Brickhouse
J.C. Newman owes me royalties.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2006
- Messages
- 10,172
I have been looking forward to this one, but it is a bittersweet review...not in taste, but in that this is currently the last of the Warped Experiment I will do until I can get my hands on some others. But of the gracious gift I was given in order to conduct this experiment, alas, this is the last.
Warped Flor del Valle Sky Flower:
Vitola: Gran Corona
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Gauge: 48
Length: 5 5/8″
Pairing: Crown Apple with Diet Ginger Ale
Prelight:
As I've found to be typical with Warped cigars at this point, appearance was impressive. Very well rolled, great caramel brown appearance, slightly veiny but not too much. Just a great looking cigar. I rarely mention the band in reviews, but I did like this one. It's not overstated, but classy. Great band Kyle.
Dry draw after the cut is just where I want it. Slight resistance, but not too firm. I can't pull much flavor from it dry, I have a lot of trouble doing that even when smoking. But nothing is off putting. Time to light.
First Third:
The Sky Flower lights up great with an easy toast of the foot and a few puffs. It took off well. Lots of smoke in the beginning. Very thick and "heavy" smoke. I could really feel the volume. Initial flavors are reminiscent of walnuts and sweetness. Pulling a lot of sweetness off of the wrapper now that it's getting a tad bit more saliva on it. Very nice. I'm not getting any pepper or spiciness at this point. Not sure if I should expect it or not. Strength is hard to gauge yet, but I'm guessing Medium.
Second Third:
Still smoking great. Good ash going and although I had a slight run for a minute, it's fixed itself. Did I just feel rain? I hope not. Nuts and sweetness still there, but the strength is turning to full, I may have underestimated the body on this bad boy. Flavor profile is similar to the Cristales, but strength more like the Lirio Rojo. Definitely more flavorful than the Cristales, but similar on the tasting wheel. Crap....yep...here comes the rain.
Final Third:
I had to get to some cover at this point. Rain started to come in but I didn't want to give up on it....though I'll be honest, the strength is full at this point and I'm almost looking for an excuse to end anyway. It's a bad mix when you're trying to smoke a full cigar fast to get out of the rain....didn't leave me feeling too well.
I will admit that the rain distracted me a bit from the cigar. I was more focused on the strength and getting things out of the rain that the flavors. I think it moved on from the nuttiness over to same basic "woodsy" notes, and the sweetness mellowed out. I was impressed how cool the cigar remained even though I was smoking it at a fast pace. Unfortunately I didn't get to nub it...rain just came in too hard. But I got into the final third which was good enough for me.
Final Thoughts:
I found this cigar more flavorful than most of the other Warped cigars I have had, maybe not the Lirio Rojo, but definitely the others. I found this to be the strongest of the bunch as well...but again, I was shoving it down due to weather. I would describe this cigar as a nutty, sweet, and woodsy bold cigar with a ton of aging potential. It's not a young one, but I still feel like it needed another year....it was just so up front and bold. I think it will meld and mellow over a year or two.
Great cigar, but honestly, not my bag. I would certainly have another, but this isn't the type of cigar I typically buy in boxes. Though I can see why many would.
I'm giving the Sky Flower an 88% on the essay grading scale...but admittedly it's a subjective rating in that it just doesn't fit my pallet. I can see others rating it higher. I'll give it a B+ because I think it was a tad bold/strong for me, which kept me from really enjoying the experience. But there's no doubt it's a flavorful and well constructed cigar. I consider this another winner by Kyle. But I think it has to be your "type" of cigar.
Warped Flor del Valle Sky Flower:
Vitola: Gran Corona
Wrapper: Nicaragua Corojo
Filler: Nicaraguan Corojo and Criollo
Binder: Nicaraguan
Gauge: 48
Length: 5 5/8″
Pairing: Crown Apple with Diet Ginger Ale
Prelight:
As I've found to be typical with Warped cigars at this point, appearance was impressive. Very well rolled, great caramel brown appearance, slightly veiny but not too much. Just a great looking cigar. I rarely mention the band in reviews, but I did like this one. It's not overstated, but classy. Great band Kyle.
Dry draw after the cut is just where I want it. Slight resistance, but not too firm. I can't pull much flavor from it dry, I have a lot of trouble doing that even when smoking. But nothing is off putting. Time to light.
First Third:
The Sky Flower lights up great with an easy toast of the foot and a few puffs. It took off well. Lots of smoke in the beginning. Very thick and "heavy" smoke. I could really feel the volume. Initial flavors are reminiscent of walnuts and sweetness. Pulling a lot of sweetness off of the wrapper now that it's getting a tad bit more saliva on it. Very nice. I'm not getting any pepper or spiciness at this point. Not sure if I should expect it or not. Strength is hard to gauge yet, but I'm guessing Medium.
Second Third:
Still smoking great. Good ash going and although I had a slight run for a minute, it's fixed itself. Did I just feel rain? I hope not. Nuts and sweetness still there, but the strength is turning to full, I may have underestimated the body on this bad boy. Flavor profile is similar to the Cristales, but strength more like the Lirio Rojo. Definitely more flavorful than the Cristales, but similar on the tasting wheel. Crap....yep...here comes the rain.
Final Third:
I had to get to some cover at this point. Rain started to come in but I didn't want to give up on it....though I'll be honest, the strength is full at this point and I'm almost looking for an excuse to end anyway. It's a bad mix when you're trying to smoke a full cigar fast to get out of the rain....didn't leave me feeling too well.
I will admit that the rain distracted me a bit from the cigar. I was more focused on the strength and getting things out of the rain that the flavors. I think it moved on from the nuttiness over to same basic "woodsy" notes, and the sweetness mellowed out. I was impressed how cool the cigar remained even though I was smoking it at a fast pace. Unfortunately I didn't get to nub it...rain just came in too hard. But I got into the final third which was good enough for me.
Final Thoughts:
I found this cigar more flavorful than most of the other Warped cigars I have had, maybe not the Lirio Rojo, but definitely the others. I found this to be the strongest of the bunch as well...but again, I was shoving it down due to weather. I would describe this cigar as a nutty, sweet, and woodsy bold cigar with a ton of aging potential. It's not a young one, but I still feel like it needed another year....it was just so up front and bold. I think it will meld and mellow over a year or two.
Great cigar, but honestly, not my bag. I would certainly have another, but this isn't the type of cigar I typically buy in boxes. Though I can see why many would.
I'm giving the Sky Flower an 88% on the essay grading scale...but admittedly it's a subjective rating in that it just doesn't fit my pallet. I can see others rating it higher. I'll give it a B+ because I think it was a tad bold/strong for me, which kept me from really enjoying the experience. But there's no doubt it's a flavorful and well constructed cigar. I consider this another winner by Kyle. But I think it has to be your "type" of cigar.
