Warped Serie Gran Reserva GR88 1988 – tasting notes.

Paul 79 – Light brown, mottled, oily wrapper with minimum veins, no soft spots, good looking cap, light tobacco aroma on the wrapper, deeper aromas on the foot, good cold draw with hay notes. First 1/3: Malt and grass, lots of light smoke, very light gray ash drops at 1/4″, tart, saliva producing acid, flaky ash drops at 1/8″, medium strength, light body, medium finish, grassy retrohale. Second 1/3: More grassy flavors, short lived licorice, some bitterness, long unpleasant grassy finish, cigar keeps going out, more bitterness, scalloped burn. Last 1/3: Mouth coated with a grassy film, burn canoeing, off flavors.

Rob 87 – Beautiful chocolate brown, silky smooth wrapper. A slight oil sheen to the surface. Tight seams with virtually NO veins at all. Perfect triple cap. Very attractive cigar. It is somewhat light in weight and has a very firm pack. Hope it loosens up when heated… Pre light aroma is a mild, almost sweetish barnyard (oxymoron). Scissor cut just the leaf off the cap which is yielding a perfect draw, and generated a very easy light up. A bit of bitterness pervades a toast like flavor. Hopefully this bitterness will fade quickly? There is a good amount of smoke both from the draw and cigar itself. At the half way point: creamy smoke and the bitterness is long gone. Still getting a mild toast flavor now with a bit of nuttiness. I would classify this as a mild to medium smoke. At 80% through: still a creamy very smooth smoke, but absolutely no transitions throughout the entire burn, which leaves the otherwise very nice cigar a bit boring.

Jim 87 – Medium brown in color, this cigar appears to be well crafted. Initially after lighting, I am getting the distinct taste of toasted marshmallows. As it heats up the sweetness remains but I am getting more of wedding cake flavor with a hint of bakers spice on the finish. It is definitely a more mellow cigar but there is a nice balance in the flavors. Burn is slightly uneven but pretty sharp with a very firm ash. Very easy draw. The sweetness of this cigar continues on past he halfway mark and is definitely left on the palate. This cigar stayed consistent throughout the experience. I normally like a stronger cigar but for a mellow cigar it was nice. This would be a good cigar for someone who is newer to the cigar experience and wants something mellow and smooth.

Artie 96 – This is a good looking corona of colorado color. The wrapper is slightly mottled, the cigar is firm with no soft spots, and the foot shows no stems whatsoever. The triple cap is flawless and cuts without any deformation. With a cold aroma of sweet barnyard, I was eager to light this up. This came easily despite a fairly tight draw, and right away I was struck by its flavor intensity. This cigar puts out tons of smoke and is spicy and strong. I’m only 1/4″ in and it’s already like, “woah!”. The initial flavor is strong dark coffee, with an earthy sweetness, and the burn so far is dead on. I can see concentric lines in the perfectly formed ash that has preserved each of my puffs. This would be a good cigar for a cigar ash length contest. As I continue to smoke, I can pick up notes of strong, Mexican oregano, particularly on the finish. Man, I am hardly into this cigar and it is already kicking my ass! There is some high octane ligero in this bad boy. In spite of its strength, this is a smooth, creamy cigar. And I love its size…I’d guess a 50 ring gauge…it feels comfortably in my hand. I have to be careful not to smoke this stick too fast. Although it’s relatively small, it’s gonna be a long smoke. Don’t wanna hurt myself! Mid way, I’m really feeling the nic hit but the flavors have continued to build and the cigar is hard to leave in the ashtray. Towards the nub the strength has mellowed a bit, but the flavors are intact with no bitterness or tarry presence. This is a stellar cigar, but most definitely not a morning smoke!

Will 92 – Very nice dark tan robusto. Well packed, nicely rolled. Cold nose was barnyard and light pepper. Cold draw was toasty tobacco with hints of cinnamon and hay. Very easy to combust, lots of smoke immediately with flavors of toasted sourdough rye bread with white pepper. Ash held on for 2 inches before falling. Consistent flavor and strength on the medium side of full. No real change in flavor although the pepper dropped off about 25 minutes in and I got mocha java predominantly until the end. Nice stick, I nubbed it.