TOPIC TITLE: El Mejor Emerald
TOPIC DESCRIPTION: The wrapper was a milk chocolate brown, with an oily sheen , and very small veins. It gave off an excellent tobacco smell. This had a shaggy head that I found slightly more difficult to light, but that is probably indicative of my newbness.
This was a robusto (5x50ish), but the shaggy foot pushed it closer to 5.5".
I cut this using a small punch made from a spent 7.62x25 pistol cartridge (I am a cheap bastard, what can I say).
The pre-light draw was medium, with a soft dry hay flavor that I really enjoyed.
I started this stick at 8:45pm on my back porch with water as my accompanying drink.
Right off the bat, this cigar gave me the impression that I was in for one of my best smokes yet. Mild strength, but with plenty of flavor, spicy with a hint of leather. The draw was cool and smooth, that was consistent throughout this first third. The flavor was consistently complex (but not overwhelmingly so), and mildly spicy. Once the shaggy part was almost gone, I noticed that I hadn't lit it completely, so I touched it up so the burn wouldn't be affected once I got to the wrapper. Light hay flavor was dominant once the wrapper was reached, and the draw was cool and dry on the back of my tongue with a pleasant tobacco taste that was mild and mellow.
Towards the end of the first third, the strength started to pick up; spicy with a smooth healthy tobacco flavor that was not at all bitter. The burn stayed dead even, and the ash was solid.
The second third starts out more full bodied any very spicy, strong, smooth tobacco flavor that was not at all harsh. This transitioned to strong hay and leather with some nutty notes, then went back to the spicy tobacco flavor. The frequent alteration between the two kept me guessing and caused the front of my tongue to be dry, but my saliva to flow in the back (but not in a bad way). Towards the middle of the second third, the flavor became more mild with lighter hay and leather that transitioned into spicy and nutty. These frequent fluctuations were amazing, and showed me the overall complexity of this cigar. Every once in a while, I would catch the tobacco flavor that I smelled in the wrapper in the smoke.
The body continued to pleasantly fluctuate between mild and medium, with the afore mentioned flavors alternating within each body strength change. As the ash approached three inches, I noticed the burn was becoming uneven, so I began to rotate the stick to try and even it out. I love the way this stick keeps me on my toes with every draw!!!
It became very spicy with a hint of harshness toward the end of the second third, and the strength transitioned to the upper medium range (at least to me and my yet undeveloped palette). The draw loosened slightly, and leather with hints of cedar became the dominate flavor.
The ash finally fell at slightly over three inches, but remained solid after falling to the deck. It was light gray and looked as if it had been sprinkled with black pepper. At this point, the burn was off by close to 3/4 of an inch, so I purged lightly to try and even up the burn.
After the purge, a new flavor erupted, but I couldn't place what it was, maybe earthy. The pre-light wrapper taste came back at the beginning of the final third. The strength had slowly dropped off, but began to build again as the burn evened itself out. Spicy cedar emerged and coated my entire tongue and transferred to the back of my upper palate and uvula (the dangley thing in the back of your throat).
The flavor was smooth and earthy, but that quickly changed to strong, smooth tobacco. The strength had ebbed again, and there was a hint of dry oak leaf that was very pleasant. Shortly after, the strength built to full, but the transition was even. The flavors were spicy and creamy, and reminded me of the Partagas Senior Corona that I had once. There was a hint of burning paper (the nice smell that you catch a whiff of when a cigarette is first lit).
The burn was back to dead even with 1.25 inches remaining. The strength waned to mild, and hints of chocolate formed. There was an excellent tobacco flavor that went from spicy, to woody, and back to spicy again. This rapid transition made my mouth water, but not in a bad way. More of the burning paper was tasted with hints of sweet tobacco that made my lips tingle. The draw became hot, but not unpleasantly so as I close in on the final 3/4 of an inch. The smoke was smooth and creamy with a hint of ammonia, and the back of my upper lip began to tingle. Then, there was a smooth sweet aftertaste that seemed to coat my whole tongue.
At this point, my fingers were uncomfortably warm, so I incorporated a twig to let me nub this baby. The rest of this smoke was creamy. I caught hints of mint, hickory, freshly broken pine needles, licorice, and other unexplained good flavors as I endangered my upper lip in the quest to draw this experience out as long as possible.
I finished at around 10:40pm, and upon standing, realized that I had copped a pretty decent buzz. It felt like I was more than slightly intoxicated (even though I had finished one drink more than 2.5 hours previous).
All in all, I will be buying more of these, and hope to incorporate it as a regular smoke. It was one of those you don't want to end...
TOPIC DESCRIPTION: The wrapper was a milk chocolate brown, with an oily sheen , and very small veins. It gave off an excellent tobacco smell. This had a shaggy head that I found slightly more difficult to light, but that is probably indicative of my newbness.
This was a robusto (5x50ish), but the shaggy foot pushed it closer to 5.5".
I cut this using a small punch made from a spent 7.62x25 pistol cartridge (I am a cheap bastard, what can I say).
The pre-light draw was medium, with a soft dry hay flavor that I really enjoyed.
I started this stick at 8:45pm on my back porch with water as my accompanying drink.
Right off the bat, this cigar gave me the impression that I was in for one of my best smokes yet. Mild strength, but with plenty of flavor, spicy with a hint of leather. The draw was cool and smooth, that was consistent throughout this first third. The flavor was consistently complex (but not overwhelmingly so), and mildly spicy. Once the shaggy part was almost gone, I noticed that I hadn't lit it completely, so I touched it up so the burn wouldn't be affected once I got to the wrapper. Light hay flavor was dominant once the wrapper was reached, and the draw was cool and dry on the back of my tongue with a pleasant tobacco taste that was mild and mellow.
Towards the end of the first third, the strength started to pick up; spicy with a smooth healthy tobacco flavor that was not at all bitter. The burn stayed dead even, and the ash was solid.
The second third starts out more full bodied any very spicy, strong, smooth tobacco flavor that was not at all harsh. This transitioned to strong hay and leather with some nutty notes, then went back to the spicy tobacco flavor. The frequent alteration between the two kept me guessing and caused the front of my tongue to be dry, but my saliva to flow in the back (but not in a bad way). Towards the middle of the second third, the flavor became more mild with lighter hay and leather that transitioned into spicy and nutty. These frequent fluctuations were amazing, and showed me the overall complexity of this cigar. Every once in a while, I would catch the tobacco flavor that I smelled in the wrapper in the smoke.
The body continued to pleasantly fluctuate between mild and medium, with the afore mentioned flavors alternating within each body strength change. As the ash approached three inches, I noticed the burn was becoming uneven, so I began to rotate the stick to try and even it out. I love the way this stick keeps me on my toes with every draw!!!
It became very spicy with a hint of harshness toward the end of the second third, and the strength transitioned to the upper medium range (at least to me and my yet undeveloped palette). The draw loosened slightly, and leather with hints of cedar became the dominate flavor.
The ash finally fell at slightly over three inches, but remained solid after falling to the deck. It was light gray and looked as if it had been sprinkled with black pepper. At this point, the burn was off by close to 3/4 of an inch, so I purged lightly to try and even up the burn.
After the purge, a new flavor erupted, but I couldn't place what it was, maybe earthy. The pre-light wrapper taste came back at the beginning of the final third. The strength had slowly dropped off, but began to build again as the burn evened itself out. Spicy cedar emerged and coated my entire tongue and transferred to the back of my upper palate and uvula (the dangley thing in the back of your throat).
The flavor was smooth and earthy, but that quickly changed to strong, smooth tobacco. The strength had ebbed again, and there was a hint of dry oak leaf that was very pleasant. Shortly after, the strength built to full, but the transition was even. The flavors were spicy and creamy, and reminded me of the Partagas Senior Corona that I had once. There was a hint of burning paper (the nice smell that you catch a whiff of when a cigarette is first lit).
The burn was back to dead even with 1.25 inches remaining. The strength waned to mild, and hints of chocolate formed. There was an excellent tobacco flavor that went from spicy, to woody, and back to spicy again. This rapid transition made my mouth water, but not in a bad way. More of the burning paper was tasted with hints of sweet tobacco that made my lips tingle. The draw became hot, but not unpleasantly so as I close in on the final 3/4 of an inch. The smoke was smooth and creamy with a hint of ammonia, and the back of my upper lip began to tingle. Then, there was a smooth sweet aftertaste that seemed to coat my whole tongue.
At this point, my fingers were uncomfortably warm, so I incorporated a twig to let me nub this baby. The rest of this smoke was creamy. I caught hints of mint, hickory, freshly broken pine needles, licorice, and other unexplained good flavors as I endangered my upper lip in the quest to draw this experience out as long as possible.
I finished at around 10:40pm, and upon standing, realized that I had copped a pretty decent buzz. It felt like I was more than slightly intoxicated (even though I had finished one drink more than 2.5 hours previous).
All in all, I will be buying more of these, and hope to incorporate it as a regular smoke. It was one of those you don't want to end...
