Martel's Marvelous Musings on Magnificent Miasmas of Merit

Okay, enough alliteration.
I'm a noob. But I also think I have a decent palate (it's the only one I've got, so I'm partial to it), and I know what I like. Even though I make a living communicating in various forms, I'm not going to claim to be a professional writer. Neither am I going to attempt to have a set rubric for my reviews. So some of these might get kind of weird. I'm going to include the random thoughts I have about smoking and life which I jot down during my smoke sessions.

Okay, enough with the rationale behind starting another review thread, time to get to it. I hope you enjoy. I know I will.

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Martel

Aside from some no-label seconds sold to me by a B&M when I had one of my kids, some machine mades, and some other gifts along the way, my first real smokes have been Perdomo Lot 23. The first of these I received as a gift from my FIL upon completing a Master's degree. I smoked it on a windy moonlit night along an island beach on the FL-GA border while walking and talking with my wife. I remember enjoying that smoke, and so did my wife. So she wound up buying me a small humidor for Christmas. I think she's unleashed a monster.

So, I was seasoning that humi, but had yet to receive my first shipment of smokes when New Year's Eve rolls around. Gotta kick off the new year in the right fashion, so what do I do? I log-in to the forums here and see that several BOTLs are lighting up Undercrowns. I make my way to the local B&M only to find out they don't have any. Not wanting to make a noob fool of myself, and not remembering what else is on my recommended list, I just ask if they have anything by Perdomo. Sure enough they have the Lot 23. I grab a couple Maduros in Robusto size and head home to start the festivities--I'm not crazy enough to venture out past 8 PM on New Year's.

I don't remember much about the first Lot 23 I smoked before, except I kept having to touch up because of the wind. I want to make sure I've given them a fair shake now that I'm taking this smoking thing seriously and I have no reason to think I won't like them again. So, I light it up after a nice toast and immediately notice leather and pepper coming from the easy draw. I also see a nice, thick smoke rising from the cigar and note, "a burning cigar is a beautiful thing! (but not as beautiful as my wife and her smile.)" I actually did write that on my note page while smoking because it's true. And because my wife has decided to join me for the evening's cigar fix on our porch.

The cigar needs lots of touch ups along one side, but the smoke remains cool in my mouth. About midway through another taste comes into the profile, a taste I describe as "mushrooms?" on the page. About this point, the leather lessens and the pepper increases slightly. I muse on the page:

"Smoke,
Rose Glow,
White ash.
The Craftsmanship.
Curling, curling in the air.
Aroma."

Now I note that the pepper continues to increase and I get a slight lemony acidity. I also note some hints of malt vinegar and caramel. These flavors mellow into a slight and simple sweetness right near the end. I also experienced some woodsy tones at this point. And the pepper begins to go way down. At one point I experienced a difficult draw, but the cigar worked past that and became easy to the finish.

Just a couple of other notes before closing. First, I love the band on this cigar with its cream and brown stripes and text and blue-black line sketch of Tabacalera Perdomo. Second, and this hit me later as I remember happening the first time I smoked one of these, and then also happened when I revisited the stick for a third time, I got tremendously sick to my stomach. This stick is now labeled a gut-buster for me. It's not that it's particularly strong, or just that I'm a noob. I've smoked several other cigars which were far stronger that did not have this effect. Just a final note of warning about my experience. All in all, it was good while smoking it, but made more so by the companionship of my wife as she enjoyed me enjoying my new hobby and her generosity.

jeep edson

nice write up. keep them coming

Martel

Just kidding; is there really any need to review a cigar that tastes like air with added chemicals?

We've all tried them; some people love them. Found some small ones when I was looking for a quick cigar. I don't think it will age well, but the leftovers will probably sit in my humi for a long time.

I guess I learned my lesson. If you can't take the time to sit down and enjoy, is there any point? I don't do this for the nicotine fix. I do it for flavor and relaxation. I do it to savor an experience, maybe with some good food and drink and friends. If I only have 10-15 minutes, is a cigar the best way to spend that, or am I not doing justice to the cigar? Either way, I'm going to reserve the smoking until I have proper time to sit down, unrushed, and enjoy. My next review will focus on something much better, and will actually talk about the cigar!

jthanatos

Martel:
Just kidding; is there really any need to review a cigar that tastes like air with added chemicals?

We've all tried them; some people love them. Found some small ones when I was looking for a quick cigar. I don't think it will age well, but the leftovers will probably sit in my humi for a long time.

I guess I learned my lesson. If you can't take the time to sit down and enjoy, is there any point? I don't do this for the nicotine fix. I do it for flavor and relaxation. I do it to savor an experience, maybe with some good food and drink and friends. If I only have 10-15 minutes, is a cigar the best way to spend that, or am I not doing justice to the cigar? Either way, I'm going to reserve the smoking until I have proper time to sit down, unrushed, and enjoy. My next review will focus on something much better, and will actually talk about the cigar!

I like their vintage line, especially the maduro.

Martel

jthanatos:
I like their vintage line, especially the maduro.

Watch out, some of the snobs might come crawling out of the woodwork with this confession! I'm not one, so I'm just glad to hear about the enjoyment you've found, and hope my reviews might help some other people figure out why they like or don't like something. I haven't tried the vintage, but may have to check it out. So many cigars, and so little time, ya know?

The Kid

jthanatos:
Martel:
Just kidding; is there really any need to review a cigar that tastes like air with added chemicals?

We've all tried them; some people love them. Found some small ones when I was looking for a quick cigar. I don't think it will age well, but the leftovers will probably sit in my humi for a long time.

I guess I learned my lesson. If you can't take the time to sit down and enjoy, is there any point? I don't do this for the nicotine fix. I do it for flavor and relaxation. I do it to savor an experience, maybe with some good food and drink and friends. If I only have 10-15 minutes, is a cigar the best way to spend that, or am I not doing justice to the cigar? Either way, I'm going to reserve the smoking until I have proper time to sit down, unrushed, and enjoy. My next review will focus on something much better, and will actually talk about the cigar!
I like their vintage line, especially the maduro.

+1 great med stick

webmost

I like them Lot 23s. They burn when the air is wet enough to plug up most anything else.

kaspera79

Honest reviews are what people look for here. Good bad or average, We have all had our share. Mac. not my favorite but many love them..( too mild for me) Lot 23, not my favorite, Flavor profile too generic for me, but again thats just my taste.

Martel

I planned this great date with my wife. We were supposed to go to a wine tasting, but it got cancelled and we weren't notified. The place gave us a discount for our trouble, so we walk out, five minutes into our time without kids and don't know what to do, but we have wine, so all is good, right?

We decide to go for a light bite to eat and I have some killer fried oyster sliders with soft rolls and Tabasco Mayonnaise. Mmmm, disaster date has suddenly become pretty good. After that we go to a local bakery/coffee shop, because I have discovered that they have my wife's favorite cupcake on their bake list that day. After a cupcake and a half and some coffee from a local roaster, my wife is ready to put her feet up, so I plan on taking her home before getting the kids from their friend's house. As I'm getting ready to go, my wife sits up suddenly as she realizes her wallet is gone. She didn't want to bring her purse on the date, but she wanted to have her ID in case her baby face gave anyone pause at the tasting we didn't go to.

To make a long story short, I call the sitter and explain what happened. All is cool there, so I go off and get to play hero to the wife as I backtrack in order to find her wallet. Mission accomplished much more quickly than expected. My wife tells me I should be rewarded. Since there is a B&M close to the friend's house, she suggests I stop in and get a smoke for later. Date night suddenly got really good! What a wife!

I go into the store, and what do I see gleaming on the shelf of the humi-display before me? The entire line of Liga Privada. I take a turn around the walk-in and pause at the LFD section, but for some reason, the elusive Undercrown keeps calling my name. So I go back and select a couple of robustos to sample.

I get the kids and head home, already having noticed how nice these cigars look, even in the cellophane. I notice the ring size is just a bit larger than some robustos (54). I can't wait for later in the evening when I get to light up one of these. I'm already wondering which of those bottles of discounted wine will be best...

We set up the kids with a movie and I head to the porch with my torch and the UC, knowing my wife will join me shortly. She's pouring my wine-a Malbec carrying the appropriate brand name of Cigar Box-and will join me shortly. The thing still looks good and I start to toast it. My first taste is nice. The first hit has some pepper that catches way at the back of my mouth but quickly recedes to a nutty-creaminess that is not just flavor, it's also how the smoke feels in my mouth. This particular stick has a couple of spots that don't want to light, but I blame the B&M humi because the uneven burn eventually evens out on its own once everything does light. I enjoy the draw...it isn't too easy but neither is it really firm. I also notice the ash seems very white on this cigar. There is a nice amount of smoke, but it's not particularly thick smoke. Through the first half of the cigar, I'm really liking it and not taking much time to write, beyond noting that the smoke doesn't have an overwhelmingly "smoky" flavor. In other words, the flavors themselves are very pronounce, rather than being noticeable under the smokiness.

Now at the halfway point, I note a strong dark chocolate flavor. Over the next bit, this morphed slowly into what reminded me of the chocolate cake of the chocolate-peanut butter cupcake I'd had only a few hours earlier. It seemed rich and moist and I was having an experience, not just smoking a cigar. My wife has commented at this point that she likes how the cigar smells, unlike some.

I don't know if there's any science behind it, or if it's true, but I've heard it mentioned that the flavor profile of a cigar changes when the ash falls. It might just be the power of suggestion, IDK, but I'm really into this smoke and the ash falls. I think "uh-oh" and take a couple of puffs. The chocolate is still there, but I'm now reminded of some super-dark chocolate with cocoa nibs and hot peppers from Whole Foods or Fresh Market or some other trendy grocery store I can't afford.

Am I nuts for tasting all this? How much is from the wine pairing? I don't know, but this smoke didn't hit me in the gut like the Lot 23 (I keep want to call those Lot 49, Pynchon, anyone?) and I enjoyed it more than any other smoke I've had to that point.

When I got around to trying a second Undercrown, the experience wasn't quite as good. Again, my wife joined me, but the second stick had more burn issues. Partway through there was a small plug. I burned through it, but it caused the cigar to burn too hot as I worked past it. It was still a good smoke, but the flavors were not just as awesome. Still not bad at all, and I noted, "super, try more." I would also note that I smoked this cigar after a much heavier meal. I took my son and some of his friends to a 5 Guys and had a giant bacon cheesburger with so many toppings they were dripping off. Had some Cajun fries on the side. I was hoping for more chocolate cupcake for dessert. Didn't happen, but I still was not disappointed with the Liga Privada Undercrown.

christian1971

I too find that a cigar I once enjoyed with company, or the fact that I smoked it on the first day of vacation, tasted better then other days. I rarely am able to finish a cigar when I'm alone. Smoking is a social thing for me. Being on a cigar forum can help while smoking. Ambience is a major factor. As well as your current state of mind. If I smoke a cigar before work, it just doesn't give as much pleasure. Taste buds are shut down because a shift in focus. Make sense?

Martel

Christian, I agree. I do like to smoke alone, but attitude, ambiance, and company really can affect enjoyment.

bbass2

Nice work on the reviews. I haven't had a macanudo, but I do like the Lot23 and Undercrown.

Martel

The night after smoking my first Undercrown, I sat down with some more of the Malbec-my wife only likes really sweet wines and I can never finish a bottle by myself in one day-and lit up a Purple Label from our host site.

I'm going to give you my bottom-line conclusion first. "meh-would smoke it in a pinch"

I noted a taste of almonds at the start. The smoke left a lingering wood-fire smell in the air but didn't appear to be very thick or visible. The burn was pretty fast with an easy draw. The ash on this was much darker than the Undercrown, and the burn line was much more even at first. The ash on this cigar fell very quickly, which is probably an indicator of its construction more than anything else. It is a value cigar after all, yet well made for its price.

This cigar was much better than the one Macanudo I tried, but was similar in strength and flavor except for not having a chemical taste.

At the halfway point, the burn suddenly became a ragged line, yet it never required a touch-up. At this point something which had been building slowly became noticeable...the cigar has an acidic feel on the mouth which increases throughout the smoke and really affects the tonsils near the end. Pucker up!

A slight cedar entered the profile near the end of the cigar, and the burn evened once again. Another construction issue arose at this point as the wrapper cracked slightly and loosened from under the cap. End of smoke, even though I would typically have continued a little longer.

All-in-all, a mild cigar for mild cigar lovers looking for a value. By value, I don't simply mean "cheap;" I mean value as a function of price and quality. These are indeed low-cost, but that doesn't mean bad. The purple label isn't my cup of tea, but the experience has made me anxiously look forward to trying some of the other ccom house labels.

Ken Light

Nice reviews so far. I haven't had a Macanudo in probably more than 10 years, but I don't remember a chemical taste. As for the house blend line, I highly recommend the sun grown.

Martel

Ken Light:
Nice reviews so far. I haven't had a Macanudo in probably more than 10 years, but I don't remember a chemical taste. As for the house blend line, I highly recommend the sun grown.

I don't know about the Macanudo and its taste. I have another one in the humi, but I just disliked the first one so much, I haven't had it yet. It's pretty small, so if I need a quick smoke, I might pick it up again. I remember the "chemical" taste being something weird and I don't know how else to describe it. It might be worth another smoke just to see if I can pin it down.

I've tried some more of the house blends since writing the first ccom review and will be sure to let you have my thoughts about them. In all, they've done a good job and I might even consider buying boxes of a couple blends. Right now I like having variety rather than a quantity of a single smoke, but I'm narrowing down what I like to the point where I might settle on something I like enough to want as a go-to. These reviews are part of that process...it really helps to revisit my thoughts via the notes I take, and then to express those notes coherently on here. Thanks for reading.

Martel

This cigar just looked awesome from the beginning. The giant band with a gold helmet and subtle black-on-black design in the background. The color and exterior construction on this 5x44 cigar have my senses engaged before it's even lit.

I was drinking a venetian roast coffee while I smoked this on a rainy morning...my last day of vacation before returning to work.

Now that the stage is set, the first draws seem tight-tighter than any of the other smokes reviewed so far. The flavor of those draws has a slight leather taste. The smoke is nice and cool. I note "this is seriously smokeable-smooth." As a comparison, the first third doesn't have as much in-your-face flavor as the Undercrown, but it is complex and subtle. Again, I comment on the smoothness in my notes with another comparison to the UC. It is smoother than the UC at this point.

At 1/3, there is a sudden strong caramel flavor. I also note that this cigar requires a slow puff rate. If I try to smoke it too quickly, it gets an unpleasant acid flavor. But since the burn is smooth and easy, the slow puff doesn't matter. The smoke coming off the cigar is pleasant, but there isn't a large amount.

I make it to 2/3 of the way down before the ash falls off of this one. It is also at that point that a mild woodsiness enters the flavor profile. Just past that point I begin to taste raw cocoa nibs or chocolate covered espresso beans. That means there is some bitterness, but not unpleasantly so and accompanied by sweetness. This cigar doesn't cause my mouth to water much. Some do, but this one does not.

This cigar was great until the end. I kept smoking it until my fingers were warm and I was starting to get light-headed. The flavors were pretty consistent throughout--consistently good--even if not overly strong. This is certainly a cigar to smoke again sometime.

ddubridge

nice review martel.

Martel

Thanks, I appreciate the comment, ddubridge. This one was a little more to the point than some of the others. I guess I'm not feeling stream-of-consiousness tonight.

beatnic

A peferct Armada should take you the better part of 2 hours. Can't rush it. Smooth it is. The more you smoke them the more you will realize the complexity in this fine stick. One of my favs. They also age well.

ddubridge

beatnic:
A peferct Armada should take you the better part of 2 hours. Can't rush it. Smooth it is. The more you smoke them the more you will realize the complexity in this fine stick. One of my favs. They also age well.

2 hours out of a 5x44. I'm impressed. Show me the way.

Martel

ddubridge:
beatnic:
A peferct Armada should take you the better part of 2 hours. Can't rush it. Smooth it is. The more you smoke them the more you will realize the complexity in this fine stick. One of my favs. They also age well.
2 hours out of a 5x44. I'm impressed. Show me the way.

I was wondering this myself...but was just going to let it slide. No way this would have gone for two hours under any circumstances.

pelirrojo

He may be talking about the 6.5x56 toro.

ddubridge

I figured. Just giving him a hard time.

JHewey

ddubridge:
beatnic:
A peferct Armada should take you the better part of 2 hours. Can't rush it. Smooth it is. The more you smoke them the more you will realize the complexity in this fine stick. One of my favs. They also age well.
2 hours out of a 5x44. I'm impressed. Show me the way.

Hey i got 2 hrs out of undercrown corona and it never went out once.. it was great and never happened before

Martel

Another Robusto-5x50. What can I say, I don't always get a lot of time to smoke, and I like the ratio of wrapper to filler with the feel of this size, anyway.

This wrapper just looked pretty. I almost didn't want to cut it! I did so and proceeded to toast the foot. It was windy that night so I used a torch lighter. Using a torch isn't uncommon for me, but I'm beginning to prefer softer flames. Still, I've lit enough sticks without scorching them that I'm surprised when this one starts to scorch as easily as it does. Be warned, treat these sticks tenderly. I will also say from the start that this cigar had an uneven burn that caught up on its own for a while but then degraded and eventually required a touch up later on. Windy night or construction issue? I would lean toward wind, except I also got quite a few tobacco flakes in my mouth with this cigar.

Maybe because of the slight scorch, the Genesis had an unpleasant taste on the first couple of puffs, but the smoke was quite pleasant going out through the nose. I was drinking some Glenfiddich with this smoke, and the drink was almost too weak to stand up to the flavor of the cigar. For the first 1/3+, this was a pleasant smoke, in spite of the difficulties I've already described. I like the woodsy nature of the smoke, which there is a lot of in each draw, if not from the foot.

I like ash, and the ash on this fell quickly, but I do think this was probably from the wind. Yet, I kept a pretty slow puff rate with this cigar and it still smoked quickly and had a really easy draw. At about the halfway point a musk enters into the profile. There are undertones of popcorn and toasted nuts that become more prominent in the last third. The popcorn seems really evident to me. It's buttery and tastes like it was slightly burnt.

An aside here to say that I consider myself a bit of a popcorn expert. I used to love the stuff, but now I hate it, after working in a movie theater for so long. If I find a theater with good popcorn, I'll eat it, but, man, am I picky. If you have real kettle corn (not microwave), I'm your friend for life. But I have a history with burnt popcorn. I can taste it a mile away. One of the first movies I remember seeing in a theater is Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. We had burnt popcorn, and I ate my first bite just as Jabba came on screen. It was nasty and I will forever associate burnt popcorn with the fat Hutt.

I tell you that to say that the burnt popcorn taste of the Genesis was not Jabba Corn. It tasted like someone burned a batch of corn and tried to get rid of it, but they left a couple of scorched old maids in the kettle when they made the next batch. The buttery flavor outweighs the burnt flavor, and the burnt popcorn flavor, again, is not unpleasant.

Throughout this smoke there was a pleasant campfire smell and taste that ran consistent despite other changes in flavor. I liked it, and the other flavors were intriguing. I finished this cigar indecisively. I really need to try it again for positive comparison. There was an intriguing flavor profile, but at times it bordered on the unpleasant. The cigar looked beautiful, but it smoked too quickly and had some other possible construction issues. I will revist this someday. My curiosity is aroused, but for now, it will not get my highest marks. I see potential, but I was hoping for a better all-around experience.

ddubridge

JHewey:
ddubridge:
beatnic:
A peferct Armada should take you the better part of 2 hours. Can't rush it. Smooth it is. The more you smoke them the more you will realize the complexity in this fine stick. One of my favs. They also age well.
2 hours out of a 5x44. I'm impressed. Show me the way.
Hey i got 2 hrs out of undercrown corona and it never went out once.. it was great and never happened before

this from a former cigarette smoker. I am truely impressed.

Ken Light

Martel:
Another Robusto-5x50. What can I say, I don't always get a lot of time to smoke, and I like the ratio of wrapper to filler with the feel of this size, anyway.

This wrapper just looked pretty. I almost didn't want to cut it! I did so and proceeded to toast the foot. It was windy that night so I used a torch lighter. Using a torch isn't uncommon for me, but I'm beginning to prefer softer flames. Still, I've lit enough sticks without scorching them that I'm surprised when this one starts to scorch as easily as it does. Be warned, treat these sticks tenderly. I will also say from the start that this cigar had an uneven burn that caught up on its own for a while but then degraded and eventually required a touch up later on. Windy night or construction issue? I would lean toward wind, except I also got quite a few tobacco flakes in my mouth with this cigar.

Maybe because of the slight scorch, the Genesis had an unpleasant taste on the first couple of puffs, but the smoke was quite pleasant going out through the nose. I was drinking some Glenfiddich with this smoke, and the drink was almost too weak to stand up to the flavor of the cigar. For the first 1/3+, this was a pleasant smoke, in spite of the difficulties I've already described. I like the woodsy nature of the smoke, which there is a lot of in each draw, if not from the foot.

I like ash, and the ash on this fell quickly, but I do think this was probably from the wind. Yet, I kept a pretty slow puff rate with this cigar and it still smoked quickly and had a really easy draw. At about the halfway point a musk enters into the profile. There are undertones of popcorn and toasted nuts that become more prominent in the last third. The popcorn seems really evident to me. It's buttery and tastes like it was slightly burnt.

An aside here to say that I consider myself a bit of a popcorn expert. I used to love the stuff, but now I hate it, after working in a movie theater for so long. If I find a theater with good popcorn, I'll eat it, but, man, am I picky. If you have real kettle corn (not microwave), I'm your friend for life. But I have a history with burnt popcorn. I can taste it a mile away. One of the first movies I remember seeing in a theater is Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. We had burnt popcorn, and I ate my first bite just as Jabba came on screen. It was nasty and I will forever associate burnt popcorn with the fat Hutt.

I tell you that to say that the burnt popcorn taste of the Genesis was not Jabba Corn. It tasted like someone burned a batch of corn and tried to get rid of it, but they left a couple of scorched old maids in the kettle when they made the next batch. The buttery flavor outweighs the burnt flavor, and the burnt popcorn flavor, again, is not unpleasant.

Throughout this smoke there was a pleasant campfire smell and taste that ran consistent despite other changes in flavor. I liked it, and the other flavors were intriguing. I finished this cigar indecisively. I really need to try it again for positive comparison. There was an intriguing flavor profile, but at times it bordered on the unpleasant. The cigar looked beautiful, but it smoked too quickly and had some other possible construction issues. I will revist this someday. My curiosity is aroused, but for now, it will not get my highest marks. I see potential, but I was hoping for a better all-around experience.

How fresh was it? They do better with a bit of rest. Don't need too much, a month or maybe two.

Gaetano7890

Martel the Chemical taste you speak of with the Macanudo is that amonia type taste. If it is I know I get that with some of the fresher smokes. Try clipping the end if you taste the Amonia set it in the Humi for a day or two and try again. It just happen to me with a My Father Sampler.

Martel

Ken Light:
How fresh was it? They do better with a bit of rest. Don't need too much, a month or maybe two.

I got this one in a bomb from Jim, so I don't really know. It rested in my humi for a little over a week to acclimate, but I'd have to ask him about any prior aging.

Martel

Gaetano7890:
Martel the Chemical taste you speak of with the Macanudo is that amonia type taste. If it is I know I get that with some of the fresher smokes. Try clipping the end if you taste the Amonia set it in the Humi for a day or two and try again. It just happen to me with a My Father Sampler.

Yeah, it was very much ammonia-like, and I suspect it was very fresh. I'll revisit the Mac again, but even if the ammonia dissipates, I still expect I wouldn't like the flavor profile on this one...just not very flavorful or complex.