kann
One Leg Of Fury.
I'll apologize up front if this comes off at all pretentious. I've rarely, if ever, experienced cigars the way many of you have -- but this one was a glaring exception. I've smoked a lot of cigars I've liked before, but I can honestly say that this is the first cigar I've smoked that I wished never ended. The disappointment of last night's KFC was redeemed by the natural offering of the Black Label, which I believe is Panacea's original blend (I could be wrong, but I seem to recall him saying that in the KFC review video). Here's their description of it:
"Cuban seed Seco, Ligero, Olor Dominicano, and Nicaraguan highlights make up the interior. Binder is Dominican, finished with a Connecticut wrapper. Strength is mild to medium, with a very full body. A Torpedo is a fantastic shape; burns cool and smooth without the huge ring size at the head. This cigar is exquisite. You will love this smoke. A torpedo is a very comfortable shape to smoke."`
I can't find the exact vitola dimensions of this stick on their website, but I'd guess it was a 6 x 56 torpedo. Very well constructed, as all the Panacea/Flatbed cigars I've received have been. Packaging upon arrival was the same as all: four cigars wrapped tightly in bubble wrap, inside a ziploc with humidity pack, inside a branded burlap sack.
I straight cut the torpedo with a Xikar Xi. Perfect cut with no loose filler. Prelight draw was sweet, which set the tone for this smoke. It lit easily and burned crisp and almost razor straight the entire hour-plus I enjoyed it.
As the cigar started to burn, I noticed that the ash was kind of loose. It wasn't flaky, but it was noticeable. Still, it held on for as long as I dared. When I ashed it the first time, it came off with no resistance. Throughout the entire "first act", if you will, the draw was still smooth and cool... and very flavorful.
The first third produced leathery notes, but not strong and overly odorous. It was a sweet, light leather taste. I can honestly say that this was a complex smoking cigar experience, and I'm not just trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about -- because, admittedly, I don't! This cigar really grabbed my attention, though. It gave tastes of leather and floral distinctly. The tobacco nuances were like that of sniffing a box of cigarettes, in a way. Certainly different than the regular, bold, cigar tobacco taste and aroma. Even my wife said that this particular cigar smelled different to her, and not in an unpleasant way.
As it moved into the second third, I got several VERY strong tastes of raspberries on the draw. Very reminiscent of cracking open the box on the 2011 Puff n' Stuff MFLB. It was a mild cigar but, again, very flavorful. I wish I would have written down some notes as I went, as there was a lot going on with this one. The second ash was much tighter than the first, and it held on for dear life when I attempted to ash it off.
The final third was possibly the most interesting. For a few straight draws, I got BEER. Unmistakeable beer. It tasted like a crisp pils, as crazy as that sounds. It produced a lot of smoke, both on the draw and resting. The funny thing about it, though, is that it didn't leave me smelling like smoke. I have a full three-month grizzly beard right now, and I barely smell it at all in my mustache and nostrils. Hardly any lingering smell on my fingers, as well.
About halfway through the final third, the flavors stopped. There was a pretty good ash on it, and the draw became very airy and clean. It was like sucking in air. There was still smoke, but no real meaning behind it. I took the third ash as far as I could, and it was only at this point that it needed a slight touch up. Once I ashed and touched it up, the sweet leather came back in force. I held on as long as I could until it started burning my fingertips, but then I had to ditch it.
It got dark out, so the last photos aren't great. Sorry. I can't tell you how or why this cigar was so remarkable for me. Maybe the Panacea Black Label is a remarkably complex cigar. Maybe I just lit up something special. I don't know. I'm not as versed as most of you are; I just don't get the amazing palate complexities that everyone talks about all the time. I did tonight, though. I'm really looking forward to smoking another one of these and seeing if I get the same experience. If so, I'm going to hunt down William, get us in the rare same place at the same time, and force you to take one on your next walk down to see what you think of it.
I wasn't even really planning on doing a full review of it, but I had to after the impact it made on me. I'd love to hear anyone else's take on it if you've ever smoked one (even if you say you have no idea what I'm talking about and it was the worst thing you've ever smoked).
**I'm not sure how many more of these photo-laden reviews I can do, because Photobucket is being a dick and really, really trying my patience...**
"Cuban seed Seco, Ligero, Olor Dominicano, and Nicaraguan highlights make up the interior. Binder is Dominican, finished with a Connecticut wrapper. Strength is mild to medium, with a very full body. A Torpedo is a fantastic shape; burns cool and smooth without the huge ring size at the head. This cigar is exquisite. You will love this smoke. A torpedo is a very comfortable shape to smoke."`
I can't find the exact vitola dimensions of this stick on their website, but I'd guess it was a 6 x 56 torpedo. Very well constructed, as all the Panacea/Flatbed cigars I've received have been. Packaging upon arrival was the same as all: four cigars wrapped tightly in bubble wrap, inside a ziploc with humidity pack, inside a branded burlap sack.
I straight cut the torpedo with a Xikar Xi. Perfect cut with no loose filler. Prelight draw was sweet, which set the tone for this smoke. It lit easily and burned crisp and almost razor straight the entire hour-plus I enjoyed it.
As the cigar started to burn, I noticed that the ash was kind of loose. It wasn't flaky, but it was noticeable. Still, it held on for as long as I dared. When I ashed it the first time, it came off with no resistance. Throughout the entire "first act", if you will, the draw was still smooth and cool... and very flavorful.
The first third produced leathery notes, but not strong and overly odorous. It was a sweet, light leather taste. I can honestly say that this was a complex smoking cigar experience, and I'm not just trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about -- because, admittedly, I don't! This cigar really grabbed my attention, though. It gave tastes of leather and floral distinctly. The tobacco nuances were like that of sniffing a box of cigarettes, in a way. Certainly different than the regular, bold, cigar tobacco taste and aroma. Even my wife said that this particular cigar smelled different to her, and not in an unpleasant way.
As it moved into the second third, I got several VERY strong tastes of raspberries on the draw. Very reminiscent of cracking open the box on the 2011 Puff n' Stuff MFLB. It was a mild cigar but, again, very flavorful. I wish I would have written down some notes as I went, as there was a lot going on with this one. The second ash was much tighter than the first, and it held on for dear life when I attempted to ash it off.
The final third was possibly the most interesting. For a few straight draws, I got BEER. Unmistakeable beer. It tasted like a crisp pils, as crazy as that sounds. It produced a lot of smoke, both on the draw and resting. The funny thing about it, though, is that it didn't leave me smelling like smoke. I have a full three-month grizzly beard right now, and I barely smell it at all in my mustache and nostrils. Hardly any lingering smell on my fingers, as well.
About halfway through the final third, the flavors stopped. There was a pretty good ash on it, and the draw became very airy and clean. It was like sucking in air. There was still smoke, but no real meaning behind it. I took the third ash as far as I could, and it was only at this point that it needed a slight touch up. Once I ashed and touched it up, the sweet leather came back in force. I held on as long as I could until it started burning my fingertips, but then I had to ditch it.
It got dark out, so the last photos aren't great. Sorry. I can't tell you how or why this cigar was so remarkable for me. Maybe the Panacea Black Label is a remarkably complex cigar. Maybe I just lit up something special. I don't know. I'm not as versed as most of you are; I just don't get the amazing palate complexities that everyone talks about all the time. I did tonight, though. I'm really looking forward to smoking another one of these and seeing if I get the same experience. If so, I'm going to hunt down William, get us in the rare same place at the same time, and force you to take one on your next walk down to see what you think of it.
I wasn't even really planning on doing a full review of it, but I had to after the impact it made on me. I'd love to hear anyone else's take on it if you've ever smoked one (even if you say you have no idea what I'm talking about and it was the worst thing you've ever smoked).**I'm not sure how many more of these photo-laden reviews I can do, because Photobucket is being a dick and really, really trying my patience...**
