StogieNinja
Derek | BoM June 2014
Reviewing a homeroll is hard - what standard do you hold a hobbyist to? When it comes to construction, you certainly not that of a level 9 Cuban roller, or even that of a factory roller in Nicaragua. And when it comes to blend, you're not expecting top grade leaf blended by an expert blender.
Which makes this cigar all the more surprising. I went in assuming this would be an experience similar to trying a homemade beer or wine... admirable effort, resembles what they were shooting for, but can't compare to even a low tier professionally made product. I was wrong.
The first thing I noticed, right at the first puff, was the perfect draw. I'm not kidding, the draw was absolutely spot on. I had sort of assumed it would be a bit of a wind tunnel; have you ever made spring rolls or sushi at home? It's really hard to get the roll tight enough to stay together well, and I kind of assumed the same would hold true here, but the draw had just a tough of resistance to it, not too tight, not too loose.
Lighting it up, there is surprisingly no harshness or black pepper in the throat anywhere, the flavors were light white pepper, and a natural toasty tobacco from puff one. The smoke is creamy and smooth. After just two puffs, I can immediately see where the name came from, the smoke is thick and leaves a coating in the mouth that's very reminiscent of eating a marshmallow. It's not terribly sweet, and it reminds me of a homemade marshmallow, the smoke is just chewy. About an inch in, there's the addition of a little dry wood, and some leather. It's a positive development that helps round things out a bit.
Nearing the second third, the smoke grows much sweeter, and leaves a syrupy feeling in the mouth. The wood changes to a bit of an oaky flavor, which is a little disappointing, but overall it's still pretty good. I don't know whether it's the power of suggestion or not, but the marshmallow is in full effect.
About the halfway mark, things change. The oaky flavor grows, and there's just a bit of chemical harshness in the back of the throat. The coating in the mouth is syrupy and somewhat viscous, it's a little too much. Not a lot of changes from that point forward to describe. The draw remains just about right. The burn goes out a few times, and I think it may be just a bit wet. This was just rolled in May, and while I gave it about two days to dry out, it may just need more downtime.
Overall, I would say I'm very impressed. I certainly wouldn't be capable of creating a blend or rolling a cigar, and certainly not one of quality. I wish that the oaky flavor wasn't there, that it was more of a cedar or dry wood, and I would have preferred a little less syrupy mouthfeel and perhaps more baking spices to round out the profile a bit. Overall though I think he's done an amazing job rolling, and to just blend something that is smoke-able is an accomplishment; to create something that is actually enjoyable, well that's impressive!
Which makes this cigar all the more surprising. I went in assuming this would be an experience similar to trying a homemade beer or wine... admirable effort, resembles what they were shooting for, but can't compare to even a low tier professionally made product. I was wrong.
The first thing I noticed, right at the first puff, was the perfect draw. I'm not kidding, the draw was absolutely spot on. I had sort of assumed it would be a bit of a wind tunnel; have you ever made spring rolls or sushi at home? It's really hard to get the roll tight enough to stay together well, and I kind of assumed the same would hold true here, but the draw had just a tough of resistance to it, not too tight, not too loose.
Lighting it up, there is surprisingly no harshness or black pepper in the throat anywhere, the flavors were light white pepper, and a natural toasty tobacco from puff one. The smoke is creamy and smooth. After just two puffs, I can immediately see where the name came from, the smoke is thick and leaves a coating in the mouth that's very reminiscent of eating a marshmallow. It's not terribly sweet, and it reminds me of a homemade marshmallow, the smoke is just chewy. About an inch in, there's the addition of a little dry wood, and some leather. It's a positive development that helps round things out a bit.
Nearing the second third, the smoke grows much sweeter, and leaves a syrupy feeling in the mouth. The wood changes to a bit of an oaky flavor, which is a little disappointing, but overall it's still pretty good. I don't know whether it's the power of suggestion or not, but the marshmallow is in full effect.
About the halfway mark, things change. The oaky flavor grows, and there's just a bit of chemical harshness in the back of the throat. The coating in the mouth is syrupy and somewhat viscous, it's a little too much. Not a lot of changes from that point forward to describe. The draw remains just about right. The burn goes out a few times, and I think it may be just a bit wet. This was just rolled in May, and while I gave it about two days to dry out, it may just need more downtime.
Overall, I would say I'm very impressed. I certainly wouldn't be capable of creating a blend or rolling a cigar, and certainly not one of quality. I wish that the oaky flavor wasn't there, that it was more of a cedar or dry wood, and I would have preferred a little less syrupy mouthfeel and perhaps more baking spices to round out the profile a bit. Overall though I think he's done an amazing job rolling, and to just blend something that is smoke-able is an accomplishment; to create something that is actually enjoyable, well that's impressive!
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