jimmyk26 Cigar #8
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Initial inspection - This cigar is roughly 6"x 43, another 'big' cigar in this tasting flight. The first thing I notice about this cigar is the peanut butter smell off of the wrapper, it's as if I just opened up a two pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. As I continue smelling, there is also a slight sweet tobacco scent behind the peanut butter. From the foot I am getting more sweet tobacco and cinnamon. The wrapper has a slightly toothy texture and light brown color; it is a great looking wrapper with very few veins. It also has a great triple cap, it almost looks like a quadruple cap (has that ever been done?). I can detect no soft spots so it seems to be well constructed. The pre light draw is easy and there is cinnamon and spice on the palate.
Initial puffs - There is a rich burnt wood with a strong pepper spice right away. After the initial blast of flavor, the cigar picks up a slight sweetness that seems to linger. The smoke is easy drawing and rich.
1/3 - This first third is spicy and woody with a lingering earth and leather. Surprisingly the draw is the loosest draw of the whole tasting flight, which makes me slightly concerned about how it will perform throughout. The burn has been uneven and the ash is fragile. There is a slight spice and sweetness through the nose that makes me think of those peanut butter cups again. The as soon as the smoke hit my palate, the flavor explodes with spicy, earthy, grassy richness. The burn has also evened out.
2/3 - The second third starts off with rich tangy spice that is just fantastic, yep I think I just got giddy about this cigar <insert big smile on my face>. It is hard to pull out the exact flavors that make up the expereince, but there is a wood spice coupled with a slight chocolate and peanut sweetness that makes way for a slight lingering grassiness. The burn is has stayed pretty even and the ash seems to fall off every 1/2' or so. There is even a bit of caramel sweetness on the finish. The cigar is fabulous right now.
3/3 - The spice has settled down a bit in on the palate, but it is still part of the profile. To use a term from Coffee tasting, I would describe this cigar as
bright with poignant flavors. Leather has now made itself known. The ash still seems to be weak and falls off with out much warning. Also of note, it has been pretty windy out today so I have had to do some lighter touch ups, but it didn't seem to affect the flavors or the smoking experience. There is even a bit of a metallic taste that isn't bad but rather enhances the whole complex set of flavors. This cigar continues to deliver powerful and complex flavors all the way to the bittersweet end.
Final thoughts - ...mmm....
Well that pretty much sums it up. I felt like this cigar was almost out of my league, I could pick out the flavor profiles, but there was so much complexity that I am not sure I got everything. Not that I couldn't pick out all of the flavors given more time and cigars, but rather this cigar makes me realize that I still have a lot of work to do to improve my palate. It was a flavor experience that I don't think I have ever had before in a cigar. Start to finish there was rich spice, earth, and sweetness. The only small issue was the easy draw, I would have preferred it slightly firmer. Considering how fantastic the rest of the cigar was, the draw wasn't even really a problem.
Rating: 9.9 - I don't know if I could rate a cigar higher.