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BOTL UPCOMING MAINTENANCE
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Review Contest Cigar 3!!!!!!
- Thread starter Benzopyrene
- Start date
I'm likely to buy another after Benzo reveals what it was, just so I can try it again. Both of the previous cigars have been so good that I'm sure Benzo picked out a champ again, but that particular stick wasn't the right one.
When I read your review (I only read what's posted after I post mine), I was surprised that the strength was a problem for you. It really didn't come through in the one I smoked. Then again, if everyone says it's a powerhouse that'll knock you on your ass, I might have to leave this one alone.
You know what, I smoked that one early because i thought might be getting sick, and didn't want to miss out on my review by not being able to smoke it. So maybe my head was already light from that. But I also was able to get more smoke than you, and smoked the whole stick, so i probably got a lot more of that strength. I am interested to see what others say.
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
I believe saturday is the last day forthese according to my rules, better get em up!!!!
I am at the end of our Spring Break & getting ready for IU to play in the Big Ten Tournament. Last evening we had another get together at a friend’s restaurant and we turned it into a cigar club after the last customer left. I broke out the third review cigar and gave it a go. Here are my thoughts:
PRELIGHT
The cigar was pretty flawless. Smooth, rich coloring and a nice light oily sheen. The pre-light smell test was enjoyable – a strong tobacco aroma that was very sweet. Out comes the cutter, gave it a clip, and took a pre-light draw. Pleasant flavoring but it felt like I might have some draw issues. Overall, I was looking forward to lighting this stick.
THE LIGHT
I toasted the cigar and the light was easy. My first draw of smoke was surprisingly easy – I anticipated a draw issue but that never materialized. Instead, a mouthful of smoke with a nice spicy started of my review cigar experience. Things are looking up!
THE FIRST, MIDDLE, & FINAL THIRD
This cigar surprised me – I was anticipating stronger changes in the flavor experience as the smoke progressed. But those changes really didn’t materialize. The flavor was pleasant – a medium bodied spicy smoke that was actually pretty good for the environment I was in. At most, the cigar increased in that peppery spice from beginning to end, provided a nice thick smoke, and was smooth. The ash was average, holding on for the first three-quarters of an inch – again, a consistent characteristic throughout the hour. As I was down to the final inch, the cigar was burning a little hotter than it should have been – this was probably a function of the alcohol and me rather than the cigar itself.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Consistent, smooth, but relatively non-descript. I enjoyed the experience for what it was, but the lack of flavor shifts was simply unexpected. Is this bad? Not necessarily, but I was expecting more throughout the cigar.
Appearance- 14/15
Draw- 9/10
Burn- 10/10 Never an issue
Ash- 6/10 Mediocre at best
Smoke- 9/10 Nice and full
Flavor- 15/20
Uniqueness- 7/10
Finish- 11/15
TOTAL: 81/100
[/B]
PRELIGHT
The cigar was pretty flawless. Smooth, rich coloring and a nice light oily sheen. The pre-light smell test was enjoyable – a strong tobacco aroma that was very sweet. Out comes the cutter, gave it a clip, and took a pre-light draw. Pleasant flavoring but it felt like I might have some draw issues. Overall, I was looking forward to lighting this stick.
THE LIGHT
I toasted the cigar and the light was easy. My first draw of smoke was surprisingly easy – I anticipated a draw issue but that never materialized. Instead, a mouthful of smoke with a nice spicy started of my review cigar experience. Things are looking up!
THE FIRST, MIDDLE, & FINAL THIRD
This cigar surprised me – I was anticipating stronger changes in the flavor experience as the smoke progressed. But those changes really didn’t materialize. The flavor was pleasant – a medium bodied spicy smoke that was actually pretty good for the environment I was in. At most, the cigar increased in that peppery spice from beginning to end, provided a nice thick smoke, and was smooth. The ash was average, holding on for the first three-quarters of an inch – again, a consistent characteristic throughout the hour. As I was down to the final inch, the cigar was burning a little hotter than it should have been – this was probably a function of the alcohol and me rather than the cigar itself.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Consistent, smooth, but relatively non-descript. I enjoyed the experience for what it was, but the lack of flavor shifts was simply unexpected. Is this bad? Not necessarily, but I was expecting more throughout the cigar.
Appearance- 14/15
Draw- 9/10
Burn- 10/10 Never an issue
Ash- 6/10 Mediocre at best
Smoke- 9/10 Nice and full
Flavor- 15/20
Uniqueness- 7/10
Finish- 11/15
TOTAL: 81/100
[/B]
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
nice review Garvey!!!!!
Review Cigar #3
I would first like to place you all in the environment that i was smoking in. Grabbing two bottles of water and one green tea i headed to the basement. I have a makeshift table set up next to a twenty year old Lazy boy. I placed the waters/tea on the table and went to my small desktop humi that holds the smokes i plan to enjoy soon. Finding the beautiful looking cigar with a 3 on the band i set it in my empty ashtray. Pulled out my Xikar and Vector table top lighter. I was watching comedy so this was all done with intermitted laughter. Now to the Cigar.
Prelight: Great looking cigar with beautiful silky brown wrapper. A lonsdale format which is one of my favorite vitolas. I clipped the head and tested the draw. Perfect. I got that initial spice that most cigars have when you first put them in your mouth. The flavors were smooth spice and slight wood.
Lighting: I toasted the foot and to my pleasant surprise the cigar light with not one puff. So far so good
1st Third: This cigar started out spicy with a slight hint of wood. The ash lasted the entire third about 1.5 inches and was a great white that stayed firm.
2nd Third: I was hoping for some change in flavor because spice is great but i like complexity. The change didn't come but the spicy woody flavor stayed consistent. The spice may have become stronger but not by much. The second ash lasted the whole third again and the burn stayed true.
Final Third: Still hoping for the flavor change that never came the spice only grew and lost the wood. The cigar was pretty strong by this time i was no longer in the basement watching TV i was relaxing on a beach with my head swimming. But not to badly it was very pleasant.
Finish: This cigar had a long finish that was surprisingly smooth compared to the heavy spice. I really enjoyed this cigar and would smoke one again any time. well maybe only in the evening after a good meal.
Appearance: 15/15
Draw: 10/10
Burn: 10/10 no corrections
Ash: 8/10
Smoke: 9/10 plenty of nice white smoke
Flavor: 16/20 wanted that change
Uniqueness: 6/10
Finish: 12/15
Total: 86/100
Sorry if there are errors still swimming
I would first like to place you all in the environment that i was smoking in. Grabbing two bottles of water and one green tea i headed to the basement. I have a makeshift table set up next to a twenty year old Lazy boy. I placed the waters/tea on the table and went to my small desktop humi that holds the smokes i plan to enjoy soon. Finding the beautiful looking cigar with a 3 on the band i set it in my empty ashtray. Pulled out my Xikar and Vector table top lighter. I was watching comedy so this was all done with intermitted laughter. Now to the Cigar.
Prelight: Great looking cigar with beautiful silky brown wrapper. A lonsdale format which is one of my favorite vitolas. I clipped the head and tested the draw. Perfect. I got that initial spice that most cigars have when you first put them in your mouth. The flavors were smooth spice and slight wood.
Lighting: I toasted the foot and to my pleasant surprise the cigar light with not one puff. So far so good
1st Third: This cigar started out spicy with a slight hint of wood. The ash lasted the entire third about 1.5 inches and was a great white that stayed firm.
2nd Third: I was hoping for some change in flavor because spice is great but i like complexity. The change didn't come but the spicy woody flavor stayed consistent. The spice may have become stronger but not by much. The second ash lasted the whole third again and the burn stayed true.
Final Third: Still hoping for the flavor change that never came the spice only grew and lost the wood. The cigar was pretty strong by this time i was no longer in the basement watching TV i was relaxing on a beach with my head swimming. But not to badly it was very pleasant.
Finish: This cigar had a long finish that was surprisingly smooth compared to the heavy spice. I really enjoyed this cigar and would smoke one again any time. well maybe only in the evening after a good meal.
Appearance: 15/15
Draw: 10/10
Burn: 10/10 no corrections
Ash: 8/10
Smoke: 9/10 plenty of nice white smoke
Flavor: 16/20 wanted that change
Uniqueness: 6/10
Finish: 12/15
Total: 86/100
Sorry if there are errors still swimming
Appearance: 15/15
This was a beautiful cigar. The wrapper was flawless and had a nice triple cap.
Ash: 3/10
The ash was a little annoying since it would not stay on when it got over an inch long. The worse part about this was that when the cigar ashed, the cherry fell and made me have to relight. This happened the first two times so I had to watch it and tap the ash every ½ inch or so to prevent me having to relight.
Burn: 8/10
Besides having to relight when the cigar ashed, the cigar’s burn was great. It was very consistent all the way through the cigar.
Draw: 8/10
The draw was very nice, just a little loose, but that was not bad since it fill you mouth with a ton of smoke every time I took a draw.
Smoke: 10/10
The smoke in this cigar was amazing. Every puff I took gave me a mouthful of smoke.
Flavor: 18/20
I really enjoyed this cigar. The flavors seem to go well with each other. I really didn’t pick up on anything specific other than it seemed spicy and woody, but the taste meshed well together and made this a wonderful smoke.
Uniqueness: 7/10
I would definitely recommend this smoke. It had a distinct flavor profile to it that I cannot pin point, but overall I thought it was very good.
Finish: 14/15
The finish to the cigar was good. It did not stay with me long and I doubt I’ll taste it in the morning. At the moment it has left a nice sweet tobacco flavor in my mouth which is quite pleasant.
Overall Score: 83
This was a very good cigar other than the ash and would definitely smoke another one if given a chance.
This was a beautiful cigar. The wrapper was flawless and had a nice triple cap.
Ash: 3/10
The ash was a little annoying since it would not stay on when it got over an inch long. The worse part about this was that when the cigar ashed, the cherry fell and made me have to relight. This happened the first two times so I had to watch it and tap the ash every ½ inch or so to prevent me having to relight.
Burn: 8/10
Besides having to relight when the cigar ashed, the cigar’s burn was great. It was very consistent all the way through the cigar.
Draw: 8/10
The draw was very nice, just a little loose, but that was not bad since it fill you mouth with a ton of smoke every time I took a draw.
Smoke: 10/10
The smoke in this cigar was amazing. Every puff I took gave me a mouthful of smoke.
Flavor: 18/20
I really enjoyed this cigar. The flavors seem to go well with each other. I really didn’t pick up on anything specific other than it seemed spicy and woody, but the taste meshed well together and made this a wonderful smoke.
Uniqueness: 7/10
I would definitely recommend this smoke. It had a distinct flavor profile to it that I cannot pin point, but overall I thought it was very good.
Finish: 14/15
The finish to the cigar was good. It did not stay with me long and I doubt I’ll taste it in the morning. At the moment it has left a nice sweet tobacco flavor in my mouth which is quite pleasant.
Overall Score: 83
This was a very good cigar other than the ash and would definitely smoke another one if given a chance.
My review of Cigar #3 - Lonsdale
This cigar was secretly provided by Luke for our little review contest. Pre-light inspection shows this to a be an excellent made cigar with minor veins, a nice medium brown wrapper with no flaws. It felt springy, but packed just right. Hints of spice (pepper), cedar and espresso came through on this cigar. A mild sweetness to taste on the tongue also was apparent. This sweetness did not detract from the pre-light flavor in a negative manner. The pre-light draw was outstanding with the just amount of restriction to make this cigar enjoyable.
After cutting the cap with my Palio and toasting this cigar, spice immediately emitted from this cigar. A large amount of blue/grey smoke also was present, which filled the air with a nice peppery spice. The Cedar added to teh flavor, as did the espresso. There were no burn issues in the first third, as this cigar held a consistent thin burn line, which needed no corrections. The ash was packed tight and did not ash by a simple flick of the wrist.
In the 2nd third, this cigar remained great in the spiciness, but added a slight cocoa flavor to it as well as the cedar. The cedar seemed to disapate though, which concerned me about a flavor change. Also, hints of floral aroma (similar to lavender) came off. Still a great amount of smoke, a flawless ash and a great draw this cigar provided.
The last third, a slight change in the complexity of flavors occurred. A slight hint of nicotine came off of this cigar, as did the spice ( pepper), leather and cocoa/cinnamon. The wood flavor was completely gone, making this cigar loose some of the flavor. The ash remained on this cigar for extended periods of time with minor flaking at times. This did not detract from the cigar at all.
Ovderall, I enjoyed this cigar, but would have enjoyed a more complex blend. This cigar was well made, had an outstanding draw, great burn, great ash and a good blend. It was a medium bodied, medium flavor cigar and well within my flavor range. The finish was very smooth, but left the spice on your tongue wihc kept me wanting more. I enjoyed this cigar and will definitely buy more once Luke tells us what it is. To me, a slight tweak on the blend to make the strength a little stronger would bump this cigar to the next level.
Appearance: 15/15
Draw: 10/10 Outstanding
Burn: 10/10
Ash: 8/10 Slight flakiness knocked it down
Smoke: 10/10
Flavor: 16/20 Needed to be more complex and have a definitive change.
Uniqueness: 7/10 The flavor/blend made this rather one sided.
Finish: 12/15
Total: 88/100
Thanka for taking the time to read!
This cigar was secretly provided by Luke for our little review contest. Pre-light inspection shows this to a be an excellent made cigar with minor veins, a nice medium brown wrapper with no flaws. It felt springy, but packed just right. Hints of spice (pepper), cedar and espresso came through on this cigar. A mild sweetness to taste on the tongue also was apparent. This sweetness did not detract from the pre-light flavor in a negative manner. The pre-light draw was outstanding with the just amount of restriction to make this cigar enjoyable.
After cutting the cap with my Palio and toasting this cigar, spice immediately emitted from this cigar. A large amount of blue/grey smoke also was present, which filled the air with a nice peppery spice. The Cedar added to teh flavor, as did the espresso. There were no burn issues in the first third, as this cigar held a consistent thin burn line, which needed no corrections. The ash was packed tight and did not ash by a simple flick of the wrist.
In the 2nd third, this cigar remained great in the spiciness, but added a slight cocoa flavor to it as well as the cedar. The cedar seemed to disapate though, which concerned me about a flavor change. Also, hints of floral aroma (similar to lavender) came off. Still a great amount of smoke, a flawless ash and a great draw this cigar provided.
The last third, a slight change in the complexity of flavors occurred. A slight hint of nicotine came off of this cigar, as did the spice ( pepper), leather and cocoa/cinnamon. The wood flavor was completely gone, making this cigar loose some of the flavor. The ash remained on this cigar for extended periods of time with minor flaking at times. This did not detract from the cigar at all.
Ovderall, I enjoyed this cigar, but would have enjoyed a more complex blend. This cigar was well made, had an outstanding draw, great burn, great ash and a good blend. It was a medium bodied, medium flavor cigar and well within my flavor range. The finish was very smooth, but left the spice on your tongue wihc kept me wanting more. I enjoyed this cigar and will definitely buy more once Luke tells us what it is. To me, a slight tweak on the blend to make the strength a little stronger would bump this cigar to the next level.
Appearance: 15/15
Draw: 10/10 Outstanding
Burn: 10/10
Ash: 8/10 Slight flakiness knocked it down
Smoke: 10/10
Flavor: 16/20 Needed to be more complex and have a definitive change.
Uniqueness: 7/10 The flavor/blend made this rather one sided.
Finish: 12/15
Total: 88/100
Thanka for taking the time to read!
Benzopyrene
BoM June 08
Nice reviews guys. Get em up by tonight. Cheers!
Sorry for the delay gents.
$3 looked like a nice stick before I picked it up. I craftsmanship in the roll and cap were a nice sight. The cap cut like a dream and the dry pull had a nice earthy taste.
Appearance: 15/15
After pouring a nice glass of port and some cedar strips I used for lighting up, I went to work. #3 lit up quite nicely. The burn was nice and consistent though the ash had difficulties keeping it's grip and dropped off every inch or so. But the draw was as nice as I had hoped it would be with plenty of thick smoke to enjoy.
Ash: 5/10
Burn: 8/10
Draw: 9/10
Smoke: 10/10
As for flavor, very nice from the start with tastes of wood and earth. Though the wood may have been from the lighting materials. Who knows, I only say that because to woodsy taste faded as I smoked. It picked up a little strength at about 2/3 but still provided a nice balance.
Flavor: 16/20
#3 would be a welcome addition to my humi. Though finding it more of a recreational cigar. Thinking it would be somewhere around the $4-$5 range. A very nice looking cigar that's for sure.
Uniqueness: 7/10
Ran this stick down to about 1.5 inches and cashed out. Had a nice buzz from the Port and a good taste on the pallet. And I lived happily ever after.
SORRY, I SAID I WAS BUZZED.
Finish: 14/15
The End
Total Score: 84/100
$3 looked like a nice stick before I picked it up. I craftsmanship in the roll and cap were a nice sight. The cap cut like a dream and the dry pull had a nice earthy taste.
Appearance: 15/15
After pouring a nice glass of port and some cedar strips I used for lighting up, I went to work. #3 lit up quite nicely. The burn was nice and consistent though the ash had difficulties keeping it's grip and dropped off every inch or so. But the draw was as nice as I had hoped it would be with plenty of thick smoke to enjoy.
Ash: 5/10
Burn: 8/10
Draw: 9/10
Smoke: 10/10
As for flavor, very nice from the start with tastes of wood and earth. Though the wood may have been from the lighting materials. Who knows, I only say that because to woodsy taste faded as I smoked. It picked up a little strength at about 2/3 but still provided a nice balance.
Flavor: 16/20
#3 would be a welcome addition to my humi. Though finding it more of a recreational cigar. Thinking it would be somewhere around the $4-$5 range. A very nice looking cigar that's for sure.
Uniqueness: 7/10
Ran this stick down to about 1.5 inches and cashed out. Had a nice buzz from the Port and a good taste on the pallet. And I lived happily ever after.
SORRY, I SAID I WAS BUZZED.
Finish: 14/15
The End
Total Score: 84/100