Blind Cigar Review: Home Roll | HR103 Nic

Cigar Info

This is the final cigar reviewed as part of our Home Roll cigar series. The blend was submitted by Nic Templeton. Like most of the cigars in this series, the exact vitola is not known so we will categorize it as best we can. It has taken quite a bit of time to get a review series like this off the ground, so it is very satisfying to see the reviews of the home roll cigars continue towards completion of the series. As with all of the home roll cigars in this series, the true nature is about the passion and desire to learn about the craft. They may be rough on the outside, but the drive to learn the technique and art of rolling a fine cigar is evident when you talk to the people who have taken this on as a hobby. Today we are reviewing the Home Roll | HR103 Nic.

This cigar and many others in this series will show that the tobaccos you can access to make your own cigars at home can be as good, if not better than, those used in the finest cigar factories on earth.  Today we are reviewing the unnamed cigar submitted by Nic, and it should be noted that the reviewers did not know that these were Home Rolls, they were received with cigars from many other manufacturers in one batch of cigars to be blind reviewed.

Vital Stats:

Vitola: Corona
Length: Approx 5.25″
Ring Gauge: Approx 42
Country of Origin: USA
Wrapper: Ecuadorian H2K
Binder: Ecuadorian Broadleaf
Filler: Nicaraguan Criollo Seco, Dominican Corojo Viso, Nicaraguan Criollo Ligero
Factory: N/A
Blender: Nic Templeton
Number of reviewers: 5 – John A. (Bostoneo) Ryan H. (Ryan H.) Dave W. (mdwest) Derek (StogieNinja) Mickey T. (irratebass)
Price: N/A
Age: 1 Year 5 Months
Release Date: N/A
Contributed by: Nic Templeton

Initial Impressions

Appearance: 86

“A rustic, old school looking stick with a mottled and splotchy wrapper and imperfect lines. Veiny and uneven, its not necessarily ugly. I’m thinking it’s intentionally rolled this way, and looks like something you would have found in a jar in a West Texas saloon in the late 1800’s. Something of a “cowboy” cigar.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

Aroma: 88

“Getting a strong barnyard on the foot, with a bit of leather on the wrapper. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

First Third

Flavor: 87
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“After a quick light up flavors of leather and vanilla custard come flooding in as a bitter char is left as an aftertaste. After about 15 minutes we transition into a clove, creamy, oaky and light barnyard profile, really enjoying this stick right about now.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

“Starts with thick, viscous smoke. It coats the palate with a marshmallow sweetness, and black pepper harshness. The smoke is mild, and mostly pleasant, but the smoke is too thick and syrupy and leaves the palate sticky.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Second Third

Flavor: 88
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“Into the second third, it’s a little better. The smoke is still way to syrupy, but flavor-wise it has picked up just a touch. The black pepper and marshmallow are joined by some caramel. It’s strong at the top and bottom, but missing something in the middle.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

“Leather and vanilla custard stick around for this third. Very linear here but the flavor profile is very delightful.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

Final Third

Flavor: 87
Strength: Medium
Body/Complexity: Medium

“It does get better as it goes. Graham cracker, toasted marshmallow. Very smooth. Still way to thick and syrupy for my tastes, but overall its decent enough.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

“By the final third the extreme tunneling problem improved to just a severe canoeing problem, but at least the cigar remained lit on its own for the last few inches. It still was a major headache to deal with, but at least it was a step in the right direction. Its a shame, because honestly the flavors, when you could get them, were really enjoyable.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

Overall Impressions

Draw: 81

“Draw was decent. Got a little tight at times, and the wetness of the smoke seemed to cause some clogging, but overall ok.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

Burn: 79

“Sadly I couldn’t keep the cigar lit and had to put it down.” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

Construction: 82

“This cigar had obvious construction problems. The pack was inconsistent and a couple of soft spots were found pre-light. The draw and the burn were heavily impacted by the sticks poor construction, which made the cigar a bit of a maintenance nightmare.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

Overall Strength: Medium
Overall Body/Complexity: Medium
Experience Overall: 81

“Overall the Cigar had a pleasant profile of leather and vanilla custard. The construction was a bit off leaving the step to look a bit lumpy and the burn was sub-par as it would go out sometimes. Overall it was enjoyable but can definitely be improved upon as a home roll.” –John A. (Bostoneo)

“I wouldn’t smoke this cigar again.” –Ryan H. (Ryan H.)

“At the beginning of this review I commented that this cigar looked like a “cowboy” stick that you would find in an old western saloon at the end of the 19th century. By the time I was done smoking the stick it was clear, this wasn’t the sort of stick Clint Eastwood would have smoked in Pale Rider or Unforgiven though. Instead it sadly reminded me more of the cowboy in the Village People by the time I was done. It might have worn the hat, but it certainly wasn’t a real cowboy smoke. Appearances clearly aren’t everything. This one definitely wont be making my top 25 list this year.” –Dave W. (mdwest)

“I struggled with the rating on this one. I ended up giving it the benefit of the doubt and rating it “good” instead of “fair” because it was not in my wheelhouse. Overall, I wouldn’t want to smoke it again. It strikes me as very similar to several homerolls I’ve tried, the flavor profile was overly syrupy, and lacked clarity. I tend to prefer a cleaner flavor profile. It’s not for me, but fans of sweet cigars or sumatra wrappers might appreciate this one.” –Derek (StogieNinja)

“Sadly I couldn’t keep his thing lit. I only made it into the second third when I had to give up. ” –Mickey T. (irratebass)

Smoking Time (in minutes): 69

To view the complete scores and notes, click here.

Blind Cigar Review: Home Roll | HR103 Nic

Overall Score – 83 – Subpar