As some of you may know, we handed out various prototypes to be reviewed at our Herf earlier this March. I thought you may be interested to see what Phil (aka QBall) thought of the cigars he received. He provided us with some great reviews. It was good seeing you guys again last night; til next time, smoke up!
And now on with the reviews:
4E: This was not the first cigar I smoked of this group, so by the time I got to it I thought of characteristics I would comment on that I did not refer to when rating the some of the other prototypes. This cigar was about 7” X 50, (Churchill, Double Corona, Corona Gordo)? The wrapper was veiny with a medium tooth. From the beginning to end the cigar produced copious amounts of smoke. The flavor was woody with a lightly lingering aftertaste. Although light the taste was pleasant, with a touch of sweetness on the lips. The cigar burned cool most of the way, starting out very mild and building in complexity to about medium body. Near the end the cigar suddenly turned very bitter. For my taste I would call this low 80s and I probably would not buy it.
KB1: This was an interesting cigar I initially thought had promise. The wrapper and construction appeared very nice. In spite of it’s small ring gauge, which I generally don’t care for it started out burning quite cool. The cigar produced a nice amount of smoke, with hints of wood and leather and only a slight aftertaste. About half way through the cigar it began to heat up quite rapidly and started to bite. I guess this is a combination of ring gauge and aging. There appeared to be more than a fair share of ammonia. By the time I got to the end, between the heat and bite, I thought I had a mouthful of fire ants. This is a definite “Not in my Humi”. If this cigar sees the light of day under a band, please let me know what it is so I don’t accidentally buy it.
3E: This was an interesting cigar also, but in a much better way. Were it not for the fact that I prefer fuller body cigars, this could be a regular in my rotation. The cigar was well constructed with a very nice draw. It also produced a lot of smoke with a woodsy, leather taste, and remained cool for the entire smoke. It started out with a medium body, which it maintained throughout, with a very light aftertaste. I suspect this would make a good breakfast cigar, and would be enjoyed by those with a broad range of tastes. I would buy this one, so let me know if it ever goes into regular production.
A42: This cigar had a very smooth wrapper and appeared well constructed. It burned evenly and remained cool for most of the smoke. It didn’t produce much smoke, and had very hard draw. I don’t know if this was due to construction or over humidification, but either way it was far too much work for me to really enjoy it. I don’t have much else to say about this cigar except that I probably would not buy it.
SP9: I have saved the best for last, although this cigar nearly got you a lawsuit. This was so good I just couldn’t put it down, and nearly got third degree burns on my fingers and lips. This could easily become one of my real favorites. The wrapper was dark and veiny, with a medium tooth. The vein in this prototype was so thick it virtually stood out as a thicker ash when burnt. The cigar produced plenty of full-bodied smoke, almost creamy in texture. The flavor was distinctly woody with a touch of sweetness I attributed to the wrapper. Amazingly, this cigar smoked cool just about to the end, and I can’t recall a bite at all. I trust the tobacco was well aged, or the manufacturer found a magic fermenting process. This prototype must see the light of day. Please let me know when it comes in, I want the first box.
