orangedog
Navin R Johnson
I was too slow on the draw making it to my local B&M... they had WOAMs available which I picked up, but I wasn't able to secure some of the WMD.
So, first things first, thanks to matty07, whodeeni, Otaku, Clint, Koujo, TheCigarKid, and any others I may be unintentionally missing who were kind enough to exchange PMs with me on my hunt for the WMD. You were my United Kingdom, my Tony Blair, my... oh wait, that's far too political...! :rofl:
Anyways... with the reputation these sticks have of being a bit wet, I decided to forgo the normal stabilization period in my humi and light one up literally ROTT. I thought that IF they had dried out just a tad during shipping, it may actually help.
The short little stick seemed solid to the touch, with a great even build. It wasn't too heavy, though, and that seeming lack of weight showed itself in a loose draw. On the topic of a loose draw, I wouldn't say it was problematic. Despite being a bit loose, after about a half an inch, a slow smooth draw was rewarded with thick white smoke. Not overly abundant as I would expect from a similar vitola (I'm thinking of the Monte PE for example), but still a nice cloud. Burn was even, no need for a touch up (again maybe from smoking ROTT?). As for strength - there is a noticeable kick but not too much. Chain smoking these would probably end up in a bad result, but they certainly aren't overwhelming on their own.
Similar to the MOAB, pine kickstarts this stick. What I noticed on this one that was unique compared to the MOAB, though, was a bit of cocoa up front. A sugary cocoa... along the lines of hot chocolate mix or mocha powder. That cocoa note faded quickly.
Again similar to the MOAB, this thing is a spice bomb, with plenty of hot pepper notes - black pepper, habanero, jalapeno. Lots of kick in the spice-flavor category.
After about a half of an inch, a random note of vanilla worked its way in, which augmented the pepper quite nicely actually... but it didn't last long.
There were also notes of rich, polished leather. And, with about an inch or so to go, the notes of toasted grain bread that I picked up in the MOAB were present. The cocoa came back as well for a short visit, but really the overriding themes were wood and spice.
While I was smoking it, I kept thinking that this was the "Ron Burgundy Cigar". Remember the line?
"I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany. "
Anyways... the comment I made on the MOAB thread rings true here as well... there is a lot going on in this little stick. With this release, the S&B remains one of my top/favorite NC series (and individual sticks). I much prefer the WMD vitola to the MOAB, just from a shape perspective... but oddly enough, the WMD also seemed to already be a bit matured when compared to the MOAB. I thought the flavors had already started melding together more, and not to be repetitive, it just seemed less disjointed. Additional age will help, but isn't necessary as was the case with the MOAB I worked through. Maybe that is because the WMD was shipped, and had a chance to dry out (although it was appropriately packaged, airtight)? I'm not sure.
I've been able to secure a handful of the WMDs via trade (again thanks to the BOTL community)... similar to the ~?~, I'm wondering if I should just take the plunge on buying a full box (from a BOTL of course... all the shops are probably out by now). Only problem is I'm out of room in my humi, so I'd have to start my own bombing campaign (Libya, anyone... oh wait... that discussion is forbidden!).
Hope you enjoyed the review!
Take care,
Matt
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