The weather turned nice this afternoon, following the off+on rainstorms of the last 36 hrs. So I went out to the back deck to smoke a brand I'd never had before.
Size: 6" x 54
Wrapper: Shade grown Criollo
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras / Nicaragua
Price: Approx. $8
Pre-Light: Smooth milk chocolate colored wrapper with some smallish veins. Has some good heft and the feel is mostly firm. The aroma is very light with some mild wood, chocolate and slight barnyard.
First 1/3: Very easy draw with plenty of smoke produced. The smoke is not creamy or thick though - just lots of volume. The flavors and body are quite mild to begin. Mostly light wood with a bit of mild pepper. After the first inch or so the flavor changes to a very dry earth / leather with a touch of sweetness. It's rather odd as I can't taste anything in the middle of my tongue at all. The finish is somewhat short also. The burn is mostly even with a solid light gray ash.
Second 1/3: The body has picked up a notch to the mild side of medium. Flavors are now tobacco, cedar, hints of caramel / cocoa and a touch of mild spices. The finish is longer now with some creaminess and richness in the smoke. Burn and draw are both very good. The last 5+ minutes of this third saw the body and strength kick up a notch to a solid medium.
Final 1/3: This final part started with the body and strength both way up into the medium-full range. The flavors were the same as before - tobacco, cedar, caramel and spices, but they were all really deep and rich. This lasted about 5 min where they settled down again into the medium strength range. Burn and draw are still very good. I smoked this down to just past the band point = about 1 1/2" left. Total smoke time = about 70 min.
I was rather surprised that this cigar would start so mild and then crank up in body and strength so much during one brief point. The fuller flavors didn't last long, but they did add to the overall enjoyment of the smoke.
Size: 6" x 54
Wrapper: Shade grown Criollo
Binder: Honduras
Filler: Honduras / Nicaragua
Price: Approx. $8
Pre-Light: Smooth milk chocolate colored wrapper with some smallish veins. Has some good heft and the feel is mostly firm. The aroma is very light with some mild wood, chocolate and slight barnyard.
First 1/3: Very easy draw with plenty of smoke produced. The smoke is not creamy or thick though - just lots of volume. The flavors and body are quite mild to begin. Mostly light wood with a bit of mild pepper. After the first inch or so the flavor changes to a very dry earth / leather with a touch of sweetness. It's rather odd as I can't taste anything in the middle of my tongue at all. The finish is somewhat short also. The burn is mostly even with a solid light gray ash.
Second 1/3: The body has picked up a notch to the mild side of medium. Flavors are now tobacco, cedar, hints of caramel / cocoa and a touch of mild spices. The finish is longer now with some creaminess and richness in the smoke. Burn and draw are both very good. The last 5+ minutes of this third saw the body and strength kick up a notch to a solid medium.
Final 1/3: This final part started with the body and strength both way up into the medium-full range. The flavors were the same as before - tobacco, cedar, caramel and spices, but they were all really deep and rich. This lasted about 5 min where they settled down again into the medium strength range. Burn and draw are still very good. I smoked this down to just past the band point = about 1 1/2" left. Total smoke time = about 70 min.
I was rather surprised that this cigar would start so mild and then crank up in body and strength so much during one brief point. The fuller flavors didn't last long, but they did add to the overall enjoyment of the smoke.
