All right boys and girls, here goes. I thought it would be somewhat diverting to start an ongoing thread where we could all post up reviews of the stogies we'd recently smoked and of cigar gadgets we'd tried. As time goes by, I'll probably try to devise a standard template for my reviews, but as for tonight I'm just gonna let it rip and see how it turns out.
Before I jump into the review of tonight's stogie, I feel compelled to say a word or two about a new cutter that I got for Christmas. It's a Xikar V cutter and I have to say that I am most impressed. I've been a die hard punch cutter for years and this thing has changed my mind. With the V cut you get more surface area on the cut (which in my experience thus far has greatly enhanced my ability to pick out flavors) while still getting a nice smooth mouth feel that you get from a punch. It's bulky, but light, and doubles as a cigar rest when turned over. Very cool.
Tonight's stogie was a Man O' War Orange County Choppers that I've been wanting to try for a long time. It's been resting in the humi for three weeks at 65%.
Wrapper: The wrapper on this thing is impressive. It's a very dark, veiny, and thick wrapper with a ton of tooth. If it's possible for a cigar to make someone look like a badass, this one should do the trick.
Cold draw: On the cold draw, the cigar gives a sort of sweet hay/black cherry flavor.
Flavor: After the cigar heats up, there's no hint of the black cherry like I was hoping for. Rather, there's a slight tobacco sweetness with a lot of black pepper zing. The stick leaves a slight oiliness on your lips while smoking that burns a bit. I dig that but really like a bit more sweetness.
Smoke production: The OCC edition produces a TON of thick chewy smoke.
Draw: In my mind, it's perfect. That being said, I prefer a loose draw so some of you might find the draw to be a bit loose.
Burn: Like every other AJ Fernandez cigar, this thing has a razor sharp burn line. Absolutely no corrections are needed.
Body: This one is definitely a full bodied smoke, similar to the Ruination.
Strength: I'm going to say this one reminds me of the old Beavis and Butthead episode where they were trying to lift weights and screaming "kick me in the jimmy." Even after a full meal, this one kicked me in the jimmy. After finishing the smoke with a glass of red wine, I thought I might be levitating a bit.
Smoke time: This was a 6.5 x 52 stick and I only managed an hour and twenty minutes. I tend to smoke a bit fast, but I still get over an hour and a half to an hour forty five out of similar sized sticks. It may have been packed a bit loose which could explain the perfect loose draw.
Overall impression: It's far from being a bad smoke, but I like a bit more sweetness when I smoke something with that much spice. Still, it was a nice smoking experience and worth the $5 I got it for on Cigarbid.
Before I jump into the review of tonight's stogie, I feel compelled to say a word or two about a new cutter that I got for Christmas. It's a Xikar V cutter and I have to say that I am most impressed. I've been a die hard punch cutter for years and this thing has changed my mind. With the V cut you get more surface area on the cut (which in my experience thus far has greatly enhanced my ability to pick out flavors) while still getting a nice smooth mouth feel that you get from a punch. It's bulky, but light, and doubles as a cigar rest when turned over. Very cool.
Tonight's stogie was a Man O' War Orange County Choppers that I've been wanting to try for a long time. It's been resting in the humi for three weeks at 65%.
Wrapper: The wrapper on this thing is impressive. It's a very dark, veiny, and thick wrapper with a ton of tooth. If it's possible for a cigar to make someone look like a badass, this one should do the trick.
Cold draw: On the cold draw, the cigar gives a sort of sweet hay/black cherry flavor.
Flavor: After the cigar heats up, there's no hint of the black cherry like I was hoping for. Rather, there's a slight tobacco sweetness with a lot of black pepper zing. The stick leaves a slight oiliness on your lips while smoking that burns a bit. I dig that but really like a bit more sweetness.
Smoke production: The OCC edition produces a TON of thick chewy smoke.
Draw: In my mind, it's perfect. That being said, I prefer a loose draw so some of you might find the draw to be a bit loose.
Burn: Like every other AJ Fernandez cigar, this thing has a razor sharp burn line. Absolutely no corrections are needed.
Body: This one is definitely a full bodied smoke, similar to the Ruination.
Strength: I'm going to say this one reminds me of the old Beavis and Butthead episode where they were trying to lift weights and screaming "kick me in the jimmy." Even after a full meal, this one kicked me in the jimmy. After finishing the smoke with a glass of red wine, I thought I might be levitating a bit.
Smoke time: This was a 6.5 x 52 stick and I only managed an hour and twenty minutes. I tend to smoke a bit fast, but I still get over an hour and a half to an hour forty five out of similar sized sticks. It may have been packed a bit loose which could explain the perfect loose draw.
Overall impression: It's far from being a bad smoke, but I like a bit more sweetness when I smoke something with that much spice. Still, it was a nice smoking experience and worth the $5 I got it for on Cigarbid.
