Cigar Review Number 4

[LordAnubis]

wasn't planning on smoking this Cigar so soon as I am all cigarred out for a bit but the foot was starting to bust open so I might as well set fire to it! Also Ramadhan is coming up in a few weeks so i better smoke this before that starts. I'm sitting outside in my flyscreened sunroom playing with my new tablet again. Loving this thing! Today I'm playing with the handwriting to text feature and it's good! Hasn't missed a word yet and my chicken scratch is terrible!

Construction is good, a bit of a tight draw which I think is high humidity in storage and ambient conditions while smoking. I should have fridged it for a few hours. I went full retard on the circumcision, that's while using one of those fool prof cigar cutters! This cigar cutter manufacture has not accounted for my level of idiot obviously The Cigar starts very mild. Notes of light toasted tobacco and a little bit of earth. It's very smooth, no harshness at all through the nose. As if it had 4 or 5 years of age on it. Can taste some saltiness on the lips but not sure if I am imagining it or if it's just residue from lunch.

I've been bitching to camp maintenance to fix the fly screen after the storms we had and I came back to my room to find this. They've trapped a lizard in between both screens (it's a double screened panel). I'll get them to cut the poor guy free tomorrow. It's hard to get good help these days!

Burn is perfect in the second third with some nuts dominating the flavours now. Interesting Cigar. Don't think I've had whatever this is before. That will be the excuse I'm sticking to anyway. The cigar finishes a bit tarry and bitter but it was a good ride none the less. Another complete guess as to what this cigar is

4 for 4 on wrong guesses, that's the aim of this competition right

Mus

[AlastairE]

Cheers Mus - was busy chasing up no. 3 I didn't manage to get a review thread for no. 4 up

Remember - the winner (who can correctly identify the most cigars) will receive a $500 USD/AUD cigar credit. In the event of a tie, prize is will be split.

Some of you may have already smoked cigar no. 4, or will be shortly.. This thread will be used to share reviews on this cigar. Please post your review on this thread without giving away what cigar you think it is.

Just a reminder on the process for this competition:

1. The fourth cigar (banded 4) is to be smoked by smoked by June 30th.

2. Email me ([email protected]) with your nomination for this cigar before July 1st

For the following cigars it is easy. Cigar 5 to be smoked by July 31st (etc etc). Each time the results will be posted via spreadsheet on the forum 7 days after the close and submission of all results.

GOOD LUCK

[CaptainQuintero]

Perfect construction on this cigar, amazing draw and firm to the touch.

Lighting up instantly produces huge billows of smoke, more reminisant of a NC cigar, it's impressive! A lovely fruity opening with a surprising fizzy note to the smoke that tingles on the tongue. Deep richness and depth to the smoke.

What has struck me so far with cigars 1,2 and 4 (I'm not going to insult the tobacco loving world by referring to #3 as a cigar!) is how the 'base' of each cigar's flavours has been so strikingly similar; a fruity rich base (Or simple tobacco flavour) that are only different as you progress through each sample by slight changes, either additions or subtractions from that core tobacco flavour. I can see how cigars from marcas such as Sancho Panza can be so different to the standard big brands; simply put their blends seem to be different from the get go. Maybe one of the reasons behind cigar deletions has been a change in how Cuba is growing it's tobacco, ie is it growing a huge amount of good quality leaf which can make 80% of the blends of it's biggest sellers? You take four parts 'standard blend' then that final 20% is all that differentiates between a D4, Epicure #2, Famosos, etc? Blend changes aside for vitola change, I simply can't see a Sancho Panza Molinos coming from this 'standard cigar blend'; it would have to be blended from a recipe vastly different from the majority of the catalgogue, it this the reason why cigars seem to becoming homogenised? Is it laziness on Cuba's part or their response to how to play in the big boy club of global business?

Anyway back to the cigar and through a lack of certain flavours I've ruled out two cigars leaving only two to choose from, one of which I have had no success with and has never tasted anything beyond straight tobacco (Even when blended right, which seems rare) and the other seems to be blended on purpose to be just rich but plain tobacco. So is this a bad version of cigar A or a good version of cigar B? Both end point result in the same flavour profile in my experience!

Still, the construction is excellent but the blending seems off, harsh and bitter so I'm leaning to the cigar which I have never had success with; one cigar which somehow has survived the mass deletions to it's brand even though it is arguably the most diluted of the 'marca profile'.

82/100

[bigbwalls]

Cigar No. 4

Mystery Cigar No. 4 features a smooth and veiny brown wrapper with a greenish tint. It's evenly rolled with a good amount of give when squeezed.

Right into the first few puffs and the flavor is all grass. It's like someone rolled up grass clippings and put a tobacco leaf around them. It's not a flavor that I enjoy personally. On the other hand, the draw is superb.

The first third is underwhelming - creamy grass flavors and roasted nuts. The smoke is "airey" - it never really coats your palate and there doesn't seem to be any finish. After I blow out the smoke, it leaves very little flavor on my palate. You've heard of "full-flavored" cigars, this is "no-flavor."

The second third is much of the same, only the grass flavor has receded just a bit giving way to roasted nuts. The draw and burn continue to be phenomenal, but the cigar is so incredibly mild that the flavors don't really shine.

Winding down into the final third and all I'm thinking is, "I need to light up a good cigar after this." The grassy flavors are still there only now accompanied by a slight bitterness. Cigar No. 4 had an impeccable burn and draw, but was so mild it rendered the smoke almost flavorless. And the flavors it did present were boring and uninteresting.

Smoking Cigar No. 4 was the equivalent of watching paint dry. I've never smoked this cigar before and I don't intend to again.

[bigbwalls]

Cigar No. 4

[Habana Mike]

Cigar No. 4

Mystery Cigar No. 4 features a smooth and veiny brown wrapper with a greenish tint. It's evenly rolled with a good amount of give when squeezed.

Right into the first few puffs and the flavor is all grass. It's like someone rolled up grass clippings and put a tobacco leaf around them. It's not a flavor that I enjoy personally. On the other hand, the draw is superb.

The first third is underwhelming - creamy grass flavors and roasted nuts. The smoke is "airey" - it never really coats your palate and there doesn't seem to be any finish. After I blow out the smoke, it leaves very little flavor on my palate. You've heard of "full-flavored" cigars, this is "no-flavor."

The second third is much of the same, only the grass flavor has receded just a bit giving way to roasted nuts. The draw and burn continue to be phenomenal, but the cigar is so incredibly mild that the flavors don't really shine.

Winding down into the final third and all I'm thinking is, "I need to light up a good cigar after this." The grassy flavors are still there only now accompanied by a slight bitterness. Cigar No. 4 had an impeccable burn and draw, but was so mild it rendered the smoke almost flavorless. And the flavors it did present were boring and uninteresting.

Smoking Cigar No. 4 was the equivalent of watching paint dry. I've never smoked this cigar before and I don't intend to again.

Sounds like a Monte Open Master....he wouldn't do that to us, would he?

[Habana Mike]

OK, my turn now. Could almost cut & paste bigbwalls' though.....

Cigar #4

 

Matte Colorado Claro wrapper, firmly packed with a few small bumps and veins. No apparent box pressing. Perfect triple cap.

 

 

 

Faint aromas of tobacco and cedar

 

Draw was a bit too tight for my liking so I tossed it in the fridge for about half an hour. That helped a lot.

 

Cold draw not showing much.

 

Sparked it up at 3:45 with a soft flame. Lit easily.

 

Perfect burn line off the start with a light gray ash which fell after about 1/2 inch.

 

http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p767/myklnz/2014-06-24155633_zps561a1653.jpg

 

Aroma is fairly heavy, medium-bodied with a short finish at the start.

 

Light leather and wood, not much on the retrohale. Good smoke production. Second ash drops after another 1/2 inch, very flaky.

 

Picks up a little strength towards the mid-point, burn is off a bit. Quick touch-up with the torch.

 

Third ash about 1" long, so far a fairly underwhelming smoke though there's definitely a nicotine hit.

 

Entering the final third burn is off again, flavors very light, nothing much on the finish or through the nose. Wrapper develops some cracks though the ash holds until I finish with about an inch left.

 

 

 

Hints of mint as I near the end along with some harsh bitterness. Set it down after 90 minutes.

 

Not impressed with this example.....

 

Sending my guess on to Alastair. Will I go 0 for 4? Probably.

[tomaszgeorge]

Blind Cigar Tasting No.4

The reveal for cigar 3 took me by surprise. I had never tried the Monte Open series before but had read awful reviews and while the last 2 thirds were a bit bland my review was hugely influenced by the amazingly complex first third. I am definitely going to revisit aged samples of this cigar in the future to see if these characteristics continue to develop throughout the smoke (something tells me aged Opens will be easy to find in the coming years).

Now for No.4. It’s a gorgeous sunny weekend in London.

Appearance: This cigar has good construction with one hard spot and is very box pressed. The wrapper is colorado/maduro and is a bit broken at the end of the first third. I am hopeful that this and the hard spot do not affect the smoking experience. There is a mixture of barnyard, grassy, chocolate and floral aromas emanating from the cigar pre-light. The cap is domed and slightly reminiscent of the 109 format that is one of my favourites.

Cold Draw: Nothing but light tobacco. No need to worry about the draw, it is perfect.

Initial Draws: Very nutty with slight coffee and milk chocolate. Light citrus lingers with nuts after the draw.

1st Third: The flavours are quite muted, mainly straight tobacco, tiny floral aspect from the start but has now gone. There is slight hint of milk chocolate as an afterthought.

2nd:

Continues along the same vein with hints of chocolate, quite smooth with muted flavours, a bit of milky coffee and a hint of white pepper.

3rd:

The sweet creamy coffee is now dominating the profile. The chocolate is now gone, with just milky coffee flavours and a slightly larger presence of pepper spice and a touch of fruit.

This was quite a one dimensional smoke, but was still relaxing and pleasant. The strength was at a medium level and picked up very slightly towards the end. I think I recognise the flavour profile but would not rush to buy more of these in the future.

[nikosdoc]

Just finished smoking this one. First thing that comes to mind, is bland. Just a few notes of quality tobacco and some milky chocolate aftertaste towards the end, and that's it. Also even though the draw was perfect ,it had some major burn issues from the halfway point until the end ,had to touch it up several times. No more like this one please!

Have not got a clue what it is.......

[ShortFatHokie]

Cigar No. 4 has nice construction with a colorado claro wrapper. It is box pressed and has a floral aroma to it. Pre-light draw is loose with slight honey, graham crackery draw.

Initial light and draw...The cigar light well with significant smoke but had a bitter, metallic blast on the first draw...just about choked me at the start.

First third...Lots of dry grass with a note of burnt wood that turned cedary about half way through the first third, but only for a second. The grassiness returned and remained through the end of the first third.

Second third...A moment of hope for this cigar with a quick blast of honey sweetness then a return to dry grassiness for the remainder of the second third. The aroma of the smoke is more enjoyable than the actual taste of the cigar. The burn was all over the place.

Final third...Another quick hit of the bitter, metallic taste then the dry grass returns to finish the cigar. One thing of note, even through all the grassiness, their was a muted, underlying honey sweetness, especially in the last two thirds that showed that the cigar wanted to be more than it currently was...or ever could be...

I think I have this stick narrowed down to two choices, however, I've had two of the previous three narrowed down two choices and picked wrong both times...so 50-50 odds really aren't in my favor...so I'm going with what my wife guesses it to be...

[AlastairE]

Just a quick reminder to please shoot me through your guesses for cigar no. 4 if you haven't done so already.

[Croz71]

Hi all, cutting it fine getting this one smoked.

Today 3:20pm after work

Great construction, smooth to the touch, boxed pressed with a well packed foot. Aroma at cold is sweet toasted tobacco.

Used a guillotine cutter which reveals a perfect draw, just a slight resistance.

1st third - Beautiful opening, sweet honey, toasted tobacco and like a fresh bread taste. Best start so far from the 4 cigars.

Medium body with an amazing burn.

2nd third - Ash falls off. Still the same flavours coming through, not much change at all. Sweet, toasted bread with no spice or pepper.

A little milk coffee now, just a hint of it. Burn is great and draw perfect.

Last third - A slight nutty note now starting but still the sweet honey or sugar profile dominates. Burn is razor sharp.

Finished 4:30pm. 1hr 10min smoking time.

Overall a very nice cigar, which I liked. Perfect for my smoking profile. The best so far for me.

[Tino]

I didn't have much luck with this one. Box pressed, brittle wrapper that cracked and crumbled in several places. Punched, loose draw on one side.

First third - grass and 'meh', there's a hint of sweetness, mild. Burn line is wonky.

Second third - starting to rain, draw is improving, touch of cheap milk chocolate

Final third - raining hard, some harshness creeping in, I give up and pitch it.

[dafrey23]

Finally finished #4 Saturday. It was well constructed and burned well, but it was bland, bland, bland. Nothing there but tobacco and the occasional wisp of sweetness. Gotta say, I haven't had a cigar in the first four that I like or would buy again (and I have several boxes of PSD4s). They've all either been horrible examples or I just don't like these cigars. And as a double check on this one to make sure that I wasn't going crazy, I had my wife smoking a young RASS alongside me. About halfway through #4 I took a couple puffs off her cigar and immediately picked out flavors. It's not me, it's the stick.

I have no idea what it is so either I get lucky through process of elimination of I stay 0-fer.

[Professor Twain]

I smoked cigar #4 tonight. It started out a bit harsh but with a bit of sweetness to it. Overall this was a cigar that tasted like it had potential but wasn't ready yet. It had a sweetness and perhaps a bit of yellow cake flavor to it. I've sent my guess in and I guess I'll see if I finally got one right!

Fun to be a part of this.

[Rye]

Crap, no time to get to this one tonight, so I'll submit a guess before smoking it.

[Habana Mike]

Crap, no time to get to this one tonight, so I'll submit a guess before smoking it.

And you'll probably get it right!

[Rye]

And you'll probably get it right!

There's a first time for everything!

[Habanos2000]

My least favorite of the 4 cigars so far, in terms of flavor and complexity. Aesthetically it looked very nice with a smooth wrapper and seemingly good construction. Flavorwise I found it to be extremely bland. Just pure tobacco flavor through and through and very, very mild. Definitely not something I would ever purchase.

Overall rating 84.

[AlastairE]

Reveal will be up tomorrow - just chasing a couple of stragglers

Your patience is greatly appreciated