Blind review #1
93 degrees outside with a nice breeze, drinking ice water. Sitting in the backyard wondering how tall I'm going to let that grass grow.
Shape is perhaps a petit robusto, 4.75” just shy of a 50 ring gauge maybe 48.
Cigar is milk chocolate brown with minimum veins. Firm feel and with a triple cap good construction.
Pre-light
Good barnyard smell, that rich fermented tobacco aroma.
There is a little pucker on the head and I decide to go with a straight cut instead of a punch not wanting to damage the cap *cuts cigar* whew! It was just on the top cap clean cut!
Un-fired draw not getting a lot, maybe brown sugar, mild earthy tones?
Draw is pretty tight, had 3 days in the dry box at 62 percent, may not have been enough.
Fired up! First few puffs are great, hay, toast white pepper but not strong. The draw is getting tighter as the cigar warms up and I decide to give it a gentle poke with my tool (is this cigar docking?). That works perfectly and the draw is just under firm.
First third is delicious, floral predominantly, some baking spices and a bit of clove…. Very mild retro hale is smooth, creamy and floral.
I am trying to dissect this floral aroma/taste more almost hops like. Slightly bitter like black coffee. The end of the first third the cigar starts to build into a solid medium strength.
Oh yah! This is getting even better, more spice and the first real hint of pepper in the retrohale. The wind picks up out of nowhere and showers me in ashes…. Meh just rub them in.
I am trying not to smoke fast and let this stick rest in between puffs a bit. BUT I resist, I hear Jon calling me from the void, remember your training!
A big puff through the nose makes me sneeze lol. The cigars profile through the second third keeps building to medium, starting to feel that nic hit in the back of the throat some. But the profile is getting much sweeter such as vanilla ice cream and cinnamon to my taste buds. Throughout this smoke there have been other subtle tasting notes like dried fruit that I was not able to put my finger on it.
Wife and kids are home, but she tells me it is too hot to be outside. Good, I can finish this in peace.
WARNING: Introspection moment. I realize that I don't really take the time to sit and enjoy cigars as nearly often as I should. Sure I smoke a lot of cigars but it would seem I rarely take the time to truly enjoy them. I suppose I get caught up in the “what's the next great cigar craze” and forget why I do this. Lazy afternoons coaxing little nuances of flavor from these hand crafted gems. OK, moment over.
Time for a cut and purge.
The construction is really spot on, after this last cut a little farther into the head you can really see the nice bunching.
Final third is showing more intensity, having the sweetness take a back seat to more robust flavors.
Brief intermission, I run inside real quick and my youngest has his butt over the AC vent saying "that feels good"… Guess it is getting hot out hahaha!
Now well into the final third, it's a challenge to draw slowly and not overheat the tobacco. Getting a mild nic buzz and still admiring the strength of this little cigar. Still getting just enough pepper to remind me not to take a full hit retro, but the complexity is nice. Now getting an earthy strong dark roast coffee more than the vanilla.
There is a slight lopsided burn, but waiting to see if it fixes itself. Then the unthinkable happens. It goes out, I cannot coax it back to life, so I gently heat the end with a single torch and take a puff. EUREKA! Back in business.
Every puff is pure luxury, Pepper is now the foremost, hints of baking spices mingle a bit as well.
If you actually read this whole thing, first I thank you, then I apologize. I wanted to capture the whole experience and this written diarrhea was the result. To summarize, the construction, size, and draw were a indicator this may be cuban. Then the tasting notes and strength confirmed (in my head) that thought.
I really have no idea what this was but I'm going to take a stab at it.
Partagas series D #5 ????
Drumroll please…..
OMG, I am embarrassed. Just remember kids 90 percent is perception, now too delete this whole review and rewrite it hahahaha!
I wanted to send you something you were familiar with to see if you could pick it out, and since you sent one of these unbanded to me, I figured I'd return the favor. Hope you enjoyed playing the game!
