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Posted

RASS: POL Nov '10

CoRo: PER Jun '10

BRC: POL Sep '10

PSD4: RAB Sep '10

Epi2: VRG Sep '10

The robusto splits were my first Czar purchase, and from reading other posts, were also the first purchase of a few others. I hadn't previously tried any of these robustos. I've now smoked at least one of each of the cigars so am posting my initial reviews:

First one I tried was the HDM Epicure No.2. The construction was excellent and from looks alone was the cigar I most wanted to smoke first. It was a pleasant experience but nothing exceptional: a fairly mild and enjoyable smoke with no really dominant flavours.

Next up was the Bolivar Royal Corona. This one I smoked on a Saturday afternoon while over in England visiting my brother. It actually turned out to be by far my least favourite of the five. The taste was harsh and bitter and the burn not particularly good. I'm hoping this was due to smoking conditions and will look forward to trying another in the future.

Third up was the PSD4. These looked excellent and also had the strongest smell of all the splits: rich fruitcake. It was smoked on a sunny and slightly windy day during a round of golf. It burned well and was enjoyable but I don't think this cigar will be one of my favourites. Certainly this time the strong fruitcake smell did not come across in the taste once lit.

Now to the youngest and by far the ugliest sticks in the box: the RASS. The wrapper was the least visually appealing and the band had some green staining on it. (The cigars were still in good condition.) This was smoked on a sunny evening on my birthday and was a real treat. It was when toasting the foot that I became aware this was going to be good. As soon as it started to blacken the smell of it was intoxicating. This was putting me in a good mood. The RASS lived up to its promise and I had an hour's smoke that had some beautiful fruity flavours amongst the majestic taste of quality tobacco.

The Cohiba Robusto completed my first tastings of the robusto splits sampler. On a cold evening I smoked this while watching my wife play hockey. As soon as it was lit it tasted of quality tobacco and grass. It's hard to know how much is perception and other influences etc, but to me the taste and smoke of a Cohiba seems such high quality - whatever quality tastes like! This was a very enjoyable hour long smoke.

To summarise: The good were the CoRo and the RASS. I enjoyed the Epi2 and to a point the PSD4. The Boli RC I didn't get much from this time. To put these in order:

1. RASS

2. CoRo

3. Epi2

4. PSD4

5. BRC

Looking forward to revisiting all. Here are some pics of my winner!

post-8699-0-48805000-1318799910.jpg

post-8699-0-63690300-1318800066.jpg

Posted

Your cigars are still very young. If you can let that box sleep for a year in the humidor, they will be a completely different experience.

Posted

Nice post, do you get points for each of thes, if so, way to go.

Posted

Nice review.

Sadly, I haven't had any luck with the RASS.

Maybe just got a bad box.

Cheers

Posted

Stick a couple of each away and leave them for a year. I bet you'll find that each one of them will give you something they didn't on the first go. I wish it would go quicker than that, but whenever I have found that a cigar hit me as bitter or dull, another sampling even 3-6 months later showed signs of increased depth and flavour, and at a year or more, I've always been much happier.

I would also say that tasting a new cigar and being outside in breezy conditions like the golf course don't really add up to an ideal match. I often lose much of the aroma and experience when trying to do two things at once (even yard work or driving if it's windy). For those circumstances, I would guess a spice bomb Nicaraguan might be more satisfying.

All of that said, I have had good and bad examples of all of those cigars. An Epi 2 is a fine cigar, but I agree that they don't seem to have a core, defining flavour. A rested one might have more sweetness and richness though. The CoRo for me is woody to the max when young. The BRC can come off really bitter, but wait till they settle in and give you what they've got.

I've often wondered why a cigar that's nearly a year old when I get it still seems to go through this process. New home, new neighbours, I guess.

It's a fine journey...

Posted

Hey, are you wearing a ring with copper, brass and silver? If so, I've got something similar from a metalsmith in Canada. The guy does mokume gane. Cool stuff.

Anyway, congrats on the score. I love getting new cigars!

Posted

Thanks for all the advice guys. I certainly appreciate that these cigars are young and that I can't form opinions after trying just a single young stick. I'm already looking forward to trying these next year, particularly the ones I didn't find so good first time.

Shlomo, I'm with you that 1 hour is not enough to fully enjoy a Robusto. I wouldn't light up with only 1 hours time available, but in most cases, after 1 hour I have had enough. That would change if the cigar was good!

Atchbo: a cigar on the golf course is an attempt to combine 2 loves that doesn't work as well as I wish it would! I'm not proficient enough at multi tasking to concentrate on either of them fully. The cigar gets no attention and when it's finished, my game improves dramatically! The ring is my wedding ring btw, and is white gold.

Posted

As others have said, the round of golf and I would say also even a small trip over to england wouldnt do your cigars any favours. keep a cheap and trusty NC for that!

Nice ring too

thanks for the reviews :)

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