I may try one this weekend with tea to compare notes. I actually don't think I have ever had a cigar with tea before. Should be interesting!
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#4

couldn't smoke the other night, so I was out this morning smoking

Churchill - dark wrapper (I'd say maduro but there was zero sweetness in this stick)

I was initially worried about this cigar. I cut it and the wrapper split on me. Construction was good overall though - with the perfect amount of give on the thumb squeeze.

Pre-Light - little to no noticeable flavor.

Initial light - two very distinct flavors jump out instantly. wood and roasted apple. I am admittedly not one to find more than 10-12 flavors while smoking cigars, and that includes "smokey, nicotine, et al". I don't get the sea salt covered with sprinkles of nutmeg and rosemary, but every once in a while, like in this instance, I will get something like roasted apple. I'm always pleasantly surprised by my taste buds (and the cigar) when this happens.

The ash on this cigar is weak - didn't ever stay on longer than a 1/4 inch, at most. Mixed between dark grey and pure white. Odd.

second 3rd - cigar goes blank. No flavor at all - just smoke. Weird. But, even more weird is that the aftertaste in my mouth is unquestionably burnt coffee.

Last 3rd - the aroma is nice, very comfortable to the senses - like sitting in a smoking lounge with one or two people there, who are friends, and just relaxing. I enjoyed the aroma more than the bland, non-existant taste.

To note, I'm a notoriously slow smoker. A churchill can easily last 2.5 hours for me. This cigar was finished within 1.25 hours. It never got hot, and the burn stayed even, but it smoked really fast.

Overall I don't envision smoking this cigar more than out fishing or camping and am more interested in enjoying the conversation of friends than paying attention to what I'm smoking.

rating = slightly below average to average
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Cigar #4

Image

Construction: 7x56-58, dark brown, very thin wrapper. When I received this stick, the wrapper was already starting to flake off at band and the foot.

Pre-light: smooth draw, very bland

1st third: Typical maduro flavors along with a bit of a minty flavor as well. Later on I detected some old black coffee flavors.

2nd third: Old coffee and nuttiness are strong. Some earthiness is detectable as well.

Final third: Similar to the second third. I put it out with about an inch and a quarter to go.

Final Thoughts: This cigar wasn't bad, but I wouldn't put it on my go to list by any means. Wasn't my thing. I know that there are two Gurkhas in this bunch, and I would guess that this is one of them. I may have been a bit biased against this cigar before I lit it up, as I'm not a fan of churchill length cigars, not to mention I didn't like the looks of the wrapper when I picked it up. So I may have been going into this review with a bad attitude toward it.
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I blind reviewed this cigar earlier in the year from someone on another board, and scored it highly. His had several years on them; these had about 2 years. I hadn't had one from my own stash in around a year, so this lets me down that they may have gone bland.



Cigar #4 is:




Gurkha X fuerte
(good call Andy)
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I'm following along, bro.


I sat this one out 'cuz I was afraid you'd send me 10 Gurkhas. :-)
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:-)

Only one so far. One more to go.
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I have another road trip to attend this week and I plan on getting through the rest of these cigars during that time.
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Gad to see you here Bro! I hope if we have another herf up Jackson way you can make it again. I didn't get the chance to talk to you the last time. But the way I felt and probably looked, everyone may have thought I was contagious anyways!!

And 10 Gurkhas? What do I look like, some kind of eliteist? :-)
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Been busy between school and work. I'll try to get to #5 today or tomorrow.
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Reviews as well done as you guys have been doing take time. Whenever you can my friend.
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Looks like it's gonna be tomorrow. I'll take it to my son's football practice with me.
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Cigar #5

Image

Construction: 5.5x58 light brown wrapper (I assume it's a Connecticut Shade), very solid

Prelight: Tastes like dry hay and has a barnyard aroma

I normally break my reviews down into thirds, but I'm doing it in two halves this time, as I didn't have anything to write down my thoughts while smoking. I smoked this one while watching my son's first scrimmage game.

1st half: Very complex. I detected sweetness, butter, caramel, confectioner's sugar, and honey. Near the end of the first half I detected nutty flavors.

2nd half: The second half was very nutty with hints of butter. Very creamy and smooth.

Final Thoughts: I liked this cigar. It wasn't nearly as mild as I predicted. Very enjoyable, but I wish I had smoked it early in the morning rather than in the afternoon. This stick would have paired well with coffee (with cream and sugar).
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Andy based on your review and the pic I would guess it was a cabaiguan. I'm curious to hear what it is. :-)
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Never had one before. I can think of a few cigars that match this profile, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.:-)
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Almost grabbed a #5 tonight. Ended up smoking a #7.
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Cigar #6

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Construction: dark brown wrapper, 5x50, wrapper was slightly cracked around the cap.

I paired this stick w/ coffee (with sugar and cream) as suggested by the sender.

Pre-light: smooth draw (a tad tight), cinnamon flavor detected

1st Third: Very bitter flavor upon lighting. Very bitter, old black coffee flavor detectable. The cigar starts to mellow out a bit and the bitterness goes away. Some sweetness is detectable.

2nd Third: Sweetness and chocolate are strong. Still has a bit of a black coffee flavor too.

Final Third: Sweetness is still detectable, although it is very slight. Cigar tastes of dark chocolate and coffee.

Final Thoughts: Not a bad cigar. I beleived that I've smoked this cigar before, but I have no guess as to what it is. This stick was not spectacular, but I would put it on my go to list.
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ok, I'm back. I was down in Miami and my Verizon service was pretty shotty so I'm giving my reviews now.

I smoked #5, 6 & 10 - NOT in chronolgoical order as I smoked #10 Wed night, #5 Thur night and #6 on Saturday.

#5
Pre-light. Nice. Very nutty - in between the sweetness of almonds and the tang of walnuts. My taste bud memory tells me I have smoked this cigar before.

Initial draw - nice construction, easy flow but not loose. Aroma is quite pleasant. Taste is a little bland but that doesn't hurt anything.

1st third - I find that either the cigar is bitter, the Yuengling is bitter or the mixture of the two is bitter - either way, I've got a bitter taste going on. I decide to hold off on drinking any more of my beer and see where this leads.

2nd third - It was the mixture. Now I've got a nice flow of almost syrup sweetness going - not the Aunt Jamima too rich for human consumption syrup, but the real maple syrup from the NorthEast. MMmmmm...

Final third - the sweetness doesn't leave but it has mellowed out and I am just kicked back looking over the ocean enjoying the remaining parts of this cigar. I really wish I had another one as I'm smoking it so I could go light it up. The aroma from the cigar lingers in the patio and it is a great smell.

I look forward to hearing what this cigar is. The construction, burn and flavor on this is definitely worth looking into.

Above average!

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#6

I know you had asked me to drink this with coffee, but I don't drink coffee. I initially was going to drink some dark tea but because I was away from home I decided the next best thing would be a Guinness. As close to coffee as I can come. :-)

Pre-draw - well, you instantly know why he wants you to drink it with coffee, as it tastes the way coffee smells (which I thoroughly enjoy sometimes). This had that "bite" taste. I see that Andy said bitter, which I could call it as well - but my initial reaction was "bite".

1st Third: Definitely coffee. In fact, this does go well with the Guinness. My senses are so set on the coffee taste that I get nothing else out of this section.

2nd Third: The coffee is subdued and here comes the bakers chocolate that I got from one of my previous tastings. Guinnesss still goes well with these profiles. I had one side run on me pretty good and it required a touch-up but nothing to take away from the cigar.

Final Third: I need to purge a couple of times as now I get the bitterness. It almost tastes like ash in my mouth. I don't like it - but thankfully I'm on another Guinness and am feeling good about being in Miami.

This was barely an average cigar. If it wasn't for the last third it would be slightly above average. Maybe I smoked it too fast. I'd definitely give it another shot.

-------------------------------------------

#10

This was the first cigar I smoked in Miami - and it was humid as hell with no wind whatsoever. I can't give a respectable review on this as I tried with all my might to keep it lit but the humidity (which you could literally see build on the patio railing) drenched this stick. I smoked it for roughly 30 minutes but got nothing out of it except a headache from acting like I was a hooker about to get paid double my rate.

I want to be honest about the reviews and not try to say it was because of the construction of the cigar as I feel that this scenario would have played out with any of the sticks. I just happened to grab that one as I was heading out to smoke.

So, I don't have anything good, bad, or indifferent to say about this stick -- except it can't stand up to 90+% humidity. :-)

I hope to get the rest of your sticks done this week.
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EEE's take:
#5
Pre-light. Nice. Very nutty - in between the sweetness of almonds and the tang of walnuts. My taste bud memory tells me I have smoked this cigar before.

Initial draw - nice construction, easy flow but not loose. Aroma is quite pleasant. Taste is a little bland but that doesn't hurt anything.

1st third - I find that either the cigar is bitter, the Yuengling is bitter or the mixture of the two is bitter - either way, I've got a bitter taste going on. I decide to hold off on drinking any more of my beer and see where this leads.

2nd third - It was the mixture. Now I've got a nice flow of almost syrup sweetness going - not the Aunt Jamima too rich for human consumption syrup, but the real maple syrup from the NorthEast. MMmmmm...

Final third - the sweetness doesn't leave but it has mellowed out and I am just kicked back looking over the ocean enjoying the remaining parts of this cigar. I really wish I had another one as I'm smoking it so I could go light it up. The aroma from the cigar lingers in the patio and it is a great smell.

I look forward to hearing what this cigar is. The construction, burn and flavor on this is definitely worth looking into.

Above average!


#5 is a cigar that has it's followers. I am one of them. I have enjoyed each of Alex Fernandez's incarnations in this series. I have these in a couple sizes, and have caught them on auction very reasonable for the quality you get. I'm glad you both enjoyed this.


Cigar #5 is:
















Image
La Cuna bin no. 85
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:-)
Never had a LaCuna. Not a bad stick.

It seems as if we both had similar thoughts on both 5 and 6. Still think I've smoked #6 before, but we'll see.
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Now EEE's take:
#6

I know you had asked me to drink this with coffee, but I don't drink coffee. I initially was going to drink some dark tea but because I was away from home I decided the next best thing would be a Guinness. As close to coffee as I can come.

Pre-draw - well, you instantly know why he wants you to drink it with coffee, as it tastes the way coffee smells (which I thoroughly enjoy sometimes). This had that "bite" taste. I see that Andy said bitter, which I could call it as well - but my initial reaction was "bite".

1st Third: Definitely coffee. In fact, this does go well with the Guinness. My senses are so set on the coffee taste that I get nothing else out of this section.

2nd Third: The coffee is subdued and here comes the bakers chocolate that I got from one of my previous tastings. Guinnesss still goes well with these profiles. I had one side run on me pretty good and it required a touch-up but nothing to take away from the cigar.

Final Third: I need to purge a couple of times as now I get the bitterness. It almost tastes like ash in my mouth. I don't like it - but thankfully I'm on another Guinness and am feeling good about being in Miami.

This was barely an average cigar. If it wasn't for the last third it would be slightly above average. Maybe I smoked it too fast. I'd definitely give it another shot.






This is the official cigar of the Mid Michigan Militia Herfers (MMMers). Many of us enjoy this cigar and have passed out boxes worth of them in hits and RAOKs. Alot of people stocked up when it was known they were soon to be no more. I like the cigar, but as I said, generally with coffee. Dry boxing may have helped some with the bitterness, especailly in a very humid environment.




Cigar #6 is:







Image
Diablo
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