Review These - Reviews

[Kass]

Review for smokes from WOXOF

Cigar#1
This cigar had a dark wrapper, well constructed, box pressed and around 6x48 I'd guess. Predraw was good, had a nice earthy taste. I'd say it was a medium (light side of medium) smoke with lots of flavour. It started off with a nice earthy flavour, got a little sweet and creamier after the first few puffs. The ash fell off after around an inch and a bit. Then I started to taste some chocolate flavours along side the earthyness. Only had to do a couple minor touch ups on the burn. This flavour stayed pretty constant until about 2 inches left and it got a bit stronger. At an inch left it started to get a stale taste to it, plus the wind was picking up quite a bit so I let it down to rest. I really enjoyed this smoke, it was much to my liking. Wouldn't mind having a bunch of these in my stash.

Cigar#2
This cigar looked very similar to cigar #1, same size and very well constructed. I think it was a bit darker though. It cut well, but the cap came loose and was hanging off, so I ripped it off and it didn't cause any problems, no unraveling of the wrapper. Predraw seemed a little tight and had a nice sweet earthy tatse. I lit it up and it was pretty mild with some nice earthyness. Draw was a bit tight until it got burning a bit but then it was perfect. After a few puffs it became sweet and a bit nutty. Ash fell off before an inch, and I could tatse some chocolate nutty earthyness flavour. With about 2.5 inches left the flavours became a bit stronger and I think I could taste a bit of woody flavour, along with the chocolate/nutty flavours. This smoke burned perfect, no issues at all. I nubbed it. I really liked the last 2.5 inches of it.

Man... its hard to tell which one was the most expensive. Both were great smokes.
I'm gonna go with #2 being the better one, because of the great burn and it tasted great until I nubbed it. Although I personally liked how cigar #1 was a bit heavier.
I wouldn't mind having a box of each.

So how'd I do?

[WOXOF]

Review for smokes from WOXOF

Cigar#1
This cigar had a dark wrapper, well constructed, box pressed and around 6x48 I'd guess. Predraw was good, had a nice earthy taste. I'd say it was a medium (light side of medium) smoke with lots of flavour. It started off with a nice earthy flavour, got a little sweet and creamier after the first few puffs. The ash fell off after around an inch and a bit. Then I started to taste some chocolate flavours along side the earthyness. Only had to do a couple minor touch ups on the burn. This flavour stayed pretty constant until about 2 inches left and it got a bit stronger. At an inch left it started to get a stale taste to it, plus the wind was picking up quite a bit so I let it down to rest. I really enjoyed this smoke, it was much to my liking. Wouldn't mind having a bunch of these in my stash.

Cigar#2
This cigar looked very similar to cigar #1, same size and very well constructed. I think it was a bit darker though. It cut well, but the cap came loose and was hanging off, so I ripped it off and it didn't cause any problems, no unraveling of the wrapper. Predraw seemed a little tight and had a nice sweet earthy tatse. I lit it up and it was pretty mild with some nice earthyness. Draw was a bit tight until it got burning a bit but then it was perfect. After a few puffs it became sweet and a bit nutty. Ash fell off before an inch, and I could tatse some chocolate nutty earthyness flavour. With about 2.5 inches left the flavours became a bit stronger and I think I could taste a bit of woody flavour, along with the chocolate/nutty flavours. This smoke burned perfect, no issues at all. I nubbed it. I really liked the last 2.5 inches of it.

Man... its hard to tell which one was the most expensive. Both were great smokes.
I'm gonna go with #2 being the better one, because of the great burn and it tasted great until I nubbed it. Although I personally liked how cigar #1 was a bit heavier.
I wouldn't mind having a box of each.


So how'd I do?

Cigar #1
Rocky Patel Vintage '90 toro, around $6.75 each

Cigar #2
Sancho Panza Double Maduro Cervantes, around $2.25 each

Nice reviews. If you go for a box of the R.P. Vintage, sample a '92 first. I enjoy them a little more than the '90s. You almost have to buy a box of the Sancho Panza Dbl Mad. For less than $50, it's a good box of smokes.

[Kass]

Thanks for the smokes Chris, I haven't tried either one before. Haven't seen either of them locall either, although I saw a RP vintage '92 at one place, selling for $16/single

[JJ Westbrook]

Reviews for smokes sent by JJ Westbrook

Cigar #1

This was a very well constructed cigar with a natural shade wrapper. It looked to be a robusto size (maybe a toro) but I didn't break out the ruler. I sparked this one up for a walk with my son. The cigar lit up nicely with no touch-ups required. It started out with a perfect burn. The draw was a little tighter than I like but not so much that it bothered me. The initial flavor was what I was expecting. It was a mild nutty flavor, nothing special. The perfect burn continued through the first inch. The ash was very light gray and firm. About an inch into the cigar I began to pick up some spice (maybe white pepper) and the draw lossened up a bit. At about an inch and a half the cigar was at it's best. I lightly tapped the cigar to remove the ash, which revealed a perfect cone shaped cherry. From this point on, I didn't notice any further changes in the cigar. It remained just on the mild side of medium with a hint of pepper. Absolute perfect burn. It was a pretty enjoyable smoke for the walk through the neighborhood.

Cigar #2

Well I finally got to cigar #2 tonight. The smoking activity for the night was watching Casino Royale. This cigar was a robusto, about 4.74 X 50 ish. It looked like a natural wrapper. The construction was average with no large veins. It was a little soft on the squeeze test. Prelight draw was surprisingly tight. It lit up without a hitch. I only had to do a slight touch up at the beginning. The flavor started out rich with a good tobacco flavor. Not much spice to this one but a good medium flavored cigar. Within the first inch the burn evened out and stayed consistant. At about the inch mark the ash fell off unexpectedly, but I recovered. It's not the first time I've had hot ash in my lap. The draw remained just a little on the tight side. The smoke remained one dimensional for the remainder of the cigar. It was what I would call a medium bodied cigar at best. Nice flavor to it but nothing that piqued my interest. It finally quit on me with about two inches left, leaving me wanting more. I grabbed a PSP2 to finish out the movie.

Both of these cigars were good. Based on the construction and quality of cigar #1, I would have to say it was the more expensive of the two. Cigar #2 actually had more of the flavor profile that I prefer, it was just missing a little spice.

I just realized that my response, with the picks, did not come through. So, I will try this again.

#1 = Romeo y Julieta Medallas de Oro 1875 = $5.27

#2 = Quorum (Nicaraguan handmade) = #2.00

Good reviews. I hope you enjoyed.

[borovy3488]

Review for #1 from Kass.

OK, I'm not going to lie to you guys, these aren't going to be the best reviews in the world, but hopefully they'll work. Today I smoked the #1 cigar I got from Kass. The wrapper looked OK, a little rough with a small hole at about the center part of the cigar. The prelight aroma was good, and the prelight draw was a little tight. The taste of the cigar after light, to tell the truth, wasn't the best in the world. To me, it tasted like, well tobacco. Not much of a flavor to it. The ash was more black than anything, white here and there, but mostly black. Didn't produce that much smoke. I had to touchup the burn probably 4 times. This cigar at best was OK. So far, I would say that this is the cheaper one. #2's prelight aroma is excellent, cant wait to smoke it. Hopefully tomorrow.... How'd I do?
MORE TO COME!!

-Wayne

::By the way, I'm still working on my end. I think I've got the right combo to send out, it will go out tomorrow, if not, the next day. Going to Dan in NY!

[borovy3488]

OK, just got done smoking cigar #2 from Kass. Excellent cigar. Construction was pretty good, just one little imperfection on the cap, but thats it. Prelight aroma was excellent as I said in my last review. The prelight draw was a little tight, but once it was lit, the draw was great. Burned evenly, no need for a touchup, at all. Didn't produce that much smoke, but just enough. The ash was a little grayish-black at the beginning, then it evened out to a solid white/gray. The smoke itself had a nice earthyness to it. A lot of spices, especially near the end. I nubbed it. Great smoke, what was it??? Can't wait to hear back from Kass. By the way, this guy hooked me up. He threw a couple of extras in there with the reviews.

Now, hurry up and tell me what they were!!!!

-Wayne

[Kass]

So I'm guessing you're calling No.2 the more expensive cigar?

Cigar 1 - Montecristo No.4 isom EDIT: It was actually a petit tubos.. if that makes a difference..?
Cigar 2 - Private stock No.5

Nice reviews. The MC no.4s I got are not pretty looking and construction is not what I would expect from such a popular cigar; although if you look at some reviews, this cigar is often poorly constructed. But I do like them better than you did.

[cls515]

Cigar 1 - Montecristo No.4 isom

Price to quality ratio, this is my favorite cigar. creamy and woody, then to dry and spicy, that's the typical evolution I usually see in the cigar.

Time for one tonight.

Edit: Best cigar I've had in months

[CgarDan]

i am going to go out on a limb here and say just by the feel and smell ofthe cigars Review # 1 is the more expensive cigar. I will post the actual reviews later and will either confirm or withdraw my iitial impression

[CgarDan]

Review #1

Perfecto Shaped with natural color wrapper. Smells much better than the cigar for review # 2
Construction looks quite solid.

Once lit the spiciness is felt on the first toke. Pull is a little too loose but the cigar still burns evenly with light grey ash.

As it gets open develops a nice complexity and I will almost bet my money this a Fuente profile. This profile stayed consistent all the way through and the ash fell of only after the half point.


Review # 2

A very light colored wrapper. Construction looks just ok. Smelling the foot I get a light floral scent, but on thisone I will also bet it is not a Cuban as there is no triple cap

Very mild greenish like flavors that somehow remind me of Garcia Vega cigars.

1/3 way through the wrapper cracked and the flavor is almost non-existatnt. I pushed myself but could only take this till half point when I tossed this stick. In case youhaven't heard this before FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS SMOKE MACADOODLES



What ever that second one was I would never buy it. And first one is 99.9% a Fuente and the ciagar of my choice

[borovy3488]

OK, you are right on, just as I thought. However, the first one was not a Fuente, it was an Avo Domaine #20. I know you wanna hear this, the second one was a Gispert, which I didn't think was as bad as you say, but hey, every smoke is different from them as I am coming to find out. Anyway, good reviews.

-Wayne

[JFellows]

Here is my review of the first cigar sent to me by CgarDan. I'll edit this post with an update after I smoke the second one on Monday. I apologize in advance to our BOTL using 56K; these reviews will be quite picture-intensive for two reasons: A) everybody loves pictures , and B) these cigars are very nice looking.

This is the first out of the two cigars that I smoked, but is actually the cigar labeled as #2 by Dan.



The cigar has a good looking reddish-brown hue. The construction is fantastic. There are hardly any noticeable veins, it's smoother than a baby's ass, and there are no soft spots anywhere.

I cut it well with a standard guillotine cutter, but it flaked off a bit just beyond the cap. This shows me that, although the wrapper is quite beautiful, it is also quite fragile. More on this later...

The pre-light draw is quite tight. However, I expected as much based on the firmness of the cigar in general. This baby is packed as tight as the suitcases of many of our wives/girlfriends/mistresses before embarking on a vacation.



I toast the foot for 10-15 seconds with my butane torch lighter, then light it using a cedar strip. I immediately notice strong, zesty, peppery spices, which finish 5 seconds after each exhale with a smooth, sweet finish. Each puff see-saws back and forth like this: flavors of pepper and zesty spice, following by finishes of sweetness and mellower spices.

The ash is a beautiful, slightly-flaky bride's dress white. The draw is still tight, but is more than manageable and I am getting a fair amount of smoke.



The burn is fairly interesting; it starts slightly crooked, then (without any help from me) evens out to being as sharp as a razor blade. The ash is firm and aesthetically pleasing.

I begin to feel this cigar in my upper chest, indicating that it is on the 'fuller' side of medium to full bodied. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt - I have a bizarre tolerance/interpretation to the body of cigars...I've smoked ultra 'mild' cigars and have felt them strongly, whereas I can kill an LFD Double Lig chisel on a relatively empty stomach and be ready for a second one right after . I'm just weird like that.

The zesty pepper and spice tastes continue to be strong on each puff, and the finish continues to be sweeter. However, the finish is also taking on a creamy earthy sweetness.

*Warning: Cheesy analogy ahead*
The burn and the flavor/finish of this cigar remind me of the relationship between an eager and ultra-rambunctious child and his or her diligent and ever-watchful parent; the burn keeps wanting to go crazy, but always ends up under control. Similarly, the zesty and spicy kick of the flavor is kept in check by the sweet, earthy, mellow finish.



The cigar ashes perfectly at about 1.5-2" into it. After this ash, the zesty pepper taste subsides, and the taste and finish both merge into a very pleasing sweet, exotic, mellower spiciness.



Like I mentioned before, the wrapper on this cigar is quite fragile. This is exemplified when the wrapper cracks slightly, exposing the binder. The reaction of my smoking buddy is similar to my own reaction of dismay:



I manage to snip off the opened-up wrapper pieces, and luckily the cigar continues to smoke fine.



The ash briefly takes on an ugly, charred grey look, but the flavors remain relatively fine. However, the deliciousness of the exotic spice tastes is slightly curbed by a vaguely unpleasant charred taste. Luckily, this dissipates as the cigar burns past the crack.



As you can see, the ash and burn recovered wonderfully after getting past the cracked area. I am starting to detect a shift in the flavor profile...perhaps a bit of chocolate? I could be just imagining that, though.

With about two inches left in the cigar, the zesty cracked pepper taste returns. I also notice a taste of aromatic wood, burning in a fireplace or campfire.

At one inch, it started to tighten up and began burning rather hot, so I called it quits at that point.

Overall, this was definitely an extremely enjoyable smoke. The positive aspects GREATLY outweighed the minuscule problems. While I still have yet to smoke the cigar labeled as #1, I would right now venture a guess to say that this is the more expensive of the two. If it's not, then, my friends, I have found a new budget smoke!

(This is my first cigar review here...feel free to critique me!)

-Jon

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*edit* I just smoked most of the cigar marked as #1. It came nowhere near my great experience with #2.



The construction was decent at best. There were many bumps and irregularities, but at least no veins popping out. The wrapper was a flat matte brown with a few darker discolorations.

The cigar had a good pre-light draw, but no flavors or scents jumped out at me.

I lit it perfectly, but the burn started going bad almost immediately. The ash was a beige-grey color, and somewhat strong.

The flavor was extremely bland, but not unpleasant. I got the notion that this cigar, while in all likelihood a cheapo, had been sitting in Dan's humi for a little while. This improved the flavor/smoothness, but not to the point where it was anything worth writing home about.



Despite my almost constant touch ups (I came close to draining my butane lighter), the cigar continued to burn horribly. I think it's safe to say that this cigar burned about as well as Stephen Hawking can walk.

I tossed it with a couple inches left...it had almost gone out, and wasn't worth the effort of continuing to maintain it.

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Overall, Cigar #2 was far and out the better of the two. I feel safe in saying that it must be significantly more expensive than Cigar # 1.

[JFellows]

How did I do, Dan?

[CgarDan]

Great reviews I am sorry u had problems with no 1 usually it is a much better smoke

#1 was a famous NIC 4000 a bundle cigar that is a rather nice one .. perhaps you got a dud.

# 2 was Padilla ESP 06 Achilles a more expensive cigar that I really enjoy. you were right on the money with that one

great reviews

[JFellows]

# 2 was Padilla ESP 06 Achilles a more expensive cigar that I really enjoy. you were right on the money with that one

D'oh!!! I even have one of those of my own in the humidor. How could I have not realized.......................At least I know I can look forward to it, haha.

Thanks for the comments.

Now it's time to see how my recipient likes the ones I sent.

[mills]

Okay here goes. Both sticks were petit corona size I think. About 4-4.5" by about 42-44ish, with stick 1 being a bit longer. Both had some wrapper damage, but I think that was because they didn't have wrappers. Also, both wrappers seemed a little dry, but that was probably my fault as I only let them sit in my humi for a few days.

A picture with my cutter and lighter for comparison:


Stick 1:
Prelight draw was tight, couldn't pick up much flavor, but I usually can't prelight. A slight tingle on the tip of the tongue.

The taste was interesting, throughout the smoke there seemed to be a woody-type base. In the first third I noticed what seemed like black pepper, but without a lot of kick. There was also a slight ammonia taste, but not enough to make it seem harsh.
After that, the woody taste prevailed, but it took forever to pin it down. Finally I think it came out as sandalwood, which reminded me of the first time I was in Iraq and got some sandalwood foot powder, which I loved.

It was a medium to med-full strength cigar, and it got better as I smoked it. It started to get hot with about an inch left, so I tossed it because I hated to finish a cigar on a bad note.

Stick 2:
Prelight draw was very good, almost loose. Again not much flavor.

This smoke was very mild. I couldn't really taste anything. Maybe that was because I tried to smoke them both close together, even though I ate a snack in between. I really couldn't taste anything, let alone transitions.

Again, this was a very mild cigar. I pitched it with a little more than an inch left because I was starting to get bored.

Overall, based on construction, I'd say stick 2 was the more expensive cigar. However I definitely liked the flavor of stick 1 better, so I don't know which way to go on this one. I think my final result will be that stick 1 was the more expensive smoke, and I got one with a bad draw.

Let me know how I did Dan, and thanks again for the generous extras.

[CgarDan]

Both cigars are pretty good sticks. To be honest I am not sure which would be the most expensive one here although 1 is harder to get

1) partagas Petit Corona - ISOM

2) Illusione 68

[mills]

Both cigars are pretty good sticks. To be honest I am not sure which would be the most expensive one here although 1 is harder to get

1) partagas Petit Corona - ISOM

2) Illusione 68

You sneaky devil. I had no idea that I was smoking contraband! I was set up! Oh geez, are those sirens I hear? I gotta go. (door slams, tires squeal)

[CgarDan]

Spiffy here goes .....

1) 6 X 54 Brown toothy wrapper with reddish hue. ooks like this cigar is filled to the gills

Construction looks great razor sharp burn with white ash that is very solid.

Profile is very similar to Partagas Spanish Rosado. So close in fact that it just might be that cigar.

Overall a very solid cigar, but unfortunatelly I am not a fan of the tangy taste that this cigar has.

2) 6 X 50 Smooth light brown wrapper with a very nice cap. Foot smells woodsy and creamy

Also great constrtuction with white ash but this one is a bit more flaky than on the first cigar.

Right awat I am getting strong creammy vanilla like notes-- too strong too be natural probably infused in some way. Like caffee lattte or something

Also past the flavor there are some harsh notes. OkI think I have the flavor nailed to Baileys or Irish cream.

Once again although flavor is pleasant I am not a big fan of the infused cigars, so that looses a lot of points in my mind.


To be honest I think these 2 cigars are in the very same price range maybe few bucks difference, but the fact that one s natural and the other is not maes me lean towards cigar number 1

[spiffykyle]

Spiffy here goes .....

1) 6 X 54 Brown toothy wrapper with reddish hue. ooks like this cigar is filled to the gills

Construction looks great razor sharp burn with white ash that is very solid.

Profile is very similar to Partagas Spanish Rosado. So close in fact that it just might be that cigar.

Overall a very solid cigar, but unfortunatelly I am not a fan of the tangy taste that this cigar has.

2) 6 X 50 Smooth light brown wrapper with a very nice cap. Foot smells woodsy and creamy

Also great constrtuction with white ash but this one is a bit more flaky than on the first cigar.

Right awat I am getting strong creammy vanilla like notes-- too strong too be natural probably infused in some way. Like caffee lattte or something

Also past the flavor there are some harsh notes. OkI think I have the flavor nailed to Baileys or Irish cream.

Once again although flavor is pleasant I am not a big fan of the infused cigars, so that looses a lot of points in my mind.


To be honest I think these 2 cigars are in the very same price range maybe few bucks difference, but the fact that one s natural and the other is not maes me lean towards cigar number 1

Wow...I guess I kinda stumped you there then...

Number 1 was a Vibe Corojo, around $5 at my B&M
Number 2 was a Litto Gomez Diez (not infused in any way, I know better), around $10.50, and is one of my splurge cigars.

spiffy

Oh, Mills, I am planning on ding my reviews tomorrow evening, have to work from 4pm to 2 am with some large breaks in there. Just didn't want y'all to think I had forgotten.