Smoked "outdoors" (in the detached garage with the gararge door open)
Ambient temp: low 60s F, ambient RH: ~75%
Smoked to the nub, approx burn time 1.5+ hrs
Size: 5.5" x 54 (maybe 56)
Pre-light thoughts:
At first look I can say this is an absolute beauty of a cigar. Very firm cigar with minimal give to it.
The best way I can describe the color of the wrapper is "aged copper"; I held the cigar next to an old water supply line in the basement and the color was nearly identical; beautiful indeed.
And the color is even across the entire cigar, aside from one slightly darker "streak" about 1/2 inch long that follows one of the veins.
Capped off with a nice double (possibly triple cap), hard to tell because the color was so uniform.
Pre-light smell was a nice cedar with a subtle bit of musk and an almost sweet tea aroma at the very end.
The cigar took up all of the opening on my Xikar XI but clipped easily and neatly.
I didn't get much from the cold draw, aside from some dry woodiness.
Let's fire it up:
Cigar lights easily with my single flame Lotus Leather MOW (FTW) embossed lighter.
Right off the bat I'm met with some pepper, not a pepper bomb per se, more like taking a bite of food to discover a peppercorn that wasn't finely ground.
The pepper quickly dispersed and a nice woody, perhaps cedar, taste settled in. Every so often I'd pick up an aftertaste that I can only describe as dry toast.
Other than that the woodiness dominated the palette for the first half or so.
Toward the middle I started to notice a drier, lighter flavor --- similar to a hay bale --- and the woodiness subsided into the background but didn't complete disappear.
I was also picking up a real slight sweetness, similar to cane sugar, almost as an aftertaste.
The cigar mellowed out as I passed the midway point and entered the second half.
The dryness continued but the hay/woody notes hopped in the back seat and were almost an afterthought as a sort of wet dampness flavor jumped into the driver's seat and took the lead.
It reminded me of a mix of morning dew on a fresh cut summer lawn, and that sort of damp, mossy smell you'd encounter in one of North America's seasonal forests.
There was also the slightest hint of nuttiness, I'd say almonds, as the burn line moved closer to my fingers and I could begin to feel the heat through the wrapper.
Conclusion:
Overall this was a great smoke and one that I'd certainly try again. I think it'd be great with a glass of peach tea, or even a couple fingers of a "spicy" bourbon.
I would not hesitate to pick-up a 5-er and would even consider this for a box purchase.
My guess: Man I don't know. In some ways this reminded me of an AVO but I also wouldn't be a bit surprised if this was one of the Cuban brands.
Since I'm not well versed in Cubans I'm gonna go ahead and guess this one as an AVO Heritage
Thanks for the smoke, Jason, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I plan on firing up mystery stick #2 tomorrow.
Great write up. I smoked the same cigar this morning on my walk and could have given a nearly identical review. You'll be surprised to find this is a Tatuaje Havana VI Gorditos 5.5x56. This is one of the first Tatuaje lines started in 2007 I believe. I bought a box on the devil site bout 8 months ago for around $100. Damn good smoke at that price. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Hmm, very cool. I think I've only had the Tat Havana maybe once before and it was a smaller vitola I believe. And wow yeah for that price I'd definitely put this in the "buy a box" category. Will get to stick #2 this afternoon
Mystery stick #2:
Ok, I already sent this to Jason in a PM, but want to publicly apologize for my clumsiness. I feel like a dumba$$....
I grabbed mystery stick #2 on Saturday and was on my way out to the garage to fire it up.
Long story short, as I went fumbling for the key in my pocket to unlock the garage, I somehow lost grip on the cigar and it went tumbling to the concrete. Needless to say I more or less completely fvcked it up. Can't tell you how it happened aside from I was a bit tired after working in the yard all day then mowing the grass, was just looking forward to sitting down and relaxing, and I guess not really paying attention as I tried to do 2 things at once....(unlock the door & carry a cigar)....I know, it's difficult.
I was so p!ssed at myself, really sorry for botching this one. I tried to smoke it but only got an inch or so into it and just wasn't working. Real sorry, wasn't able enough out of it to make a guess....damn I'm a clutz.
Mystery stick #3
Well, after my clumsiness with #2, I decided to just sit for a couple minutes as I cursed at my stupidity then decided to take the dog for a walk to just chill out and decompress.
Decided I'd give the game another go and took #3 out of the humi. This time I immediately put it into a metal tubo and placed the tubo in my pocket to keep it safe until I got outside to fire it up so it ... wasn't going to take a chance on **** this one up.
Paired with a glass of ice water
Smoked outside
Ambient conditions: temp upper 60s F, sunny skies, very light breeze, ambient RH: ~25%
Smoked to the nub, approx burn time, just shy of 2 hrs
Size: 5.0 x 50
Pre-light thoughts:
Again, this is a beautiful cigar with a rich tan-colored wrapper. A few slightly darker streaks/spots throughout but no distinct "line" between the colors, a nice gradient between the lighter and darker areas. This one isn't quite as firm as cigar #1 but it's still packed pretty tight. Double(?) cap.
Pre-light draw was reminiscent of the sweetness from coffee creamer, along with a nuttiness, unique combo for sure.
Clipped easily with my Xikar XI and got it going with 2 wooden matches.
The cigar greets me with a nice woodiness right out of the gate; I couldn't quite put my finger on what type of wood it reminded me of, but it was not the dry cedar flavors that greeted me in cigar #1.
There's a slight pepper spice that hits the back of my throat, almost as an after taste. The pepper spice continues through most of the first half. Mixed in with these flavors is a nice creaminess, not really sweet like the cold draw though.
This cigar is just pumping out smoke like crazy, I think the Native Americans used these cigars to communicate across long distances LOL.
The ash is holding on very well too.
Towards the middle I start to pick up a real nice chewiness, the texture reminds me of salt water taffy -- I'm probably not describing this very well but man it made my mouth water. The wood and creamy flavors give way to (what I thought was) walnuts and leather. I also got a slight bitterness at the end of each puff, not a bad thing though -- as it reminded me of a real dark, slightly bitter, coffee.
These flavors continued for a while, and the chewiness lasted for the remainder of the smoke.
But towards the last inch or so the creaminess took front & center and I thought I picked up almost a peppermint flavor a few times.
My guess for #3: it's been a couple months since I smoked one, but this reminded me of the MOW Virtue, so gonna go with that.
Thanks again for the smokes, Jason, sorry again about completely screwin' up #2.
If anyone wants to go next LMK and I'll get some mystery sticks out your way this week.
Very close guess. I think they are really close in flavor profiles. It is a Perdomo Habano Robusto 5x50 and it's easily the least expensive of the three I sent. I really like this stick with a year of age, but sadly this one is only a few months old. Had you made it through #2 it was a Illusione Fume D'Amour. If you haven't had one I recommend finding another, since they are a really good new stick.
Somebody needs to step up and do this it was really interesting to not have any pre-conceived notions about what a stick is going to taste like. Blind tasting is fun even if you don't guess the cigar. Thanks for including me.
Very close guess. I think they are really close in flavor profiles. It is a Perdomo Habano Robusto 5x50 and it's easily the least expensive of the three I sent. I really like this stick with a year of age, but sadly this one is only a few months old. Had you made it through #2 it was a Illusione Fume D'Amour. If you haven't had one I recommend finding another, since they are a really good new stick.
Somebody needs to step up and do this it was really interesting to not have any pre-conceived notions about what a stick is going to taste like. Blind tasting is fun even if you don't guess the cigar. Thanks for including me.
I agree. Even if you might not be good at picking out flavors it it's still interesting to just some it and see what toy think without any influence from what you might feel about a brand.
Team O'Donnell FTW!
"I've got a great cigar collection - it's actually not a collection, because that would imply I wasn't going to smoke ever last one of 'em." - Ron White
I will be terrible at it, but want to take a crack. The problem is, work is going to be hell for the next 2-3 weeks, so if someone else or maybe two can go I'll jump in later.
I will be terrible at it, but want to take a crack. The problem is, work is going to be hell for the next 2-3 weeks, so if someone else or maybe two can go I'll jump in later.
How about, if no one else jumps in by Friday......I'll go ahead and send a package your way if you want to go next.
If you think you could sneak them in over the next couple weeks it's all good....(heck I took a little longer than 10 days to get to them and broke my own "rule", tsk tsk. lol so no biggie)....not like we have a long "wait list" of people wanting to get in on this anyways lol.
Very close guess. I think they are really close in flavor profiles. It is a Perdomo Habano Robusto 5x50 and it's easily the least expensive of the three I sent. I really like this stick with a year of age, but sadly this one is only a few months old. Had you made it through #2 it was a Illusione Fume D'Amour. If you haven't had one I recommend finding another, since they are a really good new stick.
Somebody needs to step up and do this it was really interesting to not have any pre-conceived notions about what a stick is going to taste like. Blind tasting is fun even if you don't guess the cigar. Thanks for including me.
Never had the Perdomo Habano, but it was a pretty good smoke, I'd definitely smoke it again. Not quite as much pepper as the Virtue but that was the closest thing I could compare it to.
And dang I'm so mad about stick #2, I've heard some great things about the Fume D'Amour and am p!ssed I ruined it, but more p!ssed because I've been wanting to try that one...uhhh so clumsy. I will have to grab one from the B&M.
Thanks for the great lineup of smokes, and for playing.
I will be terrible at it, but want to take a crack. The problem is, work is going to be hell for the next 2-3 weeks, so if someone else or maybe two can go I'll jump in later.
How about, if no one else jumps in by Friday......I'll go ahead and send a package your way if you want to go next.
If you think you could sneak them in over the next couple weeks it's all good....(heck I took a little longer than 10 days to get to them and broke my own "rule", tsk tsk. lol so no biggie)....not like we have a long "wait list" of people wanting to get in on this anyways lol.
Sounds like a plan. We usually have one every night and I can't imagine we're going to give them up that many nights to work insead
I will be terrible at it, but want to take a crack. The problem is, work is going to be hell for the next 2-3 weeks, so if someone else or maybe two can go I'll jump in later.
How about, if no one else jumps in by Friday......I'll go ahead and send a package your way if you want to go next.
If you think you could sneak them in over the next couple weeks it's all good....(heck I took a little longer than 10 days to get to them and broke my own "rule", tsk tsk. lol so no biggie)....not like we have a long "wait list" of people wanting to get in on this anyways lol.
Sounds like a plan. We usually have one every night and I can't imagine we're going to give them up that many nights to work insead
Mystery stick package received, I think I can guess the last two easily enough Thanks for the extras, I nearly picked up the weekend blitz just to get the MF special.
Mystery Stick B -
Paired with Four Roses Small Batch with an ice ball.
Smoked in the garage.
Temp in the high 50's.
Nubbed
Size: No idea, forgot to measure. I'd say toro, about a 52-54 RG?? I picked B first because it was the largest and I had enough time to smoke it. Nubbed it, smoked for about 2 hours.
Pre-light thoughts:
Good looking cigar. Construction appears to be of good quality. No noticeable flaws. Medium brown coloring. Firm. Smell is slight barnyard. Not too potent, more like your a mile away but picking it up in the air. Pre-light draw tastes like tea to me.
Lit with a Perdomo Table Top lighter. Toasted foot and lit. Nice aroma off the end. My very first impression is that I like it. It's not as bold as I usually gravitate towards, but it's nice.
First third i'm picking up some mild chocolate on the retrohale and a sweetness to it. Not overwhelming chocolate, more like a hot cocoa, but the instant kind, not a rich fancy kind. Again, still pretty mellow, I'd say medium in flavor. Now, bear with me, chocolate is about the only thing I'm good at picking up on, so I would describe many cigars with varying degrees of chocolate.
Second third delivers a lot of creamy smoke. Picks up some more on the chocolate and adds some earthiness to it. Part of the wrapper starts to unravel, but nothing major and no impact to the burn or anything along those lines.
Moving into the last third the chocolate starts to fade, but there's still a sweetness there. Required a couple of re-lights in the end. One was probably because I neglected it for too long as I typed up some notes. The others are probably due to my smoking style, I think I start to smoke it too fast towards the end and tend to cause some tunneling. Can't say it has anything to do with the cigar itself since I experience this often
Conclusion:
I would definitely smoke this again. Maybe not every night since I lean towards fuller or spicier sticks. But this would be a good golf or afternoon on the boat smoke.
My Guess: Yikes, this is where I embarrass myself and don't even come close. I'm going to go with Cohiba Red Dot though I'm not even sure they come in this vitola. Fuente would be my second guess. It's a cameroon wrapper at least, right?
Mystery Stick B -
Paired with Four Roses Small Batch with an ice ball.
Smoked in the garage.
Temp in the high 50's.
Nubbed
Size: No idea, forgot to measure. I'd say toro, about a 52-54 RG?? I picked B first because it was the largest and I had enough time to smoke it. Nubbed it, smoked for about 2 hours.
Pre-light thoughts:
Good looking cigar. Construction appears to be of good quality. No noticeable flaws. Medium brown coloring. Firm. Smell is slight barnyard. Not too potent, more like your a mile away but picking it up in the air. Pre-light draw tastes like tea to me.
Lit with a Perdomo Table Top lighter. Toasted foot and lit. Nice aroma off the end. My very first impression is that I like it. It's not as bold as I usually gravitate towards, but it's nice.
First third i'm picking up some mild chocolate on the retrohale and a sweetness to it. Not overwhelming chocolate, more like a hot cocoa, but the instant kind, not a rich fancy kind. Again, still pretty mellow, I'd say medium in flavor. Now, bear with me, chocolate is about the only thing I'm good at picking up on, so I would describe many cigars with varying degrees of chocolate.
Second third delivers a lot of creamy smoke. Picks up some more on the chocolate and adds some earthiness to it. Part of the wrapper starts to unravel, but nothing major and no impact to the burn or anything along those lines.
Moving into the last third the chocolate starts to fade, but there's still a sweetness there. Required a couple of re-lights in the end. One was probably because I neglected it for too long as I typed up some notes. The others are probably due to my smoking style, I think I start to smoke it too fast towards the end and tend to cause some tunneling. Can't say it has anything to do with the cigar itself since I experience this often
Conclusion:
I would definitely smoke this again. Maybe not every night since I lean towards fuller or spicier sticks. But this would be a good golf or afternoon on the boat smoke.
My Guess: Yikes, this is where I embarrass myself and don't even come close. I'm going to go with Cohiba Red Dot though I'm not even sure they come in this vitola. Fuente would be my second guess. It's a cameroon wrapper at least, right?
Nice write up. Glad you liked the smoke. Hope you're having fun with it.
Before I can tell you the answer though, I have a question ---
I lost all the data on my phone on Fri which included the "mystery stick list" (oops!!). I do have the 3 bands set aside so I know which 3 you have but don't remember the order (d'oh!). I remember which one A is, but don't remember B & C. Either B or C should have a slight box press to it, can you tell me which? That will determine which stick this is and I can tell you the answer!
Hmmm, I don't believe B had any hint of a box press, but let me check C when I get home and make sure I agree that it has one I guess this means my guess was not correct, lol.
It's been years since I've had a Red Dot, and I don't smoke Fuentes very often so can't really compare & contrast for you but good guesses regardless.
The Black Crown is probably in my top-10 favorite smokes. Always reliable, enjoyable flavors, and good construction in my experience. And you can find pretty good deals on them from time to time that makes these very wallet friendly.
It's been years since I've had a Red Dot, and I don't smoke Fuentes very often so can't really compare & contrast for you but good guesses regardless.
The Black Crown is probably in my top-10 favorite smokes. Always reliable, enjoyable flavors, and good construction in my experience. And you can find pretty good deals on them from time to time that makes these very wallet friendly.
Excellent, thank you. I have not had the Black Crown before, but am a fan of the Sons of Anarchy that they do.
If anyone has had a Black Crown and Red Dot or Fuente and wants to chime in with a comparison I'd love to hear it.
Size: Forgot to measure again, slight box-press. Nubbed it, smoked for about 1.5-2 hours.
Pre-light Thoughts:
Good looking cigar. Construction appears to be of good quality. No noticeable flaws. Medium brown coloring. Firm. Smell is strong. Not sure how to describe the smell, almost manure-ish. Pre-light draw tastes like hay to me.
Lit with a Perdomo Table Top lighter. Toasted foot and lit. My first impression is mostly that I cannot put my finger on the flavors.
Here's where this may become the worst cigar review EVER. I really struggled to identify the flavors. First third had very mild spice to it, tasted Earthy maybe, a very slight hint of tea.
Second third starts to change a bit. Picks up more flavor intensity, though I'm still really struggling to compare the flavor to anything other than cigar. I would compare it to the Four Kicks. About a little before half way it gets some slight hints of chocolate and becomes a tad sweeter.
Final third I don't pick up much of a change from the second. Though at this point I'm driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to describe it! The burn was flawless throughout.
Conclusion:
I really enjoyed this whatever it was. Once I find out, I'll probably pick up a few more.
My Guess: I have absolutely no clue. I'm going to guess based purely on one thing, appearance. My guess is Oliva MB 3 but that is only because I belive they are box-press, I've not actually smoked one of them yet.
Conclusion:
I really enjoyed this whatever it was. Once I find out, I'll probably pick up a few more.
My Guess: I have absolutely no clue. I'm going to guess based purely on one thing, appearance. My guess is Oliva MB 3 but that is only because I belive they are box-press, I've not actually smoked one of them yet.
Well I'm glad you enjoyed it and "LOL'ed" when you said this was the "worst review ever"... no it's not, trust me. There's a lot worse out there.
And I apologize, as it might be partially my fault as to why you had trouble picking out flavors.....this cigar has been in my possession since 3/24/12 so the flavors may have got "muddled" since then.
I agree though this is a unique cigar and I've struggled to describe the flavors on the ones I smoked....
I'm glad you liked it but don't know if you'll find much more as I believe this has been discontinued (might want to email a rep and see if you can **** up whatever's left)....
This was the 5 Vegas High Primings
Will do the final mystery stick tonight. Rain, I'll get the package with the next batch out to you tomorrow, sorry it's taken so long, work has been crazy this week and flew by. I think I've picked what the 3 will be, I've just got to pack it up!!
Will do the final mystery stick tonight. Rain, I'll get the package with the next batch out to you tomorrow, sorry it's taken so long, work has been crazy this week and flew by. I think I've picked what the 3 will be, I've just got to pack it up!!
Paired with Elijah Criah 12 Year with an ice ball.
Smoked in the garage.
Temp in the 60's.
Size: I'd say corona, smoked for about 1.5 hours.
Pre-light Thoughts:
Good looking cigar. One minor flaw in the wrapper. Medium brown coloring. Firm. Smell is of cedar and coffee.
This was not off to a good start. While cutting, the wrapper began to completely unravel. Cut with the Xikar Xi3. I don't think I cut too far, I guess every once in a while it happens.
I grabbed some tape, taped it up and figured we'd see how it goes. Thought we were going to have another Mystery Stick casualty on our hands, but it ended up being fine.
Lit with a Perdomo Table Top lighter. Toasted foot and lit. I can't really explain my first impression since I was still focused on the wrapper issue.
In my last review I stated that it might be the worst review ever, I was wrong...this is First third had very mild spice to it, but I was still reeling over the wrapper and was having a hard time focusing on it. There was a little bit of cocoa on the retrohale and lots of smoke. It was good.
Second third starts to change a bit. Definitley picks up a lot more sweetness and maybe some light hints of wood. Don't ask me what kind, I haven't eaten a lot of wood. Ok, guys, get your minds out of the gutter, you knew what I meant!!
Final third I didn't pick up much of a change from the second. The burn on it was surprisingly consistent given how badly I botched the cutting.
Conclusion:
I enjoyed it once I kicked back and just relaxed. It was good, but not among my favorites, I think I lean more towards the spicy.
My Guess: Again, I have no clue!! I can't even take a guess. This is probably where you tell me it was an Opus X with 5 years on it or something
Rain, package was dropped this morning. A sleeping baby and lack of packing tape in the car derailed my shipment on Saturday :-/
LOL, got a couple good chuckles from this review - great write up Kelly.
Thanks for playing and hope you enjoyed this smoke.
This was a Four Kicks by Crowned Heads, one of my current favs.
Sorry about the wrapper/construction issues, I've had the same problem with these a couple times before. These come packaged without cellophane so it's possible it was "beat up" in transit somewhere along the way.
LOL, got a couple good chuckles from this review - great write up Kelly.
Thanks for playing and hope you enjoyed this smoke.
This was a Four Kicks by Crowned Heads, one of my current favs.
Sorry about the wrapper/construction issues, I've had the same problem with these a couple times before. These come packaged without cellophane so it's possible it was "beat up" in transit somewhere along the way.
Huh, what's weird is that I smoked a Four Kicks last week or the week before and added it to the get more list! Maybe the different vitola made the difference. Now I'm going to have to get more to see! My humidor is also on the low rh side, so that probably didn't help the wrapper issue. Thanks for letting me join in on this, was interesting. Can't wait to see Rain's reviews and guesses. His package should arrive later this week. Sorry for the slight hold up in the action.
Comments
Paired with a glass of room-temperature water
Smoked "outdoors" (in the detached garage with the gararge door open)
Ambient temp: low 60s F, ambient RH: ~75%
Smoked to the nub, approx burn time 1.5+ hrs
Size: 5.5" x 54 (maybe 56)
Pre-light thoughts:
At first look I can say this is an absolute beauty of a cigar. Very firm cigar with minimal give to it.
The best way I can describe the color of the wrapper is "aged copper"; I held the cigar next to an old water supply line in the basement and the color was nearly identical; beautiful indeed.
And the color is even across the entire cigar, aside from one slightly darker "streak" about 1/2 inch long that follows one of the veins.
Capped off with a nice double (possibly triple cap), hard to tell because the color was so uniform.
Pre-light smell was a nice cedar with a subtle bit of musk and an almost sweet tea aroma at the very end.
The cigar took up all of the opening on my Xikar XI but clipped easily and neatly.
I didn't get much from the cold draw, aside from some dry woodiness.
Let's fire it up:
Cigar lights easily with my single flame Lotus Leather MOW (FTW) embossed lighter.
Right off the bat I'm met with some pepper, not a pepper bomb per se, more like taking a bite of food to discover a peppercorn that wasn't finely ground.
The pepper quickly dispersed and a nice woody, perhaps cedar, taste settled in. Every so often I'd pick up an aftertaste that I can only describe as dry toast.
Other than that the woodiness dominated the palette for the first half or so.
Toward the middle I started to notice a drier, lighter flavor --- similar to a hay bale --- and the woodiness subsided into the background but didn't complete disappear.
I was also picking up a real slight sweetness, similar to cane sugar, almost as an aftertaste.
The cigar mellowed out as I passed the midway point and entered the second half.
The dryness continued but the hay/woody notes hopped in the back seat and were almost an afterthought as a sort of wet dampness flavor jumped into the driver's seat and took the lead.
It reminded me of a mix of morning dew on a fresh cut summer lawn, and that sort of damp, mossy smell you'd encounter in one of North America's seasonal forests.
There was also the slightest hint of nuttiness, I'd say almonds, as the burn line moved closer to my fingers and I could begin to feel the heat through the wrapper.
Conclusion:
Overall this was a great smoke and one that I'd certainly try again. I think it'd be great with a glass of peach tea, or even a couple fingers of a "spicy" bourbon.
I would not hesitate to pick-up a 5-er and would even consider this for a box purchase.
My guess: Man I don't know. In some ways this reminded me of an AVO but I also wouldn't be a bit surprised if this was one of the Cuban brands.
Since I'm not well versed in Cubans I'm gonna go ahead and guess this one as an AVO Heritage
Thanks for the smoke, Jason, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I plan on firing up mystery stick #2 tomorrow.
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
Ok, I already sent this to Jason in a PM, but want to publicly apologize for my clumsiness. I feel like a dumba$$....
I grabbed mystery stick #2 on Saturday and was on my way out to the garage to fire it up.
Long story short, as I went fumbling for the key in my pocket to unlock the garage, I somehow lost grip on the cigar and it went tumbling to the concrete. Needless to say I more or less completely fvcked it up. Can't tell you how it happened aside from I was a bit tired after working in the yard all day then mowing the grass, was just looking forward to sitting down and relaxing, and I guess not really paying attention as I tried to do 2 things at once....(unlock the door & carry a cigar)....I know, it's difficult.
I was so p!ssed at myself, really sorry for botching this one. I tried to smoke it but only got an inch or so into it and just wasn't working. Real sorry, wasn't able enough out of it to make a guess....damn I'm a clutz.
Mystery stick #3
Well, after my clumsiness with #2, I decided to just sit for a couple minutes as I cursed at my stupidity then decided to take the dog for a walk to just chill out and decompress.
Decided I'd give the game another go and took #3 out of the humi. This time I immediately put it into a metal tubo and placed the tubo in my pocket to keep it safe until I got outside to fire it up so it ... wasn't going to take a chance on **** this one up.
Paired with a glass of ice water
Smoked outside
Ambient conditions: temp upper 60s F, sunny skies, very light breeze, ambient RH: ~25%
Smoked to the nub, approx burn time, just shy of 2 hrs
Size: 5.0 x 50
Pre-light thoughts:
Again, this is a beautiful cigar with a rich tan-colored wrapper. A few slightly darker streaks/spots throughout but no distinct "line" between the colors, a nice gradient between the lighter and darker areas. This one isn't quite as firm as cigar #1 but it's still packed pretty tight. Double(?) cap.
Pre-light draw was reminiscent of the sweetness from coffee creamer, along with a nuttiness, unique combo for sure.
Clipped easily with my Xikar XI and got it going with 2 wooden matches.
The cigar greets me with a nice woodiness right out of the gate; I couldn't quite put my finger on what type of wood it reminded me of, but it was not the dry cedar flavors that greeted me in cigar #1.
There's a slight pepper spice that hits the back of my throat, almost as an after taste. The pepper spice continues through most of the first half. Mixed in with these flavors is a nice creaminess, not really sweet like the cold draw though.
This cigar is just pumping out smoke like crazy, I think the Native Americans used these cigars to communicate across long distances LOL.
The ash is holding on very well too.
Towards the middle I start to pick up a real nice chewiness, the texture reminds me of salt water taffy -- I'm probably not describing this very well but man it made my mouth water. The wood and creamy flavors give way to (what I thought was) walnuts and leather. I also got a slight bitterness at the end of each puff, not a bad thing though -- as it reminded me of a real dark, slightly bitter, coffee.
These flavors continued for a while, and the chewiness lasted for the remainder of the smoke.
But towards the last inch or so the creaminess took front & center and I thought I picked up almost a peppermint flavor a few times.
My guess for #3: it's been a couple months since I smoked one, but this reminded me of the MOW Virtue, so gonna go with that.
Thanks again for the smokes, Jason, sorry again about completely screwin' up #2.
If anyone wants to go next LMK and I'll get some mystery sticks out your way this week.
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
Somebody needs to step up and do this it was really interesting to not have any pre-conceived notions about what a stick is going to taste like. Blind tasting is fun even if you don't guess the cigar. Thanks for including me.
"I've got a great cigar collection - it's actually not a collection, because that would imply I wasn't going to smoke ever last one of 'em." - Ron White
If you think you could sneak them in over the next couple weeks it's all good....(heck I took a little longer than 10 days to get to them and broke my own "rule", tsk tsk. lol so no biggie)....not like we have a long "wait list" of people wanting to get in on this anyways lol.
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
And dang I'm so mad about stick #2, I've heard some great things about the Fume D'Amour and am p!ssed I ruined it, but more p!ssed because I've been wanting to try that one...uhhh so clumsy. I will have to grab one from the B&M.
Thanks for the great lineup of smokes, and for playing.
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
Sounds like a plan. We usually have one every night and I can't imagine we're going to give them up that many nights to work insead
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
You got it. I'll get them out to you later next week.
Paired with Four Roses Small Batch with an ice ball.
Smoked in the garage.
Temp in the high 50's.
Nubbed
Size: No idea, forgot to measure. I'd say toro, about a 52-54 RG?? I picked B first because it was the largest and I had enough time to smoke it. Nubbed it, smoked for about 2 hours.
Pre-light thoughts:
Good looking cigar. Construction appears to be of good quality. No noticeable flaws. Medium brown coloring. Firm. Smell is slight barnyard. Not too potent, more like your a mile away but picking it up in the air. Pre-light draw tastes like tea to me.
Lit with a Perdomo Table Top lighter. Toasted foot and lit. Nice aroma off the end. My very first impression is that I like it. It's not as bold as I usually gravitate towards, but it's nice.
First third i'm picking up some mild chocolate on the retrohale and a sweetness to it. Not overwhelming chocolate, more like a hot cocoa, but the instant kind, not a rich fancy kind. Again, still pretty mellow, I'd say medium in flavor. Now, bear with me, chocolate is about the only thing I'm good at picking up on, so I would describe many cigars with varying degrees of chocolate.
Second third delivers a lot of creamy smoke. Picks up some more on the chocolate and adds some earthiness to it. Part of the wrapper starts to unravel, but nothing major and no impact to the burn or anything along those lines.
Moving into the last third the chocolate starts to fade, but there's still a sweetness there. Required a couple of re-lights in the end. One was probably because I neglected it for too long as I typed up some notes. The others are probably due to my smoking style, I think I start to smoke it too fast towards the end and tend to cause some tunneling. Can't say it has anything to do with the cigar itself since I experience this often
Conclusion:
I would definitely smoke this again. Maybe not every night since I lean towards fuller or spicier sticks. But this would be a good golf or afternoon on the boat smoke.
My Guess: Yikes, this is where I embarrass myself and don't even come close. I'm going to go with Cohiba Red Dot though I'm not even sure they come in this vitola. Fuente would be my second guess. It's a cameroon wrapper at least, right?
Before I can tell you the answer though, I have a question ---
I lost all the data on my phone on Fri which included the "mystery stick list" (oops!!). I do have the 3 bands set aside so I know which 3 you have but don't remember the order (d'oh!). I remember which one A is, but don't remember B & C. Either B or C should have a slight box press to it, can you tell me which? That will determine which stick this is and I can tell you the answer!
Thanks, and sorry for the hassle!
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
Mystery Stick B is the Black Crown
http://www.cigar.com/cigars/viewcigar.asp?brand=1330
It's been years since I've had a Red Dot, and I don't smoke Fuentes very often so can't really compare & contrast for you but good guesses regardless.
The Black Crown is probably in my top-10 favorite smokes. Always reliable, enjoyable flavors, and good construction in my experience. And you can find pretty good deals on them from time to time that makes these very wallet friendly.
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
Excellent, thank you. I have not had the Black Crown before, but am a fan of the Sons of Anarchy that they do.
If anyone has had a Black Crown and Red Dot or Fuente and wants to chime in with a comparison I'd love to hear it.
Paired with Buffalo Trace with an ice ball.
Smoked in the garage.
Temp in the high 40's.
Size: Forgot to measure again, slight box-press. Nubbed it, smoked for about 1.5-2 hours.
Pre-light Thoughts:
Good looking cigar. Construction appears to be of good quality. No noticeable flaws. Medium brown coloring. Firm. Smell is strong. Not sure how to describe the smell, almost manure-ish. Pre-light draw tastes like hay to me.
Lit with a Perdomo Table Top lighter. Toasted foot and lit. My first impression is mostly that I cannot put my finger on the flavors.
Here's where this may become the worst cigar review EVER. I really struggled to identify the flavors. First third had very mild spice to it, tasted Earthy maybe, a very slight hint of tea.
Second third starts to change a bit. Picks up more flavor intensity, though I'm still really struggling to compare the flavor to anything other than cigar. I would compare it to the Four Kicks. About a little before half way it gets some slight hints of chocolate and becomes a tad sweeter.
Final third I don't pick up much of a change from the second. Though at this point I'm driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to describe it! The burn was flawless throughout.
Conclusion:
I really enjoyed this whatever it was. Once I find out, I'll probably pick up a few more.
My Guess: I have absolutely no clue. I'm going to guess based purely on one thing, appearance. My guess is Oliva MB 3 but that is only because I belive they are box-press, I've not actually smoked one of them yet.
And I apologize, as it might be partially my fault as to why you had trouble picking out flavors.....this cigar has been in my possession since 3/24/12 so the flavors may have got "muddled" since then.
I agree though this is a unique cigar and I've struggled to describe the flavors on the ones I smoked....
I'm glad you liked it but don't know if you'll find much more as I believe this has been discontinued (might want to email a rep and see if you can **** up whatever's left)....
This was the 5 Vegas High Primings
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
sorry :-(
glad you liked it though :-)
and seriously if you want to pick up more it's worth a shot emailing a rep, never know what they might have hiding in the "back" of the warehouse
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
Paired with Elijah Criah 12 Year with an ice ball.
Smoked in the garage.
Temp in the 60's.
Size: I'd say corona, smoked for about 1.5 hours.
Pre-light Thoughts:
Good looking cigar. One minor flaw in the wrapper. Medium brown coloring. Firm. Smell is of cedar and coffee.
This was not off to a good start. While cutting, the wrapper began to completely unravel. Cut with the Xikar Xi3. I don't think I cut too far, I guess every once in a while it happens. I grabbed some tape, taped it up and figured we'd see how it goes. Thought we were going to have another Mystery Stick casualty on our hands, but it ended up being fine. Lit with a Perdomo Table Top lighter. Toasted foot and lit. I can't really explain my first impression since I was still focused on the wrapper issue.
In my last review I stated that it might be the worst review ever, I was wrong...this is
Second third starts to change a bit. Definitley picks up a lot more sweetness and maybe some light hints of wood. Don't ask me what kind, I haven't eaten a lot of wood. Ok, guys, get your minds out of the gutter, you knew what I meant!!
Final third I didn't pick up much of a change from the second. The burn on it was surprisingly consistent given how badly I botched the cutting.
Conclusion:
I enjoyed it once I kicked back and just relaxed. It was good, but not among my favorites, I think I lean more towards the spicy.
My Guess: Again, I have no clue!! I can't even take a guess. This is probably where you tell me it was an Opus X with 5 years on it or something
Rain, package was dropped this morning. A sleeping baby and lack of packing tape in the car derailed my shipment on Saturday :-/
Thanks for playing and hope you enjoyed this smoke.
This was a Four Kicks by Crowned Heads, one of my current favs.
Sorry about the wrapper/construction issues, I've had the same problem with these a couple times before. These come packaged without cellophane so it's possible it was "beat up" in transit somewhere along the way.
* I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *
Huh, what's weird is that I smoked a Four Kicks last week or the week before and added it to the get more list! Maybe the different vitola made the difference. Now I'm going to have to get more to see! My humidor is also on the low rh side, so that probably didn't help the wrapper issue. Thanks for letting me join in on this, was interesting. Can't wait to see Rain's reviews and guesses. His package should arrive later this week. Sorry for the slight hold up in the action.