LONSDALE love!

[borndead1]

Merchant's Queen de Luxe (7" X 42)

A resurrected brand from days of old, according to my Google search. Cigar Page has introduced this reboot in several sizes of bundled cigars. And the sizes are all great, IMO. Nothing over a 50 ring gauge! Noice.

And, like a sucka, I clicked on the link and ordered 15 cigars (three 5 packs).

Visually, these are nice looking cigars. Maduro wrapper. Box pressed. They obviously didn't use sh*tty wrapper tobacco on these babies. The wrappers are dark and fairly uniform in color. This cigar is heavy in the hand, but has a great draw, which tells me that they put some effort into the construction of this line.

First few draws...straight tobacco, but with a slight (but not unpleasant) grassy flavor that you wouldn't normally associate with a maduro wrap cigar. Not a bad start. Looking at the info on Cigar Page, this blend is a San Andres wrapper and fillers from Ometepe, Jalapa, and Esteli.

About 1" in...typical maduro flavors coming in. Cocoa, coconut. Medium "strength". A little bit of a woodsy flavor in the nose exhale.

Around 2" in...straight CIGAR flavor is dominant, with the coconut more present on the finish. The woodsy nose exhale is still there.

Around halfway...dominant flavors are still the same, but the "strength" has increased a bit, as well as the woodsy flavor in the nose exhale. A couple of minor burn corrections.

A little past halfway...dominant flavors are still the same, but an unpleasant chemical/ammonia flavor has come in on the finish. That tells me it's time to tap out. Let 'er die at around 2.5."

Final thoughts...this might be a great cigar with a few months of humi time. I stripped a few of their cello, and they are currently sleeping. I will very likely revisit, because this was a great smoke until a little past the halfway point.

[borndead1]

Record Bond #3 (7" X 42)

Another old obscure brand resurrected by the folks at Cigar Page (?). I grabbed these at the same time as the Merchant's Queen. The sizes of the two brands are identical. *Side note* It's nice to see new cigar brands that aren't completely comprised of horse d*ck sized cigars.

Nice looking cigar with a shiny wrapper. Draw is *just* a little tight, but that's to be expected since this cigar has only dryboxed for 2 days. According to CP, the wrapper is Ecuador Habano and the fillers are from Pennsylvania, Condega, and Esteli. Sounds like it should be a unique blend.

First few draws...straight tobacco on the draw, floral through the nose. A bit of a unique spicy flavor that I really can't describe. It leaves a very unique spice type flavor and a nice tangy sensation on the palate between draws. Just on the full side of medium "strength."

About 1" in...no burn corrections so far, which is nice. Very light gray ash that fell off in my lap. Dominant flavors and aromas are the same. The tangy sensation on the palate has become more intense. It's so intense, in fact, that it makes me curious about the blend and how this taste sensation is actually happening.

About 2" in...man, I am digging this cigar. It is tasting good and smelling good. No real twists and turns in the flavor. No burn corrections, either. That palate coating tangy sensation is still present, and that's not a bad thing. "Strength" has stayed at a solid medium.

Around halfway...still no burn corrections, which is a feat in and of itself. Main flavors and aromas are still the same, with a faint "baking spice" flavor coming in on the nose exhale. The palate coating tangy sensation has become a little bit annoying, honestly. It was cool and unique at first, but it has required me to take a sip of water after every 2 or 3 puffs. Sort of like drinking an extremely dry red wine.

A little past halfway...burn is still almost perfect (I'm impressed). The palate coating sensation is still there, and still a little annoying, but I guess it's just one of those things you encounter when smoking hundreds of cigars. Maybe if I found a good beverage to accompany this cigar, it wouldn't be an issue. Main flavors are similar, but the "strength" has decreased a little bit. A little smoother.

Toward the end...I poured a small glass of sparkling wine, and it really made an improvement! I gotta say, even with the slightly annoying mouthfeel, that I am really liking this cigar. I've decided that this is a cigar that I need to pair with champagne or sparkling wine.

I let this cigar die at around 1.5".

Final thoughts...overall, I really liked this cigar. I am looking forward to smoking another one after a few months of humi time. I'll make sure I have a glass of bubbly to go with it.