My hate filled rants for all things gimmicky are well known, so I must ask the question, why do people keep making gimmicky cigars? I just can't fathom why anyone would want to subject a cigar to my brand of loquacious malevolence, but it keeps happening (not that anyone reads or pays attention to this anyway).
This cigar is a trifecta of gimmicks, which is appropriate given the name El Threesome. First, it is a cigar that has three wrappers. Why do makers do this? Isn't it hard enough to get it right with one wrapper? This constant quest to do something interesting is so tiresome. Want to do something interesting? Make a good cigar for crying out loud!! Second, it is a sixty ring gauge. When will this donkey wang trend ever end? Just because something sells doesn't mean it should be made. It's time for this silly business of making cigars thicker and thicker to end. I have begun to wonder if the manufacturers and consumers are covering for some other short comings with these things... Third, it has a tongue in cheek name. El Threesome? Is this supposed to be sexual? Or is it just a sad and sleepy marketing reference to the three wrappers? I lean towards the latter, but who knows these days?
Now I have to smoke this log. I must admit, aside from all the gimmicky crap I listed above, the cigar appears to be well made. The wrappers are all applied well. The bunch seems to have the appropriate feel and I don't detect any plugs or voids. My only issue is the band work, it is clumsy and could use some refinement. The pre light aroma smacks of grass and dusty hay, almost like walking into a barn in the middle of summer. The pre light draw shows some bitter wood notes, but there is a little bit of cinnamon coming out here as well.
The cigar opens with a profile that is dry and dusty, but there are some nice notes of drying balsa wood and light spice that overcome some of the dryness that threatens to scorch the throat. The back of the palate and through the nose have some sweet grass presentations, but they are not particularly complex and border on being bitter. The draw is acceptable at this point, though it a little too loose for my tastes. The burn is a little wonky, but this often happens in cigars that have multiple wrappers, so I was expecting it. I think it will even out on it's own without my help.
The first half of the cigar is mostly Connecticut wrapper, I typically don't care for this, and this is no exception. The flavors are bitter and full of dry notes that derail the experience for me. Near the end of the first half there is a transition into a Habano wrapper, the cigar gets interesting here because I can immediately taste a blend change. This shocks me a little and adds a fourth gimmick to the mix. A cigar with more than one blend? Now this becomes more interesting, a gimmick I can almost get behind. The flavor here becomes a far more robust blend of coffee, spice and dark wood flavors. The back of the palate shows some brushes of chocolate and earth and really rounds out this portion of the smoke. The draw is still too loose for me and the cigar is becoming more and more airy, this usually indicates a pending expansion and explosion of ACME proportions. The burn is ok, but transitions from blend to blend cause some combustion issues.
The final half of the cigar concludes the Habano portion of the cigar and transitions into a third blend with a maduro wrapper. This portion of the cigar really goes off the rails. The profile is bitter and distorted, I can't even pick out any real flavors here. This is a real shame, the Habano portion was so good. The draw stays too loose to the end, and the expansion happens in the last two inches and I lose patience with it very quickly. The burn goes slides away here as well and it becomes very difficult to keep it lit.
I give this company an "A" for trying something innovative, and maybe with the right blender and roller this could work. However, this was a failed attempt and came off as gimmicky without the payoff.
Appearance- 86 slightly above average
Taste- 74 unfortunately the Connecticut and maduro portions were just too poor. I would smoke a cigar with just the Habano though
Construction- 77 draw issues and burn problems late make this very poor
Strength- 84 a nice medium in spots, but overall not great
Overall- 78.75 very sub par in my opinion
No comments:
Post a Comment