I had been hearing about this cigar from BOTL's recently and I must say the ratings from some of them seemed to good to be true. As is often the case I never take anyone's word for anything, and I decided that this cigar would need to be put before the hairy eyeball of cigar scrutiny forthwith.
The cigar presents in a slightly box pressed form. As a side note, I have never understood the purposes of the box press and I can't come up with a single reason why it should be done. However, I have smoked many excellent box pressed smokes and this one looks spectacular. The wrapper has deep brown tones and looks lustrous. There are very few veins and the oils are nearly dripping off this smoke. Even the band work is simple and elegant, something many companies forget about these days. I examine the cigar closely, I always spend more time in this area with a box pressed smoke, because in my opinion the pressing can exacerbate flaws. In this smoke I detect nary an area for concern. The pre light aroma is light and fresh, showing a nose of coffee, earth and crisp tobacco. The pre light draw seems a bit tight to me, but there is flow so I am not overly concerned. I detect some essence of chocolate and mint on the trial puffs.
The cigar opens with a profile that is nothing short of excellent. There are some fabulous arrays of coffee, chocolate and dark fruit in the opening moments and the profile is deep and complex. I am stunned by the early offerings of this smoke and I am settling in for an experience. At the back of the palate there are some very pleasing flavors of dark wood and earth that complement and mull the sweetness of the front of the profile. The draw is a little tight for me, I prefer them to be more open. The burn is a little wobbly to start, but I do not think that it will cause any issues.
The first half of the cigar performs well, but loses some of the promise of the opening moments. There are some hints of coffee and chocolate here, but a more straightforward presentation of tobacco has started to come in. I still find this to be very enjoyable, but not as complex as the opening few minutes. At the back of the palate there are still some tastes of dark wood, but the earthy components have taken over here. Somewhere in the one third to one half point of this cigar it picks up in strength and begins to rear back with some hidden power. The draw continues to perform, but I am still waiting for it to open a bit. The burn has corrected itself well.
The final half of the cigar continues to show some surprising strength that I find to be very interesting. This cigar showed no signals in the early minutes that it would strengthen in this way. The profile has morphed into a real in your face presentation of tobacco and coffee that lacks some depth and complexity, but is still enjoyable. At the back of the palate some odd floral sweetness has shown up, but it plays well against an earthy backdrop. The draw opens slightly in the final minutes of the smoke and the burn continues to be solid.
The finish has some sweet floral hints with an earthy overtone.
I must say that this is the best cigar I have smoked in some weeks and I will point out what most already know. Knowledgeable BOTL's are worth listening to sometimes.
Appearance- 92 a very attractive smoke
Taste- 91 a very nice profile that kept my interest, but could have been more complex
Construction- 90 some deductions for tightness in the draw early on
Strength- 92 a very surprising strength profile that complemented the profile in a big way
Overall- 91 a very solid performance from this smoke
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