Intemperance BA XXI The Envy, a 5 x 50 Short Perfecto (Courtesy of Andrew aka "ItsBarbarino" and the Noob Trade)
Medium Strength. Medium to Full Flavor.
Wrapper: Brazil Arapiraca
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Nicaragua/Dominican Republic
Smoking time was about 1 hour
She starts with firm feel and a hard draw and a quick pepper blast that quickly sedates. It went away so fast I wondered if I really tasted it. Within a few puffs it opens up to a nice medium/easy draw (typical of perfecto or salomon shaped cigars).
Initial flavors are somewhat nutty with a deep seated and mild sweetness. Maybe even a touch of dark chocolate. The lips get a saltiness and the body gives off a beautiful mocha & coffee esque aroma after the light.
The perfecto shape is traditional cartoon cigar and this one has a barely there, mild vein and gorgeous medium brown wrapper leaf. Some slight color variances and a sexy sheen to it. There is one blemish to the leaf and much like a scar or tasteful tattoo it adds character. Not oily to the touch but not dry either. The burn is better than good but not razor sharp (but really, how many are!). The ash seems tight but also looks loos and displays a nice grey/white color. Smoke production on the draw is excellent and resting smoke is minimal.
Flavors in the first third started bright, nutty and mildly sweet then became softer and more complex (read as harder to distinguish). Bright nutty becoming more walnut and dark chocolate sweet becoming more semi sweet to unsweetened chocolate. Leather and wood entered the picture near the end of the first third with a finely ground black pepper coming back into the mix just a bit then quickly disappearing again.
Second third required a relight because I took to long with my thoughts. The relight gave me another quick shot of pepper and that unsweetened chocolate while the body aroma was still quit pleasing with that mocha coffee smell filling my nostrils from the ashtray range. The burn continued to be good and was trying to become razor sharp.
I'd yet to take a sip of my Johnny Waker Blue because this cigar was just damn nice to smoke. This, my first big bout bottle of blue was fun to open and pour. Like seeing an old friend after years of being apart (even though it's only been a week or so since my last taste of blue...lol).
The nose is a bit smokey with dried fruit notes while the pallate is smooth honey and mild spices. The linger is long and pleasant. The color is a golden bronze and oh so sexy.
At the half the perfecto's draw has tightened up just a bit and the combo of Intemperance and JW Blue is not ideal. It can work but there is not a smooth melding of flavors. I have now switched to seltzer for a palate cleanse. Coffee would have been the ideal pairing or maybe a complimentary brown ale.
The perfecto rewarded me for the palate cleanse with another hit of consistent flavors and aroma though there was a more apparent black pepper hit to it now. What a great little cigar! Not overpowering to the palate and just a great burn and smoke production. With a short stick you'd expect to get heat at the half but not the case. Even on a long double puff (wich I tend to do) she was cool to touch and not burning up my taster. It treated me well in the ash dept as well. Holding firm to about an inch then dropping of when I set it down.
Final third and the draw stayed firm so I gave her a quick roll between the fingers and this seemed to have loosened her up a bit but she was still staying with a medium/hard draw now. Consistency was the name of the game with this perfecto and only that black pepper had become a little more up front in the profile. Even though I could feel the warmth building under my fingers the heat was barely affecting my tounge. I slowed it down a bit, no need to tempt fate.
A couple more puffs into the final and the sweeter notes were completely gone and more spice kicked in with as much wood and leather following. I suppose this defeats my previous comment about consistency but in considering that the first 2/3's were consistent and only in the final did it change I'm not knocking it. About another inch into her and she tightened up again (I wish some of my dating days were like this). Another roll in the fingers and she loosened up but not without consequence (that was more like my dang days). I now had a crack in the wrapper but it was not a reason to toss her just yet. She was still delivering a fair amount of cigar smoking goodness.
This is where the smoking experience ended for me. I had got up to use the restroom and when I got back my cigar was gone and there was ash everywhere. WTF! I look over the balcony and I see my cigar on the ground. What happened next you couldn't make up... a crow flew down and picked up the cigar and flew away with what was left. Below was the last pic I took of it before it flew away.
I hope that crown enjoyed it as much as I did!
Medium Strength. Medium to Full Flavor.
Wrapper: Brazil Arapiraca
Binder: Indonesia
Filler: Nicaragua/Dominican Republic
Smoking time was about 1 hour
She starts with firm feel and a hard draw and a quick pepper blast that quickly sedates. It went away so fast I wondered if I really tasted it. Within a few puffs it opens up to a nice medium/easy draw (typical of perfecto or salomon shaped cigars).
Initial flavors are somewhat nutty with a deep seated and mild sweetness. Maybe even a touch of dark chocolate. The lips get a saltiness and the body gives off a beautiful mocha & coffee esque aroma after the light.
The perfecto shape is traditional cartoon cigar and this one has a barely there, mild vein and gorgeous medium brown wrapper leaf. Some slight color variances and a sexy sheen to it. There is one blemish to the leaf and much like a scar or tasteful tattoo it adds character. Not oily to the touch but not dry either. The burn is better than good but not razor sharp (but really, how many are!). The ash seems tight but also looks loos and displays a nice grey/white color. Smoke production on the draw is excellent and resting smoke is minimal.
Flavors in the first third started bright, nutty and mildly sweet then became softer and more complex (read as harder to distinguish). Bright nutty becoming more walnut and dark chocolate sweet becoming more semi sweet to unsweetened chocolate. Leather and wood entered the picture near the end of the first third with a finely ground black pepper coming back into the mix just a bit then quickly disappearing again.
Second third required a relight because I took to long with my thoughts. The relight gave me another quick shot of pepper and that unsweetened chocolate while the body aroma was still quit pleasing with that mocha coffee smell filling my nostrils from the ashtray range. The burn continued to be good and was trying to become razor sharp.
I'd yet to take a sip of my Johnny Waker Blue because this cigar was just damn nice to smoke. This, my first big bout bottle of blue was fun to open and pour. Like seeing an old friend after years of being apart (even though it's only been a week or so since my last taste of blue...lol).
The nose is a bit smokey with dried fruit notes while the pallate is smooth honey and mild spices. The linger is long and pleasant. The color is a golden bronze and oh so sexy.
At the half the perfecto's draw has tightened up just a bit and the combo of Intemperance and JW Blue is not ideal. It can work but there is not a smooth melding of flavors. I have now switched to seltzer for a palate cleanse. Coffee would have been the ideal pairing or maybe a complimentary brown ale.
The perfecto rewarded me for the palate cleanse with another hit of consistent flavors and aroma though there was a more apparent black pepper hit to it now. What a great little cigar! Not overpowering to the palate and just a great burn and smoke production. With a short stick you'd expect to get heat at the half but not the case. Even on a long double puff (wich I tend to do) she was cool to touch and not burning up my taster. It treated me well in the ash dept as well. Holding firm to about an inch then dropping of when I set it down.
Final third and the draw stayed firm so I gave her a quick roll between the fingers and this seemed to have loosened her up a bit but she was still staying with a medium/hard draw now. Consistency was the name of the game with this perfecto and only that black pepper had become a little more up front in the profile. Even though I could feel the warmth building under my fingers the heat was barely affecting my tounge. I slowed it down a bit, no need to tempt fate.
A couple more puffs into the final and the sweeter notes were completely gone and more spice kicked in with as much wood and leather following. I suppose this defeats my previous comment about consistency but in considering that the first 2/3's were consistent and only in the final did it change I'm not knocking it. About another inch into her and she tightened up again (I wish some of my dating days were like this). Another roll in the fingers and she loosened up but not without consequence (that was more like my dang days). I now had a crack in the wrapper but it was not a reason to toss her just yet. She was still delivering a fair amount of cigar smoking goodness.
This is where the smoking experience ended for me. I had got up to use the restroom and when I got back my cigar was gone and there was ash everywhere. WTF! I look over the balcony and I see my cigar on the ground. What happened next you couldn't make up... a crow flew down and picked up the cigar and flew away with what was left. Below was the last pic I took of it before it flew away.
I hope that crown enjoyed it as much as I did!