Appearance is perfect. Not a tear or a blemish on the wrapper. That triple cap. That pigtail. The band that was discontinued after 2012.
A medium-firm and even pack. Sweetness from the foot but almost no wrapper aroma.
Cold draw is brilliant. No worries about plugs or tightness. It's going to smoke great. A genuine relief with this vitola and this age. Beautiful hay and a touch of milk chocolate.
Easy as pie to light. Takes to the torch like it's been waiting years for the flame. It has.
The flavors are surprisingly delicate. At the start, it is medium at best. Maybe even mild-medium. But a creamy, long finish on the retrohale! Some dried fruits here, mixing with caramel and milky coffee. It's breakfast! The wrapper even leaves hints of spicy cinnamon on the lips.
I don't hope for huge transitions. A cigar this mild usually does not deliver them. Instead I would expect a gradual strengthening, especially of the mocha notes. We shall see. We're less than an inch into this 7.5x38 lancero.
It is especially important not to get the end of the cigar too wet. We don't want the leaves at the cap to swell and impede this perfect draw before we nub it. And nub it we shall!
It's always worth smoking a single cigar many different ways. Short, shallow puffs, just enough to taste the wrapper. Long, full draws to feel the full force of the blend. A regular draw just for the retrohale (which here is very kind to the nose, thanks to the cigar's age). You will taste the full range of what the cigar has to offer.
As we near the end of the first third, there is in fact some small savoriness happening. And the ash is holding on like a champ! I decide to let it drop on me to test how far it goes; no sooner do I make the decision, than it falls. A good inch and a half. Not bad, for a long-and-skinny.
I touch up the burn at the halfway mark. Probably my fault for not continuing to rotate the cigar in my hand as I smoke. That spicy hint is now a constant presence at the back of the throat.
The rest is as expected. A slight ramping of the overall charred cinnamon/cocoa, and a hint more kick than expected.
A beauty.
A medium-firm and even pack. Sweetness from the foot but almost no wrapper aroma.
Cold draw is brilliant. No worries about plugs or tightness. It's going to smoke great. A genuine relief with this vitola and this age. Beautiful hay and a touch of milk chocolate.
Easy as pie to light. Takes to the torch like it's been waiting years for the flame. It has.
The flavors are surprisingly delicate. At the start, it is medium at best. Maybe even mild-medium. But a creamy, long finish on the retrohale! Some dried fruits here, mixing with caramel and milky coffee. It's breakfast! The wrapper even leaves hints of spicy cinnamon on the lips.
I don't hope for huge transitions. A cigar this mild usually does not deliver them. Instead I would expect a gradual strengthening, especially of the mocha notes. We shall see. We're less than an inch into this 7.5x38 lancero.
It is especially important not to get the end of the cigar too wet. We don't want the leaves at the cap to swell and impede this perfect draw before we nub it. And nub it we shall!
It's always worth smoking a single cigar many different ways. Short, shallow puffs, just enough to taste the wrapper. Long, full draws to feel the full force of the blend. A regular draw just for the retrohale (which here is very kind to the nose, thanks to the cigar's age). You will taste the full range of what the cigar has to offer.
As we near the end of the first third, there is in fact some small savoriness happening. And the ash is holding on like a champ! I decide to let it drop on me to test how far it goes; no sooner do I make the decision, than it falls. A good inch and a half. Not bad, for a long-and-skinny.
I touch up the burn at the halfway mark. Probably my fault for not continuing to rotate the cigar in my hand as I smoke. That spicy hint is now a constant presence at the back of the throat.
The rest is as expected. A slight ramping of the overall charred cinnamon/cocoa, and a hint more kick than expected.
A beauty.
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