Reviewed - October 2002
The cigars arrived in perfect condition, thanks to the careful packaging job done by the vendor. Still perfectly humidified after the journey, they looked quite inviting, and they smelled good, and I looked forward to enjoying them. They were a 48 ring, by my best estimate, and slightly over five inches in length. I had intended to actually measure them, but I was too eager to smoke the first one, and I was away from home when I smoked the second one, and simply forgot altogether once I got to the last one.
I deftly punch-cut the first cigar, and I am sorry to say that I found it to have a very tight draw. I will be the first to admit that I prefer a smoke to have a fairly free draw, so I may be somewhat biased against tighter cigars. I have been smoking cigars for about six years now, and have been a reader of the Newsgroup ASC for about four years. I consider myself to have a moderate knowledge of the cigars, their construction, and smoking technique. I like to be able to have control over the amount of air going through my cigars, and thereby control the intensity of the flavor and the volume of smoke. If a cigar is rolled in a manner that prevents this, it becomes a hindrance to my enjoyment of the experience. I may be in the minority here, but that's the way I have learned to determine whether a cigar is well constructed.
Having found a problem with the first cigar, I punched the second, and found it to be tight also. The third cigar, I straight cut and not too surprisingly, found that one to be tight also, though not quite as tight as the other two. I decided to let them rest for several days before attempting to smoke them.
After eight or ten days, I retrieved the cigars from my "conditioning humidor". I call it that because it has a poor seal and runs at about 60% humidity. I find that to be perfect for preparing cigars to be smoked. Also, tight cigars sometimes loosen up a bit if allowed to dry out ever so slightly. To my disappointment, the cigars seemed to be just as tight as before.
With my apologies to everyone, here is my review:
Cigar Number One
I chose the tightest cigar to review first. The wrapper was medium to light brown. It did not have the normal distinctive reddish brown hue of a Cuban cigar, so I was unsure of its origin, although the construction and aroma said "Cuba". The color of the wrapper leaf became quite light, a dark amber color, about two or three centimeters from the cap. The entire cigar was significantly lighter than the other two.
The appearance of the cigar, other than the multi-colored wrapper, was fairly good. The wrapper had some medium veins in it, but the cigar had a smooth overall appearance. The cap was good; I wouldn't say the stick was especially impressive, just good. Looking at the foot, the cigar seemed to have the appropriate interior construction, with the binder being just a shade or two lighter in color than the filler. The cigar was perfectly round along its length, and had no lumps or flat spots.
The cigar is tight. Not excruciatingly so, but more than enough to provide more resistance to airflow that I would want. Many cigars that are only slightly tight smoke quite reasonably well. The pre-light aroma was light and airy, and had no bite or ammonia characteristics, indicating a mild, well-aged cigar. I poured a tall glass of my favorite beverage for accompanying a fine cigar: Cold, clear water, and took a seat in my favorite chair.
The initial burn was not especially even, but not especially uneven either. Had I not been reviewing the cigar, I wouldn't have thought one way or the other about it. At one point, one side of the wrapper did not burn for a few centimeters. This appeared to be due to a gap between the wrapper and the binder that had developed. Otherwise there was a thick black line where the wrapper was burning. This would not be a favorable indication. The ash was rather dark gray and tiger-striped with dark bands, indicating the hard drawing on the cigar. I knocked the first ash off prematurely after smoking about three centimeters, and there was noticeable coning inside. The cone was somewhat pointed and about as long as the cigar was wide. I allowed the cigar to burn without drawing on it for about two minutes or more, so the inside and the outside would have a chance to equalize.
Due to the tight draw, the cigar was very bitter. There was little in the way of regular cigar flavors to be had. If I double-puffed very hard, I was able to coax out some of the wonderful golden, or amber, leathery flavor I am accustomed to, but that was overshadowed by the bitterness and undesirable flavors of silt and charcoal. If I had to guess, I would say that this would normally be a mild-to-medium, sweet-tasting Cuban cigar. However, in this case, I abandoned the cigar at about the halfway point.
The next day, I took what was left of the dead cigar into the kitchen and cut down its length with a razor knife, and examined the innards. I found nothing out of the ordinary, except that a portion of the filler leaf was twisted. I don't think this was the problem; the cigar was simply over-filled
Cigar Number Two
A few days later, I selected another of the cigars from the conditioning box. I went to The Board Room (my local cigar lounge) and asked one of my smoking buddies to sample the draw on the cigar, just to make sure that I am not completely out of my tree. After a cursory glance, he said that the cigar is "a Cubano". He then tested the draw and announced that it was indeed a tight cigar. I was somewhat relieved at that point, to find that I am only partially out of my tree.
I purchased a bottle of Iced Tea from the liquor store next door, and found a plush chair in which to attempt to smoke my cigar.
The wrapper was slightly darker than the first one, and had ever so slightly, the more reddish cast I associate with Cuban cigars. The color was even, without the lighter areas that Cigar Number One had. The construction was good, but the cigar seemed hard. No surprise there.
The cigar lit well and the burn was even from the start. The black burn line was narrower than on the first cigar, though not the thin pencil line I would have hoped for. The ash was a more medium gray and much more even in color than on the first cigar. I let the first ash stay on until it dropped off naturally after some three centimeters or more. The ash did not fall apart when it hit my lap; rather, it stayed intact.
Still, the draw was impossible. I was determined to get good flavor out of this cigar, and by sucking very hard and long, quickly blowing out the smoke and sucking very hard again, I was able to get a taste of what this cigar could be. There was a dark honey sweetness, or maybe a caramel flavor in the foreground, that made its way through the bitter charcoal overtones. In addition, there was a metallic pencil lead flavor at some times, and at other times, soil and silt. Some persistence would occasionally yield faint leather and what I call the characteristic "golden", or "amber" flavor that sets fine Cuban cigars apart from all others. Given the caramel, and the leather, and distinctive "Cuban" flavor, I am positive that this would be an outstanding cigar if I could ever get any amount of air through it. I drank quite a bit of tea, in order to wash away the acrid, bitter taste of charcoal, lead, and dirt. I persisted for a while, trying to relish the delicate sweetness and complexity of this cigar, but I had to quit when other occupants of the lounge became distressed at the sight of my bulging eyes and my face turning red.
Cigar Number Three
Unfortunately, I came down with a terrible cold, and was unable to smoke for several days. My palate returned some ten days after my symptoms subsided, so I retrieved the third and, thankfully, final cigar from the humidor. I was determined to enjoy at least one of these cigars, so that I could give a positive review and not be banished from society.
This was the least tightly rolled cigar of the lot. I re-cut it a few millimeters down from where I had cut it before, just to try and improve the draw. To further enhance the possibility of a favorable experience, I poked a nine-inch hatpin down the center of the cigar about ten times. This is not easy to do, but I felt that I should give this project by best effort.
Poured myself a big glass of ice water and settled into a nice chair and lit up. It was obvious that this smoke was going to be marginally better than the first two, partly because the draw was just a little bit better, and partly because the muscles I use for sucking are getting stronger. (Don't even GO there!) After a few minutes, the wrapper split, leaving a three-centimeter gash toward the foot. This did not seem to affect the smoking of the cigar but went a long way toward proving that these cigars really are overstuffed, and I'm not crazy.
Once past the split, I was able to assess the burn characteristics. The burn was uneven, but consistent. Wavy, if you will. After dropping ash, I could see that the interior was burning much better than with the previous cigars. There was no cone this time, just a gently rounded coal, just the way I like it. The ash was an attractive light gray, with tiger stripes again, in the same wavy pattern as the uneven burn. The inside of the ash was a little darker, maybe a medium gray, and it all held together nicely. Before the next ash dropped off, I noticed that it was amazingly straight-sided, despite the wavy burn of the wrapper. Kinda cool, actually.
I wish I could say the same for the flavor. There was more leather and caramel this time with that sweetness in the foreground, and I was actually enjoying this cigar, comparatively speaking. However, the bitterness, the charcoal, the pencil lead, and the metal were all still there. I was forced to imagine the potential of this cigar, rath
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