I had long heard about this cigar and knew that it could only be found at the Smoke Inn stores in SE Florida. Instead of jumping on a box I tool my time and patiently waited until I would be in the area so I could buy a few singles before I splurged on an entire box. Well yesterday I was at the The Great Smoke (as an aside if you have not gone to this event it is a must) and I wandered into the Smoke Inn and found three of these bad boys, sadly someone jacked my other two so I only get to review the one that I got to smoke.
The cigar is intimidating to look at. It is big, dark and has an aggressive, modified salomon shape that makes it look angry. The wrapper is dark and oily with few veins and clings to the cigar like a wet blanket. The head is finished with a three layered curly pigtail that is difficult to cut through. The cigar seems firm to me and I am concerned about possible draw implications. The pre light aroma is a heady mix of cinnamon, tobacco and pepper. The pre light draw is strong and leaves a tingly sensation on the lips and tongue, showing some signs of anise and wood.
This cigar opens with some initial blasts of anise and wood that are nearly overpowering for so early in a smoke. At the back of the palate there are scads of pepper and earth flavors, but the presentation of all the flavors seems erratic to me. The burn is a bit lopsided to start, but is not showing any signs of trouble, just the usual salomon burn crazies. The draw is a touch tight, but it is not causing any undue stress at this point.
The first half of the cigar continues to be a little schizophrenic for me. The core profile is alternating between some excellent pepper and wood notes, to extremely overwhelming blasts of anise that are killing the palate with some weird licorice like remnants that are not appealing. The complexity is just not here as these straightforward presentations become too erratic to judge effectively. At the back of the palate there are some presentations of earth and coffee, but they have a scorched aftertaste that is impossible to overlook at this point. The burn has evened out nicely and the draw is improving at this point.
The final half of the cigar is amongst the strongest that I have ever smoked. The power here really takes over the experience and it is really strong just for the sake of being strong I think, an attribute that I really don't care for. The core profile morphs into a presentation earth and pepper, but there are tannins and metallic flavors brought about by the strength that hurt the flavors. At the back of the palate there are some fleeting notes of cinnamon and brown sugar, but they are quickly veiled by the metallic notes that permeate the entire smoke in the back portion. The burn and draw remained acceptable throughout.
The finish was long, but held metallic flavors for far too long, no one wants to feel like they have been sucking on a penny and this cigar made me feel just that.
In the end there is something apropos about the name Anarchy as the name betrays the chaos exhibited by the smoke. Additionally, in the ultimate form of Anarchy, someone had stolen my other two smokes. Long ashes my burglarious friends, long ashes, hopefully you enjoy them more than I did.
Appearance- 91 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 80 and that is generous
Construction- 88 some early burn issues, but nothing that knocked this to below average
Strength- 82 full to extra full in the last half, it did nothing to help the profile
Overall- 84.75 at $10 per stick I would not smoke another one
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