Blind Review participants

[Conch Republican]

1) Aesthetics: the look of the cigar - oily, coarse, smooth, dry, light, dark, pretty, ugly, etc...Cigar #1: Normal looking cigar, wrapper is not very smooth, but not extremely toothy

Score for aesthetics:

2) Pre-light Construction: Roll cigar between fingers - soft spots? loose? tight? dense? lightweight? Well rolled? how does it smell?cigar seems very consistent in the roll - no abnormalities

Score for Pre-light construction:

3) Post-light Construction/How it smoked: Does it draw well, does smoke pull through on its own, do soft spots appear after lighting, burns evenly? smokes hot or cool? What is ash like? color of ash? flaky or solid?Effortless draw, no real smell noted

Score for post-light construction:

4a) Flavor and strength – 1st 1/3: What does it taste like? Full-bodied, med. or mild? Does it taste earthy, spicy, fruity, vegetal, sweet, rich, harsh, direct, floral, robust, woody, green (haylike), acidic, salty? Is it pleasant or unpleasant? Does it build in flavor and/or complexity as you smoke it? Is it bland, flavorful, complex? Did it get bitter? Lighting the cigar - it seems very mild, but that's just my lack of taste buds. about 1 inch in, finally getting woody/ammonia on the rethrohale. Burn is slightly uneven, but I use a Bic Volume of smoke is normal, slightly strong smell - but expected.
Still woody in flavor.

4b) Flavor and strength – 2nd 1/3:I am not expecting a change in flavor or strength until the end. So far the cigar is good, I like the size (about 48 RG and I forgot to measure...if it were cuban I would say abt the size of an Upmann Mag 50 or an RA Superiores, draw is almost too easy, milder than what I usually have but still good. This could be an every day cigar (as always, depending on price

4c) Flavor and strength – Last 1/3:Last 1/3 - ammonia more present now in flavor and retrohale. Just got some woody Still

Score for flavor and strength:

5) Aftertaste/Finish: aftertaste is the sensation &/or flavor on you palate after each puff, not the taste left after you finish the cigar. Is it heavy - light? Spicy, cedary, fruity, bitter, hot, grassy? Mild - strong? Pleasant or not? Harsh?

Score for aftertaste:

6) Aroma: What does it smell like? Good - bad? light or heavy? pervasive - mild? floral, perfumed, grassy, harsh, woodsy, overpowering, unpleasant, magnificent?

Score for aroma:

7) General Comments: Are samples consistent? Did you particlarily enjoy of with a certain food or beverage? Did they appeal more at certain time of day? Did it remind you of something? Would you buy them? Sum it up as you would to a friends ("That cigar was awesome!") and give it an overall score.

Overall score for the cigar: Overall I would score this as a 7 or 8. Understand that these are my (what few are left) taste buds. Some may find the ammonia overpowering - but I do not.

With that - I recommend everyone try it :-)

8) Recommendation: Would you recommend the cigar? Pick one of the following and explain:

Not Recommended
Possibly Recommended
Recommended
Highly Recommended

0.0 - 2.0 = poor/inferior quality
2.1 - 2.9 = fair
3.0 - 3.5 = good
3.5 - 4.5 = excellent
4.6 - 5.0 = superior