Badwhale Challenge contest!

[big bill]

1.f
2.b
3.i
4.g
5.h

[jakecartier3]

1. B
2. J
3. I
4. H
5. A



*note: I edited #3 because I didn't see the post earlier confirming that it was I.*

[WinstonSpencer]

1. F
2. H
3. I
4. B
5. G

[Mangyrat]

1.f
2.h
3.i
4.g
5.c

[craig]

Now that i won send me your info and ill get a prize pack out to you

... and what a nice prize pack it is! Thank-you (and your accomplice, who doesn't want me to make a whale of a public announcement, or anything like that.)

[craig]

1. F
2. H
3. I
4. B
5. G

Winner winner chicken dinner!!!

#1: Nice smoke, however isn't quite up my alley (I think)
Plascencia Reserva Organica Nestico. I found these okay when new, but then tasteless for quite a while. After year or so they became a nice smoke. Good with a quick morning coffee. Something I'd buy again if they were being blown out by Famous-Smoke. Appears to be short-filler but could be a sandwich, hand-rolled. Easily the best-looking wrapper.

#2: BWC5 is still the front runner, but I'd try some more of these next in line.
Quintero Panatella. The smallest Quintero. About the strongest of the brand when new - after a couple years, the edge has come off and I enjoy these. However, I would probably stick with the Londres Extra - the tobacco in those seems a bit more balanced. Short-filler, hand-finished.

#3: Interesting, however I'm not a fan of a really tight draw.
Rafael Gonzalez Panatella Extra, as mentioned before. Short-filler, hand-finished. Out of all the Panatela-sized cigars, this is my least favourite, although I do like the RG's - but only after about 3 years in the humidor.

#4: Nice smoke, more my speed for a morning or midday quick smoke.
El Surco, which I reviewed earlier. The cheapest smoke by far here, about a nickel a piece. Very rough when I first got them. After a year, they have tamed down, and hints of goodness come through. Machine-made short-filler.

#5: Seems like a good morning smoke (although I normally aren't a morning smoke person), or something for later on the milder side, but very flavorful.
Por Larranaga Petit Corona - the PLPC was the only "premium" Havana cigar here (long-filler, hand-rolled), and Will picked it out as the best, which I thought it was as well. Still, the PLPC is the least expensive PC coming out of Cuba (although not by much), and is a favourite of many as it doesn't need a lot of humidor time to be good. PLPC's are enjoyable ROTT, and just seem to get better with age.

So that's it. Thanks to everyone for entering, and thanks to Will for reviewing the cigars! WinstonSpencer, please PM me your name and address and I will get your prize pack later this week!

[WinstonSpencer]

Oh hell yeah! PM sent. Thanks!

[Mangyrat]

Defiantly a challenging contest
congratulations WinstonSpencer.



Your welcome craig

[craig]

My apologies to Tom and the community for the delay in getting the prize out. Prize is going out in the next half-hour, expedited, with tracking.

Tracking number (will work on USPS.com once the package hits the border) CX 227 171 225 CA

[WinstonSpencer]

My apologies to Tom and the community for the delay in getting the prize out. Prize is going out in the next half-hour, expedited, with tracking.

Tracking number (will work on USPS.com once the package hits the border) CX 227 171 225 CA

No worries Craig. The prize pack made the 1,700 mile (2,800km) trip safely. All the cigars are in superb condition. I'll let them rest a while in the wine coolerdor and then I might try to write some newbie reviews. Thanks again for the contest.

[WinstonSpencer]

I smoked the Quintero panetela (5 x 36, BWC#2) this morning on my balcony with a cup of strong, black coffee. I went into this cigar with no intention of "thinking" about it or writing a review. When I went back inside my apartment after smoking I grabbed my notebook just to jot down a few notes and archive the label and I soon found that I had an entire page written about this cigar. (Sorry, no pictures)

This Quintero has been sitting in my tupperdor for 2 months. It began with a firm draw that quickly became "just right". It had a very pleasant aroma. The first inch or two had a sour, albeit not unpleasant twinge. There was a very slight salty flavor to it. The panetela put out ample amounts of smoke and burned quite evenly. It required one purge in the final third. This cigar burned incredibly cool and flavorful down to the very end. The ash seemed a bit darker than BW's pics and the wrapper unraveled just a little in the first third but it turned out to be a non-issue. Overall, I found this Quintero panetela to be an awesome smoke and a great way to start the day.

[WinstonSpencer]

Just smoked the Rafael Gonzalez (BWC#3). It was largely unremarkable. Not bad at all, not great, which is sometimes just what you need. The draw was firm but not bothersome. I was still able to pull enough smoke. There were some unique earthy flavors going on. I think this cigar would grow on me if I had a box to experiment with.

[WinstonSpencer]

I just got done smoking BWC#4, the El Surco. I have to say, this was an ugly cigar. It had a very toothy wrapper with a nice bend in the middle. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much but I ended up pleasantly surprised. This cigar started off with a fair amount of complexity. Sweet smoke with flavors of sweet chocolate and even some fruit. The aroma had notes of cognac. The draw was the loosest of any ISOM I've smoked but not too loose. About midway through it lost its sweetness and some complexity but remained a nice smoke to the end. This cigar put off nice thick clouds of smoke that scared my dog. Damn good way to spend a nickel.

[badwhale]

Nice to hear the reviews. Hopefully Craig will get some internet access soon....

Will

[WinstonSpencer]

BWC#6, The Hajenius. Unlike Will's cigar, mine arrived in tact. This pre-cut cigar measuring slightly less than 5 inches in length was visually distinct from the other BWC cigars. The Hajenius had a gray color to it. Not the most appealing cigar to look at, it was also soft to the touch.

According to their website, this cigar has a "top-quality Sumatra wrapper containing a mixture of largely Indonesian tobacco with a dash of Havana and Brazilian tobaccos."

This cigar was obviously different from a Cuban puro but the bottom line was that this cigar was just uninteresting. Not bad, not great. I didn't finish it.