Today was one of those particularly great days. Worked the open shift at the coffee shop, got a ton of extra baking done, got up the 1/2 mile of uphill gravel driveway just minutes before the onset of our first snow of the year, grabbed a cup of coffee and a Hemingway Best Seller and headed out to the porch to enjoy the fresh air and rare snowfall.
Beautiful little perfecto, light brown wrapper, no major veins, smells lightly of cinnamon and tobacco. Paired with a black cup of Sisters Coffee Black Butte, lit with a Ronson JetLight, and cut with a Xikar X8.
Prelight draw is a little tight, but not bad and is to be expected considering the shape. Not much prelight flavor, sweet tobacco. Firm cigar, minimal give.
The goods:
The setting:
Cigar lights up quickly and effortlessly. First puffs are delightfully sweet. Tobacco and wood, there is some spice as well. The draw has already opened up considerably and is almost perfect. The smoke has a noticeable floral scent to it. Very pleasant.
Initial light:
First third is coming along great. Firm, beautiful ash, pleasant smoke. Flavors I'm getting are cinnamon, wood, and another form of sweetness. I think I'd call it a floral note. Only thing I can think of to accompany that undoubtedly floral smell. Admittedly, aside from the occasional violet, I don't eat many flowers. lol. Burn is going great.
First third:
During this whole experience, our goats aren't far away and are taking great pains to ensure that I'm aware of their displeasure with this strange, cold, flaky substance now pouring out of the sky. Some more company has also arrived. My youngest sister and my mother. My mother had the courtesy of joining me with a glass of whiskey for the remainder of the cigar and we talked about life and laughs and Plato's theory on love. Exceptionally rare to have my mother join me while I smoke, but an exceptionally enjoyable experience.
My furry friends:
My more articulate, but no more talkative company:
Coming into the second third the smoke is billowing from the cigar. Very dry finish. Cedar is present and the cinnamon still makes an occasional appearance, but that sweet floral taste, that so far in my experience seems to be a purely A. Fuente flavor, has come to the forefront along with a nutiness and a touch of leather. The ash has fallen, but it wasn't ready to do so of it's own accord; I tipped my camera over against it by accident.
2nd third:
Coming into the final third the flavors have stayed pretty steady. Still delicious, floral flavor is still the dominant flavor here, still sweet, but not as much as the first 2/3rds. Ash is holding strong, highlighting the great construction of this stick.
Final 3rd:
At the nub this cigar was still going strong. A slight bitterness entered the picture, but not much. My hands are chilled enough at this point that I'm having trouble operating my camera steadily enough to get a good picture and the camera seems to not want to do macro, but I took one anyway. I always think that one of the best signs that a cigar is great is that it's been nubbed properly. I could've gotten a bit more out of her, but I'd run out of coffee and had some people to meet up with.
Nearly mandatory nub shot:
Final smoke time was about 40 minutes. If you've never tried one of these cigars I would highly recommend that you fix that. I'd had a bad streak with A. Fuente at first, but these cigars changed my mind completely and a couple of the A. Fuente lines, the Hemingway being one of them, are now in my all time favorites.
Part 2
After finishing up the Best Seller I braved the driveway and went to meet some old friends I hadn't seen in quite some time for more coffee. A special blend by Olympia Coffee Roasters as it were.
After that I rushed home to grab a steak and an iced tea to go meet up with two of my best friends at the lake, one of whom had just got back into town after several months East of the Cascades.
I've just finally kicked a sinus infection that had been hanging around so I decided to break out my first Tatuaje Barclay Rex 100ths, which I've been dying to try. They smell amazing and I love the look to them, though I'll admit, they're not the prettiest sticks I've ever seen. Some of them are certainly gorgeous, but others don't have particularly even wrapper color and there are some prominent veins. Keep in mind that this is only an issue with a handful out of the box. Most look good. The good looking ones are absolutely gorgeous though. Rich brown wrapper, cute, pointy little pigtail, shaggy foot, just a touch of tooth to the one I'm smoking today.
Got to the lake early and decided to wolf down that steak while I had the chance. Took a picture with the T-Rex for good measure. Seemed appropriate. lol
T-Rex meat:
The lake:
My buddies get to the lake and we hike up to a little covered area in the woods. Prelight smell is heavy with chocolate and leather. Very enjoyable. Prelight draw gives hints of chocolate and cedar. Cuts easily with my Xikar X8. Took a while to light with my Ronson. Draw is a bit tight initially and it takes a minute to get some decent smoke produced which tasted very heavily of cedar with some spice and semi-sweetness to it. Even before the smoke really got going though, I could tell that this was going to be a damn good cigar.
T-Rex right before being set aflame.
Moving through the first third Cedar is definitely the predominant flavor along with some spice, but nowhere near as much as I'd anticipated from what I'd heard. Also tasted semi-sweet chocolate from time to time. The smoke is very thick and oily. It almost leaves a coat in your mouth. Very rich and just fantastic once it finally got going.
1/3rd going strong:
One of those heftier veins(Didn't affect the burn though):
The second third comes along looking great. The ash is hold great. At least two inches and the draw has gotten better. Burn is pretty even, but not the best. I touched it up just because I'm a tad OCD when it comes to burns.
Flavor has gotten a bit creamier. Cedar is still the predominant flavor, though there is some chocolate and nuttiness in there as well. The smoke is still thick and oily, almost chewy. It's sweeter than when I started and in the later part of the 1/3rd on into the 2/3rd there is a meatiness to it that is underlying everything. Finally lost the ash a little short of halfway through.
Nice ash:
Getting about halfway:
This final 3rd is where I started to get a little disappointed with the cigar. From the beginning of that 2nd third all the way through to the end, there has been little in the way of flavor change. That cedar is still very much there and very much dominant. Spice did come back, but when it did, it just stuck around and went right along with the cedar. It's not a bad flavor mind you, but it's getting wearisome. This is a very slow smoking cigar and I'm finding myself wishing it was about an inch and a half shorter at this point, because everything up to that point was phenomenal. I did a flame purge twice during the cigar hoping to get a decent change in taste, but even that didn't help as much as I'd have liked.
Final 3rd:
Light was getting scarce by the time I finished and I didn't nub this cigar like I normally would with something I enjoyed, so there's no nub shot on this one.
This cigar blew my mind for the first hour, but this smoke lasted for a little over two. It needed more change to keep me interested and I think with some more rest on these, they'll reach that full potential. The burn was good, the basic flavor was great, the smoke was rich, however, as it stands right now, I think this is a good cigar that is too much of a good thing. I'm glad I bought them, but I think I'm going to leave them be for a while before revisiting them. I'm glad I had friends there to help entertain me for that last stretch and the air was still enough for the most part to get some kickin' smoke rings, but with the lighting I couldn't get a decent shot of them.
I ended up polishing the evening off at my dad's for a birthday celebration, another steak dinner, and a little red wine. It was an amazing day and I've still got a smile on my face. Wanted to share some of it with you folks and I appreciate any of ya'll taking the time to read through all of my wordiness. Just one of those nights where I feel like writing I guess.
Beautiful little perfecto, light brown wrapper, no major veins, smells lightly of cinnamon and tobacco. Paired with a black cup of Sisters Coffee Black Butte, lit with a Ronson JetLight, and cut with a Xikar X8.
Prelight draw is a little tight, but not bad and is to be expected considering the shape. Not much prelight flavor, sweet tobacco. Firm cigar, minimal give.
The goods:
The setting:
Cigar lights up quickly and effortlessly. First puffs are delightfully sweet. Tobacco and wood, there is some spice as well. The draw has already opened up considerably and is almost perfect. The smoke has a noticeable floral scent to it. Very pleasant.
Initial light:
First third is coming along great. Firm, beautiful ash, pleasant smoke. Flavors I'm getting are cinnamon, wood, and another form of sweetness. I think I'd call it a floral note. Only thing I can think of to accompany that undoubtedly floral smell. Admittedly, aside from the occasional violet, I don't eat many flowers. lol. Burn is going great.
First third:
During this whole experience, our goats aren't far away and are taking great pains to ensure that I'm aware of their displeasure with this strange, cold, flaky substance now pouring out of the sky. Some more company has also arrived. My youngest sister and my mother. My mother had the courtesy of joining me with a glass of whiskey for the remainder of the cigar and we talked about life and laughs and Plato's theory on love. Exceptionally rare to have my mother join me while I smoke, but an exceptionally enjoyable experience.
My furry friends:
My more articulate, but no more talkative company:
Coming into the second third the smoke is billowing from the cigar. Very dry finish. Cedar is present and the cinnamon still makes an occasional appearance, but that sweet floral taste, that so far in my experience seems to be a purely A. Fuente flavor, has come to the forefront along with a nutiness and a touch of leather. The ash has fallen, but it wasn't ready to do so of it's own accord; I tipped my camera over against it by accident.
2nd third:
Coming into the final third the flavors have stayed pretty steady. Still delicious, floral flavor is still the dominant flavor here, still sweet, but not as much as the first 2/3rds. Ash is holding strong, highlighting the great construction of this stick.
Final 3rd:
At the nub this cigar was still going strong. A slight bitterness entered the picture, but not much. My hands are chilled enough at this point that I'm having trouble operating my camera steadily enough to get a good picture and the camera seems to not want to do macro, but I took one anyway. I always think that one of the best signs that a cigar is great is that it's been nubbed properly. I could've gotten a bit more out of her, but I'd run out of coffee and had some people to meet up with.
Nearly mandatory nub shot:
Final smoke time was about 40 minutes. If you've never tried one of these cigars I would highly recommend that you fix that. I'd had a bad streak with A. Fuente at first, but these cigars changed my mind completely and a couple of the A. Fuente lines, the Hemingway being one of them, are now in my all time favorites.
Part 2
After finishing up the Best Seller I braved the driveway and went to meet some old friends I hadn't seen in quite some time for more coffee. A special blend by Olympia Coffee Roasters as it were.
After that I rushed home to grab a steak and an iced tea to go meet up with two of my best friends at the lake, one of whom had just got back into town after several months East of the Cascades.
I've just finally kicked a sinus infection that had been hanging around so I decided to break out my first Tatuaje Barclay Rex 100ths, which I've been dying to try. They smell amazing and I love the look to them, though I'll admit, they're not the prettiest sticks I've ever seen. Some of them are certainly gorgeous, but others don't have particularly even wrapper color and there are some prominent veins. Keep in mind that this is only an issue with a handful out of the box. Most look good. The good looking ones are absolutely gorgeous though. Rich brown wrapper, cute, pointy little pigtail, shaggy foot, just a touch of tooth to the one I'm smoking today.
Got to the lake early and decided to wolf down that steak while I had the chance. Took a picture with the T-Rex for good measure. Seemed appropriate. lol
T-Rex meat:
The lake:
My buddies get to the lake and we hike up to a little covered area in the woods. Prelight smell is heavy with chocolate and leather. Very enjoyable. Prelight draw gives hints of chocolate and cedar. Cuts easily with my Xikar X8. Took a while to light with my Ronson. Draw is a bit tight initially and it takes a minute to get some decent smoke produced which tasted very heavily of cedar with some spice and semi-sweetness to it. Even before the smoke really got going though, I could tell that this was going to be a damn good cigar.
T-Rex right before being set aflame.
Moving through the first third Cedar is definitely the predominant flavor along with some spice, but nowhere near as much as I'd anticipated from what I'd heard. Also tasted semi-sweet chocolate from time to time. The smoke is very thick and oily. It almost leaves a coat in your mouth. Very rich and just fantastic once it finally got going.
1/3rd going strong:
One of those heftier veins(Didn't affect the burn though):
The second third comes along looking great. The ash is hold great. At least two inches and the draw has gotten better. Burn is pretty even, but not the best. I touched it up just because I'm a tad OCD when it comes to burns.
Flavor has gotten a bit creamier. Cedar is still the predominant flavor, though there is some chocolate and nuttiness in there as well. The smoke is still thick and oily, almost chewy. It's sweeter than when I started and in the later part of the 1/3rd on into the 2/3rd there is a meatiness to it that is underlying everything. Finally lost the ash a little short of halfway through.
Nice ash:
Getting about halfway:
This final 3rd is where I started to get a little disappointed with the cigar. From the beginning of that 2nd third all the way through to the end, there has been little in the way of flavor change. That cedar is still very much there and very much dominant. Spice did come back, but when it did, it just stuck around and went right along with the cedar. It's not a bad flavor mind you, but it's getting wearisome. This is a very slow smoking cigar and I'm finding myself wishing it was about an inch and a half shorter at this point, because everything up to that point was phenomenal. I did a flame purge twice during the cigar hoping to get a decent change in taste, but even that didn't help as much as I'd have liked.
Final 3rd:
Light was getting scarce by the time I finished and I didn't nub this cigar like I normally would with something I enjoyed, so there's no nub shot on this one.
This cigar blew my mind for the first hour, but this smoke lasted for a little over two. It needed more change to keep me interested and I think with some more rest on these, they'll reach that full potential. The burn was good, the basic flavor was great, the smoke was rich, however, as it stands right now, I think this is a good cigar that is too much of a good thing. I'm glad I bought them, but I think I'm going to leave them be for a while before revisiting them. I'm glad I had friends there to help entertain me for that last stretch and the air was still enough for the most part to get some kickin' smoke rings, but with the lighting I couldn't get a decent shot of them.
I ended up polishing the evening off at my dad's for a birthday celebration, another steak dinner, and a little red wine. It was an amazing day and I've still got a smile on my face. Wanted to share some of it with you folks and I appreciate any of ya'll taking the time to read through all of my wordiness. Just one of those nights where I feel like writing I guess.
I really enjoyed sharing.
