Puff Cigar Discussion Forums

tx_tuff · 10-27-2008, 12:57 PM

Top Shelf Signature Select Blue

Size: Toro Extra 6x50
Nicaraguan Puro, made up of Corojo 99 and Criollo 98
Price: $5.75
Source: www.topshelfcigar.com (I can not get the website to work today)

Appearance, Construction, and Pre-light:
This cigar had a nice appearance, med brown color with slight veins, firm in feel with a nice triple cap. There was a small crack at the foot of the cigar but that probaly came from shipping. The band was printed on thin paper and seemed very basic, but hey I'm not smoking the band. The wrapper had a slight barnyard sent, the foot less of that and more tobacco smell. It had a good draw with a pre-light taste of tobacco and slight coco.

1st 3rd
An easy light up to this cigar, with a good draw and lots of smoke! The first couple draws brought a mild tasting flavor that included grass. I was starting to get worried this was going to be a mild cigar. But then the flavor picked up and I could tell this was turning into a nice med body and flavor smoke. The ash started to flake at an inch and half but held on past the 1st third of the cigar. It also keep a pretty straight burn line, keeping a good draw and lots of blue and light grey smoke. The taste went from mild grass, to a more earthy med tobacco flavor. When retro haled got a little spice with earthy tones. Towards the end of the 1st third starting picking up some nutty flavor with less grass and a better smoke.

2nd Third:
The burn at this point was starting to get a little off, but it wasn't bad enough to touch up. Ash is still holding on at over 2in now. The nutty flavor as picked up some, better taste then the 1st third. The draw on this cigar just keeps staying great with plenty blue and grey smoke! I like a lot of smoke. Half way thur this part of the cigar starting to pick up more tobacco taste. Then a couple puffs later getting more nutty, along with some hay, very nice. Retro-haled at this point and it was very spicy and dry! Ash fell off at the 3in mark. At this point some of the nutty flavor is going away and I'm getting more hay, the burn is still off a little but nothing to bad. Towards the end of the 2nd third now, the cigar is staying firm with a nice draw. Getting more tobacco flavor along with the hay.

Last Third.
Cigar is starting to get warm on my fingers. Still a good draw with plenty of smoke, picking even less of the nutty flavor now. The ash is still holding at an inch and half. Now starting to pick up some floral notes, maybe like a sweet hay kind of thing going on. The flavor which I am surprised is getting more mild at this point. The floral/sweet hay flavor stays for the rest of the cigar, at about an inch left its getting warm on lips and warm smoke. Nubbed this cigar to about an half inch, the ash never fell off again.

Thoughts:
What I thought was going to be a mild smoke turned into a nice med body, and flavor cigar. Had some good flavor change but none of them evry very complex. The best flavors by far where in the 2nd third of the cigar. Had a good firm ash that only feel off once at the 3in mark and then never again. Good draw, lots of smoke.

Score:
I normaly don't like giving a score, but since I am reviewing this for Top Shelf I will. This was a very nice mid-day cigar 88

goyankees · 10-27-2008, 04:17 PM

nice review Frank!

gary106334-cl · 10-27-2008, 06:26 PM

Nice review.

tcampbel-cl · 10-28-2008, 12:04 PM

Very nice review. Is that the Pepin madeV

jdogg440 · 10-28-2008, 01:48 PM

i will do my review later, but i concur alot of what you said. the ash was tremendous on this cigar. mine was a little lighter colored. interesting that mine had almost the exact little crack near the foot yours did.