The much anticipated Ted's Cigar review

[jjirons69]

My first real review, so hang with me...

After posting the little known Ted's Cigar photos Wednesday night, I let it settle down several days in the humi. I promised a review on Sunday and here it is. DISCLAIMER - Here's my judging style...I don't know floral or salty from Adam's housecat. I do know dry, creamy, chocolatey, peppery (spicy), and nutty. So those are the only terms I'll use. I'm mostly a - horrible, decent, good, very good, damn good - kinda taster:

We'll start with the product, 6x50:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Cigars/ted2.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Cigars/ted1-1.jpg

It cut well and the draw was very good. Not too tight and not too loose. I could tell it was going to give plenty of smoke. I liked the construction. I love a cigar where you can hardly find the seam. This was Ted's Cigar. It looked like a one-piece wrapper, you know, like a sausage casing. It took a while to find the seam. The viens were small and didn't interfere at all with the appearance. It started off very smooth and didn't have any hints of harshness. The burn was perfect and as expected, it did produced plenty of creamy smoke. I really liked it.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Cigars/ted2-1.jpg

The ash held together well and the contruction continued to impress me. There wasn't any dry overtones and it continued to taste very good.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Cigars/ted3.jpg

After about a third I was able to find the seam. It starts in the upper left on the burn line and curls down the center to the bottom right. The wrapper is awesome. It's advertised as "only the finest Connecticut shade wrapper". It gives the stick a mild flavor. I was really enjoying it.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Cigars/ted4.jpg

A shot of the tester for your wallpaper usage. :ss

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Cigars/ted5.jpg

Still burning well after 45 minutes or so. The burn was great. No relights. Lots of tasty, creamy white smoke. It went well with my barley pop.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Cigars/ted6.jpg

Another impressing feature was the cap. I cut a good 3/16" from the cap and there was plenty of the cap ring remaining. You know how it goes, half way through and the cap ring comes off in your mouth. Not with Ted's Cigar. It looks as though the wrapper leaf was just extended to make the cap itself. It was a one-piece construction, so there was no way for it to come off. It held tight and firm until the end.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Cigars/ted7.jpg

After about an hour, we get to the end. It never got hot and mushy. I was smoking it at a decent pace and it continued to perform well. It still was smooth and never got harsh or bitter. As I write, it's been about 2 hours since I smoked it and there is only a slight hint of cigar remaining in my mouth. I did have supper, but some smokes continue to taste sometimes until morning.

Conclusion: I give the construction a solid 9 or 10. Quite beautiful. Burn and ash was also high with an 8 to 9. The flavor was quiet surprising. I really liked it. I give it an 8 or 9. For free, it was wonderful! Would I buy more to smoke, I'd have to say yes. I'd like for them to be cheaper, because there are many others I'd lean towards in the same price range ($7-$10). It was smooth, mild, produced lots of smoke and burned well. What else could you ask for? Cons - Price and presentation. The foot sleeve was thin paper, where it's a thin cedar sheet on most smokes, even much cheaper ones. And the ring was kinda plain and paper thin. I guess I rather have a good smoke with cheap adornments than a rocket with fancy labels.

[tedrodgerscpa]

I'll take ONE, then.

Nice review! Thanks for sharing it!

[Troop_lee]

Thanks for the Review! I thought that is was very good, I like the use of pictures.

[Mystophales]

Actually being new a review in this style is WAY better. Sometimes I will read reviews in CA and for the life of me I can't tell if they liked it or not...lol

Plain english is they way to go. You need to write more reviews...:tu

[cricky101]

I thought your review was: "horrible, decent, good, very good, damn good." Makes me want to try one of Ted's finest for myself. :tu

[ambientboy]

Good review on a new stick! I'm going to hunt around for one to try.

[BostonMark]

Wow! I must say I didn't expect such a good review! I'll definitely talk to my local B&M owner about getting a box! Thanks so much JJ!

[hurricane6]

Great review! You got me intrigued.Nice pics too!:tu

[jjirons69]

A few folks have asked. I'm trying to secure some of these "new kids on the block". Be the first at your HERF to have one. I'll let you guys know what I find out.

[SUOrangeGuy]

Thanks for the great review. I'll keep an eye out for this one. Although I'm not sure I can trust the taste buds of someone who drinks Budweiser :).




jk... most of America can't be wrong. Just a beer thats not for me.

[FishNSmoke]

Great review; keep em coming! Love the photos!

[jjirons69]

Got my reply back today. No Ted's in stock and he doesn't know if there ever will be. I'll try elsewhere. I'll post what I find.

[tedrodgerscpa]

Got my reply back today. No Ted's in stock and he doesn't know if there ever will be. I'll try elsewhere. I'll post what I find.

Sounds like a one-off deal...

Just the type of behavior I'd expect from such a name!

Ted

P.S., if you find 'em online, lemme know, and I'll order my own damn smokes

[tedski]

Nice review.

And if anyone finds some of these, I'd be interested in a couple as well .... for obvious reasons.

[jjirons69]

Sounds like a one-off deal...

Just the type of behavior I'd expect from such a name!

Ted

P.S., if you find 'em online, lemme know, and I'll order my own damn smokes

All right, Ted, anything for you, brother!

Try this (http://www.riverfrontgifts.com/Productdetails.aspx/Cigars/WhiteOwlCigars/opt/product/7574/store/3/category/310/campaign/0)

[BengalMan]

According to Ted's website:

"Call your Ted's representative at 866.804.7983 for more information"

http://www.tedsmadebyhand.com

Looks like they're out of Louisville, KY, just south of me (in Cincinnati).

[jjirons69]

I contacted them via email this morning. I asked them for some samples, same as the ones given out at RTDA this year. I told them lots of folks on the CS forum would be interested in trying them before committing to a $7-$10 purchased based on a Bud man's taste buds. :)

Hopefully they'll see the advertising advantage and will set us up.

[tedrodgerscpa]

All right, Ted, anything for you, brother!

Try this (http://www.riverfrontgifts.com/Productdetails.aspx/Cigars/WhiteOwlCigars/opt/product/7574/store/3/category/310/campaign/0)

Thanks, my Clemson friend...

anyone up for a case-split???

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee123/tedrodgerscpa/owls.jpg

[Marlboro Cigars]

Thanks for the review.
:tu

[khubli]

Hey JJ.. thanks for the great review... so to sum it up you'd say damn good mild and creamy cigar?

[KnightKrusher]

Nice review, good pics. I think that I will stop at the B&M and pick up a few.:ss

[Mister Moo]

Well done review. Wish my name was Ted, too.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t178/jjirons69/Cigars/ted6.jpg

You're a drooler, aren't you?
C'mon - it's OK. You can say it here.

[ca21455]

Thanks for the great review and pics!

[nozero]

My spin on the stick.

Cigar: Ted's Made by Hand
http://nozero.org/Cigar/Ted1.jpg

Size: 6x50

Appearance/Construction: Good and sound, no soft spots, a couple of small to medium sized veins running the length of the wrapper and some larger ones showing to be underneath. Wrapper:
Connecticut shade, binder: Dominican Republic, filler: Nicaragua, Dominican Republic.

Where: The patio @ 60° and 65% RH with winds from the NNW at 4 mph.

Drink: Strong coffee with creamer and raw sugar.

Prelight Aroma: Nice tobacco aroma with a slight hint of sweetness.

Prelight Draw/Taste: Taste was about the same as the aroma and the draw was great.

Light: Ronson Jetlite with Ronson fuel. Hey, it works for me and it does not cost an arm and a leg, leaving more bucks for the sticks!

First Impressions: So far, so good. It has a good flavor from the start with an ever so slight bitterness in the aftertaste that is not worthy of complaint. Plentiful quantities of rich thick smoke.

First third: In a word, enjoyable. Rather mild for me, but still a pleasant tobacco taste with some sweetness. Any bitterness in the initial aftertaste was replaced by toasty butter taste.
http://nozero.org/Cigar/Ted3.jpg

Second third: A slightly woody and nice nutty flavor developed here and made it even more enjoyable for me. Still loads of rich thick creamy smoke. I'm about an inch away from the band and somewhat dreading its removal based on the experience of others as posted here and the fact that I can't rotate the label at all. When it's resting in the ashtray and I breath through my nose there's a very nice aroma in the air and a nutty lingering scent. At two and a half inches remaining, I decided to remove the label, I was unable to get under its edge to start the removal so I got a fingernail under the edge where it ended and started to tear it away and found it was glued to the wrapper right after the "Ted's" on the label. A small portion of the wrapper went with it and there was clearly too much glue used and in a poor placement. I'm of the opinion that no glue should contact the cigar, but rather only the label and then only were it overlays and in a quantity that will not spread out onto the wrapper. But, no binder was exposed and that's a good thing.
http://nozero.org/Cigar/Ted2.jpg
http://nozero.org/Cigar/Ted5.jpg

Final third: Pretty much the same as the last third, but a different aftertaste with a more woody and cedar taste. The center of the ash has taken on a more charcoal color and the body is now more medium than mild.
http://nozero.org/Cigar/Ted5c1.jpg

It still has a very good, rich tobacco taste to it. I'm sure I'll be nubbin this smoke. At about and inch and a half to go, it's still holding up well, no softness or soggy feel to it and more importantly, it's never felt or tasted hot.
http://nozero.org/Cigar/Ted7.jpg

Ash/Burn: Fairly firm but flaky salt and pepper color outside while the center is more a charcoal color. The first ash dropped at an inch and three quarters and considering my lack of grace and how flaky it was is considerable. Subsequent ash clumps dropped at and inch and a half or so. I experienced no burn issues other than a slight difficulty getting the center completely lit at the start. Very even burn, it didn't even require any rotation in the ashtray.

Final Comments: I had no splits or cracks. I see no need for the larger band on the foot and the other band needs more attention to detail when being applied. The only harshness I noted was when I pushed smoke out through my nose and it was more of an increase in intensity rather than harshness. I'd place this stick in the $2.00 to $5.00 range. I'd love to get it for $2.00, but would probably not pay more than $3.00. I can find too many sticks I like for $2.00 to $3.00 to justify spending much more, other than for those special smokes now and then. I'd recommend dropping the foil lined box for good old cellophane and either do away with the foot wrapper completely or replace it with cedar. If these were both dismissed, it may help keep the price down. While I prefer a stronger more robust smoke, I'd still give this stick a 9 out of 10 and would highly recommend it to all.
:tu

Price: FREE! Thanks Ted's and to the King of Skull Island jjirons69 (http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/member.php?u=7805) in this post (http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=113218&highlight=Ted%27s).
:tu

Burn Time: 9:45 AM to 11:15 AM 11/3/2007

[stig]

I typed up this review off line and avoided this thread completely until my review was done to ensure that my review was not influenced by any one elses thoughts on the cigar. Here it goes.


Review of Ted’s made by hand cigar.

The Cigar

Toro – 6 x 50
Wrapper – Connecticut Shade
Binder – Dominican Republic
Filler – Brazil, Nicaragua & Dominican Republic


The cigar was shipped in a nice box for promo purposes, with the actual cigar inside a smaller cardboard tubo inside. The is a large band around the foot as well as the regular band at the head of the cigar. The smell is very light and earthy, almost reminds me of hay a bit and smells like it will be a milder cigar. There are no blemishes of any type on the cigar at all and the wrapper is smooth and soft to the touch. The cigar was allowed to rest in my humidor for 4 days prior to smoking it to allow it to acclimate to the area. I will use a Palio cutter to cut the cigar and will light it with my torch lighter. My accompanying drink is a diet cola.

Maybe I should have used a punch, when I clipped the cigar, which only had a single cap on it, the wrapper around the top exploded and is starting to unravel before I even get this lit. On the light I get a few hints of spiciness but as expected the flavor is very mild. The hints of earth and leather or underlying about 5 minute in and surprisingly, even though the taste is mild, there is a spiciness that is picking up. The cigar is also starting to canoe a little bit.

OK, I’m about 20 minute into this smoke and about 1/3 gone but only on one side. The canoeing is so bad that the difference in burn from 1 side of the cigar to the other is aver an inch difference. No amount of twisting and turning while I smoke has helped. I tried to correct this with my lighter but it just started canoeing again. The taste is getting milder as well as the spice.

At the halfway mark now and the taste has become just a bit more present and the spice is picking up a little bit more once again but the canoeing of the cigar is just becoming a bigger issue. The cigar is a bit milder than I would normally like but the amount of spiciness paired with such a mild cigar seems a bit off. This could be a nice mild smoke for people that enjoy milder smokes if it was a little less spicy.

About 2/3 of the way through and the cigar has remained consistent in flavor but the mild hints of earth and leather that I picked up on at the beginning of the cigar are completely hidden at this point by the amount of spice that is now assaulting the front of my tongue. However the cigar is starting to show a little bit of promise in correcting itself, but this far into the smoke it seems a mute point.

I smoked this down to about an inch and a half left to see if there was going to be any change in the profile bit it stayed pretty consistent to the end.

If this review is going to be used as a test group review like it sounded in the beginning then I would suggest working on the blend and the construction a little bit more before marketing this smoke. The amount of spice would be nice if this was a fuller cigar but with the current body was a bit much. The outer wrapper looked and felt very nice upon first inspection and as for the exploding of the wrapper, I just licked the leaf a little to paste it back down and this did not give me any more problems throughout the rest of the smoke.

Thanks for allowing me to be part of your test group; I hope that my review is useful.

Stig