A little mini review for the Warped La Colmena La Reina (Smallbatch exclusive)
Picked this up at Maxamar/Smallbatch last week and smoked it the next day. Since Andrew gave me the hookup I made sure to take some notes, and I'm glad I did.
First off, I like Warped. Quite a bit. The Oso Mama is still my favorite of theirs and I can't get enough of them (I am a lancero fiend). But I have now tried the La Hacienda, the Flor Del Valle, and (I think?) the Sky Flower. Enjoyed them all.
Before I tried ANY Warped, I saw the La Colmena Unico tin, read about them, and decided they were probably right up my alley. When I finally got a 2fer in a sampler, I was pleased that they were smaller than I expected (torpedos usually are a bit larger than this). I also am a fan of the closed foot (except when lighting) since I have it in my mind that it improves the flavor of the tobacco (why? no idea).
Then I smoked it, and was really disappointed. Just did not resonate with me. The feet were a bit smashed up, so maybe I got a bad 2fer. But I let them rest and smoked them a week apart, and still, nothing. So I wrote them off as NFM (not for me).
Meantime I tried like hell to get my greasy hands on a Black Honey, to no avail (I think I called 6 stores around the country and nothing).
Enter: La Reina. Andrew laid one on me at Maxamar and I smoked it a couple days afterward. Totally different experience. It looked to me to be nearly identical to the regular Colmena Unico: dry, tan wrapper, unbanded, etc. But lighting it (and smoking past the foot, which was strong and a little bitter) opened up flavors that were not there for me in the regular version. First, a strong (dare I say it) Cubanesque profile with hay and cedar and earth. Then about the 1/3-1/2 mark I started to get big mouthfuls of thick, burnt molasses, transitioning into sweet honey. I am a big fan of the sweeter flavors that good tobacco can produce, so it was hitting the spot for me.
The draw is perfect, as with most all Warped. The burn was fine -- no touch-ups. There is quite a long finish to the bouquet. It will help if, like me, you are a naturally slow smoker, since huffing through it quickly can unleash some of that bitterness.
I plan to pick up more of these, probably a nice bundle, before the 1000 sticks are gone for good.
Picked this up at Maxamar/Smallbatch last week and smoked it the next day. Since Andrew gave me the hookup I made sure to take some notes, and I'm glad I did.
First off, I like Warped. Quite a bit. The Oso Mama is still my favorite of theirs and I can't get enough of them (I am a lancero fiend). But I have now tried the La Hacienda, the Flor Del Valle, and (I think?) the Sky Flower. Enjoyed them all.
Before I tried ANY Warped, I saw the La Colmena Unico tin, read about them, and decided they were probably right up my alley. When I finally got a 2fer in a sampler, I was pleased that they were smaller than I expected (torpedos usually are a bit larger than this). I also am a fan of the closed foot (except when lighting) since I have it in my mind that it improves the flavor of the tobacco (why? no idea).
Then I smoked it, and was really disappointed. Just did not resonate with me. The feet were a bit smashed up, so maybe I got a bad 2fer. But I let them rest and smoked them a week apart, and still, nothing. So I wrote them off as NFM (not for me).
Meantime I tried like hell to get my greasy hands on a Black Honey, to no avail (I think I called 6 stores around the country and nothing).
Enter: La Reina. Andrew laid one on me at Maxamar and I smoked it a couple days afterward. Totally different experience. It looked to me to be nearly identical to the regular Colmena Unico: dry, tan wrapper, unbanded, etc. But lighting it (and smoking past the foot, which was strong and a little bitter) opened up flavors that were not there for me in the regular version. First, a strong (dare I say it) Cubanesque profile with hay and cedar and earth. Then about the 1/3-1/2 mark I started to get big mouthfuls of thick, burnt molasses, transitioning into sweet honey. I am a big fan of the sweeter flavors that good tobacco can produce, so it was hitting the spot for me.
The draw is perfect, as with most all Warped. The burn was fine -- no touch-ups. There is quite a long finish to the bouquet. It will help if, like me, you are a naturally slow smoker, since huffing through it quickly can unleash some of that bitterness.
I plan to pick up more of these, probably a nice bundle, before the 1000 sticks are gone for good.
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