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: Torpedo

Length: 6.25″

Ring Gauge: 52

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano

Binder: Nicaragua (Estelí)

Filler: Nicaragua (Estelí, Condega and Jalapa)

Factory: American Caribbean Cigars, S.A. (ACCSA)

Blender: Azarias Mustafa

Number of reviewers: 5 —– Ron (shuckins) Paul (pmr1010) Wes (SosaCub4Life) Gregg (McGreggor57) Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Price: $8.00

Age: 2 Months Rest

Release Date: 2011

Contributed by: Cordoba & Morales

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 95

“This is a truly remarkable looking cigar. The wrapper is satiny smooth and glistens in the light. The seams are invisible, and there are almost no veins at all. The cigar is sharply box pressed and has a perfectly applied torpedo cap. Surprisingly, the stick is very light in my hand, although it feels firm and solid.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Aroma: 92

“I get a very nice chocolately cedar note when smelling the wrapper and the foot. Has a very pleasant aroma.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)

First Third

Flavor: 90

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

“Starts out with a very smooth, but dry tasting cedar flavor that lasts throughout the first inch. A stingy splash of allspice shows up as I smoke past the first third, giving some much needed life to a flat tasting cigar.” –Ron (shuckins)

“First few puffs I was hit with a lot of spice and pepper, especially on the retrohale. There seemed to be some light cedar trying to come through, but the spicy pepper at this point was over powering everything. Not exactly sure why, but at first the cigar really dried my mouth out and I had to sip some water just to get moisture back into my mouth. Definitely lots of good smoke from this stick and as the final first third comes to an end, the pepper has faded back some to reveal a bit a sweetness.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)

Second Third

Flavor: 89

Strength: Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

“The dryness of the cedar has faded a bit, but leaves behind more of a woodsy taste. The allspice is more up front and would be more enjoyable if it had another element join it. So far it’s a pretty one dimensional cigar.” –Ron (shuckins)

“The retro is producing some healthy spice now and again with clove and allspice leading the flavor charge. The grassy notes are moving to the back and the coffee/toast is fading fast. The ash is very flaky and is splitting and dropping all over the place, almost to the point of being a distraction.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

Final Third

Flavor: 89

Strength: Mild-Medium

Body/Complexity: Medium

“The profile is switching up with the grasses coming back to the front and the baking spices landing on the finish and retrohale. A relight keeps the cigar lit. For the first time I’m noticing a little cedar that adds to the sweetness and helps the flavors from becoming harsh.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“The final third continued on with the cocoa, chocolate and espresso flavors with an Earthy flavor which I picked up on in the initial aroma of the cigar. A little pepper was on the retrohale and gave just the right amount of spice to the overall experience. Less smoke now from the foot, but what was there was very dense and white and aromatic. I think even a bystander would enjoy this cigar from the terrific scented smoke coming off the foot.” –Paul (pmr1010)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 94

“The draw was a bit loose but the smoke stayed cool and plentiful. No complaints in this area.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Burn: 93

“There were few, if any, issues with the burn from this great cigar. Any burn inconsistencies corrected themselves within a few puffs. The smoke decreased from the foot over the duration of the time I smoked it but not in a bad way. What was there smelled really nice.” –Paul (pmr1010)

Construction: 93

“Cigar was very well constructed. Held a nice long ash, never fell apart or had any problems at all. I was able to smoke it to the very end with no touch ups or hassle.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)

Overall Strength: Medium

Overall Body/Complexity: Medium

Overall Experience: 89

“Looks can be deceiving as I was disappointed with this cigar performance after being excited to smoke it because of its look.” –Ron (shuckins)

“From my experience this is a cigar that I already have in my humidor, but if I’m wrong then I would certainly buy a box. A complete and well rounded flavor profile that was nicely balanced and thoroughly enjoyable.” –Paul (pmr1010)

“Overall this was a pleasant cigar to smoke. I couldn’t find anything flavor wise to make it outstanding but the construction, draw and burn have all been pretty much flawless. After it mellowed out from the beginning I am still getting some nice spice on the retrohale but overall it has been pretty mellow and nothing fantastic about the flavor. It did dry my mouth out a ton at the beginning, but due to its great construction and burn I was able to smoke it down to the nub. Depending on its price point I would have to think about getting more of these. It was a good smoke but nothing spectacular for me.” –Wes (SosaCub4Life)

“On the flavor side, this was a cigar I would smoke again. A nice mild smoke that offered a few changes along the way. Needing to pay attention to the ash dropping all over the place was a real disappointment. It was very flaky and split throughout the entire smoke, dropping at random intervals. I prefer to spend my smoking time enjoying the profile a cigar offers, not maintaining it.” –Gregg (McGreggor57)

“The appearance and construction were the strong points for this cigar for me. The initial flavors were not pleasant, however the middle and end were decent, just lacking for complexity and depth. Maybe some age would mellow out the beginning, but I’m afraid it might also erase the little flavor I got in the last portions.” –Jason H. (Jokey Smurf)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 62

Total Score: 91 (Very Good)

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To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: Cordoba & Morales | Family Reserve Torpedo