WINNER ANNOUNCED!! 2019 Christmas Sampler Reviews......in your own time

[Islandboy]

Had the Espy on Christmas Eve, nubworthy as you can see. A beautiful Cohiba experience despite its youthfulness. Fired on all cylinders. 

Merry Christmas!

[Wookie]

I've smoked the QdO 50, the Esplendido, and the Punch 898.  So far Prez is batting 1000....all have been awesome. 

[Chas.Alpha]

Alright, my BOTL’s! 1st off, a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! ?

I am officially hitting one out of the 12 days sampler.

What to choose?

I don’t want to have regrets... ?

[prodigy]

I'm recovering from a cold I received when traveling home from Turks and Caicos last week. Today is my 30th birthday, so I decided to grab a stick I have more of as well as one that is small. I'm a big fan of the qdo 50, and have several 10 ct boxes that are excellent examples, from our host.

My friend gave me these spanish cedar spills as a birthday gift, and they are really cool. I figure I can make my own from the empty box inserts, but these are convenient.

The cigar hasn't been resting long. I cant remember the exact date these arrived, somewhere around 30-45 days. It opens with a beautiful buttery flavor. Like a fresh, homemade biscuit, drizzled with honey. The sweetness fades after the first few puffs and a nice mild tobacco flavor moves in and joins the biscuit notes.

These flavors stick around through the end of the cigar. It's a solid cigar, and showed little to no signs of youth. I'll need to make sure I grab some 25 ct boxes in 2020, as the few 10 ct boxes I have will simply not be enough. 92 points from me, hits all the right spots for a cigar this size!

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[Deeg]

I haven't smoked a Cohiba in so long, I'm kind of losing the will to resist.  Which is more likely to be decent this young - the CoRo or the Esplendido?

[GavLew79]

31 minutes ago, Deeg said:

I haven't smoked a Cohiba in so long, I'm kind of losing the will to resist.  Which is more likely to be decent this young - the CoRo or the Esplendido?

I smoked the CoRo a few days ago. Delicious. 

[Hammer Smokin']

CoRo will smoke great. No Doubt.

But if you haven't smoked a Cohiba in a while, treat yourself to the Esplendidos.

 

[Islandboy]

I had the CoRo Saturday night....not nearly as tasty as the Espy was, seemed like flavors had just not developed yet.

[Sir Diggamus]

I am finishing smoking the Fundadores now. It was a REALLY firm roll so I dry boxed it for three days.


The burn was sharp and I only had one relight the entire cigar



It was loaded with flavors of the classy Trinidad spice profile and cream. Flavors of shortbread mixed in throughout the cigar. Not overly complex but a beautiful smoke. If I had to guess the year I would have never picked 2019. Not a hint of youthful harshness at all. Beautiful smoke






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[SokaKiel]

I travelled through the eastern Caribbean for two weeks before Christmas and managed to smoke most of my Christmas sampler cigars, only the ERdM is still waiting to be smoked. Can’t wait for our guest trip to end around 11th Jan. and then I can enjoy it.

Sorry, no notes from the individual smokes, I was to distracted by work, just some pictures of a few of the cigars. But I thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them! Thanks to Rob and the team for this great offer!

Hope to be fast enough to join the party again next year!

 

 

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[Reuben]

Can somebody please list which sticks are in the Christmas Sampler!  I need to print a list before I enjoy them.  I'm OCD like this

[Deeg]

9 minutes ago, Reuben said:

Can somebody please list which sticks are in the Christmas Sampler!  I need to print a list before I enjoy them.  I'm OCD like this

Near the top of the first page of the thread!

[Miner]

Punch 898 Asia Pacific Regional 2018 

 

On light up...

This was A May Zing !!

I don't have the refined taste buds to taste fruit and nuts and wet dogs and cement and leather.....

But this cigar was absolutely fantastic.

Half way in

Even more delicious, my taste buds have gone into overdrive, all those fantastic cigars flavours that I can't define individually but together what a mix, they are special that only come in a sensational cigar.

Just delightful.

Last 10th

Fingers burning, I just want more. .

This cigar is too short !!

What a great way to start the new year.

All the Best for 2020

Cheers

[JoeyBones777]

Smoked the QDO 50. Decent little stick with leather, cedar, coffee and a tasty yellow cake batter sweetness. All flavors were a bit unsettled probably due to having been rested for only about 30 days. I can see where this blend is going and understand why people like it. It is not on my buy list currently but if I'll let the 54 rest properly and see how that one is since I'm not a petite robusto fan. If that yellow cake batter becomes more prominent that would be fantastic. I gave it an 87.

[Drguano]

Christmas and New Years have come and gone and I am back from London. It has warmed up to -1°C and the sun is out. Time to head to the porch and fire up the Punch 898 Asia Pacifico Exclusivo. Not one but two cats have joined me for the occasion. Nice wrapper, draw is firm but serviceable. Cold draw is Upmann with a tad bit of nuttiness. Very tasty. Good burn. Very nice.

 

[havanaclub]

Punch 898 Asia Pacific Regional 2018 

 
On light up...
This was A May Zing !!
I don't have the refined taste buds to taste fruit and nuts and wet dogs and cement and leather.....
But this cigar was absolutely fantastic.
Half way in

Even more delicious, my taste buds have gone into overdrive, all those fantastic cigars flavours that I can't define individually but together what a mix, they are special that only come in a sensational cigar.
Just delightful.
Last 10th

Fingers burning, I just want more. .
This cigar is too short !!
What a great way to start the new year.
All the Best for 2020
Cheers

Can’t wait to fire mine up. They just need time to acclimate.


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[leepers]

Punch 898 Asia Pacific Regional 2018

What’s not to like. It’s very rare that a cigar presents as both incredible on release AND suggests it could take a long nap and be great with age. This example (again, all caveats, this is but a single example, etc) smoked with earthiness and spice box complexity from first light. I should note that construction was flawless and draw Cuban exactly. The cigar’s first third was baking spices (nutmeg, cassia, clove) and gently glided into some light chocolate notes. Smoke production was excellent and the room note (balcony note) was of cedar and baking spice bread. 
 

Second third was increasing in strength with some of the milder flavors fading into woodsier scents and tastes. Cedar and ash. As strength built it was pleasant and still giving good depth. Clove and a touch of darker sugars. Burned evenly throughout. 
 

The last third was stronger yet and began to eclipse almost all the other flavors as it went to the end. This last bit isn’t just char and strength. It’s complex but very tight. I think this is where age could definitely give it something else we can’t quite taste yet. A wonderful experience. 93. 

[CampDelta369]

The ERDM Tainos was interesting to say the least. Construction and draw were perfect and from there a unique blend presented some flavors I have not experienced in a CC yet so I would need to taste a few more to flesh it all out. It started with a nutty almond marzipan, Christmas cake, blonde coffee, and for some reason boysenberry tea popped into my head? At that point I thought to myself that my brain or palate or both were telling my porky pies so I stopped analyzing this and just enjoyed it. Thoroughly. Easy 92+ now. 

[MoeFOH]

Great little round-up of reviews! 

The winner of the random draw is @Sir Diggamus!!

Congrats! 

Please PM your details (name, address, and email) to me @MoeFOH and we'll arrange dispatch of your prize. 

Thanks to all who participated! 

[lovethehaze]

Congrats

 

[nKostyan]

Congrats!

[Cairo]

On 12/8/2019 at 10:23 AM, Chibearsv said:

Bolivar Silver Jubilee Asia Pacific Regional 2018   
Gordito con Cabeza Tumbada
LGR JUN 19
Fantastic cocoa, licorice and a touch of leather. Some sweet woody notes ….chewy sweet.
Medium bodied.

I know--old thread--but I had to compare notes--just pulled this out and am smoking it this morning.

First of all--this is totally unlike any Bolivar I have smoked--no way anybody could have figured out what it was in a blind taste test.

In fact I have never smoked a cigar that tasted like this--but it is very good.

There is an strong sweet taste in the first third that I cannot identify at all--really interesting--maybe licorice is close but it would be a spicy version.

I am going to start working my way through this 2019 sampler--I have been patient long enough....

 

[Chibearsv]

5 minutes ago, Cairo said:

I know--old thread--but I had to compare notes--just pulled this out and am smoking it this morning.

First of all--this is totally unlike any Bolivar I have smoked--no way anybody could have figured out what it was in a blind taste test.

In fact I have never smoked a cigar that tasted like this--but it is very good.

There is an strong sweet taste in the first third that I cannot identify at all--really interesting--maybe licorice is close but it would be a spicy version.

I am going to start working my way through this 2019 sampler--I have been patient long enough....

 

I had re posted the copy of El Prez’s sampler notes for the whole sampler. He gets the credit for those details 😁