zeemanb
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2015
- Messages
- 1,341
So here we go….my first CP live review during a lazy sunny afternoon away from work. This particular cigar is from 2008 and was given to me by Backslide in my first newbie trade a few weeks ago. I did mention that lanceros were probably my favorite size, but didn’t expect something like this. The only Cohibas I’ve ever stocked were Siglo 1’s and 2’s and a box of Maduro Secretos I bought recently. I’ve been gifted various sizes over the years, but never the lancero. This is an entirely new experience. I generally never ask to trade for Cohibas because I feel like I’m A) bugging someone for a particularly nice and pricey cigar and have nothing they will want in trade, or B) I have the misfortune of finding someone super eager to trade, their cigars are horrible fakes, and I’m stuck either breaking some news that will totally piss them off or trading my best cigars for crap.
Not perfect cosmetically, a couple of water spots and a vein or two, but it feels good and solid, no soft spots. A little firm up around the head but after clipping and a minor couple of pinches and I’m getting a good, totally reasonable draw. Clean tobacco flavors on the pre-light. It’s a windy 60 degree day here in KC, so it took a couple of false starts but this baby fired right up, the draw eased up even more, and there is smoke-a-plenty. I’ve never been very good at detecting specific flavors unless they are super obvious or hang around long enough for me to come up with my best guess. Woody but rich out of the chute, very even burn. Close to an inch in and hints of what I think of as “earthy/round” flavors start popping up. The cedary flavors start to mellow a bit and coat the tongue a little. The delightful beverage I have chosen to pair with today’s cigar is a soft drink called Kolashanpan that I originally discovered in El Salvador in 1990. It is kind of like if cream soda and and Juicy Fruit gum had a baby….but sweeter. It’s a very special occasion drink for me due to my family’s history of diabetes. I always feel like Wilford Brimley is going to poke his head around the corner anytime I crack one of these open. Once I became the world champion of alcohol consumption about six years ago, I figured I’d go ahead and retire the belt for good, and so these days it’s water, coffee, and the occasional week’s worth of sugar in a 16 ounce bottle. It reminds me of one of the only types of wealth anyone in my neighborhood could display as a kid….you took Kool-Aid to the point of saturation where a single grain of sugar could not dissolve. KC has a couple of excellent El Salvadoran restaurants, so between those and my favorite taquerias, carnicerias, tortillerias and pastelerias, the Kolashanpan fix can be satisfied at any time.
Heading into the second third we’re approaching medium body with some twangy/tangy flavors starting to show up. Burn is still even, smoke production is great. Before I stopped smoking cigars regularly around seven or eight years ago, I’d hit a point where I smoked Cubans almost exclusively. An occasional Fuente or Padron product would be in the mix. These days I’m smoking more non-Cubans just to see what all is out there and I…cannot…get…enough of the Nicaraguan pepper bombs. Less dimension, more power…so when you smoke a good non-gut bomb Cuban it’s way more of a study in the overall profile to remember what it was that made you loyal to them. I’m a little older and honestly don’t feel like I have to defend them because they are the forbidden fruit, I just want a damn good cigar. This is a good cigar, way more sweet earth coming in on the nose. Longer finish, but a very light long finish. It’s like tasting the smell of wet hay with floral notes I can’t really pin down as we near the final third.
So this whole getting back into cigars thing has been….really interesting for my wife. When I am into something I do not mess around, obsessive is a nice way to put it. I’ve been seriously into the local food scene for years, I am a big time home cook, and a food tourist to a fault. So she has been used to that since we met seven years ago. To put it in perspective for anyone who may be familiar…our first date was at Jose Andres’ minibar in DC. And she has known I’ve always liked cigars….my converted cedar chest humidor has always remained pretty well stocked and has stuff going back to ’97. I know some of you will relate to this…..my wife thinks the obsession is kind of cute, funny….like all of a sudden I got back into my childhood love for Star Trek and started wearing Spock ears around the house all the time. But she’s totally cool. When you are married to the former world champion of alcohol, this probably seems pretty harmless other than the associated health risks.
The twangy/earthy/floral flavors all remain, accompanied by a longer light mocha finish. Medium body, medium strength. I’m a bit of a faster smoker, but not so fast as to make this thing burn too hot or become bitter, and on a pretty empty stomach I’m unaffected. There is a real vegetal type of flavor overtaking the cedar that I can’t quite figure out. It’s good, pretty interesting. Maybe I’m overthinking and it’s just tobacco I’m tasting. This has been a real thinker, a gentleman’s cigar. I wish I had more experience with Cohibas to really do it justice comparison-wise…especially how this would differ from a larger ring gauge. Getting close to the end, the aforementioned flavors remain consistent. A palate refreshing dose of pure sugar soda confirms a much richer, deeper finish toward the end. This was a hell of a cigar...depth of flavor, perfect burn, and very relaxing for the rare afternoon alone on the deck. When I get past the shotgun approach of throwing money at sampling new cigars, a box purchase of these will absolutely happen.
All the thanks in the world to Backslide…it has become obvious in the short time I’ve been here that this is a genuine community with plenty of patience for newbies who are serious about learning. The newbie trade is an incredibly generous concept. I know enough about cigars to know that what I received was both well thought out and over the top. There’s at least one more from the package that is going to make its way into my next review.
This guy joined me at the end….wish I had my zoom attached rather than the portrait lens….
Not perfect cosmetically, a couple of water spots and a vein or two, but it feels good and solid, no soft spots. A little firm up around the head but after clipping and a minor couple of pinches and I’m getting a good, totally reasonable draw. Clean tobacco flavors on the pre-light. It’s a windy 60 degree day here in KC, so it took a couple of false starts but this baby fired right up, the draw eased up even more, and there is smoke-a-plenty. I’ve never been very good at detecting specific flavors unless they are super obvious or hang around long enough for me to come up with my best guess. Woody but rich out of the chute, very even burn. Close to an inch in and hints of what I think of as “earthy/round” flavors start popping up. The cedary flavors start to mellow a bit and coat the tongue a little. The delightful beverage I have chosen to pair with today’s cigar is a soft drink called Kolashanpan that I originally discovered in El Salvador in 1990. It is kind of like if cream soda and and Juicy Fruit gum had a baby….but sweeter. It’s a very special occasion drink for me due to my family’s history of diabetes. I always feel like Wilford Brimley is going to poke his head around the corner anytime I crack one of these open. Once I became the world champion of alcohol consumption about six years ago, I figured I’d go ahead and retire the belt for good, and so these days it’s water, coffee, and the occasional week’s worth of sugar in a 16 ounce bottle. It reminds me of one of the only types of wealth anyone in my neighborhood could display as a kid….you took Kool-Aid to the point of saturation where a single grain of sugar could not dissolve. KC has a couple of excellent El Salvadoran restaurants, so between those and my favorite taquerias, carnicerias, tortillerias and pastelerias, the Kolashanpan fix can be satisfied at any time.
Heading into the second third we’re approaching medium body with some twangy/tangy flavors starting to show up. Burn is still even, smoke production is great. Before I stopped smoking cigars regularly around seven or eight years ago, I’d hit a point where I smoked Cubans almost exclusively. An occasional Fuente or Padron product would be in the mix. These days I’m smoking more non-Cubans just to see what all is out there and I…cannot…get…enough of the Nicaraguan pepper bombs. Less dimension, more power…so when you smoke a good non-gut bomb Cuban it’s way more of a study in the overall profile to remember what it was that made you loyal to them. I’m a little older and honestly don’t feel like I have to defend them because they are the forbidden fruit, I just want a damn good cigar. This is a good cigar, way more sweet earth coming in on the nose. Longer finish, but a very light long finish. It’s like tasting the smell of wet hay with floral notes I can’t really pin down as we near the final third.
So this whole getting back into cigars thing has been….really interesting for my wife. When I am into something I do not mess around, obsessive is a nice way to put it. I’ve been seriously into the local food scene for years, I am a big time home cook, and a food tourist to a fault. So she has been used to that since we met seven years ago. To put it in perspective for anyone who may be familiar…our first date was at Jose Andres’ minibar in DC. And she has known I’ve always liked cigars….my converted cedar chest humidor has always remained pretty well stocked and has stuff going back to ’97. I know some of you will relate to this…..my wife thinks the obsession is kind of cute, funny….like all of a sudden I got back into my childhood love for Star Trek and started wearing Spock ears around the house all the time. But she’s totally cool. When you are married to the former world champion of alcohol, this probably seems pretty harmless other than the associated health risks.
The twangy/earthy/floral flavors all remain, accompanied by a longer light mocha finish. Medium body, medium strength. I’m a bit of a faster smoker, but not so fast as to make this thing burn too hot or become bitter, and on a pretty empty stomach I’m unaffected. There is a real vegetal type of flavor overtaking the cedar that I can’t quite figure out. It’s good, pretty interesting. Maybe I’m overthinking and it’s just tobacco I’m tasting. This has been a real thinker, a gentleman’s cigar. I wish I had more experience with Cohibas to really do it justice comparison-wise…especially how this would differ from a larger ring gauge. Getting close to the end, the aforementioned flavors remain consistent. A palate refreshing dose of pure sugar soda confirms a much richer, deeper finish toward the end. This was a hell of a cigar...depth of flavor, perfect burn, and very relaxing for the rare afternoon alone on the deck. When I get past the shotgun approach of throwing money at sampling new cigars, a box purchase of these will absolutely happen.
All the thanks in the world to Backslide…it has become obvious in the short time I’ve been here that this is a genuine community with plenty of patience for newbies who are serious about learning. The newbie trade is an incredibly generous concept. I know enough about cigars to know that what I received was both well thought out and over the top. There’s at least one more from the package that is going to make its way into my next review.
This guy joined me at the end….wish I had my zoom attached rather than the portrait lens….
