Monthly Archives: March 2021

Blind Reviews Part 8

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Over at the Half Ashed forums we have a little “cigar pass” going on. Each person involved sends two unbanded cigars to another person in the “Blind Review Pass.” For the next few weeks I’ll be posting (with permission) those blind reviews. If you have never smoked a cigar blind, or unbanded, I would highly recommend it. Get some friends together and trade cigars with the bands removed, or have your wife take some bands off a few sticks in the bottom of your humidor. You’ll be surprised at how much a band can affect your perception of a cigar.

Today’s review is Kenhorne21. This is the first (and hardest) of two cigars that I sent to my fellow forum friend.

It was a box press torpedo I’m guessing 6 x 50/52 range

Dry draw was a little earthy and some subtle sweetness

Lit her up and had some background flavors of cocoa sweetness and some earth that was drying on the front of my pallete, also some red pepper through the retrohale. I immediately was thinking there must be some Honduran in this thing, but that changed about halfway through. Initially I thought Honduran and Nicaraguan filler with a habano wrapper. But the sweetness came and stayed halfway through and the pepper subsided through the retro hale. The second half was better than the first and the drying of the pallete subsided as well. Hmmm, now I was thinking maybe a Sumatra wrapper with nica filler. Ugh. But the cigar finished well and I’m not totally sure I can nail the exact stick but I definately think it was predominately Nicaraguan. Wrapper was either Sumatra or habano. I would lean Sumatra. I have definately not had this cigar

The burn needed some touch ups and the mascara line was on the thicker side so I would guess not a lot of aged tobacco. I haven’t smoked hardly any box press torpedoes other than padrons.

Thank you Ian. I’m a little puzzled and don’t have an exact guess.

The Reveal
Nice review!! You nailed the Nicaraguan aspect, and I also find the smoke a bit drying. Funny thing, I smoked the same cigar this week an posted it in the CotD thread! This was the harder of the two, a good smoke from a small company. That was the Córdoba and Morales Family Reserve. Nica binder and filler, Ecuador wrapper.

Cordoba and Morales Family Reserve


Blind Reviews Part 7

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Over at the Half Ashed forums we have a little “cigar pass” going on. Each person involved sends two unbanded cigars to another person in the “Blind Review Pass.” For the next few weeks I’ll be posting (with permission) those blind reviews. If you have never smoked a cigar blind, or unbanded, I would highly recommend it. Get some friends together and trade cigars with the bands removed, or have your wife take some bands off a few sticks in the bottom of your humidor. You’ll be surprised at how much a band can affect your perception of a cigar.

Today’s review is the second cigar from Your’s Truly!!. I smoked this cigar after my wisdom teeth surgery.

A perfectly smooth leaf covers this 5 1/2 x 46 cigar. There is a noticeable oily sheen on the brown, mottled wrapper, and well hidden seams. After cutting the triple cap I get a nice sweet tobacco flavor on the cold draw.

Another Unknown Cigar…

The first few puffs are deliciously sweet. It’s a little sugary sweet, but mixed with a baking spice similar to cardamom. There is only the smallest touch of spice in the retrohale, otherwise this cigar is SMOOTH.
About an inch into this smoke a pleasant red pepper comes through the nose. The burn is very straight, and I think the wrapper is broadleaf based on how small the ash is compared to the unburned cigar.

I get a little plastic or petroleum type flavor on the finish, but it’s so mild it doesn’t detract from the rest of the smoke. Smoothness is still the name of the game here, but flavor has been lacking up until this point. Now about 2 inches in, I get a good amount of sweet wood. The retrohale is sweeter now as well, with just a touch of spice. I’m really liking this cigar. The play between sweet and spicy is right up my ally, and the strength is not about to put me on my butt.

So familiar…

About halfway through I get an awesome toasted marshmallow flavor. Another new flavor is a smoky-whiskey tannic quality that screams Nicaragua to me. Could this be another Tatuaje? Wood, spice, sweetness, triple cap, broadleaf wrapper, all signs seem to be pointing that way. By the last inch all sweetness had gone, and deep woodiness finishes off the smoking experience. I liked this cigar a lot.

The Reveal
Not a Tatuaje, but close! Made in the same factory (My Father) this was a La Reloba Mexico Corona, Don Pepin’s budget cigar. This smoke does indeed have a Nicaraguan binder and fillers, with a Mexican San Andreas wrapper. So close, and yet, so far. Thanks, SmokinSteve!