Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Okay guys here it is! You have until February 14th to post your review of Cigar #1. Let us hear what you have to say, let us see it, and let us enjoy it with you! As soon as all reviews are posted Ill post mine! Cheers!
Review contest cigar 1
- Thread starter Benzopyrene
- Start date
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Awesome!!!! Cant wait to read it.
The Stick
The first cigar in this contest weighed in at 5 3/8" and with a ring gauge of approximately 50-52. Here's a picture of the stick:
My plan was to smoke it with some friends who wouldn't mind my scribbling on a notepad. They also smoked cigars out of my humidor, so they weren't about to complain.
Appearance: 12
Several large veins ran through the otherwise smooth and almost-silky surface of the cigar. The color pattern was odd and resembled a leopard's coat. This picture shows that strange coloring well:
It's a look I haven't seen in many cigars before, but I like it. The only worry I had was that the cap was a bit jagged. I didn't want to mess up the whole stick with a bad cut, so I had to be careful.
Because this is the first cigar, I thought y'all might appreciate a picture of me (though I'm not much to look at and I ought to shave). So here I am with my leopard-stick:
Draw: 10
The cut turned out to be just fine and the somewhat-jagged cap didn't give me any trouble. The pre-light draw was earthy, and I could tell right away I was in for a good draw. After I lit it, the draw continued perfectly throughout. This was a huge positive, as I was worried that the stick might not be in prime smoking condition after traveling through the postal service so recently.
Smoke: 10
This cigar produced volumes of sweet-smelling white/blue smoke, which is exactly what I'd expect from a cigar with quality construction and a good draw.
Ash: 8
I know you're all dying to see my ash, so here it is:
The ash held on pretty well. After about two inches, it fell right off into my lap. It was a light white ash, and it held together admirably. The ash was another indicator of the solid construction of this cigar. Benz didn't pick duds for this contest, that's for sure!
Burn: 6
I had to touch it up several times throughout the course of smoking it. It didn't burn evenly, but close to it. There weren't any major burn problems, but I expected a very even burn from a quality stick.
Flavor: 20
The flavors changed throughout, but one thought stuck in my mind during my entire 2-hour experience with this stick: breakfast. It tasted just like breakfast. It opened up with some nuttiness which quickly changed into chocolate. Then it moved into a toast-like flavor, which was rounded off by a taste very similar to coffee, or perhaps mocha. Near the end it became more peppery. I'd place the cigar in the medium-bodied category. I was never disappointed with the flavors that came from this smoke.
Finish: 15
After smoking, I feel like I just drank very good mocha. The finish is as smooth as the cigar itself. I smoked the cigar down to just about the end, and only stopped because it was getting late and I have to teach tomorrow morning (even though it's Saturday).
Here's a picture of the remnants:
It's rare that I smoke a cigar that far down, so that really speaks to the quality of this smoke. Also, you can see one of the veins I was talking about on the bottom of the cigar in this picture.
Uniqueness: 9
I've smoked some good sticks, and this one is right up there near the top. The leopard-like patterning on the wrapper seems unique to me (or at least I'm having trouble remembering any similar-looking cigars), and the flavors were just incredible.
Final Thoughts
I'm sad that I have to wait 3 months to find out what cigar I just smoked. Otherwise I'd be going out to buy more right now. I can only imagine how age could improve this stick. And, really, this cigar lasted quite a long time considering its size. I was puffing away for almost 2 hours of pure bliss.
Final Score: 90
The first cigar in this contest weighed in at 5 3/8" and with a ring gauge of approximately 50-52. Here's a picture of the stick:
My plan was to smoke it with some friends who wouldn't mind my scribbling on a notepad. They also smoked cigars out of my humidor, so they weren't about to complain.
Appearance: 12
Several large veins ran through the otherwise smooth and almost-silky surface of the cigar. The color pattern was odd and resembled a leopard's coat. This picture shows that strange coloring well:
It's a look I haven't seen in many cigars before, but I like it. The only worry I had was that the cap was a bit jagged. I didn't want to mess up the whole stick with a bad cut, so I had to be careful.
Because this is the first cigar, I thought y'all might appreciate a picture of me (though I'm not much to look at and I ought to shave). So here I am with my leopard-stick:
Draw: 10
The cut turned out to be just fine and the somewhat-jagged cap didn't give me any trouble. The pre-light draw was earthy, and I could tell right away I was in for a good draw. After I lit it, the draw continued perfectly throughout. This was a huge positive, as I was worried that the stick might not be in prime smoking condition after traveling through the postal service so recently.
Smoke: 10
This cigar produced volumes of sweet-smelling white/blue smoke, which is exactly what I'd expect from a cigar with quality construction and a good draw.
Ash: 8
I know you're all dying to see my ash, so here it is:
The ash held on pretty well. After about two inches, it fell right off into my lap. It was a light white ash, and it held together admirably. The ash was another indicator of the solid construction of this cigar. Benz didn't pick duds for this contest, that's for sure!
Burn: 6
I had to touch it up several times throughout the course of smoking it. It didn't burn evenly, but close to it. There weren't any major burn problems, but I expected a very even burn from a quality stick.
Flavor: 20
The flavors changed throughout, but one thought stuck in my mind during my entire 2-hour experience with this stick: breakfast. It tasted just like breakfast. It opened up with some nuttiness which quickly changed into chocolate. Then it moved into a toast-like flavor, which was rounded off by a taste very similar to coffee, or perhaps mocha. Near the end it became more peppery. I'd place the cigar in the medium-bodied category. I was never disappointed with the flavors that came from this smoke.
Finish: 15
After smoking, I feel like I just drank very good mocha. The finish is as smooth as the cigar itself. I smoked the cigar down to just about the end, and only stopped because it was getting late and I have to teach tomorrow morning (even though it's Saturday).
Here's a picture of the remnants:
It's rare that I smoke a cigar that far down, so that really speaks to the quality of this smoke. Also, you can see one of the veins I was talking about on the bottom of the cigar in this picture.
Uniqueness: 9
I've smoked some good sticks, and this one is right up there near the top. The leopard-like patterning on the wrapper seems unique to me (or at least I'm having trouble remembering any similar-looking cigars), and the flavors were just incredible.
Final Thoughts
I'm sad that I have to wait 3 months to find out what cigar I just smoked. Otherwise I'd be going out to buy more right now. I can only imagine how age could improve this stick. And, really, this cigar lasted quite a long time considering its size. I was puffing away for almost 2 hours of pure bliss.
Final Score: 90
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Great review!!!! And you only have to wait 2 weeks to find out what cigar it is. Ill be revealing them after everyone has smoked it and posted their review! Glad you liked it! Seriously, you did a great job.
Altercall
I beat you all May '08 :)
It's time to try my hand at this. After briefly scanning Rich's scores I can guarantee you that mine will much different. I want to warn you guys that I plan on being a hard reviewer. Without much adieu:
Appearance: 10/15 At first glance the cigar appeared to have a nice smooth sun grown or corojo wrapper with some distinct veins and good coloration. After looking at it for a couple of seconds, though I started to notice a few problems, though. The double cap was a bit mangled. Heading down the cigar from the cap, I noticed that there were a few pectin marks on the first 1/3, one of which was rather large. It seemed to be slightly larger at the foot and heavily packed. The thing that knocked the score the most, though, was a crack in the wrapper. I wrote a note at the beginning of the light that the crack was right at my fingers and would cause problem, and it did.
Ash: 6/10 Most of the ash was a nice white color with some dark gray mixed in here and there. It did, however, get quite flakey. A vein ran through the ash for about 2 inches between the 1st and 2nd thirds of the cigar, and a couple of holes popped through the ash in other places. The parts where there were no flakes or holes looked nice, though, and the initial ash held until the halfway point.
Draw: 6/10 This cigar was very tight, and I could tell it would be from the prelight. Not only was the foot tightly packed, but it seemed that the whole cigar was packed tightly, as it was pretty firm throughout. It did not feel like a plug, just a very tight pack. At the beginning of the cigar I had to go with a double draw technique to get enough smoke. Beginning with the 2nd third I just worked it faster and drew deeper. At one point I felt my jaw getting tired from the draw. All that being said, I've smoked tougher draws, but most of those cigars wouldn't be as easy to get as I'm sure this was.
Burn: 4/10 I had some major burn issue with this. Through nearly this first third of the cigar I was willing to give this a 6 or 7 rating because it kept leaving unburnt flakes, but did not go out, tunnel or run, but just before the halfway point it started with a large runner that ended up being about 1/3 of an inch wide and 3/4 of an inch long. I eventually touched it up, but at no point did this cigar burn evenly.
Smoke 7/10 The smoke was not bad, though it was hard to get. I would say about every other draw I was able to get a good volume of smoke, but that was due to the draw issues. The smoke was a nice medium to light gray. It did not stick together really well, but I would say that it looked pretty decent. The best way to describe it would probably be "wispy."
Flavor Blend: 14/20 The key notes on the prelight draw were a slight spice with some heavy flowery tones. At light-up some nuttiness jumped to the front with a little woodiness, and of course that sun grown flavor with a light spice behind it. I'd also say I tasted what I would call a pine flavor in there, but that could have been the fowery tones mixing with the sun grown wrapper.
1st Third- In the first third the cigar started to even out. At the beginning of the third, the sun grown flavor was the most prominent. Right behind that flavor, though were those flowery notes, and they had become much more noticeable. There was a long finish on the flavor, all from those flowery notes, but it ended a little harsh and sour. That may have been because of the double draw technique, though. As the first third progressed I switched to taking longer draws and the flowery notes came to the top. They really reminded me of roses. The sun grown flavor dropped off, but occasionally came back noticeably. The nuttiness and woodiness from the start faded more and more, and by the end of the first third were gone.
2nd Third: The second third really solidified that idea of roses on my palette. as I moved into the half way point, the only two flavors left were the sun grown spice and the rosey flowers. After the half way point the harshness and sourness really started to come back, and never went away again.
Final Third: The whole way through this cigar the sun grown spice and flowery tones grew. By the time I got to the last third they were near overpowering. I purged the cigar at the beginning of this third, but it only helped a little. Within a few draws the intensity was back up to where it had been. The harshness on the long finish was really evident. with about 2 inches left it was overkill on my palate and I had to set it down. It was so strong that I was beginning to not be able to taste it.
Final tasting notes: It was not a bad taste, per-say, but it did not compare well to what I've been smoking over the last 6 months. I've really gotten away from sun grown cigars so this one didn't really fit me. At the end of it I just wanted to get to something I like. I kept thinking, "I've got better stuff than this just a snip and light away," so I set it down and lit up a Tatuaje Reserva SW.
Uniqueness: 8/10 It wasn't terribly unique, but there aren't a whole lot of cigars that are. I don't find much difference in sun grown outside of smoothness, but this did have a couple of other things in there.
Finish: 9/15 While the cigar did grow toward an ending, it was just too intense of a flavor. There were not many nuances in the ending to the cigar, just two flavors up front with a long finish that itself ended harsh.
Final words: Because of the draw issue this cigar lasted 2 hours, and that's leaving a bit on the end. I wouldn't put this cigar in my rotation, nor would I use it as a change of pace. For someone that likes sun grown cigars this would be an interesting try, but I know of several others that I would rather light up. With all the problems the cigar had from appearance to performance I would not really recommend this cigar to anyone outside that one group, and would not recommend a box purchase at that. Though not an unpleasant smoke, one that I will probably not reach for again. I believe this cigar would be priced somewhere around the $6 range, but I think that's a little much to pay for it. At that price there are quite a few cigars I would rather smoke.
Final Grade: 64
Appearance: 10/15 At first glance the cigar appeared to have a nice smooth sun grown or corojo wrapper with some distinct veins and good coloration. After looking at it for a couple of seconds, though I started to notice a few problems, though. The double cap was a bit mangled. Heading down the cigar from the cap, I noticed that there were a few pectin marks on the first 1/3, one of which was rather large. It seemed to be slightly larger at the foot and heavily packed. The thing that knocked the score the most, though, was a crack in the wrapper. I wrote a note at the beginning of the light that the crack was right at my fingers and would cause problem, and it did.
Ash: 6/10 Most of the ash was a nice white color with some dark gray mixed in here and there. It did, however, get quite flakey. A vein ran through the ash for about 2 inches between the 1st and 2nd thirds of the cigar, and a couple of holes popped through the ash in other places. The parts where there were no flakes or holes looked nice, though, and the initial ash held until the halfway point.
Draw: 6/10 This cigar was very tight, and I could tell it would be from the prelight. Not only was the foot tightly packed, but it seemed that the whole cigar was packed tightly, as it was pretty firm throughout. It did not feel like a plug, just a very tight pack. At the beginning of the cigar I had to go with a double draw technique to get enough smoke. Beginning with the 2nd third I just worked it faster and drew deeper. At one point I felt my jaw getting tired from the draw. All that being said, I've smoked tougher draws, but most of those cigars wouldn't be as easy to get as I'm sure this was.
Burn: 4/10 I had some major burn issue with this. Through nearly this first third of the cigar I was willing to give this a 6 or 7 rating because it kept leaving unburnt flakes, but did not go out, tunnel or run, but just before the halfway point it started with a large runner that ended up being about 1/3 of an inch wide and 3/4 of an inch long. I eventually touched it up, but at no point did this cigar burn evenly.
Smoke 7/10 The smoke was not bad, though it was hard to get. I would say about every other draw I was able to get a good volume of smoke, but that was due to the draw issues. The smoke was a nice medium to light gray. It did not stick together really well, but I would say that it looked pretty decent. The best way to describe it would probably be "wispy."
Flavor Blend: 14/20 The key notes on the prelight draw were a slight spice with some heavy flowery tones. At light-up some nuttiness jumped to the front with a little woodiness, and of course that sun grown flavor with a light spice behind it. I'd also say I tasted what I would call a pine flavor in there, but that could have been the fowery tones mixing with the sun grown wrapper.
1st Third- In the first third the cigar started to even out. At the beginning of the third, the sun grown flavor was the most prominent. Right behind that flavor, though were those flowery notes, and they had become much more noticeable. There was a long finish on the flavor, all from those flowery notes, but it ended a little harsh and sour. That may have been because of the double draw technique, though. As the first third progressed I switched to taking longer draws and the flowery notes came to the top. They really reminded me of roses. The sun grown flavor dropped off, but occasionally came back noticeably. The nuttiness and woodiness from the start faded more and more, and by the end of the first third were gone.
2nd Third: The second third really solidified that idea of roses on my palette. as I moved into the half way point, the only two flavors left were the sun grown spice and the rosey flowers. After the half way point the harshness and sourness really started to come back, and never went away again.
Final Third: The whole way through this cigar the sun grown spice and flowery tones grew. By the time I got to the last third they were near overpowering. I purged the cigar at the beginning of this third, but it only helped a little. Within a few draws the intensity was back up to where it had been. The harshness on the long finish was really evident. with about 2 inches left it was overkill on my palate and I had to set it down. It was so strong that I was beginning to not be able to taste it.
Final tasting notes: It was not a bad taste, per-say, but it did not compare well to what I've been smoking over the last 6 months. I've really gotten away from sun grown cigars so this one didn't really fit me. At the end of it I just wanted to get to something I like. I kept thinking, "I've got better stuff than this just a snip and light away," so I set it down and lit up a Tatuaje Reserva SW.
Uniqueness: 8/10 It wasn't terribly unique, but there aren't a whole lot of cigars that are. I don't find much difference in sun grown outside of smoothness, but this did have a couple of other things in there.
Finish: 9/15 While the cigar did grow toward an ending, it was just too intense of a flavor. There were not many nuances in the ending to the cigar, just two flavors up front with a long finish that itself ended harsh.
Final words: Because of the draw issue this cigar lasted 2 hours, and that's leaving a bit on the end. I wouldn't put this cigar in my rotation, nor would I use it as a change of pace. For someone that likes sun grown cigars this would be an interesting try, but I know of several others that I would rather light up. With all the problems the cigar had from appearance to performance I would not really recommend this cigar to anyone outside that one group, and would not recommend a box purchase at that. Though not an unpleasant smoke, one that I will probably not reach for again. I believe this cigar would be priced somewhere around the $6 range, but I think that's a little much to pay for it. At that price there are quite a few cigars I would rather smoke.
Final Grade: 64
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Nice review! Im sorry you didnt enjoy the cigar! Hopefully the next one will be more to your liking. Very well spoken!
Altercall
I beat you all May '08 :)
The construction did cause some problems. The funny thing is I always like to say that the only thing I care about on a cigar is the taste and the draw. To some degree that was still the case, but the look of the thing with the pectin marks and the mangled cap turned me off, and the crack made me have to remember how I was holding it. Eventually I played with the cigar enough that it caused the cigar to crack all the way to the cap.
I think he is posting the type of cigar after 2 weeks.