This cigar was reviewed blind (no bands) by a panel of at least 4 reviewers. They did not know what they were smoking beforehand. The scores are an average of all the reviewers' scores with outliers removed.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Robusto

Length: 5″

Ring Gauge: 50

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Maduro

Binder: Undisclosed

Filler: Undisclosed, Latakia

Factory: Tabacalera Fernandez

Blender: AJ Fernandez

Number of reviewers: 5 —– Ron (shuckins) Aaron (aaron72) Gregg (McGreggor57) Dave (mdwest) Brian (B-daddy)

Price: $4.50

Age: 3 Months Rest

Release Date: January 2014

Contributed by: Blind Man’s Puff

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 89

“A milk chocolate brown wrapper that has a very dull finish. There is a very prominent vein that runs the length of the cigar. The seams are very smooth and almost invisible. The wrapper doesn’t quite make it all the way to the end of the cigar. At the foot, you can see that there is one leaf that is much darker than the others in the filler.” –Aaron (aaron72)

Aroma: 93

“Smokey and woody with a hint of barnyard at the foot. The cold draw had an overpowering taste of a campfire.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

First Third

Flavor: 90

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

“This cigar starts with an initial blast of campfire smokiness and a mild spice on the retrohale. The flavors remain the same through the first half before fading a bit to allow some floral and nuttiness to peek through.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“At the initial light, I get sweetness. Like brown sugar and raisins, with a little tobacco and cedar to even it out. No spice. Very short finish. Flavors are mild but rich and …well… sweet. I’m also getting campfire smoke. The blend reminds me of a well smoked BBQ brisket with a sweet sauce/glaze.” –Brian (B-daddy)

Second Third

Flavor: 89

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

“The same flavors from the first third have continued here in the second. The strength has increased a slight bit. Towards the end of the third, the pipe tobacco flavor on the retrohale has faded a bit and given way to a dried wood aroma. The pipe tobacco flavor does linger on the palate though.” –Aaron (aaron72)

“What this thing lacks in appearance, it certainly makes up for in taste and complexity. Dark earth and pepper are still present from the first third, but now have been joined by dark chocolate. The “menthol” type flavor detected in the first third is now a little more defined and has become more herbal.” –Dave (mdwest)

Final Third

Flavor: 90

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

“It tried to get creamy towards the end,but there wasn’t enough sweetness left to overcome the dryness of the dark chocolate. The coffee blended nicely with the leather and cedar flavors,while the pepper hung around long enough to give the cigar a nice finishing kick at the very end.” –Ron (shuckins)

“The taste of a campfire still leads the way with more spice picking up on the retro. This cigar is performing flawlessly. The coffee on the finish is becoming bolder balanced by a slight sweetness of raisin. Before it ends, the flavors are passing from smokey to a char.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 98

“About perfect. Just enough resistance to provide perfect control on the draw.” –Brian (B-daddy)

Burn: 95

“A worry free burn that let me enjoy the cigar with no distractions.” —Ron (shuckins)

Construction: 94

“Great burn and draw, so construction was top notch.” –Aaron (aaron72)

Overall Strength: Medium

Overall Body/Complexity: Medium-Full

Overall Experience: 90

“A very unique cigar,with interesting flavors that I would smoke again,and recommend to my friends.” –Ron (shuckins)

“This cigar was consistent in flavors and experience throughout. This experience was great at the beginning but led to an overall smoke that was just ok because there were no real transitions to keep my attention. It was very much like smoking a pipe, except with a pipe, you can pack the bowl for the length of time that you want to smoke it and enjoy those same flavors. With this cigar, you had those same flavors for the length of the cigar. While enjoying that pipe tobacco flavor in this type of medium, I would prefer it in a smaller vitola where I could make it a 20 to 30 minute experience.” –Aaron (aaron72)

“While there were some noticeable flavors, I found the smokey campfire taste a bit overpowering. This profile might work better on a cool/cold evening around the grill but was a bit heavy for a warm spring afternoon. The quality of the cigar (draw, burn, smoke production) was much appreciated.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“Another cigar I am anxious to see the reveal on. Very complex, with a unique set of flavors that I found very appealing. I will certainly seek this stick out and smoke it again.” –Dave (mdwest)

“I like a cigar that performs well, so it was tough not to enjoy this cigar. But the flavors were muddled and non-discript throughout most of this smoke. I guess this would be a good yard gar because there wasn’t anything to complain about but the flavors didn’t really hold my interest while I was sitting and forcussing on them.” –Brian (B-daddy)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 69

Total Score: 92 (Excellent)

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To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: Spectre by AJ Fernandez | Robusto