Berger & Argenti Clasico Rothchild (5x50)

While digging through the singles drawers I came upon this little number, I have no idea where or when I picked it up, but it seemed interesting to me so I decided to continue my tour de singles.  I know that many of my fellow BOTL's have talked about this cigar, but I had never really tuned in to hear what they were really saying, I just assumed it was another new entry into the so-so category.  I could not have been more wrong about that.

The cigar is very plain looking, there is no flair or spectacle.  The wrapper is a light brown, somewhat like a creamed coffee, and it has a nice sheen to it without being visually oily.  The construction seems to be acceptable upon inspection, but the roll seems a bit to tight to me.  The pre light aroma is light, but it smacks of cinnamon and wood.  The pre light draw shows some nice flavors of spice and pumpkin.

This smoke opens with a fairly pedestrian profile offering.  There are some notes of light wood and some fleeting cinnamon, but the lack of depth and complexity in the front of the profile are concerning to me at this point.  At the back of the palate there is a warm wood flavor that seems a touch like pine to me.  The draw is a little tight, but so far it is acceptable.  The burn is sharp and a nice gray ash is forming.

The first half of the cigar really warms up the palate.  The profile morphs into a fantastically deep and satisfying array of flavors showing cinnamon, pumpkin, spice, light wood and a hard candy sweetness.  At the back of the palate there are some excellent notes of pine and some nutmeg essences that are really showing through.  This is a profile unlike any I have every experienced and I am really looking forward to the finish.  The draw has opened slightly, but there is some heat coming into the picture here.  The burn is still solid.

The final half of the cigar loses some of it's lustre, but it continues to perform well, albeit not as impressively as the first half.  The profile still shows some cinnamon flavors, but there are some tart presentations of ginger here as well.  This is still very good, but more mundane than the first half led me to expect.  At the back of the palate there are still some nice wood flavors, but there is some heat causing a charred character here as well.  The draw is still opening, but not to the point where I like and the burn is solid throughout.

The finish was middling, but left me longin for what was displayed in the first half of the cigar.

Appearance- 85 a very average look and feel
Taste- 92 an excellent first half, but the rest could use some attention
Construction- 87 some draw tightness caused hear, but overall good
Strength- 89 a very satisfying medium
Overall- 89 Not bad for a boutique single

Camacho Coyolar Puro Rothchild

This cigar has about a year of humidor aging and is from a box I acquired last fall. The cigar presents with a nice darker brown wrapper that has little, if any, veining. The pre light aroma has notes of earth, spice and roasted nuts. The pre light draw shows a nice earthy note with some undertones of spice.

The cigar begins with a serious burst of power. There are notes of earth, spice and a strong tobacco thread that brings it all together. The draw is superior and it provides ample smoke. The burn is strong and the ash is a sturdy gray. The first inch of the cigar proceeds in excellent fashion.

At the two inch mark the profile has notes of leather, earth, spice and tobacco. The flavor is deep and savory and I am surprised by the complexity and depth of the cigar. The draw and burn continue to be impressive.

Just past the halfway point the profile is showing notes of roasted nuts, leather and tobacco. The draw and burn remain solid to this point. I am continuing to be impressed with this cigar and it is well documented that I am not a fan of Camacho offerings.

The final third of the cigar continues to show notes of leather, roasted nuts and tobacco. There is a little bit of a floral note at the back of the palate. In addition there is a slightly metallic note near the end that is distracting.

The finish is a bit disappointing, showing notes of earth and leather, but there is a metallic note that hurts the experience.

Appearance- 91 an attractive cigar
Taste- 88 some metallic notes at the end and on the finish hurt the score
Construction- 94 an excellent experience
Strength- 87 a very full experience, but it does not compliment the profile well
Overall- 90 an excellent smoking experience

Baccarat Rothchild

This is a cigar that I have smoked for nearly a decade. It looks as though it has been recently redone, at least in terms of packaging. I have always found this to be a fantastic mild cigar with a sweet flavor, that is a great change of pace. The cigar presents with a darker wrapper than I remember, there is also some new flair on the band. The wrapper looks average and I detect some areas that are dry and there are some prominent veins. The pre light aroma is vegetal. The pre light draw is metallic. The sweetened head of old has been replaced with an uneventful regular head. The draw seems a bit tight, but an inspection of the cigar reveals nothing out of the ordinary.

The cigar opens with a sweet smoke, but there is an acrid bite at the back of the palate. The burn is acceptable and there is ample smoke. The ash is flaky and not well formed, almost as if there is too much air in the roll of the tobacco. The first half of the cigar is uneventful and sub par.

The second half did not develop well either. There were slightly floral and sweet notes, but vegetal, acrid undertones detract from the cigar. The burn stays acceptable, but the ash is still flaky and weak.

The finish is bitter and short with notes of crushed aspirin. This is not the cigar I remember, what a shame.

Appearance- 85 just an average looking smoke
Taste- 70 no complexity and vegetal, bitter notes lead to the lowest score possible. There was nothing redeeming in the flavor profile of this smoke.
Construction- 85 just average a flaky and weak ash show some flaws
Strength- 80 an unremarkable strength to this cigar that is mild/medium
Overall- 80 really not a good smoke