Cigar:            Onyx Reserve Torbusto

Size:             60 x 5.5"

Country:          DR

Wrapper:          CT, Maduro

Binder:           Nic

Filler:           DR/Nic/Peru

Flavor Strength:  Medium

NicotineStength:  Medium

Date Received:    2005-08-09

Suspected Age:    18 months

Vendor/Price:     Bday gift from Toni & Brad, $3.50 each - JRs & Famous

Hype:       Onyx Reserve cigars are full-bodied, Maduro cigars handmade in the Dominican Republic with Dominican Piloto Cubano and Nicaraguan tobaccos, a Nicaraguan binder, and a rich-tasting Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper. But the real kicker in this cigar is its spicy Peruvian, Cuban-seed Ligero tobaccos. This brand, which has earned a '94' score in Cigar Insider, is a must-smoke if you enjoy the depth and naturally sweet taste of Maduro cigars.

Beverage(s):      Water, Deschutes Black Butte Porter

Smoke time:       1:15

Date:             2007-02-01

Posted to ASC:    2007-02-01

Overall score:    3.0/5.0

Sock color:       Brown, dress

Hat:              Federal Ammunition, white

Overall:    First third is a warmup, initial bitterness yields to more rounded flavor.  Middle third is round flavored rum and molasses.  Last third gets tangy and bitter.  Excellent construction, generally rather low smoke volume, perfect burn.  Nice finish.  Not a box purchase. 

Ambience:   Evening in the sunroom.  Baching it tonight as the little woman is off fondling fabrics and dreaming quilt dreams.  To pay off a bet I need to watch Al Gore's Incomprehensible Truth, and I had planned on watching it tonight, but just could not yet bring myself to do it.  Maybe over the weekend.  Instead listening to Blowin' Smoke #29, and editing Mt. St. Helens photos.

Appearance: Nice looking perfecto/trumpet like shape.  Head is about 45 ring expanding to 60 ring about 2/3 to the foot, then tapering down to about 52 at the foot.  Long spiral cap.  Mottled, slightly toothed, slightly shiney, wrapper with a single medium vein down the length.  More firm at the head than the the foot. 

Cut & Prelight:   Strong cocoa aroma.  Cut well yielding a firm draw - there's a lot of tobacco packed into the narrowed head.  A hay and molasses draw flavor.  Some pepper on the lips. 

First third:      Initial blast of bitter nut.  Calmed down quickly to a slight bitter edged lightly sweet molasses with a rum-like aftertaste.  Sweetens further in the long after.  Low smoke volume requiring double draws.  Very compact gray lined ash held to 1.5".

Second third:     Bitter edge has waned.  Maduro sweet in the after.  Still molasses/rum like flavor.  Flavor has smoothed out.  Rather nice.  A cloying sweetness in the after. 

Third third:      Tangy/bitter edge enters.  Losing the round rumminess.  Almost perfect burn.  Slight nicotine buzz.  Abandoned at 2.5" due to loss of round flavor and return to bitterness.