There is something so right about the fact that as I smoke this cigar I am watching a coward hide in a boat in a Boston suburb waiting to hopefully meet his maker. You see when I am not pontificating and waxing rhapsodic about cigars I do have a real job. I work in the security industry and some of what we do is in the field of Counter Terrorism, and nothing gets my time and attention faster than some bastards making a run at our great country. In all my years in this business I can tell you that I have observed that there is nothing more immutable than the American spirit and no matter how many times these yellow liver factions (foreign or domestic) take a crack at what is quintessentially American they should stand by for hell fire and brimstone as the patriotic spirit of this country rises up and crushes evil. So as I watch Boston's finest use their restraint and surround this lesser man I smoke a Super Shot, and hope that at the end of all of this there will be a super shot for the terrorist at some point...
The cigar itself is a little spark plug of a thing. It is short and stout, just like a shotgun shell, and screams power with it's dark and oily wrapper. I can't find any issues with this smoke, and I love that it is unbanded as if to say,"You know what I am!". The pre light aroma is sharp but smacks of earth and anise. The pre light draw has some tobacco essence and shows some earth and coffee notes.
I usually review cigars in sections, but I won't do that here because the cigar is so small, I will just present it as it smoked for me. The cigar opens with a profile that is all earth and coffee, this is not a complex arrangement of flavors, but I find it very pleasurable anyway. Through the nose and at the back of the palate there are some peppery notes, but there is also a heavy note of anise. Anise is a flavor I usually don't care for in a cigar, but in this case it is not causing me a bother.
As the cigar progresses the profile really does not develop much. The core maintains earth and coffee notes all the way through without gaining any complexity or depth. The back of the palate transitions slightly and becomes a more mellowed out mix of dark wood and pepper, I find this change to be very satisfying for me and the cigar starts to gain some momentum.
The draw for this particular cigar was little tight for me, but it did not cause any real issues, it just was not what I prefer. The burn was solid all the way through to the end and performed very well.
All in all this was a fine cigar. More importantly they caught the chicken shit in the boat and I hope they put a car battery to his testes and find out all he knows.
(As a disclaimer I do understand law and order and the value of the Constitution in our country and I know he will have his day in court, I am really ok with that. What I am not ok with is people taking innocent lives for whatever bat shit crazy cause or belief structure they adhere to, it makes me sick)
Appearance- 91 a nice looking cigar
Taste- 88 not complex or deep, but the flavors were good
Construction- 89 some draw tightness took away some of the enjoyment for me
Strength- 87 a nice full
Overall- 88.75 I would smoke this again and may make it part of my lineup on a more permanent basis for when I need a short smoke and I am not long on time
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Sunday, April 21, 2013
L'Atelier Selection Speciale (5.625x46)
Some time ago I reviewed the larger ring version of this blend, and despite my misgivings about larger ring cigars, gave it a very high score. It's level of complexity and depth was astounding and I announced the return of Pete Johnson with this cigar. My excitement about the blend in a thinner ring gauge can't be appropriately conveyed with mere words, but I will say it was palpable and intense. A very special thanks to the Brother of the Leaf that gave it to me.
I will start off by saying that I usually don't look into the particulars of many cigars, I don't care about origins of tobacco and blend percentages and all that scientific hoopla, I really just care if the cigar tastes good. In this case though, the cigar seemed so much darker than the standard blend that I just had to go to the source and find out what was going on. There was a long liturgy about hybrid this and country of origin that, not very interesting to me at all, what did interest me was that this is exactly the same cigar all around except the wrapper is a higher priming and thus darker in color. Now that I had solved that problem I was ready to get down to the real business, smoking.
The cigar presents with the same band work and other trappings that I usually note. The wrapper, while darker, is still well applied and looks silky smooth and wonderful. I can't find any areas of concern in the construction and the cigar just seems to be so ready to smoke. The pre light aroma is of heavy black tea. The pre light draw has some nice pepper and tobacco notes.
The cigar opens with a profile that is unique and very enticing. The core profile shows blasts of black tea and earthy notes that are so deep and complex it is hard to put my head around what I am being shown here. Aside from these delicious early notes there is just a hint of cocoa coming through that adds some light sweetness to the opening moments that really ties the experience together nicely. Through the nose and at the back of the palate there are some wonderful hints of roasted nuts and crisp tobacco flavors that further enhance the complexity of the early experience. The draw is absolute perfection for me, plenty of smoke with very little work, if only everything were this easy. The burn is solid and sharp from the get go.
The first half of the cigar mellows out some, in that there is less going on. The core profile really settles into a nice presentation of tea flavors and some hints of earth, this core experience is really something to behold. The back of the palate really binds the experience together as it becomes a heady presentation of bold tobacco flavors and picks up the strength quotient with some nicotine tingle at the back of the tongue. Just as the first half concludes there is a peppery flavor showing through the nose that really picks up the pace of this cigar. The draw is a dream to this point, just an absolute masterpiece. The burn is also very solid still, not a run or canoe and nary an issue.
The final half of the cigar is among the best that I have smoked in years. The core profile is a delightful mix of tea, cocoa and light wood flavors that just have miles and miles of depth. This kind of balance and complexity is not often found and when I do find it I cherish it with the appropriate amount of reverence and awe. The back of the palate is likewise extraordinary. There are real strong notes of pepper here and the tobacco flavors that are coming through are bold and refined to a crispness that I can't define here. The draw and burn are remarkable to the end.
The finish was excellent, with lingering pepper and tea notes.
This is a cigar of the year candidate for sure.
Appearance- 94 a wonderful looking smoke with elegance and grace
Taste- 97 they just don't come much better than this. Complexity and depth all over the place
Construction- 100 they do not come any better in this area, not a single issue at all
Strength- 96 a wonderful strength at all times
Overall- 97.25 I don't hesitate to rate this as one of the best cigars I have ever smoked
I will start off by saying that I usually don't look into the particulars of many cigars, I don't care about origins of tobacco and blend percentages and all that scientific hoopla, I really just care if the cigar tastes good. In this case though, the cigar seemed so much darker than the standard blend that I just had to go to the source and find out what was going on. There was a long liturgy about hybrid this and country of origin that, not very interesting to me at all, what did interest me was that this is exactly the same cigar all around except the wrapper is a higher priming and thus darker in color. Now that I had solved that problem I was ready to get down to the real business, smoking.
The cigar presents with the same band work and other trappings that I usually note. The wrapper, while darker, is still well applied and looks silky smooth and wonderful. I can't find any areas of concern in the construction and the cigar just seems to be so ready to smoke. The pre light aroma is of heavy black tea. The pre light draw has some nice pepper and tobacco notes.
The cigar opens with a profile that is unique and very enticing. The core profile shows blasts of black tea and earthy notes that are so deep and complex it is hard to put my head around what I am being shown here. Aside from these delicious early notes there is just a hint of cocoa coming through that adds some light sweetness to the opening moments that really ties the experience together nicely. Through the nose and at the back of the palate there are some wonderful hints of roasted nuts and crisp tobacco flavors that further enhance the complexity of the early experience. The draw is absolute perfection for me, plenty of smoke with very little work, if only everything were this easy. The burn is solid and sharp from the get go.
The first half of the cigar mellows out some, in that there is less going on. The core profile really settles into a nice presentation of tea flavors and some hints of earth, this core experience is really something to behold. The back of the palate really binds the experience together as it becomes a heady presentation of bold tobacco flavors and picks up the strength quotient with some nicotine tingle at the back of the tongue. Just as the first half concludes there is a peppery flavor showing through the nose that really picks up the pace of this cigar. The draw is a dream to this point, just an absolute masterpiece. The burn is also very solid still, not a run or canoe and nary an issue.
The final half of the cigar is among the best that I have smoked in years. The core profile is a delightful mix of tea, cocoa and light wood flavors that just have miles and miles of depth. This kind of balance and complexity is not often found and when I do find it I cherish it with the appropriate amount of reverence and awe. The back of the palate is likewise extraordinary. There are real strong notes of pepper here and the tobacco flavors that are coming through are bold and refined to a crispness that I can't define here. The draw and burn are remarkable to the end.
The finish was excellent, with lingering pepper and tea notes.
This is a cigar of the year candidate for sure.
Appearance- 94 a wonderful looking smoke with elegance and grace
Taste- 97 they just don't come much better than this. Complexity and depth all over the place
Construction- 100 they do not come any better in this area, not a single issue at all
Strength- 96 a wonderful strength at all times
Overall- 97.25 I don't hesitate to rate this as one of the best cigars I have ever smoked
Friday, April 5, 2013
Surrogates Skull Breaker (5.25x52)
So it has been a long, long while since I have written a review here. Contrary to popular opinion I do have a life complete with work, wife, kid and plenty of golf. Well, not as much golf as I would like, but some golf nonetheless. I have still been smoking plenty of cigars, but when you have a blog that is dedicated to reviewing new things in the industry and you make a decision to only smoke old standbys for awhile it just leads to no blogging for a bit. You all have my apologies, which is about as worthless as a Strawberry White Owl.
I have reviewed some of the other Surrogate blends before and I have not really found one that suits me yet. This particular cigar sounds so intimidating, Skull Breaker... I knew a guy once that we called Skull Breaker, I played hockey for many years and he was a teammate. Thank god he was on my side because he was a freaking animal, he even bit off part of some one's ear after a game once. So this particular cigar with this particular name has me heading for ear muffs just in case I need some protection. All kidding aside I was excited to try this smoke because it is touted as a strong bomb that is full of flavor.
The cigar presents well, I will even forgive that it is a torpedo shape which I don't like. The wrapper is a silky smooth thing and it has very few veins. The construction seems very nice to me and I can't detect any areas of concern. Even the band work looks sufficiently menacing. The pre light draw shows some nice hints of anise and coffee. The pre light aroma is spicy and rich.
The cigar opens with a profile that is surprisingly docile for something that had so much hype about being the end all be all in strength. The core profile shows some nice flavors of spice and anise, plus some very fine tobacco flavors, but I would definitely classify it as medium at the outset. At the back of the palate there are some nice earthy presentations that have a slightly bitter tone through the nose. The draw is slightly firm, but it delivers in an acceptable manner, though I am concerned about heat later in the smoke. The burn is right on the money at this point in the smoke.
The first half of the cigar remains a rather tame lamb. I am really shocked by this because I had even spoken to others that thought this cigar was just strength all the way through, I am just not finding it to be the case at all. The core profile still has some nice spice notes, but the anise flavors have given way to a more floral essence and some coffee tones. The back of the palate still shows some earthy tones but the bitterness has ramped up some and threatens to derail the experience. The draw has opened up now and the delivery of the smoke is free and easy. The burn has performed very nicely to this point.
The final half of the smoke picks up the steam a little bit, but it is still just inching into full strength territory for me. The core profile is still spicy, but the coffee flavors are stronger now to the point that they seem almost overwrought to me at this point which leads to a subtle sharpness that I don't care for. The back of the palate is still earthy, but the bitter flavor has really taken over here and begins to border on being flavored like crushed aspirin. The draw is still nice and the burn performs well to the end.
The finish was short and slightly bitter and had hints of earth.
Overall I was not impressed with this offering either. Cigars like this are perhaps why I sometimes go back to smoking the old standbys, these new cigars are a real crap shoot.
Appearance- 91 an attractive smoke
Taste- 83 not impressed with the bitter flavors throughout the smoke and the rest of the flavors were weak
Construction- 87 the draw was tight early
Strength- 85 medium more than full
Overall- 86 very middling
I have reviewed some of the other Surrogate blends before and I have not really found one that suits me yet. This particular cigar sounds so intimidating, Skull Breaker... I knew a guy once that we called Skull Breaker, I played hockey for many years and he was a teammate. Thank god he was on my side because he was a freaking animal, he even bit off part of some one's ear after a game once. So this particular cigar with this particular name has me heading for ear muffs just in case I need some protection. All kidding aside I was excited to try this smoke because it is touted as a strong bomb that is full of flavor.
The cigar presents well, I will even forgive that it is a torpedo shape which I don't like. The wrapper is a silky smooth thing and it has very few veins. The construction seems very nice to me and I can't detect any areas of concern. Even the band work looks sufficiently menacing. The pre light draw shows some nice hints of anise and coffee. The pre light aroma is spicy and rich.
The cigar opens with a profile that is surprisingly docile for something that had so much hype about being the end all be all in strength. The core profile shows some nice flavors of spice and anise, plus some very fine tobacco flavors, but I would definitely classify it as medium at the outset. At the back of the palate there are some nice earthy presentations that have a slightly bitter tone through the nose. The draw is slightly firm, but it delivers in an acceptable manner, though I am concerned about heat later in the smoke. The burn is right on the money at this point in the smoke.
The first half of the cigar remains a rather tame lamb. I am really shocked by this because I had even spoken to others that thought this cigar was just strength all the way through, I am just not finding it to be the case at all. The core profile still has some nice spice notes, but the anise flavors have given way to a more floral essence and some coffee tones. The back of the palate still shows some earthy tones but the bitterness has ramped up some and threatens to derail the experience. The draw has opened up now and the delivery of the smoke is free and easy. The burn has performed very nicely to this point.
The final half of the smoke picks up the steam a little bit, but it is still just inching into full strength territory for me. The core profile is still spicy, but the coffee flavors are stronger now to the point that they seem almost overwrought to me at this point which leads to a subtle sharpness that I don't care for. The back of the palate is still earthy, but the bitter flavor has really taken over here and begins to border on being flavored like crushed aspirin. The draw is still nice and the burn performs well to the end.
The finish was short and slightly bitter and had hints of earth.
Overall I was not impressed with this offering either. Cigars like this are perhaps why I sometimes go back to smoking the old standbys, these new cigars are a real crap shoot.
Appearance- 91 an attractive smoke
Taste- 83 not impressed with the bitter flavors throughout the smoke and the rest of the flavors were weak
Construction- 87 the draw was tight early
Strength- 85 medium more than full
Overall- 86 very middling
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