Many thanks to Gokian who sent me a couple of these cigars and a few hitchikers. I meant to have the camera ready for this review but the batteries were dead. Shuckins posted a review of the same cigar and it has many good photos included.
The cigar is dark, oily, and heavy in the hand with no soft spots. Triple capped and a complex looking blend of fillers that range from medium brown, dark brown and some very orangy rosado looking leaves. The fillers are noticeably thick and oily leaves.
Pre-light smell from the foot is an intense molasses, nut, and fresh baked bread. The wrapper smells of leather, a hint of barnyard, and the molasses from the foot.
I should note that this is two days of the truck and it was dry boxed for a day. Guatemalan El Conquito medium roast coffee was the beverage. French pressed with straight cream, it is a Cup of Excellence semi-finalist and is a very full bodied, almost meaty coffee.
Punch cut left the draw a bit tight so I clipped the cap leaving a PERFECT draw. The cigar was somewhat reluctant to take flame and lit a bit uneven, but immediately self corrected to a nice even burn with a whitish solid ash. It is an absolute smokestack from start and continues to produce nice thick clouds to the end.
Initial flavors are medium bodied and complex. Leather is dominant and there is a nice sweetness and toasty bready flavor on the retrohale. Very sweet if sipped and more leathery sweet if puffed a bit. Flavors remain consistent through the first half of the cigar but it is a complex blend of flavors that fluctuate within their specific range and leather is by far the dominant profile, but there were some floral almost raisin like notes through the first inch or so.
The aroma off the clipped head is rich coffee and the ambient smoke is pleasant, complex and sweet. It is a slow burning cigar that did not require any relights and only a couple optional touch-ups. The ash was solid and easily held an inch or more. The cigar slowly but steadily ramped up in strength from medium, to medium/full, and finally the lighter side of full in the last inch or so.
The coffee smell off the head foreshadows the flavor of the last third nicely and the leather starts to turn toward a roasty coffe flavor. The flavors hit mostly the front of the palate throughout the smoke but there is a hint of black pepper in the back of the palate during the last third. Approaching the nub the smell off the head turns toward a sweet licorice and the flavor goes back to sweet leather.
Final impressions: A well made, quality cigar. Leathery and medium/full strenth and medium body. This would make for a great every day smoke as there was not a bad flavor from start to finninsh and it had just enough complexity and strength to make it very satisfying. It has some nuanced flavors but does not require the smoker to pay much attention to enjoy the overall profile. Paired nicely with the coffee and was mouth watering with no dryness on the palate. I am sure these will age well but are certainly ready to smoke now with no harshness or rough edges and a very nice balance throughout the hour and a half smoking time. A good price point as well at about $5 apiece.
Thanks again to Gokian for sending me this smoke. I will surely pick up a few more of these, and I am interested to see how the blend tastes in the Churchill.
The cigar is dark, oily, and heavy in the hand with no soft spots. Triple capped and a complex looking blend of fillers that range from medium brown, dark brown and some very orangy rosado looking leaves. The fillers are noticeably thick and oily leaves.
Pre-light smell from the foot is an intense molasses, nut, and fresh baked bread. The wrapper smells of leather, a hint of barnyard, and the molasses from the foot.
I should note that this is two days of the truck and it was dry boxed for a day. Guatemalan El Conquito medium roast coffee was the beverage. French pressed with straight cream, it is a Cup of Excellence semi-finalist and is a very full bodied, almost meaty coffee.
Punch cut left the draw a bit tight so I clipped the cap leaving a PERFECT draw. The cigar was somewhat reluctant to take flame and lit a bit uneven, but immediately self corrected to a nice even burn with a whitish solid ash. It is an absolute smokestack from start and continues to produce nice thick clouds to the end.
Initial flavors are medium bodied and complex. Leather is dominant and there is a nice sweetness and toasty bready flavor on the retrohale. Very sweet if sipped and more leathery sweet if puffed a bit. Flavors remain consistent through the first half of the cigar but it is a complex blend of flavors that fluctuate within their specific range and leather is by far the dominant profile, but there were some floral almost raisin like notes through the first inch or so.
The aroma off the clipped head is rich coffee and the ambient smoke is pleasant, complex and sweet. It is a slow burning cigar that did not require any relights and only a couple optional touch-ups. The ash was solid and easily held an inch or more. The cigar slowly but steadily ramped up in strength from medium, to medium/full, and finally the lighter side of full in the last inch or so.
The coffee smell off the head foreshadows the flavor of the last third nicely and the leather starts to turn toward a roasty coffe flavor. The flavors hit mostly the front of the palate throughout the smoke but there is a hint of black pepper in the back of the palate during the last third. Approaching the nub the smell off the head turns toward a sweet licorice and the flavor goes back to sweet leather.
Final impressions: A well made, quality cigar. Leathery and medium/full strenth and medium body. This would make for a great every day smoke as there was not a bad flavor from start to finninsh and it had just enough complexity and strength to make it very satisfying. It has some nuanced flavors but does not require the smoker to pay much attention to enjoy the overall profile. Paired nicely with the coffee and was mouth watering with no dryness on the palate. I am sure these will age well but are certainly ready to smoke now with no harshness or rough edges and a very nice balance throughout the hour and a half smoking time. A good price point as well at about $5 apiece.
Thanks again to Gokian for sending me this smoke. I will surely pick up a few more of these, and I am interested to see how the blend tastes in the Churchill.
