Home Ratings & Reviews

Ruination Review

docbp87docbp87 Posts: 3,521
MAN O' WAR RUINATION
Belicoso

5.7x56

I have had a few of these in the past, and have always enjoyed them. If you want to smoke a genuine full bodied Nicaraguan cigar, this is a good one to try. A.J. Fernandez has been on fire lately, with the Diesel, Man O' Wars, Padillas, Gurkhas, Graycliffs, and all... Well he has just been responsible for some of the most popular cigars around right now. For me, this is one of his best.

The wrapper is a beautiful Ecuadorian Habano, dark, and toothy. It's just dripping with oil as well. The smell is of sweet tobacco, and the foot gives the impression of spicy earth.

The pre-light draw is really sweet, but smooth. I assume this is due to the wrapper.

Lit at 11:28pm

Burns well, evenly even, especially for such a large ring gauge.

First draws are almost overwhelmed by pepper exclusively. There is a slight sweetness somewhere in the draw, but the finish quickly takes over, with a hot zing building from the back of the throat forward. It's like eating a hot pepper that tastes like sweet tobacco.

15 Minutes, and about an inch in, the pepper has fallen back to a mild piece of the finish. The burn is great. The flavor has changed to more of a sweet, smooth, cocoa, or maybe coffee. The flavor is really rich, heavy in the palette.

Into the second third, the flavors pretty much stay consistent. Sweet cocoa and coffee, with a deep earthy texture.

The final third still offers the same flavors, with coffee becoming more obvious over cocoa, slightly bitter. The burn is getting a little hot at the one hour mark. At one hour 15 minutes, with about an inch and a half of smoking left, the strength of this cigar is really becoming noticeable. WOW. Getting the full force of the nicotine for sure. The pepper flavor and zing have also come back pretty fully.

At the nub the usual bitter nuttiness takes over just as it gets a bit too hot to keep smoking. Overall, another great smoke from Man O' War.

Total smoke time was right around an hour and thirty minutes. For a full flavored, full bodied cigar, this one def certainly a winner!

Comments

  • ljlljl Posts: 819
    Good review man! I usually have the same reaction at about 1:15. I have purchased some robusto #1s to see how I will fare. Overall this is a great stick. Really love the mix of body and flavor on both this and the original MOW.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    strange... i never got the power out of the ruination. i though the original was a bit more of a butt kicker.
  • wwhwangwwhwang Posts: 2,878 ✭✭✭
    I dunno about that, kuzi. I can smoke the original Man O' War all day, but the Ruination (though I loooove the flavor and the smoking experience) kicked me down (though it's most likely because I'm new). I went to bed that night feeling like I drank a whole bottle of rum.
  • docbp87docbp87 Posts: 3,521
    kuzi16:
    strange... i never got the power out of the ruination. i though the original was a bit more of a butt kicker.
    I always get it from the Ruination, but not until well into the last third.
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    wwhwang:
    I dunno about that, kuzi. I can smoke the original Man O' War all day, but the Ruination (though I loooove the flavor and the smoking experience) kicked me down (though it's most likely because I'm new). I went to bed that night feeling like I drank a whole bottle of rum.
    i guess in all fairness, i have only smoked some of the shorter vitolas of the ruination and only the larger vitolas of the original. im sure that has something to do with it. i should have taken that into consideration.
  • fla-gypsyfla-gypsy Posts: 3,023 ✭✭
    Great review and I agree completely. This may be my fav smoke right now.
Sign In or Register to comment.