More Blind Reviews Cigar #2 - El Rey del Mundo Rectangulare

[debaire]

Please see http://forums.cigarweekly.com/viewtopic.php?t=131889
for more information.

Thanks to Augie754 for pictures! http://galleries.cigarweekly.com/Augie754/album01

Please post your reviews here following the guidelines you received in your package. The identity of each cigar will not be revealed until all participants have posted their reviews. You don't have to go in order, but try to get them all done within a couple of weeks.

[DAFU]

Cigar #2 is a Corona sized, dark, box pressed beauty. Nice toothy wrapper with oily texture and firmly bunched. Looks pretty yummy!
Firmly wrapped with easy draw producing ample smoke. Produced a nice white ash that fell off after about 1".
Appearance and construction = 3.5
Burn = 3.5
Draw = 4
Aroma = 4

Mild to medium bodied and somewhat one dimensional. Woodsy flavors dominated, with the beginning being somewhat charry. Hints of dark chocolate and expresso emerged as the cigar progressed but the woodsy taste predominated the length of the cigar. Not harsh at all, but a touch of bitterness accompanied the woodsy flavor; albeit masked somewhat by the German dark ale I was drinking. The finish was sweet with a lingering bitterness. (bittersweet?)
Flavor = 8
Taste/Aftertaste = 7

I would guess this to be a Dominican maduro.(I'm usually wrong!)The overall smoking experience was pretty good, however I would probably let these nap awhile to give the bitterness a chance to mellow out.
Overall Quality = 7.5

TOTAL = 37.5
4 stars

[CJ3]

PRE-SMOKE:

Appearance and Construction:
#2 appears to be a thoroughly box(?) pressed toro, with a nice square shape to it. The wrapper is a dark, dark, brown with a neat, flat, cap and foot. The wrapper leaf seems "smoothed," suppressing any real texture. I'm unsure if this effect is due to the box pressing, or to extended aging, although either is certainly acceptable.

The overall presentation and construction reminds me very much of an ERDM Rectangular. I raise an eyebrow, and think; "hmmm...one of my favorites," as my anticipation grows. "DAMN YOU JR! WHEN! When, will you offer a can't miss deal on Rectangulars again!" I cry out, to no one in particular...

Score 4 out of 5

Burn:
The cigar runs a bit as I take the first few puffs, but produces a nice white ash that "pimples," revealing a toothiness that wasn't apparent in my initial examination of the wrapper leaf. The running continues to the point that I decide to apply a touch-up to the lagging edge. Ah, that's the ticket, as the cigar settles in and smokes reasonably well right to the end. All the while, continuing to produce a nice, white, ash.

Score: 4 out of 5

Draw:
I daringly remove the small, hard cap with a single blade cutter that happens to be handy. The pre-light draw is a bit tight for me, not surprising though, for such a soundly pressed cigar. Ah well, I console myself, perhaps it'll make for a more measured smoke. I thoroughly torch the foot with a high flame from a standard butane lighter. I really enjoy the "mouth feel" of the square body of this cigar.

Score: 3 out of 5

Aroma:
There is a musty, light, "earthy" tone to the pre-light aroma. If #1 was a bar room brawler, the black sheep of the family, then #2 must be his older and more successful stockbroker brother! Certainly the average stockbroker would appreciate the Molson Red Label I select as a beverage...

Score: 4 out of 5

SMOKE:

Flavor:Initially, the flavor is solidly medium bodied. Not too full, and not too strong. The porridge seems a bit tepid. I glance behind me. Was that a set of Golden Locks in my peripheral vision? About halfway through however, I begin to experience a bit more flavor profile, with a decidedly spicy tang.

Score: 7 out of 10

Taste/Aftertaste: MMMmmm...the creamy spiciness builds until the last third produces a noticeably more powerful finish. A bit of a surprise that, but still an enjoyable ending when taken as part of the overall experience.

Score: 8 out of 10

SUMMARY:

Overall Quality:
Score 8 out of 10

Wow, I think I've taken a direct hit right in the wheelhouse! At first I was going to rate this cigar a bit lower than #1, based on the draw, burn, and my initial taste. However, as the smoke developed and progressed, I became more and more impressed with, and enamored of, the flavor profile and the accompanying taste experience. Really, a very nicely done smoke.

Final Rating: 38 – 4 Stars, Excellent

[Augie754]

Alright, Round 2

Cigar #2, about 5.75 x 46

PRE-SMOKE (20 total)
Appearance and Construction: 4
Burn: 5
Draw: 5
Aroma: 3
This cigar had a nice dark wrapper and was box pressed (pic). It was a slightly oily and the wrapper was pretty smooth with justsome minor blemishes mostly near the tip. The veins were on the small to medium size, and it did have minor color blotchiness. Overall this is a good looking cigar. Upon rolling the cigar through my fingers, there was only one soft spot near the tip, it was solid and firm the rest of the way. Pre-light draw was solid. After it was lit the draw was about perfect throughout and always had plenty of smoke to go along (pic). It burnt at a slight angle but not enough to bother me (pic), no relights or touchups. It did have one hollow spot (pic) but it didn't seem to affect the cigar. The ash was solid and could easily last and inch and a half. If only more cigars burned like this. (pic)

SMOKE (20 total)
Flavor: 6
Taste/Aftertaste: 6
Started out spicy but almost immediately mellowed and had a musty flavor. It also had what reminded me of a smoked hickory taste and was medium the whole way. It seemed to be just a little bitter throughout, but I thought it had potential.

SUMMARY(10 total)
Overall Quality: 6
General Comments: The appearance of this cigar instantly reminded me of a Sancho Panza, maybe an extra fuerte. The taste just seemed like it was a little young. I think with 6 months to a year it would be great and with construction like this you can't go wrong. Depending on the price point could be a good every day cigar.

TOTAL 35


My own rating scale:
Aesthetics: 8.2
Construction: 8.9
Flavor and Strength: 7.4
Overall Rating: 7.9

Here is a list of Ratings I've given, to put this in perspective. My Ratings Spreadsheet

My rating scale:
10.0 - 9.5 = buy at any price
9.5 - 9.0 = premium price box worthy
9.0 - 8.5 = box worthy
8.5 - 8.0 = single or 5 pack worthy
8.0 - 7.0 = single worthy if dirt cheap
7.0 - 6.0 = will smoke if given for free
6.0 - 5.0 = suffer through if have to
5.0 - 4.0 = unsmokable
4.0 - 2.0 = would rather stick my head in a dirty toilet
2.0 - 0.0 = would rather stick my head in a dirty toilet with my mouth open

Disclaimer: I've never been able to pinpoint the individual tastes like some of you can (like "hints of chocolate"), so I've used to shy away from posting any reviews. I do know when a cigar is good and basic tastes, bitter, sweet, spicy, etc. So I hope my efforts will be helpful to someone.

[jpweston]

PRE-SMOKE (20 Total)

Appearance and Construction: 3
Burn: 4
Draw: 3
Aroma: 3

Nice looking corona that has been box/square pressed. The wrapper is a nice milk chocolate brown with little to no veining. There are are a couple of minor bulges near the foot and head, but nothing to get me worried. As usual, I'm expecting burn issues with the box/square pressed nature of the stick. Looking at the foot, the roll appears to be nice, full and tight. Bringing the cigar to my nose, I notice faint tobacco aromas with a bit of richness trailing in. Nothing really jumps out and grabs me, so I'm thinking this is going to be medium and mellow.

No soft spots or glaring flaws. The stick looks good. I give the head a snip and the cut is clean. There are a couple of gaps in the roll at the cut, but nothing to worry about. The pre-light draw is fairly easy, but doesn't feel too loose.

Pre-light, there is a faint tobacco flavor and a hint of cedar.

SMOKE (20 Total)

Flavor: 5
Taste/Aftertaste: 5

Post-light, tobacco/woodsy flavors emerge. Those flavors lock in and keep steady for the whole cigar. No real changes take place and there isn't really any complexity - just straight-forward tobacco flavor. I put the flavor level at the mild side of medium.

The first noticeable thing about this cigar was that I had none of my usual burn issues. Normally, box/square pressed cigars are a bad experience for me because I often have to touch up the burn. Not this time. After hitting the flame, I had a straight burn that lasted the whole time. Very nice.

Consistency seemed to be the name of the game here. The first flavors detected were those that persisted through the whole cigar. No suprises - good or bad. Every puff brought ample amounts of smoke. I think this does a lot for distributing the overall flavor(s) over the palate. Definitely a plus.

The only "knock" I have against this stick is the depth of flavor. While I classify it as "mild side of medium", there are mild smokes out there with more complexity of flavor that provide more enjoyable smoking experiences. While that complexity is missing here, the flavors are more pronounced so you don't have to go searching for them. This would be a good smoke for someone who has been smoking milds for a while and wants to see what the difference is between cigars with mild and medium flavors. It's not going to knock any socks off, but I think it would go well with coffee in the morning when you want "just a bit more" than a mild.


SUMMARY (10 Total)

Overall Quality: 6

This one struck me as a blend of Honduran/DR tobaccos. I would like to try a few more to see if the flavor was just a bit subdued on this one.

TOTAL SCORE: 30


j.

[CJ3]

Originally Posted by jpweston

This one struck me as a blend of Honduran/DR tobaccos. I would like to try a few more to see if the flavor was just a bit subdued on this one.

j.

No wagers here. I think you're right on with this one JP....

[H311oLHD]

Pre-Smoke: (19/20)
-Apperance and Construction: 5
-Burn: 5
-Draw: 5, not too tight and not too lose, just perfect =)!
-Aroma: 4

Smoke (17/20)

-Flavor: 8, had quite a bit of spiceyness to it.
-Aftertaste/Taste: 9

Summary (8/10)

Total - 44/50--Outstanding! I really liked this cigar, it had a flawless apperance and smoked beautifuly! I'm very anxious to know which cigar this was.

I'm sorry guys I dont have more time to write this up, but I wanted to get it out there. I'm sorry its been taking me so long

[eagle eyes eric]

Appearance - 4.25 / 5
Burn - 4.5 / 5
Draw - 4.5 / 5
Aroma - 3.5 / 5
Flavor - 7 /10
Taste - 6.25 / 10
Overall - 6.5 / 10
Total - 36.5/ 50

Pre-Smoke Comments: Nice looking stick that was easy to light, smooth draw and no noticeable hot spots. Ash stayed even, and there was no burn outs or relights. Mine had one very noticeale vein - not a distraction or negative point, just a note.

Smoke Comments: This was a mild-medium smoke, which was fine for me. It had a nice taste to it with not harsh aftertaste. It kind of reminded me of walking through the woods during the fall - you know that kind of "almost dead" leaf smell??? It's a nice image for me - and it's a relaxing cigar.

Summary Comments: Though I'm more of a fan of heavy tasting cigars this stick was solid and I'm glad that I tried it. I'm not a snob, I enjoy finding sticks with good taste and consistency. I would definitely smoke this with friends while hanging out playing poker, definitely.

[H311oLHD]

I think that means this pup is complete, no?

[debaire]

#2 is...(drumroll)

El Rey del Mundo Rectangulare