The Rules.
Each month, a group of experienced cigar smokers participate in tastings of five new cigars. All smoke one of the selected cigars each day, and it is the first cigar of the day. All cigars are paired only with water, and are purchased at the same time from the same vendor. The cigars are stored for at least one week in a humidor prior to smoking. Everyone follows strict scoring guidelines. Taste is weighted heavily (50%), followed by construction (10%), draw (10%), burn (10%), and taste evolution (20%). Additional points are awarded for uniqueness or that intangible “wow factor”.
Why a committee?
Cigar reviews are very subjective, and influenced by the smoker’s environment (see When Good Cigars Taste Bad, part 2). In a committee review, the results are averaged over all participants, providing a better yardstick to measure a cigar’s quality. In addition to a numerical ranking, each review will include tasting notes by each of the committee members. This should help in determining if these new cigars are worth purchasing.
I hope you enjoy this feature, and keep checking back (or join the Newsletter) to see when new cigars are posted.
Warped Maestro Del Tiempo 5712 Robusto 4.5x52
All but one reviewer enjoyed this cigar. It starts out mild, but builds in intensity halfway through. Flavors of cashew, cream, hay, and nutmeg with floral tones. Abundant smoke coats the palate, and the burn was excellent for all but one reviewer.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo ’99; Binder: Nic; Filler: Nic; Blender: Kyle Gellis MSRP: $9.65
Crowned Heads Las Mareas Rebeldes 5.5×52
Everyone who smoked this had burn issues. Hickory flavors prevailed, with red pepper and salty leather tones. Flavors seemed to diminish towards the nub.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Corojo ’99; Binder: Nic; Filler: Nic; Blender: Jon Huber; MSRP: $12.35
Caldwell Anastasia Opera Toro 6×52
This cigar got mixed reviews. All agreed it started out with tons of flavor. People picked up nutmeg, roasted peanuts, raisons, and cocoa. For some, the flavors dropped off and was untimately disappointing. Two smokers loved it.
Wrapper: Proprietary; Binder:Proprietary; Filler:Proprietary; Blender: Caldwell, Ernesto Parez-Carrillo; MSRP: $14.70
AJ Fernandez Bellas Artes Robusto Extra 5.5×52
With reviews ranging from (for taste only) 97 to 79, the committee members all had very different takes on this stick. This is a very peppery cigar, with flavors of leather, and toffee. The finish is dry. Some had burn issues.
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Hybrid; Binder: Nic; Filler: Nic/Hon/Brazil; Blender: AJ Fernandez; MSRP: $8.80
Viaje Exclusivo Robusto Nicaragua 5×52
Here again, the reviews ran the gamet. Some got tons of flavor while two found the cigar uninteresting. Those who enjoyed it found flavors of leather, red pepper, and dried fruit. Most said the cigar had a dry quality.
Wrapper: Nic Corojo ’99; Binder: Nic; Filler: Nic; Blender: Andre Farkas; MSRP: $8.80.
Rating Legend:
0-74 = Unsmokeable
75-79 = Disappointing
80-84 = Average
85-89 = Very Good
90-94 = Excellent
95-100 = Outstanding
