Looking for a few good men!

[PigFish]

It looks like Bwana's plan for freestyle review has been a pretty big success. I mean who doesn't want a shot at a free custom cigar, right? This has been bad for me... wanting to take home those Tampa customs. So how can I make it really bad; I mean for everyone?

Group review.

What I would like to organize this week is a group review of the same cigar. Not a live review with a few people but a single cigar reviewed by 10 or 20 members. I mean if my review ticket odds are bad, I want to dilute the pool for everyone!!!! -LOL (Just kidding about the motivation, by the way!)

You guys know me by now, I just as soon review Cohiba Exquisitos or the Grandes de Espana, but I know y'all probably don't stock these crazy cigars that never, ever, not in your wildest dreams... ever sell!

So how about a mainstream cigar? I don't really own a lot of these but I can muster up a Monte 2, BBF, RASS and some of the more common ubiquitous cigars. You need a cigar that we agree on (I pick) and a date code, the willingness to jot down some notes and the desire smoke it.

So I am looking for a few good men... or otherwise, post up 5 common cigars you got, I will pick one... it is my idea after all and we will smoke them and pile them into one massive thread and overwhelm Bwana's rum soaked gray matter. We will give Bwana a pool of reviews to wade through and hopefully enter a bunch of new members into the contest.

Anyone up for it?

I am actually thinking it might be kinda' fun to email me the reviews so that no one can be moved by the comments of another. I can post them all, with or without names and credit a list of smokers in the beginning for the contest. We can have fun guessing who gave what review. I am open for ideas, or we can just post them up. We gotta' move quick though to get 'em in by the due date.

The goal is 10 people. Can we do it? -Piggy

[First Lady]

Piggy honey I think it is a great idea... well done honey

[soltino]

Count me in Piggy I like the idea of emailing you the reviews and keeping the comments anonymous, nice touch!

From more mainstream smokes I can muster up a BBF, a Mag 50, Siglo VI, VR Famosos, Esplendidos... they're pretty much in everyone's humi's I guess? Maybe a PLPC or BGM?

Maybe everyone who owns a Partagas Serie du Connaiseur can review one? Doesn't matter whether its the No.1, 2 or 3, just review what you got...

I'm a lover of thin n' skinnies more so and was intending to review a Bolivar Inmensas later this week, but that can be on another review thread

[sandholm]

Hi

Love the idea with a mainstream cigar review, following cigars works for me:

Boliver Belicosos finos

Boliver Petit Coronas

HdM Epicure especial

HdM Epicure 2

Hdm Dieux

Partagas 2,4

Monte 2,4

PLPC

RASS

RyJ Cedros 2, 3

RyJ Petit coronas

Cohiba Robustos

Cohiba secretos

Cohiba Siglo 2,3,4,6

cheers

[CigarmanTim]

My humi is woefully short... all I have is BRC's, JL2's and Party Lusi's.

[CBL]

I'd love to join! Right now I don't have that many cigars in my student apartment humidor (most of my smokes are halfway across the world) But what I do have that most people will have is:

Partagas P2

Partagas D4

Monty 2

RASS

Grandes de Espana

If any of these cigars are up I'll write a nice little review! If any other cigars are chosen I might check to see if I can score a single.

[ChanceSchmerr]

I love this idea Ray, but I am in Halifax all week for a Navy business trip, all I have is what I brought with me to share with friends, and I doubt guys can do a group review of the cigars I brought (ERDM Tainos, GDE, Hoyo Coronas, etc)

I look forward to seeing the group reviews though, heck of an idea!

[Guest rob]

I'll play.

I've got most of the usual suspects.

Good idea Raymondo.

[Rogers72]

Excellent idea. This is what I have the could be considered mainstream:

Partagas 898V

Bolivar Coronas Gigantes

H. Upmann Mag 50

H. Upmann Sir Winston

Cohiba Siglo IV

Bolivar PC

VR Unicos

[tsolomon]

I have a decent selection and might be able to do this.

RASS

CoRo

PSD4

Boli PC

H. Up Mag46, Connie 1 and PC

Cohiba Sig I & IV

[jacksfull]

Likely's:

RASS

PSD4

PSdC2

Boli PC

Monte 2

HUp Mag 46

[bigfunkyg]

I will play if the timing works out.

I gots me some:

BBF

BRC

BPC

CoRo

Monte 2

Monte 4

Party Shorts

Party P2

VR Unicos

Upmann Mag 46

Punch Punch

PLPC

SLR A

I can always get a single too from the local B&M!

G

[Cohiba007]

Sounds good to me too

PSD 4

Party 898

CoRo

Mag 50

Mag 48

Trini Fundy

Trini Rob T

Sig VI

Lancero

CCE

Monte Sublime

SdC 1

[greenpimp]

I'll play. Embarrassingly enough, chances are I have whatever. Ask Lisa she kept sending them to me.

[PigFish]

I love this idea Ray, but I am in Halifax all week for a Navy business trip, all I have is what I brought with me to share with friends, and I doubt guys can do a group review of the cigars I brought (ERDM Tainos, GDE, Hoyo Coronas, etc)

I look forward to seeing the group reviews though, heck of an idea!

Is that all you brought with you Chris? Is the GDE, and ERdM Grades de Espana? LMK, R

[Omskakas]

I'm in if I have the cigar.

<--- I'm also good looking, see?

[Habanos2000]

What the hell, count me in.

BRC

Party 898

Mag 46

Mag 50

Sig VI

Esplendido

Dip 4

Punch PC

SD4

[qman22]

Sounds like a cool idea... I'm down if I have the cigar

BRC

ERDM Choix Supreme

Monte 2

Party SdC 2

Party Serie P2

RASS

Punch PC

RyJ SC

[mbrody]

If you still have room, I would be in. Odds are I have the cigar...

[JasonInChiTown]

This is a great idea, count me in!

Cohiba Secretos

Cohiba Siglo II

HdM EE

Parti Lusi

PSD4

PSP2

Punch RS 11

RASS

Trinidad Reyes

[ChanceSchmerr]

Is that all you brought with you Chris? Is the GDE, and ERdM Grades de Espana? LMK, R

Here's what I brought with me, Ray!

2 Upmann Sir Winnies (Smoking with an old friend tonight)

2 ERDM Tainos (Smoking on friday with an old buddy from basic training who has leukemia)

2 Hoyo Coronas (for a buddy who likes the smaller smokes but doesn't know any better otherwise)

1 ERDM Grandes de Espana (GDE) - For me at some point. From my 2001 box

1 VR Don Alejando - One to savour at some point

2 Diplo #1s - For a bbq on thursday

Thats what I brought with me - If that works, Ray - count me in.

I Smoked an 01 RG Lonny yesterday after reading your review - 90 minutes of awesomeness. Creamy Wood and coffee flavours. Love it!

Monday's Smoke was a Partagas SP#1 - the Jar smoke, I bought a single at my local B&M to try. Wasn't bad, needs more time.

[sepp]

Ray,

Post it. I f I have it I will play. This is a great idea. Thanks for setting it up.

glenn

[MrGlass]

Sounds like a good idea.

If you're after another person, I can just go out and buy a single.

[PigFish]

First, everyone is welcome. I am thinking about two groups due to the response... possible fat and skinny. Will do a little accounting of who's got what here this evening.

What do you guys feel about using a tasting sheet? I am gonna' post mine and while it is not perfect, more or less a work in progress, I can explain how it works and it will be easier to correlate data, post replies and quantify the data.

Here are the instructions and what it looks like. The actual sheet is two pages, can be printed blank for ease of use and is an actual form that is transferred back to the computer to be emailed.

I don't want to chase people away with it so if you don't want to use it speak up, don't bow out. Edit your post to sheet okay, or won't use it... etc. No offense taken either way.

Instructions:

Cigar Companion Suggestions:

The cigar companion was designed for ease of use by the smoker and person seeking to compile cigar information. My main comment is with familiarity comes proficiency. The concept for the companion was worked out as a means to easily compare cigar characteristics in a fashion that would be easy to compile and quantify.

The form can and should be used any way that you see fit. What has worked well for me is printing the form without field data and taking it to the porch for some real smoking. I use the check boxes to indicate what I am tasting. The form is actually completed a little at a time, not immediately but as the cigar progresses. Once a flavor is noted I make a check. I note the strength and the location of the essence (when I started to detect it) and go on. I change the individual taste comments as is fitting. I check the box to catch my eye, I note 1/3 for example to note that I noticed the taste in the first third, then I note strength of the taste 0-4 for example.

The individual tastes are rated as Not Applicable, 0-4 with 4 being the most pungent, typically. There are slots for smoking time and optional tastes which can be filled in by the smoker. There are several of these wild card slots and the slot comment area is open to your wildest imagination. The same rating scheme works for the wild card slots.

The taste area is broken into three types of sensations; those of taste, those of sensation other than taste and those of character. I believe these are self explanatory but here is how I see it. Taste; obvious! Sensation is like what capsaicin is to peppers; it is not a taste but sensation independent of taste. I think characteristics also go without explanation as they describe attributes or shortcomings of the cigar separate from taste or as a result of tastes and sensations.

There is the agreed upon overall rating system that we have been using and the second page is a narrative for detailed explanation of the experience.

Each cigar should be given a file name reflective of the cigar smoked and the smoker. By using the form as designed the compilation of data is made simple and by returning the form electronically to the compiler he can download the data to a spreadsheet and work with the data a he sees fit.

The NA's represent pull down list on the form.

Thank you for working with the companion. -Ray

Here has one used as suggested:

[CanuckSARTech]

Good gawd, Piggy. This cigar-enjoyment thing is turning out to be work!!!!!