Robs 'Nudies No 1' Lancero size (blend 2) 2018

[99call]

Robs "Nudies No1"  Lancero size (Blend No 2) 2018 

Aroma at cold:   Slight twang on the nose, balmy/buttery tobacco, faint hint of barnyard, (i.e. same as the "No 3")

Cold Draw: much more open draw, Slight tang reminiscent of virginia tobaccos, mixed with mint leaves. No real rosado on the wrapper as with the “No 3” not expecting the R&J hits

1^st 3^rd As El Pres alluded to, the beginning has rich aspects of Bolivar Guinness. Bit like a West Indian Guinness punch, creamy condensed milk, Guinness and a touch of spice. Reminds me a little of a Bolivar no 1 with Partagas aspects. A little bit of tannic wood.  The draw has nicely snugged up now. I little bit of Fundy richness of donuts, but definitely staying on the darker side of the track i.e Partagas/Boli.  smoke getting thicker and thicker, fizziness on the palette, and nice malty ovaltine/milo richness.  Wonderful retro.  Same interplay of light and dark aspects that make the Boli No 1 such an intriguing smoke..

2^nd 3^rd  Nice bit of 898 wet bark tannin twang coming in, Lots more Partagas forest floor and sourdough twang coming in now. Lovely, switch in evolution. Dark and brooding Partagas flavours like a 2008 898, but still medium bodied. Palette getting dry with tannins. I touch of that musty richness that forms a liver-like taste in old SDC No3s………..cancel “a touch”, lots of that now, and very pronounced.  Wet bark, leaf mulch. OH Lordy! you are the cigar which I’ve been looking for!! just lovely, if theres a scrap of non Cuban tobacco in this I’d be very impressed.  This is right in the sweet spot of why I’ve loved the SDC Ive had, rich, unusual, brooding, classy. challenging the senses, but most importantly bloody enjoyable!!

3^rd 3^rd   Bit of dark chocolate enveloping that old rich 898 character, so seductive. Its a welcomed touch of sweetness at this juncture, that really rounds out the flavour.   E2 velvety Partagas with old school 898, but so much more than that, flashes of Guinness and the Dark chocolate that Rob mentioned. This really makes me want to understand how blenders do this, making a good cigar off the bat is one thing, but cloning a great blend is so impressive. Bit of cow pat and baryard funk entering the equation, always a good sign. Smidge of the nutella that robs mentioned in E2s? or D4’s?

The finish of the cigar is a little closed, its still very rich, but the individual flavours become less discernible.  Again the close of the cigar is strangely like aged SDC, but a little young and heavy to enjoy at this point. sort of content now to sit and just take in the smoke of the foot. 

Conclusion     Wonderful cigar! This danced through Boli No 1, Fundi profiles etc in the 1st 3rd, like a lovely starter, then the rest of the cigar was very much in the SDC style. Lots of that old 898 heft with E2 creaminess, really typified that “Iron fist in a velvet glove” Rob mentioned.   Hats off

Score   94-95, Again this will just get better and better.  I hope it doesn’t get too far tweaked from this profile

[Derboesekoenig]

The perfect size! Thanks for the review. I greatly look forward to the release of these.

[99call]

3 minutes ago, Derboesekoenig said:

The perfect size! 

Yep, would agree with this. It's a shame as Trova, Mag 56, Tasisman, Connie A, Bolivar Libertador, E2......all doubtlessly great cigars.....but I don't understand why their blends cant just be worked in a more tactile, functional (i.e. pleasant to smoke) size. 

[PigFish]

28 minutes ago, 99call said:

Yep, would agree with this. It's a shame as Trova, Mag 56, Tasisman, Connie A, Bolivar Libertador, E2......all doubtlessly great cigars.....but I don't understand why their blends cant just be worked in a more tactile, functional (i.e. pleasant to smoke) size. 

Great review Stef... Thanks for sharing. Will have keep the powder dry so I can get some of these.

Cheers mate! -R

[99call]

1 minute ago, PigFish said:

Great review Stef... Thanks for sharing. Will have keep the powder dry so I can get some of these.

Cheers mate! -R

Cheers, Ray, 

Hope your not in too much discomfort, and managing to enjoy Christmas.   Yep, I'll be keeping to rainy day funds aside for these.  Looking forward to hearing yours, and everyone else's thoughts.  Will be great to correlate a consensus, on what SDC profiles were, and why they were so special. 

Best of luck for the surgery, and fingers crossed for a pain free 2019. 

Best, Stefan

[PigFish]

5 minutes ago, 99call said:

Cheers, Ray, 

Hope your not in too much discomfort, and managing to enjoy Christmas.   Yep, I'll be keeping to rainy day funds aside for these.  Looking forward to hearing yours, and everyone else's thoughts.  Will be great to correlate a consensus, on what SDC profiles were, and why they were so special. 

Best of luck for the surgery, and fingers crossed for a pain free 2019. 

Best, Stefan

Thanks man, but I think you might have miss understood my musings of 2018. I started 2018 with a back surgery... and overall the year finished up better than Rob's Rover!

God I hope I don't need more back work... Left hip now. Did the right in '07 and the left is getting pretty bad. Had planned to do it just before Christmas but I am so busy I could not find a surgeon that I liked.

... now that I think about it, better to keep me off the health issues! -LOL As long as I can smoke a few and post a few, life goes on!!! Cheers matey! And Happy New Year! -Ray

[JGD]

Great review! I have a feeling these will be going quick once they are offered up for sale!

[99call]

1 minute ago, PigFish said:

Thanks man, but I think you might have miss understood my musings of 2018. I started 2018 with a back surgery... and overall the year finished up better than Rob's Rover!

God I hope I don't need more back work... Left hip now. Did the right in '07 and the left is getting pretty bad. Had planned to do it just before Christmas but I am so busy I could not find a surgeon that I liked.

... now that I think about it, better to keep me off the health issues! -LOL As long as I can smoke a few and post a few, life goes on!!! Cheers matey! And Happy New Year! -Ray

Even better! I'm in a constant state of befuddlement. 

I hope you stay in one piece, but you could be just in time for the first Robocop trials.   I have a feeling you'd get decommissioned for unruly behaviour, and getting too much ash in you circuitboards.  Oh my god! how good would it be to have jet lighter fingers! and cigar cutter mouth, and, I was going to say ash tray hands, but then I remembered using the floor, would still be much more straight forward!! Ha!

[Wertman]

Wow those cigars looks great. I love a good lancero especially one that can age. I love cigars yet have not had one since July.  I have been resting my stomach after major surgery.   I wonder how these will be priced?

[Kaptain Karl]

I'm sure I missed the memo on these but they're all cuban tobacco, right?

[99call]

-

[Fugu]

C'mon guys, seriously?

[cfc1016]

Wow. That profile description... paired with that vitola... just wow. This sounds WAY up my alley. I’m gonna need a bundle of these. @El Presidente - did i miss the primary announcement about these? Will they be available through the INT store? 24:24? Havana frequent flyer special only? 

Ps I’m a cheeky bugger. Whenever I hear “dry palette” this image pops into my head ?

[99call]

29 minutes ago, cfc1016 said:

Don't apologise. I'm dyslexic as all hell,  If people don't pull me up, I will never get better!.

haha ! but thats just what it tasted like though!! my dry palate, tasted of dry palettes!!! does this mean i've gone level two "inception" level tasting?.  I'm I about to be woken up, wired to a briefcase?

[cfc1016]

7 minutes ago, 99call said:

Don't apologise. I'm dyslexic as all hell,  If people don't pull me up, I will never get better!.

haha ! but thats just what it tasted like though!! my dry palate, tasted of dry palettes!!! does this mean i've gone level two "inception" level tasting?.  I'm I about to be woken up, wired to a briefcase?

Definitely meta! I love it. So now I'm chompin at the bit. I need some of these! I'm already reaching out to my friends with far deeper/broader collections than mine, hunting for SDC1s to quell this urge that your reviews are bubbling up inside of me. As James May might say... "it gives me the fizz!"

[99call]

4 minutes ago, cfc1016 said:

hunting for SDC1s

Thats a tough one.  I find with hunting SDC, which I do. They've often been beaten up, languishing in odd corners of the Europe. What makes it harder is that I don't think a high proportion of SDC 3's were very pretty to begin with. 

Looks aside, they are great, but maybe sometimes not to everyones taste. Ray gives them a great, honest review (as always) here

This is also a great review