Click here to visit CigarLive
Click here to visit CigarLiveVideo
Click here to visit CigarLive Podcast
Click here to visit NUb Live
Cigar Live Cigar Forum



  Home · Search · Member List · Register  

Home » Cigar Reviews » CigarLive.com Group Blind Cigar Reviews » Blind Tasting Panel #200 Cigars #128-132   · Next Product »
http://www.cigarlive.com/reviewpost/data/25/thumbs/criollo.jpg
<<
http://www.cigarlive.com/reviewpost/data/25/thumbs/primorosado.jpg
<
http://www.cigarlive.com/reviewpost/data/25/thumbs/gh5.jpg
·
http://www.cigarlive.com/reviewpost/data/25/thumbs/GHConn.jpg
>

Blind #128 Blind Gran Habano Rothschild#1 Connecticut
Reviews Views Date of last review
8 1291 Tue April 15, 2008
spacer
Recommended By Average Price Average Rating
50% of reviewers None indicated 5.3



Description: 4 1/2 x 50 Rothschild


Author
Post A Reply 
JoeyBear

Senior Member

Registered: July 2007
Location: Pleasant Prairie, WI
Posts: 3014
Review Date: Sun March 9, 2008 Would you recommend this to someone? No | Price you paid? In US$: None indicated | Rating: 4 

 
Pros: Nice pre-light scent, construction
Cons: Wrapper split, short fill, uneven burn

PRE-SMOKE

Scent of Wrapper: Mild aroma, somewhat spicy scent at the foot.

Appearance: Robusto shape

Wrapper: The wrapper had a bright, natural color that was quite smooth, other than one small vein that ran the full length of the cigar. There were some wrapper issues with splitting on initial inspection, but nothing too bad right away.

Feel: Firm at the head and slightly spongy near the foot.

Tongue: Slightly spicy/peppery. I was getting jazzed on this before I lit it.

Pre-light Flavor on Draw: Slight hint of pepper, but not overwhelming.

SMOKE

It lit well and was packed with flavor from the first draw, but not all of the flavors were pleasant. Creamy, nutty, and dark. The ash was quite dark right from the start with a lot of white smoke. The creamy flavors were a bit over-powering and took over the palate. I was expecting more of the nutty flavors, but instead tasted what seemed to be "forced" complex tobacco. I got the taste of Honduran tobacco which was nice, but again the blend wasn't great. The strength started as a mild and continued throughout the first third the same way.

Scent of the Smoke: The scent of the smoke was of burned leaves and grass.

Heat on fingers and mouth: Nothing observed.

Draw: Draw was nearly perfect, but the burn was off.

Ash: Dark ash throughout and quite flaky. The ash hung on for a little over an inch the uneven burn made it quite difficult for the ash to fall off.

Finish: The cigar had burn problems throughout the entire smoke and the wrapper exploded the further I smoked. The cigar also formed a "growth" near my fingers where it had grown in girth while smoking it.

Other: I had to make quite a few touch-ups that never took throughout the entire smoke. It was way too much of a hassle for the poor quality and experience of this smoke. The flaky ash was a turn off and constant burn issues were a disappointment.

Overall: This cigar looked a lot better than it smoked. The exploding wrapper and burn issues were a detriment to this cigar and the experience of smoking this cigar. The cigar never had the "wow" factor that I expect from a decent cigar. I felt like I was forcing myself to finish this cigar because it wasn't enjoyable with all the issues it developed in the 40ish minutes it took to smoke it. There was no real complexity to this cigar. It started mild with a nutty/peppery taste and those flavors never developed into anything more.

------------------------------
THIS SPACE FOR RENT
This user is offline
Click here to see this users profile Click here to Send this user a Private Message Visit JoeyBear's homepage! Find more posts by this user  
dravensghost

Senior Member

Registered: September 2007
Location: ID
Posts: 1672
Review Date: Wed March 12, 2008 Would you recommend this to someone? Yes | Price you paid? In US$: None indicated | Rating: 5 

 
Pros: fairly decent smoke
Cons: weird burn and taste issues

PRE-SMOKE

Scent of Wrapper: slight green peppery grass smell

Appearance: 4.5 * 50 with a solid construction and a tiny oil sheen

Wrapper: the wrapper looked like a nice connecticut mild golden shade with very little veining

Feel: the cigar felt a little spongy in spots but was otherwise fine with a little softness

Tongue: there were some peppery sweet flavors and an earthy tone

Pre-light Flavor on Draw: again a little sweet peppery flavor

SMOKE

the first third started with a lot of pepper and strength. There were some cofee and woody flavors that were hard to identify. the strength distracted from discerning much of the background flavors behind the spice. in the second third the spice completely disapeared and the cigar turned mild very quickly. I could discern the subtle coffee and wood flavors a little better but it still just was a woody flavor. The last third added a little vanillla sweetness to the mix but died rather uneventfully.

Scent of the Smoke: There was a nutty note to the scent as well as a slight ammonia harshness

Heat on fingers and mouth: not too bad but it got hot easily if you puffed too fast

Draw: the draw was fine with no problems

Ash: the ash weirded me out because it was almost completely black which was disconcerting compared to the very light wrapper color. This should be a novelty cigar called the black and tan i thought. It held well though

Finish: The taste lingered for a long while and was not great afterwards. This cigar needed something to drink with it at all times.

Other: Tha ash was just really weird

Overall: If this was a real bargain i might have it again, but otherwise the flavors were not defined and it got overheated and bitter too quick and left a bad taste and smell in your mouth

------------------------------
Seriously, more turkey? Alright bring it!
This user is offline
Click here to see this users profile Click here to Send this user a Private Message Find more posts by this user  
baboruger

Account Banned

Registered: June 2007
Location: Palatine, IL
Posts: 4180
Review Date: Thu March 13, 2008 Would you recommend this to someone? No | Price you paid? In US$: None indicated | Rating: 5 

 
Pros: Perfect draw, nice looking smoke.
Cons: Dad flavors on finish.

Pre-Smoke

Sent of Wrapper: Tobacco flavors

Sent at Foot: Slight pepper with some wet dirt smells

Wrapper: Light Brown wrapper with some large veins running throughout the cigar.

Feel: A nice firm feeling cigar

Tongue:: Nothing noted.

Flavor on Draw: Dry hay and earth flavors on this cigar.
Smoke

Taste: There was a pepper flavor that was present at the beginning of the cigar. The black pepper flavor came alive at the back of my throat when I was "rolling" the smoke through my nose. There was also a Cedar or Woody flavor that was present throughout the cigar. The pepper seemed to die down quickly and the flavors remained constant through the rest of the smoke.

Strength: I think I would classify this as mild/medium more to the mild area.

Sent of smoke: I was outside, and there was a breeze making this hard.

Heat on Fingers and in mouth: none noted.

Draw: PERFECT Draw.

Finish: This is where this cigar failed for me, and really made me not enjoy this cigar. The flavors at the start were good, and there was sort of a nutmeg finish, but then the finish or aftertaste was just plain bad. I cannot really explain it, but the taste in my mouth was one of the worst things I have had in a while.

Other aspects of the Cigar Smoking Experience: While I enjoyed the beginning of this cigar, the finish and aftertaste really did this one in. If the finish was pleasant this would have been an 8, but as it is I must give this cigar a 4.5 and I would not purchase or recommend this cigar to anyone.

------------------------------
Books and Cigars my blog
Say what you mean and do what you say.
This user is offline
Click here to see this users profile Click here to Send this user a Private Message Find more posts by this user  
boomerd35

Senior Member

Registered: April 2007
Location: Texas
Posts: 2234
Review Date: Thu March 20, 2008 Would you recommend this to someone? Yes | Price you paid? In US$: None indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Nice burn, well constructed. very mellow flavors
Cons: strange finish

Wrapper Scent: light scent

Wrapper notes: high quality wrapper

Feel: firm

Cut Type: straight- V wouldn't work becaue cap wasn't rounded

Taste: mellow- flavors blended together nicely. Tastes like this cigar has some age. Not complex, but nice flavor

Strength: mild to medium but a tiny punch

Draw: excellent

Finish: unique taste lingers at back of upper pallate. Wasn't bad, but definitely unusual


Final Notes: nice burn, well constructed. This is a nice smoke, but I can see where some would not like the finish. I'm sure if I smoked more of these, I'd get used to that taste. Overall a good smoke.
This user is offline
Click here to see this users profile Click here to Send this user a Private Message Find more posts by this user  
CubanLink

Active Member

Registered: July 2007
Location: New York City
Posts: 317
Review Date: Sat March 22, 2008 Would you recommend this to someone? Yes | Price you paid? In US$: None indicated | Rating: 4 

 
Pros: Good Draw
Cons: Delicate Wrapper

Pre-smoke
Scent of Wrapper: Strong, sweet tobacco. Reminded me of chewing tobacco.
Scent at Foot: Same
Appearance: Very attractive if it weren't for an uneven head on one sample and several tears on the wrapper of the other.
Wrapper: Very light in color; pliable, but extremely thin and delicate. Too delicate. The wrapper on the second sample was in really bad shape, so much so that it affected the draw, despite the careful packaging and storage following receipt.
Feel: Soft and squishy.
Tongue: Straw-like taste and feel.
Flavor on Draw: Nice sweet tobacco flavor.

Smoke
Taste: Grassy, vegetal, slight caramel, and (after the first third) some fruit.
Strength: Mild but spicy
Feeling: meh...
Scent of Smoke: It smelled like...cigar smoke. Nothing notable.
Heat on Fingers and in Mouth: None.
Draw: Very good on the sample with the wrapper that was intact.
Finish: Spicy fruit finish. I could not pinpoint the fruit. In a way, it reminded me of Juicy Fruit, the gum. It's "fruity", but you really can't identify what fruit.
Other Aspects of the Cigar Smoking Experience: The contrast between the very light colored wrapper and the BLACK ash the wrapper produces is...intersting. It looks very strange. Also, I noticed that the ash produced by the cigar was whispy in terms of density, as if the cigar filler was not tightly packed.
This user is offline
Click here to see this users profile Click here to Send this user a Private Message Visit CubanLink's homepage! Find more posts by this user  
deuce

Senior Member

Registered: August 2007
Location: Ypsilanti, MI
Posts: 2904
Review Date: Mon March 24, 2008 Would you recommend this to someone? No | Price you paid? In US$: None indicated | Rating: 4 

 
Pros: Decent construction
Cons: Horrible aftertaste

Pre-smoke
Scent of Wrapper: Somewhat faint grassy smell
Scent at Foot: A little stronger with a more sweet smell to it
Appearance: A fairly smooth wrapper with some smaller veins. Somewhat uneven cap.
Wrapper: Light brown. Wrapper seems a bit delicate.
Feel: Mostly firm with a few softer spots towards the foot and middle of the cigar.
Tongue: A bit grassy but very light. No tingle.
Flavor on Draw: Light, maybe a bit grassy.

Smoke
Taste: The initial flavors were a bit toasty and woody. Had a bit of citrusiness to it as well. I found it to be somewhat pleasant.
Strength: Mild to medium
Scent of Smoke:Windy and couldn't tell.
Heat on Fingers and in Mouth: Nothing noted. Seemed to stay fairly cool.
Draw: Very good. Had a little resistance which i like in a cigar.
Finish: Like others have noted, this is where the cigar failed. It had this awful bitterness to it that LINGERED! Made this cigar VERY unenjoyable.
Ash: Very flaky. Didn't hold more then an inch, inch and a half. Very dark in color.

Other notes: Overall Id have to say I very much disliked this cigar. Probably one of the worst cigars Ive had in a while taste wise. Construction, with the exception of the delicate wrapper, was pretty good. Because of the decent construction, I give it a 4, otherwise it would have been lower.

------------------------------
Come on in, and try not to ruin everything by being you.
This user is offline
Click here to see this users profile Click here to Send this user a Private Message Find more posts by this user  
tobacmon

Senior Member

Registered: May 2007
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 6039
Review Date: Tue March 25, 2008 Would you recommend this to someone? No | Price you paid? In US$: None indicated | Rating: 4 

 
Pros: Draw and wrapper
Cons: Taste and Burn

Pre-Smoke

Sent of Wrapper: Slight oak--????

Sent at Foot: Wood.

Wrapper: Conn.Wrapper and notice several veins.

Feel: Spongy

Tongue: A small taste of spice but nothing exciting.

Flavor on Draw: Field Grass.

Smoke

Taste: The taste was confusing to me. It was all over the place, earth, wood, oak, grass and really could not pin point one specific taste. Really did not enjoy this. I usually can tell when rolling the smoke through my nose and mouth but the taste when doing this I did not enjoy.

Strength: Mild

Sent of smoke: Stale smell.

Heat on Fingers and in mouth:
None.

Draw: Good.

Finish: I really could not finish this smoke and had to stop 2/3 into. There were issues with the burn, taste, aroma and first thing in the morning was not a good idea.

Other aspects of the Cigar Smoking Experience:
I usually have good comments here but sorry but the cigar was to me not what I would recommend and or purchase. The only rating for this smoke I could give that is a positive one was the wrapper appearance, draw and putting it down. Just being honest—Sorry!
This user is offline
Click here to see this users profile Click here to Send this user a Private Message Find more posts by this user  
shrtcrt

Cigar Press Member

Registered: August 2007
Location: Las Vegas
Posts: 1264
Review Date: Tue April 15, 2008 Would you recommend this to someone? Yes | Price you paid? In US$: None indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Draw
Cons: none

PRE-SMOKE

Scent of Wrapper: Nothing picked up

Scent at Foot: hay

Appearance: Robusto with no construction flaws, the wrapper was a lighter brown and the filler appeared darker

Wrapper: nice light borwn color

Feel: spongy but firm

Tongue: Nothing picked up


SMOKE

Taste: At first it started off with little flavor, but as I smoked it I got some nice flavors from it. There was plenty of spice to it and I had to blow my nose a few times. I had some woody flavors to it was well. The spice stayed through out the smoke.


Scent of the Smoke: nothing

Heat on fingers and mouth: heat was good, I ended up nubbing the cigar

Draw: great even draw

Ash: dark ash, seemed fairly firm

Finish: Left me with pepper flavor on the tongue.

------------------------------
Co-founder of Las VegASH TV, Regional Sales Manager: Reyes Family Cigars, Web developer
This user is offline
Click here to see this users profile Click here to Send this user a Private Message Visit shrtcrt's homepage! Find more posts by this user  


Powered by: ReviewPost PHP vB3 Enhanced
Copyright 2006 All Enthusiast, Inc.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0 Beta 3
Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
CigarLive developed by: CigarLive.com
CigarLive.com