HBD’s Blind Taste-Test Review #3, ASH Experience, 5.5 x 58 Promenento

[Herfin Bigdog]

Cigar #3:

The ASH Experience, 5.5 x 58 Promenento with natural wrapper; manufactured by Tabacalera JEM; http://www.tabacalerajem.com/index.html
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AVB’s Reviews (Cigar Pass member)
Cigar #3

A large or super toro sized stick at 5.5 x 54 with a fairly smooth dark wrapper and a good solid feel to it.

Pre-light was a very nice damp earth smell like a freshly planted field. I lit this up with a wooden
match and there was less smoke then I would have thought for such a large cigar. It was a tight draw or anything just less then expected. However, what was there was pretty good with the earthly prelight continuing and a bit of nuts (walnuts?) showing up. The stick stayed that way for a little more then an inch when the earthiness went away and it became a little acrid like it was very young. I cleared the stick by blowing out through it but that didn't help.

The acrid taste lasted maybe a quarter inch when it went away and the stick became noticeably spicier, a good peppery feel on the tongue. This flavoring remained until the last inch when I had to put it down to eat dinner.

Overall the burn was straight, the ash firm and the flavor was generally good. Not an outstanding stick but pretty decent.


Black Plague Reviews (Cigar Weekly member)
Mystery Cigar #3
Approx. 5 1/2 x 55 Robusto

Appearance: A nice walnut-hued colorado wrapper, very evenly colored throughout. Very few veins. The texture was very soft and had an almost suede feel to it. An average cap on top.

Prelight: My double guillotine cut a little swath off the cap leaf, leaving a nice, open surface area. Prelight draws gave soft tobacco and some floral hints. A very slight tingle of spice was detectable.

Flavor: Started out very nice. Very spicy and peppery with a background of oak, the taste of black peppercorns dominating. The bourbon I was sipping with this cigar brought out the hidden sweet, floral notes I had detected on the prelight tasting. At one inch, I could tease out some cedar and earthy cocoa hints. By halfway, not much had changed and I was getting a bit disappointed with this cigar. A generic non-Cuban wood flavor snubbed out all the other flavors. The bourbon did liven up the flavor and made it possible to taste the other flavors lurking behind the domineering wood flavor. I could barely tease out some sweet notes with small puffs, but average puffs were still overwhelmed by wood. By the last quarter, it was still the same and was getting hot. Overall, medium-bodied with medium to full strength.

Construction: The cigar was under filled and this resulted in the draw being very loose, the cigar getting very soft in the last third or so, and burning too hot. The burn tended to lean on one side and required a couple of touch-ups, which made the ash a little flakey. Otherwise, the ash was near white in color and held on solidly.

Misc: Accompanied with a snifter of Wild Turkey 101 proof bourbon.

Summary: This cigar started out with promise, but ended up lackluster. In my opinion, being under filled is what really killed this cigar. It resulted in the cigar growing too hot, too fast, which I think is what resulted in the flavors really going south and that wood flavor stifling everything else. I must confess I'm not a big fan of such large cigars, mostly because a large ring gauge sometimes makes the cigar too mild and under filling is a common problem. On the positive side, this cigar seemed to pair exceptionally well with a good pour of bourbon. I'd be willing to try this brand if it's available in a smaller, perhaps corona-sized cigar.


Brew Meister Reviews (Cigar Pass & Cigar Weekly member)
Smoke # 3:
Size: 5.5 x 55 Robusto

Appearance:
Wrapper - Light colored wrapper perhaps an EMS, a few veins and leaf edges, not an extremely firm stick.

Pre-light:
Aroma - Complex, grass and spice & ?
Draw - OK.
Light: Easy light, however lots of bits of tobacco after clipping the cap on both cigars.

The experience:
First smoke (3/9/06) was enjoyed with a fresh cup of Gevalia Signature Blend coffee with Cream. Tons of smoke, nice aroma. Light body. A rush of spice at first, mellowed out a bit at the half waypoint. Burn was very good. Ash was a light colored & solid with only a minor bit of flake. Smoke was very mild all the way through with no change in complexity.

Second smoke (3/21/06) was again with a cup of coffee. It was a bit better with a little spice initially, then a bit of a mossy flavor about a third of the way. Had a sparks off of the foot as I’d draw, never seen this before. The second smoke finished with a bit of a pepper. Ash was the same. Overall a very mild cigar.


Elk Twins Reviews (Cigar Weekly member)
HBD Mystery Cigar #3

5.5x54
Filler – Unk, Binder – Unk, Wrapper – Unk

This was a lunker. A big, flat-headed cigar with a caramel colored wrapper and a slight greenish tint. Dry and a bit rough to the touch, the cigar was quite dense and heavy. It was a well-rolled specimen and sported a fine triple cap. A mild pre-light taste belied the enjoyment to come.

Nice, engaging medium bodied flavor took control from the start. Some depth quickly established itself and showcased the well-fermented tobacco. Spice and a hint of pepper served as a nice accent. A medium gray ash clung tightly; it was solid and showed a nice spiral roll in the core. I was very impressed by the volume of smoke this cigar produced, and I was captivated by the smooth flavor and refined finish.

I liked the way this cigar developed as it burned. Spicy, with a balanced core, this was a nice meaty workhorse of a cigar. Not spectacular, but certainly enjoyable – steady and comfortable is how I’d describe it. And the refined finish wrapped up the flavor and preserved it nicely for some minutes after each draw.

I’m not a fan of the huge ring gauge; I think this cigar would have been quite a bit better had it come in a thinner ring. But it was a nice blend and a pleasant experience. Recommended

Appearance: 8/10
Construction: 9/10
Flavor: 17/20
Finish: 8/10
Smoking experience: 17/20
Aroma: 8/10
Overall impression: 18/20

Total: 87/100


Sevenmag Reviews (Cigar Weekly member)
Cigar #3

A robusto, maybe a bit over a 50 ring, but still a robusto at heart. A nice light brown wrapper that wasn’t veiny; and didn’t have any other blemishes or noticeable flaws. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years is not to judge a cigar by the wrapper. At first glance I would have thrown this one into the very mild category based on appearance alone.

4 of 5

Pre-light aroma was very heavy and strong with roasted nuts and ammonia. It’s one of those combos I get fairly often and I’m sure others do as well, but they’d more than likely describe it differently. Pre-light draw was spot on, and didn’t have any of the ammonia I mentioned earlier. The clip went well and it took to the flame just fine. Hopefully this was a glimpse of more positive things to come.

3 of 5.

Both samples greeted me with the same pleasantly sweet and nutty flavors delivered in a solid medium bodied package. Probably not the most complex of cigars out there but certainly a nice, profile of nuts, toast and some black pepper. I like this one much more than the first two and hoped that they would stay consistent through the whole cigar. Fortunately it did, at least until the last third or so. That was about the point that it started to go sour a bit. It was still a pleasant enough cigar but I had to toss both of them before you could call it a nubber.

3.5 of 5.

Both cigars burnt well and the ash had to be knocked off at a couple of inches. A touch up here and there for minor burn problems isn’t an issue for me.

3.5 of 5

Both of these smokes, overall were a good smoking experience. Nice flavor, good burn and well constructed. I’d smoke these again.

Overall 3.75

Note: I only wrote one review for both samples, but listed any differences between the two samples where it was relevant.


Steve Hawk Reviews (Cigar Pass member)
Cigar #3

(Unfortunately Steve misplaced this particular review. But I included his comments because it does indicate that his experience while smoking this cigar was very good. –HBD)

“I’ve looked all over the house, but cannot find my review sheet of this cigar anywhere!

Which is sad because, of the four cigars, it was my favorite. If any of the four were ISOMs, it was this one.

I enjoyed the entire experience and would buy more of these. Please let me know what they were!”


Wilkey’s Cigar Reviews (Cigar Pass member)
Cigar #3

A super-robusto measuring 5-3/8" long and about 54 rg. This was a fat, stout cigar with a pleasing EMS wrapper that was lightly veined. Pre-light aroma was light with a peculiar sort of
sweetness to it that was not offensive, just unusual. It smelled like dried Chinese sweet currants that my mother uses to make soup. After lighting, the cigar delivered massive amounts of medium-dense smoke through an easy draw. The flavor was light in body with a light and
clean tobacco taste. There was a slight greenness to it but it was not too distracting at all. The ash was stiff and light gray. Almost from the beginning, though, I had a very serious run problem on one side that persisted for about 2/3 of the cigar. As you can see in the photo, I had to keep the area ahead of the run dabbed in saliva to keep it from tearing down the cigar. In the close up ash shot, the reason for this run is clear: there is a significant gap in the filler bunch that is deep and wide. This allowed the burn to run away down this open channel. I smoked this one way down though and it finished smooth, light fresh with a hint of sweetness and absolutely no harshness.

Overall impression: This was the most enjoyable "pure" cigar in the taste test. The flavor was light and appealing. The smoke was prodigious and a touch of sweetness on the complete
lack of harshness made it an easy and pleasant smoke. Truly, a gentle giant.

I smoked the second #3 today and it was a good, easy, flavorful and woody smoke. Had a touch of spice and it stayed good until the last third when I was done with yard chores. Not bad and I'd buy them if they were smaller gauge and an inexpensive bundle.