Cigar Weekly

Appearance: A very nice looking cigar with a slight box press, and a caramel colored wrapper. Lightly veined.

Construction: A very firm cigar, a bit heavy to the touch, with no lumps or soft spots.

Prelight aroma: Barnyard, and a touch of sweet grains.

Initial Impressions: As I clipped this cigar using my Palio, I noticed that the bunch is fairly tight. They packed a lot of tobacco in this thing. The test draw, before lighting, was slightly restrictive, but not too tight. After toasting I bring the flame to the foot, and take my first puff.

First Third: The initial flavors are of leather and honey sweetened tea. A few puffs in, and a heavy cream has been added to the mix. There is a touch of cedar when expelling the smoke through the nose. At about ¾” the cream has blended with a hint of caramel At this point the burn is just a little bit crooked, but not enough to distract from the flavors. The body seems to be a solid medium at this point. There are some hints of holiday spice, and a touch of citrus starting at about 1’ into this cigar. Nearing the end of the first third, the sweet tea has disappeared completely and caramel has come to the front and center. This cigar seems to have lost some of the peppery quality I remember from previous reviews,

Second Third: The caramel flavor continues with hints of a zest of citrus, and I finally start to notice a touch of white pepper. At about 2” in I start to get some coffee notes blending in with the caramel, and the pepper has stepped up in intensity. I am really enjoying the interplay beteen the different flavors, as the dynamic seem to change between puffs. The gray ash is still holding firm, and I forcibly remove it, to avoid a potential mess. The crooked burn has now self corrected.

Final Third: The flavors have gotten much more intense. My lips have started tingling, and I feel a slight nicotine buzz. I am smoking this cigar on an empty stomach, but it isn’t causing any problems. The body, while easing into the full category, is still just on the border between med-full. This cigar is finishing strong. The flavors are really changing from puff to puff, and changing in intensity as well. As I lay the nub to rest, I am in cigar Nirvana. It is cigars like this one that reminds me why I keep searching for the perfect cigar. While it is not perfect

Overall thoughts: It is cigars like this one that reminds me why I keep searching for the perfect cigar. While it is not perfect, this cigar was very close. I rate it a 4.9, on a 5 point scale.

I have reviewed this cigar 3 times now, and am still impressed with each time I pick it up. I have almost smoked through 2 boxes of this code, and wish I had three more boxes. While the wrappers were different shades between the 2 boxes, each cigar has been a winner.

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