It has been some time since my last blog, I'm not quite sure how you have all lived without my blustering pontification for so long. I'm sure with a well planned regimen of brown liquor and prescription pills you are all doing splendidly after my hiatus. You see, I had to have oral surgery and after recent experiences I can tell you that nothing interferes with smoking like having your mouth violently stretched out and chopped open for slicing and dicing. This forced cigar vacation was some of the worst time in my adult life and I am glad it is now over and the smoky cloud of cheer can come back into my life.
This cigar is something of a mystery to me. I am friends on FB with the manufacturer, but I had never smoked one. I have seen reviews and heard stories, but I have never smoked one. I have never smoked one because, up until a few months ago, I had never seen one. That all changed in my favorite New Orleans B&M some months ago when I came across this big guy. There really is something about smoking a churchill that gets me fired up. Maybe it's because I like the majestic look. Maybe it's because I know I am in for two plus hours of opening up a big box of squat and sitting on my large and lazy canister doing a fat lot of nothing. Whatever it is, I like churchills! My problem is finding the time to smoke one. The opportunity finally came along the other night when I cleared my schedule for da Bears game and settled in. No optimist, I was prepared for the Bears to get smoked while I smoked, but alas that was not to be! The Bears performed in spectacular fashion. The cigar? Well you know what's coming right?
The cigar presents well, but simply. The band work is blocky and not well thought out, but the simple presentation is not off putting either. I get the impression from the visuals that this could be a knock around smoke. The wrapper is rustic looking, with some veining and some dryness to the touch. The band is work a day. The application of the wrapper and the overall visual impression is lumpy. These are not attributes that kill a cigar, hell Padron's are tasty and ugly, but it always gives me pause because it may indicate that the manufacturer does not pay attention to detail, and that can be very problematic. The pre light aroma is a nice array of cocoa and dark fruit. The pre light draw shows some light pepper, earth and cocoa flavors.
The cigar opens with a profile that is by no means work a day. The core flavors range from cocoa to earth with pepper and dark fruit, and the level of complexity is very nice for so early in a cigar. There is some lacking cohesion amongst the flavors that cost some complexity, but the overall impression is very nice. The back of the palate and through the nose show some fantastic dark roast coffee flavors and some nice wood notes as well. The draw is a shade too tight for me, but I am able to work through it without too much issue, it's just not as fluid as I would like. The burn is solid to this point and a nice ash is forming early.
The first half of the cigar was really a very strong experience. The core profile becomes more cohesive and I can see the vision of the blend now. The flavors are cocoa and pepper with some creamy textures of fruit in the back drop. This particular profile is one that I have not experienced in a cigar before and the fruit flavors are helping mute the pepper, which might have been overwhelming without temperance. The back of the palate continues to show nice earth flavors, but the wood notes have become more muted as the smoke moves on. I am thinking now that this is a very accomplished medium cigar. The draw is still just a bit too tight, but I am working with it. The burn is off in a couple of spots, but the issues seem to work out without any intervention from yours truly.
The final half of the cigar had the chance to really push the envelope and range this cigar into the high excellent or classic ranges, but it come up wanting in some areas towards the end. The core profile weakened (while it should have been strengthening) significantly. The main flavors of pepper and cocoa are still there but they fade and become more of an afterthought to some really clean tobacco flavors in the final third. While clean tobacco flavors are not bad, I prefer them to be complementary of other flavors and this flavor tries to stand on it's own here. The back of the palate and the nose still show some nice earth and wood flavors, but there are just some light bitter notes coming in during the last third that detract from the smoke. The draw stayed too tight until the end, but it was not a huge issue, just an annoyance. The burn was solid after some issues in the middle.
The finish was a little too short and showed some over brewed coffee flavors and some overwrought earth that seemed wet.
All in all I would smoke this again, I might just take a pass on the last third.
Appearance- 87 not pretty, but ok
Taste- 86 some real issues in the last half make this slightly above average
Construction- 86 also slightly above average after taking points for draw and some small burn issues away
Strength- 88 a nice medium in my book
Overall- 86.5 slightly above average, but it could have been great if the last half did not fail so miserably
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