As I was playing hooky from work recently, a friend of mine was also playing hooky on the same day, so we decided in the best tradition of the Brotherhood of the Leaf, that we would proclaim a day of smoking. My friend, being the solid Brother of the Leaf that he is, proffered this smoke as a palate cleanser for the cigar I reviewed just before this one. I gladly accepted and set to removing the foul remnants of the prior cigar.
This smoke is a near perfect visual. The wrapper is a chestnut hued brown and it shows plenty of age. There are few veins and the cigar is firm and bold looking, yet still elegant. I savor the pre light aroma of leather and spice. I also note that the pre light draw is showing deep, rich tobacco notes laced with spice and leather.
The cigar opens with a very intense profile of leather and crisp tobacco, the complexity is not what I would like at this point but the depth of the flavors is stunning. At the back of the palate and through the nose there are delicious flavors of toast and almost wheaty notes that make the cigar very interesting. The draw is tight, but not horribly so, I will gladly labor a bit to enjoy this cigar. The burn shows a nice shoulder, but is not especially sharp from the beginning.
The first half of the cigar continues to develop beautifully. There are notes of leather, spice and full tobacco flavors dancing on the palate. At the back of the palate there are still very satisfying toasty flavors and light spates of cinnamon that add to the complexity of the cigar. The draw continues to be somewhat tight, but I am still not having to labor in an untoward way. The burn is still lopsided, but the shoulder continues to show nicely.
The final half of the cigar shows an interesting shift. The core profile still shows heavy influences of leather, but cinnamon begins to show through at the front of the palate. At the back of the palate some toasty notes give way to spice and flavors of wood that transition this cigar into an unexpected place that I was not expecting to delve into. The draw is still too tight for me and the burn catches in the final two inches, however, neither of those developments are detracting in any major way.
The finish is long and lingers with a pleasing dusty quality on the palate. There are notes of leather and spice.
Appearance- 94 an excellent example of what a lonsdale should look like
Taste- 93 a fantastic taste experience that lacked early complexity, but fully recovered by the end
Construction- 90 is the best I can do after burn and draw issues
Strength- 93 a nice medium/full that compliments the profile well
Overall- 92.25 a very good smoke that could be classic with some complexity early
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