- Joined
- Jan 23, 2016
- Messages
- 383
I bought a couple of fivers of the Le Careme last month (5 of the Coasacos and 5 of the Canonazo sizes).
I usually wait a couple of months before smoking cigars I buy, but I thought, "What the heck?", and this would be a good way to compare the same cigar two weeks in my humidor and two months down the road.
The Le Careme is the latest offer by Crowned Heads (released at IPCPR 2016). Here are the stats (from Famous)
Manufacturer - Crowned Heads
Vitola - Canonazo
Size - 5 7/8 X 52
Wrapper - Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder - Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler - Nicaraguan
On the pre-light, I got a smooth and satisfying heavy chocolate aroma. The chocolate was a dark chocolate, but on the lighter side of dark chocolates if that makes any sense
The wrapper has a rich dark brown color that had plenty of tooth.
I used a straight cut, as I usually do with all my cigars.
The pre-light draw gave me a nice taste in the back of my mouth that contained more chocolate and some leather. I feel I could just chew on it without even lighting it and be happy.
However, I decided to go ahead and light it. At the first light, I got chocolate, leather, and an oily feel all packed in a good amount of body. I also noticed it had a hefty amount of smoke production. Not Liga like, but definitely more than your average cigar.
Initially, the draw was a bit tight, but I didn't mind because of all the flavor and body I was getting. Later, in the second period, I forgot about the draw... so either it loosened up a bit or the draw matched the flavor and body profile. What I mean here is IMO certain flavor/body combinations call for looser draws while others call for tighter draws.
Either way, it was good.
The finish was deep and heavy.
In the second period, the chocolate, leather, and oil were joined by a meaty taste. It reminded me of a burnt-end BBQ sandwich (which is every bit as good as it sounds). To compliment that was a bit of a salty taste on the finish.
The construction was great. The burn line was pretty straight and had a pretty thin mascara line.
One thing I noticed up till this point was that the flavors in the cigar were pretty distinct. You could say it lacked balance (this could be attributed to the fact that it's a newer cigar and only spent 2 weeks in my humi).
The beginning of the third period saw all the flavors finally come together and it tasted great. All-in-all, it reminded me of a chocolate cream pie. Notes from this time period seem lacking and I think it was because I really took my time and enjoyed the cigar. All the flavors mentioned before melded together, and this is how I think the cigar was meant to taste like.
Unfortunately this didn't last, as towards the end, I felt it returned to the lack of balance in flavors that I experienced in the first period.
The slight saltiness was still present in the finish and was joined by a slight sweetness that reminded me of seltzer water. There were also notes in the finish that reminded me of an Anejo.
Overall, the cigar provided me with a couple of hours of enjoyment. I think that it could use some rest which will hopefully help balance it out. I'll try again in a few months and let you know
Thanks for reading.
I usually wait a couple of months before smoking cigars I buy, but I thought, "What the heck?", and this would be a good way to compare the same cigar two weeks in my humidor and two months down the road.
The Le Careme is the latest offer by Crowned Heads (released at IPCPR 2016). Here are the stats (from Famous)
Manufacturer - Crowned Heads
Vitola - Canonazo
Size - 5 7/8 X 52
Wrapper - Connecticut Broadleaf
Binder - Ecuadorian Sumatra
Filler - Nicaraguan
On the pre-light, I got a smooth and satisfying heavy chocolate aroma. The chocolate was a dark chocolate, but on the lighter side of dark chocolates if that makes any sense
The wrapper has a rich dark brown color that had plenty of tooth.
I used a straight cut, as I usually do with all my cigars.
The pre-light draw gave me a nice taste in the back of my mouth that contained more chocolate and some leather. I feel I could just chew on it without even lighting it and be happy.
However, I decided to go ahead and light it. At the first light, I got chocolate, leather, and an oily feel all packed in a good amount of body. I also noticed it had a hefty amount of smoke production. Not Liga like, but definitely more than your average cigar.
Initially, the draw was a bit tight, but I didn't mind because of all the flavor and body I was getting. Later, in the second period, I forgot about the draw... so either it loosened up a bit or the draw matched the flavor and body profile. What I mean here is IMO certain flavor/body combinations call for looser draws while others call for tighter draws.
Either way, it was good.
The finish was deep and heavy.
In the second period, the chocolate, leather, and oil were joined by a meaty taste. It reminded me of a burnt-end BBQ sandwich (which is every bit as good as it sounds). To compliment that was a bit of a salty taste on the finish.
The construction was great. The burn line was pretty straight and had a pretty thin mascara line.
One thing I noticed up till this point was that the flavors in the cigar were pretty distinct. You could say it lacked balance (this could be attributed to the fact that it's a newer cigar and only spent 2 weeks in my humi).
The beginning of the third period saw all the flavors finally come together and it tasted great. All-in-all, it reminded me of a chocolate cream pie. Notes from this time period seem lacking and I think it was because I really took my time and enjoyed the cigar. All the flavors mentioned before melded together, and this is how I think the cigar was meant to taste like.
Unfortunately this didn't last, as towards the end, I felt it returned to the lack of balance in flavors that I experienced in the first period.
The slight saltiness was still present in the finish and was joined by a slight sweetness that reminded me of seltzer water. There were also notes in the finish that reminded me of an Anejo.
Overall, the cigar provided me with a couple of hours of enjoyment. I think that it could use some rest which will hopefully help balance it out. I'll try again in a few months and let you know
Thanks for reading.
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