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
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