Kuzi's cigar catalog
kuzi16
Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
A few of the guys here have asked me to post my reviews on a single thread here on the cigar.com forum much like I did on the old cigar.com forum/AmBack/Eotac/whateverothernameitmayhave. So thats what Im going to do.
When I started to catalog my cigars in September of 2006 I was making a personal catalog for my use only. I was very green, and this was my method of learning about cigars. It was effectively going to be a collection of reviews by a newbie, for a newbie.
The forum then decided to reformat itself a bit. There was a new section called reviews and ratings. I thought to myself awe what the heck, and I began to post my reviews. I got good feedback. It kept me going.
I still look at my reviews as by a newbie for a newbie. I try to give as much information as I can because that is what I wanted when I was starting to smoke cigars. I probably wont review too many very high end cigars because most newbies dont often spend $30+ on one cigar.
One more thing to keep in mind: my reviews are of one cigar on one day. They are not a collection of my notes of the same cigar over time. If the cigar sucks in my review it could be several things. Maybe I got a bad one. Maybe what I ate that day is affecting the taste. Maybe the cigar actually sucks. Maybe it was a gift and the person that had it before me let it dry out. The possibilities are endless. If I give a bad review to one of your favorite cigars feel free to post on why you think Im wrong. I am all about the open debate and discussion. Heck, feel free to comment in this thread about any of the cigars I review.
With any luck, I will be grabbing a cigar here in a little while and we will have a review by late this afternoon.
one more thing...
here is the link to the first half of the catalog:
http://www.eotacforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=135&t=40819
When I started to catalog my cigars in September of 2006 I was making a personal catalog for my use only. I was very green, and this was my method of learning about cigars. It was effectively going to be a collection of reviews by a newbie, for a newbie.
The forum then decided to reformat itself a bit. There was a new section called reviews and ratings. I thought to myself awe what the heck, and I began to post my reviews. I got good feedback. It kept me going.
I still look at my reviews as by a newbie for a newbie. I try to give as much information as I can because that is what I wanted when I was starting to smoke cigars. I probably wont review too many very high end cigars because most newbies dont often spend $30+ on one cigar.
One more thing to keep in mind: my reviews are of one cigar on one day. They are not a collection of my notes of the same cigar over time. If the cigar sucks in my review it could be several things. Maybe I got a bad one. Maybe what I ate that day is affecting the taste. Maybe the cigar actually sucks. Maybe it was a gift and the person that had it before me let it dry out. The possibilities are endless. If I give a bad review to one of your favorite cigars feel free to post on why you think Im wrong. I am all about the open debate and discussion. Heck, feel free to comment in this thread about any of the cigars I review.
With any luck, I will be grabbing a cigar here in a little while and we will have a review by late this afternoon.
one more thing...
here is the link to the first half of the catalog:
http://www.eotacforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=135&t=40819
0
Comments
but seriously, thanks. i try very hard to be as honest as i can. I hope i dont dissapoint.
As far as a fortune goes... im still waiting for Alex to offer me a job. ( i have to admit though that im not holding my breath. I do like my job now ... but the thought of getting PAID to smoke cigars... hmmmmm )
Gispert Natural
Robusto (5 x 54)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian grown Connecticut shade.
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan.
before i get too far into this review i would like to saythis. I love my dad. he is one of the people that got me into cigars. he has been on the prowel for a "cheap, good" cigar. those dont go together but whatever. this cigar was gifted to me by him for me to try to see what i think. every other cigar in that box he sent up was horrid. I started to look up things about this cigar and decided to do a review. my expectations were low.
There is a fairly heavy box press on this cigar. The smell is almost barnyard and tobacco. There isnt enough damp earth to exactly call it barnyard, but if you have ever been in a tobacco barn in the Midwest during late fall early winter this is the smell that it is.. The lick on the cap before the cut has a very light taste, maybe wheat. The draw is on the tight side but I dont foresee too many problems with it. It tastes a bit like earth, maybe mild mushrooms if they were dry.
The first few puffs are mild and a on the sweet side of grass. Usually grassy is a bad cigar quality but this isnt too bad. This is the good grass note. There is defiantly a light earth taste to it.
The first ash falls at about ¾ of an inch. The sweetness has faded some and what is left is a mushroom grass sorta taste. The aftertaste is very short and very mild. The cigar has a classic Conn. Shade taste to it. The burn is uneven at this point and needs a corrective light.
Close to the middle of the cigar a woody note develops. It is very mild. From this point on the cigar really takes off. The woody note gains in presence and has a walnut (the nut not the raw lumber) quality to it. The earth taste is now in the aftertaste. It is very good.
The last quarter of the cigar has a desiccating factor. The mouth is left a bit dry. This makes the cigar harder to taste. Have water/ice tea when you try it. The smoke heats up a bit and a slight hint at harshness comes out signaling the end of this cigar.
Burn time: about 1 hour 20 min.
Burn: 8
Draw: 7
Taste: 8.5
Aftertaste: 8
Construction: 8
Appearance: 8
Feel: 9
Overall: 8.1
3 smoke rings -- an average cigar
Recommended to:
people that like a mild cigar that still builds as you go.
People that smoke a morning cigar with tea
People that want a short decent smoke with newer smokers
what makes this cigar "better" is that its so darn inexpensive.
First, this is cigar.com's site. they dont carry every cigar that i review. if they dont have it im not posting prices from other sites.
next, its all about taste. it has nothing to do with price. that is a different review. Im just here for flavor.
Rocky Patel Olde world Reserve Corojo Toro (6.5 x 52)
Wrapper: corojo
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Nicaraguan.
The look and presentation of this cigar is wonderful. The two inch band around the foot looks great. The cigar itself looks great. Its smooth for the most part with one or twp prominent veins. When taken out of the cellophane a rich tobacco smell (on the side of fruit) fills the air.
The lick on the cap is oily on the tongue and there is a slight spice to it.
Cut with my punch. The draw is slightly on the easy side. There is a mild sweet vegetal taste to the unlit draw, almost on the side of raisins.
The first few puffs are earthy and a bit spicy. The flavor is full. There is a grass element to the taste. It is fairly subtle but defiantly there. A bit of the familiar corojo autumn taste is there. I would like to say that it is the main flavor but the main flavor seems a bit undefined. The spice is mild and the finish is short.
By the time the first ash falls at just over an inch the grass note dissipates a little and some cream flavor/texture comes out. The spice is now, for sure, white pepper and is far back on the palate. Its still fairly ambiguous as to definite taste. There is taste there but it is unclear as to what they all are. Grass and white pepper are really all that can be picked out. The grass has moved to the finish, which is light and short, and that makes it more tolerable.
Immediately following the first ash a fairly major corrective light is needed. A small note of harshness has also developed (probably due to the torch hitting it again)
Approaching the half way point the cigar has mellowed considerably. The flavor is much of the same just a bit more on the mellow side. Its not as round
I have had several burn issues that resulted in quite a few corrective lights. (3 or 4 major ones and maybe more minor) I cant help but think that this is a construction issue. The corrective lights are probably bringing on the element of harshness.
Continuing the last third is much of the same: A bit of earth, a bit of spice, and a bit of grass. The grass flavor is very detrimental. Smoked to the band.
Though this cigar wasnt the worst I have had it isnt the best.
Burn: 6.5
Draw: 9
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 7.5
Construction: 8
Appearance: 10
Feel: 8
Overall: 8.1
3 smoke rings -- an average cigar
Recommended to:
Those who like a grassy taste in cigars
Those who havent tried it yet
People not paying attention to price.
now that im not IN the review...
for the money, there are tons of better cigars out there.
I try not and lead you guys wrong.
ill try and get another review in soon.
Camacho 1962 torpedo (6x54)
Wrapper: Habano seed corojo
Filler: Honduran grown Cuban seed.
The cigar looks great with an incredibly smooth wrapper. The pre-light smell is tobacco and barnyard. The lick on the cap is sweet and oily in the mouth. I cut with my double guillotine. The draw is damn near perfect.
After the light the first puffs are leather and a woody flavor. A spice quickly develops on the front third of the tongue and there is a round meaty flavor on the finish.
The first ash falls at almost two inches. By this point the spice has settled a tiny bit. Its more cinnamon on the front of the palate and more pepper on the back of the palate. The aroma is cedar and the taste is still on the leather side. I find the finish to be short and the spice lingers the longest on the palate.
I find myself puffing into the wind because the aroma is that good. Unfortunately the cigar is burning faster than I thought it would. It isnt hot, just fast. This will be a shorter smoke than I want.
By the half way point the burn is perfect and no corrective lights are needed. A sweet initial taste that is sweet comes out. This fades to a spicy earth with leather and the same round finish as before. The spice still lingers. It is quite good and literally makes my mouth water.
The ash holds tenaciously. The second ash doesnt fall until well past the half way point. By the end of the cigar I only ashed a total of three times including setting the cigar down because it was done.
The last third of the cigar there is an increase in spice and the smoke warms a bit but it isnt bad at all.
Burned to the burn (of my finger)
Burn time: about 1 hour 20 minutes (this is short for a cigar that is 6 x 52 at least for me it is)
All in all this cigar was good but there was something about the feel of the overall cigar that I found to be keeping it from being a great or classic cigar. Dont get me wrong, its a great cigar and ill probably buy more, but it isnt THAT great.
Burn: 10
Draw: 9
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 10
Appearance: 9
Feel: 8
Overall: 9.1
4 smoke rings -- an above average cigar
With some age this may get better.
Recommended to:
Camacho fans.
Corojo lovers
People who want the spice to be the most complex part of the cigar
sorry about not formatting it before
You know if you'd give your poor cigars some humidity and quit depriving them at 64% it wouldn't burn fast.
Illusione CG:4
Wrapper: Nicaraguan corojo
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua
There is almost no smell to this dark cigar. The wrapper is very smooth. There is little to no taste on the lick. I cut with a punch and the unlit draw has a creamy feel to it. The pull is just how I like it with a bit of resistance but not hard.
The light is quick. The first draw has a bunch of flavor. Not all of the flavor is good. There is a sweet note, a spicy one and a woody one. Its the wood that isnt so good in this mix. It has harshness to it. The second puff was nowhere near as harsh. I blame the overly harsh start on the light. It lit quick. Too quick.
The aroma is good and the cigar has a good spice to it.
The first ash fell kind of early at about ¾ of an inch. Most of that time the burn was a bit uneven and flaky. The wood flavor is mostly on the aftertaste and it still retains a slight harsh note to it. It has another taste that I can only describe as leaf. It reminds me of the smell of jumping in the leaves as a kid. Basically its a strange version of the classic corojo taste.
By about the half way point the sweet is all but gone. The wood and spice remain. The taste isnt that bad but the aftertaste is a bit harsh and too leafy. With less than a third of the cigar left the flavor is more of the same. I cant seem to get it to burn quite right.
Smoked to the band.
Burn time: about. 1 hour 10 min.
Burn: 7
Draw: 10
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 7
Construction: 8
Appearance: 9
Feel: 7
Overall: 8.0
3 smoke rings -- an average cigar I guess.
Recommended to:
People that have the patience to smoke through the bad to get to the good.
People that want a very different corojo
People that get them for free. (It was worth a shot)