At about $4 a stick for an A sized cigar, I d...  more

At about $4 a stick for an A sized cigar, I decided to give these a try totally blind based on the consistently excellent reviews in periodicals. (90 in a recent CA) I recieved my box, removed them from the cellophane, and let them stabilize in the humi for a few weeks before trying. My initial impression was that the color and sheen on the wrappers was impressive and the construction appeared impecccable. They also smelled great. I eventually sat down, clipped one, and lit it. All I can say is FABULOUS! I'm talking about a nice, easy draw that filled my mouth with a rich smoke that was dense enough to make me want to actually bite it as it lazily drifted upward. The burn was straight as an arrow and I could buy my next house with what I'd save in matches if every cigar burned like these did. The ash was a lovely white with grey flecks. The flavor profile was complex and interesting while the spice factor ramped up nicely right through to the nub to end with a sweet little sting right at the end. I got nice sensations of light wood, leather, creme, and vanilla with a hint of earth. When I say "light" and "hint" I don't mean weak or anemic. Make no mistake, this cigar is well within the medium bodied range and VERY rich. Rather, I use the tem "light" to mean that the flavors are so nicely balanced that they each take turnes coming forward without overwhelming each other or my taste buds. The finish was that rare kind of long and fresh at the same time. Don't get me wrong, there are times when you almost want your smoke to be an "event". You want to fuss with it a little and think about each detail of the cigar. You want to consider what you're drinking and how the smoke works with your coctail and your last meal. You want to play with rotating the stick to control the burn and adjust your draw to control the heat. Or maybe wou want to wrestle with your smoke just to see how far you can go and how much you can stand. We've all been there and there is nothing wrong with that. It's all good and all part of enjoying the fabulous variety of cigars we are lucky enough to have available and enjoy. But this is not the cigar for those times. This one just about smokes itself, interupting your thoughts just long enough to tell yourself, "Man, this is good!" This one is for when you want to sit down, relax, clear your mind and effortlessly (and deliciously) make the world go away for about 2 hours. All this for $4 bucks or so a stick is just a rip, roaring bargain. Very impressive indeed. A humi full of these, a selection of Padrons, and a few Cuban Sir Winstons and I'll be just fine. less

I bought one at a local smoke shop and unfort...  more

I bought one at a local smoke shop and unfortunatly smoked it right out of the cellophane, even still this was a great smoke. Perfect burn, even after relight, good construction and complex, medium bodied flavor throughout. I will definitely buy a box of these. Only negitive, weak ash! dropped ash all over the place less