Ginseng Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 This cigar was a gift and so I have no information on vintage codes. The setting was my garage lounge for a little reading and smoking. Accompaniment was a gin martini. This is my first review posting here and it might not be quite what is considered "normal" so any advice you'd care to offer would be cheerfully accepted. I am not a golden palate so you won't find a ton of highly specific flavor and aroma references. Prelight and Initial Stage This cigar had a perfectly springy feel and was skillfully wrapped in a lightly toothy colorado capa. The tell tale triple cap was nicely laid and the bunching was well-executed. I am an absolute fanatic when it comes to a good draw and when selecting cigars, I always check the bunching at the foot. I look for a nice even distribution with no regions of tightly booked leaves. Although not perfectly diagnostic of problematic draws (you might still encounter a plug) the presence of plentiful channels at the foot often suggests a free-drawing stick. The scent of this stick was delicate and light. Lighting up was trouble-free and after a few cleansing puffs, the 898 started to deliver its payload. The smoke volume was light to moderate and the scent was delicate tobacco with touches of wood and cedar. Though the body was no more than mild-medium, the mouth feel was cool and very, very smooth without being creamy. Very refreshing. Initial impressions were of light, clean tobacco, cedar and woodiness and some very interesting aromatic floral notes. In my experience, quite uncommon. Between the first third and midpoint, I started to notice a pronounced sweetness. Not honey sweet, it reminded me of fresh sugarcane. For those who have not tried it, chewing tough, fibrous sugarcane releases a lightly grassy, hay/straw sweet sap that is the raw ingredient for making rum. The burn wandered slightly necessitating fairly regular touch-ups. The draw remained spot on, neither too easy nor too tight. So far, this cigar struck me as very poised, elegant and suave. Though only about a 2/5 in strength, it was perfectly balanced. Finish and Final Impressions As I read my papers, I kept puffing. I noticed that unlike many smaller gauge cigars that do very well with gentle and paced puffing, this cigar actually delivered better with deeper, firmer draws. Even the occasional double-draw was tolerated. Smoking it in this fashion released deeper, richer notes at a different balance point. It was sort of like listening to your stereo with the bass turned down then slowly turning it up. The tune is the same, but you start to feel it in your gut. I detected no harshness even when drawing more deeply and frequently. I was now getting a deeper pure, toasty tobacco flavor along with even more complex woods and a "browner" sweetness. The delicate floral notes had faded by the two-thirds point, replaced by a strange savory flavor and scent that must be what people call "barnyard." I really can't describe it any better than that. It was a fertile, musty sort of earthy base. Not objectionable but unique and a first time for me. When I occasionally took smoke through my nose, I was able to gather more flavors. The lack of bite or sharpness when doing this suggests a well-aged stick though I do not know the box date of this cigar. The lingering aroma on my fingers and clothing was delicate and pleasant. Aftertaste was refreshing light and worthy of some lip smacking. The cigar held true to this character until the last 3/4 inch. Just prior to this, I started to get chestnutty notes and a bit more tanginess and then, finally, it started to turn a bit acrid. So, finally, after one hour and forty minutes, I finally set it down. Subsequent dissection of the nub showed no tar buildup. This cigar had simply delivered all that it had, with finesse and style. In summation: A wonderful smoke with an uncommon, distinctive character. Not powerful, not rich, not assertive in any particular fashion. Elegant, complex, balanced and completely relaxing. If I could describe a cigar as having human aspects, I'd describe this one as intelligent, suave and slightly idiosyncratic but a wonderfully engrossing conversation partner. Wilkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CIGARHead Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Great review Wilkey! You've tempted me to smoke one out of my only box. I have only tried one out of it so far. You hit the nail on the noggin' with your fine review. A very elegant, balanced cigar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Great Review!! The RA 898 will always hold a very special place in my adoration of Habanos! I think I will have to pull one today. Keep the reviews coming! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cf2112 Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Thanks for the review. One of my Favorite cigars, wish I had more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrink Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Well done, Wilkey, well done... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay8354 Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Wow, excellent review. I am guessing that I will need to use this as further examples of doing a review. Now I am seriously tempted to try the one I was gifted. Thanks again for the excellent work for this review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginseng Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 Thanks for the kind words, fellows. I try to write so the experience makes sense to me...and to you as well I hope. The only thing I can't seem to bring myself to do is to assign a number to my smoking experience. One can never be sure of what a given number means from person to person and so I try to provide enough rich detail so that a more complete impression, assessment can be made. Wilkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spsurfin Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Great review. I just love this cigar :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kab55 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Very nice review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josie67 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Excellent rview of one of my favorite robustos. I am down to my last 8 :-( For me, I have always found these full bodied and complex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzabob Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 » » This is my first review posting here and it might not be quite what is » considered "normal" so any advice you'd care to offer would be cheerfully » accepted. I am not a golden palate so you won't find a ton of highly » specific flavor and aroma references. » » OK, YOU, my friend have the ability to make my mouth water. for not having reviewed, you did ONEHELLUVAJOB! Now, I need some. All I know about my palet is that if it tastes good, I buy more. If they are good with Grey Goose, Grand Marnier or Corazone, thats all I need. DAMMIT, me thinks me needs to get s'more edjamacashun in this dept. :-D I think I could identify 'peppery, creamy and maybe woody' but you made me think... hey, theres more! I'm buying some Allones 898's OH, and by the way, what the hell is a "tosser"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crossbow Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 » This cigar was a gift and so I have no information on vintage codes. The » setting was my garage lounge for a little reading and smoking. » Accompaniment was a gin martini. » » This is my first review posting here and it might not be quite what is » considered "normal" so any advice you'd care to offer would be cheerfully » accepted. I am not a golden palate so you won't find a ton of highly » specific flavor and aroma references. » » » In summation: » A wonderful smoke with an uncommon, distinctive character. Not powerful, » not rich, not assertive in any particular fashion. Elegant, complex, » balanced and completely relaxing. If I could describe a cigar as having » human aspects, I'd describe this one as intelligent, suave and slightly » idiosyncratic but a wonderfully engrossing conversation partner. » » Wilkey Excellent Review Wilkey. I love these RA 898s. Pity there are not much left lying around the stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjisaacson Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 fantastic review! thanks for taking the time to do that... reviews like this are not only helpful but also a great read... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoodruff Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 great review, I just can't put what I taste into words such as these, thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiba Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Excellent review as normal Wilkey!!! Keep it up... pictures next time too... LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
korryp Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Very nice review. Been thinking of gettting a box of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josie67 Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Rob, speaking of the RA 898, I remember way back last April or May you ran a poll of discontinued cigars that we wanted to see make a return. YOu mentioned you would pass the results to people in the industry and see if they could be resurected. I also remember the RA 898 V scoring the highest on the poll. Just curious as to what happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabebdog1 Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 been wanting 1 for a long time. I want to see how it holds up to a partagas 898 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Presidente Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 I have e-mailed Ken a copy to show him what a real review looks like Well done mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Gargett Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 » I have e-mailed Ken a copy to show him what a real review looks like you get what you pay for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginseng Posted January 16, 2006 Author Share Posted January 16, 2006 » I have e-mailed Ken a copy to show him what a real review looks like » » » Well done mate. Thanks, Ken, I do appreciate your capsular reviews ;P In fact, I give the whole lot of them an 89! I haven't had my coffee or a smoke in several days or else you'd have gotten a 91. Wilkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabebdog1 Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 finaly gonna buy a single today cant wait to try Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cigardawg Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Great review as always, Wilkey. This is one of my absolute favorite Dalias. I also find it to be quite unique in the entire RA lineup. Just wish I had another box of them.:-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
km13 Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 Excellent review on an excellent cigar. I have some from 01 and from 02 and I find the 02's better in every way, fwiw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gorob23 Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 Good review. I got a box and so far out of the 5 smoked 2 have had near impossible draws, enough to pitch the darn thing. I am hopeing the rest are good:-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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