I once was searching the Internet for something and found a link to a PHD dissertation about what to do in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse. It was at that very moment that I realized I had probably reached the end of the Internet, I didn't read the thing when I had the chance and now I regret it. The Zombie Apocalypse is now upon us and I don't know what to do about it. There are legions of slow walking, bug eyed and drooling fools descending upon the four stores in the country that have these cigars. Indeed, I saw some of them in my favorite B and M in New Orleans, it was a scary sight to behold and forced me to ask the question, what is it about this release every year that turns people into mindless drones? I decided I would have to smoke one for myself and find out. Hopefully I won't end up wandering aimlessly through dark corners of the city looking for human flesh to feed on, or whatever Zombies do.
The cigar itself has a somewhat rough appearance, much as I think an actual Zombie would, the wrapper is dark and mottled and the cigar itself has some lumps and bumps. A quick inspection of the cigar leads me to believe that it is well made and I can't find any issues in the bunch. The pre light aroma has a very earthy tone to it. The pre light draw smacks of dark wood and earth.
The cigar opens with a profile that is a touch thin for me, but still shows some nice flavors. The core profile shows some hints of earth and wood, but it is not fully developing in a way that shows any real depth to the flavor. At the back of the palate there are some developing hints of pepper and some slight raisin notes, but again they are not developed enough to provide any depth. The draw is very fluid and delivers plenty of smoke with every puff, this is exactly how I like a cigar to perform. The burn is a touch off from the start, but I don't think I need to do any touch ups as it looks like these issues will even out on their own.
The first half of the cigar is really not much to write home about. The core profile continues to be too thin. The main flavors are earth and dark wood, but they carry no depth and my palate struggles to find depth or nuance in the profile. The back of the palate and through the nose show some development as pepper, raisin and anise mingle to provide something that is at least close to a flavor experience. I am disappointed at this point in the cigar, and I am starting wonder what all the hype is. The burn has evened out nicely and the draw is still performing very well.
The final half of the cigar really does nothing for me either, this experience is mundane at best. The core profile continues to wallow in mediocrity as thin flavors of earth and wood continue to plod along in a uninteresting Zombie shuffle like you would see in a movie. The back of the palate is still pleasing, but it is not enough to carry the cigar at this point. The profile here continues to show nice pepper and anise flavors, but they just don't elevate the experience enough. The burn continues to be solid after some early issues and the draw stays excellent throughout.
The finish was short and had some ashy qualities that were not pleasant.
As with many Viaje's I have smoked I just don't see what all the hype is about. The name though is appropriate as they seem to turn otherwise intelligent people into brainless dolts with a genius marketing campaign.
Appearance- 88 a very plain looking smoke
Taste- 86 too thin in too many places
Construction- 90 early burn issues complicate the smoke, but the draw was a dream
Strength- 87 a reedy and thin full
Overall- 87.75 an average cigar at best
Friday, May 24, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Elegidos (5x55)
Sometimes cigars give me something to think about in addition to the relaxation already inherent in the process. This is one such smoke...
I have smoked this cigar several times now, something I don't usually do, and I am somewhat flummoxed by my findings. Usually I can make a determination within a cigar or two whether or not I hate something, or love it (anyone that reads this knows it is usually hate), but this cigar is a mystery wrapped in the shady cloak of enigma. I just can't figure the damn thing out! Finally I just had to sit down and put thoughts to blog and get it out there...
The cigar always presents well. The band has a regal design concept and appearance, there is something to be said about a band that is not cheap looking. The wrapper is luxurious in appearance, the hue of nice milk chocolate, the wrapper just seems to drape this cigar in a cloak of dark richness. I am somewhat off put by the box press, but hey that's just me, some people like it. I just have never been able to figure out what the point of it is. There are very few veins here and the construction in every one of the cigars seems to be right on, without any voids or plugs. The pre light aroma is earthy and has some tobacco richness to it. The pre light draw shows some slight pepper tones and some strange spice that borders on being sour.
Every cigar I have smoked opens with the same profile. The core profile has distinct pepper notes, but they are shallow and not very well formed at this point, there is also an odd spice here, similar to the pre light experience but with some sour notes and a metallic aftertaste that is not very pleasing at all. The back of the palate and through the nose shows a nice earthy tone that at least lends some depth to the experience in the early going. The draw on all of the cigars I smoked was acceptable, but not exceptional. It was actually a little bit too loose for on the first several so I adjusted my cut depth and it was still loose, perhaps a punch would be better in hindsight. The burn was also acceptable on all of the smokes to this point.
It is in the first half that I have some variance in the experiences. In two of the five cigars sampled, including the first which I avoided reviewing because I sensed some redeeming value in the smoke, this opening half was a good awful, bile churning festival of bad flavors. Bitter notes and musty flavors overtook these two cigars early on and ruined them throughout the experience. In the other three though something different emerged. The core profile was a much more delightful mix of dark fruit, chocolate and tobacco flavors. The back of the palate showed nice earth and dark wood flavors as well. In all experiences the draw was still too loose at this point for me, however the burn was still doing nicely.
The final half of the cigar in the two outliers is not worth talking about, it was all just so bad. However, in the three that I enjoyed the core profile became a more complex array of solid flavors as the cigar progressed. There were some wonderful chocolate flavors and very nice crisp tobacco, there was also some nice pepper flavor that came through as well. All in all the cigar became a complex and balanced presentation. The draw was still too loose on all of the cigars that I smoked. The burn was ok throughout.
The finish in the three that were enjoyable was long and had some hints of pepper and earth.
I don't usually give cigars second chances when I smoke a bad one right off the bat, particularly one that was as bad as this, but I sensed there might be something worthwhile and I was not disappointed.
Appearance- 92 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 87 for the ones I enjoyed, the other ones were 70
Construction- 86 the draw was too loose for me
Strength- 87 a nice medium to full smoke
Overall- 87.5 which is not bad considering I absolutely hated two of the five
I have smoked this cigar several times now, something I don't usually do, and I am somewhat flummoxed by my findings. Usually I can make a determination within a cigar or two whether or not I hate something, or love it (anyone that reads this knows it is usually hate), but this cigar is a mystery wrapped in the shady cloak of enigma. I just can't figure the damn thing out! Finally I just had to sit down and put thoughts to blog and get it out there...
The cigar always presents well. The band has a regal design concept and appearance, there is something to be said about a band that is not cheap looking. The wrapper is luxurious in appearance, the hue of nice milk chocolate, the wrapper just seems to drape this cigar in a cloak of dark richness. I am somewhat off put by the box press, but hey that's just me, some people like it. I just have never been able to figure out what the point of it is. There are very few veins here and the construction in every one of the cigars seems to be right on, without any voids or plugs. The pre light aroma is earthy and has some tobacco richness to it. The pre light draw shows some slight pepper tones and some strange spice that borders on being sour.
Every cigar I have smoked opens with the same profile. The core profile has distinct pepper notes, but they are shallow and not very well formed at this point, there is also an odd spice here, similar to the pre light experience but with some sour notes and a metallic aftertaste that is not very pleasing at all. The back of the palate and through the nose shows a nice earthy tone that at least lends some depth to the experience in the early going. The draw on all of the cigars I smoked was acceptable, but not exceptional. It was actually a little bit too loose for on the first several so I adjusted my cut depth and it was still loose, perhaps a punch would be better in hindsight. The burn was also acceptable on all of the smokes to this point.
It is in the first half that I have some variance in the experiences. In two of the five cigars sampled, including the first which I avoided reviewing because I sensed some redeeming value in the smoke, this opening half was a good awful, bile churning festival of bad flavors. Bitter notes and musty flavors overtook these two cigars early on and ruined them throughout the experience. In the other three though something different emerged. The core profile was a much more delightful mix of dark fruit, chocolate and tobacco flavors. The back of the palate showed nice earth and dark wood flavors as well. In all experiences the draw was still too loose at this point for me, however the burn was still doing nicely.
The final half of the cigar in the two outliers is not worth talking about, it was all just so bad. However, in the three that I enjoyed the core profile became a more complex array of solid flavors as the cigar progressed. There were some wonderful chocolate flavors and very nice crisp tobacco, there was also some nice pepper flavor that came through as well. All in all the cigar became a complex and balanced presentation. The draw was still too loose on all of the cigars that I smoked. The burn was ok throughout.
The finish in the three that were enjoyable was long and had some hints of pepper and earth.
I don't usually give cigars second chances when I smoke a bad one right off the bat, particularly one that was as bad as this, but I sensed there might be something worthwhile and I was not disappointed.
Appearance- 92 a nice looking smoke
Taste- 87 for the ones I enjoyed, the other ones were 70
Construction- 86 the draw was too loose for me
Strength- 87 a nice medium to full smoke
Overall- 87.5 which is not bad considering I absolutely hated two of the five
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