Setharsis
Boot'tye Zdorovy
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2010
- Messages
- 1,391
It's 1 am and I've just finish rummaging through the garage for an hour because this is the only free time I've had since the baby. Since I'm so tired I've forgotten what sleep is like anyway, what the hell I grab a stick and start writing my first cigar review.
To drink: Hanger 24 California Spring beer. I had a couple earlier in the night when some friends came over to celebrate a birthday. It has a similarity to Belgian ales with a kick of hops to it. Since I'm not a fan of IPA's, this goes in the minus column. Also, hops smells like dirty diapers to me now. Other than that...it's cold and it's beer. Good enough.
Conditions: My weather app says it's 66 degrees outside and the sun is coming up in 4 hours and 34 minutes. It actually feels a little bit warmer. The sky is overcast and dark red from light pollution but the air is still and quiet.
Getting started: I just bought this cigar from a b&m on Tuesday for our 3 year anniversary. My wife told me that she had forgotten it was coming up so I took it upon myself to get something "leather" for her to give to me. Uhm....your welcome? A prelight sniff throws chocolate and fresh earth into my nostrils. It's definitely a fresh stick. The foot is soft and supple but I think I detect a small knot beneath the band; I must have missed that during my in-store squeeze test. A quick diagonal cut and I'm getting a little spice and mostly leather. The draw isn't too tight and might be a little on the loose end.
The smoke: I use my triple torch and get a toasty foot going. I get a little vanilla in the secondary smoke. A quick drag places more spice into the mouth and I can't wait any longer. I let the flames sit an inch below the foot and take a couple quick puffs. Now the spice is really hitting and I'm a little overwhelmed. The draw tightens up just a little bit but there's plenty of smoke coming through. No complaints there. I can only taste tobacco for the first minute but I do a purge and start after another minute rest. The spice has almost completely died down as I detect notes of anise. The ash is holding tight for the first inch and is layered with black and grey. A sweetness starts to creep into the front while spice dominates the after taste. Not much changes in this first third and it's starting to get a little boring. Retrohaling opens the bouquet a little.
Halfway point and I ash the stick. The burn is tunneling a little so I try to purge it to revitalize the ember but it goes out after a couple more minutes. I relight and the smoke production is even greater now but the flavors are getting flat. The spice is almost non-existent. My nicotine buzz is making me a little dizzy.
I'm about 3/4 done and the I'm having difficulty maintaining the burn. I'm not really enjoying this cigar anymore when the wife informs me the little one is stirring. I put this disappointment out and will try to remember not to get any more of these again.
(Had to brighten the images in photoshop due to lighting issues.)
To drink: Hanger 24 California Spring beer. I had a couple earlier in the night when some friends came over to celebrate a birthday. It has a similarity to Belgian ales with a kick of hops to it. Since I'm not a fan of IPA's, this goes in the minus column. Also, hops smells like dirty diapers to me now. Other than that...it's cold and it's beer. Good enough.
Conditions: My weather app says it's 66 degrees outside and the sun is coming up in 4 hours and 34 minutes. It actually feels a little bit warmer. The sky is overcast and dark red from light pollution but the air is still and quiet.
Getting started: I just bought this cigar from a b&m on Tuesday for our 3 year anniversary. My wife told me that she had forgotten it was coming up so I took it upon myself to get something "leather" for her to give to me. Uhm....your welcome? A prelight sniff throws chocolate and fresh earth into my nostrils. It's definitely a fresh stick. The foot is soft and supple but I think I detect a small knot beneath the band; I must have missed that during my in-store squeeze test. A quick diagonal cut and I'm getting a little spice and mostly leather. The draw isn't too tight and might be a little on the loose end.
The smoke: I use my triple torch and get a toasty foot going. I get a little vanilla in the secondary smoke. A quick drag places more spice into the mouth and I can't wait any longer. I let the flames sit an inch below the foot and take a couple quick puffs. Now the spice is really hitting and I'm a little overwhelmed. The draw tightens up just a little bit but there's plenty of smoke coming through. No complaints there. I can only taste tobacco for the first minute but I do a purge and start after another minute rest. The spice has almost completely died down as I detect notes of anise. The ash is holding tight for the first inch and is layered with black and grey. A sweetness starts to creep into the front while spice dominates the after taste. Not much changes in this first third and it's starting to get a little boring. Retrohaling opens the bouquet a little.
Halfway point and I ash the stick. The burn is tunneling a little so I try to purge it to revitalize the ember but it goes out after a couple more minutes. I relight and the smoke production is even greater now but the flavors are getting flat. The spice is almost non-existent. My nicotine buzz is making me a little dizzy.
I'm about 3/4 done and the I'm having difficulty maintaining the burn. I'm not really enjoying this cigar anymore when the wife informs me the little one is stirring. I put this disappointment out and will try to remember not to get any more of these again.
(Had to brighten the images in photoshop due to lighting issues.)
