- Joined
- Jan 31, 2005
- Messages
- 9,889
A great day at work for me can really set the stage for a fantastic smoke. Got my latest project design finished up and off for review, so on the drive home I decided a fantastic smoke was called for to celebrate about two months of very focused, extra hours required work. After dinner, I poured a nice Cabernet and retired to our outside covered deck to enjoy such a smoke. I have to say that it was really memorable; got to be one of the best smokes I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying – an Arturo Fuente #48 Añejo. These came from a box split I got in on thanks to the generosity of a great BOTL on this board. I’ve had these for about six months at 68-70% give or take, and they are clearly smoking fantastic.
So, what makes the difference between a “good” cigar and a “fantastic” smoke? To my new but slowly enlightening palate, simply put it’s complexity of flavor. I want to be surprised with changing and complex tastes, draw after draw – much like a good wine or bourbon. The burn has to be cool on the tongue, and razor sharp. I shouldn’t have to keep toasting one side or the other to keep things on track. I want the draw to be open but not without some resistance. The smoke should smell wonderful and should be thick, almost opaque. It’s nice if the ash hangs in there and is a uniform color; makes me believe that the burn is progressing evenly and uniformly. This cigar did all that, perfectly.
Once I got it out of the cello and cedar, I started off with a visual inspection. The Añejo’s are great looking smokes; nice dark, moist looking wrappers. They smell wonderful, very rich and intense. Snipped clean with the Xikar and the pre-light draw was very open, and what I’d describe as absolutely perfect. The flavors in that pre-light draw were hints of what was to come. Time to blaze this one up.
I gave the foot a quick but even toasting, and the cigar lit up effortlessly. The burn was absolutely flawless and razor sharp from stem to stern; nothing more need to be said about that. I ashed this cigar in thirds; the ash would have probably hung in there much longer if I’d have let it. It stayed together in the ash tray as I ashed the smoke. The ash color was a light grey, and absolutely uniform in color. I’d give the “mechanics” of this one a 10 / 10….nothing to even mention other than it did what I like a good cigar to do, and did it perfectly.
And the taste….just incredible. For me, this was a “two part” cigar. The first half, and the second half.
The first half was very much along the lines of an OpusX. I could almost talk myself into believing that’s what I was smoking. Very spicy, lots of pepper and zip on the tongue. But, there was a richness in the background, very different than an OpusX, that clearly developed and became more obvious as the smoke continued.
The back half was where it really got interesting. By the halfway point, the richness and darker flavors had really come to the forefront, and the taste changed noticeably. Almost like a Padron 64 / 26 in many ways; much darker and richer than the OpusX’s I’ve had the pleasure of smoking. The Cabernet complemented the taste profile really well. The changes and complexity I like was there in spades; each draw seemed to change and develop differently, offering up an ever changing palate of tastes. By the end of the cigar, interestingly enough, the dark rich tastes seem to have faded and I was left with more or less of the “standard” OpusX profile. Very interesting…!! Fantastic..!!
A little over an hour after I started, this one was a done deal as my fingers couldn’t hang onto it any longer. I would have to say, all things considered, that this was one of the very best smokes I’ve ever had. “Wow” just doesn’t begin to cover this one…… :love:
Best Regards - B.B.S.
So, what makes the difference between a “good” cigar and a “fantastic” smoke? To my new but slowly enlightening palate, simply put it’s complexity of flavor. I want to be surprised with changing and complex tastes, draw after draw – much like a good wine or bourbon. The burn has to be cool on the tongue, and razor sharp. I shouldn’t have to keep toasting one side or the other to keep things on track. I want the draw to be open but not without some resistance. The smoke should smell wonderful and should be thick, almost opaque. It’s nice if the ash hangs in there and is a uniform color; makes me believe that the burn is progressing evenly and uniformly. This cigar did all that, perfectly.
Once I got it out of the cello and cedar, I started off with a visual inspection. The Añejo’s are great looking smokes; nice dark, moist looking wrappers. They smell wonderful, very rich and intense. Snipped clean with the Xikar and the pre-light draw was very open, and what I’d describe as absolutely perfect. The flavors in that pre-light draw were hints of what was to come. Time to blaze this one up.
I gave the foot a quick but even toasting, and the cigar lit up effortlessly. The burn was absolutely flawless and razor sharp from stem to stern; nothing more need to be said about that. I ashed this cigar in thirds; the ash would have probably hung in there much longer if I’d have let it. It stayed together in the ash tray as I ashed the smoke. The ash color was a light grey, and absolutely uniform in color. I’d give the “mechanics” of this one a 10 / 10….nothing to even mention other than it did what I like a good cigar to do, and did it perfectly.
And the taste….just incredible. For me, this was a “two part” cigar. The first half, and the second half.
The first half was very much along the lines of an OpusX. I could almost talk myself into believing that’s what I was smoking. Very spicy, lots of pepper and zip on the tongue. But, there was a richness in the background, very different than an OpusX, that clearly developed and became more obvious as the smoke continued.
The back half was where it really got interesting. By the halfway point, the richness and darker flavors had really come to the forefront, and the taste changed noticeably. Almost like a Padron 64 / 26 in many ways; much darker and richer than the OpusX’s I’ve had the pleasure of smoking. The Cabernet complemented the taste profile really well. The changes and complexity I like was there in spades; each draw seemed to change and develop differently, offering up an ever changing palate of tastes. By the end of the cigar, interestingly enough, the dark rich tastes seem to have faded and I was left with more or less of the “standard” OpusX profile. Very interesting…!! Fantastic..!!
A little over an hour after I started, this one was a done deal as my fingers couldn’t hang onto it any longer. I would have to say, all things considered, that this was one of the very best smokes I’ve ever had. “Wow” just doesn’t begin to cover this one…… :love:
Best Regards - B.B.S.
