Pre-light thoughts: Felt like having another nice Connecticut. This is my first Graycliff, and I understand mild Connecticut's are not very indicative of Graycliff as a whole (not to mention that this is a very economically priced stick, which also seems different from most Graycliff lines).
This "Pirate" is a torpedo shape measuring in at 6 x 52. The Connecticut wrapper is flawless, and the cigar seems to be very well constructed. It's firm with a light "give" to it, and no soft or hard spots.
I snipped off just the first cap and it seems to have a really nice pre-light draw. The pre-light flavours are pretty typical for a Connecticut - sweet, cedary tobacco.
First third: The cigar lit up very easily and the draw is just perfect right off the starting line. It's very easy to draw a great amount of smoke out of it, but with enough resistance that it's not overheating. I find Connecticut's are most prone to foul flavours when overly hot, as they'll turn to a bitter grass flavour almost instantly.
The first 5 or so draws were very, very peppery. This is odd for a Connecticut, but it's nice.
However, it quickly mellowed out to a smooth, creamy flavour of sweet cedar and toast. It's great.
Second third: The sweetness remains and the pepper hasn't poked its head back in at all. I am starting to get some hints of vanilla .
The draw has remained perfect, and the cigar is burning beautifully. It's not a razor-sharp burn line, but it's even and hasn't dipped or tunneled at all.
Final third: At the final 2 inches, this cigar now tastes like, well, vanilla ice cream. That's the best way to describe it. Vanilla ice cream or maybe even cream soda.
It's quite decadent. While I often associate the chocolate-and-coffee flavours of a rich Maduro as being a "dessert stick", I would say this is a "dessert stick" but on the opposite end of the flavour spectrum
Final thoughts: Another very good Connecticut. I couldn't be happier that my cigar tastes are broadening out.
I wouldn't compare this to the Man o' War Virtue as they have very different flavour profiles. But I loved this one enough to say that I'd definitely keep a handful of this in my humidor, particularly when considering how dirt-cheap they are.
