This is my first review here, so I'm giving this my best shot.
I was lucky enough to receive this beauty in trade from a BOTL here (thanks Geoff). This is my first Ashton smoked, so I figured I give this review thing a try.
The Specs:
Ashton VSG Enchantment
Size - 4-3/4 x 60 (figurado)
Filler - Dominican ("Made Carlito's Way" according to the website)
Wrapper - Ecuadorian
Country of Manufacture: Dominican Republic
Drink : Smokin hot cup of black coffee (Thanks Jerry)
Total Burn Time : 40mins
First Look & First Impression:
This stick has a very distinctive color to it. It is an odd darker brown color. The wrapper is smooth with really small veins. One of the first things I noticed was the smell of this stick. Its a different type of tobacco smell. Its a very distinctive smell. The shape and look reminds me alot of the WOAM.
I quickly sniped the cap of this bad boy and took a pre-lite draw. This is where I thought there could be trouble. The draw was very, very loose. The first thing I thought was that this would be a fast burner and hot as hell. I was so worried about the burn I forgot to try to get a pre-lite taste (damn noob's..ahahha)
1st 1/3:
The first third was alittle scarey. The initial lite of the foot was ok. The draw made me nervous because it was really loose and a real quick draw. I was hopeful it wouldnt be one of the hot 15 minute smokes.
The 1st 1/3 of the stick was a perfect burn. It did not require one bit of touchup. The initial taste was alot of leather, with something different in the background. I swear it was almost like bitter-sweet chocolate, but not very strong. It was there just enough to notice. I did not taste any fruityness as some other have. There was an incredible amount of smoke from this little stick. It was very deep white that quickly turned grey color.
2nd 1/3:
This is where it got weird. As soon as I got to the 2nd 1/3 the smoke immediately tightened up. It was a much deeper slower draw. I found myself relaxing and really slowing down to enjoy this thing. One thing I noticed is how well a cup of coffee goes with this smoke. It is a great pairing. I could almost taste the coffee flavors in the smoke too. At this point I started to notice the ash. This thing was well past the half way marker and the ash was stiff as could be. Not even a hink of wanting to be trayed yet. WOW. As I got into this thing it mellowed tremendously. Maybe it was the slight tingle on my lips from the nicotine, I dont know.
The burn was still flawless at this point. I did notice the zebra stripe thing happening too. Perfect smoke so far.
Final 1/3:
At this point my honey walked out outside and said "Is that your smoke. I smell chocolate"..aahahahaha. What an excellent smoke. I hit this one right down to the nub. I cant beleive it never got hot, not even at the end. Another thing about this smoke is how oily it got at the end. I could actually see the oils on the wrapper. At that point there was also a tremendous amount of tingle on my lips and tongue too. Hey, you gotta respect that in a smoke.
Final thoughts:
I really enjoyed this smoke. I was slightly apprehensive at first, but that quickly faded away. This will definitely be on my try it again list. The thing that I dislike most about this smoke is that it was the only one I had. It was a great smoke. I have not a thing negative to say.
thanks again Geoff. I absolutely appreciate it.
art
hope the review was ok.
I was lucky enough to receive this beauty in trade from a BOTL here (thanks Geoff). This is my first Ashton smoked, so I figured I give this review thing a try.
The Specs:
Ashton VSG Enchantment
Size - 4-3/4 x 60 (figurado)
Filler - Dominican ("Made Carlito's Way" according to the website)
Wrapper - Ecuadorian
Country of Manufacture: Dominican Republic
Drink : Smokin hot cup of black coffee (Thanks Jerry)
Total Burn Time : 40mins
First Look & First Impression:
This stick has a very distinctive color to it. It is an odd darker brown color. The wrapper is smooth with really small veins. One of the first things I noticed was the smell of this stick. Its a different type of tobacco smell. Its a very distinctive smell. The shape and look reminds me alot of the WOAM.
I quickly sniped the cap of this bad boy and took a pre-lite draw. This is where I thought there could be trouble. The draw was very, very loose. The first thing I thought was that this would be a fast burner and hot as hell. I was so worried about the burn I forgot to try to get a pre-lite taste (damn noob's..ahahha)
1st 1/3:
The first third was alittle scarey. The initial lite of the foot was ok. The draw made me nervous because it was really loose and a real quick draw. I was hopeful it wouldnt be one of the hot 15 minute smokes.
The 1st 1/3 of the stick was a perfect burn. It did not require one bit of touchup. The initial taste was alot of leather, with something different in the background. I swear it was almost like bitter-sweet chocolate, but not very strong. It was there just enough to notice. I did not taste any fruityness as some other have. There was an incredible amount of smoke from this little stick. It was very deep white that quickly turned grey color.
2nd 1/3:
This is where it got weird. As soon as I got to the 2nd 1/3 the smoke immediately tightened up. It was a much deeper slower draw. I found myself relaxing and really slowing down to enjoy this thing. One thing I noticed is how well a cup of coffee goes with this smoke. It is a great pairing. I could almost taste the coffee flavors in the smoke too. At this point I started to notice the ash. This thing was well past the half way marker and the ash was stiff as could be. Not even a hink of wanting to be trayed yet. WOW. As I got into this thing it mellowed tremendously. Maybe it was the slight tingle on my lips from the nicotine, I dont know.
The burn was still flawless at this point. I did notice the zebra stripe thing happening too. Perfect smoke so far.
Final 1/3:
At this point my honey walked out outside and said "Is that your smoke. I smell chocolate"..aahahahaha. What an excellent smoke. I hit this one right down to the nub. I cant beleive it never got hot, not even at the end. Another thing about this smoke is how oily it got at the end. I could actually see the oils on the wrapper. At that point there was also a tremendous amount of tingle on my lips and tongue too. Hey, you gotta respect that in a smoke.
Final thoughts:
I really enjoyed this smoke. I was slightly apprehensive at first, but that quickly faded away. This will definitely be on my try it again list. The thing that I dislike most about this smoke is that it was the only one I had. It was a great smoke. I have not a thing negative to say.
thanks again Geoff. I absolutely appreciate it.
art
hope the review was ok.
The VSG line in total is my favorite right now. 
