Ortega Wild Bunch Big Bad John (6.875x60)

Along comes another new review and with it another review of the Ortega Wild Bunch offerings.  This time I tackle the ponderous and downright huge Big Bad John.  It is not a secret that I hate, yes that's right, HATE cigars in this ring gauge.  However, as always, in the interest of the cigar consumer yours truly soldiers on and smokes all things no matter how gimmicky, how large, how strangely shaped, how double or triple wrapped, how bad or how good.  It is a calling and I am up to the challenge, even when I am sent looking for the nearest discreet place to toss my lunch...

Now I am not saying this cigar was bad, but the word is in the name so I will let you draw your own conclusions when you smoke it.  It presents in gigantic log fashion like most cigars of this ring gauge, it is huge and packed with tobacco.  The wrapper looks wonderful, it has very few veins and I can't find a single defect anywhere on it.  An examination of the smoke reveals some areas where there are voids in the bunch and I have often found this to be common in huge ring gauge cigars.  The pre light draw is a bit tight, but shows some slight hints of wood and pepper.  The pre light aroma is dusty, and has some loamy mushroom qualities.

The cigar opens with a profile that is actually better than I anticipated.  The core flavors have some very nice light spice qualities and some crisp tobacco notes.  There is also a brush of dark tea and some nice pepper notes that round out some complexity and depth that I wasn't expecting.  The back of the palate has some sharp cedar notes, but overall it is not overwhelming my palate at this point.  The draw is tight right at the open but loosens slightly as the burn opens the cigar up.  The burn is solid and I don't have any concerns in this area.

The cigar chugs along nicely through the first third or so, and I am enjoying the experience (shocking since it is a large ring cigar).  In the second third the cigar really flies off the rails for no apparent reason.  The core profile becomes sour and shows some really foul and bitter notes of vegetation and loamy earth.  There are some ideas of pepper here, but there is nothing redeeming coming through at all.  The back of the palate and the retrohale show sharp cedar notes that have become far too sharp and border on bitter.  The draw has improved at this point, I only wish it hadn't.  The mouthfuls of sour vileness have me begging for a plug or some other reason to launch this rocket.  The burn is still solid, but I see the beginnings of a run and wonder what this development will lead to.

The final part of the cigar actually returns to something enjoyable and I am happy I didn't chuck it.  The core profile moves into a nice presentation of pepper and spice, with a wheaty finish that interesting.  The back of the palate begins to show some sweet floral concepts and there is a brush of cedar along with some nice vanilla tones that interest me.  I have seldom smoked cigars with this type of split personality, and I can never recall a cigar that was so terrible in the middle while flanked by solid flavors.  The draw really becomes acceptable late.  However, the burn is a complete mess by the end and I let it go a little before I normally would just to end on a high note.

The finish was middling, but showed some nice pepper notes with complements of wood.

Appearance- 88 not bad for a big cigar
Taste- 82 I can't do any more for it because of the horrific middle third
Construction- 83 again I would like to do more, but the tight draw early and the burn issues late killed the score here
Strength- 85 a middle of the road medium
Overall- 83.75 below average and not something I would consider again

Ortega Wild Bunch Iron Mike (4.875x54)

What is this?  A review from the Czar?  I couldn't be, hasn't he been incognito for some time now? The answer to all of three of these probing and valuable questions is yes.  To be frank I just have not had the time, or the colorful adjectives, to write these past couple of months.  Never fear though!  The Czar is back for the next little bit and I have reviews aplenty that I have just been waiting to drop on you fools.

For those of you not in the know, Ortega is one half of the now defunct Espinosa and Ortega, the guys that brought you 601, Cubao and some others.  This Wild Bunch line is part of the small batch fad sweeping the cigar nation in recent months and every so often he has released a new Wild Bunch blend, most of which have some crazy name attached; Tony the Boss, Big bad John, Iron Mike etc... They kind of remind me of my days in Chicago and the gangster operations that had great names. Tony "The Nose", Jimmy "Bananas", Freddy "The Eye", Herman "The Gimp", you know good solid gangster names.  Naming a line of cigars in this tradition, intentional or not, is fun and clever.

The cigar itself is interesting, the band work is futuristic, kind of Iron Man movie looking artwork that is cool and something you wouldn't expect in the cigar world.  The cigar has some prominent veins, but I can't find any areas that may be of concern at all.  The wrapper is dark and rich looking, this is a natural oscuro though, no extra oils or dies were added here to make something look like something it is not and I always applaud this kind of thing in the industry.  The pre light aroma is heavy and contains some strong earthy tones.  The pre light draw has some spice that is a little sour, but also shows a nice earthy flavor that could really be something once flame hits leaf.

The cigar opens with a profile that is a touch flat for me.  There are some earthy tones in the open that are interesting, but they never really develop into anything.  There are also some spice notes in the opening moments, but they have some sour undertones that are not appealing.  The back of the palate has some dark wood flavors, but there are some mineral notes here that border on being metallic and they are putting me off the experience at this point.  The draw is very smooth early, but as it opens up I worry that it may become too loose at some point and bring heat into the cigar.  The burn is sharp, but the ash is a touch flaky early on.

The first half of the cigar really does not improve much.  The core profile does not develop and stays flat and one dimensional.  The earthy notes are hanging on, but they never show any depth or complexity.  The sour spice notes continue to kick up as the cigar develops and I am reminded of very unpleasant experiences, like eating alum.  The back of the palate and through the nose still show some dark wood flavors, but the metallic hints are still here and there is a drying quality to the smoke that is a turn off.  The draw has settled in nicely and I am no longer worried about it becoming too loose.  The burn stays solid to this point.

The final half of the cigar finally develops into something worth mentioning.  The core profile begins to show some nice pepper flavors and the earthy notes really develop into a nice backdrop for the pepper to rest against.  There is now some complexity and depth showing through and the balance of the flavors is very nice.  The back of the palate is still showing nice dark wood flavors, but there are also some brushes of coffee showing here as well.  All in all a nice finish.  The draw and burn perform well to the end.

The finish was a touch short and had some metallic notes amongst wood and earth tones.

Appearance- 89 nice to look at

Taste- 83 some points came on late, but it was too little

Construction- 88 acceptable, but the draw was too loose for me

Strength- 86 billed as full, but really more medium for me

Overall- 86.25 slightly above average, but nothing to get excited about