03-27-2008, 12:37 AM
First, it was good to be able to finally take a break and have some time "for myself" so using the "moki's tasting wheel" and what affects the enjoyment of a cigar, that might have had something to do with the following review.
Now that the disclaimers are aside...
This was one beautiful cigar. From the bands to the wrapper, everything was perfect in appearance. You can tell the additional care that is given with the preparation of this cigar. That in itself caused everything to start off on "the right foot."
Traditionally, I have clipped my cigars, but with recent mid-ring gauge cigars, I have gone back to the punch. For this cigar, that was the right choice IMO.
The pre-light draw felt good. I little more firm than some I've smoked, but nothing to cause the mind to wonder "...is this going to be good?"
I used my Colibri lighter with the Lava butane. FWIW, if I'm not using matches, I want Lava...just seems cleaner than the others. If it had not been for "user error" the light would have been perfect but that's just me. I was excited to have the opportunity to smoke it outside in near-pristine conditions. Temps dropping, but still in the 60s.
The cigar began to immediately reward me with full-bodied flavor and lots of smoke. Hard for me to pinpoint, but definitely a cedar flavor at the start with the hints of spiciness in the background. Nothing overpowering but certainly strong.
I quickly found that this is a cigar that must be smoked a bit more slowly than my traditional Pepin, Tats or even my more recent GoF. I started off drawing it a bit more quickly than advisable and had a few hiccups. Backing off on the intensity leveled that out immediately. The spice picked up a bit throughout the cigar at the mid-point which brought another smile to my face. It's always a pleasure smoking a cigar like this that varies throughout and you wonder what's around the next draw.
Around the last 1/3 of the cigar, it smoothed out again to be a very relaxing blend of cedar and spice, pretty much a "toss-up" of which was more prominent.
This was certainly a "nubber" that would keep my coming back for more. While priced around that of the Padron 80th...and a bit harder to find...it is more along the taste profile of what I'm looking for in that range.
This is a cigar that if you have the opportunity to smoke, I would recommend you try. If you have a bundle of these, they would probably improve even more with a few years on them. (As hard as that is to imagine.) I think that this opinion might come from the fact I had the pleasure of smoking a 2005 GoF last month and it's still in my recent memory as one of THE best cigars...and this one would be right behind that one.
MANY thanks to my friend for gifting me this one to try...you have broadened my palate once again!
Now that the disclaimers are aside...
This was one beautiful cigar. From the bands to the wrapper, everything was perfect in appearance. You can tell the additional care that is given with the preparation of this cigar. That in itself caused everything to start off on "the right foot."
Traditionally, I have clipped my cigars, but with recent mid-ring gauge cigars, I have gone back to the punch. For this cigar, that was the right choice IMO.
The pre-light draw felt good. I little more firm than some I've smoked, but nothing to cause the mind to wonder "...is this going to be good?"
I used my Colibri lighter with the Lava butane. FWIW, if I'm not using matches, I want Lava...just seems cleaner than the others. If it had not been for "user error" the light would have been perfect but that's just me. I was excited to have the opportunity to smoke it outside in near-pristine conditions. Temps dropping, but still in the 60s.
The cigar began to immediately reward me with full-bodied flavor and lots of smoke. Hard for me to pinpoint, but definitely a cedar flavor at the start with the hints of spiciness in the background. Nothing overpowering but certainly strong.
I quickly found that this is a cigar that must be smoked a bit more slowly than my traditional Pepin, Tats or even my more recent GoF. I started off drawing it a bit more quickly than advisable and had a few hiccups. Backing off on the intensity leveled that out immediately. The spice picked up a bit throughout the cigar at the mid-point which brought another smile to my face. It's always a pleasure smoking a cigar like this that varies throughout and you wonder what's around the next draw.
Around the last 1/3 of the cigar, it smoothed out again to be a very relaxing blend of cedar and spice, pretty much a "toss-up" of which was more prominent.
This was certainly a "nubber" that would keep my coming back for more. While priced around that of the Padron 80th...and a bit harder to find...it is more along the taste profile of what I'm looking for in that range.
This is a cigar that if you have the opportunity to smoke, I would recommend you try. If you have a bundle of these, they would probably improve even more with a few years on them. (As hard as that is to imagine.) I think that this opinion might come from the fact I had the pleasure of smoking a 2005 GoF last month and it's still in my recent memory as one of THE best cigars...and this one would be right behind that one.
MANY thanks to my friend for gifting me this one to try...you have broadened my palate once again!