Blind Review Cigar #1
Pre-light= Deep brown, not a super dark brown but deep. Looks like it has the remnants of a box press on it. Length 6 inches probably a 46-48 ring. The foot has a mix of lighter and very dark (almost black) tobacco. Cap looks a little bit sloppy.

Cigar lit easily and had an initial “sweet” draw. It went straight into a nice even burn. An interesting flavor to it. It has been while but it reminds me of a cigar I had quite some time ago (La Riqueza). A slight harshness sets in for about a half dozen inhales…didn’t really detract from the cigar. Seemed to be a transitionary point of the cigar. As it left the first 1/3 there were some surprising nuances to the flavor profile.

The harshness slipped right into a leathery flavor with tinges of sweetness hanging on. Harshness has completely gone away. The 2nd 1/3 really smoothed out and seemed to leave a bit of a “coating” in the back of the throat. Burn was still straight and had a nice light gray ash. At this point…just passed the half-way point, I wrote down that the strength was a mild-medium.

Last 1/3, I might have spoken (written) too soon about the strength. The nicotine launched itself from the top rope and came in with a thump.

Overall, the cigar wasn’t very complex to me. After a somewhat rocky start, it really evened out and became a very enjoyable smoke. I think that doing the review allowed me to enjoy this cigar fully. I was able to power through the part of the cigar that wasn’t the most enjoyable and land right in a nice little comfort zone.

I am going to say this is the lower end of the 3 cigars.

(Delta, I am going to guess that all three of the cigars that you sent me have been chilling out in your humidor(s) for a decent amount of time. Thanks for a good one right out of the gate.)

Blind Taste Review: 6/24/2022

Cigar “A”, sent by DED


Start time: 8:55pm Finish: 10:07pm Duration: 1 hr, 12 min


The cigar measured 5 and 5/8” and its ring gauge was a tight 46, a loose 48 (47?). The wrapper was a reddish light brown color, dull/matte finish. Could be criollo, corojo or habano leaf. Triple cap. No obvious fragrances. Cold draw was open with a little resistance…perfect. Tasted like nearly all pre-light draws - dried fruit. Paired with iced water.

First few puffs and I noticed the absence of pepper in the flavor profile; what was there was grassy/like hay and flowery, mostly tasted through the nose. Taste buds in my mouth aren’t sensitive to subtle cigar flavors, only recognizing generic cigar smoke. A few more puffs and I’m thinking, “is that Cuban twang?” About the one inch mark, a slightly sweet bready note appears, complementing the grass and flower mixture.

It seems to be standard practice to section off a cigar into thirds when doing a review, so I’ll follow that protocol. I detected a slightly sweet citrus flavor in the second third. It replaced the flowery note. The grassy hay and bread mix is dominant, and there is more twang. Some hints of mild mint pop in and out. Strength is mild-medium. Burn is true. Ash is flaky and drops off while the cigars sits in the tray. Very good cigar! Strength coming on near end of second third as well as some very mild pepper notes. The second third ends with a nice blend of citrus, grass and bread: the flavors are blending into a kind of broth where individual flavors are difficult to pick out.

Third third and the twang retreats. The flavors remain blended together into a nice indescribable broth, without salt. Strength is picking up…feeling a little jittery. Some sweetness appears in a few puffs along with a small dash of mint. Ash holding on in second half of cigar. Final third can be summed up as a minty veggie blend.

Very nice cigar that had me drooling in anticipation of next puff. I’ll wait until I smoke “B” and “C” before ranking them and guessing their identities.

Thank you, DED, for this great cigar.


^#81: yes Stinger...cigars have been stored for awhile in my humidor...some longer than others

Plebian Palate Reviews Vol III
Cigar #3

6in in length. Looks to be about 50 gauge. A toro if I've ever seen one.

The wrapper's very dark and a bit mottled, oily sheen in the light, I'd say it's a maduro.
Seams are tight. A few fair sized stems showing. A somewhat rustic appearance overall.
The cigar feels firmly packed. Draw was easy once again. No need to adjust.

There was a blast of pepper on lighting. It faded within a couple of puffs to a very smooth smoke.
A strong taste of cedar is out front. I'm also picking up some sweetness like a molasses, some coffee notes, dark cocoa, and just a touch of salt.
The profile stayed pretty consistent throughout until the last couple of inches when the molasses made a move for top position, but then the cedar slapped it back into the pack.
I got Dominican vibes from this one. Maybe a Fuente

The burn got a little wavy at times, but generally it self corrected. I love it when a cigar does the work for me.

Ash a very light gray, almost white, and was very tight throughout. It held on through the first 3rd before I encouraged its departure into the ashtray.

Overall it was a very pleasant and consistent smoke. Burn time was an hour and a half.

So here we have another one I'm unwilling to label as an everyday smoke. It's clear to me that Stinger cheated and sent me nothing but top shelf.

Ok, so the final call for these:
#1 - Connie that surprised me with the amount of flavor it had. First glance had it as an everyday. Smoking elevated it to the mid-range and I think I'm going to stick with that.

#2 - Habano seeming wrapper that hit my sweet spot. It didn't transition the same as #1 but the flavors it had rotated nicely throughout. Seemed like a Tat and I'm leaving that at top shelf.

#3 - Maduro that burned nicely and was consistent through the smoking experience if not overly dynamic. I'll call it the everyday smoke since that's the only slot I have left.

Thanks again to stinger for the great set of smokes!

So, a patient man would wait for David to tell me how wrong I was. But I've got an envelope of labels so fuque that chit.

#1 was an Isabella Churchill. Clearly the top shelf and deserving of such.

#2 was a Guillermo Leon corona gorda. I love these. I've smoked many, but they are definitely not a Tat and I assume intended to be the everyday smoke.

#3 was the Diamond Crown Maximus toro. Also a good smoke, but I believe intended to be the mid range in this set.

So that leaves me at 0 for 3 this year. You'd think I'd learn to take my gut instinct, shuffle the hell out of them, and finally get one or two of these right for once. Oh well. At least I had fun.

don't trouble yourself over your erroneous conjectures, SOB. I haven't got anything correct over the past few years of participation. Your reviews are entertaining reads...


But...on the other hand... I haven't gone as far abroad as declaring with absolute certainty that a Nica Libre was a Padron Anniversary!!!

Yeah, being certain about something shoulda been my first clue I was off. At least nobody took me up on the $7 bet

Is that a true story?

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Is what a true story?

Blind Smoke #2~

Double capped robusto with a very smooth beautiful wrapper which appears to be habano or Corojo by appearance, no seams nor prominent veins. Nose is barnyard light not heavy. Cut well pre draw is sourdough bread and red pepper.

Initial light, bad idea for a morning cigar. Tons of oak and some red pepper. A bit in and neither is subsiding, I thought for a minute that it reminded me a bit of the old DPG Cuban Classic.

Halfway point the oak and pepper have calmed their tits, getting a very faint floral impression but mainly still the oak and pepper though now not almost overwhelming. Glad to see the blend have some complexity as the construction is excellent.

Final third nothing has really changed. If I were to guess I’d say maybe I have no clue, closest thing this reminds me of is a JDN. I definitely enjoyed the first cigar more than this and not just because of the strength but the profile and complexity factor (and the first wasn’t overly complex). I wouldn’t say this is a blow torch as this was in the morning but my sinuses are tingling like Linda Lovelace’s throat. I would say I wouldn’t buy this but I didn’t hate smoking it. It performed well in construction and burn the profile just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Yes it was paired with a 5 shot breve.

Blind Review, “B”, sent by DED

Start: 8:55pm Finish 10:05pm Total time: 1hr, 10min
Paired with iced water

This cigar was 5 and 1/2 inches long with a 44+ ring gauge - classic corona. The wrapper was light brown with a very slight greenish hue and a dull sheen; definitely a Connie Shade leaf. Neatly triple capped, it was solid to the pinch, firm and tightly and smoothly rolled. Negligible pre-light fragrance. Good draw.

First few puffs were surprisingly strong in flavors but not overwhelmingly so. There was a core of charred light wood, mild pepper and toast. The flavors settled down into a mild and mellow volume…some earthy herbal notes came and went in the first inch or so. There was a slight sweetness on the finish through the nose. The ash was solid until it splattered on my lap at about 1 and a half inches.

Second third and the herbal earthiness became more apparent but secondary to a transition to a toasty, bready, burnt caramel blend that became dominant as the charred wood and mild pepper faded away. Sweetness also gone. There was a creaminess in the mouth when I swirled the smoke with my tongue.

Third third came with some citrus peel notes in the mouth followed later by a few gingerbread notes. The primary flavor on the retrohale was the blend of toasted bread and caramel. They continued on as the dominant flavors and was joined by the herbal earthiness on an equal footing as the cigar approached the finish line. At the end, the charred wood joined the herbal earthiness as the toast and caramel faded. When some harshness appeared with about an inch left, I put it down.

The cigar finished at about mild to medium in strength. This was a very nice cigar that would be a perfect mild and mellow morning smoke with coffee.

Thanks to DED, for sending me this great cigar that would be perfect to start the day with a cuppa coffee.

I will make my guesses as to the identities of these fine cigars when I review the "C". It may be delayed because I am having a couple of teeth extracted tomorrow morning...

Sorry that didn't align with your tastes better, Z. If it's any consolation, I choked on my water at the calmed their tits line.

oral surgeon's assistant told me to go on a one week hiatus from cigars after tooth extraction...I'll do the third review in a week and venture my guesses then.

Dry socket sucks. Take all the time you need, Delta

This was marked #1 from Marcus (mjrburn)

A 6” X about 47 RG kinda a Corona Gorda with a dark Colorado, mottled, oily, lumpy wrapper and a closed foot like a Tat Black. Slightly sloppy wrapper near the foot but solid construction with some heft to it. Kinda a triple cap with a mounted head.

I picked up a little molasses on the cold draw. Very straight burn and a strong gray ash that held firm to 2” mark when tapped. Started slowly building from mild-medium to medium throughout the 70 minutes of smoking. By the 1st third the flavors were tending to roasted meaty and coffee/cream notes with some dark fruit like plum and the dense smoke was coating the tongue with a slight tingle of citrus peel. I’m thinking this is well-aged tobacco but no Nic kick was
noted .

The 2nd third intensified with a tangy but not twangy mix of very smooth notes of caramel, creamy coffee, and plum cake or maybe raisin . Very subtle flavors of molasses and some dark sweet tea played nicely with toasty leather that appeared about that point. The last 3rd was more of the same but never passed the medium and almost no spice even on the retro. Very well balanced and subtle throughout with creamy notes of raisin, leather and plum coming and going constantly. Toward the end the it got a little stronger but never got hot and left that roasted meat taste on the pallet for hours.

Nubbed it with the nubber tool that Marcus gifted and thoroughly enjoyed it. I might call this the top shelf cigar except for the rustic construction, so I’m going to say the medium tier. I would smoke these any day and need to know what it was. Very interesting and right in my wheelhouse for a medium smoke.

Thanks Markus!

Edit from Markus on July 6: Stolen Throne Call To Arms cg, mid level.

Ok here we go with #3

Appearance is a 5x?? Severely box pressed cigar I see a double cap but it’s hard to be sure the wrapper was pretty wet when this was rolled there wrinkles on the head of the cigar. Wrapper is mottled brown with a touch of a brick hue to it, no prominent veins and it is well rolled. Nose is nothing but faint barnyard. Prelight is sourdough with a touch of cherry.

Light and it hits me with oak and some mild sweetness, a hint of nuttiness and a slight sourness. That may be my fault as I’m enthralled with the perfect draw this is giving me. This is reminding me of something but I’ll hold off on that for now I don’t want to bias this.

Halfway in no major shifts or changes and that’s fine the sourness hasn’t subsided though so I did purge it. Helped slightly. Mainly still oak and mild sweetness. Very unobtrusive and easy to smoke cigar in the am with a 6 shot breve (got an extra extra shot after that last cigar just in case…).

Finish was more of the same. This one was interesting and if that hint of sweetness wasn’t there that sour note paired with that oak would have been awful. I really enjoyed smoking it and if I were pressed to guess I’d say it was a Eiroa First 20 years. Though I don’t remember it tasting like that, BUT I usually buy the maduro version.

Enjoyed the experience on all 3 and will try to remember getting the envelope from home on my lunch break. I didn’t enclose an envelope for Ron because last memory of doing this pass I posted the Ad Print from CI on each cigar for the answers. My bad if I should have inclosed that for him but he is sneaky and probably would cheat.

Me saying I wouldn’t buy something earlier should be prefaced, I don’t smoke very much at all anymore and when I do it’s generally just a few that I have narrowed my collection to or a few new to me try it’s. All three I smoked were VERY well rolled and preformed pretty well (the last one drew and burned perfectly) so my impressions were just that. I don’t think I tell anyone “NO” if we’re sitting down and it was offered.

I would HOPE they were in order of:
1) mid tier
2) everyday
3) premium

But I have a feeling 1 & 2 are actually reversed in reality.

Thanks SOB I had fun even when #2 kicked my azz! And as soon as I get off call one of those beers is dead.

Your feeling is accurate, sir. I'll save ya an envelope run.

#1 Man o War Damnation - everyday
#2 Crux Union Fire - mid tier
And a near dead nuts guess on #3
Eiroa PCA Exclusive '21 for the top tier

Some nice reviewing and excellent guessing, Jamie. I enjoyed the reads

Wow, don’t think I’ve ever had a Crux before, but my local carried the Ninfa’s or whatever they’re called and I thought about getting one! I’ve got some reading to do. I used to smoke a LOT of original MOW they aged really well, loved the non-Corona sized called Coronas. Hadn’t had any exclusive Eiroa! Appreciate the send on that it was a very good cigar!

Ninfamaniacs. I've got a couple waiting but haven't tried yet. The Union Fire and Limitada are purty good, but there is some spice to the UF. Limitada had some pepper but was better balanced overall from what I remember

You sent me one of those too. I haven’t tried it either. Gonna have to get to that one

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