2012 FOH BLIND Tasting Cigar 1 from the 1st of March.

[Lotusguy]

Medium colorado wrapper. Slightly bumpy. Box-press. Foot of the cigar shows very loose bunching. Didn't weigh it but it is light. Cigar has been sitting at 65% in my humi for 3+ weeks since I received it.

Pre-light: Used a punch for fear of a very open draw but still got that. Barnyard smell.

1st Third: Large amount of smoke. Draw is too open for my taste. Leather. Some pepper on the retrohale and in the back of the throat that lingers. Burn is a bit crooked and needs correction. Slightly bitter. A bit of herbs coming in. Full to medium body. Pu-err tea. Burn still off - wrapper doesn't want to stay lit.

2nd Third: Darn this fireproof wrapper - it just doesn't want to burn! Still big clouds of smoke. Slight sweetness when taking a puff but only during the inhale. The construction of this cigar is really not good at all - ash doesn't hold, draw is too open. Touching up for the third time Taste strongly reminds me of Pu-Err tea that's been sitting too long now. Earthy. Charcoal.

Last Third: More of the same. Burnt wood. Getting more bitter. Very dry mouth feel.

Smoke time 55 Minutes

Final comments: I did not like at all. I give it a 78 at best. In all honesty, I would have ditched it at the halfway point but I powered through for reasons of the review. Hope the bad construction did not throw me off. Will smoke one comparison stick before I submit my guess.

[Sutton]

Paired this cigar with water and a pint of Guinness .

Pre light: has a licorice taste to it.

First few puffs after light up I get floral and bitter notes,seems kinda green/young taste to it. Started to be a little bitter.

1/3: It smartened up right away.Cream and Carmel came rushing in,never had a cigar do this so fast. I was salivating while smoking this cigar.

2/3: More silky smoothness,not very strong and not a lot of change to me in the cigar .Just as I ended the 2/3 I was starting to get some shortbread or dough flavours. The cigar seemed to mellow out . By no means a strong cigar somewhere in the lower mild range.

3/3: Smooth and creamy to the end . I would defiantly purchase a box of these.

[micahzeff]

Blind Review 1:

Beautifully constructed cigar, silky wrapper, firm draw.

1/3: Plenty of sweet cream.

2/3: More cream, toasted nuts, touch of honey.

3/3: Cream vanished, earthy, coffee flavors emerged.

Very enjoyable cigar. Interesting to note the similarities/discrepancies between the reviews posted so far.

[mbrody]

Here we go...

Light colored wrapper. A little on the light side (in terms of weight). Sat in my 'dor for about 21 days, 65/65. Draw is on the open side, but not abusive. Prelight flavors are strong tea. Immediately smacking me in the face saying this is not a smoke that I have had before. Opens medium. Tea with a splash of milk,sweetened with raw sugar and just a hint of leather with a dry stalk of grass thrown in. Burn is good. I am immediately crossing possibilities off the list. At the half way point, and tea with grass is the combo I am getting most. Last third sees some youth, with the tea flavor becoming a bit spicy and grass becoming a little harsh here and there. End of line, 86.

[laranced]

FOH petite corona testing

Aroma at cold: Very sweet, light lucen and hay /Tea.

Draw:Sweets musky draw very tight. Slightly tangy to text.

Initial light: Very light Cedar smoke lots of it. Light floral medium flavor. Complex cedar overtones.

1st third: Creamy cocoa smell at the head. Moving into light creamy floral notes.

2nd third light toasty notes. Thick lucious smoke with beautiful floral underlined with just a hint of cocoa. Changed into very subtle buttery short bread.

Still a young cigar with a lite menthol notes every now and then. Took great care to smoke it slowly which helped maintain its flavours. Re-lit as required.

Last third moved into very buttery notes. Still lots of smoke. Lightly toasted. Outstanding aroma maybe a little more time would lead to that aroma transferring into the taste.

Rating 89 - Aroma was fantastic wish that translated into the taste a bit more.

The afternoon was overcast with some rain. Location - man cave. Beverage - tea. Entertainment - West Wing.

Do I know what cigar this is? - No. But I think I have smoked it before. Funny enough, the similar cigar I smoked before was also a blind tasting. It was a cigar which got given to me when I visited the Santa Clara cigar factory floor in Cuba back in 2003. I think the factory is now closed.

[ckearns]

The afternoon was overcast with some rain. Location - man cave. Beverage - tea. Entertainment - West Wing.

West Wing is/was a great show. I was recently introduced to it and made my way through all the seasons and I'm really glad I did.

Nice review btw.

[Pilgrims]

Aroma: woody, straw and a touch of caramel

Cold draw: sweet leather and a creamy vanilla hint

Opening: good smoke, nice cuban draw, good burn. Medium no more than that. Woody, leather like the cold, touch of black pepper, creamy texture, the caramel is more mellow butterscotch, nice start.

1st third: definitely a young cigar (2011) not something I have had before and the one marque it reminds me of don't (i think) do this size. Still some black pepper but the overriding taste is of younger leather and texture of cream, the butterscotch has gone and been replaced with under sweet shortbread.

2nd Third: I will buy a box if reasonable in price, nice change from the more chocolate and cocoa cigar profile you can get...the youth has meant there isn't much more development here, still good, leather and a bit of spice with flavours getting a little darker, strong black tea in there somewhere. Construction and draw remain perfect...

Final Third: a bit of "animal" appeared in the last third, good stuff, some real punchy favours, no tar showing which is good, whiter pepper and still that leathery core....

89-90 would love another in 6months as I think it will have developed...

Cheers pres, good choice

[Ghabanos]

Real time Words association review - I am not a man of many words aka limited vocab

Box pressed

Veiny

Crack

Pairing -

Mcallan 18

Dry -

Touch of sweetness

Light

Draw -

Perfect

1/3 -

Non-distinct flavors

Very Young

Lacking of Smoke

Razor burn

Faint spice near rear of tongue

2/3 -

Bam!

Caramel - so faint/delicate that I could only taste with my eyes closed

Touch of milk chocolate

Spice on tip of tongue - light spice

Momentarily creamy

Ash falls

Reminder of youth

Fresh tobacco

Back to blandness

3/3 -

Flat

Flavorless

One dimensional

Needs to mature

Wonderful burn

More tobacco

Bam!

A hit of nicotine

Barnyardy

Touch of spice to wrap it up

Summary: boring - interesting - boring

Ok cigar. If one dimension with 2/3 all the way I would smoke more.

Rating: 85 ish

Appearance 10

Flavor 19

Smoke Characteristics 24

Overall 32

Which pc is this: no fricken idea . now I'm going to smoke a bhk 52...

Good nite....

[Professor Twain]

I signed up early but my cigar has not arrived yet. Rob I hope you will extend the deadline. I'll smoke mine as soon as possible but if it's not here by Thursday, I'll be out of town for a week. PM sent.

[rahko]

Heavy box press, good construction and draw. Comes on very strong once lit, it's on right from the start. Cocoa and dry earth, woody notes. Mellows out considerably after about an inch, still some cocoa, hints of cream. All strength and aroma slowly withers during the next inch and a half, then turns soapy. Very soapy. Fortunately this doesn't last very long, then starts to build up in the core flavours again into a quite nice rounded balance, not in the excess of the beginning, stays good until the very end. Even burn throughout despite the obvious freshness.

[dizedean]

Blind Review #1

Mareva

Not the prettiest cigar I have seen.

Medium Colorado, with a lot of veining also felt a little soft.

Mine had a slight box press.

I dry boxed this cigar for 24 hours before lighting.

Aroma at cold was all sweetness and cedar.

This cigar was medium bodied.

The flavors were pretty consistent throughout not a very complex smoke.

Upon lighting I found the draw to be a little too loose for my taste.

This cigar immediately showed a spicy white pepper to go along with the sweet cedar taste.

It maintained the spicy twang and the sweet background throughout.

I had floral notes and leather notes moving in and out as the cigar burned.

My sample had a couple of spots where there was burn issues.

Just a few moments when the cigar was hard to draw and produced a momentary sour taste.

This quickly subsided after some burn and continued with the sweet, spicy, floral and leather throughout.

I did enjoy the smoke.

I would consider buying this for a change of pace to my normal routine.

I do not think I have ever smoked this particular vitola.

I do believe I have smoked it's cousin from the same brand.

I would rate this cigar at an 88/100.

Good luck to all.

[Drguano]

It has been interesting to read the range of descriptions. The physical attributes are the same. Pre-ignition, the tastes that I got were pine and citrus. Easy draw but not too easy. First impressions are whole grain toast with no butter with a sense of shredded wheat, cinnamon, dry cappuccino with very little foam. A good breakfast cigar. Then I got a touch of McVitties, vanilla and butter (vanilla wafer?) and for a moment espresso crema as if you'd laughed and the shot had come out your nose (don't ask). Then i got a taste of walnut and finally shortbread. All this might have been the residue of last night's adult beverages, Sierra Nevada Hoptimum and then Founders KSB, a high octane stout that is finished in bourbon barrels. I could have been smoking shredded wheat for all I know.

[carnivalhobo]

Short review:

prelight:

veiny, ugly, slight sweetness off the foot

1st 3rd:

spice bomb first 3 puffs, settles to med

cedar, draw isnt good, something is wrong

2nd 3rd:

burnt coffee -> milk coffee

still some spice

PLUGGED.

Tried to fix it, but there was a 1" unsmokeable plug in this guy at the half-way point, cut it off but still wouldnt relight. No idea wtf this thing is.

drowned my sorrows with a RyJ Churchill with a few years on it, then launched into a full blown herf with a FFOX Lost City lancero, Cohiba 1966, and a RASS to finish it all off. Enjoyed a liter of RZ23 with some buddies and went to bed.

[Murri]

Short review:

prelight:

veiny, ugly, slight sweetness off the foot

1st 3rd:

spice bomb first 3 puffs, settles to med

cedar, draw isnt good, something is wrong

2nd 3rd:

burnt coffee -> milk coffee

still some spice

PLUGGED.

Tried to fix it, but there was a 1" unsmokeable plug in this guy at the half-way point, cut it off but still wouldnt relight. No idea wtf this thing is.

drowned my sorrows with a RyJ Churchill with a few years on it, then launched into a full blown herf with a FFOX Lost City lancero, Cohiba 1966, and a RASS to finish it all off. Enjoyed a liter of RZ23 with some buddies and went to bed.

Almost my same experience except for the extra cigars and drinks.

Didn't get any spice.

Draw was hard from the get go.

Went out about half way thru.

Got called away for 15 minutes right after it went out, not good at all after relighting.

Pitched it at that point.

No sure what it is but I will guess.

[sam]

Wow, judging from the above comments I must have got an especially good cigar!

Smooth, almost vein-free Colorado-brown wrapper. Solid throughout it's length. Good hand weight. Slightly box pressed and good aroma at cold.

Draw through a punched opening was perfect. Delivered lots of thick and flavorful smoke immediately. A bit harsh at first, but it settled down quickly. Flavors were a bit one-dimensional, and mellowed steadily through the first two thirds. (Sorry, can't describe the flavors). Sharp burn throughout needed no touch-up. Although it did not develop any ammonia taste at the end, it did deliver quite a nicotine kick. Medium - medium full in body. Burned for almost an hour, and I worked it pretty hard. The classic flavors of the brand I think it is. A very good cigar. 89-90 in my book. I would definitely buy a box of these if I knew I could get more like this one, and not what others apparently got. ----sam

[tjhernandez34]

Mystery Cigar #1

Petit Corona

Appearance: This cigar had seen better days… To start with it had a rustic and toothy wrapper, but throw in a damaged foot and the crack about halfway up the stick (probably due to shipping) and you have one of the ugliest cigars I have smoked. The cap also looked as if it had been applied after a few drinks, but even though this smoke isn’t going to win any beauty contests, at the least hopefully it has ‘a good personality’.

Aroma at cold: chocolate and sweet tobacco

Cold draw: Flavors of crisp, dry hay and a perfect Cuban draw with just a slight restriction.

The opening of this cigar was rather muted, and then a creamy-nutty sweetness came appeared. The body was perfectly medium. As the cigar progressed I got many different flavors from the stick. It began with a rich, creamy cocoa with maybe a bit of vanilla on occasional puffs. As the first third passed, cedar or a very subdued woodsy spice became present. During the second third, the cigar still had the cocoa backbone, with a sweet creaminess interlaced, but the woodsy spice/bitterness began to build which was more reminiscent to coffee (or a milk coffee if you include the cream). The body stayed medium all the way through until the end when it kicked up. The flavors towards the end mimicked the second third. However, bitterness began to overpower the milk coffee and cocoa.

Final thoughts: This was a solid cigar (albeit an ugly one). I don’t know if I would buy a box though. Not really my flavor profile, but I could definitely see myself picking up a few singles.

[cigaraholic]

Good looking colorado wrapper cigar, solid, slightly overfilled.

Perfect draw with a nice barnyard aroma.

First impression is coffee with toasted tobacco.

First third I get a tannic earthiness with a hint of coffee, halfway thru it creams out a little.

Second third still staying slightly astringent with earthy coffee flavor, slightly above medium body with a nicotine kick.

Last third body builds to medium full, flavor profile stays the same, can't shake the youthful astringency.

I enjoyed the quality of the tobacco in this cigar but it needs a few years to mellow out.

[amosnaim]

Cigar #1 - petit corona

nice colorado wrapper.

aroma at cold - barnyard; kinda sweet note to it.

contruction seems very good.

open and 1st third - starting with a spice kick; coffee with an earthy undertone; draw is on the loose side, but i like it this way; lots of smoke.

2nd third - the cigar settles down, the spice is gone; coffee, chocolate and earth mix; there is a sweet undertone coming in waves.

final third - still chocolat coffee earth mix; a bit hotter.

solid 89.

very nice cigar.

good luck to all.

[kaleehb]

Mystery Cigar #1 - Petit Corona

The pre-light showed a nice light brown sandy wrapper. Wonderful cold smell of barnyard and a tight pre-light draw of earth and cocoa. Used a regular V cut on the clip.

1st Third: A nice smooth easy going cocoa and cream cappuccino flavors. Cigar was medium bodied and very easy/smooth on the palate.

2nd Third: The cream remained with more earthy undertone present. Cigar still remained medium bodied but lost a little of the smooth trait it had carried.

Final Third: The cigar once again moved into a more dark coffee tasting notes. I was also able to get slight chocolate notes on the finish but they were not very prominent.

This was a very enjoyable smoke and would a perfect morning/brunch cigar. Enjoyed and very much recommended!

[nikosdoc]

Review #1 Petit Corona

Appearance:Good wraper,2-3 water spots,exhellent smell of light tobacco

Prelight:Good draw a bit on the firm side,sweet light cocoa.So far so good.

1st third:Initial spice kick,setlles down fast.Sweet herbal tones,with occasional buttery feel.

2nd third:Some menthol,propably due to age,less herbal.Buttery feel more evident,some sweet coffe.Medium body.

3rd third:More sweet espesso with milk,like a good machiato.Definitely some evolution there.Still medium body.

A solid 88 with some legs.

I am certain i have not had this before,still will try to guess.

Thanks Pres for the competition,much more fun than expected.

[sg1234]

Petit Corona with a nice looking Colorado Maduro wrapper; slightly box pressed

aroma at cold is delicate and sweet, perfumy

Construction is good. I didn't weigh the cigar, but it feels a tad light in the hand. Draw is perfect!

Initial puffs: black coffee, walnut; cinnamon through the nose

1/3 - black coffee and walnut are strong up front, orange peel finish appears but doesn't last long. Walnut overtakes coffee as the predominant flavor toward the end of the first third.

2/3 - dark chocolate and toasted tobacco, espresso. Orange peel finish makes a return at the end of the 2nd third. Touch of caramel.

3/3 - toasted tobacco with orange peel coming and going

Overall rating: 87

[TexAg]

Blind Cigar #1:

Prelight inspection- Great looking cigar, minimal veins. Great sweet tobacco aroma. Some chocolate notes from pre-light draw.

1st Third- Very cedary with the same slight chocolate notes as earlier. Noticeable spice.

2nd Third- Has become creamier. Cedar has disappeared. Getting some coffee.

Final third- Same level of cream. More chocolate and even a slight hint of citrus.

Its going to be a tough decision, but I have a few sticks in mind.

[cottierm]

Appearance: nice colorado wrapper; box pressed; under-filled with a few soft spots (as a consequence the ash will fall down twice very quickly); draw is on the loose side.

Smell and draw at cold: are similar to me, that is chocolate and sweet tobacco.

Smell in combustion: leather.

1/3: dark coffee + wood + grass are the first impressions; then wood + leather; quite powerful on the nose; a bit of honey adds itself to the wood & leather flavours. Quite a sweet cigar!

2/3: more espresso-like with a bit of bitterness and some spice; nutty flavours.

3/3: the cigar has moved from the espresso range to a strong tea-like profile; pleasant woodiness with a touch of cedar and grass.

Overall: a quick burner due to its average construction but a pleasant smoke. 88 at the moment. I have still a couple of other cigars I'd like to try before submitting my reply.

Good luck to all!

Michel

[ChanceSchmerr]

Lit mine up today - time running out to make my guess!

A slight box press to the cigar, but I don't take the appearance to mean much. A prominent 5 mm greenspot near the head, and a silky-smooth wrapper with lots of bunched-tobacco bumps making for a rough look to this cigar.

Clipped, it is an effortless draw, with a sweet tobacco taste. The aroma pre-light is rich and sweet.

First 1/3 - BAM! KAPOW! More pepper than I can ever remember smoking - this cigar is KICKING MY ASS!!!!!!

So much strong pepper, my head is spinning. Each puff brings more wafts of pure power. No sweetness here, just PEPPAH!

The burn is good, though, and lots of smoke on each puff.

Middle 1/3 - The Pepper recedes only a touch, and what comes after is a much more earthy encounter. The strong flavour is now complimented by the earth, and some sweetness starts to creep in. I can't describe the sweetness, beyond something of a fruity nature. Still loads of pepper on each puff, out through the nose. The burn starts to go awry but corrects itself. I start to notice maybe a hint of strong coffee...and some dry hay or grass.

Last 1/3 - The pepper is now playing with the rest of the flavours, but still leads the way. Now some sweet bready notes come through, with what I sense to be roasted coffee? Roasted nuts? Chock-full-of-nuts Coffee? I can actually relax with the cigar now, without the pure pepper, it's no longer a challenge just to stay with it! The fruity sweetness comes and goes. Near the end, the burn angles and no longer corrects. I toss it when the leading part of the burn gets to my fingers.

Boy....this was a challenge. I have a couple of maybes for this one, but my guess is pretty sure. As sure as I can be for a mystery cigar! Having a few sips of Springbank CV Whisky helped get me through!

Would I buy more of these? I can't say - I like a good strong cigar, but this was akin to an murderous Fuente for the 1/3. I am definitely curious to hear what it actually is. Sending my guess to El Prez now!

[habanos1972]

The cigar was well made, after the cut it had a firm draw. After a few puffs I began to salivate. The copios amounts of creamy smoke lined my mouth. It started with hints of leather and spice, then morphed into hints of citrus fruit, dried apricot and a slight touch of salt. The end of the first third the cigar changed again, pepper was starting to emerge.

During the second third, the pepper became more prevalent, and just when I thought it was going to get too strong, coco flvors emerged. I had to look at the cigar and marvel at all the flavors, the ash was tight and hanging on. The end of the second third the coco started to fade into white pepper.

The last third of the cigar was pure tobacco flavors surrounded by pepper. I have never smoked such a complex little cigar before this. The smoke was pleasing to smell, nothing harsh about this little gem.