Unfortunately I discovered a little over a year ago that these just are not as good as they used to be. It was to my great disappointment, as this cigar had been in my top 10 for 2007 and 2008. I believe that the tobacco changed and our boy Rocky thought he could slip one by us, the result at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 was an inferior cigar. I bought an entire box and was disgusted by the cigar, my only option was to lay them down and hope that they would get better.
This cigar is from a box that was purchased in October of 2008. I have only smoked one, right at the end of 2008, and it was wretched. This second cigar from the box presents well with a nice toothy wrapper that is almost black in color. I inspect the cigar and find some nice signs of aging, which is an encouraging trait in a cigar that you are hoping will come along. There are no signs of construction issues and there are no flaws in the wrapper, making the visual experience all the better. The pre light aroma has notes of chocolate and pepper. The pre light draw is very earthy, but shows some light presence of chocolate as well.
The cigar opens with a nice profile of tobacco, earth and light pepper and cocoa undertones. The depth of the flavors is acceptable, but the complexity and balance is lacking a bit. At the back of the palate there are some nice flavors of wood and earth, but again the balance is lacking. The draw is far too loose, and I notice that the roll of the cigar continues to loosen as the smoke continues. The burn is crooked from the start and the ash is flaky and chalky in texture and appearance.
The first third of the cigar continues to show some nice flavors of tobacco, earth and light cocoa but the overall impression begins to sour by the end of the first segment. At the back of the palate there are still some nice notes of wood and some spice shows through, but the flavors do not add or compliment the smoke in any way. The draw continues to deteriorate and there is heat very early in the smoke. The burn continues to wander and the ash drops flotsam all over my newly cleaned white shirt.
The middle third of the cigar begins the abysmal spiral that I feared from the beginning. The profile shows notes of charred tobacco and wood and there are sour notes permeating the experience. At the back of the palate the deterioration is complete and acrid notes are booming forward at an alarming rate. The draw continues to loosen and I am not sure what is holding the cigar together. The burn is lopsided and flaky, continuing to coat me in ash as if I escaped some Polynesian eruption.
The final third of the cigar is not worth much mention as the deterioration was complete. The finish is also not worth discussing as I rush to find my next smoke so as to purge the horrid remembrances of this rocket. The sad thing is these have improved with age! The nice thing is I still have half a box, minus two, to look forward to, excuse me while I transfer these into my Moochidor...
Appearance- 90 a very attractive looking smoke, too bad looks aren't everything
Taste- 77 the only redeeming qualities were in the first third of the smoke
Construction- 72 the draw and burn were inferior
Strength- 85 difficult to accurately rate this, so I go with average
Overall- 78.75 this is not good...enough said
Showing posts with label Olde World Reserve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olde World Reserve. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Lancero
This is a rare incarnation of this blend, and I have seldom seen the lancero size available anywhere. The cigar presents well with a dark, nearly vein free wrapper. The construction seems to be exceptional, in my experience most cigars of this size seem as though they will be too tight. The pre light aroma has notes of cocoa and rich tobacco. The pre light draw shows rich tobacco notes and an earthy sweetness.
The cigar opens with full powered blasts of rich tobacco flavors, there are some sweet cocoa undertones that are intriguing. The draw is exceptional for a cigar of this size, and there is no labor involved in producing acceptable amounts of smoke. The burn is sharp and produces a crisp white ash.
The first third of the cigar shows excellent notes of rich tobacco, earth and cocoa. The depth of the profile is exceptional, but some complexity is missing. At the back of the palate there are some metallic, chemical flavors. The draw is still nearly perfect and the burn is performing well.
The middle third of the cigar continues to show nice depth, with flavors of rich tobacco, earth and some nice spice. The back of the palate issues are still present and the chemical, metallic notes are hurting the experience. The draw and burn continue to perform very well.
The final third of the cigar deteriorates. The chemical, metallic notes become more prominent and the rest of the profile takes on a charred characteristic. The burn and draw are still excellent.
The finish is short and bitter with metallic and medicinal qualities.
Appearance- 91 an attractive cigar, that is a bit lopsided
Taste- 82 some winning notes up front, that deteriorate in the body of the cigar
Construction- 95 this cigar performs very well
Strength- 85 an unremarkable medium/full
Overall- 88.25 based on appearance and construction, otherwise this is a must miss
The cigar opens with full powered blasts of rich tobacco flavors, there are some sweet cocoa undertones that are intriguing. The draw is exceptional for a cigar of this size, and there is no labor involved in producing acceptable amounts of smoke. The burn is sharp and produces a crisp white ash.
The first third of the cigar shows excellent notes of rich tobacco, earth and cocoa. The depth of the profile is exceptional, but some complexity is missing. At the back of the palate there are some metallic, chemical flavors. The draw is still nearly perfect and the burn is performing well.
The middle third of the cigar continues to show nice depth, with flavors of rich tobacco, earth and some nice spice. The back of the palate issues are still present and the chemical, metallic notes are hurting the experience. The draw and burn continue to perform very well.
The final third of the cigar deteriorates. The chemical, metallic notes become more prominent and the rest of the profile takes on a charred characteristic. The burn and draw are still excellent.
The finish is short and bitter with metallic and medicinal qualities.
Appearance- 91 an attractive cigar, that is a bit lopsided
Taste- 82 some winning notes up front, that deteriorate in the body of the cigar
Construction- 95 this cigar performs very well
Strength- 85 an unremarkable medium/full
Overall- 88.25 based on appearance and construction, otherwise this is a must miss
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Churchill
This cigar has about a year of age on it, as I bought the box in October of 08. The cigar presents with a wrapper that is nearly jet black and has little veining. The construction is firm and supple and the cigar has an oily sheen. The pre light aroma is of coffee and earth. The pre light draw shows notes of rich tobacco and coffee.
The cigar opens with blasts of coffee and tobacco, there is a sweetness at the back of the palate that adds to the overall profile and initial enjoyability. The burn is a bit lopsided and slow, there is some labor to produce the right amount of smoke. The first two inches proceed in the same fashion.
At near the halfway point the profile has notes of coffee, earth, tobacco and cocoa at the back of the palate. There is a slight metallic note in the profile that is detracting from the experience. The burn has stayed a bit slow, but there is less labor to produce acceptable smoke at this point.
The final third of the cigar develops notes of coffee, tobacco and cocoa. There is still a metallic note in the profile that is hurting the score. The draw and burn are the same, and the burn is becoming uneven.
The finish is smooth, but there are still metallic notes in the profile. There are notes of tobacco and earth.
Appearance- 91 an excellent looking cigar, it is a bit ruddy in the roll
Taste- 88 the metallic notes hurt the score, but the profile is tasty
Construction- 90 well made, but there were some issues with the burn
Strength- 87 a nice full bodied presentation, could use some more strength
Overall- 89 an above average smoke
The cigar opens with blasts of coffee and tobacco, there is a sweetness at the back of the palate that adds to the overall profile and initial enjoyability. The burn is a bit lopsided and slow, there is some labor to produce the right amount of smoke. The first two inches proceed in the same fashion.
At near the halfway point the profile has notes of coffee, earth, tobacco and cocoa at the back of the palate. There is a slight metallic note in the profile that is detracting from the experience. The burn has stayed a bit slow, but there is less labor to produce acceptable smoke at this point.
The final third of the cigar develops notes of coffee, tobacco and cocoa. There is still a metallic note in the profile that is hurting the score. The draw and burn are the same, and the burn is becoming uneven.
The finish is smooth, but there are still metallic notes in the profile. There are notes of tobacco and earth.
Appearance- 91 an excellent looking cigar, it is a bit ruddy in the roll
Taste- 88 the metallic notes hurt the score, but the profile is tasty
Construction- 90 well made, but there were some issues with the burn
Strength- 87 a nice full bodied presentation, could use some more strength
Overall- 89 an above average smoke
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