Appearance - a lustrous reddish brown wrapper with an slight color variation on the wrapper, creating a barber effect.
Construction - the draw is tight on this one and it feels like a rock. I immediately remove the band, and massage the head a big to loosen the tobacco, resulting in a decent draw.
Pre-light taste - tangy sweet with earth notes, no real spice in this one.
Initial lighting - well balanced of earth, vanilla, and sweet tangy licorice with hints of spice. The flavours are directly contradictory to the usual CL3 flavours, but still good.
Aromas - smells of burnt toast with vanilla accents. Reminds me of my days in college when I was drunk and didn't have full coherency in attempting to use the broiler to warm up my cinnamon bagels.
Flavours of the smoke - a comprehensive complex balance of mainly earthy notes, sweet tangy licorice, and the dash of cinnamon spices throughout. The flavours never evolved too much from start to finish and the nub was smooth with a long aftertaste of raisins and vanilla.
Summary - Would have definitely been inclined to finish this series on an impressive cigar rather than this one, but unfortunately it fell a bit short of the awesome ones out of the box. The tight draw and over filling of the bunch contributed to the deviations in flavours, although the sum of it's characteristics did fulfill everything I expect from a CL3.
Overall experience -
Well, it's been a grueling twenty (20) days of consecutive reviews, and I particularly enjoyed most of them for the their impressive performances. Overall I would say only one out of the 20 underperformed resulting in disappointment, four were average, and the rest were impressive, if not real winners in any category of construction or flavour profile. So on average, if I, or you as it were, went to a store that actually still carries these cigars, 75% of the time you will pick up an interesting smoke. The dominant flavours are the sweet spicy cinnamon, the earthy vanilla and coffee, and the tangy licorice.
The final outcome of the struggle in smoking these things comes to one final conclusion that even guys who try to start in the industry without the pedigree, fall to rough times, or even become the victims of their own shady devices can come up with an impressive cigar for all to enjoy. Yes, I was buying them when they were retailing for ~$7 per stick, and the fact that I pick these babies up at less than 1/3 the price from a discount warehouse seller like CigarMonster just adds to the value.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Arganese CL3 robusto 19 of 20
Appearance - a glistening reddish brown wrapper adorned with very few small veins and no imperfections.
Construction - the draw iand elasticity are perfect again.
Pre-light taste - spicy cinnamon and tangy licorice.
Initial lighting - a blast of spice with impressive earthy vanilla tones
Aromas - a heavy vanilla lingers around the atmosphere in the presence of this cigar
Flavours of the smoke - not particularly balanced, but still a great cigar. Spicy cinnamon and sweet vanilla overpower the licorice tang. Probably one of the sweetest CL3s I have ever smoked, its flavours are complex and savory. I might liken the flavour profile to a good tiramisu with plenty of cinnamon in lieu of the strong vanilla notes. I am drinking only water with this cigar, but in hindsight it would hold up to a good cappuccino and a rich smore.
Summary - Slightly unbalanced, but significantly good. An impressive combination of draw, construction, complex flavours with a smooth tangy licorice finish and a spicy savory vanilla aftertaste. If only all of them were like this one. I have been acquiring these cigars through CigarMonster at roughly $40 per box of 20, and needless to say the value of this one stick exceeds it's $2 price tag, performs better than most cigars in the $5-$8 range, and on par with the more famous Dominicans in the double digit price range. 1 more to go, and then a final summary on the average grab from an average box.
Construction - the draw iand elasticity are perfect again.
Pre-light taste - spicy cinnamon and tangy licorice.
Initial lighting - a blast of spice with impressive earthy vanilla tones
Aromas - a heavy vanilla lingers around the atmosphere in the presence of this cigar
Flavours of the smoke - not particularly balanced, but still a great cigar. Spicy cinnamon and sweet vanilla overpower the licorice tang. Probably one of the sweetest CL3s I have ever smoked, its flavours are complex and savory. I might liken the flavour profile to a good tiramisu with plenty of cinnamon in lieu of the strong vanilla notes. I am drinking only water with this cigar, but in hindsight it would hold up to a good cappuccino and a rich smore.
Summary - Slightly unbalanced, but significantly good. An impressive combination of draw, construction, complex flavours with a smooth tangy licorice finish and a spicy savory vanilla aftertaste. If only all of them were like this one. I have been acquiring these cigars through CigarMonster at roughly $40 per box of 20, and needless to say the value of this one stick exceeds it's $2 price tag, performs better than most cigars in the $5-$8 range, and on par with the more famous Dominicans in the double digit price range. 1 more to go, and then a final summary on the average grab from an average box.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Arganese CL3 robusto 18 of 20
Appearance - reddish brown with a nice sheen, uniform throughout except for one small light brown circle in the wrapper.
Construction - the draw is perfect as is the elasticity.
Pre-light taste - sweet spice with tangy and earth notes.
Initial lighting - well balance of spice and earth with sweet tangy licorice.
Aromas - the usual bakery smell emanating from the cigar.
Flavours of the smoke - the cigar starts off well balanced consisting of spice and sweetness. As it progresses, the spice dissipates and the earth and sweetness become more dominant, especially towards the end of the cigar. Eventually it finishes with a sweet cinnamon and vanilla.
Summary - I particularly enjoyed this cigar thanks to the draw and wonderful mix of flavours, so much that this robusto endured a whole one hour and ten minutes of smoking, much longer than the usual 50 minutes. Well balanced until the end toting complex flavours keeping me interested.
Construction - the draw is perfect as is the elasticity.
Pre-light taste - sweet spice with tangy and earth notes.
Initial lighting - well balance of spice and earth with sweet tangy licorice.
Aromas - the usual bakery smell emanating from the cigar.
Flavours of the smoke - the cigar starts off well balanced consisting of spice and sweetness. As it progresses, the spice dissipates and the earth and sweetness become more dominant, especially towards the end of the cigar. Eventually it finishes with a sweet cinnamon and vanilla.
Summary - I particularly enjoyed this cigar thanks to the draw and wonderful mix of flavours, so much that this robusto endured a whole one hour and ten minutes of smoking, much longer than the usual 50 minutes. Well balanced until the end toting complex flavours keeping me interested.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Arganese CL3 robusto 17 of 20
Appearance - a lustrous reddish brown color, uniform with very few thin veins.
Construction - the draw and elasticity are good.
Pre-light taste - a spicy tangy taste in the beginning with a few sweet notes.
Initial lighting - a blast of spice fills the palate with a few earthy and sweet notes peeking through.
Aromas - this time the smells are different, and it is like burning tobacco. Surprisingly not the bakery smells I am usually accustomed to.
Flavours of the smoke - the cigar is unbalanced, the spice overpowers all the other notes and flavours, although they do make their presence known in the overall scheme of flavours, the spice stays strong even till the nub.
Summary - Spicy, and spicy is good, the cigar is still enjoyable but doesn't rate up there with some of the other well balanced ones. 17 more to go, and I am looking forward to finishing this series of reviews so I can finally start leisurely enjoying smoking the cigar for what it is rather than concentrating on the flavours.
Construction - the draw and elasticity are good.
Pre-light taste - a spicy tangy taste in the beginning with a few sweet notes.
Initial lighting - a blast of spice fills the palate with a few earthy and sweet notes peeking through.
Aromas - this time the smells are different, and it is like burning tobacco. Surprisingly not the bakery smells I am usually accustomed to.
Flavours of the smoke - the cigar is unbalanced, the spice overpowers all the other notes and flavours, although they do make their presence known in the overall scheme of flavours, the spice stays strong even till the nub.
Summary - Spicy, and spicy is good, the cigar is still enjoyable but doesn't rate up there with some of the other well balanced ones. 17 more to go, and I am looking forward to finishing this series of reviews so I can finally start leisurely enjoying smoking the cigar for what it is rather than concentrating on the flavours.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Arganese CL3 robusto 16 of 20
Appearance - a dull peanut brown color with a few green imperfections from water marks.
Construction - the draw is again a little tight, and the elasticity is decent.
Pre-light taste - a spicy taste with none of the nuances of tangy sweetness or earthy notes.
Initial lighting - surprisingly balanced with sweet, spicy, tangy, and earthy despite it's prelight taste.
Aromas - like the same as always, smells like a bakery.
Flavours of the smoke - this cigar was surprisingly well balanced and enjoyable. All the flavours weren't dull, and combined impressively into a wonderful marriage of flavours of spicy, sweet, tangy, and earthy. The coffee notes were actually noticeable throughout the cigar from start to finish. providing an impressive overall experience.
Summary - So the wrapper was ugly, the draw was a bit tight, but despite it's compromised construction issues, the cigar performed well. This provides a little insight to how cigars are ultimately judged, appearances aside if this cigar was uglier than a turd, and had drawing problems, I would still probably enjoy it to some degree as long as it's flavours are still consistent with what I have been experiencing from the previous 15.
Construction - the draw is again a little tight, and the elasticity is decent.
Pre-light taste - a spicy taste with none of the nuances of tangy sweetness or earthy notes.
Initial lighting - surprisingly balanced with sweet, spicy, tangy, and earthy despite it's prelight taste.
Aromas - like the same as always, smells like a bakery.
Flavours of the smoke - this cigar was surprisingly well balanced and enjoyable. All the flavours weren't dull, and combined impressively into a wonderful marriage of flavours of spicy, sweet, tangy, and earthy. The coffee notes were actually noticeable throughout the cigar from start to finish. providing an impressive overall experience.
Summary - So the wrapper was ugly, the draw was a bit tight, but despite it's compromised construction issues, the cigar performed well. This provides a little insight to how cigars are ultimately judged, appearances aside if this cigar was uglier than a turd, and had drawing problems, I would still probably enjoy it to some degree as long as it's flavours are still consistent with what I have been experiencing from the previous 15.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Arganese CL3 robusto 15 of 20
Appearance - A reddish brown hue with a sheen, uniform in color and no blemishes
Construction - the draw is a bit tight, but still serviceable and the elasticity is in good condition.
Pre-light taste - a dull tobacco taste. Surprisingly uncharacteristic as it lacks any of the usual spicy cinnamon or licorice.
Initial lighting - spicy and sweet.
Aromas - My sinuses are coming around, and I can smell the cigar now. Like fresh baked bread, or walking into an Entenmann's factory.
Flavours of the smoke - This cigar was not well balanced, and more spicy than anything else along with sweet. There were some earthy notes, however still not as consistent throughout the cigar as the other flavours. Towards the end, the elements eventually came together in a balanced finish.
Summary - Yeah, these reviews are getting shorter and shorter. I still do enjoy the cigar while I am smoking it, and I do like review cigar flavours, however this is seriously becoming a burden. The CL3s are still good, and I would like to just sit down after this series to actually smoke it without having to contemplate the nuances of flavours for a straight 50 minutes.
Construction - the draw is a bit tight, but still serviceable and the elasticity is in good condition.
Pre-light taste - a dull tobacco taste. Surprisingly uncharacteristic as it lacks any of the usual spicy cinnamon or licorice.
Initial lighting - spicy and sweet.
Aromas - My sinuses are coming around, and I can smell the cigar now. Like fresh baked bread, or walking into an Entenmann's factory.
Flavours of the smoke - This cigar was not well balanced, and more spicy than anything else along with sweet. There were some earthy notes, however still not as consistent throughout the cigar as the other flavours. Towards the end, the elements eventually came together in a balanced finish.
Summary - Yeah, these reviews are getting shorter and shorter. I still do enjoy the cigar while I am smoking it, and I do like review cigar flavours, however this is seriously becoming a burden. The CL3s are still good, and I would like to just sit down after this series to actually smoke it without having to contemplate the nuances of flavours for a straight 50 minutes.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Arganese CL3 robusto 14 of 20
Appearance - Another dull uniform brown color with no damage or imperfections.
Construction - the draw is good, and the elasticity is consistent.
Pre-light taste - spicy and sweet, cinnamon raisin bagel taste..
Initial lighting - spicy, spicy spicy. It is well balanced though with constant sweet tangy licorice and earthy notes.
Aromas - Spent much of the afternoon planting trees in Jamaica, and being exposed to my dreaded enemy tree pollen, my sinuses are severely congested, so I couldn't smell anything again. When I actually tried to directly smell the trail smoke, I come away choking on the hot fumes.
Flavours of the smoke - Spicy, tangy sweet, earthy, well balanced. This is the fourteenth cigar of the series that I am reviewing, and I believe you readers are getting the picture. The flavours are complex, and do keep me interested again, despite it being the fourteenth one of the series, on consecutive days, two weeks straight.
Summary - Amazing flavours and amazing draw on this cigar is what's really keeping me going on this series of reviews, hell they are even what got me to start this series of reviews on a box worth of CL3s. Well, that and the bad reputation that Gene has attained in his recent activities in the cigar community, and in reflection have resulted in the disdain from many smokers, most of whom haven't even tried his cigars and refused to try them at all. I am glad the box only contains 20 of them though, as I don't think I can really keep up with the consecutive reviews of the same cigar. Although in the past I had no problem smoking through 2 boxes consecutively inside of 2 months, sometimes even two in the same day. Adding the task of picking out the flavours, the defects, and interesting nuances is what's really taking the enjoyment out of smoking these wonderful sticks. 6 more to go.
Construction - the draw is good, and the elasticity is consistent.
Pre-light taste - spicy and sweet, cinnamon raisin bagel taste..
Initial lighting - spicy, spicy spicy. It is well balanced though with constant sweet tangy licorice and earthy notes.
Aromas - Spent much of the afternoon planting trees in Jamaica, and being exposed to my dreaded enemy tree pollen, my sinuses are severely congested, so I couldn't smell anything again. When I actually tried to directly smell the trail smoke, I come away choking on the hot fumes.
Flavours of the smoke - Spicy, tangy sweet, earthy, well balanced. This is the fourteenth cigar of the series that I am reviewing, and I believe you readers are getting the picture. The flavours are complex, and do keep me interested again, despite it being the fourteenth one of the series, on consecutive days, two weeks straight.
Summary - Amazing flavours and amazing draw on this cigar is what's really keeping me going on this series of reviews, hell they are even what got me to start this series of reviews on a box worth of CL3s. Well, that and the bad reputation that Gene has attained in his recent activities in the cigar community, and in reflection have resulted in the disdain from many smokers, most of whom haven't even tried his cigars and refused to try them at all. I am glad the box only contains 20 of them though, as I don't think I can really keep up with the consecutive reviews of the same cigar. Although in the past I had no problem smoking through 2 boxes consecutively inside of 2 months, sometimes even two in the same day. Adding the task of picking out the flavours, the defects, and interesting nuances is what's really taking the enjoyment out of smoking these wonderful sticks. 6 more to go.
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