Meerapfel MEIR Churchill Review: Blind test shows a completely different cigar

A Cameroon wrapper, matured for over 30 years. Tobacco that has been allowed to age for decades. In the end, this cigar leads to a much bigger question than just a flavour judgement: does it really taste the way it is - or the way I expect it to taste?

The Meerapfel MEIR Churchill shows a clearly different flavour profile in the blind test compared to the open tasting. Expectation influences the perceived complexity and the perceived price. This review is based on a structured comparison of two solo tastings with visible anilla and a blind test with two connoisseurs. 

In the blind test, the Meerapfel MEIR Churchill appears significantly calmer, more linear and less complex than in the solo tasting. With visible anilla, it tasted balanced, deep and multi-layered. I was thrilled. The difference can also be seen in the price: Two connoisseurs blindly estimate it at around CHF 15, while the actual price is CHF 63. The price is a result of the long storage period and is quite understandable given the age of the tobaccos used. The blind test shows how much perception can deviate from this.

For quick categorisation

Technically, it convinces with a stable draw and an enormously good, even burn with a stable and light-coloured ash. At the same time, I see a taped-over wrapper on one cigar and a slight curl at the end of the burn on another cigar during smoking. The curling at the end of the burn is not dramatic - it has happened to me with other cigars. It rarely happens.

Cameroon decbklatt aged for at least 30 years. Inlay tobacco: Stored for decades.

Rated in solo tasting with my tasting tool.

Facts about the Meerapfel MEIR Churchill

The Meerapfel MEIR Churchill is based on a clear concept: maximum maturity as the basis for depth and balance.

• Vitola: Churchill
• Strength: light to medium
• Smoking time: over 90 minutes
• Speciality: Cameroon cover leaf matured for at least 30 years, decades-old inlay
• Origin: not communicated transparently

It is precisely this exceptional maturity that creates high expectations - and it is precisely these expectations that are completely absent in the blind test. During my two solo tastings, the cigar tasted excellent.

A nice detail: The following can be seen on the back of this very high-quality card:

A short comic about the history of Meerapfel. I love nice surprises like this!

Now the real story begins

I want to know. So I smoke the same cigar several times. Two examples with Anilla, with knowledge, with everything I know about them - in my solo tasting. And I am thrilled! A few days later, I put the same cigar in a completely different room. Blind. No name, no price, no story. The three of us sit in the cigar.zone lounge. I push the cigars across the table. „Just smoke them,“ I say. „No information.“ Lighters click. The smoke rises. Silence. 

„Hm... that must be old tobacco,“ mumbles one of them. I say nothing. Because this is where the experiment begins. Not in the tobacco. But in what happens in your head beforehand. 

Flashback: Solo tasting with the knowledge of decades of matured tobacco - and the idea that everything has to be perfect with it

The cigar glows excellently.

Behind the Meerapfel MEIR Churchill is the „Créateur Cigarier“ line. Tobacco from family stocks, matured over decades in Europe to break down impurities such as ammonia and allow the essential oils to emerge more clearly. In addition, there are Cameroon wrapper leaves that are over 30 years old and blends that can vary. It is rolled in the Dominican Republic and further matured in Belgium.

The aim is not a loud interplay of flavours, but calm, balance and control. With this image in mind, I light the first two cigars. And that's exactly how the cigar feels. Calm. Sovereign. It develops slowly, without pressure. Nut, earth, a subtle sweetness - everything interlocks, appears cohesive and harmonious.

I sit there and think ecstatically:
That's exactly how I imagined them. 

Simply marvellous, this cigar in my solo tasting.

Then comes the blind test - and the same cigar tips in a different direction

Reminder: No anilla. No context. Just smoke. And suddenly the same cigar seems different. Quieter. Narrower. More reserved. I take a drag, pause and am disappointed, even though I know what I'm smoking. But of course the Anilla is not there - this exceptionally beautiful Anilla. I don't say anything because I don't want to influence anyone. 

„Somehow... she's quiet, isn't she?“ one of us says into the silence. We all nod. The flavours are there, but they no longer intertwine. They stand next to each other. „Very linear, almost boring,“ says the other. That's exactly what it is. It's not bad. But much less present than in the solo tastings a few days earlier. In the first half, it seems round and flowing in the solo tasting, but flat and less connected in the blind test.

In the second half, she gains some body in the blind test. „Now she's coming... maybe,“ says one. This „maybe“ remains in the room. Because it comes timidly, as if with the handbrake on, already smoking. With context in solo tasting, it seems lively. Without context, it remains reserved. The mood shifts in the last third. A bitterness emerges, along with a slightly charred impression. Not a gentle transition, but a break. We look at each other. Nobody says anything. We all smoke slowly - it's not that. 

When the truth is on the table

Then I dissolve. „Cameroon wrapper leaf matured for 30 years. Decades old tobacco. Sea apple MEIR Churchill. “Silence. „And?“ I ask. A shrug of the shoulders. „Actually... I would have expected more if I'd known that beforehand.“ The decisive factor is that the rating doesn't change even after the cancellation. Then I ask the next question. „What do you think - how much does it cost?“ 

„Maybe 15 francs.“ „Yes, in that range,“ replies the other. I let a moment pass. „63 francs.“ A short laugh. „No way.“ And that's where the difference becomes tangible once again. The same cigar leads to two completely different categorisations. Not only in terms of flavour, but also in terms of perceived value. Technically, it does almost everything right: perfect draw, smooth burn, no, even perfect - really. With one specimen: A slight curl at the end of the burn. I know this from other cigars from time to time. My friend reaches for the Cigar glue CIGLUE and continues. The smoke is running

The Anilla is exceptional. Here is the back. Perfectly glued, only on the symbol!

„The MEIR Robusto I once smoked was much better,“ one of them suddenly says. This sentence remains in the room, almost heavier than anything else. Because now everything is visible: with Anilla, the Meerapfel MEIR Churchill appears deep, structured and multi-layered. Without context, it loses precisely this effect. Not necessarily because the tobacco can do less, but because the framework in which we categorise it is missing. 

Solo tasting: I also admired the burn and the stable ash.

What this evening really showed

I've never seen anilla like this before. Very elaborate in production. It is perfect.

We sit there for a moment. The smoke thins out. „That was exciting,“ says one of us. „More than that,“ I reply. „You smoke differently when you don't know anything; deeper and unbiased,“ I add. Silence. This experiment takes nothing away from the cigar. It exposes something. It shows how much expectation is involved in smoking even before the first puff. 

The conclusion is clear: the Meerapfel MEIR Churchill shows in the blind test how much expectation changes the perceived complexity, the rating and the perceived value of a cigar.

This is precisely where the real value of this evening lies:
Not only in the comparison of two tastings, but in a rarely clear view of how cigars are co-created in the mind. 

When you judge a cigar, you never just judge the tobacco. You also always judge what you know - or think you know - about it.

What do you think? Write it in the comments below - no registration required. 

Picture credits

• Vasilij Ratej

Resources on the topic

Meearpfel at Manuel's

Find sea apple MEIR Churchill

Cigar perception and sensory perception: How knowledge shapes your taste

More smoke. With me.💨🤗

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