These are the reviews of the 5 Cigars that I sent to them for participating in the "Calling all vets" Thread. Thank you both for your participation and I can't wait to see your reviews. I will reveil the actual cigars once they have both posted.
Shaffej3

what a phenomanal (sp) review! think i may go get a box of them right now...lol

I thought so myself. LOL! Actually Ferg has smoked a couple of them and will post today and Homebrew will start today or tomorrow. They will post them one at a time this week.

lol, ok bro... BTW did you smoke up your holiday fuente package?

wes

I have been saving them. I did smoke one of the Opus X though. I will probably smoke the Anejo during the Superbowl.

My first attempt at reviewing cigars, be easy on me fellas!!

Cigar #4:

I chose this one first, it was early a.m. Saturday and I was wanting somewhat of a mild cigar, and I figured this would be the one. Boy was I in for a surprise!!

The cigar is slightly box pressed, robusto sized, with a light brown wrapper. Construction appears to be good, but the cigar is not in the best of shape. Several cracks are noticeable in the wrapper.

Prelight draw is good, with notes of sweetness and caramel. Lit perfectly, cigar seems a bit dry and burns quickly, probably because I did not give it enough time to readjust after shipping.

Throughout the first third of this cigar there is not much to speak about, slightly sweet just kind of blah.... however when it starts getting past the 1/3 mark some noticeable spiciness is starting to form, and by the half way mark this sucka is super spicy. I mean cinnamon hot spicy, the spiciness that makes the tongue go numb. It reminds me of a little red hot candy I used to eat as a youngster. The abundance of spice seemed to cover up any other characteristics pertaining to this cigar. The cigar seemed to mellow out over the finale, or maybe it was just that my tongue was still numb from the spiciness.

I would consider this a medium bodied cigar. The wrapper held together very well considering the shape I thought it was in initially. It had a fairly even burn, that was a bit quick and hot at times. This cigar needs to be smoked very slowly. It ended up taking me almost 45 minutes for a robusto. I very seldom smoke light wrapper cigars, but this one was not bad. I would give it 4 out of 5, not one that I will smoke on a regular basis, but one I would definitely not mind every now and then.

I have absolutely no guess at to what this cigar is, I know if I would have smoked one before I would have remembered it.

NOTE: Two days later and I was still thinking about that spice. Maybe I do want another; I gotta have one more, at least one more before I can say if I actually liked it or not. I am very curious to see what this one is.

great review Ferg

Cigar #5:

It was time for Football on Sunday, and I was looking for a big smoke that would last a while. This one seemed to have football written all over it.

It was Churchill in size, I would estimate a 7” x 52, and it appeared to be a light Maduro. This cigar will definitely not win any beauty contest. In fact in some ways I can relate. I have had 8 knee surgeries, and arthritis is setting in. That is how this cigar kind of looked, crooked, bumpy, like it was in pain, the same way my knees usually feel. However someone once told me that looks were not everything and that is definitely true about this cigar. It was firmly packed and had no noticeable soft spots.

Cut, roll, and light went flawless, the Prelight draw had strong hints of grass, not a quality I like in a cigar, but I was determined to trudge on open minded. The burn on this thing was incredible, I smoked it slow, and the burn was absolutely perfect without any problems.

The ash was a light gray, and the first 3rd of the cigar had noticeable hints of cedar, caramel, with a strong woodsy aftertaste. I am starting to think that I am going to like this cigar. It reminds me of a Sosa Maduro, one of my favorite daily’s, but having never smoke a Sosa Maduro of this size I could not be sure.

The cigar changes dramatically about the half way point, it now has strong notes of black cherry, caramel, cinnamon, and an overall nice sweetness building throughout. This is a pretty complex cigar, and I am liking it more and more as it burns to the nub. The finish was excellent; in fact I got more into the cigar and game after the half way point and quit taking notes. Shame on me, however I will be getting more of these for the ballgames, when I can spend a 1 ½ hours enjoying a cigar.

I would say that this cigar was also medium bodied, had a nice amount of smoke. I do not know exactly what this smoke is, but it still reminds me of a Sosa. I do not think it is a Sosa because they were not box pressed like the Sosa is. It did however have the same overlapping leaf/hem that is apparent in the Sosa Line.

I would give this cigar a 4.2 out of 5 a somewhat complex smoke, that is somewhat close to my taste characteristics.

Please tell me it is a cheapo, so I can work it into my rotation. I have to find a cheaper cigar that I enjoy, these high dollar premiums that I like so much are about to send me to the poor house.

Unknown Smoke #2
Natural Torpedo.
Almost seamless wrapper, very small veins, quite toothy for a natural wrapped cigar. Very well packed cigar, with no looseness, should smoke well.
Prelight aroma, mild barnyard smell. Something tells me this is going to be a hell of a smoke.
Starts out very creamy with a hint of pepper. A medium firm draw, with good, but not overwhelming smoke production. Wow, just a hint of melons, nice. Also noticing a touch of cinnamon, and background notes of leather. So far the construction appears to be top notch, even though I dropped it, removing it from the humidor, and slightly cracked the wrapper. It has a very straight burn, and a very firm ash, gray with flecks of black. Starts out light bodied, but goes to medium, at about one inch. Flavors are staying consistant, pepper is still in the background, but not too intense. So far, a very enjoyable smoke.
At the midway point, the strength is starting to build again, headed towards medium to full. I am really enjoying this smoke. The flavors, and construction remind me of a Torano Exodus silver, though I do not believe that this is a torano. The construction continues to be impeccable, only about 1/32” deviation, from razor-sharp burn. Smoke production is building as well, and the draw has loosened up, to become effortless, producing a huge volume of smoke. As I burn my fingers on the nub, I am wondering, what this delightful cigar is. I rarely enjoy a natural wrapped cigar, as much as I did this one. I would have to give this cigar a 4.0. The good flavor, matched with perfect construction, and a medium to full body, left me with a smile on my face.
2 questions though. Does this come in a maddie????? And can I afford to smoke this daily. Paired nicely with my morning coffee.
Thanks Jay
Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)

^ Topped so I can find it.
Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)

I have picked #1 to smoke, this morning, and will post a review this afternoon. It sure looks good. Hope looks ain't decieving. LOL I am going to eat before this one, yesterdays suprised me with it's strength.
Have a great day.
Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)

judging by the reviews and the limited time I have been smoking...I will guess that the #4 cigar is a Torano Tribute 03 and a Mayorga Churchhill. The #2 might actually be a Monte number 2...am I even close?

trib 03 is not toothy.

oops misread his post the 03 is not a maddie.

Unknown cigar #1

This smoke had a mottled tan wrapper, with darker, more oily spots throughout. It was a little veiny , and the cigar was spongy to the touch, indicating a looser bunch. Prelight aroma was about nonexistent, just a hint of tobacco. The cigar gave me a little trouble in clipping it, which I attributed to the loose bunch. Upon lighting, this cigar flamed up, and almost lit itself. The initial flavor was of grass, and a hint of pencil lead. Not what I was hoping for. The first inch came and went, with nothing to note, except that the ash fell off about 3/4”, and it was like a snowstorm, ash flying all over the place.
This smoke, did not give me near the enjoyment of the #2 smoke, but I burned it until there was just an inch left, trying to find something likable about it. The pencil lead flavor became the most prominent flavor, as the grassy flavor faded to the background. I hate to compare it to anything else, but it reminds me of a Thomas Hinds Short Churchill, not the first release, but the dog rockets that came out later, after their initial success. I am sorry to report that this is the worst cigar I have smoked in a long time.
With the poor construction, though it did burn straight and recovered no touching up, the loose bunch spoiled it. One dimensional flavor, that never got past the pencil lead.
I would have to rate it, at a low 2.2. I would not buy these, even as moocher sticks.

I hope this is not someone’s favorite, but I guess someone has to like them, just not me.
Thanks Jay for allowing me to participate in this. I hope this wasn’t one you like.

Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)

I would tell you guys what they are but, you both started at opposite ends. Ferg is smoking 5,4,3,2,1 and Homebrew 1,2,3,4,5. LOL! As soon as you both smoke the same cigar I will reviel what it was. You might be shocked to find out what #1 was though. #2 is a cheap one you can get through CI and Cbid.

Mystery Smoke #3
This is a Toro sized maduro. Very firm to the touch, no under filled stick here. Prelight aroma, very earthy with herbal notes. The wrapper had some veins, but nothing major. So far the best looking of all the samples. The clip was smooth and straight, by the way I have been using the same double bladed Montecristo Clipper, from the millennium tubos, for all of the sample sticks. As I toasted the foot, I got a distinct smell of cedar. The draw was firm, but yielded a huge volume of smoke. It started out very rich, with a mocha flavor, and the notes of cedar in the background. The cedar flavor was present, for the entire duration, and while never in the forefront, was always present.
The rich earthy flavor, increased in strength, but never got out of the medium body, for the entire smoke. The flavors changed almost with every puff. With one puff, I would taste anise, with another, the mocha would be most prevalent. With another puff I got notes of cinnamon, and nutmeg. What a wonderful cigar. The construction was nice, the burn didn’t deviate more than a 1/16” for the entire cigar, the draw remained slightly firm, but each puff released a huge volume of smoke. So Far out of the 3 cigars from these samples, this has been my favorite. Judging from the wrapper, this is not a high dollar smoke, but a great middle of the road smoke. I did nub, this cigar, but not to the finger burning state. I retired this smoke, at about 1 inch. Great smoke Jay.
If I were required to guess, I believe that this is one of Rockys’ blends, from IT, though they are inconsistent. This stick reminds me of one of my favorite underrated dailies. The IT Tomahawk Maduro.
Just to be sure, I am going to follow it up with one, that has been in my humi, for over a year, and see how it compares.
I would have to give this cigar a 4.3, because or it’s complexity, rich flavor, and flawless construction
Thanks Again Jay
Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)
P.S. Was able to do an Ashstand with this stick, at the 2" mark, as the ash was still holding firm, so I said what the hell. Unfortunately the batteries were dead in my camera.

You guys have outdone yourselves. These are fantastic reviews. I hope everyone will enjoy these as much as I do. From now on, every review completed I will tell you what it was that you smoked. I think you will be surprised when I do this. Thanks again both of you. Keep them coming, Jason

Hey Jay,
I will be short on time, the next couple of days. I probably will not have the time to smoke, and concentrate on a cigar enough to do a review, until Monday. I'll post Smoke #4 then.
Thanks Again
Dave (A.K.A. Homebrew)

Cigar #3

The cigar seemed to be an oversize Corona, with a very dark almost black toothy wrapper. The Prelight draw is very woody, with very noticeable smells of grass/straw that is somewhat musty. The cigar was medium bodied and impeccable in every aspect but one. The one that was lacking was the most important aspect of a cigar IMHO.

The cigar was very well rolled without any noticeable soft spots. It was very firm and seemed to be filled perfectly. The draw, burn, and volume of smoke that it produced were top notch as well.

This is a remarkable cigar in every category except the taste. I thought this was going to be a very good cigar. I chose to smoke it as my late night smoke, the most important smoke of the day for me. In fact with my wife being out of town and having my 4 year old around, it was the only cigar I was able to smoke this day. It came up very short of what I was hoping for.

The strong grass/hay/straw flavor, with a bit of mustiness never left the cigar, and that was a big disappointment. As stated earlier I do not like this flavor profile at all in my sticks. I did find some hints of caramel and coffee in there trying to get out but my taste buds were just too overpowered by the strong earthy tones. To top it off this cigar finish was horrible, that old undesirable taste of ammonia. I did not nub this cigar and seriously doubt that I would smoke another.

I would give this cigar a 3 out of 5 rating, only because the construction and such were of a top notch stick.

I might be way off, maybe it was my taste buds, but I would say this cigar is from the La Perla line.