Straight Up Cigars Phenom No 3 Review (Rated 92)
See the original article:http://straightupcigars.com/fq-phenom-cigar-review/
Up for review is the FQ Phenom cigar. I was only able to find this on sale at one site currently, not sure if that means it has been discontinued, but we’re reviewing it anyways! The dark wrapper left is so oily that it has yellowed out cellophanes. It seems like a well constructed cigar with a good draw after cutting. Once lit up, we tasted an intense peppery heat along with a bitter dark coffee flavor. That heat was like nothing we’ve had in a cigar before – it left your mouth tingling! We had a couple of minor construction issues, but nothing major. Overall, that peppery heat makes this one of the most unique cigars we’ve had and we really enjoyed it. Give it a try!
StraightUpCigars: Rating: Flavor and Taste: 18/20 Construction: 9/10 Wrapper: 5/5 Price Point: 9/10 Would I buy a Box: 5/5 Total: 46/50
Terry1: Rating: Flavor and Taste: 16/20 Construction: 9/10 Wrapper: 5/5 Price Point: 9/10 Would I buy a Box: 5/5 Total: 44/50
7:39 PM StraightUpCigars: Mine has a dark, oily wrapper leaf (the cellophane was tinted yellow from all the oil). Perfect draw after cutting. Nice chocolatey-tobacco smell. 7:40 PM Terry1: I had to check my cello. You are right. It’s yellowed! Looks like a well constructed cigar. Good draw on mine as well. Let’s light up! 7:42 PM StraightUpCigars: Great, lighting! 7:45 PM Terry1: First few puffs are creamy. There’s some sweetness, cedar and spice. Good start. 7:45 PM StraightUpCigars: Interesting mix of flavors to start – I’m getting a dry and rich smoke with a ton of pepper and spice. There’s a hint of sweet in there too. Hard to pin anything down yet. 7:46 PM StraightUpCigars: This is the only place I could find that sells them: https://www.cigarhustler.com/fq-phenom-no-3-robusto-cigar-single-p-2749.html?zenid=2ec5ch410p86r02d1jenkl6280 [FQ Phenom No. 3 Robusto Cigar – Single Buy FQ Phenom No. 3 Robusto Cigar Single [MPN-Cigar2484] – $7.00 : CigarHustler.com, Large selection of cigars] FQ Phenom No. 3 Robusto Cigar – Single Buy FQ Phenom No. 3 Robusto Cigar Single [MPN-Cigar2484] – $7.00 : CigarHustler.com, Large selection of cigars 7:47 PM Terry1: Yeah, I just retrohaled, the pepper is intense. I’ll wait and see if it mellows before I try that again. 7:48 PM StraightUpCigars: Lol, you are braver than me, this one has some serious pepper heat! 7:49 PM StraightUpCigars: My burn is running down one side, going to correct it. 7:50 PM Terry1: Nice story but little actual information about the cigar. $7 is about average these days for a new boutique blend. 7:50 PM StraightUpCigars: Looks like the FQ website is down – not a good sign. http://fernandezyquiroga.com/story/ 7:53 PM Terry1: I found a reference to the wrapper being Ecuadorian Habano and made in the Dominican. 7:55 PM Terry1: My sample is burning well. The ash is starting to flower and flake off everywhere. The cigar is smoking well and I’m enjoying the flavors. 7:56 PM StraightUpCigars: Atleast we have some info now. This one has this high heat pepper flavor like white pepper. Enjoyable, but I can’t think of any other cigar I’ve ever had with that much “quiet” heat. 7:58 PM StraightUpCigars: It just lingers between puffs… it’s strange. I’m not able to taste much else going on. 7:58 PM Terry1: Up close I like the simple band but if I were in a humidor with several hundred selections, this would be easy to overlook. 8:00 PM StraightUpCigars: Good point. You really have to study it to even figure out what it is. 8:03 PM Terry1: Pepper on mine is starting to mellow a little. I’m picking up a floral note now, along with that mild sweetness, maybe vanilla. Boy the smoke just coats your palate. 8:04 PM StraightUpCigars: It really does. This stick tastes nothing like it smelled – definitely full flavored. 8:08 PM Terry1: Finish is getting a little bitter, like black coffee. Not sure if this is what you meant by heat but my mouth feels a heat like I ate a hot pepper. 8:13 PM StraightUpCigars: Exactly what I’m talking about. There’s not a lot of pepper flavor right now, per se, but I can feel it! 8:16 PM Terry1: Bands peeled off easily. Burn is wavy but keeping up. About halfway and except for the pepper mellowing there’s no real changes to report. Starting to feel the nicotine thou. 8:17 PM StraightUpCigars: I can feel it too. I’m a little past halfway. I’m getting the black coffee now – like the richest and darkest coffee I’ve ever drank. 8:18 PM StraightUpCigars: It’s like the flavors of this one are always the boldest you’ve ever tasted – pepper heat and coffee. 8:23 PM Terry1: Getting a void underneath the binder and the burn is starting to travel down that side. 8:25 PM StraightUpCigars: I think they missed the mark on marketing. The description makes it sound like yet another Dominican copy of Cuban cigars. That’s not what this is at all – it’s an intense flavor bomb and not like any cigar I’ve had before. 8:26 PM Terry1: I agree. Lots of flavor. This is not what I think of when the terms Dominican and Cuban are used. 8:29 PM Terry1: We’ve had these for a year now. Makes you wonder what is going on with the company if the website is down and it’s not readily available. Maybe the cigar wasn’t a hit and they had to close up shop? 8:29 PM StraightUpCigars: I think that may be. That’s unfortunate. 8:32 PM Terry1: Got less than an inch to go. The void didn’t cause too much problems. It was short and the rest of the burn caught up. Flavors still have some pepper, sweetness, mild cedar and that crazy heat in the mouth. Strength is approaching full now. 8:33 PM StraightUpCigars: Mines getting close to tapped out, but I’m going to finish it up. I like the flavor. All I can taste at this point is that crazy dark and bitter coffee with a ton of pepper heat on the finish. Such a bizarre cigar. 8:36 PM Terry1: I’m about done on my end. I can rate when you’re ready. 8:37 PM StraightUpCigars: Me too, ratings coming up. 8:39 PM StraightUpCigars: Overall I thought this was a really fun stick. That bizarre pepper heat and bold coffee kept me guessing. Different from anything I’ve smoked before, which is rare these days. 8:40 PM Terry1: A bit of a surprise. Good bold flavors. Only transition was with the pepper mellowing. Interesting smoking experience. I’d recommend trying it if you can find it.
