[Tw3nty]

Ok, Last time I conducted a Vandertrade with Wayner123 we traded 2 Cubans and 2 non-Cubans.

We both agreed not to inspect the cigars and see if we could guess which cigars were Cuban and which where non-Cuban.

We have now decided to conduct a similar trade, but this time it is the Nicaraguan Trade.

We are sending each other 4 Nicaraguan cigars.

Our goal is to decipher marca and vitola fo reach cigar. The only rules are that we must smoke the cigars and enjoy the cigars.

We are allowed to inspect the cigars and take pictures of the cigars this time.

I like to take pictures of the sticks I smoke, so expect a lot of pictures.

I hope wayner123 will take pictures as well.

Our goal is to have fun, smoke cigars, learn more about cigars and share our learning with anyone who is interested.


This is the second of a a series of trades we will be doing every month. Each month one of the two of us will be creating a new type of trade we will conduct.


Enjoy this months trade, and I hope you look forward to next months..

 

[stearns-cl]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

sounds like a good time

stearns

 

[SmokinApe]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Sounds like a great idea...

 

[smitty]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

sounds cool. how did you make out in the first one?

 

[wayner123]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Alright, so I am first up to bat. Here is what Tw3nty (formerly known as Vanderburg) sent me:

Number 5 was a bonus and I believe it's a taboo twist. I am posting pics this time around, but I don't think I will do this for every smoke.

I'll go in order and this is a review of smoke #1. This is my setup for how I smoke pretty much every cigar:

Size: 5.2" x 48RG (sizes are estimates)

Appearance/Construction: Dark looking Corojo wrapper. There was a triple cap but it looked like it was made in haste.

Prelight Draw: A little tight draw and the taste was of musty grass.

First Impressions: The first few puffs were typical of Pepin blends and had a lot of spice. Despite the tight draw there was plenty of smoke.

Smoking: The initial spice blast dies after the first inch or so. The taste of a good Nicaraguan blend started to come through. The sweetness of the Nic leaf was noticed but not much.

As the cigar kept going the spice had died down almost completely. The second third was full of Nic leaf tobacco and a leathery taste. At around the halfway mark, the wrapper split. This did not hinder the flavor or good amounts of smoke.

In the last third or so, the spice came back and blended well with the leather taste. A slight woodsy taste came out as well.

This is a picture of how I nub my cigars, free hand all the way. You wussy's use tools, but a real man let's the cherry burn his fingers (I still smoked on it a few more times after this pic):

Final Comments and guess: This was a good cigar. It burned well enough even with the split and the taste was full bodied and complex enough to my liking. There was a slight chalky-ness that would come and go and that reminded me of an Illusione. So my guess is a Illusione MK5.

 

[yourchoice]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Nice review Wayne, I'm interested to find out what it is.

This is my setup for how I smoke pretty much every cigar:

Holy crap man! Are you smoking in my garage? A lot of people have a stinky, so that's not a big deal, but I'm smoking right now and drinking out of what appears to be the same exact cup....weird to me anyway. My wife makes fun of that cup .

 

[wayner123]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Nice review Wayne, I'm interested to find out what it is.

Holy crap man! Are you smoking in my garage? A lot of people have a stinky, so that's not a big deal, but I'm smoking right now and drinking out of what appears to be the same exact cup....weird to me anyway. My wife makes fun of that cup .

Martha Stewart makes some fine products. Bless her felon heart.

 

[Tw3nty]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Your tastes are, again, excellent. You were a little of on the marca and vitola.

You where smoking a Tatuaje Havana Hermosos. I really like these sticks, great flavor and strength, also a great ring size.

 

[wayner123]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Your tastes are, again, excellent. You were a little of on the marca and vitola.

You where smoking a Tatuaje Havana Hermosos. I really like these sticks, great flavor and strength, also a great ring size.

I was going to say Tatuaje, but I couldn't find the size that I thought this cigar was. I need to get one of those plastic ring gauge thingy's.

Thanks for letting me know. I'll hopefully be getting to number 2 soon.

 

[Tw3nty]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

O k, here I am with my first cigar review. This is exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. I like reviewing cigar, but trying to pick the cigar out from taste is so hard.

This cigar was a medium brown cigar, a strong looking cigar, but not a maduro. It looks like a robusto size.

It is a triple capped cigar, so probably from Pepin.

Nice foot construction.

The pre-light draw gave a little spice on my tongue, but not a lot.

The minute I lit this cigar, I swear I have had it before. Nice strong woodsy spice mixed with nicotine. I new from the get go this cigar was gonna be strong.

As the second third of the cigar developed, the cigar just kept getting stronger. There was some fluctuation between the amount of nicotine and the amount of woodsy taste, but not much.

The end of the cigar really did not change much once the middle picked a strength. The end of the cigar just tasted good. This is a strong cigar. You have to be ready.

The bun finished with strength and grace. Smoked it all the way down.

The construction was impeccable. There was a point a the beginning where I just wanted to stare at the cigar and its pretty white ash, gorgeous.

I would rate this cigar a 8.9 out of 10 on my all cigar rating.

My guess is that this cigar is a Tatuaje Brown Label Reserva.

I hope I'm right. can't wait to see.

 

[jjirons69]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

I like reviewing cigar, but trying to pick the cigar out from taste is so hard.

You need my help, Robert??

 

[wayner123]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

O k, here I am with my first cigar review. This is exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. I like reviewing cigar, but trying to pick the cigar out from taste is so hard.

The construction was impeccable. There was a point a the beginning where I just wanted to stare at the cigar and its pretty white ash, gorgeous.

I would rate this cigar a 8.9 out of 10 on my all cigar rating.

My guess is that this cigar is a Tatuaje Brown Label Reserva.

I hope I'm right. can't wait to see.

Nice review as usual Tw3nty. This was a Padilla Miami 8/11 Robusto. I don't find these as strong as you did, but certainly full bodied. The spice usually gets to me a bit more as well. Good guess on it being from Pepin.

 

[Tw3nty]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

wow. that was a good stick. had not had a Miami in a while. thanks a lot. I look forward to smoking my next one and reading your next review.

I think i thought the cigar was so strong because I had not eaten much that day. I know what u do and do not eat really effects taste.

 

[bonggoy]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Appearance/Construction: Dark looking Corojo wrapper. There was a triple cap but it looked like it was made in haste.

Question, how did you know it was a corojo wrapper?

 

[wayner123]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Question, how did you know it was a corojo wrapper?

My spidy senses told me?

Seriously though, I tend to look for color and what I call splotches. Corojo wrappers have a reddish tint to them and the darker spots look more like paint splotches rather than spider webs or circles. Hope that helps.

 

[bonggoy]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

My spidy senses told me?

Seriously though, I tend to look for color and what I call splotches. Corojo wrappers have a reddish tint to them and the darker spots look more like paint splotches rather than spider webs or circles. Hope that helps.

Oh ok. Thanks for the help.

 

[Tw3nty]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Wayner123, I smoked the second cigar and an sorry. Things did not go so well. As soon as I cut the cigar it started falling apart. I tried to smoke it and get a sense of the marca and vitola, but it was hard.

Here is where i cut and light the cigar.

After smoking the cigar for a while, it got worse.

This is as far as I could go....

I am not sure what the cigar was. I had a hard time guessing, but I am going to try to guess...maybe an Olive Series V.

I still want to know what the cigar was.

 

[wayner123]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Wayner123, I smoked the second cigar and an sorry. Things did not go so well. As soon as I cut the cigar it started falling apart. I tried to smoke it and get a sense of the marca and vitola, but it was hard.

I am not sure what the cigar was. I had a hard time guessing, but I am going to try to guess...maybe an Olive Series V.

I still want to know what the cigar was.

I am so sorry you had a bad time with this one. I have never had that happen with these. That was a Tatuaje Havana VI East Coast Release.

 

[Tw3nty]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

don't worry. it happens with all sticks. I am not worried. You are a great person to trade with and Im not stressed. Plus, some day its going to happen to me as well. Don't worry. I hear those sticks are hard to come by. Where did you get yours?

 

[gnukfu]

Re: The Vanderburg vs Wayner123 Trade: Nicaraguan Style

Those wrappers are very fragile on the Tats - same thing has happened to others here - including me.