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Blind Reviews Part 6

Posted on February 2, 2021 by iwinchester Leave a comment

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 from Your’s Truly!!. I smoked this cigar right before I had my wisdom teeth removed. The second cigar will be smoked post-recovery.

Unbanded Robusto

A mottled, dark brown wrapper covers this unknown robusto. There are several large, pressed veins a triple cap. I get a very faint chocolate aroma off the wrapper and almost nothing off the foot. There are no oils on the wrapper, and the dryness and faint aromas make me think this cigar has some age. The cold draw is slightly woodsy and a little tight.

The first draws are peppery, especially on the retro hale, while the smoke in my mouth is dry with a nice finish. There are some faint earthy flavors in the background that I can’t pick out yet.
Well into the first third I can finally pinpoint some dry cocoa. The burn has a slight slant but keeps up with itself, and the ash is flaking all over my car. Despite the flaky ash, I’m liking this so far.

The second third loses the cocoa and an oak flavor dominates. For some reason it reminds me of rough hewn oak boards. The pepper had dropped significantly, leaving a little bit of white pepper sharpness in my nose. About halfway through I got 2 puffs of deliciously dark leather, but it faded as soon as it appeared. Toward the end of this third the smoke developed a smokey-whiskey flavor that I often get in Nicaraguan cigars.

The smokey-whiskey flavor was short lived, and the final third has resumed the same oak flavor as before. I’ve had to touch up the burn line a few times in this second half, but overall the cigar has performed well. The finish is a little stale at this stage, but that’s to be expected at the end of a cigar. A touch of sweetness that wasn’t present at all in the rest of the smoke shows up briefly at the very end, and accompanying it is the dark leather from earlier.

I would guess this has a broadleaf wrapper based on looks. As for the blend, I thought it was a Dominican pro, but the woodiness and Nicaraguan flavors threw me off. However, I’m sticking with Dominican and I’ll throw in Honduras since the woodiness seemed different from a Nicaraguan wordiness. I’m guessing Camacho or (a really good) Rocky Patel.

The Reveal
Turns out this was a Tatuaje La Casita Criolla HCR 5×50.
This is a Nicaraguan cigar with 100% broadleaf tobacco for filler, binder, and wrapper. Another delicious smoke from the My Father factory.

Blind Reviews Part 5

Posted on January 26, 2021 by iwinchester Leave a comment

Today’s review is the second cigar from smokinsteve. Steve had the gumption to tackle a cigar that one of the hosts, Craig Schneider, sent him.

This is a torpedo type cigar (I didn’t measure it). This one is the 15 year old cigar. I am totally stumped. I have no idea how to describe this smoke. Its very good! Tons of tobacco sweetness balanced by a slight bitterness. The smoke is drying on my palate. Im picking up some really nice chocolate flavors. I have absolutely no idea what this cigar could be. I would be surprised if it was Nicaraguan. It tastes like Dominican tobacco to me. It could be Cuban as well. I have very little experience with Cuban cigars though. To be honest, I didn’t really focus on different flavors or anything like that. I was just enjoying smoking this cigar too much. The worst part about this cigar is, I can’t go out and buy more of them! I am dying to know what this was.

The Reveal

From Craig:
Well, now that my gig is up I can share the reasoning behind my provided cigars. I thought it would be fun to share two of the more interesting CoTW choices I provided in 2014. The first being the FdlA from My Father Cigars was the largest cigar I provided at a 6×60 and is my least favorite vitola in that line. Some people love them (actually many locally) but I always thought they were a bit watered down from the core blend. I was glad to hear that Steve enjoyed it and incredibly impressed that his review was so spot on with what was expected from the cigar. It shows me that my smoking style may not be suited to larger cigars, rather than thinking the cigars themselves might be sub-par examples of the blend. This was probably more enjoyable (not to mention educational) for me than it was for Steve.

Cuban Bolivar Belicosos Finos

Today’s cigar is another fun one from the show. A few months back Kip and I were ready to smoke this, only to find out that he did not have the same size vitola as I did. This cigar is a traditional belicoso and I sent him a traditional torpedo. Both cigars were unbanded in my humidor and I apparently just made a stupid error when packing Kip’s goodies. I sent Kip a Montecristo #2 when I intended to send this cigar, a Bolivar Belicoso Finos. This is a cabinet version from a few years prior to when bands started being applied to the cigars. It is one of my favorite Bolivars and always seems to deliver flavorful, well behaved companionship. The wrapper (often suspect on 1999-2001 vintage) tended to crack at the foot from time to time but never resisted combustion, as all to often was the case with other boxes. These sticks are decidedly full of “bolivar” flavors and are a great example of typical flavors from Cuba as well.

Blind Reviews Part 4

Posted on January 19, 2021 by iwinchester Leave a comment

Today’s review is from smokinsteve. Steve had the gumption to tackle a cigar that one of the hosts, Craig Schneider, sent him.

Un banded #1 from Craig S.

Measures 5 7/8” x 60 ish ring with a square press (a slight square press with rounded edges). The wrapper looks like a habano. I can see quite a bit of dark tobacco in the unlit foot. The smell off the foot of this cigar made me sneeze when I took my first whiff. I think this is going to be a strong cigar. The format and the smell of this cigar reminds me of a San Lotano Oval Habano by AJ Fernandez. This cigar is definitely bigger than I prefer to smoke on a regular basis. Upon lighting I am met with tons of spice, mostly on the retro hale. It also has a toasted nutty flavor. Its very rich and palate coating. My suspicion was correct, this thing has some nicotine strength to it.

The spice and nicotine power have mellowed out after the first inch. The flavor is slightly less toasty and becoming more creamy. The draw and burn is spot on. Im going to say that this is mostly nicaraguan tobacco. May not be a nicaraguan puro though. To me, it has too much of that nutty spicy flavor to be a mostly dominican filled cigar. Man I swear I have had this blend before, maybe not this exact vitola. These flavors are so familiar.

Entering the second third. When I slow my pace down while smoking this cigar I get a very slight burnt sugar sweetness. And I mean a very slight sweetness. This is not a sweet cigar like some cigars can be. The nicotine strength has died down considerably. I thought I was going to be sick during the first inch of this “bad boy”. Craig mentioned in a note that one of his cigars is 15 years old and the other is an exclusive version of a know brand. Im pretty sure that this one is not the 15 year old cigar.

Entering the final third. The flavors are still very nutty. Some dark toasty flavors are starting to present them selves again. Maybe a very dark roasted coffee. I am not much of a coffee drinker so Im usually not good at picking up of coffee type flavors. Also, some earthy flavors are coming forward.

When I first saw this cigar I thought it looked like a fat San Lotano Oval. Much of my experience with this vitola reminds me of the Oval Habano. However, I don’t remember the Oval Habano having so much spice. This could also be a My Father or Pepin blend. The spicy nutty flavor reminds me of the My Father TAA. But, the nearly knock me out and make me puke first inch strength, and how it mellowed out into a much more enjoyable experience is way too reminiscent of the Oval Habano. So my guess: this cigar is a San Lotano Oval Habano of some size I’ve never seen. Or at least an AJ Fernandez blended cigar. Alright Craig, what the heck is this thing?

The Reveal

This ended up being a Flor de las Antillas Binny’s Beverage Depot regional release. Congratulations to Steve for guessing the correct manufacturer, My Father Cigars! $8.75 online.

Flor de las Antillas 6×60

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Flor de las Antillas
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Blind Reviews Part 3

Posted on January 12, 2021 by iwinchester Leave a comment

Today’s review is the last from my friend Stewmuse, who is also an amazing sushi roller. Half Ashed host Kip Fisher sent the cigar.

“Because he is, clearly, a cruel and heartless taskmaster, I have a third unbanded cigar from Kip Fisher to review. Cigar “C” was a 6 x 48 (corona gorda?). Like the Daruma lancero he sent, this also had an oily, medium dark wrapper with some slight veining. I will again say it was Ecuadoran, as it looked nearly identical to the previous cigar and that was correct. This cigar had a consistent firmness and drew and burned perfectly well. It did show the creases from the mold used, but that didn’t harm the actual smoking experience at all.

Blind Cigar “C”

This cigar started decidedly creamy, with only a hint of pepper/spice, and actually got fairly mild soon after lighting. I thought it would go downhill from there. There was very little flavor in the mouth and only showed definition in the retrohale. The ash was grayish white and very firm (throughout). At this point, I would have said this not Nicaraguan, but likely Dominican tobacco.

There is not much to add about the second third except that some pepper, very pleasantly, did start to grow.

In the third section, however, the cigar really came to life. The spice continued to build, adding a sweetness that blossomed into a decidedly orange citrus flavor. The fact that I was actively getting this specific taste surprised me, and I imagine more refined palettes would be knocked out by it. These flavors continued for the rest of the cigar, and I was REALLY enjoying the time smoking. Total duration for this cigar was just over an hour.

My final guesses for ingredients would now have to include some Nicaraguan tobacco along with Dominican, plus whatever provided the orange spice. This was an OUTSTANDING cigar and one which I would love to have on a regular basis. Never having gotten this citrus taste before, I don’t really have a manufacturer guess, so let’s say… AJ Fernandez, since that’s a Kip fave. How’d I do, Captain?”

Here is Kip’s response…

“This is a cigar I have reviewed, and we’ve featured as an early CotW on the show….the Fuente 858 SunGrown! It does have Dominican tobacco in it, and it does have an Ecuadoran wrapper. As for further details – they’re pretty sketchy. Fuente doesn’t reveal much more about what’s in their cigars (although I know for a fact they use a hefty amount of Nicaraguan tobacco, and still grow there as well).

The citrus thing you had going on is a huge reason I love this cigar. I just wish I could get them a little easier.

That being said, they are FAR easier to get the past two years than in the past. I don’t know whether consumers have moved on to other things, or if the Fuentes are making/releasing more, but they’re not too hard to find these days. I can think of three shops that have them on the shelf right now. They’re also running a bit cheaper than previous years as well (~$6.30 in the Tampa market).”

Blind Reviews Part 2

Posted on January 5, 2021 by iwinchester Leave a comment

Today’s review is the second cigar from my friend Stewmuse, who is also an amazing sushi roller. Half Ashed host Kip Fisher sent the cigar.

“Before starting this review, I will mention that all of my reviews have been done, and will be done, while sitting in my running, heated Jeep, accompanied by a diet Coke. While typically a flavored beverage may not be the best choice, I don’t particularly like water with a cigar. I ALWAYS smoke cigars with this beverage (or root beer if I know it’s a strongly flavored cigar), and I can’t smoke any real length of cigar without an accompanying drink. I know. Big time wuss. Whatever…

Blind Cigar “A”

This is my second unbanded (of three) cigars sent to me by our glorious co-moderator, Mr. Fisher. It was the selection “A,” a 6 7/8 x 38 lancero. I have smoked very few lanceros previously, and have really never enjoyed one overly so. This cigar had a very small pigtail cap and featured a fairly dark, shiny wrapper, which I would guess to be Ecuadoran. It did have some thin, moderately pronounced veining that is similar to veins on the inside portion of the leaf, closer to the stem. It was still very smooth, though. The cigar was very straight and even, but it had a soft area from about 1/3 to 1/2 way down the cigar. I did not get a significant aroma from the foot before lighting.

I started this cigar by simply removing the pigtail, leaving a 1/4 inch draw hole. This was perfect for this stick, as the draw was good as it gets, free, with just a hint of resistance. The burn was fine throughout, never needing to be touched up or re-lit. The initial flavor was pepper, slightly sweet, and it settled in the nose during the retrohale. As mentioned in the previous review, I generally do this, as that’s where I get the most distinction in flavors and taste. This was not heavy pepper, but distinct. Everything to this point said “Nicaraguan.” I typically smoke steadily, as I’m trying to lock in the flavors, and the first 2+ inches went by in just 12 minutes.

As I got into the second third, where the soft area started, the pepperiness picked up, getting spicier, and this was settling somewhat in my throat. Soon after, the sweetness increased and the pepper abated a bit, though it did linger longer, and the flavor started to build on the back of my tongue. Toward the end of this section, the pepper continued to diminish and some anise crept in, especially when held in the mouth for a second or two before exhaling.

Pig Tail Cap

In the final third, I “decided” to inhale. Not really, but it happened and I thought I was going to die. Idiot. After that adventure, or perhaps because of it, the combination of pepper and anise melded into a VERY pleasant flavor combination that stayed until the end. The cigar’s duration was just under 50 minutes.

For the first half of this cigar, my thought was that it was pleasant enough, but pretty average. The second half, though, was really fine and I wished the cigar was longer. I do still think that this is a primarily Nicaraguan tobacco product, and, ONLY because of the My Father lancero show a few weeks ago, that this could be a cigar that Kip had left over (he also “must have” clipped the first half inch off so I would be fooled). Have at it…”

And here is Kip’s response…

“Good job on the wrapper…it is indeed Ecuadoran Habano! It overlies a Brazilian Mata Fina binder and Dominican/Honduran wrapper mix (sorry – no Nicaraguan here). The cigar was the Room 101 Daruma Mutante, produced at the Tabacos Rancho Jamastran. Excellent write-up!”

Room 101 Daruma

Blind Reviews Part 1

Posted on December 29, 2014 by iwinchester Leave a comment

Today’s review come from my friend Stewmuse, who is also an amazing sushi roller. Half Ashed host Kip Fisher sent the cigar.

“Some back story. I’ve been smoking cigars for about a decade, but, until starting some prep for this event, have never put much effort into trying to really lock down flavors, as they rarely seemed to jump out out at me. I really have only had a few experiences where I said “wow, that’s a very (insert name here) flavor” from cigars. Mild vs. strong, sweet vs. hard, yes, but not specifics. I have noticed that tobacco/cigars from certain countries are generally ones I like, but that’s as pointed as I usually get. That all said…

This cigar from Kip was a 6 x 48 box pressed (not sharply, tho) cigar, with a medium dark, dry, feeling and looking wrapper. This is one of my favorite sizes. There is light veining and “stitching” on the wrapper. When I looked at it and smelled the cigar pre-lighting, I thought I knew it right away. La Aroma de Cuba Mi Amor, as I’ve smoked a few of these recently and currently have a couple of sizes in my humidor. It did not, however, feel like one, as it was not very weighty and was generally soft and had a couple of decidedly soft spots. The draw was quite easy, but not bothersome.

What is this cigar?

The first third had a distinct, but light, pepperiness that sharpens in the retrohale, focusing the strength of this far back on my palette. It burned quickly and unevenly, only taking 15 minutes to get through the first two inches. There was a lot of smoke, even constant when not being drawn.

I consciously slowed my pace in the second third and this helped the burn speed and evenness, and lessened the sharpness of flavor. As I got further in, the pepperiness remained, but it was less sharp and started to settle more in my nose. I was retrohaling about 75-80% of the time throughout. I also started to get a transition in flavor, getting a couple hits of soft hay, and some faint sweetness came into play. A mild tang remained on my palette. The constant off-putting of smoke also died way down.

The final third changed even more, giving me a very pleasant, distinctive taste that, unfortunately, remained elusive to me being able pinpoint that flavor. This taste remained until I had to put it down because I could no longer hold it without burning my fingers. I also noticed that this cigar was really clearing up my sinuses!

So… what is it? If I have to guess, I will stay with primarily Nicaraguan tobacco, quite possibly from Pepin Garcia, and it may be an Aroma de Cuba, but not the Mi Amor. The smokiness and some light peppery flavor did make me consider it as an Undercrown, but I don’t think those come box pressed. I’ve also resisted the urge to confirm my suspicion and smoke one of my Mi Amors until after I’ve written this review. All right, Mr. Fisher, what is this?”

And here is Kip’s response:

“You chose the most difficult of the three to smoke first. As I mentioned in the PM, one of these sticks may be somewhat easier if you’re familiar with it….one is tougher….and one would be fairly impossible to most. Stick “B” was the most difficult, and I really just threw that in with the others for fun. It is made in Little Havana (Miami) by a small-batch maker called PIO. They have nationwide – but extremely limited – distribution. The cigar is their PIO Resurrection. Details are scarce, and I only come across them once in a blue moon. They run about $8 in FL, and feature a CT Broadleaf wrapper over EC Habano binder and a mystery filler blend that is reported to contain some mixture of Dominican, Mexican, and/or Nicaraguan. I don’t know anyone within the operation to get a straight answer, and tobacconists have been generally at a loss.”
PIO cigars

PIO Resurrection

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