Ok, what's the scoop on these?

...waiting for an 8-ct sampler...will post my humble opinion when I've had a few.

Aren't they under investigation?

LOL Well it says a lot when the lot has been open for a day, there's 50 of them, and not 1 bid.

I guess I'm ahead of the curve on this one since I bought the first lot that was offered and have smoked all eight. From my notes: 2x4 sampler pack – Color and construction seemed good but four of the eight had a tight or even bad draw. The sampler boxes were a drawback because the plastic was unattractive and they had been abused.

The flavor started with a lack of sweetness and spread into a diffuse bouquet which was hot on the back of my throat. This bouquet can become a broad spectrum, depending on my mood, that puts the cigar in the style of Romeo and Juliet or Hoyo De Monterrey Red band. I smoked one side by side with an R&J and found them to be similar but the Cardenal had only one third the flavor. I liked the torpedo which stood out from the others. Because of the low price and availabilty I keep trying to connect with this cigar but I didn’t quite succeed.

Only one bidder or the board. Does anyone have anything to add?

...have one set aside for the drive home today. Will let you know if I agree with tandem401.

...well, I agree with tandem. The Cardenal is an interesting cigar with a variety of flavors, none of which lasts very long. It was almost as if a mix of spices were randomly sprinkled over the leaves before rolling, the predominate one being a sharp nutmeg. It's not a great ciagr, but it's not a bad one either. Tandem's right, there's a close similarity -- that might grow with aging -- with RyJ on the high end and Cinco Vegas on the low end. The Cardenal will disappoint more experienced smokers but delight the experimental.

Thanks for the input, M.