And so it begins.....
jlmarta
Posts: 7,881 ✭✭✭✭✭
You all may remember that I was bombed (mightily) two weeks ago by The Sniper. He hit me with one each of the sticks I had listed as my "Wish List" in my bio - sticks that I probably would never have bought for myself due to their cost. They were: Opus X, Ashton, Davidoff, God of Fire, Zino Platinum Scepter, and Diamond Crown.
There were strings attached - He instructed me to let them rest for two weeks and then smoke one per week until I had smoked them all and to report on my impressions of each. I just finished the first one - the Zino Platinum Scepter. It was the Shorty, 4.5 inches long by 43 (I think) ring gauge. Here are a few photos:
I figured I'd start with the shortest one and work my up, size-wise. As for my impressions of the smoke, it's a good-looking stick with an easy draw and an even burn. The descriptions I've read about this cigar say that I should expect a burst of flavor from this medium-bodied stick but it never seemed forthcoming. I've smoked other less expensive cigars with flavor similar to this one though I can't name them off-hand. I guess I was just expecting to be wafted off to Nirvana or somewhere but it didn't happen with this one.
My apologies, Glen. I don't want to appear ungrateful but you asked for my impressions and I was just kinda underwhelmed with this one. You're a generous guy and I appreciate it.
I'll report again next week. Thanks again, Glen, for giving me this opportunity. It wouldn't have happened otherwise.
There were strings attached - He instructed me to let them rest for two weeks and then smoke one per week until I had smoked them all and to report on my impressions of each. I just finished the first one - the Zino Platinum Scepter. It was the Shorty, 4.5 inches long by 43 (I think) ring gauge. Here are a few photos:
I figured I'd start with the shortest one and work my up, size-wise. As for my impressions of the smoke, it's a good-looking stick with an easy draw and an even burn. The descriptions I've read about this cigar say that I should expect a burst of flavor from this medium-bodied stick but it never seemed forthcoming. I've smoked other less expensive cigars with flavor similar to this one though I can't name them off-hand. I guess I was just expecting to be wafted off to Nirvana or somewhere but it didn't happen with this one.
My apologies, Glen. I don't want to appear ungrateful but you asked for my impressions and I was just kinda underwhelmed with this one. You're a generous guy and I appreciate it.
I'll report again next week. Thanks again, Glen, for giving me this opportunity. It wouldn't have happened otherwise.
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Comments
This little lovely is described as 'exceptionally full-bodied' and 'exceptionally full-flavored'. And this description is pretty much spot-on. I'm not ordinarily a fan of full-bodied smokes but this one is really very good. The blend (thanks Mr. Kelner) is so downright smooth that you don't really notice the full-bodied part. It is really a very enjoyable smoke.
Another thing you'll notice about me right away is that I'm not much good as a reviewer. I can sometimes pick up a chocolate flavor or maybe coffee, etc., but to detect honeydew blossoms with just a trace of anise, earth, and road-apples is beyond me.
All in all, the Davidoff Millenium blend is really a worthwhile smoke. When I win the lottery I'll put them in my regular rotation.
Thanks again for this opportunity, Glen. I'm lovin' it.
P.S. Tune in again next Thursday.
First things first - sorry its taken me so long to post up on this thread, was on vacation and NOT the forums last week, and this week has been insanely busy.
Now then... I am TOTALLY not upset AT ALL that you didnt care for the Zino. Every stick cant be a winner, and that could be due to any number of things - your individual palette, differences in vitolas, or a host of other things. To be honest, I had pretty much the same reaction to it when I tried it ("Okay, any time now..." thru the entire stick, with a "What did I miss???" on the finish LOL). No expectations on my behalf as to whether or not you enjoy them my friend - this was on your "Want To Try" list, and so you have. :-)
The Davidoff review, I have to admit, did surprise me. Not sure where I got it in my head at, but I thought Davidoff's were mainly mild sticks??? Im generally a full bodied fan, so thanks to your review Im excited about trying one myself.
And finally, speaking of your reviews, you are doing a FINE job of it! They are right up my alley to be honest with you - I dont need "In the first sixteenth, I picked up notes of Morrocan half-caf triple latte, with subtle hints of the rain droplets from the petals of roses. On the SECOND sixteenth..." - forget that noise! LOL Your reviews are telling me everything I wanna know, so enjoy the sticks, ignore any snarky comments like beatnic's (haters gonna hate LOL) and keep em coming JLMARTA STYLE! :-) I hope you find a few of the remaining sticks that DO waft you off to heaven my friend. LOL
Had one of your remaining sticks last week on vacation and got something I REALLY didnt expect from it. Cant wait to hear your impressions of it.
Stay tuned kiddies! :-)
Since I elected to burn them in sequence based on their length, this next one will be the Opus X. I'm looking forward to it.
Actually, it was time to fire up that Opus X that Glen (The sniper) bombed me with a while ago. Our son, Mike, and his wife came over for dinner so I threw a nice sirloin roast on the smoker and fired it up. Simultaneously, we poured drinks and Mike and I moved to the patio to enjoy them and a coupla nice sticks while we waited for dinner.
Here's Mike with one of the cigars we got at Casillas but we couldn't remember which blend...
A snifter of Booker's and an Opus X, life is good.
After using my punch on it, the draw was just a bit tight so I used my poker to solve that problem.. The first inch or so I thought was a bit harsh but I find a lot of sticks are like that so I shrugged it off. Once I got into the sweet spot things got decidedly better.
This one had a very nice flavor, lotsa smoke, even burn, etc., and I enjoyed it. My palate must be retarded, though, because it still tasted like a cigar. Like a lot of cigars I've smoked pver the past few years. I guess I keep expecting to find a brand/blend that lives up to the hype that's disseminated about it. One that has a completely distinct flavor. Maybe I'm hoping for too much. Didn't keep me from nubbing it, though.
Anyway, Glen, many thanks for this opportunity. It was a very agreeable prelude to dinner and the timing worked out perfectly. Just as we were finishing our sticks, the roast was ready to come off the grill.
And here's the final result:
As always, Glen, thank you for the opportunity. This is turning out to be a real learning experience for me and I love it.
The diamond Crown is up next and, as usual, I'm looking forward to it. We'll see what thursday brings.
As for dinner, it WAS excellent. Nothing better than some rare/medium rare angus beef along with veggies, salad, etc. and some Booker's to wash it down. This bottle turned out to be 128.6 proof but it's so smooth I drink it from a snifter. Great stuff.
Had the second a couple weeks back on vacation and it was HELLA strong (which the first wasnt) and was nowhere the nirvana-like experience the first one was.
I dont know that mood had as much to do with my experiences (was in fine spirits both times). I cant help but wonder if the different Opus X lines have something to do with it. Other than teh Lost City, I cant tell by looking at the bands which is which. I do know none of the ones Ive had, nor the one I sent to jlmarta, were Lost City's - which I have seen several BOTL here declare are not up to the other Opus X's they have smoked.
Perhaps the lucky boys who have more experience with Opus X's will weigh in here. Until then, this requires more research, which leads me back to my standard answer to 99% of cigar related questions - SMOKE MORE!!! :-)
By the way, you DO realize that you are now the Official CCom Forums Super Premium Taste Tester, right? :-D
Much love brother, keep on puffin!
Right!! Me and my severely ignorant palate. I can see that I'm a real force to be reckoned with. Yuk, yuk.
Of course, being created by Carlos Fuente would cause one to expect these attributes.
Sorry about the crappy phone-camera photo.
Another extremely good smoke, Glen. As always, thank you very much.
Next week we come to the God of Fire. Can't hardly wait.
I'm beginning to wonder who's enjoying this more? You or me? LOL. For my part, I'm loving it!
It had a bit of a tight draw in the beginning but a couple inches of my coathanger-turned-poker took care of that little problem. That's it, laying there toward the upper center of the photo.
This cigar had a nice, even burn and it was slowww, giving me all that much more time to enjoy it. It had a very nice flavor and produced a good amount of smoke.
It's listed as a pyramide but it's just a torpedo. I've noticed that a good many figurados that I've smoked started out with a tight draw and I attribute it to the way they have to be rolled - with the tobacco having to taper down into a point. Just a guess on my part.
Anyway, Glen, this is another winner, and I thank you very much. I enjoyed it immensely. Next week we come to the last of the group - the Ashton. Lookin' forward to it, as always.
No, I don't have any idea how old it was before Glen bombed me with it. He might know, though.
Marty, glad you dug the GoF so much - Im a tremendous fan as well. Makes me a little sad though... Ive seen a LOT of super premium cigars go for a LOT less than what you'd normally pay for them, but Ive NEVER seen GoF's go for less. If I ever catch such a deal, Im going to load up big. :-) Keep the excellent reviews coming my friend, cant wait for the next installment. And thanks again for sharing your experiences with us, this has been a lot of fun. :-)