Matt (FireDoc83) sent me a couple of these in the latest wave of shock and awww and holy cow... what a wonderful cigar!
Made in Nicaragua by Pinar del Rio, the BotL Small Batch 2010 (Corona Gorda: 6" x 46) is, first and foremost, a beautiful cigar. Bumpy but firm construction, with a dark, very oily Brazilian Bahia wrapper that looks like well-oiled leather. It looks rich and delicious, and it smells like old leather and cedar and spices.
It cut cleanly and the unlit draw was nondescript and so easy that I thought I might have trouble getting any taste or smoke out of it. I shouldn't have worried - it had both in plenty. Lots of leather, which I could have guessed, and red pepper and other spices, and nuts and dark chocolate. Some cedar and a smoky-sweet coffee in there, too, more noticeable in the second half. An incredible array of flavors that somehow didn't get in each others' way.
The burn got a little uneven here and there - due to the "bumpiness" noted earlier, I suppose - but it never detracted from the experience and always self-corrected within a half-inch of so.
The draw was effortless, but still produced plenty of flavor and smoke, all without burning too hotly or too quickly - a very neat trick. This wonderful smoke brightened up just about half of a rainy and otherwise dull three-hour drive.
I was very sorry to learn just how rare these little beauties are. Which, I suppose, makes the small batch BotL even more of a value at $6 and change per stick. Mine, however, was free. Thanks, Matt!
Appearance and Construction: 13/15
Flavor: 23/25
Smoking Characteristics: 23/25
Overall Impression: 33/35
Total: 92/100
Made in Nicaragua by Pinar del Rio, the BotL Small Batch 2010 (Corona Gorda: 6" x 46) is, first and foremost, a beautiful cigar. Bumpy but firm construction, with a dark, very oily Brazilian Bahia wrapper that looks like well-oiled leather. It looks rich and delicious, and it smells like old leather and cedar and spices.
It cut cleanly and the unlit draw was nondescript and so easy that I thought I might have trouble getting any taste or smoke out of it. I shouldn't have worried - it had both in plenty. Lots of leather, which I could have guessed, and red pepper and other spices, and nuts and dark chocolate. Some cedar and a smoky-sweet coffee in there, too, more noticeable in the second half. An incredible array of flavors that somehow didn't get in each others' way.
The burn got a little uneven here and there - due to the "bumpiness" noted earlier, I suppose - but it never detracted from the experience and always self-corrected within a half-inch of so.
The draw was effortless, but still produced plenty of flavor and smoke, all without burning too hotly or too quickly - a very neat trick. This wonderful smoke brightened up just about half of a rainy and otherwise dull three-hour drive.
I was very sorry to learn just how rare these little beauties are. Which, I suppose, makes the small batch BotL even more of a value at $6 and change per stick. Mine, however, was free. Thanks, Matt!
Appearance and Construction: 13/15
Flavor: 23/25
Smoking Characteristics: 23/25
Overall Impression: 33/35
Total: 92/100
