Well, I was out driving around and saw a B&M I hadn't been in before, and since I had the afternoon off, I figured I'd head in and look around, get to know the owner, etc. I was looking around but I didn't have a lot of cash on me, so it was more of wishful browsing.
(Seeing as how I don't have a lot of smoking experience and my palette is most likely undevelopped, I didn't want to drop 17 bucks on a CAO Mx2)
I first settled on a 20 dollar double-bladed guillotine cutter (not a Palio, but I think does it's job) and then started looking around. Not too shabby of a selection, although not a walk-in humidor, more of a wall of cabinets. Anyways, there was a shelf that had a bunch of $5 and under smokes (cheap up here) and decided to grab one so I could take the new blades out for a spin.
I ended up grabbing a Hugo Cassar (might be a diamond, not positive, but there is a diamond on the label...). The humi that the stick was kept in was sitting at 60ish % RH but I don't have a humi to restore it in so I ended up smoking it that night.
After I removed it from the cello, I smelt the stogie, had a distinct "farm" smell (if you catch my drift...) so I wasn't too excited about putting my mouth around this one although I'm not one to say no to a cigar that I haven't tried before. Lit it up, slightly tight draw, although not tight enough to warrant attempting to fix it
My first pleasant suprise was that it did not taste like how it smelled. From what my limited palette could tell me, it was a simple tobacco taste, nothing exotic, medium strength scent, but very mild and simple flavour. Volume of smoke was on the small side but I was also impressed with the burn for a budget smoke, no tunnelling and only needed touch up two or three times throughout the cigar. I put it out after 2/3's of the cigar was smoked because I was getting a little bored with it, it was beginning to get a little hot and I was beginning to get sleepy.
I would pick up some of these sticks if I can't find a way to get cigars cheaper :hn and I would smoke them again as yard work sticks or to hand out to moochers and those who just want one to look "cool" at a party. The band was nicely designed though
.
(Seeing as how I don't have a lot of smoking experience and my palette is most likely undevelopped, I didn't want to drop 17 bucks on a CAO Mx2)
I first settled on a 20 dollar double-bladed guillotine cutter (not a Palio, but I think does it's job) and then started looking around. Not too shabby of a selection, although not a walk-in humidor, more of a wall of cabinets. Anyways, there was a shelf that had a bunch of $5 and under smokes (cheap up here) and decided to grab one so I could take the new blades out for a spin.
I ended up grabbing a Hugo Cassar (might be a diamond, not positive, but there is a diamond on the label...). The humi that the stick was kept in was sitting at 60ish % RH but I don't have a humi to restore it in so I ended up smoking it that night.
After I removed it from the cello, I smelt the stogie, had a distinct "farm" smell (if you catch my drift...) so I wasn't too excited about putting my mouth around this one although I'm not one to say no to a cigar that I haven't tried before. Lit it up, slightly tight draw, although not tight enough to warrant attempting to fix it
My first pleasant suprise was that it did not taste like how it smelled. From what my limited palette could tell me, it was a simple tobacco taste, nothing exotic, medium strength scent, but very mild and simple flavour. Volume of smoke was on the small side but I was also impressed with the burn for a budget smoke, no tunnelling and only needed touch up two or three times throughout the cigar. I put it out after 2/3's of the cigar was smoked because I was getting a little bored with it, it was beginning to get a little hot and I was beginning to get sleepy.
I would pick up some of these sticks if I can't find a way to get cigars cheaper :hn and I would smoke them again as yard work sticks or to hand out to moochers and those who just want one to look "cool" at a party. The band was nicely designed though
.