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Old 07-13-2006, 01:52 PM   #1
debaire
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More Blind Reviews Cigar #1 - Cuban Crafters Cabinet Selecti

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.
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Old 07-17-2006, 09:39 PM   #2
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I guess i'll be the first one to post about this cigar. I've never done a review, so be gentle...

Aesthetics: This was roughly a 6.25 x 52 pigtailed belicoso I believe (feel free to correct me at anytime!) The cigar looked extremely smooth and not oily at all. I was very impressed with the overall apperance of the cigar, it's wrapper was flawless. It had a darker brown coloring and I didnt see very many veins at all!

Construction: There were a few soft spots around the edges of this cigar (it was a box pressed cigar). The cut was extremely good and the prelight draw made me sense that the cigar was going to be a bit loose (which it was). I found that the cigar took a lot more effort then i'm used to, to get it lit and once it was lit, I had a VERY hard time keeping it that way. It seemed to go out on me every 10 or so min, which became quite irritating. I started to have to take drags more frequently to attempt to keep it lit, but most of the time it was unsucessful.

Flavor and Strenth: For my tastes, this cigar was a bit strong, but i'm sure it was a medium strentgh cigar. The flavor reminded me a bit of a Torano Exodus i had awhile back(?). it is possible i'm a little off on that statement though. It also tasted a bit bland at the same time though. Since i'm very new to the cigar world, it is very hard for me to pick out the distinct flavors in a cigar, unless they smack me right in the face. This cigar's flavors didnt seem to do that to me, so i will await other FOG's opinions on taht aspect.

General Comments: Unfortunatly, I would have to say I wouldn't purchase these or recommend these. i'm very anxious to hear what the other fogs had to say, it is possible that I just got an unlucky try on this cigar. I found this cigar to be a bit irritating. I was trying to sit back and chat w/ another fellow BOTL, but i couldn't really sit back and enjoy it b/c i ahd to re-light it so often. I was outside, so it could have been that the wind played a factor, but I doubt it. In my opinion this is a cigar for a more experienced smoker, someone who likes interesting looking cigars, something other then the traditional churchill or robusto!

Rating: I'm going to give this cigar a 3 because of how beautiful the cigar looked and the potential this cigar has. I think that other BOTLs will find theirs much more enjoyable then I did, so thats why it deserves a 3 out of 10 and not a 1 out of 10.

I hope this review was okay...its my very first one, so i'm hoping each review will be better then the previous one. If I was wrong about any "trivial" aspects of the cigar, i'm very sorry...i'm still trying to navagate my way around all of the technical talk .

Steve, thank you for letting me partake in this...I'm REALLY enjoying it !

Until next time,

AJ
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Old 07-18-2006, 09:22 AM   #3
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Good review, AJ. It's always tough to do one on a cigar you don't care for. But you gotta call a spade a spade.

For education purposes, I believe cigar #1 was a pigtailed belicoso/torpedo and not a toro. Toros are parejos, or straight sided cigars. All but one in that group (from the pictures) are figurados, or shaped cigars.
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Old 07-18-2006, 10:26 AM   #4
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WARNING: FULL FLAVORED SPICE BOMB!

OK, here goes......................

6" Beli with pigtail and unfinished foot. Mottled chocolate brown wrapper with a slight box press and oily sheen.
Firmly bunched, no soft spots noted. Ample smoke with little effort, and a nice whitish ash that easily held on 2".
Appearance and Construction = 4
Burn = 4
Draw = 4
Aroma = 3.5

THis was definitely a full bodied cigar IMHO. Started out with strong, sweet spice and cedar flavor gradually building up in strength. A fairly complex cigar it started to pick up meaty and grassy notes around the halfway point along with some chocolateyness.
Never got harsh, though I could detect a little bitterness which may have been due to youthfullness or overhumidification. THe finish was long and sweet with a cedarish tang.
Flavor = 8
Taste/Aftertaste = 7

I really wanted to like this cigar, however it was a little bold for my tastes. THe construction, complexity and flavors were there, so I'm thinking those who enjoy fuller bodied cigars will probably like this one. I'd give this one another shot (after finding out its identity) maybe on a full stomach and after a few drinks..........
Overall quality = 7.5

TOTAL = 38

4 stars
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Old 07-18-2006, 10:42 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Smoker06
Good review, AJ. It's always tough to do one on a cigar you don't care for. But you gotta call a spade a spade.

For education purposes, I believe cigar #1 was a pigtailed belicoso/torpedo and not a toro. Toros are parejos, or straight sided cigars. All but one in that group (from the pictures) are figurados, or shaped cigars.
Thank you for the encouragement and the correction, i edited my post thanks!

-AJ
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Old 07-18-2006, 11:27 AM   #6
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Nice review guys. I love watching blind reviews unfold and reading peoples sometimes different perspectives of the same cigar, I think it can be very insightful into how we sometimes percieve even the smallest of nuances differently. The worst part about these things is the wait time until the reveal. Keep em coming.
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Old 07-20-2006, 04:10 AM   #7
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Ok, here we go.

Cigar #1, about 6.25 x 52

PRE-SMOKE (20 total)
Appearance and Construction: 4
Burn: 2
Draw: 2
Aroma: 3

This was a good looking cigar. The veins were relatively small and the wrapper was smooth. The color did lighten near the tip, and it was a little lumpy at the tip as well, nothing too bad though. I would have given this even higher rating but it was box pressed and instead of being square it was lop sided. Well, this was a firm cigar with almost no soft spots, but a little light in weight. The pre-light draw was good, maybe slightly loose, but I don't mind that. It lit evenly and burnt evenly with a great draw and lots of smoke for the first inch or so (pic), but as we got further in, it burnt uneven (pic) with little smoke for the rest of the way (pic). About 2 inches in, it was tunneling (pic) a little, but only continued for an inch. It was also hard to keep lit after that first inch. The ash was flakey throughout (pic).

SMOKE (20 total)
Flavor 5
Taste/Aftertaste 5

As with the construction, this cigar started pretty good for about an inch. It was a different flavor than I'm used to, medium to medium-full body. It was nice, but not my cup of tea, but I could see how someone else would like it. However, after the first inch it was harsh on and off and bitter most of the way. Some humidor time could have possibly smoothed thing out... maybe.

SUMMARY (10 total)
Overall Quality: 5

General Comments: This cigar reminded me of a Victor Sinclair I had a couple of years ago, not my flavor profile. Aging this for a while may have cleaned up some of its problems but not all. This isn't a cigar I would search out for, not my cup of tea.

TOTAL 26



My own ranking system:
Aesthetics: 8.5
Construction: 6.9
Flavor and Strength: 6.5
Overall Rating: 6.8

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.
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Old 07-20-2006, 10:46 AM   #8
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PRE-SMOKE:

Appearance and Construction
:
Hmmm...Very Interesting. Apparently a box(?) pressed torpedo/pyramid capped off with an exotic looking "twist" at both ends. The wrapper is a dark brown with a clearly veiny, leathery look and texture with a bit of tooth to it to boot! Quite intriguing and Olde Worlde, with a slightly raw and "just rolled" look to it.

The construction appears solidly workmanlike, firm with no soft spots and a very slight give when rolled betwixt the thumb and fingers.

Score 4 out of 5

Burn:
The burn is a tad uneven, but requires no re-lights or touch-ups. Smoking the cigar produces a nice white ash, which easily holds for fully the first third before dropping off. All in all, perfectly acceptable...

Score: 3 out of 5

Draw:
The pyramid design clearly calls for a double guillotine cutter, which is what I quickly deploy. Ah...to my delight, the pre-light draw is nearly perfect! I apply a wooden match, which seems most appropriate for such a bold looking smoke.

Score: 4 out of 5

Aroma:
The pre-light aroma is earthy, with a vague hint of "fragrance" to it. Fermented aging or aromatics? I wonder...

All in all, this is a package that seems to say "you will taste me right from the first puff!" This is a cigar that barges into the room and demands your attention! Based on these initial impressions, I decide to pair it with a Samuel Adams Cream Stout.

Score: 4 out of 5

SMOKE:

Flavor:

The first puffs are surprisingly smooth for such a formidable looking character. As I prefer a medium bodied cigar, I am pleasantly surprised and delighted! By the midway point, the slight "tingle" on the tongue reveals the strength, yet the smoke remains smooth, with a robust character.

Score: 7 out of 10

Taste/Aftertaste:
The smoke remains remarkably smooth right to the end. The last third becomes more powerful as the pace slows. The tingle encompasses the entire tongue, eased by my last swigs of stout .

Score: 7 out of 10

SUMMARY:

Overall Quality:

Score 7 out of 10

As a gentleman who prefers a medium bodied smoke, I am pleasantly surprised that the bold character is accompanied by such smoothness, which belies my initial impressions. All in all I am quite taken with this cigar. While perhaps a bit too much for the uninitiated, it seems sure to please many a BOTL.

Final Rating: 36 – 4 Stars, Excellent
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Old 07-21-2006, 01:20 PM   #9
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souds like a stick I'd like ! what are they !!
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Old 07-21-2006, 02:43 PM   #10
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The identity will not be revealed until all six reviewers have posted. Stay tuned!
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