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Author
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Dirty Dee
Active Member
Registered: June 2007
Location: Oak Park
Posts: 114
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Review Date: Sat September 8, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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construction, taste, aroma
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Cons:
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Burn
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Pre-smoke
Scent of Wrapper: Honey & cinnamon
Scent at Foot: Sweet chewing tobacco aroma
Appearance
Wrapper: Chocolate brown, smooth & oily, a light maduro perhaps
Feel: Firm w/ sponginess, well constructed
Tongue: mild pepper and tongue tingle
Flavor on Draw: A touch vanilla, easy draw
Smoke
Taste: Started sharp with burnt coffee and continued throughout the smoke, not complex but consistently pleasant tasting
Flavor Changes
Strength: It started out mild and went a little in the medium category but was very smooth
Feeling: Calm, inner peace
Scent of Smoke: Cedar notes, fresh cinnamon rolls, and a little bit of cherry pie
Heat on Fingers and in Mouth: Not until the end when it got about an inch and a half long I got a little heat on the fingers which was to be expected
Draw: Loose but not too loose, it was just a bit too easy for me
Finish: Short, the taste just kind of melted in my mouth, very nice
Other Aspects of the Cigar Smoking Experience: A very firm salt and pepper ash that I had to put some effort into tapping off. I had to touch this one up three times to even out the burn. A very smooth cigar that just fit perfectly for an early morning smoke. I really enjoyed this one. This was a nubber for me. Not too often do I nub a cigar but this one was one that I just did not want to put down. I would love to add this one to my humidor for a regular morning smoke.
Final Rating: I rate this 7 – Very Good
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bobbyg29
CL's Mad Cigar Scientist
Registered: April 2007
Location: Mesa, AZ
Posts: 1719
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Review Date: Sat September 8, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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beautiful oily wrapper; tasty coffee, wood, and spice flavors
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Cons:
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flaky ash, uneven burn
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Blind Tasting Panel #126
5” x 52, Robusto
ATMOSPHERE: Smoked mid-morning on my patio paired with iced-coffee and some assignments I had to mark.
PRE-SMOKE:
Scent. Rich tobacco, cedar, and pepper from the wrapper. More tobacco and cedar from the foot.
Appearance: One of the nicest wrappers I have seen in awhile. Beautiful, oily and shiny, chestnut brown with some large veins. Excellent construction.
Feel: Pretty hard to squeeze..not much give at all.
Pre-light draw: A lot of peppery tingle on my tongue after a blade cut. Cedar and lots of pepper on the draw.
SMOKE:
Taste & Flavor: This cigar had excellent flavors of dark roast coffee, cedar, and black pepper. When I expelled the smoke through my nose the spice seemed a little more complex with almost a middle eastern character. I did not really pick up any additional flavors along the way but it was very tasty throughout!
Strength: Medium.
Feeling: Good chewing cigar with a nice leathery wrapper texture with hints of spice on the lips.
Scent of smoke: This cigar produced lots of bluish-white smoke with a burning wood and exotic spice aroma.
Heat: None at all.
Draw & Burn: The draw was a little tight for my preference but not too bad. The burn was somewhat problematic—the cigar had a ragged burn line that required a few corrections and came close to going out twice. It seemed a little over-humidified.
Finish: Med-length with nice wood and spice.
OTHER:
Ash: Very flaky whitish/grey ash with black ridges. Needed to knock the ash off fairly frequently b/c I was afraid it would fall in my lap.
Duration: Smoked to final 1” in just under 2 hrs.
CONCLUSION: This cigar had fantastic coffee, wood, and spice flavors that were reminiscent of a milder version of the Don Pepin Cuban Classic. It was not nearly as complex as the DPG but had the same delicious base flavors. It had an incredibly attractive wrapper with the oils seeming to jump off it. The main drawback of this cigar was the burn and the flaky ash. Without these problems I would definitely have scored it higher. I will definitely be trying another one of these to see if it burns better and would recommend it highly to others.
FINAL RATING: 8.4/10
Cheers!
Rob
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Contributing Author and Resident "Cigar Science Guy", Team Stogie Fresh
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baboruger
Senior Member
Registered: June 2007
Location: Palatine, IL
Posts: 4147
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Review Date: Wed September 12, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Good Burn, Draw and flavors
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Cons:
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maybe a bit large of a ring for me
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Pre-Smoke
Sent of Wrapper: Tobacco flavors with some cedar hints.
Sent at Foot: A Peppery tobacco sent at the foot.
Wrapper: Dark Reddish Brown wrapper that does not go totally to the foot of this cigar. Dark oily and toothy.
Feel: Hard and consistent, there was a large vein running down this one.
Tongue:: Nice tingle with this stick a sort of spicy tingle.
Flavor on Draw: hay taste on the pre-light draw. The draw was wide open on this one and I was surprised because of the firmness of this cigar.
Smoke
Taste: Initially a mild woodsy flavor with spice when exhaled through the nose. As this burned some, there was a really nice spice with some sweetness mixed in. There were flavor changes here that were enjoyable. I think that this was a medium smoke.
Strength: The flavors on this one were medium.
Sent of smoke: Spicy sent of the smoke on this one.
Heat on Fingers and in mouth: none noted.
Draw: Loose draw not too loose, but nice. Plenty of smoke with this cigar.
Finish: Spicy nutty aftertaste very pleasant.
Other aspects of the Cigar Smoking Experience: I enjoyed this cigar very much. The construction was very good, and the tastes fit my profile very well. The only negative was the large ring gauge on this cigar, might have been a bit to large for me. I give this a 7.2/10. VERY GOOD.
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Say what you mean and do what you say.
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Irish Hawk
Getting Active
Registered: April 2007
Location: Lake Stevens
Posts: 85
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Review Date: Wed September 12, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Flavors hard to describe but yummy
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Cons:
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little un even on the burn
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Pre-smoke
Scent of Wrapper: raisin and plums
Scent at Foot: Sweet tobacco smell
Appearance
Wrapper: 2 tone brown
Feel: Firm
Tongue: mild spice and tongue tingle
Flavor on Draw: A touch sweet spice
Smoke
Taste: very very pleasant taste was get very quiet fruit taste
Flavor Changes
Strength: Medium and stayed consistent through out
Feeling: ah the best and that is when I poured a scotch
Scent of Smoke: Cedar, sweet sweet fruity
Heat on Fingers and in Mouth: not till it became a nubber just stuck a tooth pick through it
Draw: med draw just how I like them
Finish: buttery taste
Other Aspects of the Cigar Smoking Experience: Ash was not tight like I like but what the hell I loved the cigar a little uneven on the burn but I touched it up and it went nicely.
Final Rating: I rate this 8 – Very Good
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"If I paid $10 for a cigar, first I'd make love to it, then I'd smoke it."
-- George Burns
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Topshelf14
Very Active Member
Registered: March 2007
Location: Old Hickory, TN
Posts: 506
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Review Date: Wed October 3, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Complex flavor profile and great construction
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Cons:
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I don’t have more of them
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Pre-Smoke
Scent of Wrapper: The wrapper gave off an aroma of rich leather with some subtle spice overtones.
Scent at Foot: More leather with some earthiness.
Wrapper: Chestnut brown, toothy, and shiny with oils. A beautiful wrapper with just a few medium veins.
Feel: Firm and heavy for its size. I was afraid that the cigar was packed too tightly and might have draw problems.
Tongue: It is going to sound a bit strange, but I was reminded of Copenhagen (the snuff, not the city.)
Flavor on Draw: The pre-light draw was rich and earthy and left a slight tingle on the roof of my mouth.
Smoke
Taste: I was greeted with flavors of burnt coffee and black pepper that almost immediately morphed into hints of cinnamon and sherry with a slight citrus note when exhaled through the nose.
Flavor Changes: The further I smoked this cigar, I began to notice a toasty, bready taste that, coupled with the cinnamon, reminded me of fresh cinnamon rolls (minus the sweetness) or a lightly hopped ale.
Strength: Began mild and progressed to almost a medium strength.
Feeling: Peaceful and relaxing
Scent of Smoke: Although I was smoking outside, I did pick up on a slightly floral aroma
Heat on Fingers and in Mouth: None
Draw: Perfect! This cigar gave off tons of smoke with only a slight resistance on the draw.
Finish: Short, smooth, and creamy. Occasionally I would pick up on a faint fennel taste.
Other Aspects of the Cigar Smoking Experience: This cigar burned wonderfully and the medium gray ash held on until almost the halfway point (when I got a little cocky and ended up jarring it off onto my shirt.) Would be a great cigar for a long ash contest.
Final Rating: 8.3
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Joe
Nashville Cigar Club
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GoinFerSmoke
Forum Moderator
Registered: March 2007
Location: Salem
Posts: 4980
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Review Date: Thu October 18, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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construction and taste
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Cons:
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brun a litle off
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Pre-Smoke
Scent of Wrapper: Earthy
Scent at Foot: Earth and hay
Wrapper: Nice brownish red wrapper, several veins ran the length of the cigar but not unsightly
Feel: Firm the length of it
Tongue: Slight tingle on the tongue
Flavor on Draw: Very earthy, fresh tobacco taste
Smoke
Taste: Had a coffee and pepper taste to it.
Flavor Changes: This smoke had great transistions through it, unfortunately I can't describe everything but felt it ranged from the coffee and pepper to woody to a nuttiness.
Strength: Mild/med to more of a medium
Feeling: Very tasty and relaxing
Scent of Smoke: Had a floral w/hint of a sweetness to it
Heat on Fingers and in Mouth: None
Draw: Very nice, not too resistant.
Finish: Very short, very pleasant though.
Other Aspects of the Cigar Smoking Experience: Had some slight burn problems but nothing to really detract from the overall experience.
Overall score: 7.7
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Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything. - Frank Dane
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Wingfan13
Senior Member
Registered: April 2007
Location: South Lyon, Mi
Posts: 1521
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Review Date: Wed October 24, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Flavor
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Cons:
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Horrible burn
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I smoked this on a Saturday afternoon and cut it with my newly purchased Palio. Snipped very easily. I am liking my new Palio.
When I first lit this cigar it took a while for me to get it going. One side of it just didnt want to light. This turned into a horrible burn issue. It it too bad to because right away I liked the flavors.
I would say this cigar was medium in body. I always struggle to rate the strength because I keep thinking about how much I ate, when I ate and overall why I would rate the medium strength. Oh well...
I am tasting what I think is Cocoa with a little bit of spice. When I roll (to steal a John Rider term) the smoke through my sinuses the flavor is that much better. I am really liking the flavor.
If it werent for the horrible burn issues I had throughout this entire cigar I would have rated this VERY high. 8.8 maybe even a 9. The burn issues killed it for me. I would smoke this cigar again though and hope I got a bad one. in the end I gave it a 7.8 because I liked the flavor so much.
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JohnRider
Iowa Statesman
Registered: April 2007
Location: Eastern IA
Posts: 2662
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Review Date: Sun November 4, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Very nice long compact ash, even burn, unique black pepper flavor
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Cons:
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I think I would need another cigar to tell you
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PRE-SMOKE
Scent of Wrapper: Very slight hay.
Scent at Foot: Black licorice.
Appearance: Fat Robusto
Wrapper: Smooth, dark walnut color, light sheen, some prominent veins. Somewhat crudely formed head. Some noticeable color variances.
Feel: Very firm, well packed. No softspots noted.
Tongue: No tingle. No flavors observed.
Pre-light Flavor on Draw: Very slight black strap molasses flavor.
SMOKE
Lit up nicely. The draw is starting off a little tight, but still acceptable. It is producing a really nice amount of smoke.
The predominant flavor is complex black pepper with burnt sugar/dark mollasses and ligero-like flavors. The black pepper flavor is accompanied by a little bit of spice - sensed in the nasal cavity. The cigar has a moderate dry character to it.
This smoke rolls well, but it does give your nose a little zing as it goes by. Cigar continues to produce a nice amount of smoke. Very little smoke while resting.
A couple of inches into the cigar, I started to pick up more of the burnt sugar/ dark molasses type flavors, particularly noticeable on the finish. The finish is very long.
Strength: The flavor is medium.
The feeling (or nicotine strength) is mild to medium. Some nicotine effects.
Scent of the Smoke: Peppery scent, with some sweet dark aromas. Fairly heavy scent in the room.
Heat on fingers and mouth: Nothing observed.
Draw: Started off a bit tight, but loosened up after an inch or so. Very good.
Finish: Long.
Other: Burn line has been fairly straight. No problems staying lit. The "mascara line" is fairly broad and not well defined.
Ash is compact and fairly solid. Not flaky. Very good ash. Great ability to hang on.
Overall, I would rate this cigar 6.8 which is Good/Very Good. The construction is satisfactory - I thought the cap looked a little crude. The draw loosened up after an inch or two and is very good. Nice quantity of smoke. The flavors were pleasant, rich and hearty. Plenty to like about this cigar. I liked the dark sweet flavors of this cigar, and it had a nice black pepper spice that added some dimension. The finish I thought was a bit syrupy and perhaps too long. Perhaps the finish did not fit my mood or would be more appropriate as an evening cigar instead of a mid-morning cigar.
I would like to try one of these again.
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Warning: This Post May Contain Cynicism Known To The State of California To Cause Depression, Social Ostracism And Other Reproductive Harm.
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kass
Very Active Member
Registered: May 2007
Location: South Korea
Posts: 836
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Review Date: Fri November 9, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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draw, nice flavours
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Cons:
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uneven burn
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presmoke
scent of wrapper: very weak smell of hay
scent at foot: hay and chocolate
appearance: nice looking, fat robusto,
wrapper: lots of small veins, darker brown (noyt maduro dark) and shiny, some colour variances
Feel: solid
taste on tongue: a little spice
flavours on draw: sweet and earthy
smoke
taste: pepery and woody off first few puffs, then it sweetened up a bit. half an inch into it a very nice roasted nutty flavour dominated that became nice and thick and creamy
Strength: med
Feeling: nice
Heat:none
Draw: perfect
Finish: pepper, woody
Other aspects: uneven burn, had to fix it a handfull of times
Final rating
8
This was a nice smoke.
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RodneyFournier
Getting Active
Registered: April 2007
Location: Huntsville, AL
Posts: 87
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Review Date: Mon December 31, 2007
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Would you recommend this to someone? Yes |
Price you paid? In US$: None indicated
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Excellent scent in the air from this cigar
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Cons:
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Wrapper had a piece fall off
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PRE-SMOKE
Scent of Wrapper: Very pronounced.
Scent at Foot: Sweet black licorice.
Appearance: Fat Robusto, like a 56 ring size -NICE!
Wrapper: Smooth and has a great smell
Feel: Very firm, well packed. No softspots noted.
Pre-light Flavor on Draw: Molasses flavor.
SMOKE
Lit up nicely. The draw is starting off a little tight, but still acceptable. It is producing a really nice amount of smoke. And air is filled with a great scent.
Strength: The flavor is medium.
Scent of the Smoke: Peppery scent, with some sweet dark aromas. Fairly heavy scent in the room.
Heat on fingers and mouth: Nothing observed.
Draw: Fine from start to finish, like amounts of smoke.
The burn was good, no re-lights for me. The ash is fairly solid.
I did have a problem while I smoked it, a 1/8 by 1 inch piece of wrapper came off. It did really mess up the burn too bad, nor the flavor. I would smoke one of these again. Very interesting mixure of tastes all working together and against each other at times. Left my car with a very vivid aroma.
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Smoke 'em, if you got 'em 
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