I live in the greater Sarasota area, sometimes referred to as the lesser Tampa area or Sorrysota, I don't agree with any of these assessments as Sarasota is like living in a vacation destination year round and I love it. I do sometimes go all "big city" and head into Tampa for certain business duties, and you can rest assured that I while I am in Tampa I always find my into a B&M somewhere to see what is hot cigarwise in the former cigar capital of North America. Recently I stopped into one of the off the beaten path B&M's that I like to wander into every so often, I was not disappointed by making this trip as this particular store quickly became a trove of things I can't usually find and stuff I had never heard of. This cigar fits into the never heard of it category.
It presents simply, with a straightforward red and black band with some other small adornments. Sometimes I like a simple visual presentation, but this shock red band causes a somewhat garish visual appearance that would usually be equated, in my mind, with a gas station cigar. The wrapper is somewhat dry to the touch, but I don't think that the cigar is dry as it is showing the correct spongy response from a light pinch. There are some prominent veins in the wrapper leaf and one is positively gigantic and I am wondering if it will make the burn wonky. The pre light draw shows some light wood and tart spice presentations. The pre light aroma has some notes of anise and a dusty undertone.
The cigar opens with a profile that shows little complexity or depth. The core flavors are of sharp cedar and there are tart spice notes here as well, I am struggling to define a slight sweetness in the tart spice presentation but I can't do it. The back of the palate is dry, but there are some light wood notes here. This profile could use miles and miles more depth and the flavors are not the most complementary in the world. The draw is very nice, I am encountering just the right amount of resistance here. The burn is a little off, but it is not something that causes me any concerns yet.
The first half of the cigar shows little development. The core profile continues to languish in the mundane arena as flavors of cedar and spice continue with an odd sweetness that now reminds me of Grandma's Rhubarb pie, this is not necessarily a good thing as I always despised Rhubarb pie. This sweet and tart combination is just not very good when considering it inside a cigar smoking experience. The back of the palate is still dry to me, but there are still some hints of wood coming through, though there are some bitter flavors coming along now as well. The draw is still spot on. The burn is now moving along nicely.
The final half of the cigar shows some development, but it is really not enough for me. The core profile still shows some cedar notes and there are now some hints of creamy vanilla and lightly creamed coffee flavors coming on as well. These are welcome shifts, but they come on way too late in the experience to be of much help. The back of the palate continues to show dry wood flavors and there is nothing else to help this area in the profile. The draw stays exceptional through to the end, but the burn derails in the final third as the wrapper splits badly.
The finish was middling and showed cedar and sweet and tart spice notes
Appearance- 84 a sub par visual impression
Taste- 85 very average, there was nothing terrible yet there was nothing great
Construction- 88 draw was nice but the burn was off at the end
Strength- 85 a very average medium
Overall- 85.75 just not very good
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