Smoked mystery stick "A" from Poker Slob tonight. It was a good cigar but I have about 0 idea on what cigar this is --- because I'm pretty sure it's something I've never smoked before, it reminded me of a couple sticks I've had before, but not quite the exact same, so I'm a little stumped.
Will post pic, notes/short review and my official guess tomorrow.
Thanks Tom!
Smoked mystery stick "A" from Poker Slob tonight. It was a good cigar but I have about 0 idea on what cigar this is --- because I'm pretty sure it's something I've never smoked before, it reminded me of a couple sticks I've had before, but not quite the exact same, so I'm a little stumped.
Will post pic, notes/short review and my official guess tomorrow.
Thanks Tom!
Mystery stick "A" from Poker Slob
After removing the cigar from it's cellophane wrapper, I used an iphone app to measure it's dimensions (so I'm not sure the measurements are 100% accurate) --- but I believe this cigar to be about 5.25" x 50/52.
The first thing I notice about this cigar is it's beautiful reddish brown wrapper and there's not a blemish on it. There are a few small veins visible but the wrapper is smooth to the touch and I can hardly feel the "bumps" of the veins when I pass my fingers over them. This cigar is firm and packed well, but the draw was never "tight" and the cigar never felt heavy in the hand.
I used my Xikar XI cutter to snip the perfectly constructed triple-cap and on the cold draw noticed a predominant flavor of dry wood (I think cedar) along with a slight spiciness, possibly black pepper.
I smelled the wrapper and picked up the dry wood aroma again, possibly dry grass or dry hay as well, along with a faint nuttiness.
With all of my "initial research" done, I put on a jacket and headed out to the garage to fire this one up. The temperature was probably about 40-45 in the garage, not too bad at all considering it was windy, sleeting and about 25-30 degrees outside.
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I lightly toasted this cigar with my Bugatti torch lighter and after a few puffs it was burning nice and evenly.
Right off the bat I noticed a dominant flavor of dry wood (that I mentioned earlier) and a very faint black pepper. The wood flavors stayed constant throughout the smoke, but the faint spiciness of the black pepper disappeared after the first inch or two.
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Getting towards the middle of the cigar I started to pick up some nutty flavors, seemed like walnut(?) and a very slight buttery creaminess. These flavors become more noticeable towards the half-way point, then started to taper off but never quite disappeared - for the rest of the cigar they stayed "in the background" second to the woodiness.
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As I got to about the 2/3 point, closer towards the end of the cigar than the middle -- I thought I picked up a very very slight hint of sweetness, maybe caramel(?), it was so faint, I'm not too sure what it was. It seemed that by this point the dry wood flavor had shifted from a what I thought was a cedar in the beginning to more of a hickory(?) flavor (because it reminded me of when I smoke a rack of ribs on the grill).
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My overall thoughts --- this was a very well constructed, beautiful cigar.
The ash held on great, (I didn't have a ruler) but I'd guess about 1.5-2 inches before naturally falling off.
The dry wood flavors dominated this smoke, hands down. And the wood flavors seemed to shift between different types of woods - cedar, poplar(?) and hickory(?), maybe others --- hard to say.
I'd rank this as upper mild, lower medium in terms of body. And just a little bit less than that for strength.
Since I don't keep good notes on the cigars I've smoked, I don't have much to base my guess on other than my memory :-O ..... this cigar reminded me of a few different cigars, but didn't seem identical to anything I've smoked before.
So I "cheated" a bit and did some quick Googling of other reviews .... and one other review seemed to describe the exact same experience with a Nestor Miranda Art Deco.
So since I'm stumped and out of ideas on this one (even though I'm not confident about it) I'm going to have to go with: Nestor Miranda Art Deco --- as my final answer for Mystery Stick "A".
I'm far from an expert, but based on your experience, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that your mystery stick is an ISOM. Just the impression I get...
+1
And yeah .... that's kind of what I was thinking too ---- the "mystery stick" was extremely smooth, and didn't leave the harsh aftertaste/morning mouth like I get from some of the Nicaraguan/etc. cigars.
But like I said, I was pretty darn stumped and the review on the Art Deco seemed to line up ....
Man, this game is hard. .... fun though for sure, really gets you thinkin'
I'm far from an expert, but based on your experience, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that your mystery stick is an ISOM. Just the impression I get...
+1
And yeah .... that's kind of what I was thinking too ---- the "mystery stick" was extremely smooth, and didn't leave the harsh aftertaste/morning mouth like I get from some of the Nicaraguan/etc. cigars.
But like I said, I was pretty darn stumped and the review on the Art Deco seemed to line up ....
Man, this game is hard. .... fun though for sure, really gets you thinkin'
Between the woodsy flavors that I get from many ISOMs and the trademark triple cap, it seems like a valid guess. Maybe it's just Cubanesque.......lol.
Great guess...but wrong. And although some consider it to be Cubanesque, I didn't want to make it too difficult with the ISOM's, that is why I left the bands on those. The beauty of the game is no expectations or hype to cloud your judgement or your palette. Just you and a good cigar. Cigar "A" is a My Father #1. Look forward to your take on stick "B".
After reading JGibs review/guess I wanted to follow along and burn one down too. Mine wont be as in-depth for a few reasons as follows....
__________ This cigar is sporting a dark toothy wrapper with a little give on the squeeze test. It has the look and feel of a La Gloria Series R. The prelight draw is airy and easy. It has the taste and smell of a Dominican cigar and a spicy, woody, almost leathery taste. __________ The first 3rd is carrying a lot of leather ..... wood is present as well but its subtle. Ash held well but let go close to two inches in.... Has to be Dominican...... The 2nd third is bring way more spice and an almost woody-ish burnt coffee flavor. Burn is going really well. I am guessing La Gloria at this point but its not as oily as the ones ive had.... This bad boy has a year on it and has a nice and yellowed celo. __________ Final third starts the same way as the 2nd.... not much change at this point. Spice is really hitting the tongue at this point. The draw has tightened up and leather is nearing the finish. I am guessing La Gloria Series R. __________ Totally enjoyable start to finish with TONS of smoke. Pics comming soon!
Great guess...but wrong. And although some consider it to be Cubanesque, I didn't want to make it too difficult with the ISOM's, that is why I left the bands on those. The beauty of the game is no expectations or hype to cloud your judgement or your palette. Just you and a good cigar. Cigar "A" is a My Father #1. Look forward to your take on stick "B".
WHAT?!?? Well I was right that its something I've never smoked before (only had the LB 1922s, and special S never the "original" MFs) but I did not pick up the typical DPG flavors I'm used to....at a few points it did remind me a little of the MF special "S" but idk....
Needless to say I'm very surprised by what it is and thoroughly enjoyed the smoke. I have 1 or 2 MFs in the humidor that I'll have to fire up again soon and see if I get the same flavors /aromas again.
Hope to get B and C in this weekend, will keep you posted!
Good review Vision. Excited for your guess, I think I remeber which one was "A" but don't remember for sure right now so you'll have to open the envelope and let me know .... Glad you enjoyed the smoke,
Good review Vision. Excited for your guess, I think I remeber which one was "A" but don't remember for sure right now so you'll have to open the envelope and let me know .... Glad you enjoyed the smoke,
I skipped to C... thought it was La Gloria... man I was wrong. The wifey is on the laptop with the pics on it.... I will post asap.
Typically before participating in our reindeer games, it is customary to introduce yourself (there is a thread in the General Discussion) and get a little established with us. That said, I do like your enthusiasm! Welcome to the site.
Great guess...but wrong. And although some consider it to be Cubanesque, I didn't want to make it too difficult with the ISOM's, that is why I left the bands on those. The beauty of the game is no expectations or hype to cloud your judgement or your palette. Just you and a good cigar. Cigar "A" is a My Father #1. Look forward to your take on stick "B".
Just finished up the second mystery cigar from PokerSlob.
(Don't know where my phone went ....) so I wasn't able to take a picture of it while smoking. But let me say this was another beautifully constructed, good looking cigar.
Have some notes written down on paper and will transfer those and post my "official" review/guess here later. Gotta go get a couple things done around the house first though.
Stay tuned!!
PS ---- Vision, which cigar did you end up smoking ??? Did you open the envelope with the "answer" yet?
After reading JGibs review/guess I wanted to follow along and burn one down too. Mine wont be as in-depth for a few reasons as follows....
__________ This cigar is sporting a dark toothy wrapper with a little give on the squeeze test. It has the look and feel of a La Gloria Series R. The prelight draw is airy and easy. It has the taste and smell of a Dominican cigar and a spicy, woody, almost leathery taste. __________ The first 3rd is carrying a lot of leather ..... wood is present as well but its subtle. Ash held well but let go close to two inches in.... Has to be Dominican...... The 2nd third is bring way more spice and an almost woody-ish burnt coffee flavor. Burn is going really well. I am guessing La Gloria at this point but its not as oily as the ones ive had.... This bad boy has a year on it and has a nice and yellowed celo. __________ Final third starts the same way as the 2nd.... not much change at this point. Spice is really hitting the tongue at this point. The draw has tightened up and leather is nearing the finish. I am guessing La Gloria Series R. __________ Totally enjoyable start to finish with TONS of smoke. Pics comming soon!
Sorry it took so long to get these up. I guess La Gloria Cubana Series R. Here are the pics and results.
I am a big fan of Graycliff. I have always said to let them rest.... It was flavorful start to finish. I think the 19 different tobaccos used threw me off a bit I am going to work on B in the next few days!
Just finished up the second mystery cigar from PokerSlob.
(Don't know where my phone went ....) so I wasn't able to take a picture of it while smoking. But let me say this was another beautifully constructed, good looking cigar.
Have some notes written down on paper and will transfer those and post my "official" review/guess here later. Gotta go get a couple things done around the house first though.
Stay tuned!!
PS ---- Vision, which cigar did you end up smoking ??? Did you open the envelope with the "answer" yet?
(Sorry for the delay, got busy yesterday working on projects. So without further ado...) Mystery Stick "B"from Poker Slob
I carefully removed the cigar from it's cellophane and got a quick measurement using a ruler since my phone was MIA.
I figured it was about 4.5 x 48/50.
The wrapper on this cigar looked like my morning cup of coffee, a rich dark brown color. And similar to mystery stick "A" - there were a few veins but the wrapper is smooth to the touch and slightly "oily". The cigar was also firm and packed tight --- it was never difficult to draw but I did run into a burn problem about halfway through, (probably user error) which I'll get to in a minute.
I used my Xikar XI to cut the cap and noticed roasted nuts along with slight hint of straw or maybe fresh cut grass on the cold draw.
When smelling the wrapper I also got a hint of clove, along with a slight creamy sweetness similar to homemade whipped cream.
So with all of my "background research" finished - I bundled up, headed outside, got my chair set up and got the propane fire pit roarin' so I could keep warm.
The temperature outside was probably about 30-35 but there was almost no wind so it was surprisingly pleasant. (But the barometric pressure was rising so my wrist was starting to hurt -- I broke it a few year's back and I think I have arthritis developing, need to see the doc soon.)
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I lightly toasted the foot with my Bugatti torch lighter and shortly after it was burning evenly and nicely.
I got a flavor of roasted nuts at the beginning of this cigar, not sweet like the sugar-coated roasted pecans, but more like a roasted walnut or almond. This was mixed with a slight charred/burnt wood flavor.
(FWIW, my wife came outside and she commented that it "smelled like burnt hair", LOL)
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Towards the middle of the cigar the nutty flavors gave way to chewy leather and fresh brewed coffee along with a very subtle note of black-pepper spiciness. The wood flavor stuck around in the background like an extra in a movie - it was there but hardly noticeable.
It's also worth noting that close to 1/2 way, this cigar started to canoe. I tried to let it "naturally" correct itself but after about 10 minutes things were not getting better so I took the torch to the "slow burning" side and evened it back out. All in all not a big deal, just a little distracting.
---
After I got it burning evenly again, I was able to refocus on the flavors and aromas and get back to taking notes. As I approached, and passed, the 2/3 point --- the chewy leather flavor continued to dominate and I also picked up a wet earth flavor in the background.
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My overall thoughts --- this was a very beautiful cigar, and burn issue aside, was well constructed and felt great in the hand. And the white ash held on well, falling off naturally at regular intervals.
This cigar was dominated by rich, bold flavors --- including roasted nuts, leather, and earth.
It also left a "woody" aftertaste in my mouth.
I didn't have an "ah-ha moment" where I knew exactly what this stick was but it did remind me of 1 cigar in particular .... and it's been a while since I smoked this one, but I thought it was similar to the Camacho Triple Maduros I've had before.
I don't know if the wrapper on the "mystery stick" was quite dark enough though, I wish I'd have compared the two side-by-side ... but since I don't have any better ideas, I'll go with: Camacho Triple Maduro for Mystery Stick B
Great guess!!...The mystery stick is, Camacho Triple Maduro. Of the 3, I thought that would be the one you might guess correctly. Good luck with mystery stick C. I hope you enjoy it!
Great guess!!...The mystery stick is, Camacho Triple Maduro. Of the 3, I thought that would be the one you might guess correctly. Good luck with mystery stick C. I hope you enjoy it!
Yep, I'd consider it a "lucky guess" more than anything though. It certainly helped that I've smoked the Triple Maddy a few times before, made it easier to figure out than stick "A".
Lookin' forward to "C" --- will fire it up and post my review later this week. Thanks again, Tom!
Weather was a little bit nicer this afternoon --- temp had warmed up a bit and humidity dropped down to the 70s. Had some "free" time after work so figured better get on this while the gettin's good.
Let me preface this by saying I don't think this is a cigar I've smoked before --- but I loved it ! Will be adding this to my "want a box" list.
This cigar was about 5.5 x 42/44ish --- it had a nice, rich hazelnut-brown colored wrapper. The wrapper had a slight sheen to it but did not feel oily. Like the other two smokes, this wrapper was smooth and well constructed.
Quick snip of the cap with my Xikar XI cutter and the cold draw revealed notes of dry hay/grass, and a slight note of spearmint tea....
The outside of the wrapper smelled like barnyard and damp earth after a spring rain.
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Lightly toasted this cigar with my single torch flame and quickly had it burning nice and evenly. I struggled to try and pin down what I was tasting for the first 10 minutes or so, the flavors were consistent but I couldn't put my finger on it ...... then it came to me -- freshly baked, yeasty rolls, with a little bit of butter on top. Yes, that's what I was tasting and it was absolutely mouth-watering. In the background I also picked up a slight bit of hay, but the yeasty roll flavor took the spotlight.
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Towards the middle of the cigar the yeasty roll flavor calmed down and the hay flavor became stronger. I also started to notice charred/smoked wood flavors along with the aromas of a well seasoned charcoal grill.
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Closer to the end of the cigar the wood and charcoal flavors got weaker and I noticed a yeasty bread taste again, although not nearly as strong as it was in the beginning. More of a buttered wheat toast at this point. The woody flavor also seemed to be more like cedar at this point.
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Other thoughts: the burn stayed razor sharp throughout the smoke, and this little guy put out an impressive amount of smoke, not quite as much as LPs, but a good amount for it's small size.
The gray-white ash held on well and fell off naturally. The cigar felt good in the hand and was well made.
Also, the smoke left a very interesting sensation/texture in my mouth --- reminded me of the texture on the outside of marshmallows.
Along with the flavors mentioned above I also noticed, in the background -- some nuttiness, the spiciness of black pepper, and maybe a slight roasted coffee flavor at various points throughout the smoke. And for one puff, a brief 5 seconds if that, I swear I got a strong blast of green apple. But I could just have been losing my mind ... since that flavor never came back.
This was a very unique and interesting cigar (in a good way) - never experienced a smoke like this before, at least not that I can remember. But I'm absolutely stumped on what it is.....
So did a little google searching, and I'll take a shot in the dark here --- is it a Alec Bradley SCR???
PS ---- BIG THANKS to Tom, Poker Slob, for reviving this old game. I really appreciate the cigars you sent and had lots of fun smoking them and trying to figure out what they were.
And to all the BOTLs out there --- if you're on the fence about this game, don't be! Get on it, I promise it's a whole lot of fun !!!
Comments
BTW ---- that's the NYC OSOK 212, supposed to be a slightly different blend than the original, but IDK. I couldn't tell a difference.
Will post pic, notes/short review and my official guess tomorrow.
Thanks Tom!
After removing the cigar from it's cellophane wrapper, I used an iphone app to measure it's dimensions (so I'm not sure the measurements are 100% accurate) --- but I believe this cigar to be about 5.25" x 50/52.
The first thing I notice about this cigar is it's beautiful reddish brown wrapper and there's not a blemish on it. There are a few small veins visible but the wrapper is smooth to the touch and I can hardly feel the "bumps" of the veins when I pass my fingers over them. This cigar is firm and packed well, but the draw was never "tight" and the cigar never felt heavy in the hand.
I used my Xikar XI cutter to snip the perfectly constructed triple-cap and on the cold draw noticed a predominant flavor of dry wood (I think cedar) along with a slight spiciness, possibly black pepper.
I smelled the wrapper and picked up the dry wood aroma again, possibly dry grass or dry hay as well, along with a faint nuttiness.
With all of my "initial research" done, I put on a jacket and headed out to the garage to fire this one up. The temperature was probably about 40-45 in the garage, not too bad at all considering it was windy, sleeting and about 25-30 degrees outside.
------------
I lightly toasted this cigar with my Bugatti torch lighter and after a few puffs it was burning nice and evenly.
Right off the bat I noticed a dominant flavor of dry wood (that I mentioned earlier) and a very faint black pepper. The wood flavors stayed constant throughout the smoke, but the faint spiciness of the black pepper disappeared after the first inch or two.
---
Getting towards the middle of the cigar I started to pick up some nutty flavors, seemed like walnut(?) and a very slight buttery creaminess. These flavors become more noticeable towards the half-way point, then started to taper off but never quite disappeared - for the rest of the cigar they stayed "in the background" second to the woodiness.
---
As I got to about the 2/3 point, closer towards the end of the cigar than the middle -- I thought I picked up a very very slight hint of sweetness, maybe caramel(?), it was so faint, I'm not too sure what it was. It seemed that by this point the dry wood flavor had shifted from a what I thought was a cedar in the beginning to more of a hickory(?) flavor (because it reminded me of when I smoke a rack of ribs on the grill).
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My overall thoughts --- this was a very well constructed, beautiful cigar.
The ash held on great, (I didn't have a ruler) but I'd guess about 1.5-2 inches before naturally falling off.
The dry wood flavors dominated this smoke, hands down. And the wood flavors seemed to shift between different types of woods - cedar, poplar(?) and hickory(?), maybe others --- hard to say.
I'd rank this as upper mild, lower medium in terms of body. And just a little bit less than that for strength.
Since I don't keep good notes on the cigars I've smoked, I don't have much to base my guess on other than my memory :-O ..... this cigar reminded me of a few different cigars, but didn't seem identical to anything I've smoked before.
So I "cheated" a bit and did some quick Googling of other reviews .... and one other review seemed to describe the exact same experience with a Nestor Miranda Art Deco.
So since I'm stumped and out of ideas on this one (even though I'm not confident about it) I'm going to have to go with:
Nestor Miranda Art Deco --- as my final answer for Mystery Stick "A".
And yeah .... that's kind of what I was thinking too ---- the "mystery stick" was extremely smooth, and didn't leave the harsh aftertaste/morning mouth like I get from some of the Nicaraguan/etc. cigars.
But like I said, I was pretty darn stumped and the review on the Art Deco seemed to line up ....
Man, this game is hard. .... fun though for sure, really gets you thinkin'
__________
This cigar is sporting a dark toothy wrapper with a little give on the squeeze test. It has the look and feel of a La Gloria Series R. The prelight draw is airy and easy. It has the taste and smell of a Dominican cigar and a spicy, woody, almost leathery taste.
__________
The first 3rd is carrying a lot of leather ..... wood is present as well but its subtle. Ash held well but let go close to two inches in.... Has to be Dominican......
The 2nd third is bring way more spice and an almost woody-ish burnt coffee flavor. Burn is going really well. I am guessing La Gloria at this point but its not as oily as the ones ive had.... This bad boy has a year on it and has a nice and yellowed celo.
__________
Final third starts the same way as the 2nd.... not much change at this point. Spice is really hitting the tongue at this point. The draw has tightened up and leather is nearing the finish. I am guessing La Gloria Series R.
__________
Totally enjoyable start to finish with TONS of smoke. Pics comming soon!
Needless to say I'm very surprised by what it is and thoroughly enjoyed the smoke. I have 1 or 2 MFs in the humidor that I'll have to fire up again soon and see if I get the same flavors /aromas again.
Hope to get B and C in this weekend, will keep you posted!
I skipped to C... thought it was La Gloria... man I was wrong. The wifey is on the laptop with the pics on it.... I will post asap.
I dont mind sending. Its up to you bro.
(Don't know where my phone went ....) so I wasn't able to take a picture of it while smoking. But let me say this was another beautifully constructed, good looking cigar.
Have some notes written down on paper and will transfer those and post my "official" review/guess here later. Gotta go get a couple things done around the house first though.
Stay tuned!!
PS ---- Vision, which cigar did you end up smoking ??? Did you open the envelope with the "answer" yet?
Sorry it took so long to get these up. I guess La Gloria Cubana Series R. Here are the pics and results.
I am a big fan of Graycliff. I have always said to let them rest.... It was flavorful start to finish. I think the 19 different tobaccos used threw me off a bit
Mystery Stick "B" from Poker Slob
I carefully removed the cigar from it's cellophane and got a quick measurement using a ruler since my phone was MIA.
I figured it was about 4.5 x 48/50.
The wrapper on this cigar looked like my morning cup of coffee, a rich dark brown color. And similar to mystery stick "A" - there were a few veins but the wrapper is smooth to the touch and slightly "oily". The cigar was also firm and packed tight --- it was never difficult to draw but I did run into a burn problem about halfway through, (probably user error) which I'll get to in a minute.
I used my Xikar XI to cut the cap and noticed roasted nuts along with slight hint of straw or maybe fresh cut grass on the cold draw.
When smelling the wrapper I also got a hint of clove, along with a slight creamy sweetness similar to homemade whipped cream.
So with all of my "background research" finished - I bundled up, headed outside, got my chair set up and got the propane fire pit roarin' so I could keep warm.
The temperature outside was probably about 30-35 but there was almost no wind so it was surprisingly pleasant. (But the barometric pressure was rising so my wrist was starting to hurt -- I broke it a few year's back and I think I have arthritis developing, need to see the doc soon.)
------------
I lightly toasted the foot with my Bugatti torch lighter and shortly after it was burning evenly and nicely.
I got a flavor of roasted nuts at the beginning of this cigar, not sweet like the sugar-coated roasted pecans, but more like a roasted walnut or almond. This was mixed with a slight charred/burnt wood flavor.
(FWIW, my wife came outside and she commented that it "smelled like burnt hair", LOL)
---
Towards the middle of the cigar the nutty flavors gave way to chewy leather and fresh brewed coffee along with a very subtle note of black-pepper spiciness. The wood flavor stuck around in the background like an extra in a movie - it was there but hardly noticeable.
It's also worth noting that close to 1/2 way, this cigar started to canoe. I tried to let it "naturally" correct itself but after about 10 minutes things were not getting better so I took the torch to the "slow burning" side and evened it back out. All in all not a big deal, just a little distracting.
---
After I got it burning evenly again, I was able to refocus on the flavors and aromas and get back to taking notes. As I approached, and passed, the 2/3 point --- the chewy leather flavor continued to dominate and I also picked up a wet earth flavor in the background.
--------
My overall thoughts --- this was a very beautiful cigar, and burn issue aside, was well constructed and felt great in the hand. And the white ash held on well, falling off naturally at regular intervals.
This cigar was dominated by rich, bold flavors --- including roasted nuts, leather, and earth.
It also left a "woody" aftertaste in my mouth.
I didn't have an "ah-ha moment" where I knew exactly what this stick was but it did remind me of 1 cigar in particular .... and it's been a while since I smoked this one, but I thought it was similar to the Camacho Triple Maduros I've had before.
I don't know if the wrapper on the "mystery stick" was quite dark enough though, I wish I'd have compared the two side-by-side ... but since I don't have any better ideas, I'll go with:
Camacho Triple Maduro for Mystery Stick B
Lookin' forward to "C" --- will fire it up and post my review later this week. Thanks again, Tom!
I wanted to get another one in, in the next few days.... but I am now the proud owner of a cold and runny nose... yay for me.
Feel better bro, hate colds - that sucks.
Waiting on stick "C" myself -- it's been raining and about 90% RH outside, don't want to set myself up for failure...hopefully tomorrows better
Let me preface this by saying I don't think this is a cigar I've smoked before --- but I loved it ! Will be adding this to my "want a box" list.
This cigar was about 5.5 x 42/44ish --- it had a nice, rich hazelnut-brown colored wrapper. The wrapper had a slight sheen to it but did not feel oily. Like the other two smokes, this wrapper was smooth and well constructed.
Quick snip of the cap with my Xikar XI cutter and the cold draw revealed notes of dry hay/grass, and a slight note of spearmint tea....
The outside of the wrapper smelled like barnyard and damp earth after a spring rain.
-----
Lightly toasted this cigar with my single torch flame and quickly had it burning nice and evenly. I struggled to try and pin down what I was tasting for the first 10 minutes or so, the flavors were consistent but I couldn't put my finger on it ...... then it came to me -- freshly baked, yeasty rolls, with a little bit of butter on top. Yes, that's what I was tasting and it was absolutely mouth-watering. In the background I also picked up a slight bit of hay, but the yeasty roll flavor took the spotlight.
-----
Towards the middle of the cigar the yeasty roll flavor calmed down and the hay flavor became stronger. I also started to notice charred/smoked wood flavors along with the aromas of a well seasoned charcoal grill.
-----
Closer to the end of the cigar the wood and charcoal flavors got weaker and I noticed a yeasty bread taste again, although not nearly as strong as it was in the beginning. More of a buttered wheat toast at this point. The woody flavor also seemed to be more like cedar at this point.
------
Other thoughts: the burn stayed razor sharp throughout the smoke, and this little guy put out an impressive amount of smoke, not quite as much as LPs, but a good amount for it's small size.
The gray-white ash held on well and fell off naturally. The cigar felt good in the hand and was well made.
Also, the smoke left a very interesting sensation/texture in my mouth --- reminded me of the texture on the outside of marshmallows.
Along with the flavors mentioned above I also noticed, in the background -- some nuttiness, the spiciness of black pepper, and maybe a slight roasted coffee flavor at various points throughout the smoke. And for one puff, a brief 5 seconds if that, I swear I got a strong blast of green apple. But I could just have been losing my mind ... since that flavor never came back.
This was a very unique and interesting cigar (in a good way) - never experienced a smoke like this before, at least not that I can remember. But I'm absolutely stumped on what it is.....
So did a little google searching, and I'll take a shot in the dark here --- is it a Alec Bradley SCR???
PS ---- BIG THANKS to Tom, Poker Slob, for reviving this old game. I really appreciate the cigars you sent and had lots of fun smoking them and trying to figure out what they were.
And to all the BOTLs out there --- if you're on the fence about this game, don't be! Get on it, I promise it's a whole lot of fun !!!