DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #4

[DBall]

What they smoked:



2009 Vegas Robaina Famoso

jonumberone score: 7

Samsquanch score: 10

Damn, Sam... you really liked this, eh?

These are great cigars... I've just recently been getting into robustos and picked a box of these up after having one gifted to me in the TAW. I didn't believe how good it was.

Glad you guys enjoyed this one!

[GTCanuk]

Good review guys I enjoy this one also

[Goldie]

I just watched that episode on Monday. I love that show.

[DBall]

jonumberone Cigar #4
******************

Beautiful day at work. Time for #4



This stick appears to be 5inches in length. It’s a nice coffee brown with a few veins, and a number of wrinkles.
As soon as I cut the wrapper splits at the cap. I dry boxed this for about a 5 days and wonder if it was too long.
The pre light draw is fine and I get grassy hay like taste.



First Third
After I light up I get a graham cracker taste. I smoke down about a half inch and go to my nose.
The burn in my nose is mild and I get an earthy musk.
The next draw after my nose, I get a coffee and cocoa taste.



Second Third
The second third has given me a little cedar and a lot more burn in the nose.
The coffee and cocoa are gone and I get a woodsy taste.
It sort of reminds me of burning oak leaves.
I don’t know if it’s the nicotine but I’m starting to get a slight headache.



Final Third
I start with a purge and immediately go to my nose.
My first taste is of strong hay. It is far clearer than the hay I got in the pre light draw and not as sweet.
The further I smoke I get more and more of woodsy flavors.
I actually think I just got burning pine needles.
This last third has also seen the burn go awry with numerous relights and touch ups.



Final Thoughts
In the end this stick didn’t do much for me. I seem to be getting a lot of cedar in these sticks and I don’t think it’s something that fits into my flavor profile.
I also don’t seem to be getting the richness and body I prefer from them.
This is where I feel this last smoke was lacking the most.
The grassy hay like flavors was something new to me and I think it was the best part of this smoke.

Final score 6/10
Smoke time 1hr 28min

[DBall]

Samsquanch Cigar #4
******************

Another beautiful fall day in Seattle, smoked #4 outside on the stoop talking with a good friend who had just returned from a month in Costa Rica with a glass of Basil Hayden (and a bottle of water to clear the palette). Needless to say, it was a nice evening.

Numero 4 was a box pressed, 48 ring gauge and 5.5 inches long. She looked nice from afar but I noticed several blotches up close.



I lit her up and was instantly hit with a sweet taste and a strong nutty flavor. I was enjoying the first few puffs but then disaster hit. The wrapper was coming apart near the head. It seemed weird to me that there was no binder leaf underneath the wrapper? I thought cigars were rolled first with a binder leaf than an outer wrapper?



No binder leaf underneath meant that lots of air was getting in that way, which in turn meant not a lot of smoke. I worked at trying to keep the wrapper closed and getting more smoke but unfortunately this soured what may have been a decent smoke.



I did enjoy the beginning of the smoke but near the end it did seem to pick up a bit of harshness, maybe because I was puffing so hard trying to get a decent amount of smoke into my mouth? I am going to have to pick up another one of these once I know what it was because I did enjoy the first third until the wrapper came loose.

Overall 5/10 due to construction problems (possibly user error) and harshness near the end. For the first third I would rate a much higher 7 or 8/10.

Thanks again Dan for a fun time!!

[DBall]

jonomberone Cigar #6
******************

It’s an absolute miserable day for me at work. I had to take an emergency order to load the biggest pain in the ass ship on the pier.
Going to try and make it better by smoking #6.



Initial thoughts
This stick is a monster compared to the rest of Dan’s selection. I would call it a Lancero though it appears to be a little fatter. I really need to get one of those ring gauge guides.
The wrapper is a nice medium brown with more than a few veins. I squeeze the stick and find nothing out of the ordinary.
As I go to cut I notice that this stick may have had a pig tail that Dan sneakily removed.
Pre light draw is tighter than I would like, but doesn’t seem like it will be an issue, and the flavor is smooth and sweet.



First Third
The smoke starts out sweet with caramel. After I lit up, I feel like the draw closed up a bit, so I’m not getting as much smoke as I would like.
I go to my nose and get zero burn. This cigar is smooth as hell.
This is the first cigar that going to my nose has made a real difference. After I do I get a ton of nutty flavor, like roasted hazelnut.
As I get closer to the second third a hint of cedar creeps in.



Second third
As I move in to the second parts the sweetness takes a front most spot on my palate. In the background I get nuts and wood.
A little further in and I get a touch of pepper. The sweetness has died out as the pepper increased.
Right now it is all nuts and wood with a nice bite to it.



Final third
The first puff of the last third was bitter and had a tar like quality.
I have been purging softly the whole while but I think it’s time to empty my lungs with one.
After, I get a mouthful of sweet delicious smoke, however my nose is no longer an option as the burn remains there for some time afterwards.
Tons of sweet tobacco flavored smoke is filling my mouth with every puff.
The smoke has gotten thicker and creamier with every pull and the draw has loosened up.
There are a lot of nutty flavors now and cedar in the back.



Final Thoughts
WOW! This smoke seem to hit all the right notes at all the right times. It was really hard for me to pick out distinct flavors because the ones coming through meshed so nicely.
The mixture of flavors in every puff worked so well together, you would think it was planned that way.
The burn was perfect with no touch ups but I had two relights.
The one tar sensation was cleared by a mighty purge and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way.
This was one of the best composed cigars I’ve had in my short time smoking, as well as one of the smoothest.
The draw was tight but not plugged and the tar hit me like a ton of bricks.
Had it not been for these two issues, I might have given it a 10.

Final Score 9/10
Smoke time 2hr 47min

[DBall]

Samsquanch Cigar #6
******************


Enjoyed watching the Apple Cup (University of Washington vs Washington State University) football game while smoking #6. Long and slim 7" 40 rg beauty.



Not many veins, a nice light brown color, and a tight draw pre-light. Enjoyed (a bit too much) some Lagavulin single malt - so sorry if this one isn't as detailed.

Don't I look distinguished smoking this one?



Enjoyed this one all the way through, hints of caramel, hazelnut. If customs wasn't seizing shipments left and right I'd order some of these right up...




I'll put this one at an 8/10. It was a bit long however, I wonder if these are made in a smaller size?

[CRIMPS]

Great reviews!

[Brutus2600]

Nice...these threads always make me want to go shopping

These reviews are awesome! I just had my first Famoso a few weeks ago and I was about as blown away as Samsquanch ... dang good cigar! No idea who old mine was or how that effects these.

[Samsquanch]

Yeah I really enjoyed it. My next box will definitely be those, unless #4-10 change my mind!!

[Brutus2600]

Are we possibly going to see #4 this weekend?

[jonumberone]

I already submitted 4, 5, 6, and have #7 with me today

[DBall]

Originally Posted by Brutus2600

Are we possibly going to see #4 this weekend?

Originally Posted by jonumberone

I already submitted 4, 5, 6, and have #7 with me today

That'll be up to Andrew. Dom's almost done with all of them already!

[Brutus2600]

Rofl, way to pace yourself Dom



I guess you smoke a lot of cigars though, so I probably shouldn't be surprised that you're getting them done so quickly

[LasciviousXXX]

I really enjoy reading this thread and all the reviews

And props for pairing a VR with a Christmas tree snack cake

[Samsquanch]

Yikes, Dom is kicking my ass, I'll get #4 in this evening and get a few done this weekend.

[DBall]

Originally Posted by Samsquanch

Yikes, Dom is kicking my ass, I'll get #4 in this evening and get a few done this weekend.

No need to hurry... just one a week. Dom is just a machine.

[lopro]

Dom, I love that ashtray setup you got. Neat and portable. Who makes it?


This thread is making me want to try some of those sticks from the other island.... I may try that Vegas.... (Unless you have another rec, Dan?)

Until then, the NC's are treating me fine.



I forgot how fun these threads are to follow. Dan, you ever think of doing a "DBall's Vet Blind Taste Test"? (And, I am by no means a vet, so there's no ulterior motive here.) It could be neat to see if the veterans reviews would really pick up much more or differ that much from the "newbs."

[DBall]

Originally Posted by lopro

I forgot how fun these threads are to follow. Dan, you ever think of doing a "DBall's Vet Blind Taste Test"? (And, I am by no means a vet, so there's no ulterior motive here.) It could be neat to see if the veterans reviews would really pick up much more or differ that much from the "newbs."

In fact, I have considered that. My only concern is that newbs know very little about habanos (meaning size/shape/etc). If I put a Partagas Charlotte in there, for instance, it'd probably be discovered as what it is before it was even lit.

Now that you got me thinking about it, I could do an abbreviated version with common sizes (Robusto/corona/etc).

That may be the 5th (and potentially final one... I think I need to pass the torch here soon ).