Cigar: Taboo Honduran Sun Grown Lancero
Size: 7.5 X 40
Appearance/Construction: A very shiny beautiful dark brown wrapper with thin to medium sized veins running the length.
Where: On the patio at 94° with 24% humidity and winds from the North at 6 mph.
Drink: Tazo Organic Iced Green tea with two shots of Vodka.
Prelight Aroma Draw and Taste: It has the same sweet aroma and predraw taste that is typical to the other HSGs I've had, very nice. Good, but not great draw, just a little tight for me.
Light: Ronson JetLite
First Impressions: Lighting and first few draws indicate a mild to medium tobacco flavor with an underlying sweetness and a very nutty taste.
First third: After the first half inch, it tasted a bit stronger to me than the larger RG HSGs which I attribute to an alternate blend ratio due to the
smaller RG. It's not quite as sweet and nutty, but there's lots of room for change with seven inches to go. I keep getting a taste that is somewhat
similar to pumpkin pie some mild spice as well.
Second third: Very much like the first third with just a slight increase in intensity and flavor, but not so much that I can't still comfortably expel the smoke through my nose. Some of the sweetness has given way to a woody note and the pumpkin flavor has been replaced by a stronger spicier taste. Every now and then, I get a hint of the flavor common to the Special Forces, but a much more tame version giving a nudge rather than a shove.
Final third: Another considerable increase in both strength and spice here. Notes of pepper replaced the nutty flavor. There are still notes of wood and even more hints of the Special Forces blends. The one thing that's missing from the Special Forces blend in this stick, is the feeling I get on both my tongue and in the back of my mouth and throat from them.
Ash/Burn: Dark gray to charcoal colored ash, that is rather loose and flaky. The ash tends to let go at three quarters of an inch to an inch. The burn was very regular and consistently even. There was an occasional large u shape versus a v, but nothing that didn't quickly set itself straight.
Final Comments: Maybe it's due to the variation of the blend ratio, but I like the larger RG versions of this cigar much better. I'd rate this at a 7.5 - 8.0, mainly because I like the fatter RG HSG so much more. It's just not as sweet and nutty which are two of the characters I like about most the other Taboo HSGs. If you'd like a stronger version of the HSG, this would most likely be right up your alley.
Price: $4.50 - $5.99 - Watch for Rob's sales and coupons!
Burn Time: 2:10 PM until 4:10 PM 6/22/2008.
Size: 7.5 X 40
Appearance/Construction: A very shiny beautiful dark brown wrapper with thin to medium sized veins running the length.
Where: On the patio at 94° with 24% humidity and winds from the North at 6 mph.
Drink: Tazo Organic Iced Green tea with two shots of Vodka.
Prelight Aroma Draw and Taste: It has the same sweet aroma and predraw taste that is typical to the other HSGs I've had, very nice. Good, but not great draw, just a little tight for me.
Light: Ronson JetLite
First Impressions: Lighting and first few draws indicate a mild to medium tobacco flavor with an underlying sweetness and a very nutty taste.
First third: After the first half inch, it tasted a bit stronger to me than the larger RG HSGs which I attribute to an alternate blend ratio due to the
smaller RG. It's not quite as sweet and nutty, but there's lots of room for change with seven inches to go. I keep getting a taste that is somewhat
similar to pumpkin pie some mild spice as well.
Second third: Very much like the first third with just a slight increase in intensity and flavor, but not so much that I can't still comfortably expel the smoke through my nose. Some of the sweetness has given way to a woody note and the pumpkin flavor has been replaced by a stronger spicier taste. Every now and then, I get a hint of the flavor common to the Special Forces, but a much more tame version giving a nudge rather than a shove.
Final third: Another considerable increase in both strength and spice here. Notes of pepper replaced the nutty flavor. There are still notes of wood and even more hints of the Special Forces blends. The one thing that's missing from the Special Forces blend in this stick, is the feeling I get on both my tongue and in the back of my mouth and throat from them.
Ash/Burn: Dark gray to charcoal colored ash, that is rather loose and flaky. The ash tends to let go at three quarters of an inch to an inch. The burn was very regular and consistently even. There was an occasional large u shape versus a v, but nothing that didn't quickly set itself straight.
Final Comments: Maybe it's due to the variation of the blend ratio, but I like the larger RG versions of this cigar much better. I'd rate this at a 7.5 - 8.0, mainly because I like the fatter RG HSG so much more. It's just not as sweet and nutty which are two of the characters I like about most the other Taboo HSGs. If you'd like a stronger version of the HSG, this would most likely be right up your alley.
Price: $4.50 - $5.99 - Watch for Rob's sales and coupons!
Burn Time: 2:10 PM until 4:10 PM 6/22/2008.
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