste got a little bitter but that was short lived......chocolate and pepper.
Still they same flavors chocolate maybe a little more pepper coming through.
All and all this was a good smoke....that last 1/3 of this smoke was great producing a lot of smoke and chocolate and coffee dominated the flavor profiles of this stick.
Appearance 13
Ash 8
Draw 9
Smoke 9
Flavor 17
Uniqueness 8
Finish 13
Burn 10
Final 87
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Sorry for late notice but givin this a couple day extension per requests. My bday the 14 will be the last day to post this review! Cheers!
Tonight’s mystery cigar is accompanied by a nice glass of Matusalem 15yr Gran Reserva. It looks to be a robusto of some sort
Pre-Light: This stick looks GREAT. Nice veins and bumps all in the right places.
A sniff of the foot and side reveals a sweet, earthy tobacco smell. A quick pre-light
Draw, and I get a bit of spice and sweet tobacco. A cut of the cap, and we’re off.
1st 3rd: This stick seems familiar. I’m really enjoying the earthy flavor so far. There is a very distinct sweetness in every puff so far. My very first attempt at a RETROHALE was a successful one. Very white, flavorful smoke. Great burn. No issues whatsoever thus far!
2nd 3rd: Rolling right along, with a bit of a flavor change. The sweetness is gone, replaced by wonderful wood and tobacco flavor. The ash is a flaky grey, and will probably not be hanging on much longer. Razor sharp burn continues.
Well, scratch that. Right at the end of the 2nd 3rd, it just went out. No apparent reason.
3rd 3rd : The tobacco flavor remains ever present in the final 3rd. Also picking up just a bit of spice on the back of the tongue. The ash keeps getting flakier and flakier. The tobacco is ver y intense towards the end!
I thought this was good stick, not great. The last 3rd was a little strong for me.
I might pick up a 3 pack for the humi.
Appearance..... 15
Ash................ 8
Draw.............. 10
Burn...............7
Smoke............ 9
Flavor/Blend.... 16
Uniqueness...... 6
Finish............. 14
Total Score: 85
Pre-Light: This stick looks GREAT. Nice veins and bumps all in the right places.
A sniff of the foot and side reveals a sweet, earthy tobacco smell. A quick pre-light
Draw, and I get a bit of spice and sweet tobacco. A cut of the cap, and we’re off.
1st 3rd: This stick seems familiar. I’m really enjoying the earthy flavor so far. There is a very distinct sweetness in every puff so far. My very first attempt at a RETROHALE was a successful one. Very white, flavorful smoke. Great burn. No issues whatsoever thus far!
2nd 3rd: Rolling right along, with a bit of a flavor change. The sweetness is gone, replaced by wonderful wood and tobacco flavor. The ash is a flaky grey, and will probably not be hanging on much longer. Razor sharp burn continues.
Well, scratch that. Right at the end of the 2nd 3rd, it just went out. No apparent reason.
3rd 3rd : The tobacco flavor remains ever present in the final 3rd. Also picking up just a bit of spice on the back of the tongue. The ash keeps getting flakier and flakier. The tobacco is ver y intense towards the end!
I thought this was good stick, not great. The last 3rd was a little strong for me.
I might pick up a 3 pack for the humi.
Appearance..... 15
Ash................ 8
Draw.............. 10
Burn...............7
Smoke............ 9
Flavor/Blend.... 16
Uniqueness...... 6
Finish............. 14
Total Score: 85
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