Starting in on Stingers number 2 cigar. A dark brown corona with a nipple cap and slight fantail. No preflight aroma. Inconsistent color along a pretty rough and veiny wrapper. Initially figured this could be the yard gar and #1 for high end on appearances until I smoked #1 yesterday.

Clipped the cap, just a faint spice on prelight draw. First light huge flavors. Initially hit with cocoa and sweet cinnamon and cedar, some bite on retrohale but not at all harsh. Has a light and sweet raisin finish. Burn is even, and the ash tight at an inch or so. I don't think I've had this one before. Strength and spice already ramping up.

Foot is pretty smokey, making me think maybe a LP.

I'm enjoying this one a lot more than yesterday's. Settling into the rich creamy sweet flavors of dried fruits n nuts. Love this in a cigar.

Halfway ish at 30 minutes. The spice has muted, theres very little bite on retrohale. It's just rich, cream and dried fruit, finishes with a slightly astringent walnut. It's strong too. I ate before I left work, couple pieces of French toast and some bacon. Glad I did or I might go green on this one. At halfway I'll call it the premium.

45 minutes in, still got 2.5 inches to go, and still thoroughly enjoying the smoke. Flavors are starting to blend more, and I'm retrohaling less as it's started to bite more. Still sweet, rich, creamy and delicious. Some notes of bbq going on as well.

Down to 6% battery on my phone and 1 inch on the cigar. I'm gonna nub it. It's leather and cedar and then slowly finishes like a roasted walnut or coffee beans. So damn good. Clipped it into a pair of hemostats and singed my mustache.

#2 high end. No doubt. 70 minutes on this one. Outside of the blind reviews I'd never smoke an hour plus after work. I would save this for the end of a track day or a late night by the campfire with puppy dog.

Thank you for whatever this was David. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Great reviews so far Dan.

I have finally completed all 3 of my blind reviews. It was fun and also helped me to understand how my tastes have changed over the past year pretty dramatically except for in one aspect which you will see in my reviews.

Cigar #1

6x48ish dark brown wrapper with a couple veins and slightly toothy appearance. Dark chocolate prelight aroma.

1/3 First dominant note I get is of bitter chocolate with a touch of pepper and maybe some nutmeg. My mouth is getting a little dry which makes me think of nutmeg some. Earthy pepper picks up a bit and the finish is much like a charred steak right off the grill. Ash was a marble white and black, a little flaky and I knocked off the ash about a 1/2 inch in. Burn line is straight and the cigar is producing a good amount of smoke.

2/3 Pepper turns to spicy cayenne with the bitter chocolate still in the forefront and a dry leather finish. The body of the smoke is not heavy, it is actually rather thin but still a lot of it, kind of reminds me of the old LP9s or T52s how the smoke is just pouring from the end of the cigar as well.

3/3 A heavy dose of pepper starts it off but it fades quickly. Leather and earthy tones are prominent now. I'd call this cigar a med/full on the verge of just full. Had to touch it up once here to catch up a wonky burn line. Finishes much the way it started.

Almost 2 hours of smoke time (I smoke pretty slow) and I much enjoyed this cigar. I would guess this to be the high end of the three because it was the most complex by far of the three. My guess, even though I have never smoked one would be something like a Last Call Maduro because it taste much like the naturals but with that connecticut broadleaf added flavor to it.


Cigar #2

This cigar looks much like a connie to me. I haven't had a connie in probably 5 years because I don't care for them but my interest are peaked because lately I have noticed that I reach for cc more often than not. My taste preference has moved from the nc powerhouses it seems. THis one has me curious if I will enjoy a connie now or still not.

6x52ish with a soft box press. Seems are hardly noticeable and it feels smooth as silk. No prelight taste or aroma.

1/3 Starts off just like I had remembered a connie to taste. Burnt ash and a vegetal dry quality to it. I am in hopes of this turning for the better as it burns deeper in. Start to get a minty note now with a slight spiciness to it. The burn line is perfect on this cigar and the ash is an off white color. The cigar produces plenty of smoke that I would call mild and leaves my mouth really dry. A touch of black pepper enters the mix but still has the connie taste to it. Knock the ash off 1" in even though it was holding tight.

2/3 Getting a bitter dry tobacco taste now, almost like that taste you get when putting your tongue on the end of a battery. Switches back to that burnt ash taste and still a very dry smoke. At this point I am more than half way through the cigar and as much as I want to finish for the review I am just not enjoying the experience enough.

I would guess this to be the low end cigar. As much as I didn't enjoy this cigar I can't really say it was because of the cigar but probably more so because of my taste preferences. To me a connie taste like a marlboro on steroids and I appreciate the opportunity to try one after all these years and right when my taste preferences where changing to the milder side. However, I still just don't enjoy connies at all. (Guess I shouldn't assume it a connie yet though since I could be wrong here still).


Cigar #3

5x50 classic robusto size with a lighter side of maduro color wrapper. Pick up one blemish in the wrapper but can't tell if it is from transportation or quality control. Couple veins showing and just slightly toothy. No distinct prelight taste or aroma.

1/3 Starts off earthy with a dark rich chocolate flavor. Just a enough black pepper on the finish to keep me enticed as well. Maybe a leather note mixed in there as well. The ash is tight, white and grey marbled. Straight burn line as well with plenty of smoke. The smoke is thicker than cigar #1. Pepper dissipates and that rich chocolate note takes over.

2/3 Enters the same as the first, rich chocolate note is dominant still. It is kind of a one dimensional cigar so far but I am enjoying that dimension.

3/3 No changes to the cigar to note of. The retro produces a little pepper but overall the cigar is a chocolate bomb and never transitions into other dimensions for me. Some don't like that butif the flavor is right which this one is for me I enjoy it.

Smoking time was 1 hour 20 minutes, I would guess this cigar as the mid range because #1 was more complex. I think I would probably be more interested in stocking this cigar though as it fit my preference better. I would almost guess this to be a Padron but it wasn't box pressed so that eliminates them,



Thanks Phil for the cigars to review. I know that the review for #2 sounds pretty bad but I honestly was most intrigued by that cigar because of my changes in preference lately. Also am very curious to know what each one was because I am not sure I have had any of them before.

Nice reviewing Dan & Shaun

Some really fantastic reviews by everyone. I really need to step up my review game before next year. Shaun, I tried my best to include some cigars that I thought you may not have tried yet. Hope you had as much fun with this game as I did.

Without further ado.

#1 - La Aurora Untamed Corona Gorda (Low)
#2 - MBombay Gaaja Toro (High)
#3 - Edition One Cloud Hopper No. 485 (Mid)

I like the Untamed a lot. Seems to be an endangered species though. The Extreme is floating around but wasn't as good IMO

Did we just get a low that was rated a high?

Diamond in the ruff?

That's what this is all about right!

I have one of those marinating from a bomb. I'll have to try it.

Yeah we did Gummy

and a high rated as low

At least I was right on the Connie wrapper

Well I was 100% sure I smoked a cuban and even named which one

Turns out it was a swisher

Stingers number 3 cigar this morning against my better judgement. It's a toro, the largest size I'll buy myself and rarely. Don't have the attention span for a long smoke like this, and I need to get to bed. I was going to wait till tomorrow when it's not a worknight, but it's my last night of the workweek and I'm not in charge tonight so I can be a little more tired than usual. Plus, I got a cunning squirrel I need to shoot so I'm sitting out back with a rifle ready to go.

Medium brown, nearly flawless wrapper, pungent dry hat aroma made me sneeze when I sniffed it. Cold draw is spicy. Had this pegged midrange by appearances, and by the process of elimination from the first two, my initial impression stands.

First light is unimpressive. Very astringent, feel like it sucked the moisture right outta my mouth. Initial retro is promising, there's a slight sweetness on the finish. Hopefully it just takes an inch to get into it.

About an inch in, I'm still not feeling it. Somewhat harsh, reminds me of most General/Altadis Cigar products. No real discernable flavors other than burning leaves and still leaving my mouth feeling dusty and dry. Tastes like fall when I light the leaf pile on fire with used motor oil.

I'm changing my mind here. This is the yard gar. Number 1 was midrange. 2 high, 3 low.

Maybe 2 inches in, and I'm really disliking it. Sour, harsh, really an unpleasant experience. The ash is blossoming out like a banana peel, and dropping all over. Burn is uneven and needed two corrections to get this far. I hate it. Tossed it in the ditch.

Gonna brush my teeth and then I'll check the envelope to see what they are.

Results from Stinger's envelope of bands.

1.) A.J. Fernandez Last call $5 I knew this was a familiar profile. I looked up the MOWPA while I was smoking it and the caps didn't match, the MOWPA has a nipple cap

2.) Liga Privada Dirty Rat $15 I had a feeling it was a unico series. I've never had one, but this is what I imagined they'd be. I looked up LP pictures while I was smoking it and didn't see anything that matched. But the flavor was still screaming LP

3.) Montecristo Platinum Series $11 I have only enjoyed maybe 8 of the 100 General/Altadis cigars I've smoked in the last 4-5 years. They were regular fare (along with acids and stuff too) when I first started smoking cigars. Probably went through 200ish between all the brands. When cbid had the GAP cigars listed I bought a few boxes of various things and I ended up giving away every box I bought after smoking part of one cigar from each. Did not enjoy a single one.

I'm pretty impressed with myself on the guesses, though I reversed the price point evaluation with 1 and 3 while smoking #3. I was considering leaving it the midrange, and pegging it as a General/Altadis Cigar, but I was getting mad at it for sucking so I downgraded.

Love doing blind reviews.

Thank you David 🇨🇮

Dan, your reviews were right on the money. Sorry to have sent you the Monte. It was kind of an experiment. I would review it the same way. I was hoping it was just me. Especially at the price point that they can be sold at. I know some folks don’t care for the LPs but I like them. I am fond of producing as much of a cloud of smoke as possible.

Now smoke the Tat TAA to get the taste of the Monte out of your mouth. Maybe I should have put the Monte as #1 so the other two could have left you on a good note.

David

ok guys, here goes...I actually smoked danm's cigars over 3 different days...but wrote each review as I smoked them
First I smoked cigar labeled #2...all 3 cigars were dressed in custom blank white bands marked with #, very nice touch.

#2 was 43/4 long beauty. Triple cap,slight tooth, Conny wrapper. Beautiful construction. No veins in wrapper, but a couple of large veins in binder showing through.
Aroma at foot is sweet tobacco. I used a punch cut, and prelight draw was easy and open.
Prelight flavor had me baffled. It tasted familiar but I couldn't quite figure it out...was getting cinnamon, but there was another flavor...after about 5 minutes of drawing on it, the flavor finally came to me...I'm not sure if everyone will know the flavor, but I think you New Englanders will...it was pretty close to the licorice flavor NECCO Wafer...really.
Upon light up, I got slight pepper, and some floral notes, and that Necco Wafer licorice...on the retro I got another flavor I couldn't place, but I liked it...very enjoyable.
Burn was even with a tight grey ash...first ash dropped at about a half hour in, right about start of 2/3...
2/3 showed slight pepper and that sweet mystery flavor, possibly floral...perfect burn line to this point
3/3 starts about an hour in, getting pepper and sweet tobacco, and that sweet floral flavor on retro...smoked to a half inch nub....
I really enjoyed this smoke, not sure what it is, but I liked it....upon visual examination of the 3 cigars, I'm going to guess this to be the Mid range...but I reserve the right to update rankings, as you will see later...

very impressive danm...good job id'ing those cigars stinger sent you...

RMAN...you just nailed a mystery that's been nagging at me...that flavor that I've recognized occasionally in some cigars but have been unable to ID is the "Necco wafer licorice" which is different from other licorice candies...

Holy carp, I'm at a total loss.

Got the chest crud the day before Yaro's cigars hit my porch. About 6 hours later, I left the state for a 9 day excursion. I was in Florida. I made a few pilgrimages and bought a few cigars to bring home. Had the crud on the entire trip, so no cigar smoking for me the entire time. Literally 10 hours after I got home, I went straight to work. My chest stuff was clearing up, but my jet lag plus the catch-up from work was a bear. Long hours and straight to bed for the Mattster all last week. The following week (this week) I'm feeling better and I'm ready to start my first review, and...

...I can't find the frigging cigars! I know I put them in my man-cave before I left. In the brief whirlwind of time that I was packing up the night before I left and then trying to get a wink before my 2:00 AM wake-up, I do not have a clear recollection as to what specifically I did with them in the man-cave. Sometimes, when I'm in a hurry, I just put the bag of cigars from a trade in one of my humidors to rest until I can unbag them and add them to my inventory. I've gone through all of my humis and couldn't find the bag. Just for grins, I checked my inventory and couldn't find the two banded cigars that Yaro had included, which tells me that they should be in their cigar bag, somewhere. I went through all of the drawers in my work bench (every man-cave should have one), went through my suitcase, went through my traveldores and even poked into my gun safe, just in case. Nope not there. Not anywhere.

Yaro my brother, I do believe that I am no longer in possession of your fine cigars. An unlikely scenario is that the house-sitter's boyfriend helped himself to them while we were gone. A more likely scenario is that they somehow were tossed. I don't have a clue how this could have happened, as I'm not in a habit of tossing cigars. We get a lot of packages and I do quite a bit of trading, so this is a remote possibility. But we are big cardboard recyclers. And I'm anal-retentive about breaking down all of the boxes for recycling. I just can't imagine how your cigar bag and envelope could have inadvertently been tossed, even if it mistakenly was in a box scheduled for recycling. I still have your shipping box and double checked it. No dice. I'm at a total loss.

I feel like a schmuck. I'm going to keep looking, but I do believe the prospects are slim that they end up found in some undiscovered location. My deepest apologies. I love these Spring Mystery reviews. Without a familiar band, I smoke each cigar without expectation. I pay attention to the experience more. I enjoy the cigars more. And a few of the mystery cigars I've smoked have turned out to be new favorites.

I'm so sorry, brother Yaro. I will let you all know immediately if they turn up, but after going through all of my man-cave, I think it's unlikely.

Mattster the Schmuck

Well done.

if they were up your azz you'd know it.


they are there and they will find you. don't worry...have I ever lied to you before?

right?
best mooch post since busa left town.

On the bright side, I do still have the hot pepper spread. I went through the kitchen cabinet where I put it in the hopes that the cigars would somehow be there. No luck.

No mooching intended. I get a huge kick outta reading the reviews of the mystery cigars I pick out and send. I feel like a putz because Yaro won’t get to experience that.