smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

For those who don't know, Wayner123 & I were chosen to do 5 BTT
(Blind Taste Test) reviews of the same mystery sticks.
See "2008 Blind Smokes Review Reward Contest" in the Contests section.
So as not to influence each other's opinions, Wayne & I are posting our
reviews in separate threads, and we've agreed not to read each others'
reviews until we're done with all 5 cigars. Reviews will be in numerical order.
http://i56.tinypic.com/91kze1.jpg

Here's my review of Blind Smoke No.1:

http://i52.tinypic.com/2w6ibko.jpg

A box-pressed 6"x50 ring with mottled maduro wrapper.
Packed nicely, there's just a bit of give when lightly squeezed.
Prelight smell is faint - a hint of coffee and socks. Yes, I said socks.
Prelight draw is good, though very faint flavor of tobacco & sweet coffee.

I start with just water, figuring I'll switch to something more complementary once I get a handle on the cigar's flavors. That, and it's 1:00 PM & pretty warm here. Throw on an Allman Brothers mix & sit back.
OK, let's light this Bad Boy!

Initial flavors are disappointing. One-dimensional tobacco & faint coffee, with a flat finish of sharpness; not pepper, more like ammonia. Leaves an oily feel in my mouth. There's just not much to this one. Strength is medium, edging into medium-full. The smoke smells acrid.

After the first 1", I switch to coffee, hoping it will perk up some flavor in the cigar. No dice, the cigar just provides bitter instant coffee taste with a flat finish. On the bright side, draw & burn are good.
I soon try switching back to water, but it doesn't help.

At 2", the bitterness fades. Or are my taste buds getting numb? Whatever, it's soon back anyway. If this weren't a review, I'd pitch the cigar right now. It tastes like that look I got from the prune-faced bun-haired old lady at the supermarket last week when I set down my purchase: 2 big bourbon bottles, 6 wine bottles, a jar of peanuts & a turkey baster. Don't ask.
I soldier on, despite the flat old coffee & bitter bite continuing with every puff. Can I say "puff" here? OK, "draw" it is.

There's no appreciable change or improvement through the second half, though it is stronger. My mouth has a sharp tang of acidic charcoal. And not in a good way. Taste buds are logging onto Craigslist to find a new place to live. There's 1-1/2" left - can I put this down yet? Is anybody looking? (glance over my shoulder) Cool! I pitch it into the ashtray, and grab a cigarette for a better flavor.
End time, 2:50 PM. 1 hour, 50 minutes of discomfort.

http://i55.tinypic.com/14bpyx1.jpg

Umm, I guess you could say I do not like it. Not one bit.
It hurt my tongue. It taste like sh-- (take that, Dr. Seuss!).
While construction was good, giving no problems in draw or burn, it never delivered in the flavor department; what little taste it gave was unpleasant.
A yardgar to avoid, for sure. It's been a very long time since I've had an El Mejor Espresso, but this reminded me of one. Shilala warned us there was a questionable cigar in the bunch - I sure hope that was it.

I'm not going to give this one a number rating, as I'm afraid any rating I give it might encourage someone to smoke it, and I don't want to be responsible for inflicting such damage to a Brother here. Suffice to say, it is NOT GOOD.
When I find out what it was, I'll post it here.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Tragic. :r :r :r
Nice review, Eric. I'll make it up to you. :tu

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

So, what was it?
Asking strictly for blacklisting purposes, y'know.;)

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

I pm'd you so you can tell everyone yourself, in case you have any words to add.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Still - a good review of a not so good stick.

:tu for seeing it through!

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Subscribed. :D

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

subscribed as well.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

A turkey baster? In July??? :lr

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Looking forward to this as it continues. Great review. Sorry it sucked. Hey it can only get better from here,

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Shilala says it was a Tampa Sweethearts 280 Maduro.
Thanks for the warning, Bro.
Never had one before, and I'm pretty sure I
won't be asking Santa for any of these, either.

Shi-la-la! You brought me to my knees.
Shi-la-la! Begging, Bro just please. Shi-la-la!
I don't want to smoke no more of these. Shi-la-la!

He swears to me they're good fresh.
3 years certainly did it no favors, then.
"Growing old gracefully" ain't in the cards for this one.

Stay tuned for Review No.2, coming soon to a chat site near you.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

This speaks volumes about the cigar!


Great review, highly entertaining bro :tu

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

We continue the saga with Review No. 2.:

http://i54.tinypic.com/jhsy9d.jpg

Glad I timed this one for a weekend, as it's a big'un.
A sharply box-pressed Torpedo, 6-1/2" x 50 ring, deep dark wrapper & very densely packed, barely budging when squeezed.
Prelight smell of barnyard & raisins, though faint flavor.
I begin at 5:00 PM with water in hand & a blues mix in ear,
after a hearty steak dinner.
Let's light it up & see what it's got.

It starts with flavors of strong coffee, dark chocolate and a raisiny sweetness, with a touch of green pepper snap & cedar in the finish. Leaves a medium fullness in the mouth, but not entirely developed. Could be more so, but it's OK.
A surprisingly good draw, given how tightly it's packed.
After 20 minutes, I decide that rum would pair decently well with it. As a medium strength & not full-flavored cigar, I figure bourbon would overpower it, and I'm not in the mood for a tongue-wrestling match. At least not tonight. I choose a Mount Gay Eclipse for it's light body & vanilla sweetness. Wait, what am I reviewing again? Oh right, the cigar. Let's get back to it, shall we?
http://i55.tinypic.com/2wf0a55.jpg
At the 30 minute mark, I'm only an inch into it. It's less sweet and more woody than it was, but the predominant tastes are still strong coffee & dark chocolate, with a slightly peppery finish. It's OK, but it's lacking something - the flavor isn't quite full, the finish is a bit short. A decent yardgar, though. I'm reminded of a Nestor Miranda Reserve Maduro, which I haven't had in years. The burn isn't perfect, but it's not off enough to correct.
Until the 1-1/2" mark, that is, where the burn is pretty uneven, so I correct & burn off the slacker side.

An hour from my start, and I'm not at the half-way yet! There's been little change in flavors, still primarily strong coffee & dark chocolate, though somewhat more cedary & sharper than before, so I try a purge. Nope, doesn't affect it much, but still smokeable.

Breaking into the second half, some of the sharpness dissipates, leaving a more balanced taste of the coffee, dark chocolate & sweetness. Again, though, it seems to be lacking enough dimension; there's something missing. As I'm smoking, a storm moves in from the north. Lots of thunder crashing & shaking the deck, lightning flashing, and still I smoke on. But inside now.
http://i54.tinypic.com/300wrrt.jpg

It stays in this mode with little change for quite a while. The cigar and the storm, that is. With 2-1/2" left, the burn is off & sharp charcoal is creeping in, so it's a good time to correct & purge. The bitterness sits down for a short time, but it keeps returning, despite my waving my arms & yelling, "Shoo Charcoal, Shoo Shoo!" Hey, it sometimes works.

At 7:25, I put the last inch down to rest. I'm done after 2 hours, 25 minutes.
http://i52.tinypic.com/macb2c.jpg

Overall, it was an OK cigar, it just lacked in dimension to be a good cigar. Would make a perfectly fine yardgar, though, where you weren't concentrating on your smoke & didn't mind that it was straight-forward with little change. It has its purpose. The draw remained good throughout, & it only required a couple of touchups on the burn, which is above-average for a box-press.
On a scale of 100, I'll give it a 70. Or a "C", if you prefer letters.
I don't do calculus, so make your own equation for extra credit.

Next up:
Does Trouble Come in Threes? Tune in to see Review No. 3.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Shilala says No.2 was an El Mejor Espresso.
Funny, that's what I thought No.1 was!

On to Review No. 3 -
Sorry, no pic's this time because I'm writing this one quickly.
Started up Monday at 20 minutes after 5 PM.
And it is.....a box-pressed maduro! Hmmm, I sense a pattern here.
6"x50 ring, a slight box-press, not as squared as No. 2 was.
Silky-smooth mottled dark wrapper with no veins.
It's packed mostly well, but therere 2 distinct soft spots; one in the middle, & one about 1-1/2" from the mouth.
Prelight smell of...nothing. Draw is very loose, and gives off only the faintest of leathery flavor. Another faded glory? I hope not.
I grab a glass of water to start, and listen to the yak-yakking of the Queen B!tch & her friend, the Poodle Princess.
We have ignition.
A nice mix of leather and dark chocolate, with a touch of coffee; gingery pepper & some cedar in the finish. It's much more rounded & fuller-feeling than the first 2 test subjects. It soon develops a creamier aspect to the smoke. Solid medium in body & strength.

1/2" in, I'm thinking a Syrah or Merlot would pair well with the cigar. My companions don't want any red wine, and I don't want to open a bottle without finishing it, so I reach for a Makers Mark bourbon on the rocks instead. The bourbon matches reasonably well with the cigar flavors.

At 1", the gingery taste is gone, replaced by an almost lavender note. The other primary flavors of leather, dark chocolate & coffee remain, along with a touch of cedar & sweet-spiciness, forming a nice combo. They hould cut a record with Roy Hargrove. It tastes similar to an RP Vintage 1990, though I'm confident it isn't that cigar. Just using it as comparison. The burn is slightly off, but doesn't demand attention. Yet.

The smoke gets a bit drier feel with a litle more spice at the 2" mark. Still quite a nice flavor mix. Ginger returns from its break to join the band's rhythm section. The off-burn definitely needs correction now, though, so I burn it & purge it for good measure. This restores some of the creaminess and dispels some of the woody spice, allowing more leather & dark chocolate. 70% cacao? Oh, sure. This is more of a 'nose' cigar than a 'mouth' cigar, unlike the first 2 subjects.

20 minutes after 6 PM, an hour into it. Time to refill the bourbon. I only pour 2 fingers at a time, so it's gone (OK, 2 vertical fingers, but still...). The Poodle Princess leaves, so I crank up my WaxAttacks mix - Iggy Pop, Pretenders, Ramones, Red Rockers, Replacements, Romeo Void, etc.. The cigar responds to the tunes by getting stronger, with more spice & some almond flavor. Still very balanced. It now reminds me of a Cuban Crafters (Don Kiki) Cabinet Series Maduro, but I know it's not because no pigtail. Again, just using for comparison.

10 minutes to 7 & halfway done. More bad off-burn, more correction. The flavor meld is largely unchanged, but it does seem smoother than before, with less spicy bite in the finish.
As it enters the last third, the spice bite returns, with anise & 'nicotingle' (my own word) creeping in. The main flavors of leather & dark chocolate remain in the forefront, and it's still a tasty mix.

20 minutes after 7 PM and a little less than 2" to go. However, I have to go, too. I'll just call it a night. And a pretty good cigar.
Looks like the 3rd time was the charm for No. 3

Overall impressions: Predominant flavors of leather & dark chocolate held up nicely and remained fairly consistent, with variations of spice and smoke texture that were just enough to keep it interesting. Draw remained wide open throughout, but the need for regular touch-ups to the uneven burn was distracting. Great cigar? No, but quite good. I'll give this an 88. Or A- if you prefer letters. Don't know what that would be in Celsius. Or Celtic, for that matter.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Survey says.....
Cigar No. 3 was a 2008 Indian Tabak maduro Super Fuerte.

Interesting. I did not care for the 2 or 3 fresh ones I've
had, yet this one with a few years on it was pretty good.
Also surprising because most RP sticks tend to get worse
the 2nd half. At least in my opinion. This one improved!

Let's see what surprises are in store after I smoke
Blind Stick No. 4 tonight.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Sofaman and I tore these Super Fuerte's up for awhile. If he knew I still had them and let the go to hell in humi jars, he'd kick my ass. :D

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

The Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Maduro cigars are very good cheap cigars IMHO. They are hard to beat. Great reviews so far. Keep them coming brother. :tu

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

I'm loving these reviews!

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

I'm loving how Wayne & Eric are going at this...and completely shocked at the stick reveal. :D

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

OK, Cigar No. 4 is a pile of ash.
But due to time constraints tonight, I can't post the review.
And I doubt I'll be able to do it tomorrow, as I'm booked all day,
& then will be busy most of the night at my C.O.W.boy Herf.
(Cigars On Wednesday).-(P
Fear not, I'll return with Reviews of the mysterious Nos.
4 & 5 before the weekend is half-way over.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Wait if you could post that how could you not post the review? lol Isn't it just copy and paste?

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

I can't speak for everyone, but most guys take tasting notes on actual paper when they review a cigar. Later they take their notes and pictures and write a review. There's not a lot of room for copy and paste action there, brother.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Shilala speaks the Truth!
I jot my tasting notes down Amish style with pen & paper.
Then I revise, embellish & outright lie while typing the review on this site.
And I'm a lousy typist.
At the same time, I download my digital pix to the computer, edit & resize them & then download the pix to Tinypics.com for linking to the review.
It usually takes me between 40 minutes & an hour to provide each review. Longer if I'm drunk. OK, it usually takes me longer. :ss

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Your doing a great job on the reviews. Enjoyable reads!

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

:lr

Keep them coming my friend :tu

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Haha my bad. I guess I'm weird as I either do them on my laptop or iPhone and then take pictures with my phone and uploa straight to photobucket. Only takes me about 5 minutes extra work on the computer or 10 on my phone alone. Everyone has their own way though. :tu

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Indeed, we each have our own way.
That's what makes us all so damm interesting.:)

Speaking of interesting (or not), I give to you the review of Blind Cigar No.4.
This was smoked on Tuesday, 7/26, starting at 5:15 PM.

http://i56.tinypic.com/nqsbr5.jpg

Oh my! It's not a box-press! Did I pick the wrong bag?
Nope, still a maduro, so it's the right one. 4-1/2" x 50 ring.
Dark wrapper, not as mottled as the previous ones.
Densely packed with little give.
Prelight smell is of sweet barnyard. Like where the girl ponies hang out.
Draw is firm but good, allows tastes of cocoa & malt.

Pour some water to start & listen to Traffic. The band, not the street.
Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys/Shootout At the Fantasy Factory.
I light up I sit back......
Whoa. Sharp. Real sharp. Too sharp for my liking.
Pepper overpowers the undertones of burnt coffee, dark chocolate & tar.
Salty aftertaste. I'm starting to think it's a good thing this is only 4-1/2".
Strength is reaching into full spectrum right off the bat.

After 1/2", it's not quite as nasty-sharp, but I'm not diggin the taste, either. The burnt coffee & dark chocolate is invaded by a bitter tar & salty aftertaste. Ever smell Tegrin shampoo? Ever taste it? I'm smokin it. Reminds me of the old Tabacalera Tropical maduros. And why I didn't buy them after sampling a few.
On the bright side, the burn is very good & the draw is fine,m with just enough give. I just wish I could give it back.

1" in, there's less bitterness, but it's still making its presence known. Taste is now more like very strong (but not burnt) espresso & muted dark chocolate. The finish remains salty, and there's some woodiness mixed with the tar.
When in doubt, reach for the Makers Mark, so off I go to grab a bottle. Maybe if I gargle with it, it'll numb my tongue. Although, then it would be tough to say "numb my tongue" - it would sound like "gnungh mah dunng", so maybe I shouldn't. Shilala, I know you told me I could feel free to toss 'em early if they were ugly, but I'm a trouper. Or at least a paratrouper (insert groan here).

At the 2" mark, there's more dark chocolate mixing with the espresso, but I can't seem to shake that bitter, salty aftertaste. Halfway home now. I notice dye coming off on my fingers. WTF?!

I continue. Either I'm getting used to this or it's getting better. Not as bitter as before. Then again, a person can get used to anything. I hear you can boil a frog by placing it in cool water and slowly increasing the heat over time; it never notices. I wonder if that would work with certain lawyers? Just thinkin. But I digress. Again. The flavors are mostly espresso and dark chocolate. The tar seems to have gone, leaving a sharp woodiness. Someone once told my I had a sharp woody. I'll leave that story for another review.

Reaching the last 2" now. I do believe it's bearable! Not good, but bearable.
1-1/2" left now. Time for more bourbon & the Stones - Beggars Banquet. I can swim through the rest of this smoke like Brian Jones. Right?
I continue, but I feel like I'm just going through the motions at this point ("Oh help me dear doctor, I'm damaged"...what fitting lyrics).

Smoking this cigar is like sitting down on a filled coast-to-coast flight only to find in the seat next to you is your ex-wife. The one who got custody of your remote control. It starts nasty, you hope it will get better, you tell yourself that it does, but you still end up with a bitter taste in your mouth. And this flight has landed with about 1" to go. Once again, I reach for a cigarette as soon as I disembark.
End time 6:50 PM. Total time 1hour, 35 minutes.

http://i54.tinypic.com/313fyag.jpg

Rating this cigar is a challenge. I want to find some redeeming qualities, but other than a really good burn & draw, I'm drawing a blank. If I just said "Nice construction", would you date it? My point, exactly. And yet, there it is.
I'll just leave it as I'm not a fan.
Can I say 50? I'm afraid that might be too generous.

Reflecting back upon this series of reviews, I know I sound real persnickety & picky, but I assure you, I'm not. Just luck of the draw with these particular smokes, I guess. And I'm the first to admit that I don't like most maduros, even though some of my favorite cigars are, in fact, maduros - 5 Vegas "A", Padilla Obsidian, Arganese Maduro, Fuente Anejo, etc. I'm just finding most of these test subjects bite back more than a cage full of lab rats.

No matter. I will sally forth & finish my assigned task with my Review of Blind Cigar No. 5 in the next day or 2. It has already been incinerated, it just needs the proper words.
Until then, in the words of Traffic/Steve Winwwod, "Light up or leave me alone".

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Just like Scott to send you a sharp woody with undertones of boiled frog.

Great review!!!

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Yes, but better than a frog's woody. Or a boiled one. :ss

Shilala says that Blind Cigar No. 4 was a 'regular' Indian Tabac Maduro.

The final review will be posted either later tonight or tomorrow morning.
Need to find out if we're having a Friday dinner/party at my place, first.
I'm usually the last to know.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Yep, had people over last night for enchiladas & margaritas.
Ended far too late for me to type on all those blurry keys.

Here is the final blind review, Cigar No. 5.
This was smoked on Thursday, 7/28, starting at 5:10 PM.
http://i56.tinypic.com/t9jlna.jpg

5"x50 ring robusto with a medium-brown wrapper. Slightly spongy when pressed.
Prelight smell is faint barnyard. Draw has a light give, but pretty free, giving only a light tobacco taste.
I light 'er up with no beverage to start. Don't need water, because there's plenty of it coming from the sky. Good rain here, with periodic lightning flashes. I cop a squat on my front porch to enjoy the show.

Initial taste is cayenne. And soap. More like Ivory than Zest; pretty fresh Ivory, though, before it's lathered up the armpits, so it's not gross or anything. Thankfully, the soap taste rinses away quickly after a few puffs....I mean draws.
1/2" in, the harsh pepper loses intensity, allowing a sweet-spicy flavor to emerge. Reminds me of a Pepin Garcia Black-Lite. But it doesn't make my teeth glow like a real BlackLite. Huh? Never mind. There's a creamier feel to the smoke now, and the strength is medium-to-full. This one definitely calls for a Makers Mark on the rocks. No, that's me calling for it, my mistake, we sound alike.

Earthy-caramel undertones play in at 1". The pepper has calmed more, complementing the other flavors, but it retains a bite in the back of my throat on the finish. Not as complex or full as a Pepin Black (Cuban Classic), but pretty good, nonetheless. Similar to a Famous Nicaraguan 7000 or a Fumadores (in-house brands made by Pepin). Burn and draw continue to be satisfactory.
At 1-1/2", the burn goes crooked, so I call the cops. I get a busy signal, so I take matters into my own hands at correction, burning off the slow side & purging while I'm at it. The purge helps, softening the back-throat bite and making it much easier to snork. Pretty good nose smoker at this stage. Flavors continue without much change after that, which is fine by me. Decently balanced mix of earth, caramel & pepper twinge with a slightly creamy feel.

Into the second half, there's less fullness & creaminess to the smoke, less dimension, & a cardboardy sharpness creeping in. My tasting notes say "bipolar cigar", but I honestly don't know what the heck I was talking about now. Another purge helps, but it doesn't quite return to that 'sweet spot' it earlier had at the 1" to 2-1/2" portion. Less dimension & more bite in the finish. Not unbearable, just less enjoyable than before. I know, why don't we make a cigar the just contains the short 'sweet spot' in a cigar - we could call it "DUmB" & get some guy no one's ever heard of to promote it, maybe give him a hat or something...oh, wait, that's already been done, huh?

6:10, and 2" to go. More bourbon & rainwater in the forecast. Flavor is flattening & sharpness is rising, so I try another purge. No dice. It seems to get sharper with each puff...I mean draw. With 1-1/2" left, I drop it. End time, 6:30, for total time smoked of 1 hour, 20 minutes.

http://i54.tinypic.com/e0hqbm.jpg

This cigar seems to have peaked at the 1/4 to 1/2 mark, then went on for a disappointing second half. Kinda like a lot of Rocky Patels. Or the Arizona Cardinals. After a rocky start (no pun intended), there was a period of about 30-40 minutes when I really enjoyed it, then it was 'OK', then it went sourth (that' 'sourly south' combined). Burn stayed pretty true, needing only a touch-up or two, & draw remained consistently good throughout. If I had to give it a rating...what do you mean I HAVE to? OK... I'll say 80.
Good, but needs improvement. As far as a letter grade, I'd say

ATTENTION: Due to the Congressional budgetary impasse,
all Federal funding for cigar reviews have been stopped,
effective immediately, until further notice. We apologize
for any inconvenience this might cause you. That is all.

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

The Arizona Cardinals remark made me LOL. :D
Well done, Eric. I don't think I could have been blessed with two better reviewers than you and Wayne.
I'm not sure if the jar/review experiment showed me anything that was really quantitive. If anything, it supported my personal thoughts that aging cigars sucks for my intents and purposes. After a time, they just go blah, and that's that. I do feel that the jars slowed the aging on this value tobacco, as they'd have gone south and been completely dull in a year to 18 months time in the humi. I can say that because I've tested and watched it happen many, many times. I just wanted to find a way to keep a nice, strong, flavorful, full-bodied cigar from suffering the sands of time. The jars help, but they aren't the fountain of youth I was looking for. Unfortunately, they may be the only option.
I know cc's have special magical powers that make them super better with age, but in my experience, just as many of them suffer from the aging blahs as do nc's. I'll always respect "smoke what you like...", and being an objective/subjective argument, it's all unwinnable and senseless. I wouldn't want to tear down anything that gives anyone joy, that's for sure.
I absolutely believe that the quality of the tobacco that's used to roll any cigar, cc or nc, makes all the difference in the world as to how it will age. A good plant grown in stellar soil, then prepared with great care is going to yield that nuance that a good nc or cc will gain with age. By the same token, they'll lose the strength and flavors they began with while they travel to nuance-ville.
It's hard to make the call. Do I smoke it now while it's awesome, or do I wait ten years and see what happens on the chance it may even be a better but very different cigar?
If I like a cigar but it's too strong and overpowering, time is going to soften it and make it "better" for me. I just have never found a cigar that needed calmed down strength-wise. It's a great tool for guys who would enjoy a milder cigar, for sure.
The longer I go and the older I get and the more I fuss and study, the more I am on board with the old cc and nc producers/rollers who say "these are best RIGHT NOW". I'm not so sure they even mean right now as opposed to letting them sit around for a long time. I think they simply mean it's best to be smoking any cigar RIGHT NOW than not smoking a cigar.
I can live with that. :tu

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

So, what was stick #5?

Re: smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews
 

Shilala clued me in this morning - No. 5 was a Calle Ocho from 2008 (reminder, all cigars reviewed here were from 2008).

Thanks again to Shilala for letting Wayner123 & me do these Blind Reviews.
Give the guy some Inmate Lovin & boost his Rep a notch or two! :tu