This afternoon was a gorgeous fall day and as I was rummaging around the humi for a smoke I couldn't help but keep coming back to the Signatures. So I grabbed one and headed out to the deck. The particular blend I grabbed was B so let's see how this beauty smokes...
Outward appearance is very nice. The wrapper is a dark brown and is mottled with a lighter redish brown in places. Not particularly oily, but there is some sheen to it. There are some veins present and as you'll see they had some effect on the burn. Foot appears well packed and it feels solid with a little give when squeezed. And the aroma...oh what aroma this cigar has. Beef jerky. 'Nuff said.
The piggie tail cap cuts cleanly.
The draw is a little tight and carried some spicy (like jerky) tobacco flavors. I didn't want to take any more off if I didn't have to so I decided to see how things went. It took me longer than expected to get the Signature B started and once I did I still didn't have a real good cherry. I'm not sure how much of this is due to the natural flame lighter and a little bit of a breeze and how much is the cigar needing more of a rest :dunno:.
Right away the smoke output leaves quite a bit to be desired. The flavors aren't coming through real well, but I can make out a woodiness and there is a faint sweetness through the nose. The burn starts out a little wonky and I think a few of these stems are going to require frequent touch ups.
A little further in and things are getting better. I'm having to take several draws to get decent smoke output, but nothing too bad (it's not like I'm giving up on the stick so that says something). The flavors are definitely a creamy woodiness and the sweetness through the nose has developed into a distince floral nuance.
The ash is white in color and is holding tight and strong.
Transitioning into the 2/3 I like the woody flavor and the floral through the nose is nice, but I find myself wanting a little something else...maybe some spice or pepper and some coffee would be awesome. The draw is still on the tight end so I decided I'd better clip some more off the cap.
The draw opened a little and I'm not having to puff so much/hard now, but it's still not as loose as I normally like it (insert crude joke here :laugh
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Into the 2/3 I'm starting to pick up some meatiness to the cigar, perhaps it's just the aroma of the wrapper that's making me think this though :dunno:. The wood and floral note (which is begining to intensify at this point also) are still there and are joined by a slight nuttiness on the finish. The burn until now has been decent...not razor sharp, but not requiring all that many touchups. Now it starts to get to a point where even the most laid back smoker would probably grumble a little.
The once tight ash also starts to become flaky.
The back part of the 2/3 you can feel the strength of the cigar ramping up too. This is definitely going to finish as a solid full strengh cigar.
The cigar started to heat up not long afer the last pic and once I felt it start to kill the taste (or my taste buds, depending on how you want to look at it). I decided to let it go.
Overall my impressions with blend B were that it was a little lackluster. Don't get me wrong, it was a decent cigar. I just felt at a certain point I was wanting something more and it just didn't come to fruition. Perhaps it needed more rest :dunno:. I look forward to trying the other two blends and seeing what the guys at Sultan have cooked up...stay tuned :thumbsup:.
Dan
