El Presidente Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 What a journey this has been Congratulations to all participants. The quality of the reviews posted has been superb With Keith/CanuckSARTech in the lead (2 correct picks to date), I will share his review with you. We all know that if Keith nails this one he is the winner of the $500 AUD prize. ________________________________________________________________________________ _____ Blind Cigar Tasting Competition, Cigar No. 3, "Piramide" format - final score, 92 So, here’s my review of the third and last cigar in this blind cigar tasting competition.... Reviewed Cigar: Blind Cigar No. 3 Box Date: Unknown (current production) Factory/Manufacture Code: Unknown Packaging: Unknown Price: Never talk money... Length: 6 1/8", or 156 mm Ring Gauge: 52 Format: Piramide Weight: Don't you know it isn't polite to ask a fella this?? Construction/Appearance & Pre-Light: This cigar was actually only 154 mm long (2 mm short of the 156 mm for a "Piramide" vitola), but this could only be a piramide (duh!). The cigar's diameter at the foot was actually a bit squared off (potentially from being in a dress-box?), and was closer to being 54 ring gauge. This cigar was well-packed, while not yet too firm ��" the density and squeeze-test on the touch with this cigar was perfect. The foot appeared to be quite packed and bunched, with a very noticeable crescent-"C" of ligero apparent within the bunch at the foot (hell, if it wasn't ligero, then that was some of the darkest seco or volado that I"ve ever seen!). But some great tones of tobacco present. There was a fairly discernable glue mark on the wrapper, that let me have a bit of a better guess as to the shape, size, and style of the cigar band that it had on ��" hmmmm, this was a bit of help for my sleuthing. Other than that, holy dark and oily, Batman! This cigar was definitely darker, easily Colorado maduro, if not just bordering on being maduro (but still a couple of shades under the Cohiba Maduro 5 stuff I have). And, while this cigar doesn't have that "marbled" oily appearance that I like to find with Montecristo stuff that I have, this cigar had something different going on with the wrapper ��" there was almost a "spatter-paint" quality to the wrapper, where the wrapper itself was a very dark Colorado, but then heavy maduro "spots" were interspersed on the wrapper, almost like with a dot-matrix or a fine-freckled pattern to it. There was SUCH a noticeable oily feel and texture to this cigar ��" I almost did't want to burn it! But, I knew the experience would likely be divine, so up it went! LOL. This was a very beautiful wrapper, definitely PSP-like ��" if my guess is right on this one (and I'm 90% sure), I now see that.... the quality of some of these that Pres has been having listed up on the LFTH threads lately; if this isn't one of these PSP-quality sticks that he's been showing with these, and this is instead only an HQ, then I'd LOVE to see what the PSP is like! Draw at cold was just a bit restrictive; quite nice, actually. (That's what I love about piramides ��" you can cut off as much as you want or not, to get the draw that you want, and it's a larger cigar, but with a corona-esque sized mouth-opening to the head, depending on the cut.) At cold, there were aromas of cocoa (unsweetened chocolate), with some freshly roasting coffee tones, and some wonderful tones of leather there also, and tastes of creme brulee / burnt caramel. Opening Impressions: After a lighting up and initial draws, WONDERFUL. Great draw, coffee essences, sweet spices, and a lush mouthfeel to these. First Third: During the first third, I actually got some ever so light tones of youth from the cigar. While there wasn't any of the dreaded ammoniatic smell, there was some hints of what I'd say fairly goes with the ammonia in my experience ��" I got hints of what can only be referred to as menthol. Now, I don’t mean a minty taste. But, with menthol stuff and the like, there's that cool icyness that you get to the corners of your mouth, and the insides of your cheeks. Well, with certain puffs in this first third, I was getting that menthol-like coolness of a sensation to the inside of my cheeks. Again, no ammonia, but still a youthful aspect to these at this stage. I was also getting some other wonderfully bold flavours. Hits of.... coffee, milky caramel, some nutmeg in there (aha!). I had to correct the burn once in this first third, mostly just for cosmetics. This was after I had a bit of an issue with a wrapper split. This first third had some major tobacco swelling as it was burning. I had a section of the wrapper split open, and this affected the burn slightly. Not major, as the flavours didn't suffer negatively from it. Second Third: Great. No more menthol-like aspects. Just rich, refined tobacco essences. Chocalately hits throughout (almost could mistake it for a Cuaba EL, if it weren't for the... nutmeg tones, and lack of some fruity aspects I get in the Cuaba Piramide). Delicious. Lots of caramel roasting with nutmeg. Started to also get some savory spices in there, some saffron and paprika maybe, some allspice. Got some earthy aspects to it. From the start of the second third on, a great blended aroma lingering around, of damp cedar burning, with some earthenware pottery and leather, almost like the airy aroma at an outdoor artisans market, with the fresh pottery and leathercraft-wares around. Just wonderful. Final Third: More of the same from the second third. Again, no more menthol mouthfeel. A tiny bit of harshness on the back of the tongue with puffs during the last inch of the cigar. But, completely expected a bit worse than this, due to lack of long-term aging to this cigar. For a youthful cigar, I smoked this thing to the hot, bitter nub. Great dense, velvety smoke in this third especially. Finishing Comments / Overall Impression: Wow. This cigar was a superstar. This cigar seems to be about a year old, but just based on the richness and quality of the tobacco, it seems like it could be two months or two years at this point ��" this thing just performed, and it makes it so hard to tell with the tobacco quality right now. Man, but if this thing is any less than a year old, it will be wonderfully amazing to see how these do with only about two more years of aging time on them. Just a beautiful experience. I needed this yesterday ��" a nice time to spend playing in the back yard with my little guy. Based on all the flavour profile that I got from this, and also regarding the thoughts that I already e-mailed to you Rob with my sleuthing and whatnot, I'm calling this cigar to be a.... Diplomaticos No. 2. Just...just…wonderful! Rob, I'm sticking with my earlier assertions that I PM'd to you, even though I'm a bit in the dark with that other potential. But, I'm sticking with the crossing off of the ones that I didn't think this could be, based on my at cold observations from a few days back. Hell, even if I don't get it, and if this turns out to be something else, I don't care ��" just sign me up to grab at least a box or two of these (LOL - as if my wishlist with Lisa isn't long ENOUGH as it is!!! ), in whatever quality level that they were (PSP, presumably). Fricken' awesome! Final Score: 92, with two years' age, definitely has the potential to be a SOLID mid-90's performer! Total Smoking Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes Paired Beverage: Ginger ale Date & Time Smoked: Thursday, April 21st, 2011, 7:55 pm to 9:25 pm Thanks for reading my review. Hope you enjoyed it. Cheers. Keith ________________________________________________________________________________ _____________ Well, Cigar Number 3 was indeed a Diplomatico Number 2 (DIC 07) Congratulations Keith!!! To nail 1 out of 3 is a great effort. 2 out of 3 a superb one. 3 out of 3 is Legendary The $500 AUD prize is all your mate. Touch base with Lisa! Here are the final results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkz Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Wow! Way to go Keith!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghabanos Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Congrats Keith.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbrody Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 HARUMPH! Great job Keith and thank you Rob for the fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puros Y Vino Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Damn......nice work Keith. Uh..Keith is away on training..I uh..gladly accept in his absence.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancerv43 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Way to go Keith. Very impressive I enjoyed following this and reading all the reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Congrats Keith on getting 3 out of 3! Either you have an extremely good palette or you smoke waaaay too much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartolomeo Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Thanks again Prez for making this happen, truly a fun experiement Bart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PigFish Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Way to go Nut! You pulled it out. I did not think anyone would get all 3 and you proved me wrong. In my own way I see this contest as a bit of a victory for me as well. Day in and day out I smoke some really good cigars. As I did not find a good one in the bunch I found little or no familiarity in any of them. I have been preaching the "myth" of flavor profiles and the lack of consistency in the CC cigar for many years now. Look at the numbers... The results are shameful from the perspective of the manufacturer. Most could not even recognize the Cuban flagship line. How pitiful! Great fun nonetheless and the prize was generous and well deserved. Cheers mates and congrats again Keith. -Piggy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicko Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Great work big fella!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sutton Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Good job Keith So when do we get to do this again ? Its pretty fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Presidente Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 Way to go Nut! You pulled it out. I did not think anyone would get all 3 and you proved me wrong.In my own way I see this contest as a bit of a victory for me as well. Day in and day out I smoke some really good cigars. As I did not find a good one in the bunch I found little or no familiarity in any of them. I have been preaching the "myth" of flavor profiles and the lack of consistency in the CC cigar for many years now. Look at the numbers... The results are shameful from the perspective of the manufacturer. Most could not even recognize the Cuban flagship line. How pitiful! Great fun nonetheless and the prize was generous and well deserved. Cheers mates and congrats again Keith. -Piggy Let me run the counter argument 3 out of 3 is not a guess. One man picked through the flavour nuances of each and nailed it. He did it in a detailed manner. Superpalate? Who knows. Very good palate indeed. The only thing this tasting I believe destroys is the myth of the "Box Code". All box codes were the same in each cigar of this tasting. For me what is displayed is that each palate is unique. That bears as much weight as saying "The results are shameful from the perspective of the manufacturer"? How can anyone prove otherwise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headstand Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 A command performance Keith. Congratulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olotti Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Congrats to Keith I am truly impressed. I would have swore that last one was a young Monte #2 but you have a superior palate and intuition and kudos to you my friend. Thank you to Prez for the competition this really opened my mind in many ways.. I take away the fact that I now want to try recent Cohiba Siglo II's, Epi 2's and not really want any Dip 2's.. I'm still confused. but it was a great experiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aes8 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Congrats to Keith also. I had my money on a Monte 2 as well. I'd be interested to participate in more of these events. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBL Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Congratz to the well-deserved winner! Very impressive indeed! I can kick myself for not sticking with my Dip 2 guess, because of the rustic wrapper (remember the Monty 2 being smoother) But due to inconsistency and overall bad quality of the stick I guessed Montecristo Can't wait for the next competition! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dB69 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Congratulations to CanuckSARTech!! You are the master of the universe!!! This was a very educating game and I'm already waiting for the next one. Very many thanks to El Presidente and the others involved! I will keep my promise and won't buy any piramides, ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PigFish Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Let me run the counter argument 3 out of 3 is not a guess. One man picked through the flavour nuances of each and nailed it. He did it in a detailed manner. Superpalate? Who knows. Very good palate indeed. The only thing this tasting I believe destroys is the myth of the "Box Code". All box codes were the same in each cigar of this tasting. For me what is displayed is that each palate is unique. That bears as much weight as saying "The results are shameful from the perspective of the manufacturer"? How can anyone prove otherwise? Each palate or each cigar Rob? Both I think. The variables are many but statistically, without impugning anyone's individual taste, the results should shame any manufacturer competing in a gustatory market place seeking exceptional, recognizable taste. Was anything proven? Not really but empirical evidence was derived and while it can be interpreted differently, excused or rationalized... consumers in this forum have spoken without bias in their votes. I admit, I guessed. I don't have a broad recall of lousy cigars. I dispose of them and don't typically buy them in any great quantity again. I don't often smoke Cohiba PC's, they are a poor value, Hoyo Robustos, or the D-2. I have not had a box of Epi 2's in 10 years. As I recall I though they sucked 10 years ago and they still do. Now that is consistency! And while I like Diplomaticos generally, the D-2 is the worst of the line (MHO). The last D-2's I had were from a box split... cause I did not want to get stuck with a whole box of lousy sticks. It took me years to finish them off. The PC... if it did not come from you I could have easily said it originated in Mexico. It was that bad, and even out of physical specification. Yes I am a hammer to H SA et al. I am also a long time customer and advocate of their cigars. But in all honesty they are losing me. Maybe I have the palate of a goat!!! I am but one customer. Time and time again the company that I patronize tells me and the goats like me that our taste is unimportant. That is their right to do. Hell... I am only one guy who has bought thousands of their cigars what do I know? I just buy the ones no one else buys anyway! Read the tea leaves anyway you want. I think the experiment was telling and the story is an old lousy one. -the Pig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharks Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Congrats Keith Outstanding effort Well Done Sharks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Unfortunately for me, instead of opening my eyes to new cigars I'd love to try more of, it has been the direct opposite Three cigars I won't look for again. But that's a good result in itself I guess... Oddly enough, this experience has made me interested in trying a good example of the 3 cigars. The ones I got weren't great or even good... but then it could just be me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Presidente Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 Yes I am a hammer to H SA et al. I am also a long time customer and advocate of their cigars. But in all honesty they are losing me. Maybe I have the palate of a goat!!! I am but one customer. Time and time again the company that I patronize tells me and the goats like me that our taste is unimportant. That is their right to do. Hell... I am only one guy who has bought thousands of their cigars what do I know? I just buy the ones no one else buys anyway! Read the tea leaves anyway you want. I think the experiment was telling and the story is an old lousy one. -the Pig I think you are being a tad harsh. I also smoked all three cigars. Wasn't a fan of the Siglo II, the HDM Epi 2 was below other recent examples but good and the Dip 2 sensational. When I look at the results I see some groupings. People often discussed the same flavours but went in different directions. Young PLPC is very similar to young Cohiba Siglo II. I can understand why so many in the first result went for the PLPC. I probably would have done the same. These 2 combined were the majority pick by a mile. Monte 2 and Dip 2 for the last. Subtle difference to many, huge difference to some. I suspect those who see a huge difference simply are attuned (taste buds) to the differences. Again, these 2 combined were the majority pick by a country mile. HDM E2 was the majority pick. Again plenty mentioned cream, wood etc but some went for others. Dud cigars...no doubt there were significant amongst the 180 cigars. However when someone correctly identifies a Dip 2 (breaks it down) and loves it ...while others hated it....and most inbetween, I was left thinking is there any reason everyone needs to like the same cigars from a manufacturers point of view? Could differences in palate be far more influential than we thought? Just as influential as blend inconsistency? I suspect so. It is the reason some people enjoy the Monte Open and I can't stand them. That doesn't make them a good palate or bad palate just a different palate. Keith has a great palate becasue he could identify three cigars of very differing flavours. Each flavour characteristic resonated with his palate and taste memory. He also forensically broke down his reviews and eliminated cigars one by one. He is the poster child for blend consistency and should approach HSA for sponsorship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dicko Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 gotta agree with El Prez, if you look at the reviews the majority picked the same flavours or at least the same kind of flavours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc8436 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Nice work Keith! 3 out of 3, wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vetteman Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Congrats to the winner! nice job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Congrats Keith - well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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