I have succumbed and decided to smoke this cigar, even though it stands for everything that I, as a cigar elitist, stand against. It stands for a gimmicky approach to cigars, I loathe that trend in the industry. It stands for a line of cigars made entirely in one gigantic ring gauge, I despise the big ring trend in the industry. It stands for a crazy and long name rooted in silliness, I hate this trend in the industry (of course the main culprit is Drew Estates).
Having said all of the above I will soldier on and give this cigar it's just due, as I do with every cigar that I review. After all, I have heard good things so it can't be all that bad right?....Right?....Right????
The cigar itself is a huge and log like stub of tobacco, I am thinking Fred Flintstone's thumb as I look it over. The wrapper is rough and dry, showing some prominent veins, but it shows a rustic class that I find interesting. The cap is sloppy and I expect more from a cigar in the 8-10 dollar range. I roll the cigar through my fingers and I feel there are some gaps in the bunch, I am certain there will be combustion problems. The pre light aroma is nothing but tobacco and heavy earth. The pre light draw is of strong tobacco and nicotine that leaves the lips tingling slightly.
The cigar opens with a profile that is one dimensional at best. The flavor is tobacco, tobacco and more tobacco. No complexity, no depth and no developments in the opening moments. I demand more from my cigars and I am just not getting it here. At the back of the palate there is a light earthiness that could be pleasant, but there are some charred wood notes that are taking away from the experience. The draw is extremely loose and I am even more concerned about future combustion prospects than I was before. The burn is a bit off, but it is not requiring any attention at this point.
The first half of the cigar really does not develop much. The core profile shows tobacco and earth flavors that are nice, but not particularly deep or complex. The back of the palate is still being torched by scorched flavors of wood and maybe spice, but it is difficult to discern at this point because it is so charry. It is really just too one dimensional at this point and I find myself wanting so much more, or maybe wanting so much less of what is being offered. The draw is still too loose and there is heat coming into the smoke at this point. The burn is way off and there is a canoe forming. Out of principle I will not touch up a cigar unless it is going to go out, and this one may before it is all done.
The final half of the cigar picks up some steam, and just in the nick of time as I was considering early disposal. The core profile picks up some flavors of coffee and still shows some tobacco and earth flavors, but the charred notes from the secondary profile are an affront to the core. At the back of the palate there are still too many blasts of charred wood that are obscuring some of the nuance that I think could be present here. The draw is now just far too loose and it is way too hot at this point, several purges allow me to smoke to the end, but it was some work. The burn is a disaster and I do have to re-light with about a third of the cigar left to smoke.
The finish was harsh and charred wood was the main flavor. For $8.50 and little ROI I would like to rename this cigar My Uzi Costs a Ton.
Appearance- 89 a nice rustic package
Taste- 82 just too many charred notes here to be any better
Construction- 80 very poor, bad draw and bad burn equal bad experience
Strength- 84 a mundane medium
Overall- 82.75 way below average, I may try another one to see if better construction helps
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