Review contest cigar 1
- Thread starter Benzopyrene
- Start date
I'm smoking mine today, I finally broke through the cold I've had and can taste again. I'llbe smoking mina t lunch and will post the review by tomorrow at noon. sorry for my delay, I have been sick and the family still is.
I thought he was posting the cigar on the 14th.
Dave, you might want to post that review as soon as you smoke it. :stretchgr
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Ill be posting in the evening of the 14th just to clarify things.
1. Appearance- 11 smelled very good with a sweet kick to it, wrapper what nice but with two larger veins in it, and as with others the cap was an abomination.
2. Ash- 8 nice white gray color but was pretty flakey, cause probably by the wind outside.
3. Draw-10 no complaints about the draw. nice open and stayed so through out.
4. Burn- 7 burned uneven then corrected itself in the first third. During the second third it began to Canoe and had to be corrected.
5. Smoke- 8 lots of smoke, not much aroma since i was in a breezy environment. i was able to get more smoke because it being cold out let the tobacco burn cooler.
6. Flavor/Blend- 16 first third had a very strong coffee flavor which was almost over powering. then it mellowed out going into the middle third. some nuts and cream came through in the middle third then going into the last thirds it really sweetened up and i had to put it down.
7. Uniqueness- 7 was not uber unique but havent smoked many cigars that have that definite of a coffee flavor.
8. Finish- 12 the finish was short and didnt leave a bad flavor but wasnt amazing either. i would smoke another one but would prefer to indoors.
Total=79.
2. Ash- 8 nice white gray color but was pretty flakey, cause probably by the wind outside.
3. Draw-10 no complaints about the draw. nice open and stayed so through out.
4. Burn- 7 burned uneven then corrected itself in the first third. During the second third it began to Canoe and had to be corrected.
5. Smoke- 8 lots of smoke, not much aroma since i was in a breezy environment. i was able to get more smoke because it being cold out let the tobacco burn cooler.
6. Flavor/Blend- 16 first third had a very strong coffee flavor which was almost over powering. then it mellowed out going into the middle third. some nuts and cream came through in the middle third then going into the last thirds it really sweetened up and i had to put it down.
7. Uniqueness- 7 was not uber unique but havent smoked many cigars that have that definite of a coffee flavor.
8. Finish- 12 the finish was short and didnt leave a bad flavor but wasnt amazing either. i would smoke another one but would prefer to indoors.
Total=79.
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Nice! Hope you get to smoke inside next time!
PRELIGHT
The cigar looked good – oily outer leaf, a mixture of brown and gold wrapper, with subtle veins. There were no discolorations or imperfections – a nice looking stick. As for the cap, hell, I’m a newb so I can’t speak to the professionalism of the construction.
I used my Xikar punch to prepare my smoke, took a slow draw to get a taste. Overall, I liked the nice pre-light draw and pleasant leathery tobacco taste. My prelight draw gave me high expectations for my experience. Unfortunately, the high expectations were never met.
THE LIGHT
I roasted the cigar to prepare and lit the stick. The light was quick and consistent and the first draw of smoke gave a nice flavorful taste. The cigar started off as a relatively smooth and spicy flavor and a significant amount of smoke. We’re off and running.
THE FIRST THIRD
The first third of the cigar went well. No burn issues, a fairly solid ash – probably 2 inches before it fell to the garage floor. The early spice turned to a sweeter flavor – not something I’m all that familiar with, nor am I sure I really like. Let me just say for this newbie, the flavor experience was interesting.
THE SECOND THIRD
I opened a bottle of merlot and thought it would be a nice compliment to the early flavors – but something shifted early into the second third. The taste became increasingly spicy – I wouldn’t say overwhelming but pretty close. By about the halfway point the sweetness started to return and the cigar was much more pleasant. Not sure of why the brief unpleasantness, but certainly something I would watch for if I smoked this cigar again.
THE FINAL THIRD
The burn was consistent and I was able to keep a consistent 2-inch ash throughout the smoke. The pleasant flavors shifted to a stronger, deeper leathery tobacco taste. I liked the deeper flavor as it was a nice contrast. Unfortunately, that contrast morphed into a smoke that tasted nasty as I headed to the finish. I tried to figure out what the taste was like, but couldn’t figure it out – I stopped smoking the cigar for fear that I would never shake that taste out of my mouth.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I called this cigar Sybil – so many personalities in such a short time frame that I never knew what I was going to get. There is hope in this cigar – the sweetness contrasted with the leathery tobacco provided an interesting contrast. But in the end, I cannot see myself ever going back to this cigar. I have enjoyed too many good tasting sticks over the past few months to go back to something that may give me such a schizophrenic smoke. And as I write this review, I still taste that nasty end. Damn….
MY QUICK VERDICT
Appearance: 13/15 – Overall, a nice looking stick
Ash: 10/10 – Kept a good solid ash throughout
Burn: 8/10 – No major problems (a small runner that self-corrected quickly)
Draw: 10/10 – Excellent full draw
Flavor: 11/20 – Interesting contrasts at times, but that "I think I just learned what ass tastes like” moment just ruined it for me
Uniqueness: 5/10 – Unique, yes. But not always in a good way
Finish: 8/15 – Couldn’t finish, so I gave it an “F” (sub 60%
Total: 65
The cigar looked good – oily outer leaf, a mixture of brown and gold wrapper, with subtle veins. There were no discolorations or imperfections – a nice looking stick. As for the cap, hell, I’m a newb so I can’t speak to the professionalism of the construction.
I used my Xikar punch to prepare my smoke, took a slow draw to get a taste. Overall, I liked the nice pre-light draw and pleasant leathery tobacco taste. My prelight draw gave me high expectations for my experience. Unfortunately, the high expectations were never met.
THE LIGHT
I roasted the cigar to prepare and lit the stick. The light was quick and consistent and the first draw of smoke gave a nice flavorful taste. The cigar started off as a relatively smooth and spicy flavor and a significant amount of smoke. We’re off and running.
THE FIRST THIRD
The first third of the cigar went well. No burn issues, a fairly solid ash – probably 2 inches before it fell to the garage floor. The early spice turned to a sweeter flavor – not something I’m all that familiar with, nor am I sure I really like. Let me just say for this newbie, the flavor experience was interesting.
THE SECOND THIRD
I opened a bottle of merlot and thought it would be a nice compliment to the early flavors – but something shifted early into the second third. The taste became increasingly spicy – I wouldn’t say overwhelming but pretty close. By about the halfway point the sweetness started to return and the cigar was much more pleasant. Not sure of why the brief unpleasantness, but certainly something I would watch for if I smoked this cigar again.
THE FINAL THIRD
The burn was consistent and I was able to keep a consistent 2-inch ash throughout the smoke. The pleasant flavors shifted to a stronger, deeper leathery tobacco taste. I liked the deeper flavor as it was a nice contrast. Unfortunately, that contrast morphed into a smoke that tasted nasty as I headed to the finish. I tried to figure out what the taste was like, but couldn’t figure it out – I stopped smoking the cigar for fear that I would never shake that taste out of my mouth.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I called this cigar Sybil – so many personalities in such a short time frame that I never knew what I was going to get. There is hope in this cigar – the sweetness contrasted with the leathery tobacco provided an interesting contrast. But in the end, I cannot see myself ever going back to this cigar. I have enjoyed too many good tasting sticks over the past few months to go back to something that may give me such a schizophrenic smoke. And as I write this review, I still taste that nasty end. Damn….
MY QUICK VERDICT
Appearance: 13/15 – Overall, a nice looking stick
Ash: 10/10 – Kept a good solid ash throughout
Burn: 8/10 – No major problems (a small runner that self-corrected quickly)
Draw: 10/10 – Excellent full draw
Flavor: 11/20 – Interesting contrasts at times, but that "I think I just learned what ass tastes like” moment just ruined it for me
Uniqueness: 5/10 – Unique, yes. But not always in a good way
Finish: 8/15 – Couldn’t finish, so I gave it an “F” (sub 60%
Total: 65
I'm going to laugh when it's something I've previously disliked, especially with that ludicrously high score it earned from me. But I stick with it--that was a quality smoke. At least the stick I got was. :tonguerol
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Dave, Bill, and Djs, anyone heard from him btw, havent seen him in a while.