BLIND TASTING REVIEW PAGE

[Tampa1257]

Rob, I am truly surprised by the core fruitiness that has turned out to be the SLR Regios. Excellent cigar and one that I would strongly recommend to other! Thank you for the opportunity!

Tampa

[jakebarnes]

Wow. Kinda surprised. I think if the cigar could sort through some of the bitterness, it'd turn a corner and get my interest even more.

A cigar I will have to keep tabs on. Thank you again, Rob, for the opportunity to participate in the blind taste testing. I may not be the most accurate or eloquent reviewer, but it always is a fun time to review cigars, though a bit nerve wracking when you don't know what it is!

Pete

[Jimmy2]

Wow stumped me on this one PreZ this was again a very good cigar.

[Mike33]

Wow. I would've never guess it to be an SLR. As Tampa said, the fruitiness threw me off as did the spice.

Also surprising that it is over two years old.....still tasted very young to me. You learn something new everyday; thanks Rob!

[shrink]

Shocked, I daresay. Shocked!

[El Presidente]

I thought this one may have thrown you off the scent gentlemen.

I never associated fruitiness with Regios until about this period in 2005. It has become increasingly apparent since then.

I for one am not complaining

[habanohal]

Should of guessed the least ovious. I never even thought it might be. I painfully smoked through a box of 05 Regios and they were the worsttasteting. All of them tasted like Nyquil cough syrup. I guess I should of saved them for now

[Moglman]

That's awesome. Great reviews gents. The Regio is one I've only minor experience with.

[stever]

» I never associated fruitiness with Regios until about this period in 2005.

» It has become increasingly apparent since then.

I have had some examples from '01 and '02 that exhibit the fruitness that you've described, but finding an entire box or cab has been a rather elusive chase. Glad to hear that this flavor may have resurfaced in recent production.

Was the blind sample from a CAB or a dress box?

[El Presidente]

»

» Was the blind sample from a CAB or a dress box?

From a 50 cab but recent dress boxes I have sampled have perhaps been even better.

[Van55]

» »

» » Was the blind sample from a CAB or a dress box?

»

» From a 50 cab but recent dress boxes I have sampled have perhaps been even

» better.

This cigar is from a cabinet????

I know it's hard to tell from a photograph but that cigar looks box-pressed to me, based on the "crease" running its full length. Of course I have no reason to doubt you, Rob. So tell us why that crease is there.

[winelover]

» Should of guessed the least ovious. I never even thought it might be. I

» painfully smoked through a box of 05 Regios and they were the

» worsttasteting. All of them tasted like Nyquil cough syrup. I guess I

» should of saved them for now

I have found regios to be sickly sweat when young and not to my taste. Recently finished a box of 05 SLR pc's that were fantastic and pretty powerful.

[El Presidente]

I had to check again Van so I asked minismithy to pull the cab with some remaining sticks from the sample. Definitely a cab and the squarish look I can guess was just a play of light from the camera shot. Note the last inch toward the foot is round :-)

[Ginseng]

» And yet what we have here gentlemen is a Saint Luis Rey Regio TGR JUN 05

What a fascinating thread? Was I right in seeing that no one correctly guessed the identity of this cigar? I'm not a fan of the SLR-A but now I'd definitely give this cigar a twirl. Sounds quite distinctive and worth a try.

Wilkey

[Mr. Japan]

Congrats. Thsi is the kind of tasting that really makes us understand a cigar.

I sometimes do this with a friend, he gives me a cigar and I give him one, with no bands, and we smoke it together guessing it.

In this case you really enjoy ( or dislike ) teh cigar without thinking at brand.

Good job Rob

[El Presidente]

I will hold off reviewing and exposing the cigar for a day or two.

But this is what we are all enjoying (hopefully) ;-)

[El Presidente]

What an interesting set of reviews.

I appreciate everyone getting their reviews in. In future (if the tasters wish to use it) I will include a standard tasting sheet. I have been hesitant to do so in the past as everyone has their own style but am happy to do so as a reference source. feel free to post your reviews earlier if the weekend nominated is out of the question.

In response to Colts post.....I generally forget I am a vendor I like to characterise myself as a lover of the leaf first, reprobate second, vendor third. Fraternity on this board and in this Industry is priceless. I am constantly chided by Industry mates that my tendency to "bag" a cigar is bad for business. My answer is always to "make a better cigar" and to stop shooting the messenger. Certainly, Cigar Czars needs to be profitable but profitability is not our cultural core. Our style and culture is success through friendship, fraternity, loyalty, laughter. For those of you who have visited us here at Czar house, you are testament to the fact that the "feel" of the FOH forum is just an extention of the bedlam and madness that we lead daily. You just can't fake what we have

Onto the unveiling :-)

Hermoso No 4. 127mm (5 inches) x 48 Gauge. Everyone appeared to get the size correct ( only because Ken Gargett was away for this tasting :-D )

Good construction. Honeyed toast and tobacco smell at cold. The wrapper is almost blemish free, smooth to the touch. The overall package gave promise to a good cigar.

Clipped the cap and found an overly easy draw but at the same time a sweet tea note on the lips. Fired up the foot and there was plenty of white smoke which was accompanied by a white pepper driven opening. It quickly settled down into a mid body offering and one which layed out a table showcasing dried fruits, milk coffee and a touch of toffee. The first third is captivating. Placing the cigar in the ashtray next to me while I tapped away on the laptop, the drifting smoke had a magnificent toffee apple aroma. Medium bodied at this point and a solid 91.

Some of the fruit notes disappeared during the second third to be replaced by a shortbread and black coffee core. There were elements of bitterness in the background but more charred wood so not offputting. The further the cigar burned the more lopsided the flavour delivery became until the charred wood became an equal partner.

The second third would be an 88.

I felt the cigar picked up into a medium full profile on the last third. Some honey notes appeared and mixed well with the charcoal, shortbread and coffee. I think this cigar wil age particularly well and some may be surprised that it is a JUN 05 production cigar so some forgiveness to the bitter accents are in order. It wasn't until the final inch that the cigar became bland and hot and at that time I put it down for a permanent slumber. An 86 for the final third.

The cigar has the elements of quite a few marques in the Robusto/Hermoso line-up. The fruitiness of a R&J E4. The cream of a ERDM CX, the shortbread of an Upmann Connoisseur 1.

And yet what we have here gentlemen is a Saint Luis Rey Regio TGR JUN 05

I chose the SLR Regio because I have found it has been a standout cigar since mid 2005. Some 2006 examples have ben stellar with the fruity accents even more evident.

The cigar has found its way into my regular rotation (paticularly 06 examples) with the flavour profile and the construction flawless.

Thank you for participating