danthebugman
BoM Nov '10
Size: 4.9 x 50
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Sumatra
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican
Beverage: Water
This morning I woke up and snuck out to the porch with my breakfast. Once I'd finished I broke out this delectable looking cigar. I have been eagerly looking forward to trying one of these as I've heard nothing but good things about them.
At first appearance I was a little puzzled as the wrapper was not as dark as I'd imagined it would be for a Sumatran wrapper. In fact if I were to guess I'd have said it was a Connecticut wrapper. That said it is an obviously well constructed cigar with tight seams, no noticeable veins, and a neatly applied cap. The band is nicely designed.
Feels well packed, there are no obvious soft spots. The aroma is a nutty tobacco with some faint, sweet spices. Scalped the cap with my Palio and was met with a fairly tight draw. Cut a little further down and perfect, except for some excess bits of tobacco covering the top part of the cut (as seen in the pic).
Cold draw flavor was a dry, almost stale, nutty tobacco with hints of aged hay. Not the profile I had been expecting. I had read of a honey like sweetness with these cigars, but certainly wasn't getting any. The Ronson made quick work of lighting it and away we went...
Didn't last long though. While the burn and draw were both top notch, the flavor profile I was getting was just not meshing with what I had heard about this cigar. Yes everyone's tastes differ, but from what I experienced I have no idea how this cigar has been getting such rave reviews. For the first few draws there was a stale, grassy flavor much like what I associate with the smell of cigarette smoke. I almost put it down there cause I wanted to vomit, but I had to find out if there was something better looming. There wasn't. A few inches in the staleness wore off and there was a roasted nutty tobacco flavor and what may have been some spiciness trying to come forth on the retro hale. Still not close to my cup of tea. I put it down about half way. I thought that maybe the Skull & Bones had fried my palate from the night before so I went back in and searched for something I knew well. I ended up pulling out an AF Exquisitos Madruo. Fired it up, nope not the palate. At least I could get rid of that annoying aftertaste. Suffice it to say I'm disappointed with what this cigar had to offer. That said, lots of other people rave about it so I'm not going to be so quick to write it off. I'll probably end up trying another one at some point and I'll update this review at that time...
Dan
