My family and I were fortunate enough to be in Hawaii over the Holidays. My Mom and Dad are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and one of the first places they lived was in the tiny town of Eleele (pronounced el ee el ee), Kauai. We stayed 2 days in Honolulu and then 5 days just down the road from Eleele at Poipu Beach just outside of Koloa town. I was gifted this beautiful stick some time back soon after I joined CP by a very generous member here. While I subscribe to the oft-repeated mantra of Infinity, I also believe that special occasions do sometimes warrant a special cigar. So in honor of my parent's wedding anniversary, the New Year and the passing of Harold Scadden, I lit this cigar up and used the dark morning here to contemplate on a truly blessed life.
Prelight at 5:37am local time brought a wonderful flavor. It tasted like a subtle Opus at cold. The look and feel of this cigar was almost perfect. The only info I could find on the wrapper is that it is Ecuadorian, not sure if that means it is a Sumatra wrapper or not, but it was dark and beautiful. After circumsizing the top, it lights easily and the draw is spot on. I get a nice peppery taste that reminds me of an Opus but there is also a woodiness here that I get from the regular Don Carlos line and from the Hemingway. Other than those two flavors, it is straight tobacco. And what wonderful tobacco it is!
The first third maintains the same flavors as previously described. This is a very deep and rich flavor and one that I am enthralled by. I seemingly have the hotel to myself at this hour and that adds to my experience as I am getting lost in this wonderful cigar.
The ash falls off almost precisely at the half way point. A slight touch up is applied and once again it is burning with an almost razor-like sharpness. Prior to the ash falling, it was a picture perfect ash. Light and fluffy with a true grayness to it, as seen here:
After purging, the deep woodiness and spice are still prevalent as is the wonderfully cured tobacco. I guess at this point I would a leathery flavor to the profile, but not as much as I get in the Hemingway profile. The sun is making an attempt to peek through and my previous companions, the stars, are leaving me. Kauai is not as densely populated as some of the other islands and as such, the light pollution is almost nil. The stars visible to me are numerous beyond counting and it really makes one feel humble. I wish my camera was capable of capturing the amount of stars visible, but it is just a Blackberry and I couldn't possible do it justice. Suffice it to say, Carl Sagan was right. At just about 7:00am the sun finally casts light in the west as my cigar enters the final stages.
The same flavors have stayed with me throughout the cigar and have made this one of the more enjoyable smokes I've had the privilege of smoking. While I experienced no flavor change at any point in this cigar, I wouldn't dare say it wasn't complex. Several flavors were noticeable all the while and the deep, rich tobacco taste made this a very complex cigar in my eyes. Soon after this last picture I let the nub go out and contemplate on the last hour and a half. I can think of few better ways to start a day of vacation than with this cigar. Thank you again for this wonderful gift, it made my last day of vacation a very memorable one.
While the price point of these will deter me from smoking too many of them, I can't recommend this highly enough. I think everyone should try this cigar at least once as I can't imagine anyone not thoroughly enjoying this. A great way to celebrate, ring in the New Year and honor a friend's grandfather to be sure. Happy New Year CP and Aloha!
Prelight at 5:37am local time brought a wonderful flavor. It tasted like a subtle Opus at cold. The look and feel of this cigar was almost perfect. The only info I could find on the wrapper is that it is Ecuadorian, not sure if that means it is a Sumatra wrapper or not, but it was dark and beautiful. After circumsizing the top, it lights easily and the draw is spot on. I get a nice peppery taste that reminds me of an Opus but there is also a woodiness here that I get from the regular Don Carlos line and from the Hemingway. Other than those two flavors, it is straight tobacco. And what wonderful tobacco it is!
The first third maintains the same flavors as previously described. This is a very deep and rich flavor and one that I am enthralled by. I seemingly have the hotel to myself at this hour and that adds to my experience as I am getting lost in this wonderful cigar.
The ash falls off almost precisely at the half way point. A slight touch up is applied and once again it is burning with an almost razor-like sharpness. Prior to the ash falling, it was a picture perfect ash. Light and fluffy with a true grayness to it, as seen here:
After purging, the deep woodiness and spice are still prevalent as is the wonderfully cured tobacco. I guess at this point I would a leathery flavor to the profile, but not as much as I get in the Hemingway profile. The sun is making an attempt to peek through and my previous companions, the stars, are leaving me. Kauai is not as densely populated as some of the other islands and as such, the light pollution is almost nil. The stars visible to me are numerous beyond counting and it really makes one feel humble. I wish my camera was capable of capturing the amount of stars visible, but it is just a Blackberry and I couldn't possible do it justice. Suffice it to say, Carl Sagan was right. At just about 7:00am the sun finally casts light in the west as my cigar enters the final stages.
The same flavors have stayed with me throughout the cigar and have made this one of the more enjoyable smokes I've had the privilege of smoking. While I experienced no flavor change at any point in this cigar, I wouldn't dare say it wasn't complex. Several flavors were noticeable all the while and the deep, rich tobacco taste made this a very complex cigar in my eyes. Soon after this last picture I let the nub go out and contemplate on the last hour and a half. I can think of few better ways to start a day of vacation than with this cigar. Thank you again for this wonderful gift, it made my last day of vacation a very memorable one.
While the price point of these will deter me from smoking too many of them, I can't recommend this highly enough. I think everyone should try this cigar at least once as I can't imagine anyone not thoroughly enjoying this. A great way to celebrate, ring in the New Year and honor a friend's grandfather to be sure. Happy New Year CP and Aloha!
