I have been hearing about these cigars for some time now. Made by the guys at Crowned Heads (they brought you the Four Kicks a year or so ago), it has had some mixed buzz among the guys and girls in my cigar circles. I have heard some say how much they have enjoyed the smoke and on the other side I have heard many say they did not enjoy it as much as the Four Kicks. This usually does not bode well for a cigar in general. A love it or hate it phenomenon is never what a manufacturer is looking for, and if it is what they find then there are often market repercussions in certain areas. Having said all of this, I always cancel what I have heard about cigars out of my brain when I am going to write a review of something. Besides, as a self aggrandizing cigar elitist I seldom look down my nose long enough at the cigar peasantry to worry about what they think. I kid of course, I am more like a cigar socialist in that I think everyone should smoke cigars...Just not mine.
This cigar is not very appealing to the eye. The wrapper has some mottled spots on it and it seems too dry to me, but the main body has some spongy give to it so I don't think the cigar itself is dried out. The band work is simple and not very eye catching, not that it really matters because I seldom smoke the band anyway. The pre light draw shows some light tobacco and wood flavors with a sweet and dusty texture. The pre light aroma is also dusty and sweet but has some nice hints of spice and light floral tones.
The cigar opens with a profile that is odd to me. The core flavors are of light tobacco and little bits of white pepper, but there is a very strange spice here that I can't put my finger on, but it is reminiscent of potpourri. The strange spice note leaves the palate dry and puckered and this is not something I look for in any cigar. Through the nose and at the back of the palate there are some light earth tones with some hits of wheaty bread. The draw is a real dream at this point. I was initially thinking it was too loose, but my criticism fades away as fluid draws lead to copious amounts of smoke. The burn is also solid at this point, and I don't think I will have any performance issues with this smoke.
The first half of the cigar shows some small improvements, but it is still short of being complex or balanced. The core flavors now show some notes of cinnamon and light tobacco, but there are still some weird potpourri notes here that are derailing the experience. The back of the palate continues to show bready notes with some light earth tones, there are some hints of pepper arriving here as I approach the last half of the smoke. The draw is still excellent and I could only wish it was delivering a more robust profile with some complexity, but it is a real pleasure from a construction point of view. The burn is still performing very well at this point.
The final half of the cigar finally develops some quality features, I fear they may be too late. The core profile develops into a nice array of cinnamon, tobacco and a touch of brown sugar sweetness that creates an interesting, if mild, experience. The back of the palate has become more flavorful, yet still mild, as flavors of earth and pepper coat the palate nicely. The draw and burn are top notch all the way to the end.
The finish was middling, but did have some nice tobacco flavors that lingered for awhile.
I would have liked more depth, strength and complexity in this smoke. Additionally, the potpourri strangeness early on was a real detractor.
Appearance- 85 very average
Taste- 85 also very average, though it was saved from a lower score by late performance
Construction- 93 the real savior of the experience
Strength- 87 a very medium turning mild late
Overall- 88 slightly above average due to superior construction
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