Since my previous review of a Gurkha Besst went over so well, LOL, I think I'll review another cigar that I haven't seen discussed here. Part of this is for me to try and expand my palate, and partly to get some discussion going on sticks that aren't otherwise given much love. I was absolutely in love with the MOW Ruination line when I first started smoking cigars again about three years ago. I loved the flavors I could pick out, the bands were just awesome, and the price was very reasonable. This particular stick is from November 2013, from the same Aj, AB & Gurkha sampler the Beast came in. The price on this was $2.78. I have smoked one of these before, but I can't say that I remember much about it.
If you're not familiar with 52C, it's got a chisel tip that is meant to be removed by pulling the cap off, but I chose to take my Xi3 to it, and just removed a small bit. I didn't notice much in the cold draw, just some wood notes. After lighting the cigar I settled down outside with a book, no beverage for this review. So what did I taste? Those wood notes? Yeah, they were there along but with what I can only describe as straight up tobacco. I hit some floral or tropical fruit notes about half way through. Katman's review of this listed red pepper, cocoa, and coffee. I really didn't pick up much of that in what he describes as a flavor bomb. I like reading his reviews, but I don't think I've ever read a review of his that doesn't describe a flavor bomb. It's like crying wolf, if you ask me, but my palate sucks, so what do I know. As for construction, the cigar itself looked flawless, and the but line was near perfect. The ash held on for a solid inch each time. I found the draw to be a little tight for my tastes, as I often found myself triple or quad puffing to get enough of a draw. I was pleased with the smoke production.
In conclusion, I enjoyed the cigar, but it wasn't anything special. With almost three years of storage time on it, I wonder if this cigar has mellowed out too much. This isn't the best AJ cigar I've smoked, but also not the worst. I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to get another one.
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If you're not familiar with 52C, it's got a chisel tip that is meant to be removed by pulling the cap off, but I chose to take my Xi3 to it, and just removed a small bit. I didn't notice much in the cold draw, just some wood notes. After lighting the cigar I settled down outside with a book, no beverage for this review. So what did I taste? Those wood notes? Yeah, they were there along but with what I can only describe as straight up tobacco. I hit some floral or tropical fruit notes about half way through. Katman's review of this listed red pepper, cocoa, and coffee. I really didn't pick up much of that in what he describes as a flavor bomb. I like reading his reviews, but I don't think I've ever read a review of his that doesn't describe a flavor bomb. It's like crying wolf, if you ask me, but my palate sucks, so what do I know. As for construction, the cigar itself looked flawless, and the but line was near perfect. The ash held on for a solid inch each time. I found the draw to be a little tight for my tastes, as I often found myself triple or quad puffing to get enough of a draw. I was pleased with the smoke production.
In conclusion, I enjoyed the cigar, but it wasn't anything special. With almost three years of storage time on it, I wonder if this cigar has mellowed out too much. This isn't the best AJ cigar I've smoked, but also not the worst. I definitely wouldn't go out of my way to get another one.
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