Welcome to the second installment (I suppose you can call this) of the Lucky 8 review.
For some prior information, here is the initial thread with most of the info on the cigar, as well as some info on Paul Magier and his PINAR company.
Here is the linky to the first review with the subject being the Cameroon Torpedo.
With that said, here is a disclaimer:
Caveat emptor, know Paul Magier and the infamous PINAR company before making a purchase. If you are fine with buying the product, then feel free to do so. Smoke what you like, like what you smoke.
Now that all the formalities are out of the way, on to the review. With prior experience of myself and other BOTL's I dried this cigar out by leaving it in out in the open in my living room (roughly 43%) for a little over 2 hours.
My beverage is again an Aquafina bottle of water. This is my first smoke of the day.
A pic of the stick. I don't know if you can see this, but this is a very toothy wrapper. Dark, and inviting wearing only a skimpy red band negligee, I swear this cigar was sending me subliminal messages to make love to it.
The foot. Feet are very important in Chinese culture. Prestigeous men wanted women with small feet, sometimes women of the olden times bound their feet to keep them small to bait a wealthy gentleman to betroth them, ultimately handicapping themselves.
The head. It's where the mouth goes, what I look at 90% of the time, and the part that talks back to me.
Ever see the most inviting pair of lips? Pucker up baby!!!.
(If you are wondering about that glove, O.J. came by and I asked him what to do if this cigar ever did me dirty...
)
Pre-light ritual -
The feel/construction - FIRM. No doubts about it. Toothy, this stick can probably exfoliate better than a loofah. Dark brown maduro wrapper, with consistent unform filler tobacco noted in the foot and in the head. No soft spots whatsoever. This cigar is a bit decieving though, later explained in the Ash.
The cut and draw - After V-cut, the draw is not as loose as the cammie torp, but still good. I fixed this later. The prelight taste is still the same, old socks.
The lighting -
Fired it up with the good old zippo torch. Puff puff, same initial taste of an oreo/chocolately goodness. Same dash of spice.
The smoke - Trail smoke smells like cinnamon, with some coffee. The color of it was gray.
The herfing - took me 50 minutes again to enjoy this stick. I nubbed this till my fingers burned once again. Yes, I liked it.
First third -
Smooth, creamy, full of flavor. It's starting out the same as the cammie torp. There is a slight sweetness similar to that of Anejos again in this stick. Methinks this stick could have the same blend but in a maduro wrapper. This has a more balanced flavor, none of the flavor elements are overpowering each other and the result is a very complex almagam of goodness. The smoke was very sparing, as the draw was tight.
Second third -
I massaged the head, squeezed it, rolled it, and it loosened up the bunch a lot, thus allowing for more air flow. The burn is still stable, no burn issues at all, every thing is even, hunky dory. The flavors evolve a bit, still complex, sweetness storming the front. As I think about it, it reminds me of whisky, was this cigar cured in whisky barrels? Jack Daniel's comes to mind, or maybe Southern Comfort. Been so long since I tasted them, college seems like a decade away. The toothy wrapper. The ash revealed small white specs, which lead me to think these are from the minerals found in the soil where the crop grew. Tobacco steroids.
The Ash - around this time, after realizing it was no fluke, the ash doesn't hold up too well. Construction quality is average only due to the extremely well applied wrapper. Still doesn't take away from the flavors of this stick though.
Final Third -
Flavors are cooking, its all coming to an exciting climax. I myself am almost ready to pop, especially from the sugary sweetness of this cigar coupled with the heat its giving me from the nub I am now holding. Definitely a good whiskey accompaniment. I rarely nub sticks past 1 inch, but this baby was close enough to give me a hickey on my upper lip.
Overall - Well, what can I say? It's good. It's real good. It's damn good. Did I mention how good this cigar is? Flavorwise, it is an impressive composition. A little bit of everything I enjoy, dash of spice makes everything nice.
My personal thoughts - I had to think more objectively about this cigar because of the background it has, its history, where it comes from, etc. This cigar still delivers, and goes well beyond my expectations. Although my tastebuds are having a party, my heart is starting to ache, as I am now in a crossroads. Should I get more of these delicious sticks? I personally prefer the cammie torp, but the maddie robusto is still a grand slam. I wouldn't turn either of them down if it were gifted to me again.
Aftereffects - Just smoke them if you got them. No politics please. No sob stories. No gut wrenching decisions. This cigar reads more like a soap opera than a leisurely activity, the tension is high and the suspense has me on the edge of my seat.
Ah what the hell... :love: (dénouement)
For some prior information, here is the initial thread with most of the info on the cigar, as well as some info on Paul Magier and his PINAR company.
Here is the linky to the first review with the subject being the Cameroon Torpedo.
With that said, here is a disclaimer:
Caveat emptor, know Paul Magier and the infamous PINAR company before making a purchase. If you are fine with buying the product, then feel free to do so. Smoke what you like, like what you smoke.
Now that all the formalities are out of the way, on to the review. With prior experience of myself and other BOTL's I dried this cigar out by leaving it in out in the open in my living room (roughly 43%) for a little over 2 hours.
My beverage is again an Aquafina bottle of water. This is my first smoke of the day.
A pic of the stick. I don't know if you can see this, but this is a very toothy wrapper. Dark, and inviting wearing only a skimpy red band negligee, I swear this cigar was sending me subliminal messages to make love to it.
The foot. Feet are very important in Chinese culture. Prestigeous men wanted women with small feet, sometimes women of the olden times bound their feet to keep them small to bait a wealthy gentleman to betroth them, ultimately handicapping themselves.
The head. It's where the mouth goes, what I look at 90% of the time, and the part that talks back to me.
Ever see the most inviting pair of lips? Pucker up baby!!!.
(If you are wondering about that glove, O.J. came by and I asked him what to do if this cigar ever did me dirty...
)Pre-light ritual -
The feel/construction - FIRM. No doubts about it. Toothy, this stick can probably exfoliate better than a loofah. Dark brown maduro wrapper, with consistent unform filler tobacco noted in the foot and in the head. No soft spots whatsoever. This cigar is a bit decieving though, later explained in the Ash.
The cut and draw - After V-cut, the draw is not as loose as the cammie torp, but still good. I fixed this later. The prelight taste is still the same, old socks.
The lighting -
Fired it up with the good old zippo torch. Puff puff, same initial taste of an oreo/chocolately goodness. Same dash of spice.
The smoke - Trail smoke smells like cinnamon, with some coffee. The color of it was gray.
The herfing - took me 50 minutes again to enjoy this stick. I nubbed this till my fingers burned once again. Yes, I liked it.
First third -
Smooth, creamy, full of flavor. It's starting out the same as the cammie torp. There is a slight sweetness similar to that of Anejos again in this stick. Methinks this stick could have the same blend but in a maduro wrapper. This has a more balanced flavor, none of the flavor elements are overpowering each other and the result is a very complex almagam of goodness. The smoke was very sparing, as the draw was tight.
Second third -
I massaged the head, squeezed it, rolled it, and it loosened up the bunch a lot, thus allowing for more air flow. The burn is still stable, no burn issues at all, every thing is even, hunky dory. The flavors evolve a bit, still complex, sweetness storming the front. As I think about it, it reminds me of whisky, was this cigar cured in whisky barrels? Jack Daniel's comes to mind, or maybe Southern Comfort. Been so long since I tasted them, college seems like a decade away. The toothy wrapper. The ash revealed small white specs, which lead me to think these are from the minerals found in the soil where the crop grew. Tobacco steroids.
The Ash - around this time, after realizing it was no fluke, the ash doesn't hold up too well. Construction quality is average only due to the extremely well applied wrapper. Still doesn't take away from the flavors of this stick though.
Final Third -
Flavors are cooking, its all coming to an exciting climax. I myself am almost ready to pop, especially from the sugary sweetness of this cigar coupled with the heat its giving me from the nub I am now holding. Definitely a good whiskey accompaniment. I rarely nub sticks past 1 inch, but this baby was close enough to give me a hickey on my upper lip.
Overall - Well, what can I say? It's good. It's real good. It's damn good. Did I mention how good this cigar is? Flavorwise, it is an impressive composition. A little bit of everything I enjoy, dash of spice makes everything nice.
My personal thoughts - I had to think more objectively about this cigar because of the background it has, its history, where it comes from, etc. This cigar still delivers, and goes well beyond my expectations. Although my tastebuds are having a party, my heart is starting to ache, as I am now in a crossroads. Should I get more of these delicious sticks? I personally prefer the cammie torp, but the maddie robusto is still a grand slam. I wouldn't turn either of them down if it were gifted to me again.
Aftereffects - Just smoke them if you got them. No politics please. No sob stories. No gut wrenching decisions. This cigar reads more like a soap opera than a leisurely activity, the tension is high and the suspense has me on the edge of my seat.
Ah what the hell... :love: (dénouement)
