Your very welcome Eric. You put up some excellent reviews, thanks for being involved. I wish a few of the sticks had been more to your liking, but I know that taste is subjective. I have friends that if they like a cigar, I feel safe buying a box, and others that if they enjoy a particular cigar, I still only buy one to try it first.
There is no right or wrong, only your personal preference that matters in the end. I just enjoy seeing people's take on cigars in this type of setting.
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Cigar #9

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Construction: 5.5 x42 box-pressed (very square), dark brown wrapper

Pre-light: I honestly forgot to do a pre-light draw.

1st Third: The first bit tasted both bitter and like plain old tobacco. The bitterness remained, but a dark coffee flavor was detectable.

2nd Third: Still bitterness. Dark coffee is behind the bitterness. A nutty flavor is detectable near the end of the second third. Some sort of bitter nut.

Final Third: Still bitter. The nutty flavor is still there, and the coffee returns. Bitterness, nuttiness, and black coffee.

Final Thoughts: The cigar had a bitter taste in the forefront the entire time. The coffee and nutty flavors were nice, but they were behind the bitter flavor. This appearance of this cigar was very attractive, but the bitterness left a bad taste in my mouth.
Would I buy this cigar again? I'd be willing to give it a second shot, as the bitterness may have been exclusive to this single stick.
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Other than the uneventfulness, it seems almost as if we smoked two different cigars.
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We had about the same experience with this stick.
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EEE's take:
#7 (torp)

pre-draw - air, too much, lose draw. Slight tobacco

Initial light: Easy to take hold of the fire, copious amounts of smoke. I get (yes, I'm serious here) the after taste of fruity pebbles cereal. (blech) chalky/sweet

First third - burn is straight, ash is average, very average cigar taste - I actually told my wife as I started this "it's almost like when you first light up a pipe and aren't getting the taste yet - just tobacco" I think the draw was just too loose for my palate's liking.

Second third - for me this was a one dimensional stick, as far as taste goes. "cigar" My wife said that it didn't have much of an aroma either. She is probably a better indicator on the aroma side of my reviews - she often sits with me or goes on walks with me while I smoke and tells me what she thinks (good and bad).

Last third - the stick just isn't eventful. Its fair, and every third/fourth draw I get a pleasant citrusy taste but it never stays. Never had any issues with burn as it stayed straight. The draw stayed too loose for my liking but I would have to have a couple more to see if it was that single stick or something with the make-up of the line.

For me this was barely average which I wouldn't spend more that $3-4 on.


My take a year ago when reviewing the stick:
Have had this cigar before (gifted from FGM). Enjoyed it's unique flavor profile from normal maduros. Lokking forward to this follow up.

Toro cigar, great looking oily wrapper. Wrapper has an earthy scent with the end smelling a little sweet.

Start: Great draw as it's lit with good smoke volume. A little bitter, peppery blast at the very onset that quickly subsides. Soon has the charcoaly flavor with very little sweetness that I remembered. Not something I'd smoke in my rotation, but enjoyable as a change of pace. Nice dry finish.

Mid: Slightly creaminess comes in with the carbony flavor. No sweetness at all. Toro is probably as long of a stick I'd like unless I found a better drink pairing.

Finish: Follows suit but starts to get a little tarry. Burn stayed true with good ash through out. Very nice construction

As I said, a cigar for once in a while to clear your palate. Not one I'd buy a box of, but can see always having a couple around. A great example of an untypical flavor.


Now, does anyone have a guess on what this might be?
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I'm still going with Ghurka.


Edit: Now that you mention it, charcoal was in the flavor profile in the first third. Never thought I'd describe a flavor in a cigar as "charcoal", but that is a good description for that flavor.
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Okay, no one took a guess on what the exact cigar was, so I'll go ahead with announcing that #7 was:



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Gurkha Black Puros

Good eye Andy! Both Gurks out of the way, but now only one more to smoke.

And to all that read about the fiver; I didn't mean the crap I sent these two schmucks, I was actually talking five good cigars! :-) :-)
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Both reviews are up for #9. I doubt a guess will happen from what was posted by the reviews. I could say a one word review of this stick, but any cbidder that also posts here would nail it immediately. :-)

I'll wait till tomorrow, and post up on #9.
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Nica Libre?

As a matter of fact, I just looked at a pic of one over at CI and it looked exactly like the one I smoked.

If that is what this stick is, CI better take that "tastes like Padron" lie off their site immediately.
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That was gonna be my guess as well...
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no.
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I only had one stick that has lived up to that Padron comment; Camacho Negro. Really enjoyed those, and am mad I didn't stock up more before they went bye bye.
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Man, I missed out on that deal when JR had them dirt cheap last year. Beautiful box and a good smoke.
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Is there a way to edit our posts after there have been replies? I ask because it would be nice to see the reviews, and unveiling of the stick, be put into the original post. It would be interesting to see them all together like that.
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You can only edit posts here within a fifteen minute window. When Lou reveals the stick, I guess he could cut and paste our reviews on top of it, or just multi-quote our reviews.
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Originally Posted by EEE

#9 (box press)

I instantly think Mayorga when I pull out this small ring gauged box pressed stick. Though I personally don't know if they come in wrappers outside of jet black - which this one wasn't.

Pre-draw - rich tobacco & bitter on the back of my tongue

Initial light - nice. Interesting coffee and dark dark chocolate taste - that definitely coincides with my pre-draw taste.

First third - the ash is super weak on this, falls off at a butterfly's wing flap. Taste has subdued considerably but still get the dark chocolate undertone.

Second third - good burn, horrid ash, becoming less and less chocolate and more bitter.

Last third - purge, draw, ash fall, taste burnt chocolate, repeat ......... though I must have been hypnotized as I literally nubbed this thing down as far as I could go. Hmmm.

Maybe I have two sides of my smoking brain fighting each other on this. One side isn't impressed at all with the ash and just wants to trash it, doesn't like the burnt chocolate -- but the other side finds it interesting and wants to continue to see where it goes......

I'm not sure I'd buy this cigar but definitely would smoke it again if gifted.

Quote:
Originally Posted by andysutherland
Cigar #9



Construction: 5.5 x42 box-pressed (very square), dark brown wrapper

Pre-light: I honestly forgot to do a pre-light draw.

1st Third: The first bit tasted both bitter and like plain old tobacco. The bitterness remained, but a dark coffee flavor was detectable.

2nd Third: Still bitterness. Dark coffee is behind the bitterness. A nutty flavor is detectable near the end of the second third. Some sort of bitter nut.

Final Third: Still bitter. The nutty flavor is still there, and the coffee returns. Bitterness, nuttiness, and black coffee.

Final Thoughts: The cigar had a bitter taste in the forefront the entire time. The coffee and nutty flavors were nice, but they were behind the bitter flavor. This appearance of this cigar was very attractive, but the bitterness left a bad taste in my mouth.
Would I buy this cigar again? I'd be willing to give it a second shot, as the bitterness may have been exclusive to this single stick.

We had about the same experience with this stick.


Sorry you guys didn't enjoy cigar #9. This is one that I've liked, and picked up a box of the coronas. Not my favorite size, but was hoping they would work for this review. On cbid, when someone says,"mmmmmmmmmmmm...." they are referring to cigar #9:


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Estaban Carrera (picture is of natural, the reviewed cigar was a maduro).
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No way! Maybe I just got a bad stick. I love these! Never had one with that much bitterness before.
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I have never had that stick before.... Like I said - I would try it again.

Again - Lou thank you for this opportunity. Greatly appreciated.
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:-)
Thank you to both of you for both opportunities.

I'll try to get to the last one today. No later than tomorrow.
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Cigar #10 (Final Review)

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Construction: 6x56-58(ish), light/medium brown wrapper

Pre-Light: Tobacco taste, smells like a tobacco barn

1st Third: Very peppery with a slight bit of sweetness in the background. Pepper and sweetness start to blend into a spicy-sweet cinnamon flavor.

2nd Third: Cinnamon is gone. Pepper returns to the forefront. Just pepper. Cinnamon flavor returns near the middle of the second third. Pepper and spice. The pepper is strong. Smoking this cigar is almost like tongue bite from a pipe.

Final Third: Pepper, pepper, and more pepper. I nubbed it!

Final Thoughts: I enjoyed this cigar immensely. Full-bodied, spicy, and peppery. I'd love to get my hands on more of these.

I would guess that this stick was a DPG of some sort.
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