smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews

[smokin5]

For those who don't know, Wayner123 & I were chosen to do 5 BTT
(Blind Taste Test) reviews of the same mystery sticks.
See "2008 Blind Smokes Review Reward Contest" in the Contests section.
So as not to influence each other's opinions, Wayne & I are posting our
reviews in separate threads, and we've agreed not to read each others'
reviews until we're done with all 5 cigars. Reviews will be in numerical order.


Here's my review of Blind Smoke No.1:



A box-pressed 6"x50 ring with mottled maduro wrapper.
Packed nicely, there's just a bit of give when lightly squeezed.
Prelight smell is faint - a hint of coffee and socks. Yes, I said socks.
Prelight draw is good, though very faint flavor of tobacco & sweet coffee.

I start with just water, figuring I'll switch to something more complementary once I get a handle on the cigar's flavors. That, and it's 1:00 PM & pretty warm here. Throw on an Allman Brothers mix & sit back.
OK, let's light this Bad Boy!

Initial flavors are disappointing. One-dimensional tobacco & faint coffee, with a flat finish of sharpness; not pepper, more like ammonia. Leaves an oily feel in my mouth. There's just not much to this one. Strength is medium, edging into medium-full. The smoke smells acrid.

After the first 1", I switch to coffee, hoping it will perk up some flavor in the cigar. No dice, the cigar just provides bitter instant coffee taste with a flat finish. On the bright side, draw & burn are good.
I soon try switching back to water, but it doesn't help.

At 2", the bitterness fades. Or are my taste buds getting numb? Whatever, it's soon back anyway. If this weren't a review, I'd pitch the cigar right now. It tastes like that look I got from the prune-faced bun-haired old lady at the supermarket last week when I set down my purchase: 2 big bourbon bottles, 6 wine bottles, a jar of peanuts & a turkey baster. Don't ask.
I soldier on, despite the flat old coffee & bitter bite continuing with every puff. Can I say "puff" here? OK, "draw" it is.

There's no appreciable change or improvement through the second half, though it is stronger. My mouth has a sharp tang of acidic charcoal. And not in a good way. Taste buds are logging onto Craigslist to find a new place to live. There's 1-1/2" left - can I put this down yet? Is anybody looking? (glance over my shoulder) Cool! I pitch it into the ashtray, and grab a cigarette for a better flavor.
End time, 2:50 PM. 1 hour, 50 minutes of discomfort.



Umm, I guess you could say I do not like it. Not one bit.
It hurt my tongue. It taste like sh-- (take that, Dr. Seuss!).
While construction was good, giving no problems in draw or burn, it never delivered in the flavor department; what little taste it gave was unpleasant.
A yardgar to avoid, for sure. It's been a very long time since I've had an El Mejor Espresso, but this reminded me of one. Shilala warned us there was a questionable cigar in the bunch - I sure hope that was it.

I'm not going to give this one a number rating, as I'm afraid any rating I give it might encourage someone to smoke it, and I don't want to be responsible for inflicting such damage to a Brother here. Suffice to say, it is NOT GOOD.
When I find out what it was, I'll post it here.

[shilala]

Tragic.
Nice review, Eric. I'll make it up to you.

[smokin5]

So, what was it?
Asking strictly for blacklisting purposes, y'know.

[shilala]

I pm'd you so you can tell everyone yourself, in case you have any words to add.

[SteveH]

Still - a good review of a not so good stick.

for seeing it through!

[kelmac07]

Subscribed.

[Fordman4ever]

subscribed as well.

[Ashcan Bill]

A turkey baster? In July???

[Ranger_B]

Looking forward to this as it continues. Great review. Sorry it sucked. Hey it can only get better from here,

[smokin5]

Shilala says it was a Tampa Sweethearts 280 Maduro.
Thanks for the warning, Bro.
Never had one before, and I'm pretty sure I
won't be asking Santa for any of these, either.

Shi-la-la! You brought me to my knees.
Shi-la-la! Begging, Bro just please. Shi-la-la!
I don't want to smoke no more of these. Shi-la-la!

He swears to me they're good fresh.
3 years certainly did it no favors, then.
"Growing old gracefully" ain't in the cards for this one.

Stay tuned for Review No.2, coming soon to a chat site near you.

[LasciviousXXX]

Originally Posted by smokin5

I pitch it into the ashtray, and grab a cigarette for a better flavor.

This speaks volumes about the cigar!


Great review, highly entertaining bro

[smokin5]

We continue the saga with Review No. 2.:



Glad I timed this one for a weekend, as it's a big'un.
A sharply box-pressed Torpedo, 6-1/2" x 50 ring, deep dark wrapper & very densely packed, barely budging when squeezed.
Prelight smell of barnyard & raisins, though faint flavor.
I begin at 5:00 PM with water in hand & a blues mix in ear,
after a hearty steak dinner.
Let's light it up & see what it's got.

It starts with flavors of strong coffee, dark chocolate and a raisiny sweetness, with a touch of green pepper snap & cedar in the finish. Leaves a medium fullness in the mouth, but not entirely developed. Could be more so, but it's OK.
A surprisingly good draw, given how tightly it's packed.
After 20 minutes, I decide that rum would pair decently well with it. As a medium strength & not full-flavored cigar, I figure bourbon would overpower it, and I'm not in the mood for a tongue-wrestling match. At least not tonight. I choose a Mount Gay Eclipse for it's light body & vanilla sweetness. Wait, what am I reviewing again? Oh right, the cigar. Let's get back to it, shall we?

At the 30 minute mark, I'm only an inch into it. It's less sweet and more woody than it was, but the predominant tastes are still strong coffee & dark chocolate, with a slightly peppery finish. It's OK, but it's lacking something - the flavor isn't quite full, the finish is a bit short. A decent yardgar, though. I'm reminded of a Nestor Miranda Reserve Maduro, which I haven't had in years. The burn isn't perfect, but it's not off enough to correct.
Until the 1-1/2" mark, that is, where the burn is pretty uneven, so I correct & burn off the slacker side.

An hour from my start, and I'm not at the half-way yet! There's been little change in flavors, still primarily strong coffee & dark chocolate, though somewhat more cedary & sharper than before, so I try a purge. Nope, doesn't affect it much, but still smokeable.

Breaking into the second half, some of the sharpness dissipates, leaving a more balanced taste of the coffee, dark chocolate & sweetness. Again, though, it seems to be lacking enough dimension; there's something missing. As I'm smoking, a storm moves in from the north. Lots of thunder crashing & shaking the deck, lightning flashing, and still I smoke on. But inside now.


It stays in this mode with little change for quite a while. The cigar and the storm, that is. With 2-1/2" left, the burn is off & sharp charcoal is creeping in, so it's a good time to correct & purge. The bitterness sits down for a short time, but it keeps returning, despite my waving my arms & yelling, "Shoo Charcoal, Shoo Shoo!" Hey, it sometimes works.

At 75, I put the last inch down to rest. I'm done after 2 hours, 25 minutes.


Overall, it was an OK cigar, it just lacked in dimension to be a good cigar. Would make a perfectly fine yardgar, though, where you weren't concentrating on your smoke & didn't mind that it was straight-forward with little change. It has its purpose. The draw remained good throughout, & it only required a couple of touchups on the burn, which is above-average for a box-press.
On a scale of 100, I'll give it a 70. Or a "C", if you prefer letters.
I don't do calculus, so make your own equation for extra credit.

Next up:
Does Trouble Come in Threes? Tune in to see Review No. 3.

[smokin5]

Shilala says No.2 was an El Mejor Espresso.
Funny, that's what I thought No.1 was!

On to Review No. 3 -
Sorry, no pic's this time because I'm writing this one quickly.
Started up Monday at 20 minutes after 5 PM.
And it is.....a box-pressed maduro! Hmmm, I sense a pattern here.
6"x50 ring, a slight box-press, not as squared as No. 2 was.
Silky-smooth mottled dark wrapper with no veins.
It's packed mostly well, but therere 2 distinct soft spots; one in the middle, & one about 1-1/2" from the mouth.
Prelight smell of...nothing. Draw is very loose, and gives off only the faintest of leathery flavor. Another faded glory? I hope not.
I grab a glass of water to start, and listen to the yak-yakking of the Queen B!tch & her friend, the Poodle Princess.
We have ignition.
A nice mix of leather and dark chocolate, with a touch of coffee; gingery pepper & some cedar in the finish. It's much more rounded & fuller-feeling than the first 2 test subjects. It soon develops a creamier aspect to the smoke. Solid medium in body & strength.

1/2" in, I'm thinking a Syrah or Merlot would pair well with the cigar. My companions don't want any red wine, and I don't want to open a bottle without finishing it, so I reach for a Makers Mark bourbon on the rocks instead. The bourbon matches reasonably well with the cigar flavors.

At 1", the gingery taste is gone, replaced by an almost lavender note. The other primary flavors of leather, dark chocolate & coffee remain, along with a touch of cedar & sweet-spiciness, forming a nice combo. They hould cut a record with Roy Hargrove. It tastes similar to an RP Vintage 1990, though I'm confident it isn't that cigar. Just using it as comparison. The burn is slightly off, but doesn't demand attention. Yet.

The smoke gets a bit drier feel with a litle more spice at the 2" mark. Still quite a nice flavor mix. Ginger returns from its break to join the band's rhythm section. The off-burn definitely needs correction now, though, so I burn it & purge it for good measure. This restores some of the creaminess and dispels some of the woody spice, allowing more leather & dark chocolate. 70% cacao? Oh, sure. This is more of a 'nose' cigar than a 'mouth' cigar, unlike the first 2 subjects.

20 minutes after 6 PM, an hour into it. Time to refill the bourbon. I only pour 2 fingers at a time, so it's gone (OK, 2 vertical fingers, but still...). The Poodle Princess leaves, so I crank up my WaxAttacks mix - Iggy Pop, Pretenders, Ramones, Red Rockers, Replacements, Romeo Void, etc.. The cigar responds to the tunes by getting stronger, with more spice & some almond flavor. Still very balanced. It now reminds me of a Cuban Crafters (Don Kiki) Cabinet Series Maduro, but I know it's not because no pigtail. Again, just using for comparison.

10 minutes to 7 & halfway done. More bad off-burn, more correction. The flavor meld is largely unchanged, but it does seem smoother than before, with less spicy bite in the finish.
As it enters the last third, the spice bite returns, with anise & 'nicotingle' (my own word) creeping in. The main flavors of leather & dark chocolate remain in the forefront, and it's still a tasty mix.

20 minutes after 7 PM and a little less than 2" to go. However, I have to go, too. I'll just call it a night. And a pretty good cigar.
Looks like the 3rd time was the charm for No. 3

Overall impressions: Predominant flavors of leather & dark chocolate held up nicely and remained fairly consistent, with variations of spice and smoke texture that were just enough to keep it interesting. Draw remained wide open throughout, but the need for regular touch-ups to the uneven burn was distracting. Great cigar? No, but quite good. I'll give this an 88. Or A- if you prefer letters. Don't know what that would be in Celsius. Or Celtic, for that matter.

[smokin5]

Survey says.....
Cigar No. 3 was a 2008 Indian Tabak maduro Super Fuerte.

Interesting. I did not care for the 2 or 3 fresh ones I've
had, yet this one with a few years on it was pretty good.
Also surprising because most RP sticks tend to get worse
the 2nd half. At least in my opinion. This one improved!

Let's see what surprises are in store after I smoke
Blind Stick No. 4 tonight.

[shilala]

Sofaman and I tore these Super Fuerte's up for awhile. If he knew I still had them and let the go to hell in humi jars, he'd kick my ass.

The Indian Tabac Super Fuerte Maduro cigars are very good cheap cigars IMHO. They are hard to beat. Great reviews so far. Keep them coming brother.

I'm loving these reviews!

[kelmac07]

I'm loving how Wayne & Eric are going at this...and completely shocked at the stick reveal.

[smokin5]

OK, Cigar No. 4 is a pile of ash.
But due to time constraints tonight, I can't post the review.
And I doubt I'll be able to do it tomorrow, as I'm booked all day,
& then will be busy most of the night at my C.O.W.boy Herf.
(Cigars On Wednesday).
Fear not, I'll return with Reviews of the mysterious Nos.
4 & 5 before the weekend is half-way over.

Wait if you could post that how could you not post the review? lol Isn't it just copy and paste?