Hey, kuzi, how do you get the different topic names in the header of each review. IOW, the little header up there on this one is "Illusione CG:4," and the one for your Camacho review says "Camacho 1962."
Wow kuzi, That is a completely different review then what I read here about a month ago from Maduro.. I had this cigar as well and found it more in the middle of both your reviews.. I found the burn uneven the construction flawed by nick and chips in the wrapper but the flavor above average but not as wide ranging as Maddy experienced.. I smoked this in the company of many non-cigar people and a few commented on the pleasant aroma.. so that is a well stated quality of this cigar. I slowed down on this one because of the burn issues too I couldn't keep it straight.. Not a bad cigar but not one I would seek out again.. This one doesn't show up on many shop shelves near me and must have limited "catalog" homes as well..
like i sad, i hear they are very hit or miss. Maddy says they are too. the real question is is it worth sorting through them? and whats the ratio of bad to good?
The burn issues are hit or miss from what I hear. The nicks and chips, I think, come from the stupidity of not putting it in cello! The flavor of this cigar is very consistent, usually, but I imagine its the same odds as any other cigar of comparable quality.
The burn issues are hit or miss from what I hear. The nicks and chips, I think, come from the stupidity of not putting it in cello! The flavor of this cigar is very consistent, usually, but I imagine its the same odds as any other cigar of comparable quality.
Also stated here before, these cigars are made to be smoked now.. Aging changes them quickly and blends the flavor profile into a confusing taste..
Put cello on them, unless they are going for the Cuban feel in packaging
and deal with the burn issues and they should be pleasing..They do get many great reviews in different forums so other smokers buy them to see what they may be missing..It got me to give 'em a try..
Good point but as I've stated before I don't buy into the long term aging thing. I've talked to enough old timers who swear anything more than 3 years is excess.
I've talked to enough old timers who swear anything more than 3 years is excess.
im sorry i keep talking about CA but....
Aug 07 issue, connoisseurs corner: Don Candido seleccion no. 506 from 1966 100 of 100 AND Grisel Bolivar Chatelet 1969 100 of 100.
those are some fifty year old cigars. those are also the highest rating you can get. they were "perfect" is it because of the age? iduno but it didnt seem to hurt them.
Just another subject we kindly disagree on. I've smoked an H.Upmann corona that was 22 years old. Tasted just like a slightly mellower version of the H. Upmann corona I brought from Italy. These were cubans by the way, supposedly the best for aging right?
I'm sure the age helped the score, but did it really help the cigar or just the snobs at CA's opinion of the cigar?
thats a very fair question. ive only been in cigars for about 4 years now and i dont have any very well aged cigars to test this. i think right now the oldest stick i have is from early in 06.
like i said though, i cant imagine it hurting the cigar. and at some point arent we talking about "my cigar can beat up your cigar" ... ?
when it all comes down to it the way to tell if a cigar is good or not is when you light it and puff on it do you like it? if you do, then its good.
this is the same as the gurkha vs RP. you put a RP to your mouth and like it. its good I put a gurkha to my mouth and i like it. Its good. thats why there is more than one brand out there. different strokes for different folks.
maybe (according to CA) our puny palates arent refined enough to understand the complexity of a 50+ year old smoke. Dont we all spend a good time bashing CA? ... there is a reason why i let my subscription run out after only one year.
like i said though, i cant imagine it hurting the cigar. and at some point arent we talking about "my cigar can beat up your cigar" ... ?
Very, Very true. I've just talked tso old "real smokers" and had that one OLD stick. From that experience and from what these guys have told me a cigar is going to mellow and lose complexity and that kick. IMO that mellowing out is not improvement. I don't want it to be harsh but I want to to be interesting. But that is COMPLETELY opinion.
kuzi16:
maybe (according to CA) our puny palates arent refined enough to understand the complexity of a 50+ year old smoke. Dont we all spend a good time bashing CA? ... there is a reason why i let my subscription run out after only one year.
i trust my palate(albeit far from refined) before I trust their ridiculous "reviews". Yes their ratings carry some weight but I pay more attention the their construction and burn scores than any of the subjective as they never poorly rate a cigar that the parent company advertises a lot with them.
i guess the real theory behind age like that is that there is no harshness whatsoever and the "real flavor" can be tasted once the harsh is gone. iduno... if the cigar isnt harsh to begin with...
i guess the real theory behind age like that is that there is no harshness whatsoever and the "real flavor" can be tasted once the harsh is gone. iduno... if the cigar isnt harsh to begin with...
Hmmm maybe, but yea what if it wasn't that harsh to begin with.
before i get to far... I bought this cigar the day before i smoked it. I was in the local B&M rounding out the prize for the 1000 post contest that i will soon run and i decided to pick up a few 8-5-8s. this was one of them. when i got to the register the owner of the shop looks at it and tells me there is a crack int he wrapper and i should go select another one. so i did. after paying he then throws it in the bag -free of charge- and tells me that i should smoke it anyway. he cant sell it and there was a chance it wouldnt make much of a difference anyway.
to me this cigar on this day has two issues: 1)cracked wrapper B)the RH is too high for my tastes.
it also says that the B&M has a nice guy for an owner.
This cigar looks good even though there are a few bumps in it. Its a nice greenish hue just what you would expect out of a candela. The smell is very light and is on the side of straw. The lick on the cap before the cut is very smooth in texture and there is little taste other than a tiny hint of indefinable spice.
Cut with a punch. The draw is perfect for me at this point. There is some resistance but it is not difficult. The unlit draw has a very good taste to it. Its creamy and close to milk chocolate.
The first puffs are light but simultaneously bursting with flavor. There is a very spring-like-grass with a short burst of spice. The finish is on the nutty side and is very short. The aroma is also light and fleeting in the light breeze of my porch but what I can smell is good.
At the first ash (about an inch) the flavor has mellowed to a slightly sweet and wood flavor. The finish has a bit of white pepper or spicy cedar on it. There is also a hint of nut.
The burn is even until this point but the nicks and bumps in the wrapper are very close to the burn and since a cigar expands slightly when burning these flaws are being exacerbated. The binder has no problems at all.
A corrective light is soon needed but I strongly suspect that this is because of the wrapper issue. This has no effect of the flavor.
At the half way point a hint of grass sneaks back into the flavor profile and shortly thereafter the second ash falls. It seems that is the end of the wrapper issues.
The draw in the last half begins to tighten up a bit. Since this cigar has spent very little time in 65% RH I suspect that the slightly higher RH is causing this. My make shift draw poker (a paperclip) corrects this.
The last bits are about the same flavor. Woody, nutty, a bit of white pepper, and a spicy cedar. The smoke is cool all the way down. Burned to the burn.
recommended to:
Fuente fans that want a lighter smoke
Candela fans that want a Fuente
People that want a good hot day smoke
Those who want a breakfast cigar but dont drink coffee. (it seems like it would be good with orange juice)
Thanks for the review! The 8-5-8 Maduro was one of my first cigars I have a soft spot for the 8-5-8's. Great B&M owner BTW, make sure you support that guy. Hell if I'm ever in the area I'll support him too!
What is this love affair that the cigar-smoking community has with the 8-5-8's? I almost picked one up today, but decided to stick with my original intentions instead.
What is this love affair that the cigar-smoking community has with the 8-5-8's? I almost picked one up today, but decided to stick with my original intentions instead.
I have smoked the 8-5-8 but not the candella, and wasn't that impressed with it.. I mean it was good but didn't make me want to go buy a box of them..I am unsure of the conditions this cigar was stored in since it was given to me at a gathering, and Frebies are always good cigars..I will have to try another that will be a better example of this cigar.
Comments
How you do dat?
Aug 07 issue, connoisseurs corner: Don Candido seleccion no. 506 from 1966 100 of 100
AND
Grisel Bolivar Chatelet 1969 100 of 100.
those are some fifty year old cigars. those are also the highest rating you can get. they were "perfect" is it because of the age? iduno but it didnt seem to hurt them.
this is two of nine ever to get that score.
Have you smoked anything with real age on it?
when it all comes down to it the way to tell if a cigar is good or not is when you light it and puff on it do you like it? if you do, then its good.
this is the same as the gurkha vs RP. you put a RP to your mouth and like it. its good
I put a gurkha to my mouth and i like it. Its good. thats why there is more than one brand out there. different strokes for different folks.
maybe (according to CA) our puny palates arent refined enough to understand the complexity of a 50+ year old smoke. Dont we all spend a good time bashing CA? ... there is a reason why i let my subscription run out after only one year.
iduno... if the cigar isnt harsh to begin with...
I bought this cigar the day before i smoked it. I was in the local B&M rounding out the prize for the 1000 post contest that i will soon run and i decided to pick up a few 8-5-8s. this was one of them. when i got to the register the owner of the shop looks at it and tells me there is a crack int he wrapper and i should go select another one. so i did. after paying he then throws it in the bag -free of charge- and tells me that i should smoke it anyway. he cant sell it and there was a chance it wouldnt make much of a difference anyway.
to me this cigar on this day has two issues:
1)cracked wrapper
B)the RH is too high for my tastes.
it also says that the B&M has a nice guy for an owner.
7-15-08 been in humi since 7-14-08
Arturo Fuente Flor Fina 8-5-8 Candela
6x47
Wrapper: Candela
Filler: Dominican.
This cigar looks good even though there are a few bumps in it. Its a nice greenish hue just what you would expect out of a candela. The smell is very light and is on the side of straw. The lick on the cap before the cut is very smooth in texture and there is little taste other than a tiny hint of indefinable spice.
Cut with a punch. The draw is perfect for me at this point. There is some resistance but it is not difficult. The unlit draw has a very good taste to it. Its creamy and close to milk chocolate.
The first puffs are light but simultaneously bursting with flavor. There is a very spring-like-grass with a short burst of spice. The finish is on the nutty side and is very short. The aroma is also light and fleeting in the light breeze of my porch but what I can smell is good.
At the first ash (about an inch) the flavor has mellowed to a slightly sweet and wood flavor. The finish has a bit of white pepper or spicy cedar on it. There is also a hint of nut.
The burn is even until this point but the nicks and bumps in the wrapper are very close to the burn and since a cigar expands slightly when burning these flaws are being exacerbated. The binder has no problems at all.
A corrective light is soon needed but I strongly suspect that this is because of the wrapper issue. This has no effect of the flavor.
At the half way point a hint of grass sneaks back into the flavor profile and shortly thereafter the second ash falls. It seems that is the end of the wrapper issues.
The draw in the last half begins to tighten up a bit. Since this cigar has spent very little time in 65% RH I suspect that the slightly higher RH is causing this. My make shift draw poker (a paperclip) corrects this.
The last bits are about the same flavor. Woody, nutty, a bit of white pepper, and a spicy cedar. The smoke is cool all the way down. Burned to the burn.
Burn: 8
Draw: 8
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 8
Appearance: 9
Feel: 9
Overall: 8.6
3 smoke rings -- an average cigar
recommended to:
Fuente fans that want a lighter smoke
Candela fans that want a Fuente
People that want a good hot day smoke
Those who want a breakfast cigar but dont drink coffee. (it seems like it would be good with orange juice)