Roy R. Frush
Karaté?
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2005
- Messages
- 610
The crazy weather Saturday in New York gave me the opportunity to enjoy another outdoor smoke. The weather was even milder than the day before and I decided to smoke the first of many cigars acquired through a newbie sampler. I figured I’d start at the bottom and work my way up.
The brand is Aristoff, but until I received this cigar, I had never heard of them before. This maduro cigar measured 5 1/2” x 50. I am not certain of the exact model of this cigar, but according to the JR website, it seems most likely to be an Aristoff Black, Robusto Extra. The band is actually white, with three red dots, and borders of gold on the top and bottom in a greek key pattern.
The wrapper felt very dry, and gritty, somewhat like coarse sandpaper. I clipped the cap and noticed the draw was quite firm. The pre-light aroma was interesting. The wrapper had a floral scent, like lavender, but the foot smelled like fish food! If anyone has smelled the fish food that comes in flakes, you’ll get the idea…
I stepped outside, and with some trepidation, lit it up. The foot lit easily, and burned very evenly. The ash was a very light grey, and the initial draws revealed some harshness to the smoke. The flavor could best be described as mildly peppery. The weather was even nicer than I had expected, so I decided to take a walk.
I made my way over to Central Park, thankful for the unusual weather, and even more thankful that this cigar didn’t taste like it smelled… The flavors never really developed into anything of substance, other than that midway through I did get some of those lavender notes. It had an unusual, perfume-like character to it. There was a notable lack of sweetness that I normally associate with maduros. The pepperiness remained throughout, as did the roughness.
The price point across the board for this brand appears to be ~ $2. This was not a particularly interesting cigar, but considering the price, one could do a lot worse. I’ve certainly smoked mediocre cigars in the $6-8 range that I would regard as comparable. I really don’t have the experience with cigars in this price range to determine how I would rate it relative to other offerings. This cigar wasn’t very pretty in appearance, but construction was decent, and it smoked well. All in all, it was a pretty one-dimensional, medium bodied smoke.
Despite the humbleness of this stogie, I enjoyed myself tremendously while smoking it. That may have a lot to do with the fact that I was able to go for a walk in Manhattan, deep into January, in a short sleeve shirt and sandals!
The brand is Aristoff, but until I received this cigar, I had never heard of them before. This maduro cigar measured 5 1/2” x 50. I am not certain of the exact model of this cigar, but according to the JR website, it seems most likely to be an Aristoff Black, Robusto Extra. The band is actually white, with three red dots, and borders of gold on the top and bottom in a greek key pattern.
The wrapper felt very dry, and gritty, somewhat like coarse sandpaper. I clipped the cap and noticed the draw was quite firm. The pre-light aroma was interesting. The wrapper had a floral scent, like lavender, but the foot smelled like fish food! If anyone has smelled the fish food that comes in flakes, you’ll get the idea…
I stepped outside, and with some trepidation, lit it up. The foot lit easily, and burned very evenly. The ash was a very light grey, and the initial draws revealed some harshness to the smoke. The flavor could best be described as mildly peppery. The weather was even nicer than I had expected, so I decided to take a walk.
I made my way over to Central Park, thankful for the unusual weather, and even more thankful that this cigar didn’t taste like it smelled… The flavors never really developed into anything of substance, other than that midway through I did get some of those lavender notes. It had an unusual, perfume-like character to it. There was a notable lack of sweetness that I normally associate with maduros. The pepperiness remained throughout, as did the roughness.
The price point across the board for this brand appears to be ~ $2. This was not a particularly interesting cigar, but considering the price, one could do a lot worse. I’ve certainly smoked mediocre cigars in the $6-8 range that I would regard as comparable. I really don’t have the experience with cigars in this price range to determine how I would rate it relative to other offerings. This cigar wasn’t very pretty in appearance, but construction was decent, and it smoked well. All in all, it was a pretty one-dimensional, medium bodied smoke.
Despite the humbleness of this stogie, I enjoyed myself tremendously while smoking it. That may have a lot to do with the fact that I was able to go for a walk in Manhattan, deep into January, in a short sleeve shirt and sandals!
