DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 - Page 7

DBall · 08-30-2010, 08:49 AM

Brutus2600 Cigar #9
*****************

Next to last cigar! I can't say anymore lest I get emotional

This cigar looks to be about 5.5 x 40 (box press?). It has a few minor veins, triple cap, and a nice smooth wrapper. It looks like during the de-banding, it lost a little bit of the wrapper, which I'm hoping doesn't affect the draw.

Initial Light 8:15 - The prelight draw is a VERY strong taste of sweet tobacco, with hints of raisins, caramel, a bit of hay. The draw is smooth, not overly tight, but I think the last cigar I'm going to keep at a lower RH than I have previously, since draw has been somewhat of an issue the last couple cigars. After a toast and a light, my first draw brings hints of cinnamon, nuts, and caramel.

First Third - So far within the first few draws, I can tell I'm going to really enjoy this cigar. It's smooth, draws well, has flavorful smoke, and is holding promise to be a really good cigar. The ash is a dark gray/black and seems to be holding together nicely. I'm still getting the nutty aroma while the cinnamon and caramel have faded. The wrapper is very delicate, having seen the hole from the band being taken off, and just my lips sticking to the wrapper a little bit tore it just above the cap, but not too bad. I managed to get a picture of the ash without it dropping, then ashed it myself at about one inch, definitely adding to the points for construction. The burn line isn't razor thin, but it's even and hasn't needed any touch ups.

Second Third 8:49 - This has been a nice slow smoke. The smoke has stayed smooth and has developed sweetish (not Swedish) overtones. I still taste the nutty flavor, but coffee and caramel notes have snuck into the mix as well. Subtle, but still noticeable. It's hard to describe...but while this cigar is mild and anything but bold, the smoke seems heavy. Not the airy light smoke some other cigars produce. I hope this makes sense, I feel silly typing it up

Final Third 9:16 - While I was hoping it wouldn't, the cigar just completely unwrapped when it hit the tear from the band. I wanted to nub this cigar, because it's been pretty awesome so far, but I'll see how much more I can smoke. The flavor profile has been pretty consistent, which is to say good! And until it unraveled, the burn was great.

Finish time 9:30 - I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar, with great flavors from caramel to cinnamon, great draw, thick enjoyable smoke, and solid construction that allowed for a good burn and solid ash throughout the cigar. I'd love to smoke another one of these some time, and would add these to the future list of cigars I'd like to buy a box of some day. The unraveling at the end wasn't the cigars fault so much as an adverse effect of removing the band (which I understand was a necessity), so I can't knock any points off for that.

Appearance and construction: 1.4 out of 1.5
Smoke and ash: 1.5 out of 1.5
Burn: 2.8 out of 3
Overall flavor: 3.7 out of 4

Total: 9.4 out of 10

DBall · 08-30-2010, 08:54 AM

What they smoked:

1999 Vegas Robaina Familiar

jimmyk26 score: 8.5
Brutus2600 score: 9.4

Sometimes these suffer from tight draws, but when they are on, they are ON!

One more left, guys.

09-01-2010, 11:58 AM

Another great review guys. I am sure you are sad to be staring at the final stick

Mike

jimmyk26 · 09-04-2010, 05:47 PM

Alas, number 10 is in.

Brutus2600 · 09-04-2010, 10:48 PM

I'm burning 10 tomorrow morning

DBall · 09-05-2010, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brutus2600

I'm burning 10 tomorrow morning

Almost done, guys...

Brutus2600 · 09-05-2010, 01:28 PM

Review 10 is in and I'm sad! Lol

DBall · 09-05-2010, 02:50 PM

I wonder if you guys (and bystanders) are gonna be as surprised as I am about the last reviews

Mikepd · 09-05-2010, 02:58 PM

Lets see it then Dan.

jimmyk26 · 09-07-2010, 05:59 PM

Ha, that's funny because I smoked a Charlotte last night that was gifted to me and liked it. I didn't love it though.

Thanks for such an amazing experience!

DBall · 09-07-2010, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmyk26

Ha, that's funny because I smoked a Charlotte last night that was gifted to me and liked it. I didn't love it though.

Thanks for such an amazing experience!

Consider yourself lucky, then...

Brutus2600 · 09-07-2010, 06:41 PM

Huh, well I liked it, but it kind looks like James got a bad one *shrug*

Thanks again Dan

What an interesting journey and experience this has been...a very solid collection of cigars that we were able to try!

DBall · 09-07-2010, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brutus2600

Thanks again Dan

What an interesting journey and experience this has been...a very solid collection of cigars that we were able to try!

Glad you guys enjoyed it so much... I had a blast watching you go through them.

Anything specifically you feel you learned or gained throughout the experience, guys?

jimmyk26 · 09-07-2010, 08:37 PM

First of all, I think I got a lot better at reviewing cigars. I am excited to continue reviewing and posting, I find it fun and satisfying.

With regards to the cigars themselves I am surprised at how often I have been going back and re-reading my reviews. I found that this is the first time that I stopped really noticing the strength of the cigars and really focused on the flavors and smoking experience.

Honestly I think that I'll be reaping the benefits of this experience for quite a while.

Brutus2600 · 09-09-2010, 09:19 AM

I think I've learned and gained a few very useful things from this experience for sure.

First would be experience reviewing cigars. I specifically remember the first cigar or two that I sat down and reviewed. It was hard for me to pull out certain flavors and identify them. After getting to sit down and review 10 cigars blind with no other reviews telling me what to try to identify and taste, I was forced to learn to pick the flavors out. This has definitely bled over into my everyday cigar smoking experience and enhanced it more than I ever could've expected.

The second thing is experience with CC's. Previous to this I had not had the opportunity to try a Cuban cigar, so getting to smoke 10 of them while forced to identify flavors while I'm reviewing them was a unique experience. It allowed me get to experience the CC flavor profiles in a way I otherwise would not have gotten to and directly compare them to the NC's that I usually smoke. Cuban cigars are like a heavily advertised product on TV. We're told they're so awesome and all you want to do is try one, and when you finally get to, most people would respond "Man! that was an amazing Cuban cigar!" simply for the fact that it was a Cuban cigar. Tasting the cigars the way I did allowed me to know and understand WHY some Cuban cigars are great and WHAT makes them great instead of just liking them because they are from a specific country.

The third thing I learned is generosity. I know, what does generosity have to do with reviewing cigars? Well, Dan's blind taste package was the first "bomb" so to speak, I received from a CA member since I had joined the forum a couple months prior. What was this forum where people were gladly giving away cigars left and right? I'd read about the bombs being dropped before I got these cigars, but it's different when you're on the actual receiving end. Since then, I've come to realize what a generous and giving group of people this is, and have tried not only to PIF on this forum, but in other places of my life too, and that has been a more rewarding experience than being given and trying any number of cigars. I know this sounds cheesy, but it's 100% genuine and I'm definitely grateful to Dan and the rest of the forum for this

Brutus2600 · 09-09-2010, 01:34 PM

I was posting a reply elsewhere and realized just now, one of the biggest change in my smoking habits that this BTT has caused, is the RG of my cigar. Before I almost exclusively smoked 50+ RG cigars. Now, I'd say the majority of my cigars are less than 50RG, and anything 45+ feels big

DBall · 09-09-2010, 06:04 PM

Well... thread number 3 done.

Gotta debate whether I'll do another one. Updates to come at some point...

DBall · 09-16-2010, 03:42 PM

Just posting another quick thank you for the awesomely incredible bombs both of these fine gentlemen pummeled me with.

Brutus2600:

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=36385

jimmyk26:

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=36304

Thank you guys so much for dedicating your time and pictures into the third installment of this experiment. I, for one, think it was a smashing success!

RightAJ · 09-16-2010, 04:33 PM

Great thread! Just read through it catching up on the last few I missed... There were some seriously good sticks in there- RASCCs and Mag 46s are some of my favs

Thanx for another great installment Dan!!!

aj

hammondc · 09-16-2010, 05:22 PM

Wow....amazing thread. I read through it all. Too bad I am in a non-smoking hotel room. Dammit.

08-30-2010, 08:49 AM	#1
DBall Cigar Jesus Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Dan Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,781 Trading: (46)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Brutus2600 Cigar #9 ***************** Next to last cigar! I can't say anymore lest I get emotional This cigar looks to be about 5.5 x 40 (box press?). It has a few minor veins, triple cap, and a nice smooth wrapper. It looks like during the de-banding, it lost a little bit of the wrapper, which I'm hoping doesn't affect the draw. Initial Light 8:15 - The prelight draw is a VERY strong taste of sweet tobacco, with hints of raisins, caramel, a bit of hay. The draw is smooth, not overly tight, but I think the last cigar I'm going to keep at a lower RH than I have previously, since draw has been somewhat of an issue the last couple cigars. After a toast and a light, my first draw brings hints of cinnamon, nuts, and caramel. First Third - So far within the first few draws, I can tell I'm going to really enjoy this cigar. It's smooth, draws well, has flavorful smoke, and is holding promise to be a really good cigar. The ash is a dark gray/black and seems to be holding together nicely. I'm still getting the nutty aroma while the cinnamon and caramel have faded. The wrapper is very delicate, having seen the hole from the band being taken off, and just my lips sticking to the wrapper a little bit tore it just above the cap, but not too bad. I managed to get a picture of the ash without it dropping, then ashed it myself at about one inch, definitely adding to the points for construction. The burn line isn't razor thin, but it's even and hasn't needed any touch ups. Second Third 8:49 - This has been a nice slow smoke. The smoke has stayed smooth and has developed sweetish (not Swedish) overtones. I still taste the nutty flavor, but coffee and caramel notes have snuck into the mix as well. Subtle, but still noticeable. It's hard to describe...but while this cigar is mild and anything but bold, the smoke seems heavy. Not the airy light smoke some other cigars produce. I hope this makes sense, I feel silly typing it up Final Third 9:16 - While I was hoping it wouldn't, the cigar just completely unwrapped when it hit the tear from the band. I wanted to nub this cigar, because it's been pretty awesome so far, but I'll see how much more I can smoke. The flavor profile has been pretty consistent, which is to say good! And until it unraveled, the burn was great. Finish time 9:30 - I thoroughly enjoyed this cigar, with great flavors from caramel to cinnamon, great draw, thick enjoyable smoke, and solid construction that allowed for a good burn and solid ash throughout the cigar. I'd love to smoke another one of these some time, and would add these to the future list of cigars I'd like to buy a box of some day. The unraveling at the end wasn't the cigars fault so much as an adverse effect of removing the band (which I understand was a necessity), so I can't knock any points off for that. Appearance and construction: 1.4 out of 1.5 Smoke and ash: 1.5 out of 1.5 Burn: 2.8 out of 3 Overall flavor: 3.7 out of 4 Total: 9.4 out of 10 __________________ --------Dan--------- My Music \| My Videos

08-30-2010, 08:54 AM	#2
DBall Cigar Jesus Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Dan Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,781 Trading: (46)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 What they smoked: 1999 Vegas Robaina Familiar jimmyk26 score: 8.5 Brutus2600 score: 9.4 Sometimes these suffer from tight draws, but when they are on, they are ON! One more left, guys. __________________ --------Dan--------- My Music \| My Videos

09-04-2010, 05:47 PM	#4
jimmyk26 Jimmy Jim Join Date: May 2010 First Name: Kings of Leon Location: buy the ocean Posts: 495 Trading: (32)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Alas, number 10 is in.

09-04-2010, 10:48 PM	#5
Brutus2600 Your resident lancerHO Join Date: Apr 2010 First Name: Brian Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 2,063 Trading: (46)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 I'm burning 10 tomorrow morning

09-05-2010, 01:28 PM	#7
Brutus2600 Your resident lancerHO Join Date: Apr 2010 First Name: Brian Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 2,063 Trading: (46)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Review 10 is in and I'm sad! Lol

09-01-2010, 11:58 AM	#3
cigarz Guest Posts: n/a	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Another great review guys. I am sure you are sad to be staring at the final stick Mike

09-05-2010, 02:50 PM	#8
DBall Cigar Jesus Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Dan Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,781 Trading: (46)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 I wonder if you guys (and bystanders) are gonna be as surprised as I am about the last reviews __________________ --------Dan--------- My Music \| My Videos

09-05-2010, 02:58 PM	#9
Mikepd I Miss Pnoon Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Michael Location: St. Pete, FL Posts: 580 Trading: (10)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Lets see it then Dan.

09-07-2010, 05:59 PM	#10
jimmyk26 Jimmy Jim Join Date: May 2010 First Name: Kings of Leon Location: buy the ocean Posts: 495 Trading: (32)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Ha, that's funny because I smoked a Charlotte last night that was gifted to me and liked it. I didn't love it though. Thanks for such an amazing experience!

09-07-2010, 06:41 PM	#12
Brutus2600 Your resident lancerHO Join Date: Apr 2010 First Name: Brian Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 2,063 Trading: (46)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Huh, well I liked it, but it kind looks like James got a bad one shrug Thanks again Dan What an interesting journey and experience this has been...a very solid collection of cigars that we were able to try!

09-07-2010, 08:37 PM	#14
jimmyk26 Jimmy Jim Join Date: May 2010 First Name: Kings of Leon Location: buy the ocean Posts: 495 Trading: (32)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 First of all, I think I got a lot better at reviewing cigars. I am excited to continue reviewing and posting, I find it fun and satisfying. With regards to the cigars themselves I am surprised at how often I have been going back and re-reading my reviews. I found that this is the first time that I stopped really noticing the strength of the cigars and really focused on the flavors and smoking experience. Honestly I think that I'll be reaping the benefits of this experience for quite a while.

09-09-2010, 09:19 AM	#15
Brutus2600 Your resident lancerHO Join Date: Apr 2010 First Name: Brian Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 2,063 Trading: (46)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 I think I've learned and gained a few very useful things from this experience for sure. First would be experience reviewing cigars. I specifically remember the first cigar or two that I sat down and reviewed. It was hard for me to pull out certain flavors and identify them. After getting to sit down and review 10 cigars blind with no other reviews telling me what to try to identify and taste, I was forced to learn to pick the flavors out. This has definitely bled over into my everyday cigar smoking experience and enhanced it more than I ever could've expected. The second thing is experience with CC's. Previous to this I had not had the opportunity to try a Cuban cigar, so getting to smoke 10 of them while forced to identify flavors while I'm reviewing them was a unique experience. It allowed me get to experience the CC flavor profiles in a way I otherwise would not have gotten to and directly compare them to the NC's that I usually smoke. Cuban cigars are like a heavily advertised product on TV. We're told they're so awesome and all you want to do is try one, and when you finally get to, most people would respond "Man! that was an amazing Cuban cigar!" simply for the fact that it was a Cuban cigar. Tasting the cigars the way I did allowed me to know and understand WHY some Cuban cigars are great and WHAT makes them great instead of just liking them because they are from a specific country. The third thing I learned is generosity. I know, what does generosity have to do with reviewing cigars? Well, Dan's blind taste package was the first "bomb" so to speak, I received from a CA member since I had joined the forum a couple months prior. What was this forum where people were gladly giving away cigars left and right? I'd read about the bombs being dropped before I got these cigars, but it's different when you're on the actual receiving end. Since then, I've come to realize what a generous and giving group of people this is, and have tried not only to PIF on this forum, but in other places of my life too, and that has been a more rewarding experience than being given and trying any number of cigars. I know this sounds cheesy, but it's 100% genuine and I'm definitely grateful to Dan and the rest of the forum for this

09-09-2010, 01:34 PM	#16
Brutus2600 Your resident lancerHO Join Date: Apr 2010 First Name: Brian Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 2,063 Trading: (46)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 I was posting a reply elsewhere and realized just now, one of the biggest change in my smoking habits that this BTT has caused, is the RG of my cigar. Before I almost exclusively smoked 50+ RG cigars. Now, I'd say the majority of my cigars are less than 50RG, and anything 45+ feels big

09-09-2010, 06:04 PM	#17
DBall Cigar Jesus Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Dan Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,781 Trading: (46)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Well... thread number 3 done. Gotta debate whether I'll do another one. Updates to come at some point... __________________ --------Dan--------- My Music \| My Videos

09-16-2010, 03:42 PM	#18
DBall Cigar Jesus Join Date: Oct 2008 First Name: Dan Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,781 Trading: (46)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Just posting another quick thank you for the awesomely incredible bombs both of these fine gentlemen pummeled me with. Brutus2600: http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=36385 jimmyk26: http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=36304 Thank you guys so much for dedicating your time and pictures into the third installment of this experiment. I, for one, think it was a smashing success! __________________ --------Dan--------- My Music \| My Videos

09-16-2010, 04:33 PM	#19
RightAJ Here Franky Franky Join Date: Oct 2009 First Name: aj Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 915 Trading: (3)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Great thread! Just read through it catching up on the last few I missed... There were some seriously good sticks in there- RASCCs and Mag 46s are some of my favs Thanx for another great installment Dan!!! aj __________________ My Blog-> ajstogies.blogspot.com Beer Blog->thehopscribe.blogspot.com

09-16-2010, 05:22 PM	#20
hammondc Moar Padrons! Join Date: Aug 2010 First Name: Chip Location: Senoia, GA Posts: 2,626 Trading: (17)	Re: DBall's Newb Blind Taste Test #3 Wow....amazing thread. I read through it all. Too bad I am in a non-smoking hotel room. Dammit.