October Blind Tasting

[Professor Twain]

My cigar arrived this morning at about 10:30. I was working at home today, planning a three day trip out of town—so I knew that smoking this cigar was yet another thing to add to my “to do” list before I leave town. Probably the most pleasant task on my list. This was my first blind review other than a previous group blind review of a Romeo y Julieta Cazadores that has been previously reported on this Board.

After a full morning and part of the afternoon at work, and a light lunch, I had sat down with my mystery cigar by my pool, with my laptop nearby. It was a pleasant day, 85 degrees with 50% humidity, and I sat comfortably in the shade under my pool umbrella.

As I looked the cigar over, I noticed that it was nicely, but not perfectly, made. There was a green spot on the nicely rolled cap, and a dark patch along one side near the foot, stretching for about an inch and a half. The vitola appears to be Mareva. The scent was heavenly; with a strong, sweet aroma of honey, mocha, and vanilla. This scent was a good bit more intense than I usually notice with cigars that have this type of smell. The smell was reminiscent of a marca (to be named below) that is one of my favorites, and that I smoked just last night.

The cigar lit well, and burned evenly and well right from the start. The draw was medium, just right. On the initial few puffs, I got a bit of a sweetness, but with an accompanying harshness that I have come to associate with young cigars. My initial thought was that this cigar needed a couple of years in the humidor to do it justice. But I continued, and soon was rewarded with a nice, rich, taste of vanilla, mocha, and honey sweetness that was very pleasant—but still with a bit of a bite suggesting that this cigar would benefit from a bit more of a rest.

The second portion of this cigar continued much as the first, but the strength of the cigar picked up just a bit. The burn and draw continued to be just right. Along with the rich flavors, I continued to notice a mildly unpleasant harshness.

During the final portion of this cigar, the harshness seemed to diminish just a bit, although I never got the creamy smoothness that I was hoping for. I smoked this cigar down to the nub, stopping only when I was at risk of burning my fingers and lips. The cigar burned perfectly throughout and never needed a touchup.

I would give this cigar an 88 out of 100, or 4 smoke rings out of 6. I would describe this cigar as medium strength, but full flavored. I would hope that, with some aging, this cigar would mellow out but retain its full flavor profile, and could have the potential to warrant a much higher rating.

My guess is that this cigar was a Cohiba Siglo II, of fairly recent construction. Given the recent discussion on the Board, and Rob’s comments about characteristics of 2006 cigars, I would guess that this one was from January 2006. Compared to other Siglo cigars that I have smoked dating from 2001 to 2005 (if I am correct that this was a Siglo), this one had much more flavor. I would love to have a box of these to age.

Thanks for the opportunity to sample this great cigar and to contribute a review.

[DrAlejandro]

very nice review... if only all our to-do lists were so pleasant :-D

[El Presidente]

Great Review mate :-)

I am surprised re the harshness. May I suggest for everyone else to hold off their reviews for the best patr of 2 weeks to allow the cigar some time to get over it's travel sickness. If possible, dry box them the few days before you test drive them ;-)

[Sir Diggamus]

Sorry Rob. I attempted not to read any other reviews before I did mine so I didnt see the notice about holding off or dry boxing until just now. My desktop humi stays between 60-63% always and I think it treated this cigar well.

After a few days in the humidor I thought it might be time to smoke......

I had one crazy day yesterday so I thought smoking this may help me focus a bit at the end of the day. This cigar looks to be a well constructed petit corona with a tight triple cap. The wrapper is a medium colorado color and oliy, showing just a few veins. I cut the cap with my knife but the end was a little bunched together so I clipped just a little off. The pre-draw was spicy and a little sweet hinting toward anise.

After toasting the cigar it drew well right off. Easy but not loose. Right off the bat there was a mild friut taste dancing in the backround. The burn was perfect and the ash white with gray flecks. Coco powder emerged as the next flavor followed by chocolate. This cigar produced smoke volume and flavor that I noted was "very smoooooth..." The ash held on to around two 1/2 inches before falling off. The body was mild and smooth

The second third began with hints of cedar that grew stronger with each draw. Once again I noted "smooooothh....". The cigar continued to burn razor sharp

As the cedar flavor diminished into the last third I was greeted with a mild buttery taste. The cigar began to run just a little here but was fixed after a quick re-light. As got to the last two inches a herby-grassy flavor suprised me. I finished as said "WOW, I need more of these!"

To wrap it up this cigar was a mild-meduim body loaded with flavors and "SMOOTH.." definitely descibes it well. I have recently been turned on to the Romeo y Julieta marca and if I could make a guess it would be from this marca. I cant wait to find out what it is!

Five out of six smoke rings!!

Thanks again Rob and Lisa!!

[Tampa1257]

Both are very nice reviews. It sounds like they smoked two different cigars from the flavors except the smoothness. I will be looking forward to the other reviews to come in, as this cigar sounds like a very interesting and possible want to have in the humidor.

[sluggo819]

This is a very nice looking mareva indeed. I've been on quite a mareva kick as of lately, so this will be an appropriate cigar to do my first review on. I'm dying to light this baby up, however, as per Rob's suggestion I will wait a couple of weeks to let it "settle in". It smells really yummy.

[Sir Diggamus]

Has anyone else smoked thier cigar yet? I am interested to find out what this one is.

[Professor Twain]

Yeah, I am with Sir Diggamus, it has been two weeks, I am really eager to see those other reviews.

[MrQ]

this is my first review of any kind ,here it goes.

This was a very nice looking petit corona,the wrapper had a nice oily sheen, the cap was nicely done and the cigar was firm but not to firm.

Milk & honey is how I would describe the taste in the first third of this cigar. The burn was nice and even,and the ash was dense and grayish in color. the draw was medium and gave me a nice amount of smoke in every draw. The aroma of the smoke smelled like buttered corn muffins.

The cigar is sweet throughout the second third more buttery note come out its very smooth and on the medium bodied side.

As th I finished up the cigar it had a little spice and cedar to it ,the sweetness was always there too.

The cigar was nice I had it before lunch time but would prefer it in the morning with a cup of coffee. I think it might be a Rome y Julieta cedros de Luxe #3 thats my best guess any way :-) . Thanks for letting me be part of this tasting Prez.

[El Presidente]

Nice review MrQ

Come on fella's...get the rest of the reviews in so that I can disclose this little gem :-)

[Moglman]

I'll smoke and review just as soon as I get home from a business trip at the end of the week. Sorry for the delay.

[BigSlick]

» I smoking it, but the file's were too large. My bad. Sorry.

Resize them in Microsoft Photo Editor or the likes. If you don't know how... Open the picture in MPE. Go to image on top toolbar. Scroll down to resize. Change units from inches to pixels. Change width to 650 (auto resizes height) Save as new pic with new name. Upload on your post and preview the pic to make sure you like the looks (size & pixelation). Good Luck!

[pnutbutrsangwich]

My review is coming soon, I promise.:-|

[sluggo819]

It only took about 12 hours, but I finally was able to figure out how to fix the photo so I could upload it. I don't have Microsoft photo editor, so I had to do it in Adobe. Thanks Slick.

[n-tron]

First off, thanks to Rob (and Lisa) for giving me the opportunity to participate in this month’s tasting.

First off, I was smoking outside on a slightly cool fall evening in San Diego with a slight breeze blowing in from the ocean. I poured myself a healthy tumbler of Evan Williams Single Barrel to accompany the cigar. The cigar itself, which had been resting the better part of three weeks in my humidor, was a lovely petite corona with a smooth, light-brown wrapper. The cigar was very firm to the touch, indicating quality construction, but my sample had a slightly crumpled-looking cap. It’s a bit hard to tell since it arrived as a single, but I’d guess this cigar had never been box pressed, so likely from some sort of cabinet packaging. The cap clipped cleanly, and the draw was excellent ... again good construction. I really didn’t get much in the way of flavor in the pre-light draw.

Upon lighting (which was very easy), I was greeted with significant woody flavors and a slight creaminess. Reminded me a bit of the Punch RS 12. This kept up for a few minutes, but the creaminess eventually subsided leaving behind the woodiness. The cigar seemed to have neither a strong, mid-range tobacco flavor (like Upmann) nor a nutty/beany/creamy flavor (like Montecristo). The flavor never deviated much from the core woodiness the rest of the way. I don’t often smoke real recent production, especially within only a couple of weeks of receipt, but this cigar surprised me with its smoothness. The burn was excellent the whole way down ... another sign of excellent construction.

Overall, a very nice cigar. Good construction and solid, smooth flavor. It wouldn’t be my daily cigar, but it’s certainly one I’d grab occasionally when in the mood for something fairly straightforward. Now to the part that makes me nervous ... making a guess as to the identity. As I mentioned, I initially thought Punch, but the farther in I went, I was thinking Le Hoyo series. I wish I had paid closer attention to size, as I would guess Le Hoyo du Prince, but I wrote down mareva as size and I know the du Prince has a 40 ring gauge. Anyway, I’ll stick to my guess of Le Hoyo du Prince and probably be embarrassed later.

Thanks again!

[BigSlick]

» It only took about 12 hours, but I finally was able to figure out how to

» fix the photo so I could upload it. I don't have Microsoft photo editor,

» so I had to do it in Adobe. Thanks Slick.

Actually, you have to thank SmokinLightning. I was a forum tard before he showed me the way. Perhaps with that info you won't be thanking him????? No problem though, pic looks great!

[sluggo819]

This smoke was definitely a 42 ring. A true mareva. The size would be wrong for Le Hoyo..:cool:

[n-tron]

» This smoke was definitely a 42 ring.:cool:

I should have checked closer before I began smoking. I don't have one of those handy-dandy cigar ring measurers ... I have a complex about those things.

I’m eager to know the identity of the cigar since I obviously don’t have a clue.

[Moglman]

I apologize again for the delay. I seem to have been travelling and working so much, but finally got around to trying the cigar for October, on Halloween no less. I apologize in advance if my descriptions stink.

Petit Corona Size 5" x 42. Approx 63% Rh for about 4 weeks.

Environment: On the deck. quite cool, about 40* F, slight breeze. I had nothing to drink or eat before to mask the flavors.

Prelight: Smell is sweet, fruity, cocoa; wrapper a medium colorado, firm to the touch, smooth and lightly veined (2 prominent). A green spot half way down. Perfect cap, few soft spots. Overall, a very nice constructed cigar. Clean cut with the Palio. Prelight draw was firm without much flavor.

First Half: At first, I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. It toasted and lit easily. First few puffs were sweet and earthy, but I wasn't sure what direction the flavor would take. The ash was very firm and not too flaky, medium to dark grey inside the wrapper ash. I knocked it off about 1.5" in but it wasn't necessary. Burn never wavered far from dead on, The flavor turned rapidly into a carmelish, very light spice, and no grassiness to speak of.

Second Half: The draw tightened considerably, and I was content at first to keep it slow and steady. It did get occasionally annoying with lack of smoke, but improved after I was past some minor blockages. Minor tongue bite from overdrawing as I worked past these. The spice picked up, and I could tast more licorice and just a little citrus, and still some carmel/honey, but less so. It was easy to nub. Very nice finish. Great taste still after an hour.

Overall Impression: I could see this as a go to cigar. Not one that made me sit up straight and say "where have you been", but very good. Not a Boli or MC #4. I originally thought Upmann or PLPC, rejected the Upmann quickly but still not sure about the PLPC (cab), but had to reject due to experience with younger PLs. Not quite enough kick to say RS 12, but had a Punch profile to me. Mine really didn't taste young, but it was easy to tell there was more potential to be had with time. In the end I am going to guess a Punch PC.

Thank you Rob and Lisa!! This was one to have stock of.

[El Presidente]

Great reviews.

One more to come and I will disclose :cool:

[phxkev]

» Great reviews.

»

» One more to come and I will disclose :cool:

I will cross the t's and dot the i's and get my review in in an hour or so.

[phxkev]

The cigar arrived maybe four weeks ago. After reading about "travel fatigue" I decided to let it rest in the humidor for at least a couple of weeks. It was a perfect night in Phoenix to give this smoke my full attention. I sat outside in mid-60F degree weather. It had been a good four hours since I finished off some clam chowder, english muffins and a Diet Coke and drank some water during those four hours to make sure there was no residual influence.

When the cigar arrived my first thought was..... it's a PLPC. I happened to have a few in the humidor and it was a nearly identical match. Like the PLPC's in the humidor, there was a more orangish tone to the color of the wrapper and the size and ring gauge was identical. It appeared to be well constructed and I have kept this cigar at 63 percent RH.

I clipped the cap (I'm not a puncher). The cigar lit easily. There was a consistent and even burn throughout the entire smoke. About half way through, the draw seemed to become a little firmer but after a couple of stronger puffs that seemed to go away and it returned to a normal, easy draw.

I was able to get about an inch and a half ash before losing it when droipped off. The ash was not a whitish colored ash but more in the light gray tone.

The first third of this cigar was a meritage of subtle flavors. I noted some sweetness, especially honey notes. Every puff brought a new flavor yet not one stood out above the ohter flavors. Vanilla? Yes. Citrus? Certainly a hint.

The second third became more earthy. Definite notes of cedar and leather became evident while the mild sweetness remained.

The explosion came in the final third. SPICE. I wasn't expecting this but the burst of spice flavors was welcome. Those spices you would find in pumpkin pie kept coming through. And still sweet as the body seemed to strengthen. Delicious. Where was all of this flavor in the first two thirds?

Overall, I very much enjoyed this cigar and would recommend it. The smoke was a like taking a short trip discovering a potpourri of flavors. On the 100 point scale I am going 88 for the first third and a 93 for the last third and a 90-91 overall.

My guess is still....... a PLPC. And I wish to express my gratitude to Rob and Lisa for the opportunity to blind taste this cigar and share my experience with the FOH.

[Professor Twain]

Another great review.

OK Rob, we can't wait to hear from you. Do the people guessing right win a free box????

[sluggo819]

Well if he agree's to a free box for the winners, then siglo II must be out of the question:-(

[Professor Twain]

I guess that we will have to wait until Rob returns from his long vacation.

He wrote me and told me but I am sworn to secrecy.