Every Wednesday I have a ritual, I play golf with several ex-cop friends of mine and we smoke and hack the place up. Today was no exception and we were scheduled to play some early morning stick, the weather didn't cooperate fully and my friends, apparently afraid of melting or something, decided to take a pass. I am never one to let Mother Nature have the one up so I went to the soggy fairways and greens and teed it up anyway. It was a splendid day and this cigar was smoked during the round that should not have been.
This is the Connecticut version of the new Martin Family line of cigars, and while I am not usually a Connecticut enthusiast, I decided a mild cigar would suit me well on the short side of 8AM. The cigar is beautiful, the wrapper is smooth and golden in color. There are very few veins and the band work is elegant without being flashy. The construction seems solid and I don't see any areas for concern here. The pre light aroma shows some wonderful light pepper notes and some very interesting hints of a vanilla laced cinnamon spice. The pre light draw is a touch shallow, but reveals a crisp light tobacco flavor with some wisps of cinnamon on the tongue.
The cigar opens with a profile that is lacking some depth, but the delivery of flavor is still nice. There are some light floral impressions early on and there is a nice spray of white pepper here as well. At the back of the palate there are some light hints of wood, but there is a very pleasing undertone of spice and vanilla that plays well with the peppery flavors from the initial impressions. The draw is near perfect for me, maybe a touch too tight, but I will not quibble. The burn is solid and shows a nice gray ash.
The first half of the smoke is not as well developed or complex as I would like, but it is still delivering a nice profile. The core flavors are light pepper, a floral tartness and some fleeting spice notes that need to be more invasive. At the back of the palate there are still some nice impressions of wood, but a light bitterness has come in here as well and I catch a touch of acrid grass in the finish. The draw continues to perform exceedingly well. The burn is sharp and is holding up to the humid outside elements very well.
The second half of the smoke hits all the greens in regulation (if only my game were the same!). The profile deepens and begins to become more complex and interesting. The core flavors become vanilla and white pepper and the interplay is fantastic. Sometimes opposite flavors just work and this is one of those cases when two seemingly incompatible flavors are in sweet harmony. At the back of the palate there are excellent alternating flavors of crisp tobacco and light wood that provide a solid, yet light, base of flavors for the core profile to build upon. The draw stays excellent to the end and the burn holds up well, the humidity gets to the cigar in the final third, but I will not detract for that.
The finish is a actually a touch bitter and that detracts from the final impressions, but all in all this was a well above average experience.
Appearance- 93
Taste-91 could have been higher with more depth in the front half of the smoke
Construction- 94 an excellent performance here
Strength- 92 fabulously mild and a great starter for any type of smoker
Overall- 92.5 a very nice cigar experience
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