2013 Blind Tasting Cigar Number 1

[Surucipe]

Smoked #1 yesterday evening and quite enjoyed it in spite of the cold and rain in what is supposed to be summer by now. Construction was good and I didn’t have any burn issues as mentioned by others. There was a gaping wrapper wound approximately where the band would normally be, so I think the roller has been a bit too generous with the glue, didn’t have any impact on the smoking experience though. For just a few mm’s it started off a bit dry but that soon gave way to a gorgeous sweetness and also a certain nuttiness (caramelised nuts?). In the 2^nd third some of the sweetness had disappeared (but not completely) and more earthy spicy notes set in. No real changes in the last third, same as the 2^nd third, just more intense. Really liked this one, but a Churchill requires so much time to smoke that I usually only get around to it on the golf course. That would be the main reason not to buy more of these. I find it extremely difficult to put a name to it but I’ll go by elimination of what I think it’s not and then pick one from what’s left (which could still be completely wrong of course…).

[gigabyte056]

Smoked this on a dry evening, it is hot around these parts as summer is in full force now.

smoke time is around 1:30 hr.

Easy smoke, no construction issues.

Dry hay to begin with, followed by a touch of hazelnut and cocoa.

not my favourite smoke, nor have I ever smoked this one I think.

I did smoke something similar and basing the vitola on that and adjusting for size I gambled.

Thanks for reading

[Othello]

I'm just going to give my cliff notes for this one .....

The construction was fine, one large vein running nearly the entire length of the cigar, culminating in a somewhat hard spot near where the band was. This however, did not affect the burn or draw, both of which were fine.

Cold draw was all cedar

First third started out with a bit of coffee and a nice underlying nuttiness, then picked up with a bit of a sweet cream before turning to solid cedar.......

The cedar was so strong for the rest of the cigar it overpowered any other flavors that were trying to emerge. However, this did not ruin my enjoyment of the cigar, as it never turned harsh on me. Overall pleasant experience!

Thanks for reading and thanks to Rob for hosting the contest!

[CanuckSARTech]

My gawd!!!! This already!!!!

I guess I better find my sampler pack of these....

[Sutton]

To quote Ghabanos and To be real lazy ,

"1/3 - soft/delicate/creamy

2/3 - spices from all direction - front and back of toungue

3/3 - back to gentle great quality tobaccy"

That's what I would say in a nut shell. There defiantly where some nuances that I did pick up on and they where baking deserts .

I also have it down to 2 sticks, email sent off to rob

[Strada]

After some initial research I narrowed it down to 4 possible candidates.

It had a thin cap, good construction, no spots and it was box pressed!

The burn was great and it had a nice amour of flavors. I am pretty sure I don't have any of these in my collection. It gave me sweet flavors, nuts, cedar, cream-ish. It was a medium body smoke to me. This is a bit harder than I thought to pin point.

It produced a medium amount f smoke and it left me with a pretty short after taste. This is fit for an afternoon smoke or a Sunday morning with an espresso(or two) and a news paper!

If this is what I called it to be, I might have to change my mind in these. This was pretty good.

[amosnaim]

hi all,

i smoked the the number 1 cigar without letting it rest in the humidor as there was a problem with my shipping, so I am guessing this is why I was missing so much of the flavors that others were indicating.

Still it hasn't ruined my enjoyment of participating in this competition - I love it.

Sending my email now.

cheers

[dicko]

creamy hints through nose, molasses, crushed flower, grape skin, coffee and citrusy on back palate.

medium full. great construction.

92 cigar all week.

I'm gonna take a punt with a cigar I haven't had before but found similar to one of it's smaller cousins of the same marca.

[Drguano]

Nice stick. I thought it had a perfect draw, flavor was consistent from start to finish and burn was fine. But... I was not overly excited by it. Metaphorically, a pleasant afternoon walk around the lake but I would not pursue a second date.

[messa]

Opening 3rd: bitter notes. No spice. Wood. Easy Draw. Good burn. Tastes young. Some floral notes.

Was ready to put it down half-way through.

[CanuckSARTech]

Requesting a bit of an extension....

Rainy, windy, crappy weather until I drive out of this province mid-week...we'll see if Rob (and yourselves) would be acceptable of that, to have a few extra days.

It's actually somewhat calm right now - I can see across the parking lot...

[Duxnutz]

Same here mate, its rained all week!

[lancerv43]

I'm clueless as to what this cigar is. I have it narrowed down but it will be a guess. I never smoke this size but can see myself getting a box of these in the near future for when I have the extra time for an exceptinonal cigar. In really enjoyed this cigar and look forward to trying the rest.

[Jeremy Festa]

Had it this arvo, over at my neighbour's place. Which is a total treat because we can smoke indoors, and his place is epic. I have no clue. Read this thread a few too many times and have been influenced to try and find too much. Got cedar to begin, dried fruit in there for the majority, and some floral perfume to round it out towards the end, which was lovely. Confident I have never had one of these before. Total stab in the dark for me!

This is fun!

I've been drinking.

[NJP]

Glenmorangie infused Churchill. Not an Epic Churchy but it reminds me of a Marca I struggle with. Woody, dusty hay, limited nose and an ashy after palate. I love Glenmorangie. .

[vondegroot]

A new stick for me, construction and burn was decent, flavors just didn't ever develop for me

[Stanislaw]

this is my first blind taste test and when I took possession of the mystery sticks it was this stick along with No.5 that i thought I recognized just by holding it.... so if i guess this wrong then consider me humbled... suppose that's the fun of the blind taste test.

I felt it was light to medium strength, a floral, sweet perfume with hints of vanilla and cocoa and cherry. Considering I'm one of the cigar smokers who aren't good at "tasting" as much as I am at "experiencing" a cigar (mostly because i'm lazy) this is a fun challenge and if I guess this one wrong then I'm in big trouble for the remaining four....

[Fuzz]

Smoked mine yesterday. Bit of a wind tunnel unfortunately. Got some sweet woody cedar, touches of ammonia, tea tannins, a little burnt caramel and orange peel. Very thin smoke for most of the time, until the last third the smoke volume picked up.

[Rye]

What a beauty! I had my call 3 puffs in, and very much resembles its smaller Marca brothers.

Dry boxed for 2 days as I was attacked by many, many beers last night when I had planned on lighting.

Very tasty, med bodied 1rst third, and burn is razor sharp with the white dots of luck, showing in the ash, which held for 2 inches.

My first of this vitola for the Marca, and as soon as our fine Prez gets some PSP boxes in, you can bet your honey that I'll be in competition for them!

[zmancbr]

Well smoked mine this afternoon and just sent my guess to Pres! My first guess about this cigar was dead on while smoking the first half inch or so. Then the blend completely changed and developed flavors of the marca that led me to my ultimate guess! It had a lovely almost wine-like fruit flavor that was predominant throughout the remainder of the cigar and reminded me of its smaller cousins. There was hints of spice, almost nutmeg or something similar and a nice leather or earthy characteristic that could lead people smoking this to conclude it was a different cigar or two. By the final third, the cigar developed a bit of harsh buildup and showed the youth it had, but up until that point this was quite a lovely stick and made me wonder why I don't have any of these in the Humi,

Hope my guess is correct, but if not that's why we do blind reviews...to learn!

[Hazza]

Smoked mine Friday night. As many here have already said, the flavours kicked up a notch in the second third and completely changed my mind. The flavour profile was very similar to smaller versions of a certain marca which lead me to my guess. As someone who doesn't really smoke cigars of this size I found it to be a classy smoke and thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes. Interested to see what it is

[Duxnutz]

Tough going here in Syd last night. Cold and muggy with 94% RH, I threw my man card in the bin wrapped myself up like an Eskimo, made some tea and set in for the long haul.

Construction on my cigar was pretty "rustic" with a visible seam down one side and a rather hastily applied cap. I'm not ashamed to admit I've kissed a few ugly ducklings through the years so wasn't going to judge the book by its cover.

Nutty, floral and full of cedar. Alternate offerings of sweet fruit and a fleeting spice in between the cedar and leather in the second.

Final third offered some bitterness and little change. Smoke output was low throughout,

Thanks again for the comp.

[Puros Y Vino]

Just finished mine tonight. Narrowed it down to two. Very tough call. We'll wait and see.

[nikesupremedunk]

Last night I had a petit corona of a certain marca that I usually don't smoke because I only have a couple left. It was very similar to this mystery cigar I smoked. I was going back and forth between this cigar and the choice I submitted, and now I think I got it wrong.

[AntiVirus]

Finally got around to smoking the first cigar today.

A nice sheen on the wrapper but a few veins are present. Clearly has a box press.

Opens up nicely with earth and cream flavours.

Moving on much the same a bit of sweetness comes and goes with hints of leather and nuts.

Basically the same for the whole cigar,enough change to keep me interested though.

It did require a few touch ups but the construction overall was good.

Overall a good cigar, I think I know what it is.