I have been on a real paw through the depths of the humidor run lately. If there is some off the beaten path, seldom heard of, potential dog rocket hiding in my cedar trays I want to find it and smoke and give it the hairy eyeball. I do this, of course, with you the readers in mind. You may send gifts, no ticking packages though please. It is somewhat appropriate that this cigar bears the name Rapier. I have often been accused of having a somewhat rapier wit, additionally this blog has been criticized and lauded equally for being rapier sharp in assessing a cigar. Finally, some may just want to run me clean through with a rapier and soothe their tired and bleeding eyes from reading my piles of dreck over the years. If you are in any one of those categories I would think that you would appreciate the irony in the name of this particular cigar.
This cigar presents with some adornments that I find to be, well....quite something, and maybe not in a good way. The red tin foil that covers the cigar is visually jarring and it feels like I am hefting some Christmas ornament as I lift it from it's humidor cocoon. The band has a honey bee and a grenade on it, as near as I can tell, and I find the imagery cute, but not particularly valuable or noteworthy. Once I unwrap the thing I can get down to the business of inspecting the cigar. The size is fantastic, I love the length and ring. The taper at the foot is very Fuente Hemingwayesque, I like this feature. The wrapper is nicely applied and has a dark chocolate appearance to it. I notice some tooth in the leaf and some nice oils. The pre light draw has some licorice and wood flavors. The pre light aroma is earthy with a hint of sweet clover.
The cigar opens with a profile that is not great and fairly one dimensional. The core flavor is sweet, trying for something like honey or clover, but coming off as something artificial like saccharine, with a touch of bitterness to it. The back of the palate and the retrohale show some infusions of licorice and earth, but the saccharine flavor is still persistent in this part of the smoke. This heavy, and oft bitter, sweetness that permeates the profile is really not great and threatens to become something quite nasty. The draw in the early stages is too tight, but I attribute that to the taper at the end of the foot and believe this to be a common trait amongst cigars rolled this way. The burn is a touch wonky as well, and I again lend this to the construction of the vitola.
The first half of the cigar really does not develop, on the good side though it does not deteriorate either. The core profile maintains the bitter taste of artificial sweetener, it's really not good. I strain to find something else in the profile, but I just can't do it. The back of the palate and the nose continue to show some wispy hints of licorice and earth, but it never breaks through the barrier of bitter artificial sweetness that the front of the profile creates. The draw loosens some, but it is still too tight for my liking at this stage. The burn levels out nicely as the smoke progresses.
The final half, and especially the final third, finally show some redeeming qualities. The core profile finally sheds the bitter and artificial parts and segues into something more robust and flavorful. I am picking up some pine nut, clover and dark fruit along with some white pepper bursts that are interesting. I could only wish the whole cigar was this good. Alas, it was not. The back of the palate and the nose show some hearty earthiness and some wonderful dark wood notes. The draw is still just too tight for me, but there is not any heat in the smoke. The burn is solid to the finish.
The finish was a bit tart, some artificial sweetener snuck back in here, but also had some nice lingering traces of fruit and clover.
All in all not the best smoke, and I would probably shy away from it in the future.
Appearance- 83 garish and overdone with all the wrapping and bells and whistles
Taste- 85 saved late to become average
Construction- 87 tight draw throughout
Strength- 86 a nice medium
Overall- 85.5 mundane at best
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