Addiction
12-06-2007, 10:26 PM
I won’t spend a lot of time describing the stick to you except to point out that this is a beautiful cigar. It has the same solidness, the same dry but oily wrapper, the same toothiness of any Aniversario. There is nothing about the cigar that makes it extraordinary when you consider its linage but you look at the thing and say/wonder not only how they did it, but how they did it so perfectly. The one I smoked was flawless in every way, I even opened one of my boxes at home (I bought a single at the B&M to smoke) and they were all identical perfection.
It has a good smell to, its fragrant of earth even before you clip it. And the prelight draw is perfectly balanced allowing just the right amount of resistance to filling your mouth with that earthy goodness.
That’s where the similarities between this and other Aniversarios end, the first spicy pull tells you this isn’t your papa’s Anniversario it’s a completely different beast. In fact in the beginning the spice is very strong and peppery; I’d guess that’s because in the first quarter inch your really smoking a lancero more than a perfecto. It also has a very soft sweetness to it, giving the flavor a lush depth you can appreciate. As the razor like burn maintains and evens out across the length of the cigar the spice and earth stays constant and there. They dance in your mouth like an old comfortable couple laughing at a joke that you don’t know. There is not even a hint of traditional Padron flavors: mocha, chocolate and coffee got no invites to this particular party. Once you make the adjustment to that fact the excellence of the stick really shines through. The complexity of the smoke is only aided by the shape; as the burn opens and then tightens (due to the shape) different flavors take the lead and it is a joy to be a part of.
Something else to note, most perfectos require a little more attention than regular sticks, at least for me. They burn uneven and go cold requiring frequent relighting. This stick required the occasional relight but the burn was as straight as a 15 year old boy trapped in a catholic girls school over a weekend. It is also a little stronger than a regular 26, its not quite full but it isn’t quite mild either.
So why the two "low" grades you might think? Well this is a very good cigar, right up there with a DCM or Choix Supreme (my two current amours) but it never reached the truly remarkable status of say a Davidoff Robusto Intenso (an all time favorite for me). It never carried me away and in fact I probably left the last 3/4 inch in the ashtray. And even being as good as a VSG I wouldn’t pay $30 for a VSG personally; when I compare it on that axis its not a cigar I would take or leave, its just one I leave.
Don’t let the faint sounding praise fool you however, I highly recommend the stick. Its just not one to go hard on.
Appearance – 10
Construction – 10
Flavor – 10
Value – 8
Overall Experience -8
Overall Grade – 9.2
Final Verdict – An extremely good stick, just short of great, definitely something you have to experience if the opportunity affords itself. But not something you have to experience multiple times.
It has a good smell to, its fragrant of earth even before you clip it. And the prelight draw is perfectly balanced allowing just the right amount of resistance to filling your mouth with that earthy goodness.
That’s where the similarities between this and other Aniversarios end, the first spicy pull tells you this isn’t your papa’s Anniversario it’s a completely different beast. In fact in the beginning the spice is very strong and peppery; I’d guess that’s because in the first quarter inch your really smoking a lancero more than a perfecto. It also has a very soft sweetness to it, giving the flavor a lush depth you can appreciate. As the razor like burn maintains and evens out across the length of the cigar the spice and earth stays constant and there. They dance in your mouth like an old comfortable couple laughing at a joke that you don’t know. There is not even a hint of traditional Padron flavors: mocha, chocolate and coffee got no invites to this particular party. Once you make the adjustment to that fact the excellence of the stick really shines through. The complexity of the smoke is only aided by the shape; as the burn opens and then tightens (due to the shape) different flavors take the lead and it is a joy to be a part of.
Something else to note, most perfectos require a little more attention than regular sticks, at least for me. They burn uneven and go cold requiring frequent relighting. This stick required the occasional relight but the burn was as straight as a 15 year old boy trapped in a catholic girls school over a weekend. It is also a little stronger than a regular 26, its not quite full but it isn’t quite mild either.
So why the two "low" grades you might think? Well this is a very good cigar, right up there with a DCM or Choix Supreme (my two current amours) but it never reached the truly remarkable status of say a Davidoff Robusto Intenso (an all time favorite for me). It never carried me away and in fact I probably left the last 3/4 inch in the ashtray. And even being as good as a VSG I wouldn’t pay $30 for a VSG personally; when I compare it on that axis its not a cigar I would take or leave, its just one I leave.
Don’t let the faint sounding praise fool you however, I highly recommend the stick. Its just not one to go hard on.
Appearance – 10
Construction – 10
Flavor – 10
Value – 8
Overall Experience -8
Overall Grade – 9.2
Final Verdict – An extremely good stick, just short of great, definitely something you have to experience if the opportunity affords itself. But not something you have to experience multiple times.