A few of the guys here have asked me to post my reviews on a single thread here on the cigar.com forum much like I did on the old cigar.com forum/AmBack/Eotac/whateverothernameitmayhave. So that’s what I’m going to do.

When I started to catalog my cigars in September of 2006 I was making a personal catalog for my use only. I was very green, and this was my method of learning about cigars. It was effectively going to be a collection of reviews by a newbie, for a newbie.

The forum then decided to reformat itself a bit. There was a new section called “reviews and ratings.” I thought to myself “awe what the heck,” and I began to post my reviews. I got good feedback. It kept me going.

I still look at my reviews as “by a newbie for a newbie.” I try to give as much information as I can because that is what I wanted when I was starting to smoke cigars. I probably wont review too many very high end cigars because most newbies don’t often spend $30+ on one cigar.

One more thing to keep in mind: my reviews are of one cigar on one day. They are not a collection of my notes of the same cigar over time. If the cigar sucks in my review it could be several things. Maybe I got a bad one. Maybe what I ate that day is affecting the taste. Maybe the cigar actually sucks. Maybe it was a gift and the person that had it before me let it dry out. The possibilities are endless. If I give a bad review to one of your favorite cigars feel free to post on why you think I’m wrong. I am all about the open debate and discussion. Heck, feel free to comment in this thread about any of the cigars I review.

With any luck, I will be grabbing a cigar here in a little while and we will have a review by late this afternoon.

one more thing...
here is the link to the first half of the catalog:
http://www.eotacforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=135&t=40819

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

Looking forward to it kuz. If nothing else it'll be a good debate!

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j0z3r:

I liked it, it tasted less like a Gurkha and more like a normal cigar, good flavors too.

I have bought a lot of cigars because of Matt's review he is usually spot on.

golfcigarjunkie:

I have bought a lot of cigars because of Matt's review he is usually spot on.

quit kissin my @$$. you wont get any freebies out of it. LOL!

but seriously, thanks. i try very hard to be as honest as i can. I hope i dont dissapoint.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

Kuzi. I read some of your reviews before I found this site and thought wow, this guy is really into this hobby, and that you have to much time on your hands. You must have spent a lot of time and dedication to these reviews which I found incredibly informative. I tried several new cigars based on the information you provided and found many very rewarding. Thanks for the hard work, copywrite your info. and get published. You will make a fortune bro.

thats a good thought. how would i go about getting a coywrite? do i have to just say that its all coywrited? or is there a form?

As far as a fortune goes... im still waiting for Alex to offer me a job. ( i have to admit though that im not holding my breath. I do like my job now ... but the thought of getting PAID to smoke cigars... hmmmmm )

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

6-2-08 been in humi since 4-4-08
Gispert Natural
Robusto (5 x 54)
Wrapper: Ecuadorian grown Connecticut shade.
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Honduran, Nicaraguan.


before i get too far into this review i would like to saythis. I love my dad. he is one of the people that got me into cigars. he has been on the prowel for a "cheap, good" cigar. those dont go together but whatever. this cigar was gifted to me by him for me to try to see what i think. every other cigar in that box he sent up was horrid. I started to look up things about this cigar and decided to do a review. my expectations were low.


There is a fairly heavy box press on this cigar. The smell is almost barnyard and tobacco. There isn’t enough “damp earth” to exactly call it barnyard, but if you have ever been in a tobacco barn in the Midwest during late fall early winter this is the smell that it is.. The lick on the cap before the cut has a very light taste, maybe wheat. The draw is on the tight side but I don’t foresee too many problems with it. It tastes a bit like earth, maybe mild mushrooms if they were dry.

The first few puffs are mild and a on the sweet side of grass. Usually “grassy” is a bad cigar quality but this isn’t too bad. This is the good grass note. There is defiantly a light earth taste to it.

The first ash falls at about ¾ of an inch. The sweetness has faded some and what is left is a mushroom grass sorta taste. The aftertaste is very short and very mild. The cigar has a classic “Conn. Shade taste” to it. The burn is uneven at this point and needs a corrective light.

Close to the middle of the cigar a woody note develops. It is very mild. From this point on the cigar really takes off. The woody note gains in presence and has a walnut (the nut not the raw lumber) quality to it. The earth taste is now in the aftertaste. It is very good.

The last quarter of the cigar has a desiccating factor. The mouth is left a bit dry. This makes the cigar harder to taste. Have water/ice tea when you try it. The smoke heats up a bit and a slight hint at harshness comes out signaling the end of this cigar.

Burn time: about 1 hour 20 min.

Burn: 8
Draw: 7
Taste: 8.5
Aftertaste: 8
Construction: 8
Appearance: 8
Feel: 9

Overall: 8.1
3 smoke rings -- an average cigar
Recommended to:
people that like a mild cigar that still builds as you go.
People that smoke a morning cigar with tea
People that want a short decent smoke with newer smokers

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

i feel that the number rateing was low on this cigar. however, the numbers in the break down were spot on. (to me at least)
what makes this cigar "better" is that its so darn inexpensive.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

It may be too late once you post these they become public and anyone can claim them. Hey is there an attorney in our group ? One of our brothers in smoke needs a little help. ( I hope this doesn't effect future posts.) But seriously I believe that there is a market for well written, detailed reviews like you have provided. I use to buy a magazine that provided taste tests each months and that was the first thing I would look at, and use as a guide to future purchases.

Kuzi, the only suggestion I can imagine smokers would find useful in your review formula would be to figure a cost of stick/ enjoyment factor example: 5 Vegas Robusto @ 3.00 and that damn Gurkha Majesty @750.00

kaspera79:

Kuzi, the only suggestion I can imagine smokers would find useful in your review formula would be to figure a cost of stick/ enjoyment factor example: 5 Vegas Robusto @ 3.00 and that damn Gurkha Majesty @750.00

ive tossed that idea around a bit but i have a few reasons why i wont be doing that.

First, this is cigar.com's site. they dont carry every cigar that i review. if they dont have it im not posting prices from other sites.
next, its all about taste. it has nothing to do with price. that is a different review. Im just here for flavor.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

kaspera79:

It may be too late once you post these they become public and anyone can claim them. Hey is there an attorney in our group ? One of our brothers in smoke needs a little help. ( I hope this doesn't effect future posts.) But seriously I believe that there is a market for well written, detailed reviews like you have provided. I use to buy a magazine that provided taste tests each months and that was the first thing I would look at, and use as a guide to future purchases.

my mother in law works in a lawyers office that focuses on copyright law. ill give her a call soon. im not looking to sell my reviews, i just dont want others to make money off of my work. If i can make money out of it then cool. if not, i was in this for me from the get go so it wont make a lick of difference.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

"a$$ kissing" well I think I have been slammed, oh well, I dont get mad I get even. LOL

6-18-08 been in humidor since 4-30-07

Rocky Patel Olde world Reserve Corojo Toro (6.5 x 52)
Wrapper: corojo
Binder: Honduran
Filler: Nicaraguan.


The look and presentation of this cigar is wonderful. The two inch band around the foot looks great. The cigar itself looks great. It’s smooth for the most part with one or twp prominent veins. When taken out of the cellophane a rich tobacco smell (on the side of fruit) fills the air.
The lick on the cap is oily on the tongue and there is a slight spice to it.
Cut with my punch. The draw is slightly on the easy side. There is a mild sweet vegetal taste to the unlit draw, almost on the side of raisins.

The first few puffs are earthy and a bit spicy. The flavor is full. There is a grass element to the taste. It is fairly subtle but defiantly there. A bit of the familiar “corojo autumn” taste is there. I would like to say that it is the main flavor but the “main flavor” seems a bit undefined. The spice is mild and the finish is short.

By the time the first ash falls at just over an inch the grass note dissipates a little and some cream flavor/texture comes out. The spice is now, for sure, white pepper and is far back on the palate. It’s still fairly ambiguous as to definite taste. There is taste there but it is unclear as to what they all are. Grass and white pepper are really all that can be picked out. The grass has moved to the finish, which is light and short, and that makes it more tolerable.

Immediately following the first ash a fairly major corrective light is needed. A small note of harshness has also developed (probably due to the torch hitting it again)

Approaching the half way point the cigar has mellowed considerably. The flavor is much of the same just a bit more on the mellow side. It’s not as “round”

I have had several burn issues that resulted in quite a few corrective lights. (3 or 4 major ones and maybe more minor) I can’t help but think that this is a construction issue. The corrective lights are probably bringing on the element of harshness.

Continuing the last third is much of the same: A bit of earth, a bit of spice, and a bit of grass. The grass flavor is very detrimental. Smoked to the band.

Though this cigar wasn’t the worst I have had it isn’t the best.

Burn: 6.5
Draw: 9
Taste: 8
Aftertaste: 7.5
Construction: 8
Appearance: 10
Feel: 8
Overall: 8.1
3 smoke rings -- an average cigar

Recommended to:
Those who like a grassy taste in cigars
Those who haven’t tried it yet
People not paying attention to price.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate

i know dean said it was good, and i hope i just got a bad one but if i didnt then i dont think this cigar is worht the price it is. it woulda got the same number as far as a rating goes had the cigar been half the price because my reviews have NOTHING to do with price.
now that im not IN the review...
for the money, there are tons of better cigars out there.

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Kuzi's cigar catalog blending 101 developing your palate