Wrapper: Ecuadorian HVA
Binder: Costa Rican Puriscal – from the factory’s farm
Blend: Dominican Caramelo, Peruvian Pinar from the same farm that supplies Bespoke with the Peruvian Pelo de Oro.
Size: 6.125 x 52
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $18.00

Today we take a look at the Bespoke Cigars Daughters of the Wind Calico.
Bespoke Cigar provided samples for this review.

BACKGROUND:
From the Bespoke Cigar web site:
“In the early 1900s Demy & Alick Casdagli purchased the Sheik Obeyd stables just outside Cairo and became celebrated breeders of Arabian race horses. The cigars of the Daughters of the Wind Line™ are handcrafted in Costa Rica at the exclusive boutique factory “IGM” in San Jose. These are truly unique cigars combining rare tobaccos from Peru, Dominican Republic and Ecuador along with tobaccos from IGM’s own plantation in the mountains of Costa Rica. These full bodied yet complex cigars deliver rich, sweet and spicy notes to the palate.

“Bespoke Cigars will be rebranded as Casdagli for the USA market.

“Due to a trademark dispute over the word ‘Bespoke’ between Alec Bradley Cigar Corp and Stirling International OÜ both company owners, Alan Rubin and Jeremy Casdagli, met at last month’s IPCPR in Las Vegas. The intent was to reach a mutual agreement preventing confusion in the market place and costly legal fees.

“It was agreed that Stirling International OÜ would change its brand name in the USA retaining its trademarked Bespoke Cigar name in Europe, the Middle East and South East Asia. It was also agreed that all existing Bespoke Cigars’ stock would stay on the shelves until the rebranding was completed prior to Christmas 2018.

“Starting from Christmas 2018 Bespoke Cigars’ products marketed in the USA market will carry the company owner’s family name Casdagli. The image of Colossus of Rhodes on the logo, names of the cigar lines and vitolas will remain unchanged.

“Our family has a rich history of trading luxury goods since the 1800s. In the search for a new brand name, I felt it was inherent to celebrate the family tradition by renaming Bespoke Cigars’ brand as Casdagli,” adds Jeremy Casdagli, Founder and Co-owner of Bespoke Cigars.”

APPEARANCE:
Handsome cigar. Mostly hidden seams. Almost no veinage. A perfect piramide cap. The wrapper is super oily with colors of old penny, rust, and milk chocolate.
Construction is perfect as is the norm for Bespoke’s rollers. The appropriate amount of give without any soft or hard spots.
The cigar band is simple but elegant. And a tightly wound closed foot.

SMELL THE GLOVE:
A wallop of decadent caramel pops out like hovering your face above a vat of hot sugar and melted butter. Lovely floral notes make for a nice counterpoint. Milk chocolate, malt, cedar, spicy cinnamon, baking spices, vanilla bean, nutmeg, rich café au lait. Wow.
The cold draw slaps me like I’m Curly Joe. Super dose of delicious cinnamon, malt, chocolate, cedar, butter, creamy, and caramel on the cold draw.

FIRST THIRD:
The draw is perfect with just the right amount of resistance. I put away my PerfecDraw cigar poker tool.

The Calico does what every Bespoke blend does, it begins with a huge bang to the senses…caramel, red pepper, cinnamon, malt, espresso, chocolate, and creamy.
The strength finds medium+ immediately.
There is zero lag time between the first few puffs and a phalanx of complex notes playing the Solfeggio syllables brings it on home.

The Bespoke Cigars Calico flavor profile is fat! Big and round and balanced. Transitions are moving like a wide receiver and the finish is building with every puff.

I rave and rant about expensive cigars ad nauseum. You’re sick of it. But I can’t think of another brand that jumps into that slipstream of double-digit pricing and gives you everything you could want. Damn the torpedoes and damn the price. This is a phenomenal cigar at only 1” burned.

You’ve got no idea how decadent this blend is proving to be. I’m plotzing. I’m kvelling.

In yesterday’s review, I took on the reviewers who think I’m being sacrilegious when I award a cigar blend a rating of 100. I don’t know what it is that happens in my brain when I smoke any Bespoke blend but I’m off to the moon, Alice. Casdagli is a friggin’ mad genius.

And in yesterday’s review, the cigar got a rating of 75. The cigar was only $6 cheaper than the Calico. It amazes me what the right people can do with their imagination and what others do without one…and charge you $12 for the privilege.

I get emails from readers who have bought and smoked Bespoke blends and rave and rave. But I also get emails from readers who only wait two weeks before lighting up and tell me I’m full of it. Look, Bespoke blends only need, on average, less than two months before they are kicking their way out of their stalls. You must be patient. Of course, allowing several years of aging is optimum.

We hit medium/full.

Bespoke’s description of the blend’s flavor points is spot on. Caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, & baking spices plus chocolate, creaminess, espresso, cedar, malt, nutmeg, red pepper.

There is no constrictive linear direction to the blend. It meanders under the auspices of super complexity. The balance is to die for. The transitions are Bozo crazy. The finish is just wonderful…I’m smacking my lips as if a plate of baby back ribs and lobster tails are sitting in front of me.

The spiciness is intriguing. It keeps changing. It is red pepper…then black pepper…then strictly red-hot cinnamon. I love it.

SECOND THIRD:
This is the real deal. So, don’t be surprised if I rebut the folks who think I rate too many cigars with a perfect 100. (In 10 years, I’ve rated only 10 cigars with a perfect 100).

And that means it’s perfect for my palate. There are no criticisms. No construction issues whatsoever. And I can think of no way to make improvements.
New flavors: cardamom, ginger, black currants, brown sugar, and sweet raw cashews.
The Calico is a potent cigar on all fronts…yet smooth as ice on my palate.

Something you may not know about Bespoke and Jeremy Casdagli. He makes special blends for some of the most important and influential cigar smokers in the world…Kings of countries and Saudi princes.
And the good news is that he has that 25th hour in the day to produce a big catalog for American smokers.

The balance between savory and sweet is on the money.

I can’t understate the level of complexity. The Dominican Caramelo leaf is such a treat. The blend drips with an impressive caramel decisiveness. Yet, it is not cloying nor does it taste like it is an artificial flavor. The blend is totally unique.

Nicotine creeps in at the halfway point. Not bad but there it is…I wrap aluminum foil around my head to ward off any hallucinatory effects.

And we now have full tilt strength. Keep your seat belts on and put your tray tables back into the upright position.
In cases like this, Charlotte always puts jumper cables on my nipples in case I begin to creep into a coma. Always brings me back.

Savor this blend. Make love to this blend. Adopt this blend. Call it Mommy.

It is currently 7 ° outside. It has been this cold for a week now; which presents cigar smoking problems for an apartment dweller. I sit in my mini man cave and must open the windows halfway. The problem occurs as the cold air hits my warm and humidified cigars. I can hear the snap, crackle and pop of the wrappers from 2 feet away. Amazingly, the Calico is behaving nicely and not enduring Abu Graib torture from the offending frigid air…must be the lead shielding of the cigar’s wrapper.

Not a single burn issue. With the Arctic air swirling around me, the cigar is completely intact. That’s impressive.

The caramel is anything but a one trick pony. The flavor is in constant flux as it morphs from subtle to potent with each subsequent puff. Just amazing. I can’t believe no one has thought of using this leaf or something similar. In my limited knowledge of all known tobaccos, there might be some blend out there somewhere using a similar approach but I’ve never heard of it. This leaf alone is worth the price of the cigar experience. With all the flavors from Drew Estate and CAO, I am surprised that neither has tried to design a caramel influenced blend.

LAST THIRD:
A warning to newbies…smoke this cigar only where you have a clean entrance to your local E.R. This is a very sophisticated blend. And a very strong blend. The Daughters of the Wind series was developed for experienced smokers. But then all newbies must at some point put their big pants on and jump in palate first. Might as well start with a perfect blend.

A cinnamon graham cracker and milk component shows up. More lip smacking.

This blend is absolutely perfect for my palate. Perfect. I realize I’m being redundant but a great cigar makes me crazy. I’ve not been let down once by a Bespoke blend. And I’ve reviewed 11, now 12, sticks since March of 2016…long before they became a sponsor. I’m very proud that Bespoke has that level of trust in me. And Jeremy Casdagli always demands of me to tell the truth; warts and all. He wants the truth as much as you do. Glad to oblige. I just can’t find any warts.

This cigar is now my favorite Bespoke blend.
Rich and hedonistic. My best description so far.

(Note: Small Batch Cigar sold out immediately during Thanksgiving weekend but have said the sticks will be back in stock this week sometime. Keep an eye out but move fast. Cigars City also sells Bespoke blends but does not carry the Calico. But they have provided a promo code for my readers that gets them a free traveler: Katman. You can also purchase Bespoke cigars at Cedar Room Fine Cigars & Lounge. And The Clayton in Chicago carries the Bespoke line as well).

RATING: 100

Jeremy Casdagli:

Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS

Tags: Bespoke Cigars Daughter of the Wind Calico | Cigar Reviews by the Katman, cigar review, cigar reviews by the katman, cigars