Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Sumatran
Filler: Nicaraguan
Size: 6 x 54 “Torpedo”
Body: Full
Price: $12.00-$13.00

It’s no secret that I am a huge Paul Stulac fan. I think his boutique line of cigars is the best thing that’s come down the Pike since sliced bread. And he has proven that by lasting. While other boutique cigar brands come and go within a year, PS continues to rise, find more retailers, more online outlets and even expand his brand.

In talking to Paul, he makes it clear that quality is what drives him; not quantity. His organization is small. He has reps. He has assistants. And he drives the bus. He reminds me of me when I was in commercial construction. I didn’t trust many people to do their job and found it hard to delegate so I did a lot of detail oriented things myself. To make sure they were done right. Paul is a detail guy.

The White Blinding Light debuted at the 2012 IPCPR convention. As with all of Paul’s cigars, there was a lot of buzz and hubbub surrounding it.

The cigars are available in four sizes:
Robusto 5×54
Torpedo 6×54
Toro 6×56
Lancero 6×38

Granted, the cigars aren’t cheap for us worker bees, but they are worth every dime and then some. I’ve tasted plenty of $15.00-$25.00 cigars that couldn’t hold a candle to this brand. And now Paul is bringing the prices down to make them more accessible. In fact, his newest blend: Lord of Albany, is one of my all-time favorite P/S cigars and it is not expensive. It is just beginning to show on the online stores. I imagine after this weekend’s IPCPR Trade Show, they will bloom everywhere.

The WBL is the strongest of the entire line of P/S Cigars. Damn the torpedoes. Only thing in my stomach is an Atkins Shake.
Construction is excellent. It is as solid as a rock with the proper give to it. Seams are tight and there are some barely noticeable veins. And there are some big honkers. The cap is absolutely flawless and I always forget to ask how many caps are on his cigars. It appears to have one but I could be wrong.

The Ecuadorian Habano wrapper is a dark coco bean color. I don’t see a reddish hue that you see so often in an Ecuadorian wrapper but the Habano part of the blend is probably the reason.

I clip away the cap and get doses of spice, baking spices, some cedar, and a wonderful dark baker’s cocoa that is very strong.

Time to light up.

Smoke fills the room instantly. The draw is perfect. The char line is dead nuts.

And a big blast of red pepper hits me. This stick starts out with a fireworks display. Right away, my sinuses clear up and my nose begins to run. Yeah baby, bring it on. The cocoa is dramatically explosive. Like me.

Almost immediately, I get some creaminess. Since I love the chocolate phosphate experience, I grab a Diet Coke and use that, instead of water. I grew up on egg creams in a Jewish household and this is about as close I’ve come to reliving that as an adult. It’s basically a version of a chocolate soda.

The cedar and earthiness become very apparent. The cigar digs its heels in and is already well balanced and containing a long finish. And I’ve barely smoked half an inch.

There is campground smokiness to it…outdoor meaty flavor that lingers in the background. I can also taste charred oak.
A natural tobacco sweetness joins up. Perfecting the other flavors. Not that smokiness is met with such sweetness that it is almost BBQ, in a twisted sort of way.

Like all Stulac blends, the cigar hits you with its mighty potential during the first third…and then gets down to business in the last two thirds. I am getting all sorts of little flavors that dart in and out. A bit of clove…a tad amount of buttery, flaky pie crust.

Technically, the cigar becomes a flavor bomb on the first few puffs. Remarkable.

I test the ash, which is black and gray in color, and it seems tough as nails and I might have to punch it off.

I take a swig of Diet Coke and the flavors ebb and flow. The cocoa and creaminess are just beyond my capability of describing this experience…and this is an experience. One thing Paul has done is to make sure each cigar is a smoker’s experience. I prefer to smoke his cigars in private, without distraction. I don’t want to miss a single, savory morsel of flavor.

The first third ends with a Cirque de Soleil finish.

The second third sees the cedar forcing the smokiness into the background. The two components have morphed and it’s smoky cedar. The body remains at high alert above medium.

The second third gets more interesting. The cigar becomes audacious and bold now. The flavors are just explosive. And the cigar screams “Dive, Dive, Dive.” The complexity digs deep. The flavor profile swallows me up so that there is nothing else existing, but me and the cigar.

Each time I smoke a WBL, I am reminded how mundane most of the other cigars in my humidor are. My only minimal issue is that the char line is wavy. It never needs correction but the others had razor sharp lines.

The spice remains titillating. It is being fought by the other flavors for its stronghold. The creaminess is like taking a can of Ready Whip and letting loose the wonders it contains as it fills your mouth. Except for the fact that this is chocolate Ready Whip.

The second third is about nuance and finesse. And boldness, all at the same time. Flavors jump out at me, like the cocoa and creaminess; while other flavors hang back…l some anise and cinnamon move their way to the front. There is a subtle, fruity sweetness, which reminds me of a ripe peach. My lips smack as the syrupy goodness covers them.
I remember growing up in So Cal and my parents would treat me with a very ripe peach on a hot summer day. I wound up wearing the peach as its innards slowly moved down my arm. We would go to the orchards all around the yet developed Orange County that was full of dairy farms, citrus farms and stone fruit farms.

In fact, in 1967, they opened up the new continuation of the 405 Freeway to get you to the inner sanctum of Orange County. I took my mother’s 1960 V-8 Bonneville to visit my best friend in Fullerton. There was no one else on the freeway. So I gunned the big engine and cruised at 120mph for a good 10 minutes. No cops. No other cars. Now the freeways of So Cal are parking lots. I miss living 15 minutes from the ocean but I don’t miss what the area has become: Overcrowded. And all my precious spots for isolation and reflection have condos on them.

The halfway point is upon me and the cigar is cruising. Such expressive flavors. Paul is a genius.

I am near the point that I must remove the large, gorgeous band. It seems a shame. Stulac Cigars has one of the most distinctive and beautiful bands in the industry.

The last third is all about benevolence. The cigar’s flavors are still bold. But now entangled within themselves, forging a flavor of one-ness. Yeah…I’m an old Hippie. Hare, hare…

What I mean by that is that the spiciness has ratcheted up a bit…The prominent flavors of cocoa, creaminess and sweetness move forward to the head of the line. This cigar is so well balanced that it makes me want to laugh out loud from joy. I have written hundreds and hundreds of cigar reviews and I love it when a cigar excites me.

While most of my reviews are exuberant, a lot of them never get published. I try not to publish really negative reviews; in particular with the boutique blends out of respect to the people who worked so hard to develop their blood, sweat, and tears. 75% of boutique cigars I’ve reviewed are no longer. The average life span is a year. But there is that 25% of boutiques that keep on chooglin’. And it’s a pleasure, and an honor, to be a cog in the wheel that helps get them noticed.
The body has hit full stride. Yet, no eyeball fuzziness yet.

I stare out of the dining room window and see the 75 year old tree, full of bright green leaves, swaying in the breeze. The sun is shining and it is going to be another 100 degree day. The last time I reviewed the robusto version (https://kohnhed.com/2012/10/31/cigar-review-paul-stulac-white-blinding-light/), it was winter and 22 degrees outside. I froze my tuchas off.

While this cigar is most definitely in the full position, it is never harsh or bitter. It is smooth like my tushy.
The last third begins and I cry out in anguish that the cigar shall soon be terminé.

Like most Paul Stulac cigars, it ruins me for the cigars I plan to smoke throughout the rest of the day. I know this is not an inexpensive cigar but it is a cigar that the smoker can see where the money goes. It is one of those few gems that, while it costs $12, it is a treat for all the senses. I’m hoping that eventually, Paul will get a big distribution deal which means the prices will come down and they will be more widely available.

I looked up the word: Delicious. tasty – palatable – luscious – savory, and highly pleasant to the taste. That could have been my entire review.

The last couple of inches swell with flavor and boldness. Considering how wonderfully the cigar started, it is marvelous that the cigar continues to build in character, right down to the very end.

In summary, if you like your flavors bold and intense…while moving to deep complexity, this is your cigar. I hope all of you get to experience this stick at some point. You deserve it.

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS