Firstly, let me apologize for not getting my review up in a timely fashion.
That being said, I sort of did it on purpose. I wanted to give the stick ample time to rest
after what I am sure was an arduous journey to my door. So, with the apology and disclaimer,
let's see what we have here.
First Impression:
It's a good looking cigar with a light brown, slighty oily wrapper that has some
moderate tooth when you examine it closely. There are no soft spots or bulges, and the cigar is fairly
firmly packed but not heavy in the hand at all. I can't say that I'm very fond of the band, but I'm not
going to smoke it, so no big deal.
Pre Light:
The wrapper is giving me a light barnyard smell, which is almost always a good thing.
I moisten the tip and give it a V-cut, which doesn't do any harm to the cap at all. For me, that's
one more indication of a well-constructed cigar. The unlit draw gives me sweet tobacco, and some
green-grass kind of taste, which I'm honestly not particularly fond of.
1/3:
The foot toasted up perfectly, and the cigar lit right up effortlessly. It's putting out
what I would call a moderate amount of smoke, and I let it breathe on the ashtray for a minute
before taking my first real draw. The first draw gives me some sweet tobacco taste, along with some
light oak, and green hay, that taste I'm not particularly fond of. It reminds me quite a bit of an organic
Verdadero smoke that I really didn't end up liking very much. I decide to let it rest in the
ashtray for another couple of minutes to see if that goes away. Thankfully, after one more draw,
it did. About an inch in, the taste is sweetening up a bit, and that green grassy taste has been
replaced by sweet tobacco, that same light oak, some light cinnamon, and a bit of lemon grass. I'm picking
up a bit of creaminess on the finish, which at this point is pretty short, but okay. The burn is perfectly
razor sharp and straight, and the ash is solid and white, displaying the tiny dots left behind by tooth.
It holds on for about an inch and a half before falling. I would describe the body as mild,
maybe barely medium, and I'm starting to enjoy this cigar.
2/3:
The cigar is still burning and drawing perfectly, and some hazelnut has crept into the finish, which
is getting a bit longer. Light oak, some lemon grass, and cinnamon are the predominant things
I am picking up now. I'm being reminded a bit of Thai food that has been prepared by an experienced
chef who knows when to stop adding spices. A bit of caramel seems to be going in and out of the profile,
and I'm getting some very nice plain old sweet tobacco to go along with the rest of the flavors. The
burn is still absolutely perfect, although the cigar is ashing itself about every 3/4 inch now. At one point
I did get a little bit of slight flowering at the end of the ash, but the burn line has remained razor-sharp
the whole time. I think my only critique at this point is that if the cigar was just a bit more firmly
packed, the finish would probably be amazing, although it's still quite good.
3/3:
This stick is really starting to pick up now in the flavor department. I'm still getting
plenty of light oak and cinnamon, and the lemon grass and sweet Thai-food-like spices are seriously
starting to pick up now. The finish has taken on a very distinct hazelnut quality, and has gotten
fairly long and very enjoyable. I'm finding that even as the spice picks up, it retains a gentle
quality that makes this a really enjoyable mild bodied cigar. At this point I had to go inside
and get my chicken marinating for dinner. I left the cigar on my ashtray for almost ten minutes
and when I returned, we picked up right where we had left off. No re-light, no touch-up. This, to
me is a mark of a well constructed and properly humidified cigar. Taking it all the way to the
nub, the spices picked up still more, and the finish got nice and long, giving me that hazelnut
that I really enjoy. I took it all the way down to my fingers, and it never got hot or tarred
up on me.
Wrap it up:
When I got that green grassy taste to start out with, I was a bit worried about how
this was going to turn out. After it left, I ended up with a very nice mild bodied smoke that
I really enjoyed. Construction and burn were top-notch (band notwithstanding), and I ended up
really enjoying the thing. This could easily be a go-to smoke when I'm in the mood for something
milder. I kinda wish I had smoked in the morning with some coffee. I may have to get some
more of these. Thanks for the opportunity guys!