smokin5's Blind Shilala Stick Reviews

[smokin5]

Indeed, we each have our own way.
That's what makes us all so damm interesting.

Speaking of interesting (or not), I give to you the review of Blind Cigar No.4.
This was smoked on Tuesday, 7/26, starting at 5:15 PM.



Oh my! It's not a box-press! Did I pick the wrong bag?
Nope, still a maduro, so it's the right one. 4-1/2" x 50 ring.
Dark wrapper, not as mottled as the previous ones.
Densely packed with little give.
Prelight smell is of sweet barnyard. Like where the girl ponies hang out.
Draw is firm but good, allows tastes of cocoa & malt.

Pour some water to start & listen to Traffic. The band, not the street.
Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys/Shootout At the Fantasy Factory.
I light up I sit back......
Whoa. Sharp. Real sharp. Too sharp for my liking.
Pepper overpowers the undertones of burnt coffee, dark chocolate & tar.
Salty aftertaste. I'm starting to think it's a good thing this is only 4-1/2".
Strength is reaching into full spectrum right off the bat.

After 1/2", it's not quite as nasty-sharp, but I'm not diggin the taste, either. The burnt coffee & dark chocolate is invaded by a bitter tar & salty aftertaste. Ever smell Tegrin shampoo? Ever taste it? I'm smokin it. Reminds me of the old Tabacalera Tropical maduros. And why I didn't buy them after sampling a few.
On the bright side, the burn is very good & the draw is fine,m with just enough give. I just wish I could give it back.

1" in, there's less bitterness, but it's still making its presence known. Taste is now more like very strong (but not burnt) espresso & muted dark chocolate. The finish remains salty, and there's some woodiness mixed with the tar.
When in doubt, reach for the Makers Mark, so off I go to grab a bottle. Maybe if I gargle with it, it'll numb my tongue. Although, then it would be tough to say "numb my tongue" - it would sound like "gnungh mah dunng", so maybe I shouldn't. Shilala, I know you told me I could feel free to toss 'em early if they were ugly, but I'm a trouper. Or at least a paratrouper (insert groan here).

At the 2" mark, there's more dark chocolate mixing with the espresso, but I can't seem to shake that bitter, salty aftertaste. Halfway home now. I notice dye coming off on my fingers. WTF?!

I continue. Either I'm getting used to this or it's getting better. Not as bitter as before. Then again, a person can get used to anything. I hear you can boil a frog by placing it in cool water and slowly increasing the heat over time; it never notices. I wonder if that would work with certain lawyers? Just thinkin. But I digress. Again. The flavors are mostly espresso and dark chocolate. The tar seems to have gone, leaving a sharp woodiness. Someone once told my I had a sharp woody. I'll leave that story for another review.

Reaching the last 2" now. I do believe it's bearable! Not good, but bearable.
1-1/2" left now. Time for more bourbon & the Stones - Beggars Banquet. I can swim through the rest of this smoke like Brian Jones. Right?
I continue, but I feel like I'm just going through the motions at this point ("Oh help me dear doctor, I'm damaged"...what fitting lyrics).

Smoking this cigar is like sitting down on a filled coast-to-coast flight only to find in the seat next to you is your ex-wife. The one who got custody of your remote control. It starts nasty, you hope it will get better, you tell yourself that it does, but you still end up with a bitter taste in your mouth. And this flight has landed with about 1" to go. Once again, I reach for a cigarette as soon as I disembark.
End time 6:50 PM. Total time 1hour, 35 minutes.



Rating this cigar is a challenge. I want to find some redeeming qualities, but other than a really good burn & draw, I'm drawing a blank. If I just said "Nice construction", would you date it? My point, exactly. And yet, there it is.
I'll just leave it as I'm not a fan.
Can I say 50? I'm afraid that might be too generous.

Reflecting back upon this series of reviews, I know I sound real persnickety & picky, but I assure you, I'm not. Just luck of the draw with these particular smokes, I guess. And I'm the first to admit that I don't like most maduros, even though some of my favorite cigars are, in fact, maduros - 5 Vegas "A", Padilla Obsidian, Arganese Maduro, Fuente Anejo, etc. I'm just finding most of these test subjects bite back more than a cage full of lab rats.

No matter. I will sally forth & finish my assigned task with my Review of Blind Cigar No. 5 in the next day or 2. It has already been incinerated, it just needs the proper words.
Until then, in the words of Traffic/Steve Winwwod, "Light up or leave me alone".

[jjirons69]

Just like Scott to send you a sharp woody with undertones of boiled frog.

Great review!!!

[smokin5]

Yes, but better than a frog's woody. Or a boiled one.

Shilala says that Blind Cigar No. 4 was a 'regular' Indian Tabac Maduro.

The final review will be posted either later tonight or tomorrow morning.
Need to find out if we're having a Friday dinner/party at my place, first.
I'm usually the last to know.

[smokin5]

Yep, had people over last night for enchiladas & margaritas.
Ended far too late for me to type on all those blurry keys.

Here is the final blind review, Cigar No. 5.
This was smoked on Thursday, 7/28, starting at 5:10 PM.


5"x50 ring robusto with a medium-brown wrapper. Slightly spongy when pressed.
Prelight smell is faint barnyard. Draw has a light give, but pretty free, giving only a light tobacco taste.
I light 'er up with no beverage to start. Don't need water, because there's plenty of it coming from the sky. Good rain here, with periodic lightning flashes. I cop a squat on my front porch to enjoy the show.

Initial taste is cayenne. And soap. More like Ivory than Zest; pretty fresh Ivory, though, before it's lathered up the armpits, so it's not gross or anything. Thankfully, the soap taste rinses away quickly after a few puffs....I mean draws.
1/2" in, the harsh pepper loses intensity, allowing a sweet-spicy flavor to emerge. Reminds me of a Pepin Garcia Black-Lite. But it doesn't make my teeth glow like a real BlackLite. Huh? Never mind. There's a creamier feel to the smoke now, and the strength is medium-to-full. This one definitely calls for a Makers Mark on the rocks. No, that's me calling for it, my mistake, we sound alike.

Earthy-caramel undertones play in at 1". The pepper has calmed more, complementing the other flavors, but it retains a bite in the back of my throat on the finish. Not as complex or full as a Pepin Black (Cuban Classic), but pretty good, nonetheless. Similar to a Famous Nicaraguan 7000 or a Fumadores (in-house brands made by Pepin). Burn and draw continue to be satisfactory.
At 1-1/2", the burn goes crooked, so I call the cops. I get a busy signal, so I take matters into my own hands at correction, burning off the slow side & purging while I'm at it. The purge helps, softening the back-throat bite and making it much easier to snork. Pretty good nose smoker at this stage. Flavors continue without much change after that, which is fine by me. Decently balanced mix of earth, caramel & pepper twinge with a slightly creamy feel.

Into the second half, there's less fullness & creaminess to the smoke, less dimension, & a cardboardy sharpness creeping in. My tasting notes say "bipolar cigar", but I honestly don't know what the heck I was talking about now. Another purge helps, but it doesn't quite return to that 'sweet spot' it earlier had at the 1" to 2-1/2" portion. Less dimension & more bite in the finish. Not unbearable, just less enjoyable than before. I know, why don't we make a cigar the just contains the short 'sweet spot' in a cigar - we could call it "DUmB" & get some guy no one's ever heard of to promote it, maybe give him a hat or something...oh, wait, that's already been done, huh?

6:10, and 2" to go. More bourbon & rainwater in the forecast. Flavor is flattening & sharpness is rising, so I try another purge. No dice. It seems to get sharper with each puff...I mean draw. With 1-1/2" left, I drop it. End time, 6:30, for total time smoked of 1 hour, 20 minutes.



This cigar seems to have peaked at the 1/4 to 1/2 mark, then went on for a disappointing second half. Kinda like a lot of Rocky Patels. Or the Arizona Cardinals. After a rocky start (no pun intended), there was a period of about 30-40 minutes when I really enjoyed it, then it was 'OK', then it went sourth (that' 'sourly south' combined). Burn stayed pretty true, needing only a touch-up or two, & draw remained consistently good throughout. If I had to give it a rating...what do you mean I HAVE to? OK... I'll say 80.
Good, but needs improvement. As far as a letter grade, I'd say

ATTENTION: Due to the Congressional budgetary impasse,
all Federal funding for cigar reviews have been stopped,
effective immediately, until further notice. We apologize
for any inconvenience this might cause you. That is all.