After a slow month of sickness, computer issues and the lack of motivation that ensued after being consumed by life's difficulties, I finally feel ready to return to writing reviews to those that sent me material for the purpose of reviews or asked favours of me pertaining thereto, I give my sincerest apologies.
For the first of several entries in the coming week,written on the shores of Lake Erie, I've chosen to write up a cigar that comes a long way from home, the Sultan Churchill.
Coming all the way from the kingdom of Java, courtesy of Yan and forwarded to me by Shuckins, this cigar came as a bit of a surprise when it showed up in my mailbox a few weeks ago as I'd been late signing up for the Sultan review thread, though true to Ron's great form, he decided to include me anyway (much thanks!).
The cigar itself is as beautiful as it is impressive, a hefty Churchill with a firm pack, its wrapper displays a rich earthy caramel-brown colour which is molted in spots, with small veins adorning the wrapper all around. There are few sunspots and no patches visible to the eye; in addition, the head is adorned with a nicely formed triple cap that I enjoy seeing on a cigar.
Prelight: After a precise, clean cut from my Drew Estate cutter (the new favourite in my collection), I move to take in the first cold draw. The draw is tighter than I would prefer, though not so much that I believe it would cause a hindrance. The flavours are milder than I had originally expected, consisting mostly of earth, a mild cedar and tobacco, followed by a hint of spice. Notes from the wrapper and foot, cedar and earthy fragrances are abundantly present, though a unique almost cocoa nuance which I had not expected is also present, again accented by a hint of spice I'm beginning to look forward to the light.
Lighting: On occasion, when lighting a cigar a certain set of characteristics present themselves that completely wow or surprise me, though not often; however, I am happy to say that this is one of them. Despite a larger ring gauge, the foot toasted and lit quickly, much more akin to a Lonsdale or Lancero. Additionally, flavors presented in just the first few draws were not what I had anticipated. Sweet floral notes and toasty almond wash over the palate, with vanilla accents wafting up to greet the nose.
First Third: Not even 10 minutes in and the first half-inch of ash has already fallen victim to the gaping maw of the Stinky. I am already impressed with the consistency this cigar displays between the light and the first third, having wavered little from the original flavor profile. Floral notes and toasted almond reign predominant, while the ambient burn continues to deliver a wonderful vanilla bouquet much akin to a Diplomaticos No. 2. The smoke output is not as generous as I would like, making it somewhat difficult to take the expelled smoke back into the nose, but from what I can gather, it displays many characteristics closely related to the draw a heavy almond with toasty and leathery undertones, though lacking the floral highlights. The burn itself has remained quite even from the light on through to the end of the first third, dropping ash at roughly one-inch intervals.
Second Third: I am taken aback at just how mild this smoke has remained, holding on to its consistency near to the end of the second third, whereupon the body of the cigar really began to pick up. Almost suddenly, the smoke has become richer and more tangible, leather has pulled forward the dominant note, leaving the toasted almond as an undertone and the sweet floral notes as but a subtle hint. The draw has now opened up considerably, producing generous plumes of smoke, on which carry fragrances of almond and vanilla a stark contrast compared to the last third. The burn remains exceptionally even, again dropping ash at one-inch intervals.
Final third: A full bodied finish. Notes of leather continue to dominate the flavor profile with a heavy finish that lingers on the palate long after the draw, with undertones of almond still barely detectable on the finish. The nasal retro-hale still shares plenty of almond with some floral highlights, with the smoke from the ambient burn carrying vanilla floral notes as bright as they were on the first draw. The burn is again exceptional as it has been throughout, still dropping ash at one inch intervals through to the nub.
Final Thoughts: Initially, it seemed as though this was just another textbook mild, mid-morning smoke or afternoon smoke until midway through the second third, at which point it blossomed into complexity as a medium- to full-bodied cigar. Thereafter, I was under the impression that it would be better suited as an after dinner or late afternoon smoke following a large meal. It's not often that a cigar exceeds expectations as this one did, so I am even more grateful that I had the chance to review it.
Total smoking time was roughly 2 hours
Cheers,
Shawn