Rev, I hope you don't mind me tweaking the review format a touch. I feel the aesthetics and prelight construction go together, but there should be a category for prelight draw/aroma.
Aesthetics/Prelight Construction: 4.5/5
A few prominent veins are the main reason for knocking a half point off. The wrapper leaf also darkens a good bit toward the edges, giving the cigar a two tone look. No soft spots to be spoken of, nice triple cap.
Prelight Draw/Aroma: 4/5
I pick up a nice sweet tobacco off the foot. A nice light earthiness to the wrapper, thought you have to look for it to get anything. Draw is a bit tight for me, but nothing worth noting really. A light sweetness to the prelight draw.
Postlight Construction/How it smoked: 1/5
The first thing I note is the wrapper just doesn't want to burn on this. I've had to touch it up multiple times in this first inch. This burn is going to be a number of points off. Honestly, the best I can give the stick in this category is a 3, and I'm only a third in. Still fighting the burn in the second third, but not as much as I was in the first third, so thats a positive, I guess. I'm fighting this all the way to the end. Really taking a lot away from any positive experiences you could get from this.
First Third: 3/5
Initial draws leave me with some light earth, like dry dirt, and a good bit of spice. The spice recedes to leave a darker earthiness as the main flavor. Super one-dimensional as the first third rounds out. Not bad, but not great.
Second Third: 2/5
More of the same entering the second third. As I reach the halfway point, all flavor seems to be trying to leave, its just getting bland. Really hoping this is short lived. Ok, good, starting to get a bit of flavor back, but its still super one dimensional with the same flavors over and over. I wouldn't mind this cigar so much if was just sitting around zoning out to it, but trying to find flavors or any complexity is a real struggle here.
Final Third: 2/5
Still more of the same into this last third. I'll be damned, a bit of flavor change, a bit more sweetness is coming through. I'm putting this down with an inch left.
Aftertaste/Finish: 3/5
The aftertaste is a good bit sweeter than the smoke, and is honestly reminding me a bit of a Gurkha, but the lack of an off-putting earthiness tells me otherwise. I'd put it at a touch under medium strength wise. There's a bit of harshness, but just from me trying to get the damn burn to even out. At the halfway mark, the aftertaste is the only taste I can really get from this, and its just more of the same. Starting to think this might be a CAO of some sort. Maybe the Criollo.
Aroma: 3/5
Nothing good or bad, not entirely sure what to put here, this feels like its covered in all the previous sections.
General Comments:
This was my first stick of the day, as I'll be trying to do with every one of these reviews. Drink of choice will either be a root beer or a Sobe Lifewater Coconut, as those are the two drinks I always drink when smoking a stick, so I can easily tune them out for the flavors. This stick wasn't really bad, but it really had no redeeming qualities. Hoping I just got the dud of the box with this one. As much as I ragged on this stick, it really wasn't horrible, but it just wasn't good. Mediocre at best in my book.
Total smoke time: ~90mins
Overall Score: 22.5/40
Recommendation:
Possibly recommend, depends on the price point, but I could recommend this as a step above a yard gar.
Todd, if its OK with you, I'd like to revert my review style to what I did in my most recent review:
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=60309
I feel that scoring system I used works best, at least for me. To me, the biggest thing about a stick is the flavors. If it looks hideous, but is still a great smoking stick(like the LFD Cheeroots) its still a great smoke to me. And if the construction is the only thing saving the stick, it certainly doesn't deserve a higher score just because those aspects are weighted more.