Every so often a cigar comes along that surprises me. I have been surprised in a throw up in my mouth sort of way, I have chuffed through some real dog rockets. Alternately, I have also been surprised in a call all my friends and shout from the rooftops sort of way, I have smoked some real unexpected winners in my day. Part of the fun of this pursuit, smoking and blogging, is that you never know when the next gem is around the corner. Part of the terror in this pursuit, is that you never know when the next dog rocket will foul your palate for the next calendar year.
This cigar comes from the My Father factory, this is already an upcheck in my book as I usually enjoy products from this particular place. Granted, in recent years I have had some that I didn't care for, but overall this company bats well above average for me. The cigar itself is nothing to look at. The wrapper is an off brown color with some mottling and the band, while not ugly, is not very interesting or eye catching. If I were judging a book by its cover I might not buy this cigar. Luckily I have learned over the years to not judge by appearance alone, particularly with cigars, you should probably avoid it with women too. The construction seems loose to me, and I am worried about heat in the flume as the cigar progresses. The pre light draw shows some tones that are of wood and butter. The pre light aroma is crisp tobacco and spice.
This cigar opens with a profile that is astonishing. The core flavors luxuriate the palate in soft tones of butter, light spice, some citrus zest and wonderful hints of graham cracker. Seldom do you find this type of complexity in a blend and this has me sitting back right away. I hadn't even heard anything about this cigar! The back of the palate and through the nose show crisp tobacco flavors with some nice spice and light pepper tones. The draw is a real dream, I was worried it would be too loose, but I was wrong and this draw delivers wonderfully. The burn is slightly wonky, but I don't think it will cause any issues.
The first half of the cigar continues to impress. The core profile has become less involved, but the flavors that remain gain in richness. There are still some buttery notes here that have become slightly salty, but there also still citrus flavors that add some zip to the profile as they gain in power. The back of the palate continues to show strengthening tobacco flavors with some nicotine tingle and the spice notes are ramping up. I am enjoying this increase in power as the cigar progresses, many cigars these days don't follow this traditional model of increasing power as the cigar develops. The draw is still excellent. The burn has evened out nicely and I don't anticipate any further issues.
The final half of the cigar is a true paradigm shift. The core profile becomes a straight presentation of pepper and heavy spice flavors. This narrowing of the profile pleases the palate as the early detection of nuance leads to a break as more forward flavors become prominent. The back of the palate now has some nice tobacco flavors that continue, but there are some very nice flavors of wood coming through here as well. The draw and burn are solid all the way to the end.
The finish is long, but a touch sharp, as flavors of pepper and tobacco linger.
This is one of the nicer surprises I have had in awhile. I would strongly recommend this smoke to anyone.
Appearance- 84 this won't win any looks contests
Taste- 93 a very solid profile with wonderful flavors
Construction- 91 some early burn issues gave way to an excellent performance
Strength- 92 starts medium but ramps into a full by the halfway point
Overall- 90.75 a winner in my book
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