Review Pass--Reviews

[ashauler]

should have seen the RP in retrospect, but the legend... i never even suspected Gurkha on that one.

I think the Legend is one of the better Gurkha's. The perfecto is a little better/more interesting, imho. That particular vitola seems to make the changes that I experience in the flavors more pronounced throughout the smoke. Didn't have one left in the humi so I think it was a toro that I stuck in.

[chefchris]

Stick #18 Paired with Dr. Pepper
5.75" x 48

First off this was a beautiful cigar. No visible flaws that I could see and no soft spots. It had a nice dark and oily wrapper. I couldn't wait to smoke it.

Very well constructed cap. Almost blended seamlessly with the wrapper. I cut the cigar with no problem. Did a prelight draw and it made me even more anxious, I could tell this was gonna be nice.

Lit it and sat down. Lots of smoke, which is a big plus for me. I like big obnoxious smoke everywhere.

I detected no spice whatsoever. Looking at this stick made me automatically think that I needed to get a steak in my stomach first before I even dared to smoke it. I almost didn't smoke this because I was afraid it might be too full at 3 in the afternoon. Turns out it was medium bodied .. maybe medium-full to some. Even thought I know it's not true but when I see a dark stick I think spicy and full bodied. What I did get out of this cigar was dark chocolate and lots of coffee. It was a really bold taste. I don't know how to elaborate more than that. It was good and I liked it. Really liked it.

This thing burned like a pro all the way down and the grey ash held on for 2" at a time. Draw was just right.

Took me about 2 hours to smoke this thing. I sat out on the front porch and did a lot of thinking and catching up with my Dad. I really enjoyed this cigar and I don't think I've had it before. If the price is right I would love to have a box of these. I'm guessing this is an $8 and up kinda stick. While smoking it all I could think of was i was smoking a Sopranos. But the sizes didn't add up. Seems like it had about the same flavor profile, though.

I had planned on smoking the other one, but I've been bothered with a sore throat all day. It'll give me something to do tomorrow.

[chefchris]

you'll have to forgive me on this second review. I got hit with a bad cold about 3 days ago and I'm still fighting it off. I'll get the review up as soon as I can breathe again.

[chefchris]

Alright, I'm back in the game!

Cigar Review Number 2!
Cigar #15 - again paired with a Dr. Pepper

Looking at this cigar it's veiny, lumpy and light brown. When I pulled it out of the bag today I knew ... this was a Cuban. The cap was probably one of the worst jobs I've seen on a cigar and definately not triple capped. The leave used for the cap wasn't straight. It had chunks missing out of it so that looking at it vertically it looked more like a city skyline than a plateau horizon. Surpisingly it held on like a champ while cutting it with my Xikar that I finally got back after two months.

Lit up with no problem and started off with a rather tight draw. First mouth full of smoke and I was reassured that this was from Habana. The ash is also very distinctive on these cigars.

Flavor started off very mild. Nothing exciting and no real flavors jumping out. Just that "twang".

Now 2" into this cigar and it begins to come alive. Goodbye, mild. Draw opens up and I get cedar, wood and the most profound leather taste that I've ever experienced from a cigar. Pepper starts sneaking in at this point and builds until the cigar finishes getting more pronounced with every inch. Towards the end my forehead became a little damp. That's how my body reacts to pepper. I sweat eating barbque sauce.

I had no burn problems at all with this smoke and it lasted me about 45 to an hour.
This ended up being an excellent cigar. I really enjoyed this and also wouldn't mind having some of these in the humidor. I smoked it down till I couldn't hold it in my fingers anymore. Where did I put those roach clips?

Now I'm gonna be arrogant and guess that this was a Romeo y Julietta. I'm gonna be obnoxiously arrogant and say that it was a No. 3 Tubos. The reason I believe this cigar originally came in a tube was because of the asthestics of the stick. Like I said it was lumpy and veiny. The construction reminded me of the Fonseca Delicias that I had this morning ... which comes wrapped in tissue.


That being said I'm going to have to go with cigar #18 (first) was the more expensive.

Now hurry up and tell me what I smoked so I can go buy some!

[ashauler]

Stick #18 Paired with Dr. Pepper
5.75" x 48

First off this was a beautiful cigar. No visible flaws that I could see and no soft spots. It had a nice dark and oily wrapper. I couldn't wait to smoke it.

Very well constructed cap. Almost blended seamlessly with the wrapper. I cut the cigar with no problem. Did a prelight draw and it made me even more anxious, I could tell this was gonna be nice.

Lit it and sat down. Lots of smoke, which is a big plus for me. I like big obnoxious smoke everywhere.

I detected no spice whatsoever. Looking at this stick made me automatically think that I needed to get a steak in my stomach first before I even dared to smoke it. I almost didn't smoke this because I was afraid it might be too full at 3 in the afternoon. Turns out it was medium bodied .. maybe medium-full to some. Even thought I know it's not true but when I see a dark stick I think spicy and full bodied. What I did get out of this cigar was dark chocolate and lots of coffee. It was a really bold taste. I don't know how to elaborate more than that. It was good and I liked it. Really liked it.

This thing burned like a pro all the way down and the grey ash held on for 2" at a time. Draw was just right.

Took me about 2 hours to smoke this thing. I sat out on the front porch and did a lot of thinking and catching up with my Dad. I really enjoyed this cigar and I don't think I've had it before. If the price is right I would love to have a box of these. I'm guessing this is an $8 and up kinda stick. While smoking it all I could think of was i was smoking a Sopranos. But the sizes didn't add up. Seems like it had about the same flavor profile, though.

I had planned on smoking the other one, but I've been bothered with a sore throat all day. It'll give me something to do tomorrow.

Alright, I'm back in the game!

Cigar Review Number 2!
Cigar #15 - again paired with a Dr. Pepper

Looking at this cigar it's veiny, lumpy and light brown. When I pulled it out of the bag today I knew ... this was a Cuban. The cap was probably one of the worst jobs I've seen on a cigar and definately not triple capped. The leave used for the cap wasn't straight. It had chunks missing out of it so that looking at it vertically it looked more like a city skyline than a plateau horizon. Surpisingly it held on like a champ while cutting it with my Xikar that I finally got back after two months.

Lit up with no problem and started off with a rather tight draw. First mouth full of smoke and I was reassured that this was from Habana. The ash is also very distinctive on these cigars.

Flavor started off very mild. Nothing exciting and no real flavors jumping out. Just that "twang".

Now 2" into this cigar and it begins to come alive. Goodbye, mild. Draw opens up and I get cedar, wood and the most profound leather taste that I've ever experienced from a cigar. Pepper starts sneaking in at this point and builds until the cigar finishes getting more pronounced with every inch. Towards the end my forehead became a little damp. That's how my body reacts to pepper. I sweat eating barbque sauce.

I had no burn problems at all with this smoke and it lasted me about 45 to an hour.
This ended up being an excellent cigar. I really enjoyed this and also wouldn't mind having some of these in the humidor. I smoked it down till I couldn't hold it in my fingers anymore. Where did I put those roach clips?

Now I'm gonna be arrogant and guess that this was a Romeo y Julietta. I'm gonna be obnoxiously arrogant and say that it was a No. 3 Tubos. The reason I believe this cigar originally came in a tube was because of the asthestics of the stick. Like I said it was lumpy and veiny. The construction reminded me of the Fonseca Delicias that I had this morning ... which comes wrapped in tissue.


That being said I'm going to have to go with cigar #18 (first) was the more expensive.

Now hurry up and tell me what I smoked so I can go buy some!

Well, this is a close one.....both of these are from the less expensive category, but you got the isom right:

#15 JLP Petite Cedros ISOM
#18 CI Legend Orange Label.....Rocky Patel

[chefchris]

Well, this is a close one.....both of these are from the less expensive category, but you got the isom right:

#15 JLP Petite Cedros ISOM
#18 CI Legend Orange Label.....Rocky Patel

Wow! I have to say I'm very surprised. Especially by that CI Legend. Heck even the JLP, I've had a hand full of them and didn't think they were worth a crap. Shows what I know.

Makes you wonder if you decide how good a smoke is gonna be by looking at the band.
Funny story about how your brain can affect your experience. Link

I'll definately be picking up both of these cigars.

So what does that make me? Kinda right?

[ashauler]

Wow! I have to say I'm very surprised. Especially by that CI Legend. Heck even the JLP, I've had a hand full of them and didn't think they were worth a crap. Shows what I know.

Makes you wonder if you decide how good a smoke is gonna be by looking at the band.
Funny story about how your brain can affect your experience. Link

I'll definately be picking up both of these cigars.

So what does that make me? Kinda right?

Yep, so far the only person to guess both cigars correctly is Ken......everybody else is 1 of 2.

[bigwhiteash]

Hehe... Nice reviews

That Legend almost didn't make it to you, It was one of two I recieved in a sampler a while back. The first one left me wondering why I should spend more than $3.00 on any cigar

[chefchris]

Hehe... Nice reviews

That Legend almost didn't make it to you, It was one of two I recieved in a sampler a while back. The first one left me wondering why I should spend more than $3.00 on any cigar

I really appreciate it. It was an excellent cigar.
Who knows ... maybe I'll get a box.

[WOXOF]

Here's my reviews, I'm going to keep them short and simple. I probably totally screwed these up. My taste buds have been a little off since getting over a sinus infection.

Cigar #7

This was a robusto size with a maduro wrapper. Construction was below average with a toothy wrapper and simple cap. The cigar started off a little harsh but settled down into notes of leather and sweet tobacco. The flavors didn't change much throughout the smoke. I did begin to pick up a little spice around halfway. The draw was a little loser than I prefer and the overall taste was a little rough around the edges.

I would say this was a from the lower price range.


Cigar #10

This was a toro sized cigar with a very dark and oily maduro wrapper. Construction was good and firm with a nice cap. This cigar started off a lot nicer than #7. From the first few puffs this cigar was dominated by flavors off well aged tobacco. It had a nice sweetness to it and a very subtle spice that complimented it very nicely. I didn't notice many changes in the flavor profile. It stayed in the medium body range for me but full flavored and very enjoyable.

I would say this is from the upper price range.

[bigwhiteash]

Here's my reviews, I'm going to keep them short and simple. I probably totally screwed these up. My taste buds have been a little off since getting over a sinus infection.

Cigar #7

This was a robusto size with a maduro wrapper. Construction was below average with a toothy wrapper and simple cap. The cigar started off a little harsh but settled down into notes of leather and sweet tobacco. The flavors didn't change much throughout the smoke. I did begin to pick up a little spice around halfway. The draw was a little loser than I prefer and the overall taste was a little rough around the edges.

I would say this was a from the lower price range.


Cigar #10

This was a toro sized cigar with a very dark and oily maduro wrapper. Construction was good and firm with a nice cap. This cigar started off a lot nicer than #7. From the first few puffs this cigar was dominated by flavors off well aged tobacco. It had a nice sweetness to it and a very subtle spice that complimented it very nicely. I didn't notice many changes in the flavor profile. It stayed in the medium body range for me but full flavored and very enjoyable.

I would say this is from the upper price range.

Survey SAYS.......

CORRECT

Cigar #7 was a Cuesta Rey Robusto #7, retail value of $3.75
Cigar #10 was a Gurkha G3 Toro, Retail value $7.50

Nicely played

[WOXOF]

Survey SAYS.......

CORRECT

Cigar #7 was a Cuesta Rey Robusto #7, retail value of $3.75
Cigar #10 was a Gurkha G3 Toro, Retail value $7.50

Nicely played

Sweet, I may have to get some of those G3's.

[Maduro Man]

Ok…Very strange review for me. I smoked both of these sticks one right after the other with an hour break (and about 3 Crown on the rocks) in between. I found both of these sticks to be VERY enjoyable and VERY similar. Although stick #13 burned a little uneven they both tasted very strong but mild.

Stick # 23 toasted nicely, once lit gave a wonderful bouquet. I enjoyed this stick down to burning my fingers. It was a bold stick with a lot of intense flavor that never turned into a harsh flavor. I was able to smoke this stick for over an hour, getting lots of length on the ash before having to tap it off. Once again, this was a VERY enjoyable stick.

Stick #13 (this is also my lucky number) also toasted nicely and gave off a more mellow bouquet then # 23. This stick burned very quickly and as stated above a little uneven.(Maybe because I had 3 crown on the rocks in me) but like I said a very enjoyable smoke. Was not able to get any length on the ash due to the fact of the quick burn but I really enjoyed this stick. It had very strong flavors of spice, mint and coffee. Let this one go out with only a quarter of a stick left. That is how satisfied I was.

I usually smoke a cigar every other day. With these two done in the same night, I haven’t had the urge to smoke for a few days now. But today is another day. I would guess that both of these sticks are of the upper end of the price range. At least they tasted that way. Plus I enjoyed the hell out of both of them!!! Really would like to know what I smoked!!!

[ashauler]

Ok…Very strange review for me. I smoked both of these sticks one right after the other with an hour break (and about 3 Crown on the rocks) in between. I found both of these sticks to be VERY enjoyable and VERY similar. Although stick #13 burned a little uneven they both tasted very strong but mild.

Stick # 23 toasted nicely, once lit gave a wonderful bouquet. I enjoyed this stick down to burning my fingers. It was a bold stick with a lot of intense flavor that never turned into a harsh flavor. I was able to smoke this stick for over an hour, getting lots of length on the ash before having to tap it off. Once again, this was a VERY enjoyable stick.

Stick #13 (this is also my lucky number) also toasted nicely and gave off a more mellow bouquet then # 23. This stick burned very quickly and as stated above a little uneven.(Maybe because I had 3 crown on the rocks in me) but like I said a very enjoyable smoke. Was not able to get any length on the ash due to the fact of the quick burn but I really enjoyed this stick. It had very strong flavors of spice, mint and coffee. Let this one go out with only a quarter of a stick left. That is how satisfied I was.

I usually smoke a cigar every other day. With these two done in the same night, I haven’t had the urge to smoke for a few days now. But today is another day. I would guess that both of these sticks are of the upper end of the price range. At least they tasted that way. Plus I enjoyed the hell out of both of them!!! Really would like to know what I smoked!!!

Well...........one was from the upper range, and one from the lower. The sticks you smoked were:
#13 Diamond Crown Max. pyramid #7
#23 CI legends Orange label (rp)

Thanks for playing!!

[ashauler]

and with only one set of reviews outstanding I can say this pass/contest went off without a hitch. I would like to thank all the participants for playing and keeping the pass moving right along!! Excellent job on the reviews to all as well!!

Special thanks to ChefChris for the sig-tags and to bigwhiteash for sittin' in for me while I was out.

The pass is on its way back to me now, and I will be contacting a couple of brothers who weren't involved in the pass to pick the recipient of the contents.......remember, no warning will be given so you might not want to send the wifey to the mailbox in the next week or so.

Again, thanks to all for playing!!

[spiffykyle]

My reviews will be up in a day or two. Crappy weather combined with crazy work/personal life = few cigar smoking opportunities. Sorry for the delay.

Gonna have one tonight actually.

spiffy

[Maduro Man]

Well...........one was from the upper range, and one from the lower. The sticks you smoked were:
#13 Diamond Crown Max. pyramid #7
#23 CI legends Orange label (rp)

Thanks for playing!!

Once again, shows you how much I know about cigars. But I’ll tell you…This is what is so cool about being involved with all of my BOTLs. You learn a lot about what you don’t know and more important what you THINK you know.

You can’t judge a stick by its price! Try what people recommend and let your pallet and nose be your judge.

Thanks again Jamie for another great opportunity to try some really nice sticks!!!

[ashauler]

My reviews will be up in a day or two. Crappy weather combined with crazy work/personal life = few cigar smoking opportunities. Sorry for the delay.

Gonna have one tonight actually.

spiffy

Not a problem Kyle....I know you'll get to 'em when you can. I'm looking forward to your reviews .

[chefchris]

Once again, shows you how much I know about cigars. But I’ll tell you…This is what is so cool about being involved with all of my BOTLs. You learn a lot about what you don’t know and more important what you THINK you know.

You can’t judge a stick by its price! Try what people recommend and let your pallet and nose be your judge.

Thanks again Jamie for another great opportunity to try some really nice sticks!!!

True.

Looks like we were both tricked by that CI Legend. I would have never tried it had it not been for this pass. I thought it was an awesome smoke and have been looking into getting a box.

Thanks, Jamie for hosting this. This was a lot of fun.

[spiffykyle]

OK, so here's the (not so) long awaited reviews. I picked cigars #22 and #25.

#22

This was a larger corona sized, box pressed cigar. Looked and smelled good with a dark wrapper. The draw was great throughout. It started a little spicy and held that for most of the cigar, mellowing out just a little near the end. Not too much depth of flavor, but it was enjoyable.

I would have to put this at the higher end of the low priced cigars due to its construction and smokeability (is that a word?).

#25

A little bigger than the first one, perhaps a robusto, this one was also box pressed. The wrapper was fairly dark and quite oily. The draw on this one was great as well. It started in the mild/medium range but then hit full on medium about an inch and a half in. I would say the flavor got more complex as I went, adding a nice toasty woody flavor for the latter half. Another thing, this cigar put out TONS of smoke, which I like. I smoked this one until it was too hot to enjoy.

I would put this one in the higher priced category.


Sorry for the delay, but life's been pretty hectic lately. Heading up to College Station with the wife tomorrow and then setting off on my new job on Monday.

So...how'd I do??

spiffy