There is something clandestine in the imagery of a cigar with a moniker that has the words "black market" attached to it. I think about buying something forbidden, something difficult to find in this country, something of such value and taboo that people will guffaw in shock when it is presented. Oddly, I found this cigar just sitting out in the open for all to see, and purchase, as if no one cared or knew that it was supposed to be verboten. I stole some uneasy glances as I looked it over, no one seemed to be paying any attention. I perused some other areas of the store to see if I had attracted any attention while perusing the forbidden area, no one was watching. I watched with anticipation as a suited man entered the store, he had dark shades and a dark suit, he smelled like a fed. Turns out he had just come from some work Christmas party. Still tentative I made some other selections and hid the object of the investigation from view. The cashier of course saw it and said loudly, " Ahh the Black Market!". I shrunk back out of the light sure that my foray was over, no shackles, no awkward questions, just pay and leave. This journey had only just begun and I was exhausted.
The cigar presents with a paper wrapper, further establishing an image of something not to be seen in daylight. I decloak it and take it in. The wrapper is nice, it has some prominent veins, but it has a nice dark brown sheen to it. The construction seems a little too tight to me, but I can't find any areas that are too firm or that cause me any concern. The pre light aroma is full of tea notes. The pre light draw is thin and I am concerned about it being too tight, but it has a nice flavor of dark wood and perhaps some raisin.
The cigar opens with a profile that is all tea. Not a sweet or aromatic tea, but a dark and nearly bitter tea flavor. It is one dimensional and the flavor is not particularly deep, I am struggling to find something else here. At the back of the palate there are some hints of dark wood and some tobacco flavors, but the overall impression is rather thin. The draw is too tight at this point and there is some labor involved in getting a nice amount of smoke. The burn is solid at this point and I don't see any reason why it won't stay this way.
The first half of the cigar shows some regression. The profile is muddled, there are bitter tea flavors and some odd salty meat notes. This is not a pleasing combination and the saltiness is very off putting for some reason, I have experienced briny cigars before and they have never rocked my world, but I never found them repugnant as I do here. At the back of the palate there are still some wood notes, but they are becoming more sharp and cedar like as the cigar progresses further. This would not necessarily be a bad thing if it complemented the front of the profile, but it does not. The draw is opening up as I go along which is nice. The burn is still solid at this point.
The final half of the cigar is not much better than the rest of it. The main profile continues to show a bitter tea flavor, the salty flavors have moved on which is nice, but the profile is still lagging. At the back of the palate some pepper notes are coming through which is a nice switch, but the wood notes are fading and that takes away some much needed depth. The draw is fine by the end of the smoke and the burn stays solid throughout.
In the end the only thing that should be forbidden is smoking this cigar. The finish was short and filled with bitter tea flavors.
Appearance- 87 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 81 just very thin and one dimensional
Construction- 83 early draw issues take away some points here
Strength- 85 a very middling medium
Overall- 83.25 a sub par effort
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