DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3

[Brutus2600]

With a nice 3 day weekend and finally a day I didn't have anything to do (this weekend was too busy! ) I was able to get review number 4 in

[jimmyk26]

Sweet, I am looking forward to your thoughts on this.

[Brutus2600]

Same! I won't discuss the cigar until the reviews are posted, but I'm looking forward to what you thought as well

[DBall]

jimmyk26 Cigar #4
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Initial impressions - Like Brian, I have been looking forward to certain cigars in this sampler. This darker perfecto has been at the top of the list since the sampler arrived. This cigar is about 5 inches long with a ring gauge of roughly 44, it is topped with a nipple like cap and the foot narrows to a small opening. Along with the figurado characteristics, the cigar is nicely box pressed and I can find no soft spots or imperfections in the construction. Adorning the cigar is a silky smooth, dark wrapper, darker than any of the 3 previous cigars in this tasting. Despite a couple of folds in the wrapper near both the cap and foot, the leaf is well applied and shows very few veins. The aroma of the wrapper is a rich barnyard and leather that was quite strong right after I pulled the cigar out of the bag. From the small foot opening, I smell a bit of spice and sweet tobacco. The pre-light draw is good and it leaves tastes of earth and green tea on my palate.


Initial puffs - The cigar is drawing very poorly to start probably due to the small foot opening, from the little smoke I am getting I am tasting earth and cinnamon.

1/3 - After the initial tight draw the cigar opened up beautifully to a great draw and flavors of earth, cinnamon, bitter cocoa powder, nutmeg, and even a hint of marshmallow (no kidding). The smoke is flavor full, but doesn't have a thick palate coating character. After the initial onslaught of flavors, the cigar seems to have hit stride with earth and leather with a slight spice and wood through the nose.


2/3 - The spice has picked up a bit and the cigar has picked up a slight sharp grassy flavor. At this point the finish on the cigar is proving to be dry and a bit gritty, like after you have eaten a cocoa covered truffle and there is cocoa dust left in your mouth. The burn has been a bit ragged, but it stays pretty even and corrects itself as needed. So far the flavor profile has stayed pretty consistent and complex. This cigar is rich and earthy with spice and bitter chocolate, its smoke is not palate coating but it is definitely flavor delivering. The only thing of note here is that the ash is a bit flakey but it seems solid.


3/3 - Nearing the end the cigar has picked up in strength and it continues to delivery on the flavors. Now the cigar has picked up a bit leather and wood to complement the consistent earth and dry bitter cocoa. The burn line was at its worst in this final third although it did correct itself, it was pretty uneven as you can see in the picture. Nearing the every end of this cigar, the smoke is starting to remind me of a nice cup of Costa Rican coffee not only flavorful, but also very aromatic.


Final thoughts - This cigar just wouldn't quit. Instead of hitting a flavor profile staying put, the cigar constantly brought new twists and turns to the experience. That isn't to say that the cigar made major flavor changes, rather it was very complex and refined while offering up variations on the major theme of the cigar: earth and dry cocoa. Although it produced plenty of smoke and delivered lots of flavor, it wasn't palate coating smoke. This lighter bodied smoke allowed for a long, dry finish on the palate. I would definitely reach for another one of these when I have time to sit an enjoy the complexities that it offers.


Rating: 9.5 - This cigar offers a rich, complex flavor experience in a well constructed and great performing format. It was fantastic.

[DBall]

Brutus2600 Cigar #4
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Upon initial inspection, the wrapper is nice and soft, looks to be about 5 x 44, and there appears to be some light bloom on the cigar. Having said that, it has a very poor looking wrapper. It has significant veins, discolored, and looks to be ready unravel as soon as I light it.



Initial light 9:40 - Prelight draw leaves the taste of hay on my tongue. Initial light is a little difficult because I can barely draw this cigar. It's a very mild cigar, and along with that, mild flavors. I'm picking up some of the prelight hay taste, and a little leather. After a few more draws on the cigar I get a nutty taste as well. All of these fleeting, nothing lingering on my palate long.



First Third - The burn started a little uneven, but it looks like it might be correcting itself. I can never get the burn even to begin with on these shape cigars anyway. The draw is opening up a little, and so are the flavors. I'm getting some hints of spice along with the previous nut and hay aromas. The ash is a brownish gray, and while it looks precarious, it's holding firm even with a light tap.



Second Third 10:02 - After the picture I rolled the ash off not wanting to risk it falling on my laptop, corrected the burn just a little, purged, and took a puff. While the flavors have been consistent, the smoke is developing into a very thick, creamy smoke. What had been thin, weak smoke before the draw opened up is very enjoyable now. No matter how much touch up I do, this cigar will not burn evenly. No one part is getting away from the other, but it's just a jagged line across the burn area. The flavors have definitely changed in this last little bit, mostly tasting a woody/nutty aroma with some minor vanilla hints thrown in (which I haven't tasted before in a cigar).



Final Third 10: 22 - In this last little bit of the cigar, ironically enough, after my last ash and touch up the cigar's burn is finally even. The smoke is still nice and creamy, with the woody/nutty aroma sticking around. The vanilla was fleeting and might have even been my imagination, but it's not there anymore.



Finish time 10:36 - With my initial thoughts that the cigar would unravel, I was wrong about that. The burn however was quite uneven throughout most of the cigar, and draw was an issue the first third of it. Overall the flavor of the cigar was mild, with just hints at what different flavors I described. The smoke was delightfully thick, and probably my favorite part of the cigar. While I wouldn't seek this cigar out to purchase, I might smoke it again if I wanted a mild stick, although it would be in line behind a few other mild cigars I enjoy. So far, this has been the least favorite of my cigars in this blind taste test

Appearance and construction: .75 out of 1.5
Smoke and ash: 1.5 out of 1.5
Burn: 1.5 out of 3
Overall flavor: 3 out of 4

Total: 6.75 out of 10

[DBall]

What they smoked:



2000 Cabanas Perfect

jimmyk26 score: 9.5
Brutus2600 score: 6.75

Wow... what a difference anticipation makes... and what a disparity in reviews for this cigar. Very interesting!

[jimmyk26]

That is certainly a big difference in experiences! I was worried when I started the cigar that it would have draw problems, but after it opened up I really enjoyed it. 10 years, that's a lot of age. Thanks for sharing these.

[W.B.]

This thread rocks!!! I wish I could smoke all of the new cigars I try blind.

[Brutus2600]

I'm kind of surprised at this one. Maybe I was having an off day and just wasn't getting all the flavors James was, or something, because reading his review makes me want to smoke it again! Reading my review makes me want to forget I smoked it

Great review though James, very distinct flavors described

[stewshi]

This is a great read and some great reviews. Makes me very jealous and envious that someone has so many aged CC's to share. Your a good guy DBALL. Cant wait to read whats next.

[jimmyk26]

I just did some more research on these cigars and was surprised to learn that they were machine made! My first machine made CC.

[DBall]

What they smoked:



2009 Por Larranaga Panetela

jimmyk26 score: 8.0
Brutus2600 score: 8.0

Wow... an exact tie in the scores! Again, pretty similar in notes too with only minor differences.

Great job, guys!

[issues]

Nice reviews. I do like these cigars.

Great morning cigar with plenty of flavor but a little inconsistent...

Another masterpiece of a thread Dan, keep it rolling!

Great review guys. I try and save reading this until I can do it while I am enjoying a cigar myself. It truly adds to the enjoyment of my smoke!

Keep up the good work.

[srduggins]

Great read so far. Looking forward to the rest of this

[Samsquanch]

Really enjoying this thread - makes me want to begin to slow down and start paying attention to what I'm smoking.

[Brutus2600]

Alright, got it done! I hear Jimmy is done as well, so look forward to seeing it!

[DBall]

I'll be posting it up soon... just got back from a little vacation... I haven't forgotten about ya.

[Brutus2600]

No rush Dan, I knew you were out of town from your other post so I wasn't antsy

[DBall]

jimmyk26 cigar #5
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Here is round #5:

Initial impressions - This cigar, sized approximately 5" x 36, is wrapped with a light brown leaf that looks roughly applied with stretching and bunching, uneven cuts that appear on the spiral line of the wrapper edge, and more than a few veins. Topping this cigar is an equally rough looking cap with jagged edges. The wrapper appears to have some nice looking plume on it. While inspecting the cigar I notice a few soft spots that indicate that it was unevenly constructed. I get a red pepper and natural tobacco scent off of the wrapper while the foot presents a hay and sweet tobacco aroma. The prelight draw has a bit of resistance and leaves a natural tobacco and leather taste on the palate.


Initial puffs - The cigar is producing plenty of smoke and is presenting rich earth, leather, spice, and a sweet grassiness.

1/3 - The draw seems to have tightened up a bit, but it isn't prohibitive. Right now I am tasting richness, in fact I almost can't place the flavor. What I do notice is that it reminds me of a well aged steak. Along with that richness I am getting spice, leather, and espresso on the palate with some spice and woodiness through the nose. For the ugly little package, this cigar is producing all types of flavors. This cigar packs quite the spice punch in this first third. The finish is dry and a bit gritty.


2/3 - At the beginning of the second third the spice is continuing to be a powerful influence and it is joined by a coffee and wood. The burn line is staying consistent and it seems to be burning through the soft spots without much ado. The flavors have mellowed out a bit, but there is still a nice spice tingle on the palate. The burn has gone a bit funky with the ash turning upwards, likely due to the soft construction I noted earlier (it looks like I spoke too soon earlier). Nearing the end of this third, the cigar picked back up on flavor with notes of wood and a musty grassiness.


3/3 - Coming into the final third the burn evened out after the askew ash dropped. The woody spice is the dominate flavor with a nuts and hay through the nose. On one puff, I got a distinct and powerful taste and smell of soap surprising, but not totally off putting. After this puff the cigar took on a floral aroma that I begin to notice through the nose. Here the cigar makes a strange flavor turn, there is a soapy floral finish to the smoke that reminds me of what would happen after I said one too many four letter words when I was young. Not very pleasant, but I have enjoyed the cigar this far so I muscle through it. At the very end of this cigar, the spice and wood reappeared (thankfully) to close out my experience.


Final thoughts - I really want to like this cigar for the gruff appearance, explosion of flavors right away, and the plentiful spice throughout the cigar, but the onset of soap and the lingering finish of hand soap make that difficult. Given that this is a blind tasting and I only get one sample I would really like to try some more and see if the soap thing is a one off.


Rating: 8.0 - A solid smoke with potential to score much higher. It was hindered heavily by a strange occurrence of soap at the end and uneven construction.

P.S. - I did nub it though. See picture.