This is my first formal review, so please forgive the amateurish stream of consciousness approach.
I was in my local shop today and the manager told me this was the best cigar he'd had so far this year. This was the only size they had left from a LFD event that was held there last week where he said these things stole the show. Well, given that recommendation, I had to buy one and fire it up. On to the review:
Prelight:
This 60 ring gauge monster is a beauty to look at--Hershey's chocolate color
wrapper, oily, and well-constructed.
First few puffs:
I must say though after two puffs I almost threw it down. The best way I can describe the initial taste is a mouthfull of white peppercorns and, while I love a spicy cigar, this was just too much. Thankfully, after a few draws it mellowed out (some).
First half:
After the intial system shock, this cigar got really good. It retained a heavy spicy pepper flavor that married well the Glenmorangie Portwood-aged Scotch I was sipping
Second half:
I noticed more and more earthy flavors as the cigar burned and it started to spice up again towards the end--never a full-flavor powerhouse like the Double Ligero Chisel, just really spicy (sorry I can't think of a better way to describe it). I found I couldn't puff too frequently as it got hot quickly and seemed prone to leave a bit of tongue-bite. The result of my infrequent draws was that it went out a couple of times and I had to relight it, at which point the initial white pepper shock hit again (I found if I purged a bit it wasn't as bad though).
Overall:
I liked this cigar, but it definately wasn't the best I've smoke this year, this month, or this week. I might buy a few and set them aside for a bit and see if the peppery flavor mellows a bit because, as it stands right now, it is a bit too one-dimensional for me--I'm typically not too impressed by a stick when I can only think of one word to describe it and, if you're still reading this review you will have noticed that I used that one word way too many times. If you like a peppery smoke, give this one a try; if that's not to your taste, or you're not comfortable with a stronger cigar, then I would stay away from this big guy.
I was in my local shop today and the manager told me this was the best cigar he'd had so far this year. This was the only size they had left from a LFD event that was held there last week where he said these things stole the show. Well, given that recommendation, I had to buy one and fire it up. On to the review:
Prelight:
This 60 ring gauge monster is a beauty to look at--Hershey's chocolate color
wrapper, oily, and well-constructed.
First few puffs:
I must say though after two puffs I almost threw it down. The best way I can describe the initial taste is a mouthfull of white peppercorns and, while I love a spicy cigar, this was just too much. Thankfully, after a few draws it mellowed out (some).
First half:
After the intial system shock, this cigar got really good. It retained a heavy spicy pepper flavor that married well the Glenmorangie Portwood-aged Scotch I was sipping
Second half:
I noticed more and more earthy flavors as the cigar burned and it started to spice up again towards the end--never a full-flavor powerhouse like the Double Ligero Chisel, just really spicy (sorry I can't think of a better way to describe it). I found I couldn't puff too frequently as it got hot quickly and seemed prone to leave a bit of tongue-bite. The result of my infrequent draws was that it went out a couple of times and I had to relight it, at which point the initial white pepper shock hit again (I found if I purged a bit it wasn't as bad though).
Overall:
I liked this cigar, but it definately wasn't the best I've smoke this year, this month, or this week. I might buy a few and set them aside for a bit and see if the peppery flavor mellows a bit because, as it stands right now, it is a bit too one-dimensional for me--I'm typically not too impressed by a stick when I can only think of one word to describe it and, if you're still reading this review you will have noticed that I used that one word way too many times. If you like a peppery smoke, give this one a try; if that's not to your taste, or you're not comfortable with a stronger cigar, then I would stay away from this big guy.
