Here is my review of SmokeMonkey's #2.

I smoked the #2 first because I didn’t have enough time to devote to the larger #1 and #3. It was a 5x50 robusto, with a reddish medium brown wrapper covering similar hued wrappers with a few dark brown, nearly black leaves. There were two veins that ran the length of the solid, tightly rolled cigar. There was only a slight give when I pinched it. The fragrance was of sweet tobacco, cocoa and spice. The pre-light draw had some resistance and tasted of tea and sweet spice. I paired it with iced water, which I usually have when I want to concentrate on the flavors of the smoke and just cleanse the palate between puffs.

The first sensation after lighting the cigar was a dryness on the lips, and in the mouth and nasal passages. The primary flavors were cedary wood, cocoa and mild spice and pepper that left a little burning tingle in the mouth. I had to sip some water between puffs due to the dryness of the smoke. The cigar had a slightly tight draw, but produced a good amount of smoke and a nice sweet tobacco aroma.

A veggie brothy flavor combined with wood and sweet tobacco emerged as the dominant flavors in the second third. The cocoa, pepper and spice was gone. The dryness remained, but the smoke was cool and smooth. The pleasant blend of veggie broth, wood and sweet tobacco was the dominant taste. These flavors blended so well it was difficult to discern them individually. Near the last of the middle third, I tasted a few cocoa notes.

During the final third, the cigar’s feel got noticeably softer and spongy. There were a few mild pepper notes while the wood faded some, leaving the blend of veggie broth and sweet tobacco as the primary flavors. Near the end, the wood returned, but in a charred wood taste. I smoked it to a one inch nub, after an hour and fifteen minutes.

The burn wavered a bit in the beginning but straightened out in the second half. The light and dark gray ash was solid but flaky and held for about an inch. This was a good satisfying cigar, strong but not over-powering. It reminded me a lot of one of my fave “yard gars”, the Camacho Corojo. Though it produced a dry smoke, it was never hot or harsh. Although the Camacho Corojo is priced in the yard gar range, it compares favorably to cigars that are in the middle price tier.

delta1 wrote:

Changing it up and going with #3.

A 4.5 x 48 firm rolled in a darker brown wrapper with minimal seams and veins and a couple lighter shaded leaves shown in the foot. V cut this one as well and im getting a bit of grassy flavor on the cold draw. First draw was a strong and lingering dose of pepper and dry hay flavor.

The first third started out with a big dose of pepper and then started to leave a bit of a creamier finish, but having a hard time putting a flavor to this one. Little wavy on the burn requiring rotations to try and keep it straight. Flavor is turning more cedary as i finish this third and the ash is getting loose.

The second third calmed down with the pepper and im getting a longer cedar finish with a hint of some sweetness. This is definitely a full strength cigar and the burn has straightened out not requiring as much attention. Retrohale is still providing a little peppery burn, but not getting that in the mouth.

The final third is starting the same with the long cedary finish and bits of pepper on the retrohale. Not changing much through the cigar and continuing to hope that there will be a shift but not looking promising. Lots of nicotine in this on as im starting to feel the buzz.

This one was hard to finish out, Im not sure if it was me tonight, but i would have to say this better be the lower end or i just missed out.

What was #3 Dan?

frozenphoenix1 wrote:

Al, that was the high end - Davidoff Nicaragua. Interested for your take on the other two, mainly because while that was the most expensive, I don't think it was the best one I sent.

SmokeMonkey wrote:

I've had the Davidoff Nicaragua Solomon, it was outstanding.

ZRX1200 wrote:

I've had the Davidoff Nicaragua Solomon, it was outstanding.

ZRX1200 wrote:

OK....so you guys got me back to the "still interested in trying" category.

tamapatom wrote:

Al, that was the high end - Davidoff Nicaragua. Interested for your take on the other two, mainly because while that was the most expensive, I don't think it was the best one I sent.

SmokeMonkey wrote:

I actually really liked the #2, enough to nub it to an inch, just as I really like the Camacho Corojo, old blend. I haven't tried the new one. The Davidoff was a very good and satisfying cigar. The flavors and dryness of the first third reminded me of a vintage '06 Camacho Corojo Monarca I smoked last week. My description "veggie broth" is not meant to be disparaging. It's only an attempt to describe a nice combination of veggie-like flavors that blend well, kinda like a hearty minnestrone. And the size of the #2 matches the Monarca. Alas, the Davidoff Nicaragua goes for about 3x the price of the Corojo, so it wouldn't be something that I would stock up on.

Thanks for sending that one, SmokeMonkey. I've wanted to try it. By the way, I really like the slightly pricier Davidoff Puro d' Oro too, a better tasting cigar than the #2, imho, but I won't be stocking up on them either.

I'll post my reviews of the #1 and #3 together, to stay within the spirit of this pass: guessing the identity and price range of an unbanded cigar. Since I've struck out on the #2, I'll have some help with the next two, but I'll try my best to judge them individually.

delta1 wrote:

I really haven't had a great amount of luck with the high end stuff. It never seems to be worth the exponential cost versus my every day. That said, watch FP's high end blow me away....

SmokeMonkey wrote:

The super premium stuff never seems worth the price to me. But when I've had em blindly (and they fall in my wheelhouse) I feel like they do impress, but when I find the price tag, it loses some of the appeal.

I've not found a $20 cigar that has ever out performed a $10 cigar, and I've found plenty $5-6 cigars that out perform $10 cigars, and get bonus points in my mind for being affordable.

danmdevries wrote: