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Anxiously awaiting to find out what this stick was...

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Andy #3 - Reyes Family Classic

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My responses are delayed sometimes as I'm traveling and using the blackberry to check in here. :) lol

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No worries. Look over my impatience.:):tu

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So far I'm still not a fan of Reyes cigars. Still keeping an open mind though.

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so far, you've smoked 3 of the same cigar - just different "brand" names. ;)

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Cigar #4
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...pictureid=2476

Construction: 5x50 dark brown maduro wrapper, solid stick, overall nice appearance

Pre-Light Draw: coffee flavor, nice smooth draw

1st Third: I taste chocolate after the first few puffs. The draw may be a little too wide/loose, but I can adapt to that. Very slight hints of pepper. For the most part this cigar is sweet and smooth. A medium-full bodied smoke. I am enjoying this cigar.

2nd Third: Still enjoying this stick. Sweetness with a little earthiness combine for a nice experience. The burn is a little crooked; I had to touch it up twice so far. The burn does not detract from my enjoyment.

Final Third: Earthiness is more dominant. I'm not a fan of earthy flavor (Ghurka), but it's working for me with this cigar. The burn is still not very even, requiring touchups, but it's still not to the point of detracting from my overall enjoyment. With about an inch left, the stick got too hot and I had to put it down. I wish it could have lasted longer.

Final Thoughts: I liked this cigar. It's the best of the bunch so far. This is not a Reyes product.

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Note: I won't be writing any more reviews until Saturday. I am going out of town on a camping trip with two of my kids and will not have internet access. I'll get back to reviewing as soon as I get back. Sorry for the inconvenience. I look forward to getting back to doing the rest of the reviews, both here and the blind reviews for Scott (MCS). This is fun!

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Andy #4 - Cuba Aliados - corojo - dbl maduro (Reyes)

This is a step in the right direction. :)

To make note of my reply last night regarding smoking the same sticks. For all intents the Puros Indios nat and Reyes Family Classic nat are the same cigar.

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CIGAR #5

A robusto with a maduro wrapper. The cigar has weight, but the draw is loose.

First few draws are a musty tobacco flavor. The flavor soon gets a bit better though, showing fairly typical maduro flavors of coffee and unsweetened cocoa. Burn is a bit crooked. So far, not a bad smoke.

About 1" in...the burn is getting pretty annoying, as is the loose draw. It makes getting a good mouthful of smoke difficult. The flavor is slowly becoming less pleasant. The draw and initial nose exhale are still OK, but the finish is taking on sort of a spoiled milk flavor and leaves a bitter aftertaste.

This one is gonna be tough to call.

About halfway...the smoke is burning a bit on the nose exhale, and the sour flavor on the finish has intensified. I'm gonna go ahead and call it just based on the familiar flavor of the finish.

I would guess that this cigar IS a Rolando Reyes cigar.

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Mark #5 - Reyes Family Premier

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This is fun to read but how couldn't you guys notice the triple cap on the DPG blue label.

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Quite a few brands are starting to tripple cap it seems soon it will be easier to identify a cigar when it isnt triple capped.

This is a fun topic thanks for it.

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I found one Reyes product that I would smoke again. It's not a Puros Indios, but I will check out this Reyes stick again.:tu

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I enjoy the Cuba aliados Double maduro as well but watch out when they are fresh they are just as bad as everything else they need time (2-3 years)

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CIGAR #6

Another robusto, medium brown wrapper with streaks running through it that are a shade darker. Once again, very good construction, cap pops right off, perfect draw. Pre-light flavor is a very faint grass.

First few draws...mildewy hay with a sour finish. Familiar flavor in the nostrils, familiar aroma coming from the foot.

I'm gonna call it at less than 1".

I would guess that this cigar IS a Rolando Reyes cigar.

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Mark #6 - Pros Indies nat.

This is the last of those.... Promise. :)

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HA!


That's 4 out of 5, sucka! You ready to eat them words?

Why not just tell me which one is the final Reyes so I can throw it away and enjoy the rest of the cigars? :r

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Nope.... LOL

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This has been great to follow. Thanks for taking one for the team Mark! :banger I mean 6! :)

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CIGAR #7

A robusto with a maduro wrapper. Draw is very loose. Pre-light draw is a very faint hay flavor.

First few draws...burning in the nostrils and not much else.

About 1" in...the burning has subsided, flavor is meh. Not good. The aroma coming from the foot is not good either.

I am not enjoying this cigar at all...HOWEVER...I'm gonna keep smoking it. Maybe it's the spicy hot tacos I just ate, but I can't make a call yet.

About halfway...still can't call it. I should have smoked it before I ate the tacos! :(

Dammit...now I am inspecting the remaining cigars and comparing them to this one visually! :r The flavor of cigar #7 makes me want to say Reyes, but the appearance of cigar #10 looks like the type of dull, blemished wrapper that Sr. Reyes likes to use.

Ahhhh screw it. It does taste bad, but the "signature Reyes flavor" of moldy hay and rotten milk isn't REALLY strong, so...

I would guess that this cigar IS NOT a Rolando Reyes cigar.

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Mark #7 - Cuba Aliados corojo del maduro

This is the same one that Andy mentioned that he liked. Maybe the tacos did throw it off?

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For some reason the site won't let me edit ... Or won't take what I'm typing. Anyway "del" = dbl.

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I'll have my next review up by this evening. The Cuba Aliados I smoked sounds like a completely different cigar than Mark's. Maybe it was the tacos.

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!


Ruined my perfect record!!! :(


My first instinct was that it was a RR cigar.

Damn tacos! :r

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Cigar #5

Sorry, but I forgot to take a pic before I smoked this one.

Construction: 5x50 dark brown wrapper (maduro), looks like a mixed filler cigar. The cap is poorly constructed. I get bits of tobacco in my mouth from the pre-light draw. The wrapper and binder are firm, but the filler is very loosely rolled.

Pre-Light Draw: Salty, leathery flavors are detectable. The draw is smooth.

First Third: The first few puffs are like bitter coffee. An inch into it, the coffee flavor is still there, bitter with a very slight hint of sweetness to it. It's like drinking a large coffee with only one packet of sweetner in it. The cigar has a damp, musty quality along with the coffee flavors. Very mild so far.

Second Third: Pepper is detectable through the nose. The cigar is a little stronger at this point. The pepper was temporary and quickly dissapears. Mustiness and bitterness are dominant. Some sweetness appears at the end of the second third. Wet and musty mixed with a little sweetness.

Final Third: Bitterness and mustiness continue. The sweetness is gone.

Final Thoughts: This cigar might have potential after a long rest in the humi, but I was not a fan. It reminded me of a very mild Padilla Obsidian ROTT (Obsidians are good smokes, but they need a very long rest before they are good). This cigar is too bitter and musty for me. Maybe after some time in the humi, the sweetness will become more prominent. This is a very one-dimensional cigar.
I would guess that this was a Reyes product b/c of the mustiness, but I could be wrong. The construction and the mustiness are qualities that this cigar shares with all but one of the Reyes products that I have smoked.

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Andy #5 - CAO Black VR

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Since I've already smoked all 5 PIs, do I still have to review the final 3 or can I smoke them at my leisure?


FINAL SCORE:

borndead1 - 4
EEE - 1

:D

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Andy = Epic Fail!!;) First one! I don't like anything by CAO either.

MCS

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I like the CAO Brazillia, but that's about it. I was highly dissapointed in the CAO Gold, Black, and completely let down by the Sopranos. I guess the VR isn't to my liking either.


I thought that this cigar might be a Reyes b/c of the mustiness, but it didn't have any grassy and wet hay flavors that come with most Reyes and PI sticks.

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Haaa haaa....my palate is more refined than Andy's! :fu

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:tg;)

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Well to be honest he did hint that it MAY not be a reyes family cigar. I dont think he was way off on that #5 review... And if you want to really be picky, taking the review of your Pepin into consideration, I think this tie you both up if anything! hehehe:fu Andy was more basing his judgment wether it was a reyes or not based on if it was good... He just didnt take into account there are other cigars out there with the same qualities.

Nice reviews guys, I really enjoyed reading them.

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Cigar #6
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...pictureid=2508

Construction: 5x50 medium/light brown wrapper

Pre-Light: Smooth draw with hints of cedar.

1st Third: The aroma is pleasant upon lighting. Cocoa flavor appears briefly then dissapates. Cedar is also present. A slight citrus flavor is now detectable. Cedar and citrus: not a bad combination. Citrus is now the dominant flavor. A little bit of spice is detectable through the nose.

2nd Third: Still very citrusy. Flavor has remained very consistent.

Final Third: Citrus is still strong.

Final Thoughts: I enjoyed this stick, even though it wasn't very complex (which isn't always bad in my book). Citrus is a flavor that isn't very prevalent in many cigars that I smoke, so it was nice to have for a change.
There is no way that this is a Reyes product.

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Andy - Your #1 & #6 are the exact same cigar, from the same box --

#6 - Puros Indios Nat

yes, I'm serious

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There is no way. No hay or grass or wet hay at all in this stick. Maybe it was a miracle that this one was good.:)


Edit: I went back and compared the pics of #1 and #6. They look the same. :hm

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Now that, is fun. Nice twist EEE

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I like this it really shows how much a label can influence our taste or how much our palette changes day to day.

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HAHAHHAAHA, EEE, you sneaky bastard... brilliant... rep coming your way sir. (need to rep other before more rep can be given to EEE).

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My palate does change depending on what time it is, what I'm pairing a cigar with, and many other factors contribute to this. But that was a very drastic change between two of the exact same cigar. My palate influenced the difference some, but I'm chalking this one up as inconsitency by the manufacturer.

I'd love to have another cigar like cigar #6, but if I buy a box of those things and 19 out of the 20 (hell, even 10 out of the 20) taste like cigar #1, then I don't want them. So far I'm hitting .500 with the Puros Indios Natural. I think I might buy a fiver down the line and see if the majority of them taste like hay and grass, or if they taste citrusy like the last one I smoked.
:hm
Eric, you've got my attention and I'm gonna research this one come payday.:tu

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Andy... Don't buy anything yet. Wait until this is complete and if your still this interested I can hook you up.

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What is rep?

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The little smoke ring represent your reputation.

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Click on User CP at the upper left to see your reputation. You've got some!

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Cigar #7
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...pictureid=2517

Construction: 6x52 medium brown wrapper, squared off foot

Pre-light Draw: smooth with hints of cedar

1st Third: Upon lighting I immediately taste a dry grassy flavor, mixed with ammonia. Ammonia is gone. Not a whole lot of flavor going on, but I taste a little citrus. Citrus is gone. I now detect vanilla. Some spice through the nose.

2nd Third: This cigar has lost its flavor; nothing but straight tobacco. There is some nice spice through the nose. A nuttiness is also detectable through the nose.

Final Third: Not getting much out of this cigar at all. Kind of tasteless at this point.

Final Thoughts: This cigar was sub-par. It had its moments where it was ok, but it was pretty mild and bland. I smoked this one after dinner on a full stomach (when I’d normally smoke a strong stick), so maybe I didn’t give it a fair shake. I did like the spice through the nose, but for the most part this was lacking on flavor.

I couldn’t tell you if it was a Reyes stick, but I’m not a fan of this stick at this point.

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Andy #7 - La Gloria Cubana.

And you have caught up to Mark. :)

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Makes sense. I'm not a big fan of the LGC naturals, but I do love the maduros.

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Cigar #8
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...pictureid=2526

Construction: 5x54 dark brown wrapper
The cigar looks like it has been dried out and rehumidified. The foot has expanded and is starting to crack. The wrapper is very brittle.

Pre-Light: smooth draw, cedar flavor

1st Third: Upon lighting I detect both a grassiness and coffee flavors. Coffee and sweetness are now dominant; the grassiness is gone. The burn on this cigar is horrible; I've had to make three corrections in the first two inches alone. The flavor is great, however.

2nd Third: The cigar reminds me of a Mayorga maduro; great on flavor, but horrible burn. It still has a coffee/cocoa, sweet flavor. I really enjoy the flavor, but the burn is annoying. I discovered that the wrapper has been dyed. It's getting sticky and my fingertips are turning brown. Flavor is still good though.

Final Third: I barely got into the last third before I put it out. My fingers are very sticky and brown, and the burn is too annoying to keep touching up. I liked the flavor, but the construction and dye forced me to put it down.

Final Thoughts: This cigar could have had potential, but the dyed wrapper and burn issues ruined the cigar. I did enjoy the coffee and sweet flavors it produced, but it wasn't worth putting up with the nasty, sticky, brown residue all over my fingers. I greatly enjoyed this cigar until the dye got in my way. I would say that this is not a Reyes cigar because of the flavor, but it may be Reyes due to the construction. I do not know if Reyes dyes their maduro wrapper or not.

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Andy #8 - Reyes Family Premier...

I don't know what happen with your stick here. I've smoked a good two dozen of these and haven't had the severe burn issues and never had the discoloring on the hands. I can't speak on the topic of this company dying the leaves as I don't work for them. What I can say is that I have met and had many conversations with guys at Reyes and am under the impression that they don't do this practice. I am absolutely serious when I say that I will find out what they do.... If they dye them I won't hesitate to let everyone know.

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It was definitely a dye job on this stick. I'm not against dying wrappers like some people are here. I love the Indian Tabac SF maduro (which has a dyed wrapper), but I've never had the dye come off on my fingers like that. Maybe they left the wrapper in the dye way too long for this stick.

BTW, I've had 2 1/2 Reyes sticks that have had a good flavor profile. So props to Eric on that side.