jimmyk26 Cigar #9
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Initial inspection - The first thing I notice on this cigar is the smooth oily wrapper, which is dark and shows only a few veins and dark spots. When I inspect it close up, I do notice two small tears, but I don't think that they'll be a problem. As I admire the nice sheen of the wrapper of this 5.5" x 40 cigar, I confirm that the cigar is evenly packed, has a nice box pressed shape, and is topped with a clean triple cap. The wrapper has a light cinnamon, leather and sweet tobacco smell and the foot offers up a hay and tobacco aroma. The pre light draw is a bit tight and leaves a slight dry tea flavor on the palate.
Initial puffs - Although the cigar is drawing pretty poorly, I am still getting burnt wood, dark sweet coffee, and earth.
1/3 - The cigar starts out rich and smooth with tastes of roasted barley, like the dark malts used in beer making, and dry wood. The cigar continues to suffer from a poor draw; it isn't what I would call plugged, but it is hard to pull enough smoke to get a good mouth full. As this first third progresses, the wood has really come through and brought with it a grassy twang that I am starting to recognize as a characteristic of this tasting flight. The burn line has stayed even and the ash seems to be holding well.
2/3 - As I am starting the second section the burn line has wandered a bit. I think it may be due to the first of the two small tears that I saw in the initial inspection. The flavors continue to preset rich roasted barley, wood, dry cocoa, and a slight grass. It's too bad that the draw continues to be sub par. The burn line seems to be evening out, but the ash doesn't want to hang on any more. As this section is closing out, I taste a bit of nutmeg and very slight wood spice entering the mix.
3/3 - So far this cigar has been pretty consistent with its flavors and the beginning of the final section is no different. Rich and smooth, this cigar has presented enjoyable flavors considering the tighter draw and the cracks that seem to wreck the otherwise consistent burn. I had to touch up the burn with the lighter once, but it doesn't seem to be a consistent issue. As I get in to this finals section, the cigar has picked up a tannic and vegetal flavor that I think indicates it could benefit from some more aging. The cigar also got bitter as it burned through the bigger of the two cracks, but I am attributing the bitterness to the crack no the natural flavors of the cigar. As I suspected after the cigar burned through the crack it was back to roasted barley, wood, and even some leather. As the cigar comes to a close it is presenting a pretty complex and enjoyable profile that includes the best of the first two thirds and some new tastes such as leather, nutmeg, and wood spice.
Final thoughts - Despite the poor draw, I did enjoy the rich and smooth flavors this cigar had to offer. It brought me back to my home brewing days with all of the dark roasted barley I was tasting. For those of you who haven't brewed before, the roasted barley can present a slight sweetness with coffee, chocolate, and cereal flavors. I would definitely try more of these to see if the draw issue was just an occasional issue. The end of the cigar also presented a much more complex and varied experience, I think that maybe with more age this rest of the cigar could be more like the last section.
Rating: 8.5 - Rich and smooth, this cigar did suffer from a tight draw, but that didn't take away from the nice flavors.