OK i am ready to type up my reviews for the 3 blind cigars 99Cobra sent me. They were all good cigars and enjoyed the chance to do this once again.

I did my reviews based on appearance because from the last few times doing this that seemed to be more accurate then my palate. My guesses are in ()

Review for cigar #3 (mid range) top shelf- Diamond Crown Maximus No.4


6x50 chocolate in color, possible maduro wrapper. The cigar was very firm when I squeezed it almost no give to it. There was a single cap and a few visible veins throughout.

1/3 The cigar started off with a bitter chocolate taste, some cayenne, and black pepper. It is producing a fair amount of smoke which I enjoy. The ash is a little flakey so I knock it off early because I ddn't want it on my lap, it could have probably held just didn't risk it. Burn line is pretty straight on it as well. Flavors don't change much throughout the beginning.

2/3 The cayenne mellows out a touch and the chocolate becomes less bitter as well but still in there. Started to get a a seared meat flavor on the finish at this point into the cigar. The flavors have been pretty full until about half way through the cigar and it gets a little airy for a minute or two. Still getting a smoked meat flavor in there.

3/3 The cigar finishes much the same as the 2/3. The ash was white with grey streaks in it and I never had to touch it up.

Conclusion- I smoke very slow generally and this cigar lasted me 1 hr 45 min. If I had smoked this cigar and not the others before finishing my review I felt like this would be the yard gar but upon doing the others I am going with mid range. Don't believe I have had this cigar before but it was enjoyable. No clue on the label for this one


Review for cigar # 2 (yard gar)Yard gar- Arganese ML3

5x 48-50ish cigar with a maduro in color wrapper. There is a triple cap on this cigar and again it feels pretty tight when I squeeze it (starting to think it the humidity level I stored it in before smoking now). Real oily feeling wrapper with some small bumps throughout the cigar that I can feel.

1/3 The draw is a little snug upon first light. Initially it reminds me of what I get when I smoke a cigar with a mexican san adres wrapper, chocolate, bitter coffee, and a hint of pepper. The bitter coffee taste like the Cuban blend coffee I get from WaWa when it is available. The ash is all white and a little flakey as well. Flavor profile is medium to start with.

2/3 Draw opens up some now now. Getting the same notes from the smoke but they have become milder or not as in your face as they once were. I did give it a small touch up but it may have evened itself out if given the time to. Cigar is getting more airy as it goes deeper into this third.

3/3 The flavor comes back to life here. More pepper pops to the forefront but that quickly dissipates. Getting a pleasant leather taste on the finish now as well. Towards the end of the cigar the flavors die out again.

Conclusion- I like maduros a lot and this one was a decent one. I don't fault the times that I struggled to get flavor from it because it could have possibly been me not searching hard enough to get them. The cigar lasted 1.5 hrs and I think that this was the yard gar but could easily have been the mid range.


Review for cigar #1 (top shelf) mid range- Oliva V double robusto

5x50-52ish milk chocolate in color. Cigar has a triple cap with just a little give when squeezed. Minimal veins and the seems are almost invisible. Wrapper is silky smooth to the touch. From appearance alone I would be shocked if this wasn't a high end cigar.

1/3 Initial flavor after l light it is pepper and all pepper. I like pepper bombs and this one feels like it is going to fit right in on that note. The cigar starts to get a little dry but I have a drink handy for that. 1/2 inch in and the pepper is building but I think I am experiencing some oak in there as well. Burn line is razor sharp. The ash is white with grey streaks and holding strong but I knock it off around 3/4 inch because of habit really. Tons of smoke out put on this one.

2/3 Pepper decided to take a break for a bit and now that oak I thought I tasted is definitely in there. I don't normally get a nicotine buzz from cigars but this one just gave me one. Pepper starting to fade back into the mix. There is a note in there that I feel the pepper is drowning out or I just don't have a refined enough palate to figure out what it is. Towards the end of this third I do get a slight meaty taste but not like a charred meat.

3/3 Pepper fades again and some spiciness comes in, possible cayenne note. The retro is real smooth oak at this point compared to earlier where it was all pepper and would make me sneeze. There is definitely something else in there that I can't put my finger on what it is.

Conclusion- I nubbed this cigar and it took me about 1 hr and 45 min to do so. This would be a cigar that I would always want to keep on hand, while a lean more towards maduros this was really good. Hopefully I am wrong about this being the top shelf but performance is agreeing with that guess. I kind of think this was a cigar that would come out of a Pepin factory from the flavors.


Thank you 99Cobra those were some good cigars and while I am confident in my guesses I could also see myself being way off because they all had their strong points while smoking them.

shaun341 wrote:

Shaun,
I'm glad you liked all the cigars I sent. Great reviews of them too. Hope you enjoy the Las Calaveras sampler.

The DC usually just wow me with the smoothness and rich flavors, maybe I sent you a dud.

The Arganese ML3s are a cheapie but with some rest they outperform most yard gars imho.

Finally, the Oliva V double robusto, great review of this one made me want to go light one up, though I was fairly sure Chazbo had sent me one that I smoked for my no. 2 review, but I was mistaken, interested to see what it was. They're a solid smoke and I often tell my smallish local the Oliva Vs are the best cigar they sell.

Anthony

99cobra2881 wrote:

ypetryna....just waiting on your last review and then I will reveal the cigars. I think you will be pretty surprised on the cigars.

stinger88 wrote:

0 for 3.

stinger88 wrote:

Review of Shaun's #1 unbanded.

Small perfecto cigar (I have a good idea what it is but I will put that at the bottom). It is a deep, medium brown with an open foot. Prelight....and I am not going to hold any punches. The cigar smelled like poop. Not "it smelled bad" but no kidding poop. It seemed to fade once I got it outside and let it air out. The smell had me a little nervous but what the hell, I am going to go for it.

It was an easy light, I was able to just use a little single flame torch to light it properly. After the first few puffs, the cigar took off and really started to pour out the smoke (from both ends). The flavor was a lot smoother than I thought it was going to be. The initial smell was already gone and I was enjoying the cigar. It had a darker grey ash that held on for at least 3/4 of an inch. I noticed that the cigar had a pretty thick wrapper and was burning slower than I thought it would. The cigar definitely had some earthy tones to it. Pretty solid smoke.

Once I made it past the 1/2 way mark it turned a little bitter....it might have been that I inhaled to fast/hard and got it too hot. I backed off on the power of intake and it made a big difference. So, others that smoke this one be warned, if you chief this cigar it won't taste nearly as good. As I sit here about an hour or so after smoking it, I still have a pleasant aftertaste going. (a rarity)

Overall, it was a pretty good cigar. Since I think I know what it is.....a La Aurora Preferidos (a premium cigar)....I should say that it was a premium cigar, however it performed more like the medium cigar to me.

Thanks Shaun, I do love doing these blind tests. Don't respond to my guess until I do all of the reviews. I don't want to taint my opinion on the others because of your answer.

David.

stinger88 wrote:

#2 Robusto , medium brown, round, double cap. It also had a closed foot. Overall the cigar has the exact appearance of leather.
Pre-light gave me some pepper but nothing over powering.

It was very easy to light, especially with the closed foot. Only thing about a closed foot is that when you start getting ash at the end of the cigar, it looks all ragged. First inch it is pretty nice. It has a very creamy feel to it. Feels like it is coating my tongue. Reminds me of a Tat Cohete or a PCR. Ash was a very light grey. It held to about 1 1/2 inches. The coating feeling has faded away, leaving a very pleasant woodsy flavor. I can feel the high level of nicotine already. This one could be a doozy.

Half way through and I think I might have tainted the flavor a bit by drinking a Monster Energy Ultra Violet. The grape taste actually mixed well with the cigar. The little bit of sweetness in my mouth following a sip worked very well with the cigar. I did try to back off of the drink so that i could try to get more flavor from the cigar.

Last third and I am really getting a leather/musky flavor from it. It isn't a bad flavor. I took the cigar down to about 3/4 of an inch.

Overall the cigar was really good. From the construction to the nice rich flavor throughout, I would say that this is the High End Cigar.

#3
I was a bit of slacker on this one. I didn't take too many notes. I think that lies in the overall performance of the cigar. The cigar was a light brown (lighter than its two brothers). Again it was in the robusto size. It was hard to tell if it was a single or double cap. Pre- light , it had a very easy draw after cutting. Once lit, it burned crooked for about an inch and then leveled out. The ash was a medium gray with some darker gray areas. The ash consistently stayed on until it reached an inch and then fell off.
The first half of the cigar was nice. It wasn't anything that knocked my socks off. As others and myself have stated, it was pretty much a one note taste. I tried not to chief it too bad because anytime I took a big draw on it, it would get a little bitter. No big tastes jumped out at me. I smoked it down to about a 1/3rd left and tossed it. Overall it wasn't a bad cigar, it just didn't give me much flavor while smoking it. I would guess this is the yard gar. I could definitely see me smoking one of these if I was busy doing some work or yard work. If you weren't really hunting for all of the flavor profiles and just wanted something to billow out smoke, this is your cigar.

Shaun thank you for the cigars....and then the additional cigars. I can't wait to try the others you sent. If you have any info on them, feel free to pass it along.

Thanks again.

David.

stinger88 wrote:

Ughhhh

I've got reviews on my phone but i sit in a workspace with no phones now and i forget everynight.... Maybe lunch today...

namadio wrote:

Better get on it before I forget where I put the bands that came with those cigars 🤔

euodias wrote:

Okay, found the bands. They were:

1) AF Magnum Rosado - Mid range
2) 262 Allegiance Robusto - Under $5
3) LFD La Nox - Premium

Again, I cheated a little since I don't really keep true yard 'gars around. The 262 retails for more, but was recently sold for $3.50 a stick on clearance else where.

euodias wrote: