Cool beenz,

Thanks for the warm welcome.

So for my smokes I just use a generic humidor - ahem - thompson - that I got many years ago with a bundle.  so far it works just fine, keeping the humi fairly regulated between 70-75 RH.  Not sure if that is ok for the time being.  That being said do you just use standard humidors or have you upgraded to nicer ones?  I see that you have a storage 'aging' humi and smoking humi at different RH.  how do you keep them regulated and are they just off the rack humis?

---

MOW Badge: Honorable Service recipient 9/21/2010



Work called! They said if you dont come in on Friday, dont bother to come in on Monday! - Whoo hoo four day weekend!

im not exactly sure what a standard vs nicer humidor is. Price? iduno... as long as its spanish cedar lined and it hold RH whats the point on wasting more money to get a more expensive humidor? I could buy cigars with that money! Ive never paid more than $50 on a humidor... ever.

both my aging and smoking humi are at 65% RH. i only have them as seperate humidors for the sake of organization. to keep them both at proper humidity i use humidity beads that are set at 65%. ive never had a problem with them.

for those who follow my cigar smoking a bit closer than others...
i now only have two humidors. one is a 150ct and the other is a 50ct. i sold the other to a friend of mine. I wanted to keep my selection to the best of the best only. the more space i have, the more garbage i tend to buy on a whim. I may upgrade again sometime but im sure that it will only be to make my aging humi my smoking humi and then a 300+ humi for aging. I dont see that happening soon. Im going to try and concentrate on guitar building for a while now. I know you are all let down, but that wont stop my reviews or stop me from almost living at the forum. I just wont buy as many low end sticks.

---

Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

kuzi16:

I just wont buy as many low end sticks.

Seems like a good thing to me.

9-12-08 been in humi since 12-12-06
CAO Mx2 Belicoso (7x56)
Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro
Binder: Brazilian Maduro
Filler: Nicaraguan, Honduran, Peru, Dominican Republic.

This cigar is dark and still ahs an oily feel to it even after 5 months in the humidor. The lick on the cap is coco and a bit on the sweet side, much like you would expect off a good maduro. It feels oily on the lips and tongue. Cut with a double guillotine. The draw is a tiny bit on the tight side.

The first few puffs bring on a classic maduro flavor: a bit earthy a bit coco and a bit of mild sweetness. The cigar is unbelievably smooth. The main flavor is earth with a tiny hint of coco. The finish is on the coffee side.

The first ash fell at just under two inches and the burn is very even. The flavors are the same as before just with a bit less of the coco.

At the halfway point the burn is still even. The cigar still feels medium to full body in nature even though it has spent 21 months in the box.

During the final inches of this cigar the flavor is unchanged. The cigar is good but not all that complex. I feel that this cigar on this day would have been better if it were a bit shorter. The lack of complexity lends itself to getting old after a while.

… I still nubed it.
7 inches. 3 ashes. Burn time: 2 hours.

Burn: 10
Draw: 8
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 9
Appearance: 9
Feel: 8

Overall: 8.8
4 smoke rings -- an above average cigar

Note: last time I reviewed this cigar it got an 8.7 all the scores were the same but burn and draw. Burn was a 7 and draw was a 10.

Recommended to: Maduro fans People that don’t need the complexity at the time

---

Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

the sopranos edition robusto (5x52) and the Mx2 (same size) are comparable in size. the thought expressed about them is that the Mx2 is a better value. on cigar.com the Mx2 is elling for $6.25 a stick and the sopranos edition of the same size is selling for $10.50

do i like the Sopranos edition more? yes. is it worth the price?

---

Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

nice review, kuzi. I found a 4 set, 1 of each of the sopranos and am eager to try them to see which one I like more. your review inspired me too! ;-) . The Mx2 sounds good as well though. Are there very many good cigars out there that have more coffee and coco as the more dominated flavor? Just curious as I'm always on the lookout..

---

.

yes there are. tons actually.

id say "just read through my reviews" but on this forum and the old one i have i think a collective 20+ pages. in general think maduro.

---

Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

any reviews on the indian tabac? or on the RyJ 1875?

---

-living the good life-

i dont think ive reviewed either one of those. now that i think of it, im not sure i even have any of those in my humidor to review.

next time i buy cigars ill add those to my list.

---

Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

9-15-08 been in humi since 7-17-08

Nording by Rocky Patel
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Colorado
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican.

The cigar is a medium red/brown in color and firm from head to foot. It appears to have a double (maybe triple) cap. The smell is of earth and leaves. There is a slight fuzzy feel to the wrapper but it is oily at the same time. The lick on the cap has some spice to it. Cut with a punch. The draw is very good with an unlit taste of very dark chocolate.

A light and a puff bring on a toasted almond flavor with a sweet finish. The first impression is a very good one. The sweetness on this stick is amazing. Smoke pours off of it. A very slight spice is noticed, maybe on the clove side.

The first ash fell at almost 2 inches despite some burn issues. The flavors on each draw are as such: the initial taste is sweet almond and a caramelized soy sauce flavor. This turns into a mild sweet and tea flavor. The finish is still sweet and almost on the fruity side. If I had to place it I would say fig, though this is a reach.

There are still plenty of burn issues. It canoes fairly badly. I’ve corrected the same side more than once. Usually this implies a rolling issue. At the half way point the flavor on the whole has mover to the hay side of things, but all in all is still nutty and sweet. There are still burn problems. A hint of leather has shown up in the finish.

Nearing the end of the cigar the flavors remain about the same but now more “toast” than ever. Still with the burn issues.

This cigar is both very good and amazingly frustrating. Minus the construction/burn issues, this cigar was great.

Burn: 6
Draw: 10
Taste: 9
Aftertaste: 9
Construction: 7
Appearance: 9
Feel: 8

Overall: 8.3
3 smoke rings -- an average cigar

Recommended to:
Those who prefer a cigar to be sweeter
Those who don’t want a heavy earthy/leather cigar.
Those who own a lighter with a large reservoir.

---

Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

Maddy? where are ya man? im smokin your sticks. did you see? I LIKED a RP?


im waiting for the world to explode!

no seriously, where are ya? havent seen you on in a bit.

---

Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

I've been busier than a one legged man in an @ss kicking contest. I've been reading but haven't had the time to make researched responses so I haven't posted to much.

I really thought you'd like the Nording. Very, very good cigar. However it is only a Rocky Patel in the sense that Patel is producing the cigar. It was actually blended by Erik Nording, the famous pipe crafter. I've heard about three different variations of what this wrapper/binder is. I've heard Nic, Honduran, and Costa Rican. So who knows and Nording and RP seem to be keeping their mouths shut about exactly what it is.

One thing I thouroughly enjoyed about it was it managed to be sweet and nutty without being mild in body. IMO its a medium to medium-full. What would you place the body at?

Did the one I send you have a pig tail on the cap? I guess not since you said it looked double or triple capped. The pig tails are cool and apparently are meant to be bitten off.

Also the burn issue appears to be common with this cigar, as are gigantic veins, although it sounds like yours had more than the typical burn issues canoeing rather than just being a little uneven. Nonetheless a top notch first attempt at a cigar by Erik IMHO.

madurofan:

I've heard about three different variations of what this wrapper/binder is. I've heard Nic, Honduran, and Costa Rican. So who knows and Nording and RP seem to be keeping their mouths shut about exactly what it is.

I don't think they're being THAT secretive. From the Rocky Patel website:

Wrapper: Nicaraguan "Colorado"
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaraguan & Dominican

---

phobicsquirrel:

ummm milk it..

dutyje:

madurofan:

I've heard about three different variations of what this wrapper/binder is. I've heard Nic, Honduran, and Costa Rican. So who knows and Nording and RP seem to be keeping their mouths shut about exactly what it is.

I don't think they're being THAT secretive. From the Rocky Patel website:

Wrapper: Nicaraguan "Colorado"
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaraguan & Dominican

Dammit, here we go back to that being too busy to research before I post. I was on Patel's site about this cigar the first time I got one and it wasn't on there. Haven't looked since and didn't take the time to research before I posted. DAMMIT.

Hmmm RP's site also say that it was blended by RP for Nording. Hmmm that is not what I had previously been told. Back to researching before posting.