I smoked one of these out at Rob's shop last Saturday and was impressed. To be honest, when he first handed me one of these cigars, I was already ready to dislike it. It's a Connecticut Shade and Maduro barber pole, in the vein of Fuente Between the Lines, Gurkha whateverit'scalled, and CAO America--all of which, in my opinion, are far more marketing than substance. Well, this cigar was good enough that I actually bought some. I had to take a couple home, try them again, and see if they were as good as I thought they were, if you know what I mean 
Here's a shot of the cigar and beverage (Macallan 12 y/o because I knew this was going to be a mild-to-medium-bodied cigar and I didn't really want the drink to compete that much):
There's nothing special in the pre-light and the first draw isn't too exciting, either. The second puff, however, reminds me of Ramon Allones Gigantes I've had with 6-8 years of age on them--a sort of a toasted nut kind of flavor. Strange, but that's the best way I can describe it. That flavor stays pretty consistent for the first inch of the cigar, then it changes to a slightly sweet flavor that hits the front of my palate in a very pleasing way. This sensation quickly gives way to a creamy, buttery taste, which I was first going to describe as sort of like smoking a Cakebread Chardonnay, but then decided might better be described as smoking a Club Cracker (the ones I love that are all buttery and salty).
Anyway, the Club Cracker/Chardonnay flavor held up until about the middle of the cigar when that RAG flavor came back for about half an inch or so. It picked up a little pepper, and then it changed again to a slightly sweet, front of palate taste that was short-lived, to be followed by that sweet, creamy, buttery flavor again that hits both the front of the palate and the front of the sides (if that makes sense). A few times during this period, the flavor wasn't as pronounced on the draw, but lingered exceptionally well. This lasted until about the last third of the cigar when it started to pick up some more pepper flavors, especially pronounced through the nose.
The cigar then began to turn slightly harsh and I let it go out not too longer after this picture was taken:
In case you couldn't tell, I really struggled verbalizing the flavors I picked up in this cigar. They were there, and pleasant, and changed throughout the smoke, but are hard to describe. I'm not sure I've ever called a non-Cuban cigar "complex" before, but this one was. It was mild-to-medium the whole way, but changed flavors a number of times, and, until the last couple inches of the cigar, they were all very enjoyable.
I'm still impressed.
Here's a shot of the cigar and beverage (Macallan 12 y/o because I knew this was going to be a mild-to-medium-bodied cigar and I didn't really want the drink to compete that much):
There's nothing special in the pre-light and the first draw isn't too exciting, either. The second puff, however, reminds me of Ramon Allones Gigantes I've had with 6-8 years of age on them--a sort of a toasted nut kind of flavor. Strange, but that's the best way I can describe it. That flavor stays pretty consistent for the first inch of the cigar, then it changes to a slightly sweet flavor that hits the front of my palate in a very pleasing way. This sensation quickly gives way to a creamy, buttery taste, which I was first going to describe as sort of like smoking a Cakebread Chardonnay, but then decided might better be described as smoking a Club Cracker (the ones I love that are all buttery and salty).
Anyway, the Club Cracker/Chardonnay flavor held up until about the middle of the cigar when that RAG flavor came back for about half an inch or so. It picked up a little pepper, and then it changed again to a slightly sweet, front of palate taste that was short-lived, to be followed by that sweet, creamy, buttery flavor again that hits both the front of the palate and the front of the sides (if that makes sense). A few times during this period, the flavor wasn't as pronounced on the draw, but lingered exceptionally well. This lasted until about the last third of the cigar when it started to pick up some more pepper flavors, especially pronounced through the nose.
The cigar then began to turn slightly harsh and I let it go out not too longer after this picture was taken:
In case you couldn't tell, I really struggled verbalizing the flavors I picked up in this cigar. They were there, and pleasant, and changed throughout the smoke, but are hard to describe. I'm not sure I've ever called a non-Cuban cigar "complex" before, but this one was. It was mild-to-medium the whole way, but changed flavors a number of times, and, until the last couple inches of the cigar, they were all very enjoyable.
I'm still impressed.
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