Published Monday, November 12, 2001

Pre-Smoke Comments

Ben Hicks (grinnin): Robusto 5"x 52. Wrapper dark EMS color mottled with oil. Lumpy under the wrapper and rustic in appearance, but an even medium firm roll. Sloppy, wrinkly cap with a large vein. Mild straightforward tobacco aroma before lighting. The draw felt easy , but gave mostly air. This cigar didn't deliver much smoke as if the wrapper had holes in it though I couldn't find any. The burn went pretty crooked for a while but straightened back out OK. Light grey ash with average consistancy.

Bill Orlando (ÞShadow): This cigar was toro sized, firm with a dark wrapper. Wrapper had some spotting to it. Cap was smooth. Draw seemed easy, almost too much so. Cigar burned uneven and had to be corrected several times with a torch. Ash was gray. The cigar had a very subtle aroma and sometimes almost no aroma at all.

Daniel Bienkowski (DanB): I've had a nasty cold for the last 3 days and haven't wanted to smoke a cigar during that time. But the cold symptoms are starting to subside, and I was looking forward to trying Cigar #2. The cigar looked well made with a firm bunch. The wrapper was an almost-maduro color but wasn't smooth -- it was somewhat coarse with a slight tooth, reminiscent of Cameroon tobacco. The cap was sloppily applied, which marred the otherwise excellent appearance.

David Deibert (Purosdave): This cigar has a marbled maduro colored wrapper, though it is probably not labeled as a maduro cigar. The wrapper has a smooth texture with lots of small veins. It feels well bunched, it has a good weight, and the cap is applied perfectly. All in all the only thing hurting in this category is the color and veins of the wrapper.

Jon Adams (spiridon): This is a nice looking dark (Maduro) Robusto. Very firm, no soft spots. A little tooth on an oily wrapper. It has a nice round cap....overall, looks to be a well Constructed cigar.

Rick Boothman (Eduardo): Cigar #2 was a dark brown robusto with a smooth wrapper. It had only one noticeable vein. It looked to be well made with a solid feel. The cap on this cigar was slightly loose and a small crack developed when cut.

Todd Crandall (sevenmag): A nice looking 5x50 robusto with a sungrown wrapper. A bit vieny and rustic. It had a good bunch with no voids or soft spots. The draw had just the right amount of resistance but did not give up any real hints of flavors before lighting.

Smoke Comments

Ben Hicks (grinnin): This cigar started sour and bitter for just the first few puffs, but then gave way to a nice mild cinnamony spice flavor throughout. The flavor reminds me a bit of the spice flavors in some Perdomos, but much less intense. No complexity to speak of, the flavor was consistent, and built as the cigar burned, but stayed shy of medium. Thin body, and to me the cigar lacked richness (could be due to the draw problem). It had a nice aftertaste that also built very slightly through the cigar. At the end the flavor became more aromatic and penetrating, and left a little tingle on the tongue.

Bill Orlando (ÞShadow): Medium flavor and strength. Plenty of smoke, but I found myself having to really take my time smoking it or it would become harsh very quickly. The cigar was a little bitter for the first third but smoothed out.

Daniel Bienkowski (DanB): I've smoked a lot of Cameroon wrapped Dominican cigars in the last five years and that's exactly what this cigar tasted like. This was a mild cigar and the flavor starts out with a hint of sweetness accompanied by a slight bitterness -- which I've always referred to as a sweet & sour taste. The bitterness could also be called a metallic taste and it reminds me of graphite, for some reason. At about the half way point, the sweetness is replaced by more of a woody character, but the bitterness/metallic taste is also still there. This probably doesn't sound very good to anyone else, but it's a flavor combination that I enjoy.

David Deibert (Purosdave): This cigar has a great draw and stayed lit the whole time. It didn't burn straight but didn't need any assistance correcting itself. The ash holds up very well and is light grey on the perimeter and dark in the center. It has a mediom body, is right in the middle of the strength category, and is full of flavor, though it is not complex. The aromas remind me of wood and leather and each draw provides plenty of smoke with a long finish.

Jon Adams (spiridon): The cap clipped nice and clean. A pre-light draw gives reason for Hope, as I detect a bit of pepper , and a hint of spiciness. Upon lighting I find the initial puffs to produce a nice amount of smoke With what I would consider medium strength. A nice combination of Spiciness with just an "undertone" of sweetness reveals itself in the Medium + category of flavor. The burn on this one stayed razor sharp throughout, with no problems From beginning to nub. The taste and strength stayed pretty consistent The whole time, with just a small fluctuation in strength about midway Thru.

Rick Boothman (Eduardo): This cigar had a very good pre-smoke draw like cigar #1. It started out burning very even, but at about an inch into the cigar it started to run, not badly but needed constant attention. The ash was light grey and on the loose side but kept a nice cone shape throughout the smoke. The only other complaint was that it developed some soft spots later in the smoke. This was a very mild cigar, tasted of Honduran tobacco. (maybe a JR?)

Todd Crandall (sevenmag): This one lit quite well and took to a nice straight burn and kept it throughout, no corrections were needed at all. The first inch or so were dry and flat, I was about to give up on it when it began to pick up a bit. The falvor was sightly sweet, but other than that it came across flat and uninteresting. I would put it in the mild side of medium range. Mine also had a slight metallic whang to it all the way through. That could have just been some youth coming in to play. I have had this same problem with some other smokes that lost it after a few months of storage.

Summary Comments

Ben Hicks (grinnin): I had to huff on this cigar to get smoke out of it, and really wanted more flavor than the smoke delivered, which was frustrating. This cigar was in no way unpleasant in the flavor department, but there was just not enough to it to grab me.

Bill Orlando (ÞShadow): This was kind of a lackluster cigar. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything to write home about.

Daniel Bienkowski (DanB): Overall, I enjoyed this mild cigar. While the flavors were subtle, there was (just) enough complexity to hold my attention. I'm guessing that it's a Dominican cigar with a Cameroon wrapper and the two biggest makers of this combo are the Fuentes and General Cigar. The 5 x 50 size doesn't fit anything Fuente-made with a Cameroon wrapper so I'm guessing that it's the Cohiba Red Dot Robusto or perhaps the new Montecristo Serie V, which I have yet to try. Of course, I could be way off, in which case, I'll just blame the cold!

David Deibert (Purosdave): This is not an outstanding cigar, that being said it is definately worth smoking. The appearance makes me believe this to be a bundled cigar. The construction is commendable and the flavor is better than average. I would consider this a good smoke to enjoy while playing cards, reading, or watching the game.

Jon Adams (spiridon): I liked this cigar. Not one that I would put in my "top 5" rotation, but certainly one that I would like to keep around. The taste profile is different than most of my "usuals".....not quite as stong as I normally like......but had plenty of good flavor.

Rick Boothman (Eduardo): All in all this was a good looking robusto with some minor construction problems. It didn't smoke bad but I wish it had a little more flavor. I expected a little more strength from a robusto. I give this smoke a 29.

Todd Crandall (sevenmag): Overall, I just don't think this one has made it to it's full potential. It is obviouly well made, but is just lacking in flavor and complexity. This one just didn't work for me, although I can see other people going for it especially if some age cleaned up the flavors just a bit. I can't help but believe this cigar is a year from being much better.

Scores

 Review Results
Final Score: 31.8 out of 50

3 1/2 Stars -- Above Average