SSSS #3

B

Beagle Boy

Lowland Gorilla
For those not involved in this blind tasting, we have 10 people who are trying 5 different cigars, one each week (maybe we will get lucky enough that 1 or two will actually review it :D). I will reveal what the cigar is at the end of each week.

For those who are part of the tasting, this is NOT about guessing where the cigar is made or who the manufacturer is – so please no guessing in the threads! (you can PM me if you want) This is where you should post your review of Cigar #3 (in case you silly buggers can't count (cause it seems like you can't smoke them on time), that's the skinny cigar in the middle) :ss. Following this basic layout:

The format of the review will be this:
Scale will be 1-10 (best)

Looks: describe the appearance, what color is the wrapper, is it oily, what kind of cap does it have – is it pretty

Construction: any soft spots, was it an easy clip, is the draw too tight or loose? How long is the ash holding on for, any burn issues?

Flavors and strength: try to describe the tastes & smells – not just "it's good" or "it's a dog rocket". How strong is the cigar

Overall rating: 1 (never want to see it again) to 10 (want to smoke it for the rest of my life, its perfect) and why did you give it this rating

Would you want it in your Humi: I want a box, it’s a good yard cigar, my brother-in-law likes to mooch


And remember everyone - have fun with it!
 
Appearance: The third cigar in the blind tasting, a 7x40ish Lancero has a darker medium brown wrapper that has consistent coloring from top to bottom and is devoid of any major veins, however, small veins are visible the entire length of the stick. The cigar is not what I would call oily, but it is also not dry in appearance. The cap is a smooth cap with what appears to be at least three seams, perhaps even a fourth. The cigar is very attractive sitting alone. The Ash burned white. 9/10

Construction: The construction of the cigar is giving me a little worry, it is awfully soft in the two inches from the foot. As far as how this may affect the smoking, I have yet too find out. Pre-cut, I am able too actually get a draw , although minimal, through the cap. The cut was very easy, using a single blade "ClubStogie" cutter. The pre-light draw was wide open and seemed to have no real blockage. Lighting only required one match to get an even light. I would love to say how long the first ashing was...but it decided to fall all over my keyboard. The burn is razor sharp so far. The soft spots are obviously not that much of an issue. The soft spots are now creating issues with the burn...it needs to be re-lit multiple times as a result. 6/10

Flavor and Strength: The first initial flavors were definitely peppery. A leathery and cedary note are now beginning to appear, the pepper taste is still present as well. An almost dirt taste is beginning to come through as well...it has disappeared now. Towards the end of the stick, the pepper taste is replaced by simple bean flavors...coffee and vanilla. The strength is medium to full. 7/10

Overall Rating: My overall feeling about this stick is mixed, primarily because the appearance is wonderful, the construction was not that great, but the flavors and strength were great...but because of the issues with the soft spots and construction, I doubt this stick will be a regular in my humidor. 6.5/10....
 
Prelight Aroma and Taste: Smells sweet & earthy, hints of chocolate. Horse-shity flavor on draw, which makes me think the stick is either fresh or been aging in cello.

Construction: The wrapper is smooth, Dark Colorado brown. It feels soft to the touch and is possibly one of the sexiest wrappers I’ve seen on a small RG, NC. Very small veins. I quickly knocked the two of the four caps off the head. I could tell immediately that the draw would be a little tight.

Flavor: Initial draw was far too tight, limiting the initial flavor to coco and light tastes of pepper especially when snorking. The draw cleared up quickly of its own accord and the pepper became more prominent along with some coffee undertones. Pepper picked up after the first inch and a half, replacing the coco flavors. At the 2nd third it lost some of the peppery strength and gained a light sugary sweetness. The sweet-pepper flavor continued well into the last third. At this point it picked up a touch of cedar. Minor notes of coffee seemed to remain with the cigar after the initial draw issues cleared.

Ash: Ash was beautiful white, clung tightly up to 1 inches

Strength: Med-Full, med nicotine.

Rating: 9 I’d keep a box of these stocked regularly.
 
Cigar: 7x42 Cameroon wrapper

Prelight Aroma and Taste: The first whiff out of the 5 finger bag instantly reminded me of the unique Opus X smell... after transporting in my traveldor to the smoking location there was still a strong aroma of spice, cedar, and what I can only describe as 'face paint' which wasn't the most pleasant but I still went with it. (1.5/2)

Construction: It was beautifully constructed with out any noticeable veins. Granted, if one looks they could find them, but they blended in well. The wrapper had a perfect cut with 1 straight edge going around the cigar its entire length, the roller did a wonderful job with the cut. It had a good resistance to it when I put it between the fingers, with a bit more than I would prefer in certain areas. It cut well with my Xikar and the pre-light draw was perfect with spicy hints (3/3)

Flavor: The flavor started spicy and continued throughout the entire cigar... there were some other flavors such as some leather and earthy overtones, but primarily spice. The smoke started out very acrid and hurt to push through the nose, but eased up as it smoked, which leads me to believe that there isn't much age on it, and it could benefit from some age. The draw was inconsistent as I smoked on, the end got a bit clogged, through my mouthing it a bit much so I cannot blame the stogie, but the damned thing wouldn't stay lit. I had to ash just to relight the thing ever 3/4 to 1" (after the first 1/2 which burned perfectly). I didn't nub the stick as I got frustrated with the lighting issue, but in all honesty, it wasn't that big of a deal. (2/3)

Ash: The ash was a light gray the entire smoke and was able to hang on for about 3/4-1.5" throughout the entire life of the smoke. (1/1)

Strength: I would say this is a stronger smoke and should be taken seriously even considering its relatively thin demeanor. (1/1)

Rating: 8.5/10
 
Looks: Lancero, medium to dark brown wrapper, triple cap, visually it looks nicely rolled. - 9/10

Construction: Couple of fairly large soft spots. Filler looks unevenly bunched when viewed at the foot. Wrapper has approximately 1 inch long crack at foot – I will attribute that to shipping and my handling. Cuts easily, pre-light draw is perfect, lights easily and burns perfectly, nice white ash – 8/10

Flavors and strength: Spice, cedar, hint of chocolate upon lighting. This is a very flavorful smoke and my kind of cigar! The spice continues with some woodsy and nutsy (I like that word) notes thrown into the mix. After an inch I begin to taste more of the chocolate and cocoa. Nuts, chocolate, cedar mmmmm....halfway through the spiciness moderates into the background perfectly. The flavors change once more and the cedar picks up in the last third. Overall a great smoke, medium to full. Love it! - 10

Overall rating: I would give this smoke a – 9+ (A great cigar!!)

Would you want it in your Humi: Yes! I want to pick up a box of these smokes. Please be a $2.00 cigar!
 
I would classify this as a lancero shape with a chocolate brown wrapper. It's pre-light aroma is reminiscent of cocoa powder. I cut it with my guillotine and ignited it. Draw was ok. The first puffs tasted of leathery tart tobacco. In the first third, it burned slightly uneven, at about a 45 degree angle, but the ring guage was so small I elected not to correct it. Also in the first third, it caused the feeling of dryness on my tongue, but not so pronounced so as to cause me to toss it. The smoke also felt hotter on my tongue, I assume as a result of the slight ring guage. Toward the 2/3 mark, the stick mellowed a bit, as the burn evened. The ash was a white/grey, but would not remain solid beyond about a half inch. From the half way point on was the most pleasant part of the smoke. I'd give it an 8, but would not stock it in my humidor. The lancero was a nice change, though.
 
well though we only have 4 reviews, first let me give you a blind review I did on this stick on a different board:

Cigar #8
Aesthetics: Veiny medium brown, Lancero size cigar – 7”x38 (estimate). A couple of pretty serious veins running through the wrapper (more minor veins), and one large patch about 3 inches down from the cap Rating 5

Construction: Other than the patch and veins, before lighting it seems to be pretty well constructed, don’t fell any soft or hard spots, but a bit of spring to pressure. Used my smallest punch, and got a bit of a tight draw. First of a light gray ash fell at about 1”. About half way through, draw got very tough, seem to have developed a plug about 1 inch down from the cap. Some serious massaging seems to have loosened up the plug. Rating 2

Flavor and Strength: First third, getting a creamy floral nose to the cigar, a mild-medium body. Second third started to pick up a bit of spice, but still the creamy floral seems to be the dominating flavor. Last third, the body of the cigar picked up a bit with a fruity floral nose. Rating 8

Overall: I really enjoyed the flavor of this cigar, but the construction issues raise questions for me. I would give it another shot to see if it was just this stick with issues. For this example, I give it a solid 5

I did give it another shot, and have really enjoyed this stick.

It does seem to be that the lancero and smaller ring gauge cigars do run into more burn issues than most, but the flavors have made this size my favorite size over the last couple of years.

The cigar is:

Oliva Serie V Lancero
7 by 38
The Oliva Serie V delivers a full bodied, rich flavor while maintaining a smoothness rarely seen in such a rich blend. The filler is a specially fermented Jalapa Valley Ligero. The binder is Nicaraguan and the wrapper is a beautiful Habano Sun Grown.

I will have the thread for #4 up in a few minutes
 
FYI - the people missing in action:

Tanz2005 - sent a PM that his modem died, that he would be getting back to this
Tw3nty - replied to a PM that he was on vacation, not getting back until we were all done
Z3ro - He has logged on several times this last week, never responded to any PM, nothing since he acknowledged getting the cigars (very bad form IMHO)

I can understand how the unexpected can happen, and this time of year life, family, vacations, et al can catch up with people, but with the dates laid out before hand, this is disappointing
 
Cigar #3 for me was a huge disappointment.

Brought this stick along with me when a buddy and I were going fly fishing, thought I would enjoy it at our lunch break with an Ice Cold Stella Artois.

This is a Lancero size smoke, kind of reminded me of the Sig V I smoked the other night from a size perspective. It was well rolled if not a little veiny. I clipped it and took a pre light draw and was pretty sure I was in trouble, I could get much through the stick.

I fired it up anyway toasting the foot and then getting it running. This one was plugged from the get go, and I was out fishing and didn't have my Henry Tools with me. I tried using a small screwdriver I have for my reels but could get far enough I guess.

I took my palio and cut another inch off of the foot to see if I could at least get it fired up to the point where I could get it running. No joy, this stick was stubborn. At this point I will admit I was pissed for two reasons, one I couldn't get the review done and two I didn't have another cigar to smoke, I chucked it and went back to fishing...........never got any of those either all in al it was a bit of a bust of 5 hours.........oh well better than work.
 
Interesting - I love the V figurado and have smoked one Lancero before but wasn't too crazy about it due to plugging as noted in reviews above. The cigar I had drew beautifully but had a large soft spot. Looks like there is quite a bit of variation in the construction of the smokes......so I don't think I want to buy a box of these and toss a bunch of them away because they're plugged.

I'm very disappointed that the participation level is so low...I'll leave it at that.
 
Oliva threw me for a loop too... I don't like Olivas for the most part. The quality on the lanceros always seems so poor.
 
Spect said:
The quality on the lanceros always seems so poor.
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I don't know if I agree with this - I do think that they have to be expert rollers to do this size well - how do you get a blend in the small ring sizes (1/3 of this leaf, 1/4 of that leaf) and get a perfectly filled and drawing cigar? It truly is an art :2

but as I said - this has gotten to be my favorite size in many brands, so I might be biased
 
I didn't read back after I posted. That was an Oliva????

Now I am extra pissed, I have enjoyed the couple of Oliva Serie V I have had but never had the smaller RG ones.

Oh well into the past on to #4.
 
gnukfu said:
I'm very disappointed that the participation level is so low...I'll leave it at that.
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For what its worth I am with George on this, I am having a hell of a time getting these reviews posted and I missed the first one.

I fully apologize BB, it was great of you to do this and it is rude of me to not get them in on time. I have not read the #1 thread yet so if you still want that one I will take care of it this week.

Let me know.
 
SilverFox said:
I fully apologize BB, it was great of you to do this and it is rude of me to not get them in on time. I have not read the #1 thread yet so if you still want that one I will take care of it this week.

Let me know.
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By all means, if you haven't posted a review, and you have time to do it, feel free.

Part of the reason that I like this kind of experiment is as we have taken the cigar ID out of the equation, and these are coming from the same box - you see trends of cream on one cigar, maybe chocolate on another - but each review is very unique. That can kind of help newer people understand that not every pallet is the same, or it can help other people put two and two together (i.e. how do you describe the flavor "leather", I know I've never eaten it - but if you talk about it, the light bulb can go off and you might be able to make that association) - maybe help with pallet development


The summer season can be rough to find free time, so it is understandable to be late once or twice. Maybe for future ref - I just got done with a 14 week tasting (along this same format), early in the tasting I smoked a couple of the cigars in the same week, keeping my notes saved on the PC - that way if I got a head cold or had to travel for work, I had a bit of a cushion......it is different when you only have the 5 cigars
 
I just finished cigar #3. This was my favorite by far so far in this tasting. The vitola was to my liking (lancero?) and the burn was consistent throughout. The draw was perfect too. Now let's talk about flavor...

This is a medium to full bodied cigar with a nice nutty profile. It developed very well about 1/3 of the way through and held consistent the remainder of the way. It was windy where I was smoking it but was amazed how consistent the burn was. I would rate this cigar an 8 out of 10 and would keep some in my humidor if priced reasonably. :tu
 
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