JohnS' Mid-2018 Video Reviews Series

[JohnS]

8. San Cristobal de La Habana El Principe – TOS MAY 16

 

These are just so dependable! Recommended for those of you who like a cigar on the 'sweeter' side.

[JohnS]

9. Rafael Gonzalez Perlas – PMS ABR 15

 

This is another 'under-the-radar' smaller cigar that perhaps you should consider for your rotation, especially if you like milder habanos.

[olotti]

On 7/6/2018 at 12:02 AM, JohnS said:

7. Ramon Allones Celestiales Finos Asia Pacifico Regional Edition 2009 – OMA AGO 09

 

The Ramon Allones Celestiales Finos Asia Pacifico Regional Edition 2009 was nigh on unsmokable when it first came out in 2009. It began to be much more 'approachable' around 2014/2015. How is it travelling strength-wise at around the 9-year mark?

 Great review of one of my fav all time Cigars. I smoked most of mine in that 14/15/16 yr range and loved the development of flavors while still retaining some of mongrel as rob would say. Interesting to note that at 9 yrs they’ve come down into the med/mild profile which makes me happy I smoked them in the profile that I like with that bit of bite to em. 

[wade1979]

What an asset to the forum. Great work 

[JohnS]

On 7/13/2018 at 12:15 PM, olotti said:

 Great review of one of my fav all time Cigars. I smoked most of mine in that 14/15/16 yr range and loved the development of flavors while still retaining some of mongrel as rob would say. Interesting to note that at 9 yrs they’ve come down into the med/mild profile which makes me happy I smoked them in the profile that I like with that bit of bite to em. 

Thank you. Funnily enough, I had a chat with some mates of mine a week ago about the review and they commented that they both liked them young, i.e. when they first came out. Aah, the beauty of this hobby and the variances of cigar smokers' palates!

On 7/13/2018 at 1:09 PM, wade1979 said:

What an asset to the forum. Great work 

Thank you. I have a few more to go, which I envisage I'll do next week.

[JohnS]

10. Saint Luis Rey Serie A – GAT SEP 12

 

Saint Luis Rey is a marca that's 'not for everyone' according to Min Ron Nee in his 2003 book, "An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars". This is a cigar that is complex due to its many subtle flavours and changes through the thirds, but it needs time. @Duxnutz this review is for you, ol' mate!

[99call]

52 minutes ago, JohnS said:

'not for everyone'

Great review John.    Was interesting to listen to you try and put you finger on the "not for everyone" concept.   For me the reason why Serie A hold this title, is it's blending can be challenging (as you referred to), and the key to that (I believe)  is the presence of the soft stone fruit and dark molasses place in the same spectrum.    I reviewed a ERDMGDE a few months ago, and it embodied a floral, galangal aspect with the dark molasses and the overall effect was a juxtaposition. 

A bit like horror films that play fairground music over the top of horrific gore scenes.  The things we find difficult. are the ones that 'work' together, even when we feel they are diametrically opposed.   El Pres and Smithy have referred to cigars in the past has having a sort of 'brooding melancholy'. I think that sums it up perfectly, something thats pleasurable, but in an unusual tone. 

Again this (to me) follows that line between homely peasant food, and gastronomic high end dining.     One is just simply unbridled enjoyment, and the other is challenging food 'experience' , that although might not leave you with the sated glowing smile of a paella etc, but plays around with other pleasure centres of intrigue, and misdirection. 

[JohnS]

I think that's a fair and insightful assessment. It's a bit like the advent of salt and caramel flavouring in foods, which is widely prevalent these days. Is it sweet? Is it savoury? Or does the combination make it something else?

I think too that our palates (and brains) categorise flavours to compare and assess. And this is much easier if the flavours are more definable.

I wonder if we can apply the same logic to the Sancho Panza Non Plus? It too has diverse and eclectic flavours (salt, wood and cream) and would barely make a blip in sales in world markets in comparison to other petit coronas such as the Montecristo No.4. However, I would advocate that there's a place for cigars like these in the Habanos catalogue.

 

[JohnS]

11. Sancho Panza Sanchos – NNSO-TTH-02 (November 1990)

 

Thank you @ayepatz for gifting me this discontinued Gran Corona to review. And also thank you @pandyboy for your recent review on this cigar which assisted me in preparation for it.

 

[pandyboy]

1 hour ago, JohnS said:

11. Sancho Panza Sanchos – NNSO-TTH-02 (November 1990)

 Thank you ayepatz for gifting me this discontinued Gran Corona to review. And also thank you pandyboy for your recent review on this cigar which assisted me in preparation for it.

You're welcome my friend. I'll check yours out later.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 

[ayepatz]

A pleasure to share one of my favourites, @JohnS! 

[Optic101]

Well done mate, great to watch, especially with all the additional insights you give.

[JohnS]

12. H.Upmann Noellas – 2010

 

Thank you @Trevor2118 for gifting me this cigar to review for the benefit of our Friends of Habanos worldwide community. The H.Upmann Noellas was once a regular production cigar which was discontinued in the early 1980's. It came in a distinctive jar, which Habanos S.A. re-released in 2010 in a run of 5000 boxes. It was released in another run in 2013 and I believe 2016, certainly it has appeared periodically in last few years on 24:24. The jar is a collector's item amongst enthusiasts.

In this review I mention typical H.Upmann flavours and I mentioned leather twice, but I did mean to mention cedar or wood instead.

Thank you for viewing this series. I hope it has provided some additional knowledge for you in reaching for some cigars that don't garner as much attention as other Cuban cigars.

[Chef]

@JohnS, should we be looking forward to another round of mid-year reviews for 2019?

[JohnS]

@Chef, yes I will be doing a mid-2019 series of reviews. ?

[Chef]

24 minutes ago, JohnS said:

@Chef, yes I will be doing a mid-2019 series of reviews. ?

This is really good news for the whole FOH community, and anyone that stumbles upon them [reviews]. 

[JohnS]

18 hours ago, Psiman said:

When are the new videos coming ? smaller  sizes please. corona-ish  cigars. Thanks

I will aim to do a few in the next few weeks and be done at some point in September. Smaller-sized cigars? Yep, no problem! ?

[Fuzz]

2 hours ago, JohnS said:

I will aim to do a few in the next few weeks and be done at some point in September. Smaller-sized cigars? Yep, no problem! ?

Smaller size? So CoSho, Trini Shorts, ERDM Demi Tasse, HdM Du Maire, RyJ Julieta, etc?