Man O’ War Ruination Cigar Review
I get it, the marketing whizzes behind the Man O’ War’s branding really want to get across the point that they are extremely bad ass by calling their newest creation “Ruination.” Well, it’s either they want to position their cigars as the bad boy of cigardom or their Ruination line is an ode to America’s economy. Alright, now that I have done the requisite mocking of the bad boy image thing I can actually get to reviewing this cigar.
Two bands adorn this dark and oily cigar. It is very hard to the touch and has some imperfections (veins, minor holes, discolorations) but, based on the other cigars from this line I have smoked, those negatives do not translate into a bad cigar.
One thing that I do have to mention is the sheer size of this cigar. I am smoking the Robusto No. 1 that measures 5 1/2″ by 54 ring gauge, which is fairly substantial, to say the least. Cigars of this magnitude will almost always take longer to smoke than their smaller brethren and, when you also factor in the price, which is north of $10.00, you would be well advised to take your time with this cigar.
Cigar Stats
Robusto
Length: 5 1/2″
Ring Gauge: 54
Wrapper: Ecuador grown Habano-seed ligero
Binder: ???
Filler: Cuban-seed Nicaraguan and Honduran long-leaf ligeros
Price: $10.00
Legion Flame!
While the draw is definitely too tight with this cigar, it’s not to the point of being unsmokable by any means. Flavors are definitely rolling through. A phalanx of warm spice is followed up by a cacophony of other flavors ranging from leather to herbal notes to sweet wood.
After about the one inch mark the draw does noticeably open up so that it is no longer a problem. The burn is very consistent and the strength of this cigar is definitely in the full bodied range.
This is definitely one of the best cigars I have smoked in a couple of months. With robust flavors and some strength this cigar is definitely growing on me – and I’m still in the first third of the cigar!
The second third of the cigar features a smokier flavor profile that features leather and a slight hint of charcoal. There is also a vein of sweetness that runs throughout the flavor profile.
Nearing the last third and it this Man O’ War Ruination is still great. What is really great about this cigar is the shear number of flavor layers. Sweetness, spice, leather and a couple of other tasty layers make up what is a great cigar.
Near the end a blend of salty and meaty flavors come through.
93 points
Man O’ War Torpedo – Cigar Review
This is a thick, maduro cigar. Supposedly, it is supposed to be very strong – I don’t know. Just because it is a maduro does not mean it is going to be a strong cigar. Well, we’ll see. To tell you the truth I am not expecting that much from this cigar. I’ve been wrong before and hopefully I am wrong here as well.
The Flame!
Actually, at first it is a strong cigar. There are toast and nutty flavors for this cigar. The draw is great as well. It is not burning evenly though but I do like the flavors. So far so good and I am pleasantly surprised so far.
Alright, now I have smoked it down nearly an inch. Some of the strength that was present at first has gone away. The flavors have changed a bit and I am getting a meaty, almost jerky-like flavor coming through. It smells earthy now too.
There is no way I can say that this is one of my favorite cigars. I like the flavors, mostly, but they seem to be competing with each other. You could call it a complex cigar, kind of like a grade school marching band is complex. There are a ton of different things going on but they do not come together at all.
But it’s not all bad. Not at all really. It is a fairly strong cigar, it is standing up rather well to my Wild Turkey, which doesn’t always happen. And while the flavors are all over the place I can tell that with some aging this cigar will be much better. Heck, even as it stands now it isn’t a bad cigar.
Personally speaking, I would give this cigar another month or two in the humidor. It isn’t too far off from being a really good cigar. I think it even has potential to be a 90 point cigar. Right now, however, it isn’t.
87 points
