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CoLa (MEL November 08), best cigar this year:

Lovely Connossieur A.

I recently posted a review of a Montecristo Edmundo, and forced myself to give it a score at the end. Having never done that before, it caused me a little consternation. So I pulled up a table of the ratings scale that I assembled using notes from @El Presidente, @asmith, and @Ken Gargett's discussions on the video reviews to provide some guidance. Please note these are my paraphrasings and to some extent interpretation to make sense of the scale. Rating Rob, Ken, and Smithy's Guidelines and Comments 100 99 • Pure magic. Sublime, one of top cigar experiences in your life. Encapsulates everything you can dream of. • You dread the cigar coming to an end. 98 • A cigar you'd want to smoke on your last day on this earth. • A cigar that transports you... 97 • Supreme. Laden with peak, definitive flavors. • Hard time imagining what else could be better. 96 • Utter relaxation. • 96+ cigars should evolve from brilliance to brilliance. 95 • A serious cigar. 94 • Special. Stellar. Everything a Cuban cigar should be. • 94+ should be stunning, actually intercepting you and pulling you into the cigar. 93 • A cigar that achieves its full potential; it promises early and delivers on the promise all the way through. 92 • Great cigars evolve and take you on a journey. • A sensational cigar with soul; it knows exactly what it wants to be. • Hard to give this rating (92+) to short cigars, because of the lack of journey and evolution. 91 • Consistently excellent (but not in the upper echelons of brilliance) • It keeps you intrigued and entertained. 90 • Ticks all the boxes: flavor, construction, complexity, consistently enjoyable, true to brand. • A great cigar with personality. 89 • Occasionally excellent, but may not evolve or take you on an adventure. • Lovely, but never makes you stop and focus on the cigar. 88 • Very good but with flaws which keep it from greatness. 87 • Pleasant enough for enjoying out on the deck, but not for adding to the humidor. 86 • Enjoyable, but somewhat disappointing or unambitious. • Flavor is basic and straightforward. 85 • "Only good" - which a cigar should never be. • Never finds its stride, might improve with age, but not to great heights. 84 • Occasionally or borderline enjoyable. But with substantial flaws, and few signs of improvement. • Merely ok... but don't settle for just ok! 83 • The nether world of mediocrity. • Boring and utterly unmemorable. 82 • Utter lack of character or individualism. • Dead-set average... and I hate average! 81 • Ho-hum. Don't buy. • Cigar to give to acquaintances who would be thrilled to see any kind of Cuban cigar. 80 79 78 • Nasty and not enjoyable at all, like an ex-wife. • Not even a fishing cigar. 77 76 75 • Piss poor. Worthy of the garden bed. Hideous. I was wondering if there's general consensus on this board about this point scale? Some of my own comments: Some of the descriptors at the upper end of the scale are really evocations and not very helpful -- but they are what I was able to grab / infer. One aspect of the ratings that was completely new to me was the expectation (at 92+) of a cigar being a journey/adventure -- which necessarily puts a ceiling on the point score that certain shorter cigars can get. I'm not sure that sits 100% square with me, but it definitely does seem to be built into the Rob, Ken, and Smithy scale... and, heck, might be consistent across the whole industry. Not sure! We did see some ratings below 75, but I stopped there, since exploring the shades of garbage isn't really something I'm likely to want to do. Thoughts welcome -- even if you eschew these scales, would be interested to hear why, as well.

Well this is what I've picked up over the last week.... Johnny-O customs Tubos, Tatuaje blacks CG jars, some opus 6 sets and some Liga t52 and 9 pigs. More random goodies including a box of CoLance from our gracious host! PLPC From our host Camp W anyone? Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Magical 08 Lusi...

I already posted about this box of 2013 Punch Punch a few days ago - just wanted to share this pic because it turned out so well it made me drool. [emoji5]

Dic '13 Sig3. Wrapper exuding honey (beeswax wood polish to be 'precise' ) - smoke exuding true class. Legs for the long run. May have been the best stick for me this year so far.

Awesome mail call today. PLPC from our host, purchased blind from CUNTINT and received a box with an amazing 3 years of age on it! Thank you @Elpresidente. Also received a Bolivar Gold Medal and 08 Monsdale from amazing BOTL @treberty, Thank you again Sir!

5'er of RASS from another great BOTL. Another off the need to try list, If they're anything like the RASCC I see a box in my future

RAG and they look mighty good!

you say cherry I say yes Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk

split box purchase of HDM Regalos. Can't wait to burn em hopefully they aren't the leather fireproof ones[emoji23] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

i have got to ask, how the hell are you familiar with the flavour of urinal cakes?

Mid week herf with an ex-colleague and an FoH BOTL@Padronfan!Gifted Punch Punch from '15 cheers bro [emoji1306] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

VR stellar. Beer meh. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Montecristo Especial (No. 1)

From a recent 24 and the retail site.

08 Principe and an Espresso Martini post lunch. A match made in heaven

Fresh box of Boli PCs (ETP ABR 16) arrived today. Decided to smoke one ROTT. Love the Boli CJs and Royal Coronas, decided on a box of PCs also. Good cigar.

For what it's worth, while collating data from the video reviews, I often heard Rob and Ken discuss characteristics that they look for in the various marcas. Not what recent examples tend to show (necessarily) -- but rather what Rob and Ken have from time to time indicated they look for. Anyway, I started taking notes, and collected them into a table: Brand Rob and Ken's Brand Profile Notes Bolivar Full bodied, leather, lightly sweet earth Cohiba 5 classic characteristics: Honey, dried grass, dried hay, touch of citrus zest, light milk coffee in the background. - wonderful with vanilla at 5 years Diplomatico Toasted tobacco, cream, sweeter spice H. Upmann Nuts, cream, toasted tobacco, shortbread Hoyo de Monterrey Dry white wood, varying cream, a touch of sweetness La Gloria Cubana Montecristo Coffee, cream, cocoa Partagas Spice of bell pepper and smoked paprika, earthiness Por Larranaga Caramel, fruit, cream, toasted tobacco, hay. Medium bodied. Quai d'Orsay Nuts and slight grassiness Rafael Gonzalez Toast with milk and honey Ramon Allones Stewed fruit, fruitcake, with toast Romeo y Julieta Morello cherry Saint Luis Rey Molasses, apricot / stonefruit San Cristobal Molasses, sponge cake, milk coffee Sancho Panza Sweetness with a touch of salt Trinidad Cream and coffee Vegas Robaina Creamy coffee. Occasionally a bit of chocolate. Any errors are my own!

superfluous it didn't cross anyone's mind that you actually caught one.

3 girls, Jan, Sue and Mary haven't seen each other since leaving school. They rediscover each other via Facebook and arrange to meet for lunch. Jan arrives first, wearing a beige Versace dress. She orders a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Sue arrives shortly afterward, wearing a grey Chanel number. After the initial hugs and kisses she joins Jan in a glass of wine. Then Mary walks in, wearing a faded old tee-shirt, blue jeans and boots. She too shares the wine. Jan explains that after leaving school and attending Oxford University she met and married Timothy, with whom she has a beautiful daughter. Timothy is a partner in one of Sydney's leading law firms. They live in a 4000 sq ft apartment on The North Shore and Susanna, the daughter, attends drama school. They have a second home in Bali. Sue relates that she graduated from Monash University, studied to become a doctor and became a surgeon. Her husband, Clive, is a leading financial investment banker in Melbourne. They live in the Toorak area and have a second home in Italy. Mary explains that after she left school at 17, she ran off with her boyfriend, Mark. They run a tropical bird park in Mississauga and grow their own vegetables. Mark can stand five parrots, side by side, on his erect penis. Halfway down the third bottle of wine and several hours later, Jan blurts out that her husband is really a cashier at Target they live in a small apartment and have a camper trailer parked on the front drive. Sue, chastened and encouraged by her old friend's honesty, explains that she and Clive are both nursing care assistants in an old people's home. They live in Hoppers Crossing and take camping holidays on the Murray. Mary admits that the fifth parrot has to stand on one leg.

Partagas SdC #3. Decent, but I won't be chasing these. Then a very nice older HDM Epi 2.

The rare opportunity for an afternoon cigar and beer. Partagas Aristocrats and Oso's Night Rain Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Monte delivery day

RA 898 Alemania - luxury Verzonden vanaf mijn iPhone met Tapatalk

Surprise today...

07 majestic. Don't sleep on the cheaps! ?

Bingo You work out your own tastes. There are fantastic reviewers out there but my tasting experience on the same cigars is nothing like theirs. Others reviewers however consistently nail the same profile I do. If I didn't have the opportunity to taste as many cigars as I do, I would put far more weight on the latter reviewers as opposed to the former even if the former have a perceived higher reputation. If anyone is using reviews to get a "line" on a cigar. Follow reviewers you generally agree with and stick with it for a time. Patates are not the only things that vary. Cigars themselves (as we all know) are inconsistent. Blend, construction, age etal.

it is a mixed list. plenty i'd add. i reckon i'm a bit over 2/3rds of the.list but some of those are other rums made by the producer. what i appreciate is that they simply did not go to the top ultra premium rum from each company but mixed it around.

HDM Elegantes ALO SEP 16....quite strong, med-full, no real personality, won't revisit for a while, did nothing for me, my 3rd one 2014 Cohiba Piramides....meh LGC Paraiso RE Caribe....I may be in the minority on these but enjoy them if the right wrapper is found, box worthy Johnny O 1966 freshie, perfect stick for the course, tasty, one dimensional and cheap

My first 24:24 shipment arrived yesterday. Punch Punch PSP's from 2013 ! Woohoo! Thank you, Rob. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

NeedEd more Mag48s and found BHK52's at a buyable price

yes, two concepts you never thought to see in the same sentence. anyway, it seems that the good old days where rob would come for a review and next day, i'd have three empties (and know i'd had less than half a bottle) are long gone. i can live with that but complete abstinence is not good for you. even most vaguely sane religions (another first seeing that oxymoron but no matter) allow drinking. rob coming around monday for another review (hurry up, greg, too many in the can) and bringing a really top cigar. as he should. i was keen to crack something special to go with it but prohibition pete is off grog. and not quite the same thing, drinking on your own (not that i am against that but...). so, perhaps this, from the Times, will make him reconsider. Red or white, drinking wine is an ideal workout for the grey matter Ben Hoyle, Los Angeles April 5 2017, 12:01am, The Times Wine engages more of our brain than any other activity, according to a top neuroscientist. The next time you reach for that chilled bottle of sauvignon blanc or pour an extra glass of pinot noir, take a moment to congratulate yourself: research suggests that your mind could not be working harder. Drinking wine “engages more of our brain than any other human behaviour”, according to a leading neuroscientist whose decades of work have helped to redefine our understanding of how the brain processes flavour. Encouragingly for those who hate to waste a drop, Gordon Shepherd, a professor of neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine, also argues that spitting wine out during a tasting session prevents the drinker from fully appreciating it. Swallowing is one of the key processes, he claims in his book Neuroenology: How The Brain Creates The Taste of Wine. It is vital “for obtaining the most information possible about the quality of a wine”. Dr Shepherd has been instrumental in carving out an emerging branch of science known as “neurogastronomy”, a term that he coined in 2006. His work has shown that our psychological, sensory and physical response to food and drink combine to create what we think of as flavour in objects that do not inherently possess it. Our understanding of how this works and what is means has been expanded through detailed scientific research by Dr Shepherd and other scientists and through the practical experiments of chefs such as Heston Blumenthal, at the Fat Duck in Bray, and Ferran Adrià of the El Bulli restaurant in Spain. In Neuroenology, Dr Shepherd is advocating a new approach to wine along similar lines “that can be summed up in the phrase: the taste is not in the wine; the taste is created by the brain of the wine taster”. Where other wine-tasting books focus on the wine, Dr Shepherd is much more interested in the drinker. He has the data to show that they are engaged in a series of operations more elaborate than listening to music or solving a difficult maths problem. “The molecules in wine don’t have taste or flavour, but when they stimulate our brains, the brain creates flavour the same way it creates colour” [by responding to the effects produced when light hits the objects that we see, which are actually inherently colourless] he told National Public Radio in the US. Sniffing that pinot in advance requires “exquisite control of one of the biggest muscles in the body” while moving it inside the mouth engages the intricate muscles that control the tongue as well as stimulating thousands of taste and odour receptors. This explosion of mental information is then processed through a frame of reference that is “heavily dependent on our own memories and emotions and those of our companions” at the time, as well as additional factors like the composition of our saliva and our age and gender. Dr Shepherd does however caution against overdoing the pursuit of pleasure. Often he observes that after a few sips “people are just downing the stuff. If you take too large a sip, you’ve saturated your system.” At which point the brain may recognise the possibility of another complex phenomenon: the hangover. What happens after each sip ● Taste is an illusion. The perception of wine is formed in the brain, not in the mouth. Smell plays the key role. ● Two movements activate the brain to create flavour perception: the movement of the wine through the mouth and the movement of air through the throat and nose ● The most important contribution from our sense of smell comes not from sniffing the wine in advance but from molecules released in the mouth when we breathe out.

Agree and disagree on that, LT. First of all, to some extent it's surely a matter of taste. But in general I concur, most Alemanias didn't disappoint, some were truly exceptional - but with one big letdown and that has been the mentioned Escuderos for me. By far the weakest of all so far (may be followed by the Glorias, not sure yet). Every regular SP vitola - and at that time, Molinos and even some Coronas and Bachilleres were still available - trumped that bland volado roll. Everytime I smoked one I asked myself why only I didn't grab a regular stick instead. Side note - CB is a beaver ...

Gambling on some venerable barolos: Burlotto Barolo 1964 Terre del Barolo Riserva 1970

@planetary , absolutely love the breakdown. Awesome work my bro!

Huh ?! The Bolivar Especiales Nr. 2, SP Escuderos, PL Lonsdales and RA 8-9-8 are sexy as hell And the RA Belicosos and PL Robustos were amongst the best cigars i ever smoked . . . so no generalization please, Sir +1 on the Short Robustos though

There's no way I could dissect each and every point on the scale, but a worthy attempt has been made!

Thought I'd start taking some notes and offering up some thoughts. Montecristo Edmundo (PCC Vintage stock), a 52x135 robusto Box code: OPA AUG 09 Smoked on: April 4, 2017 (aged 7.7 years) Bought: Via 24:24 on August 3, 2015. Notes from El Prez: PSP: I only put up Montecristo Edmundo when I come across them like this. When they are at this standard (and it is not often), they are the closest thing in regular production to the Monte 520 that you will find. There is depth and richness to the flavour no doubt elevated by the stunning wrappers. Construction is flawless. My review: Appearance: Colorado Claro, a bit lighter than most good Montecristos I've had. The wrapper is smooth and has retained a soft, oily sheen. Construction and cut: Overall very good. Slightly soft in places. Guillotine cut. Good draw. Aroma at cold: Brilliant. Alluring. Cocoa. Soft aged tobacco. Raisiny sweetness. Body: Mild-Medium First third: Faint baking spices. Soft through the nose. Brioche buns. Light smoke. Finish is on the short side. A bit of cidar and Cuban saltiness. A touch of woody spice begins to appear -- not much, but it lingers on the palate. Second third: Room note is noticeably pleasant. The cocoa wavers between bittersweet and baker's chocolate. A bit of light coffee flavor, but without bitterness of any kind. Salty character increases somewhat. Aroma is evocative of the old stacks in a library. Very sensitive to smoking speed. Smoking too fast creates excess heat, which turns the light woody character into mushrooms. Final third: Cocoa at the core, and the brioche is now a mild baked sourdough. A gentle, settled palate of aged tobacco. Touch of anise. Return of cedar and a background of lightly creamed coffee. A delight to retrohale. Last thoughts: Excellent mellow cigar of moderate age. No great evolution, but hints and accents gradually shift, maintaining interest. Must be smoked at a gentle pace. Absolutely wonderful aromas. Montecristo to the core. Glad to have most of a box remaining in the humidor. Rating: 90

i would argue that if you are picking peach characters in a smoke then you can indeed distinguish and you have a better palate than you give yourself credit for.

Used mine for the first time tonight. Started with a H Upmann Conno...A with a snug draw. Ended up with a H Upmann Conno...A with a Perfec(t) draw. Easy to use and very effective. Remedied a tight spot at the shoulder very easily. Worked as advertised.

After resting for about a month, I cracked open the Punch Vintage jar. This review is based on the two I've smoked over the past week. Format: Corona Gorda (143 mm x 46 rg) Vintage/year rolled: ??? The information in the box the jar comes with says a minimum of 5 years of age. The cigars wear an old Punch band (discontinued in 2009 if memory serves me correct), which could indicate that these have a couple more years on them. I’ve heard somewhere that these are just taken from cabs in HSAs aging rooms. Both cigars I’ve smoked (and a few that I’ve gifted) have had very loose Punch bands with the second (much tighter) band reading ‘Coleccion Vintage’. Jar comes with 19 cigars, 2000 jars were released for the Spanish market last year. Pre-light: Beautiful near-flawless wrapper, cap the same. Feels quite firm, at cut it is looking almost overfilled. A lot of tobacco here. I do not get much of flavor in the pre-light draw but some deep earthy notes when smelling the foot. First third: Starting off with sweetness and cedar, quite full flavors but mild in strength. A weak pepper on the retrohale. The sweetness soon falls into the background and the pepper does not stay for long. Earth on the back. Second third: Leather. Cedar is relegated to the background and leather is the main flavor here. Leather and earth lingers on the palate in harmony. Definitely hints of sweetness still present. The cigar builds in strength slowly, with two attempts at more stepwise changes coupled with some pepper on the retro but doesn’t stay for long. Final third: Third attempt at a significant increase in strength and this one sticks. I would put it at a medium here, with the combination of a slow build up and a more drastic step up. A very nice sweetness comes back, paired and married very well with the leather and earthiness that has persisted. A few puffs of something else, possibly herbs. Total smoke time of 80-85 minutes. Construction: The draw was impeccable despite my worries about the large amount of tobacco crammed in. The burn made a small incision on one side at light up but it self-corrected to an almost razor sharp line quickly and stayed so until getting nubbed. I always love when you can follow the small veins through the leaf into the ash like below: General thoughts: I don’t think I’ve had a Punch Punch this old and I was very pleasantly surprised. The flavors have melted together extremely well and although it is fairly mild to begin with, I found it to be a fantastic smoke that is worth paying attention to. I enjoyed the build up towards the end, this cigar definitely still has substance to it and it may very well be close to its peak age-wise. I think this is a nice way to get some really solid, classic Punches with some age on them. I am not that well-versed on the aged market but I am sure the wait would come at a price. If this, indeed, are rolled pre-2009 then I don't think the price is all that bad. Plus, I will have a nice looking ceramic jar for my kitchen/office. Overall, I really enjoyed this cigar and hope the 14 that are left will taste just as good!

According to my undestanding, this is exactly what happens. Jar are made mostly of slowmoving boxes in the markets, specially in Spain. I have found the Spain Vintage Jars to be particularly good

Thanks for the review, well done! Recently picked up the similar Spanish market Serie Sevilla jar but have not sampled the cigars yet. I have been interested in these Talavera style jars as well. Nice memento, with some history behind it, and production of the jars appears to support local craftsmen. I believe Spain has had trouble moving stock in recent years, and for good reason. While these jar releases are probably just a way to create interest in cigars that have not been selling, it's nice to hear you had a good experience. Smoke through them and put it on display!

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As tight as they are those Upmann Lonsdales are true classics... -The Pig

No. REs are generally true to their respective marca. Sometimes they're better than the regular vitolas of the marca, sometimes they're just the same blend in a different vitola.

I go off the turps at least 4 times a year Its usually for the waist line more than anything else. After 4-6 weeks off I tend to only drink during the weekends and then that morphs into drinking during the week AND weekends and then the cycle starts all over again I commend anyone who doesn't drink (especially if they work in customer service or retail) as they're stronger souls than I I've always found alcohol is a balancing act. Its nice to be able to reach for that fine bottle of wine on a night when its pissing down rain but at the same time, you don't want to be one of those guys who comes home from work every night and drinks 8 beers just out of habit Everything in moderation...including moderation

Yes, there is such a thing as cigars reaching a 'peak life'. No one can tell you when that is, one has to go through a box themselves to compare when the flavours are optimal. Depending on the cigar and its related blends, some cigars peak earlier (or later) than others.