Putz Mulligan
shhhhhh, cigar learning in process!
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2006
- Messages
- 1,829
Cigar: Dark Island Prince Momona
Filler: Sun Grown Kauai
Wrapper: Habano 2000 leaf grown in Nicaragua
Ring Gauge: 50
Length: 5 3/4
Origin: Kauai, HI (rolled in Nicaragua)
Manufacturer: Kauai Cigar Co.
Forgive the lack of photos and realize this is going off of my recollection as I did not have a note pad handy.........
Well here I am roughing it on this island called Kauai and the wife is dragging me all over shopping when I spy out of the corner of my eye, "Kauai Cigar Co." Now I'm thinking this might be a B&M with lots to choose from and instead am faced with a coffee place named Java Kai that is carrying a line from the Kauai Cigar Co. What the?! Alright, I need a coffee to keep up with the wife so I go inside and find a nice little display of sticks in assorted sizes and they all have "Island Prince" on the bands and "Kauai Cigar Co." I ask the girl behind the counter what these are all about, are they flavored, nasty, and relatively blah? She says, no, many folks come in asking the same questions, buy one, smoke it and come back to buy a box. The price..............$19.99 for a single stick!?!?!?!?! WTF?! That can't be that good?! It must be because it's an island right?
So, being desperate to cool the "peds" I buy one Dark Island Prince Momona with a cup of Kauai Estate Reserve Peaberry and head outside. I remove the cello and upon inspection the wrapper is constructed well with no veins. The wrapper has a nice rich dark chocolate oily finish. Looks as if there is a double cap which I quickly snip with the cutter. The fragrance and flavor from the dry draw is best described as earthy and rich. I torch the foot and am rewarded with some excellent plumes of smoke. The flavor is complex with hints of, for lack of better, dark, rich and loamy dirt. If anyone has been to Kauai they will understand the reference as even the air here is thick and moist with the token red soil. There was not hint of bitterness though it still carried a modest bite. The ash was lite gray and remained nice and solid staying there until the final third. Overall the cigar tasted young and could stand some aging of maybe a year but overall it was very enjoyable as is. Certainly gave me pause and am now considering going back to purchase more at another location that is selling them at MSRP. It turns out that these can be had in singles, three packs, etc. on the Internet for a much more modest price of $13 though it does not include shipping.
I am here until Friday for any of those that are interested in grabbing a few without the shipping cost of FedEx.
I contacted Kauai Cigar Co. to see if there offered tours of their plantation but unfortunately no luck. They did not, however, hesitate to invite me to come back and work the harvest in July to December! :sign: Road trip anyone?! :thumbs:
Edited to change the rather confusing wording and say I found the sticks for less at another retailer for $13.00 each.
Filler: Sun Grown Kauai
Wrapper: Habano 2000 leaf grown in Nicaragua
Ring Gauge: 50
Length: 5 3/4
Origin: Kauai, HI (rolled in Nicaragua)
Manufacturer: Kauai Cigar Co.
Forgive the lack of photos and realize this is going off of my recollection as I did not have a note pad handy.........
Well here I am roughing it on this island called Kauai and the wife is dragging me all over shopping when I spy out of the corner of my eye, "Kauai Cigar Co." Now I'm thinking this might be a B&M with lots to choose from and instead am faced with a coffee place named Java Kai that is carrying a line from the Kauai Cigar Co. What the?! Alright, I need a coffee to keep up with the wife so I go inside and find a nice little display of sticks in assorted sizes and they all have "Island Prince" on the bands and "Kauai Cigar Co." I ask the girl behind the counter what these are all about, are they flavored, nasty, and relatively blah? She says, no, many folks come in asking the same questions, buy one, smoke it and come back to buy a box. The price..............$19.99 for a single stick!?!?!?!?! WTF?! That can't be that good?! It must be because it's an island right?
So, being desperate to cool the "peds" I buy one Dark Island Prince Momona with a cup of Kauai Estate Reserve Peaberry and head outside. I remove the cello and upon inspection the wrapper is constructed well with no veins. The wrapper has a nice rich dark chocolate oily finish. Looks as if there is a double cap which I quickly snip with the cutter. The fragrance and flavor from the dry draw is best described as earthy and rich. I torch the foot and am rewarded with some excellent plumes of smoke. The flavor is complex with hints of, for lack of better, dark, rich and loamy dirt. If anyone has been to Kauai they will understand the reference as even the air here is thick and moist with the token red soil. There was not hint of bitterness though it still carried a modest bite. The ash was lite gray and remained nice and solid staying there until the final third. Overall the cigar tasted young and could stand some aging of maybe a year but overall it was very enjoyable as is. Certainly gave me pause and am now considering going back to purchase more at another location that is selling them at MSRP. It turns out that these can be had in singles, three packs, etc. on the Internet for a much more modest price of $13 though it does not include shipping.
I am here until Friday for any of those that are interested in grabbing a few without the shipping cost of FedEx.
I contacted Kauai Cigar Co. to see if there offered tours of their plantation but unfortunately no luck. They did not, however, hesitate to invite me to come back and work the harvest in July to December! :sign: Road trip anyone?! :thumbs:
Edited to change the rather confusing wording and say I found the sticks for less at another retailer for $13.00 each.
