Final Blend Churchill

Score: 9.1

By Bob “The Reverend Hurricane” Meyn

Look y’all, the Rev has had a joyous, event-filled couple of weeks. New Orleans celebrated the Saints winning the NFL Championship, which flowed straight into the final week of Mardi Gras where all us “Who Dats” whooped it up with more gusto than usual straight through until Wednesday morning when we all got in line for ashes. Of course, my celebrations included fine cigars including one of my new favorites, Final Blend cigars.

I enjoyed the beautifully constructed Final Blend Churchill, its oily wrapper possessing a dark patina with streaks of copper just like the ancient pipes running through the French Quarter. The stick was generously rolled and had nice weight to it. On cold draw, I tasted a mix of earthiness and peat with just a hint of dark tea and raisin.

The cigar happily welcomed my trusty Vector Thundra cigar lighter and started right out of the gate with a significant amount of spice. Generous clouds of white smoke emitted effortlessly from the stick, and the ash was predominantly white with hints of light grey. Additionally, no touchups were ever required to keep the burn even.

By the middle third of the smoke I noticed a diminishing of the spice with an emergence of dark tea and raisin (remember the cold draw?) with just a slight hint of sweetness I found similar to a good Gin.

The balance of the cigar reminded me of a stereo system with the treble turned up and the bass turned down. To be fair, I’m sure with a little hibernation time in my “Katrinador” (an Igloo Marine 94-Quart cooler), the balance will improve. My preference is to have a little more richness in the undertones, but the overall flavor range lent itself to paring with a sweeter beverage such as a Port or one of my stand-bys, a Sazerac.

The final third of the cigar saw a return of the spice elements with no harshness, even as I smoked it down to the nub.

To my palate Final Blend is a medium-bodied blend; to a less experienced smoker, perhaps more medium-full. If you have occasion to celebrate like The Rev did these past few weeks, I wholeheartedly recommend the Final Blend be a part of your party plans, or even some good relaxation time.

Scores
Appearance: 9
Construction: 10
Burn: 10
Draw 10
Flavor 8
Aroma 9
Balance: 8
Total Score: 9.1

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