Some recent stats from SmallBizBee.com are worth mentioning.

-       91% of people admit they are influenced by online consumer reviews.

-       A consumer is three times more likely to trust a peer review than an advertisement.

-       A single word-of-mouth conversation has the impact of 200 television ads.

How many reviews do you think might be posted about you on your Facebook page? Which customers or vendors would provide you with testimonials about your expertise—recommendations that you could highlight on your LinkedIn profile? These few statistics show that viral marketing is here to stay, and social networking is an integral part of the marketing mix. You simply need to differentiate yourself from your competition, which is actually easier to do through social networking because of the word-of-mouth opportunities and the trust factor. If you’re not on the bandwagon, it’s time to jump aboard.

Check out my articles on social media and other topics here.

Check out my new eBook:  Guide to Developing A Social Media Strategy

With the weather getting colder, I just had to rave about my favorite Burt’s Bees product – Lemon Butter Cuticle Crème.  It is hands down the best cuticle cream I have ever used.  In fact, I keep it in my desk and apply it at least once daily when I’m chatting on the phone.

It is not greasy or oily and always makes my nails look 10 times better.  Best of all, it is 95% natural (hmm… wonder what the 5% unnatural part is).  According to the packaging it is “A soothing blend of natural ingredients for intensive care of dry, brittle nails and chapped, cracked fingertips.”

I promise this product will not disappoint you.  I found mine at my local grocery store. 

Disclaimer:  I was not paid or given free product by Burt’s Bees to write about the cuticle cream.  I simply wanted to share my love for the product!

According to the new study by Satmetrix Inc, (WOM) orr words of mouth has a financial impact to the growth and fall of a certain business. The most concern in the industry is around technology especially wireless industry and customer acquisition, there isn’t a lot of energy spent in customer loyalty. Vince Nowinski, the director of Satmetrix Inc. said that “you can’t really overcome having people saying bad things about you.”

Study shows that a certain promoter or person who recommends a product is worth about half a new customers if words of mouth is based. A negative words of mouth spread affects a business. If consumers find Customer Service poor, they would tell their families and friends about their experience.

There are a lot of factors that contributes to a positive words of mouth. The two factors that mostly affects in the wireless industry are the product and the ease of doing business or service . Both of this factors increased the sales, network capabilities and avoiding less friendly consumer policies. Consumers who are satisfied with their products and services continues business with them. This made them locked their consumers into a long term contract which is also their way to success.

]]> http://hyundaigenesisreviews.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/finally-a-car-to-compete/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:24:59 +0000 teamhonk http://hyundaigenesisreviews.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/finally-a-car-to-compete/

Normalcy’s review of the Hyundai Genesis:

When I first saw this vehicle, I was in a shopping mall parking lot and I had no clue what it was. My first thought was that it was a new Maybach or something of the sort. Wow I was really surprised to see the Hyundai name on the back of this car. I first saw the grill and that’s what had me confused since they didn’t put their “H” on the front this time.

I love the curvature of the dash, the center flat screen data center, the interior color contrast and the view from the drivers seat. Excellent work Hyundai!

The body looks like a $150,000 car. The rims are something that you would normally see on a high-priced import. Plenty of trunk space and the cabin is very roomy. This car just may actually put Huyndai ahead of some of the large automakers finally.

Improvement Suggestions

Nice job Hyundai! I am confused at why they weren’t proud enough of this car to put the “H” on the front.

To view more of Normalcy and other reviews, go to honk.com

This past weekend I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C.  In our race day packets, runners received a sample of KT Tape.  The tape claims to relive muscle soreness.  Even though I had never heard of this product before, with both my IT bands hurting beyond belief, I was willing to try anything.

I ripped open the KT Tape packaging and followed the application instructions.  I had no expectations, but was extremely surprised when I woke up the next day and my IT bands were feeling great.  The KT Tape had completely taken away the pain.  In my past experiences running marathons and ½ marathons, nothing really helped my IT bands but ice, ibuprofen and time.

I’m now a believer in KT Tape and will certainly be purchasing a roll (or maybe even two)!  After reviewing the KT Tape web site, I’m not the first person who has become a customer because of the company’s excellent marketing strategy.  It appears KT Tape is hitting all the big marathons (and probably other sporting events).

While sampling can be an expensive investment, if you have an excellent performing product and a good distribution outlet, the results can certainly be effective.  You better believe that I’ll tell all my running friends about the KT Tape!  I’m sure my endorsement will gain KT Tape a few more customers beside myself.

Though the pumpkins are still out and we still have to get through turkey season, I’m beginning to see Christmas decorations start to appear.

Which raises the question: should you buy LED Christmas lights this year?

My advice: yes, just look for the color temperature in the 3000 – 3500k range.

I’ve talked to a few people who purchased LED Christmas lights a couple of years ago and hate the bluish light. I bought a couple sets of those strings, too, but now LED lights with a much more pleasing, incandescent-like yellowish glow are available (see picture).

Comparing "cool" (left) and "warm" LED Christmas lights

In my front hall, I have these two fake trees to fill the tall space. When I replaced the incandescent strings on them with LED, at first they were the bluish light on the left. When I changed them out for newer “warmer” light on the right, I took this picture for the comparison.

A while back, Warren provided his experience with early LED replacement bulbs. He submitted the following comment on a recent post, but this is such encouraging news that I thought it deserved to be highlighted:

I have found a 60 watt replacement that is reasonably priced at $19.95. It is a 5.5 watt tube light and is so bright you can’t look at it. I got it from Super Bright. http://superbrightleds.com/edison_globe.html  part #E27-W35HF-T. If that isn’t bright enough for you, there is a 100 watt equivalent that I purchased from Luminosity, http://luminosityled.com/products/index.php/led-household-lightbulbs.html  for $36.79. It is 8.2 watts. These will really light up a room.

Thanks, Warren! I’ll be sure to check them out.

For those of you inclined to the numbers, let’s say you replace a bulb that is lit 4 hours per day with the above bulbs:

• The 60-watt equivalent will save 79.6 kilowatt hours, or almost $12 at electricity rate of $.15 per kwh. Here in Massachusetts, rates are closer to $.20 so I would save almost $15.
• The 100 watt equivalent will save 134 kwh, $20 at $.15 per kwh and nearly $27 for me.

Another way to put it is each of these bulbs will pay back the initial cost in under 2 years, but since they are likely to last at least 7 years (10,000 hours) they will save a lot of money over the lifetime.

Now that cfl’s have come down to the sub $10 range (and I often see them in the sub $5 range) I don’t think these prices are mass market yet. But they are close enough that early adopters will buy them, starting the feedback look that will increase volume and lower costs, prove the market, attract more competition, further lower prices, spur more demand, etc.

Perhaps the L-Prize , with its more modest goal of replacing a 60-watt bulb with a 10-watt LED, won’t be the primary kickstart to the market.

A daily blog that gives tips and info into just about any topic imaginable. Too much to describe, just check it out.

Sign up to receive sales alerts on your favorite brands. This is more for higher end clothiers, but heck, if you can get it on sale…!

Consumer reviews on businesses and websites found here.

Donate your childrens books for distribution to homeless shelters and inner city schools.

This week, we have another guest review from our friend Danny Principe. Hope you enjoy!

I dont really know what else to say about this cigar other than it is absolute perfection. This is quite possibly my desert island cigar. I have been very lucky in my life. I have been able to sample the finest Cubans, some of the most elusive NCs, but this takes the cake. Very few cigars are of this caliber, though some do come to mind.

The Verdict:
Appearance: 14/15
Beautiful wrapper. No visible veins whatsoever, the only flaw was a slight hole in the wrapper. But this did not effect the enjoyment of the cigar whatsoever. Really the only flaw.

Flavor: 25/25
Unreal. Coffee, cocoa, at times leather, nuts, toast, some sweet cedar. Very typical Padron flavors, but so remarkably smooth that it really is hard to pinpoint anything standing out above the rest. Everything was in perfect harmony. The cigar was in the full bodied category, but it was just so smooth I did not seem to notice.

Construction: 25/25
Flawless. The cigar cut like a hot knife through butter. It lit up instantly, I used one match and it honestly lit up in 1/4 of a second and did not require a single bit of attention for the entire 3 hours I took to smoke this beauty. The draw was perfect. Like a razor the entire time. And every 80 Years I have smoked has been EXACTLY the same in this regard.

Overall Impression: 35/35
The price point is high, but I have to say, it is damn near worth it.

Final Score: 99/100

I know it seems a bit high, but if you have smoked one, and you love Padrons as much as I do, I am sure you will agree. Cant wait to see how the 45ths I just picked up do in comparison.

This week, we have another guest review from our friend Andy Picone. He is going to be writing regularly for the site, so I hope you enjoy!

I came across a Davidoff Especiales #7.  The line has an interesting background.

This 2004-05 special edition cigar was limited to 10,000 boxes, and one size, 5 ½ x 48.  The numeral in the title suggests the blender’s use of seven distinct tobaccos:  an Ecuadorian/Connecticut Shade/ Cuban Seed wrapper, a binder and five filler leaves originating from various parts of the Dominican Republic.  At the time, the use of five filler tobaccos within a robusto size smoke was thought to be too heaving.  Would it work?  Leave it to Davidoff.

This cigar is true to the Davidoff tradition:  a downy, rich mahogany shade wrapper, razor sharp burn, an unmistaken aroma and a beautiful white ash that remained rigid to the first band.  The draw was firm but not taxing, as the payoff was certainly worth it.  The initial hint of cedar dallies long enough to fill your head with aromatics akin to some of the finest single malts.  As I worked my way through the cigar, I awaited some grand flavor finale; a rush of densely rich and full bodied flavors.  I had a premonition this cigar wanted to be a dynamic powerhouse.  But its complexity only continued to harvest delicate aromas and elusive essences allowing the Especiales to maintain an enjoyable medium bodied edge.

Some cigars can stand alone.   Even the highest quality, well developed cigars sometimes find themselves jockeying with your taste buds when confronted with a perfect martini or an outstanding red; accompaniments can distract the essence of a great cigar.  The Especiales should not have a supporting cast.  Nothing should cloud your senses as this cigar is that good.

Find a comfortable chair, point it to the western sky, light up the #7 and enjoy the sunset.

Enjoy the ride.

Today we have a guest review from our buddy Jedd over at http://cigarreviews.wordpress.com. The guys from Cigar Reviews will be doing a review for our site every Thursday, so stay tuned!

Size: Robusto,  5 x 50

Wrapper: Honduran Habano

Filler: Honduran and Costa Rican Ligero, Nicaraguan Viso, and Panamanian Seco longfiller tobaccos

Binder: Nicaraguan Seco leaf

Strength: Full

Price: Box of 20, $79.99

Grade: 8.6

As a big fan of boutique cigars, I must admit I was excited to get my hands on this Conuco Robusto. An exclusive smoke from Famous Cigar Shop, the stick is produced in partnership with Rocky Patel and, at four bucks a stick, it is half the price of a standard boutique smoke. Needless to say I was interested to see what this was all about.

Appearance, 1.6:

The cigar appears to be well constructed with no soft spots or visible spotting on the wrapper. The texture is smooth with some veins and tooth. The cap looked nice, but at the foot of the smoke the filler was hanging out of the wrapper a noticeable amount which did affect the toasting of the cigar. The label on this smoke is very subdued, though it fits the idea of the cigar nicely. The pre-light aroma and draw were filled with notes of sweet tobacco and some chocolate.

Burn, 1.7:

The draw on this smoke was very good all the way through. The dark grey ash held up to 1.5 inches before I lost my nerve and knocked it off. The cigar produced a mouthful of flavorful smoke with not a lot of heat at all. The smoke did require a touch up around the beginning of the 2/3 but by the 3/3 it was perfect.

Flavor, 2.6:

The first puff on this smoke produced a flavor of barnyard and sweet citrus. It was a very mellow flavor with no spice, which I was expecting. As the cigar burned into the 1/3, I picked up a dark wood flavor, which reminded me of the smell of my two acoustic guitars. They are made of mahogany and rosewood, two types of wood that have a more rich, spicy, and heavy aroma than say hickory or cedar. Attached to this flavor was a hint of sweetness.  The finish on this smoke was not long at all and this trend continued throughout the smoke. As the smoke progressed into the 2/3, it did not become more complex but the notes of dark wood, chocolate, and lingering sweetness continued. The 3/3 brought a definite coffee flavor to the party which paired nicely with the chocolate notes still hanging around. Though the smoke was not as complex as I anticipated for a full body smoke, it was very consistent.

Overall, 2.7:

The value of this smoke is great; it is a good, solid smoke for the money no doubt.  I would recommend this to any smoker who likes a full bodied smoke with a hint of sweetness.  Rocky consistently puts out a great smoke and this partnership with Famous is a winner.

(Jed’s Total: 8.6)

This week, we have another guest reviewer joining us. His name is Charles Quarto, and I hope you enjoy his writing!

Size:  4 7/8 x 50 rg

Wrapper:  Nicaragua

Binder:  Nicaragua

Filler:  Nicaragua

Strength:  Medium – Full

Created for Mark of Tower Cigars, this exclusive release is of an identical blend as the other vitolas in the Tatuaje Miami line, but very squat in comparison.  I’d like to thank John Buchholz for the opportunity to smoke this little bomb of a cigar.

Pre-Light

A short, fat little cigar with a large ring gauge, it reminds me somewhat of the NUB by Oliva.  The construction is top notch, which is unsurprising as this cigar is rolled in Miami by Don Pepin Garcia, featuring a wrapper that is very oily and supple to the touch.  On squeezing the cigar along its length, I find it to have a slight spring to it, with no hard or soft spots anywhere.  The cap is done in traditional Cuban style triple seam, and the foot is perfectly bunched.  The perfect pre-light draw left the lips tingling, letting me know that this thing was going to pack some spice.

Burn & Draw

The burn stayed razor sharp throughout the entire cigar, leaving behind an ash that was tight, white, and held on strong until let go at the inch march.  The draw was spot on and consistent, never becoming loose or tight through the duration of the cigar.

Flavor Profile

The initial flavor burst on lighting up was packed with spicy black pepper and that familiar Tat twang, as so many people call it.  About a half inch in the power and flavors backed down a notch, but still hovered in the full range.  I was picking up very prominent flavors of leather, rich tobacco, dark cocoa, and a slight citrus bitterness that was entirely surprising, but very pleasant.  Throughout the entire smoke these flavors would swap in terms of strength, keeping it interesting, yet not totally complex.  This actually worked in the cigars favor, as I feel that a cigar this short should not be too complex, as you won’t get to enjoy its flavors to the fullest.

Overall Impression

I paired this cigar with an Allagash Dubbel Reserve Belgian Style Ale, and I would have to say it was a match made in heaven.  The power of this smoke, and the rich flavors were very complimentary to the more subtle, yet complex dark ale.  This cigar was what a NUB should be, in the sense that it hit full strength in the flavor and body right off the start, and never quit until the finger scorching nub.  If Mark ever gets more of these in, I will be certainly picking up a box.  Spicy and delicious, this is something every Tat fan would love when looking for a short in time, yet long in flavor smoke.

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The following is a press release from CRA regarding their new sampler pack for members only. The sampler pack includes many limited edition cigars, including the highly sought after Tatuaje Black. If you guys don’t know about CRA, make sure to check them out. They are doing great thing for cigar rights. I am not currently a member, but have decided as soon as I become employed full-time I am going to apply to be a Cigar Rights of America Ambassador. I encourage all of you who cherish cigar smoking to join up and fight for our rights to enjoy cigars.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 8, 2009
Contact: Brian Berman
Phone: (818) 541-1535
Email: brian.berman@cigarrights.org

CRA Launches A Limited Edition, One-Of-A-Kind Cigar Sampler – For Members Only!

Fairfax, VA – Cigar Rights of America (CRA) has announced a new program exclusively for its members that will serve as a unique member benefit, while advancing the cause of protecting cigar enthusiasts from intrusive taxation and regulation.

An initial coalition with approximately twenty of the world’s top cigar makers have joined forces to create a limited-edition, one-of-a-kind collection of cigars specially blended or sized for CRA members only! The cigars will be offered in two editions of an exclusive CRA Cigar Sampler* – each containing 10 cigars. These cigars are not available anywhere else and you must be a CRA member to get them.

CRA Executive Director Glynn Loope stated, “The Founding Sponsors of CRA wanted to offer something special to the membership. The participating companies have developed unique blends or sizes, available only in this sampler. With the proceeds of the sale of these cigars going to address the issues confronting cigar enthusiasts, this is a win-win for the member and all involved.”

The first edition CRA Cigar Sampler of 10 cigars will be pre-packaged in an all-inclusive humidor bag that includes Humidipak’s patented 2-way humidity control and will include exclusive cigars from Ashton, CAO, Casa Fernandez, Davidoff, Drew Estate, General Cigar (Punch), La Flor Dominicana, Padron, Rocky Patel and Tatuaje.

News about the CRA Cigar Sampler has already created high demand. Therefore, CRA will have a strict one sampler per member limit!

To learn more about the exclusive cigars in the first-edition CRA Cigar Sampler, or to purchase your Sampler, please visit http://www.cigarrights.org/cigar_sampler.htm.

About Cigar Rights of America
Cigar Rights of America (CRA) was founded on the principle of fighting for the freedom to enjoy premium cigars. A consumer-based, non-profit public advocacy organization that works with local, state and federal governments to protect the freedoms of cigar enthusiasts, CRA works with its constituency of members including manufacturers, retailers and cigar enthusiasts to focus on opposing restrictive smoking bans and increased taxation of cigars.

###

* Sampler contains 10 toro-size cigars. Cost $90.00 (Free Shipping!)

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This week, we have another guest review from our friend Andy Picone. He is going to be writing regularly for the site, so I hope you enjoy!

Our tastes move us from one part of the humidor to another. It’s this “matter of taste” which the manufacturers and blenders are banking on.

My name is Andy Picone and I fancy myself as a cigar evaluator. As the term implies, I’ll appraise any cigar before me. I like to compare similar products.  Keep in mind my palate is different than yours. Take this information. Appreciate it for what it’s worth. Then decide.

In this post, I’ll evaluate medium bodied Cameroon wrapped cigars. I’ve enjoyed cigars from two product lines in the La Flor Dominicana family: The Litto Gomez Cabinet Cameroon #5 (5×50) and the # 3 Box Pressed 2000 (4.875×40).  Overall, I found both to be relaxing and enjoyable. To the touch, each offers a silky sheen-like feel and toothy appearance.  A wonderful aroma permeates from the unlit foot up through the cigar. Each offers a sweet taste to the lips that should be enjoyed before a match is ever lit.  But there are some differences. While each offer and abundant amount of smoke, the Litto Gomez offers more complexity for the palate and nose to decipher. As with most Cameroons, the peppery / spice taste lingered, then suddenly replaced by an espresso chocolate charge which remained distinct for most of the session.  The 2000 offered the traditional Cameroon spice essences, and then replaced with subtle hints of citrus.  So enjoyable, yet deemed a bit thin versus the LG.  I smoked each passed the label; neither becoming volatile. I’d enjoy the 2000 for an after lunch episode, or with a good pre-dinner cocktail, whereas the LG needs a more robust accompaniment to be appreciated.

These are just two of the gems in the Cameroon arena.  With outstanding construction and a true attention to detail, LFD has projected itself to be a real player in the Cameroon category.  Now, you decide.

Enjoy the ride.

Cigar Stats:

Name: Cubao No. 4

Size: 4 7/8” x 50

First and foremost, I would like to thank Abe from Smoke Inn for sending me this cigar to review. If this cigar sounds good to you, please don’t hesitate in buying it from Abe. His customer service is first class, and he’s an all around great guy. If you live in South Florida, you need to make a point to swing by one of his multiple retail locations. His prices are outstanding and his selection is great.

The Pre-Smoke

This is a great looking robusto-sized cigar. The wrapper is a dark brown color with some mild mottling. The cigar is well-constructed and is firmly packed. On the pre-light draw, I get flavors of sweet tobacco and a hint of pepper. This Cubao looks great, and I can’t wait to get it lit up.

The Burn

I cut the cigar with my Cuban Crafters cutter and lit it with my Jet Line torch. The cigar burned perfectly, and I never had to touch it up. The ash was tight, white, and held on for about an inch and a half each time.

The Flavor

This was an extremely flavorful cigar, and was very enjoyable. Right off the bat, I got a strong blast of pepper with a woodsy backbone. This flavor lasted throughout the course of the cigar. The peppery characteristic was a little bit overpowering, but as long as you keep something to drink on hand, it shouldn’t cause a problem. One thing I noticed was a salty taste on my lips after I puffed on the cigar. I haven’t picked this up on many cigars in the past, but it provided an extra bit of flavor that I enjoyed, especially when having something sweet to drink with the cigar.

The Verdict

This was a great cigar that I think many people would enjoy. I wish it had more of a sweet flavor characteristic to it, but I still enjoyed the cigar even though it lacked that sweetness. EO has just come out with a Cubao Maduro, which is comprised of the same blend as the regular Cubao line but with a maduro wrapper. I have smoked the Cubao Maduro, and enjoyed it more than the normal Cubao line. I have found that I like the flavor profile of the 601 Red more than the cigars from the Cubao line, but that is just personal preference. The Cubao was a great cigar, and I recommend that everyone give it a try along with the rest of EO’s cigars.

Liked It: Yes.
Buy It Again: Yes.
Recommend It: Yes.

As some of you may know, I have been playing guitar for close to 10 years and love music. I was browsing the internet the other day and found this video from the people over at Wired magazine. In the video, they explain how to build a cigar box guitar. I’m sure most of you have a cigar box (or ten) lying around, so why not give this a shot? I know I will try to make one as soon as I have some down time, and will let you guys know how it goes. Enjoy!

Today, we have another guest review, this time from our friend Pat Fumador.

I stopped into Cigar Castle in Tampa on Friday afternoon to pick out a cigar that I had not tried before, and with an adventure in mind, chose this cigar.

This is what Cain puts up on their website. I found it interesting and brought what I understood to be fact to be actual fact. We wonder sometimes, yes?

Cigar Architecture is crucial in any cigar. It is especially critical in making a Straight Ligero cigar. Not All tobacco burns at the same rate. Ligeros are the fullest body, slowest burning of the tobaccos. Viso is a medium flavored with better burn qualities. Seco is lighter flavored and quickest to burn. It is the careful arrangement of these tobaccos that allows a cigar to burn true.

Flavor Range refers to the low, medium, and high range of flavors in a cigar blend. Typically these ranges are achieved by the three aforementioned tobaccos. In making a Straight Ligero cigar we are delivering our low, medium and high range all from Ligero tobaccos. Still we must carefully arrange these Ligeros with other tobaccos for a true burn. The other tobaccos make no significant contribution to flavor.

Wrapper leaf is typically credited with delivering up to 60% of the flavor of a cigar, depending on the ring gauge. This is mostly true. In a Straight Ligero cigar it plays an important but reduced role as a result of the three powerful Ligeros.

All this having been defined, here is what I personally discovered about the cigar itself.

Prelight visuals are always important. It’s like food presentation. We feast with our eyes first. Dark. Bold. Very slight oily appearance. Did I say dark? Yes, very. Wrapper was clean and slightly veiny. What one would expect from a cigar that is a company’s pride and joy.

Prelight aroma was a little confusing at first. It wanted to be grassy, but it was warmer, more dense, darker than the standard vegetable by definition as I know it.

On to the lighting! First aromas from the foot were fabulous. Richness and depth that I didn’t expect from a cigar this early. The perfume was incredible. So much so that I left the room where others were smoking so I could bring a better definition to it. Wow. Glad I did. It was almost meaty in density. First real draw was heavy. Why not? It was a very dark wrapper, bragging its’ triple fermentation ligero heritage, and stand up to its’ heritage it did.

I usually find that I have to ‘forgive’ the first inch on most cigars, allowing them to warm up and become more defined. They can be a little wild starting off. Not so with this. It started with a roar and didn’t stop until I was forced to put it down with 1/3^rd left to smoke. At that point, I was pleased that I had enjoyed a solid meal before lighting up!

Draw was easy, no straining to get smoke from this one. Firm but clean draw and very generous with smoke volume.

Two notables along the way though. The first third was rich with a pepperiness, mixed slightly with deep leather tones. Half way, it evolved more to the vegetable/grassy leather, almost totally lacking the earlier pepperiness. Still very dense and generous with the smoke volume, pleasing every corner of the palate.

Would I buy this cigar again? Yep.

Would I recommend it to friends? Only if they liked deep, dark, bold cigars that would take over given half a chance.

More reviews of this cigar:

• Cigar Jack
• Cigar Advisor
• Stogie Review
• The Stogie Guys

Today we have a guest review from our buddy Matt over at http://cigarreviews.wordpress.com. The guys from Cigar Reviews will be doing a review for our site every Thursday, so stay tuned!

Size: Figurado, 4.5×6

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Capa Corona

Binder: Connecticut

Filler: Mixed long filler, Dominican, Honduran, Nicaraguan

Strength: Medium-Full

Price: 5-pack, $12

Grade: 8.7

I can’t remember the first time I had a Punch Champion but I am sure it was the shape that initially caught my eye. About a year and a half ago I was traveling through North Carolina and I came across one of the JR Cigar stores—it was either Statesville or Selma. I spent a good hour or two in awe at the spacious humidified haven. I ended up grabbing a 5 pack of the Champion. Today’s smoke was my last in the five pack, after sharing the unique smoke with a couple buddies and having a couple myself. My Dad and I have always been a fan of Punch and, if we are in a cigar store together, at least one of us comes out with a Punch.

Appearance, 1.8:

Without a doubt the most striking feature of this stick is the beautiful egg shape. The foot is around a 50 ring size, while the head is around a 40 or so, but it is the middle that is so striking—reaching up to a 60 ring; the appearance is very similar to a snake that has just swallowed a large dinner. The Champion is double banded in the Punch trademark red and gold and features a triple cap. The head was so small that it was difficult using a punch, so I went with a .99 cutter. The appearance was superb, with very few veins, a great weight, and a flawless roll. I would have scored it a perfect 2 but the draw was a bit tight and there was a slight darkness at the foot that didn’t blend into the rest of the wrapper. Overall, this was a beautiful stick with a nice oily sheen; the smell became sweeter as you worked toward the foot.

Burn, 1.7:

The Champion burned into one of the nicest ashes I have ever seen; a perfect white color with tight, stacked layers of ash. The ash held well into the 2/3 of the smoke; perhaps most impressive was how well it held through the transitions in shape, giving a perfect burn circle throughout with no runs at all. The tight pre-light draw continued during the smoke but did improve around 2/3 and after moving past the middle egg. There was no touch up or re-light required. The deductions were for the poor draw and the slow, tight burn.

Flavor/taste, 2.4:

The Champion is definitely medium with touches of full. It was smooth throughout with small transitions in taste and strength; the first 1/3 was the fullest portion and had a slight pepper with a short burst of sweetness similar to cocoa. Some harshness arrived but only briefly. The final 2/3 burned and drew much better and mellowed a bit in strength. The flavor profiles in the first third seemed to pass into a smooth, medium bodied smoke.

Overall, 2.8:

This is an excellent stick, especially when you figure in the unique shape, the quality of the roll, and the price point: a 5 pack for $12—excellent value, perfect burn, beautiful ash. The draw improved as the smoke went on (biggest deduction), the flavor and body smoothed out, and the stick seemed to mellow as it aged (1.5 years). Highly recommend.

(Matt’s Total: 8.7)

More reviews of this cigar:

• Keepers of the Flame
• Stogie Review
• The World According To Stew
• The Stogie Guys
  

Hey guys,

Just wanted to talk about some of the new things happening on The Weekly Cigar. Please watch and let me know if there is anything else you want to see happen with the site in the future. Thanks again to all the fans for supporting the site.

This week Trendwatching.com released their September trends “Transparency Triumph: Reviewing is the new advertising”. I don’t agree that reviewing is the new advertising because traditional advertising messages are controlled by the brand; however, I do agree that consumer product reviews are very powerful and will continue to be prevalent as technology advances.

We have seen this first hand at the agency with blogger reviews.  A DIY and mommy blogger review campaign for an outdoor wood protector helped increase Internet sales by 16%.  A diabetes blogger review campaign for a new blood glucose meter drove 65% new visitors to a online diabetes supply retailer who stayed on the site for an average of 5 minutes. And for better or worse, online product reviews are imprinted on the web for consumers to continue to find and influence their decisions.

Certainly not all consumer reviews are positive.  However, the possibility of negative reviews shouldn’t hinder brands from encouraging consumer product reviews from bloggers or reviews on their own web sites.  Negative reviews can provide insight into possible product enhancements and give brands an understanding of how their products are perceived in the marketplace.  Also, if consumers don’t have an online outlet to share their product experience, you better believe they are telling all their friends, family and co-workers.