Dunhill Altamiras (5x48)

I went into a recent Cigar Dinner, at the beautiful Founder's Club in Sarasota, knowing that Dunhill cigars are not my cup of tea. They are always just too mild and flavorless for me, but the prospect of a night with fellow BOTL's and SOTL's was to grand to pass on, besides there would be dinner, liquor and fine cigars so it couldn't be that bad right? Well two out of three ain't bad. There were cigars, but using fine as a descriptor will only work if it is the type of fine you get from your wife or girlfriend when you ask her is she is ok after a big fight. That is the type of fine that best describes this cigar, on the surface it looks like everything is ok, but below a festering eruption of foul is about to emerge.

The cigar presents in a very classic and classy way, with a sharp white aluminum tubo presentation. It is delicate for a robusto and the blond Connecticut wrapper is attractive and has few veins. The head is perfect and the foot is sharp, I can appreciate the craftsmanship here. An inspection reveals to me that it might be rolled too tightly and I am concerned about possible draw issues due to this. The pre light aroma is slight, but shows some dusty, honey like tones. The pre light draw is tight, but I detect some wisps of light floral flavors.

The cigar opens completely devoid of anything resembling a profile, there are no flavors discernible, it is just some smoke and that is about it. One of my friends nearby quipped that it was like smoking a negative cigar and we devolved into a somewhat nerdy contemplation of Cigar Quantum Physics and Negative Cigar Dynamics. At the back of the palate I am also not picking up anything of note, this is something I have not really experienced before in any cigar. The draw is too tight and there is some labor to produce the smoke, I am worried about heat in the presentation later. The burn is solid, but the ash is flaky.

The first half of the cigar plods along and finally begins to show some flavors, but they are not flavors that I believe anyone was enjoying. There were some thin floral intonations, but mostly I was getting grass, hay and vegetation from the profile. At the back of the palate a bitterness has emerged that is scorching my throat. The draw has not loosened and I am considering putting the cigar down. The burn is still solid, but the ash continues to snow all over me and my table.

The final half of this smoke comes on a bit, but it is too little too late. There are some nice vanilla flavors in the foreground that have some creamy offsets, but there is still some grassy undertone here that is hurting the profile. At the back of the palate the bitterness persists. The draw opens slightly as I burn through the plug that was causing the issue. The burn got wonky in the area of the obstruction, but evened out near the end.

The finish was blessed, in that it was over, leaving notes of grass and thin papery wisps.

Appearance- 92 a very attractive visual experience
Taste- 74 there is no way this could be any higher with a profile that was at first nothing, and then terrible, then mediocre at best
Construction- 72 the tight draw really detracts from the score here
Strength- 85 a very average mild
Overall- 78.25 save yourself the 12-15 bucks and buy two or three of something you will enjoy

Dunhill Signed Range Robusto

This is another offering at the high end of the retail spectrum. This is supposedly a departure from the mild cigar usually produced under the Dunhill label. The cigar presents well with a dark natural wrapper that has few veins. The roll seems to be a bit loose, but there are no soft areas that might create an issue. The pre light aroma is slightly sour, but has notes of nuts of spice. The pre light draw shows spice and floral sweetness.

The cigar opens with a profile of spice mixed with some flavors of dry wood. At the back of the palate there is a dry floral sweetness that has a touch of sourness. The draw is excellent and produces ample smoke with minimal effort. The burn is sharp and produces a dirty gray ash that is slightly flaky.

The first half of the cigar shows notes of dry wood and light spice. At the back of the palate there continues to be a dry floral essence that is turning slightly bitter. The draw and burn continue to perform well, but the ash is still flaky.

The final half of the cigar develops with notes of roasted nuts and dry wood. At the back of the palate the floral note remains bitter, but there is some spice that is interesting. The draw and burn stay consistent, but the profile lacks complexity and depth.

The finish is a touch short and bitter. There are floral and nutty notes, but there are some grassy overtones.

Appearance- 87 an acceptable looking cigar
Taste- 82 bitterness hurts and there is a lack of complexity and depth
Construction- 89 aside from the flaky ash the cigar performed well
Strength- 84 an unremarkable medium
Overall- 85.5 just an average smoke with below average flavors