Cigar International Red Label:
June 6, 2006 after a large dinner
This cigar was accommodated by a bottle of cold water.
Pre-light:
The construction of the cigar felt pretty loose using the pinch test. The wrapper was, well here's some pictures:
I cut the cigar with my dual blade guillotine.
The draw felt very loose but tasted nutty with a hint of coffee. Maybe I didn't cut this right? This was my first figurado I've smoked/cut.
Initial Light: The taste was somewhat mild-medium and there was lots of milky smoke.
1/3:
The first third of the smoke, it was a little spicy but smooth with a leathery taste.
2/3: Still smooth but even spicier, almondy, nutty. It continued to draw very loosely. The ash fell as I took a puff.
As it fell on the ground, it was like a puff of dust.
last 3rd: It burned very hot which made it even spicier than the 2nd/3rd. It felt harsh and tasted bitter/acidic. The last of the cigar was very hard to finish, but I just toughed it out.
Ash fell again as I took another puff:
As you can see, I tried to pinch the end to maybe tighten the draw up, but it didn't do much.
Throughout this smoke, the tip of the cigar had blue smoke coming from it while each puff was thick white smoke that if the wind blew the wrong way, it would burn my eyes. If this cigar had a tighter construction/draw, I think I would have enjoyed it much more. The first 2/3's of the cigar was enjoyable, the last third was not. This gave me a good nicotine rush that I have not had smoking cigars. I probably wouldn't buy this cigar or give to a newbie for it isn't worth it to smoke for me and may be too strong for a newbie. The smoke that it produced was the most I have ever had from a cigar though. Thank you Joe for giving me the opportunity to review these cigars. The next one will probably be reviewed today.