Wrapper: Ecuadorian Habano
Binder: Mexican San Andrés
Filler: Nicaraguan Hybrid Criollo Ligero (Aged 5 Years), Nicaraguan Corojo ’98, Nicaraguan Criollo’ 99, & Wisconsin Comstock
Size: 6 x 48 Toro
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: Originally $15.90 in 2019. You can’t buy them in 2023.
Honestly speaking, the background information about this cigar is sketchy and conflicting.
The cigar has had two years 6 months of humidor time. Should be ready.
If I am interpreting the bare info correctly, the cigar was originally blended in 2015…therefore the tobacco aging process comes in at over 8 years.
This blend was made solely for Steve Saka’s enjoyment and not intended for release. But the big man changed his mind and released a small amount of these cigars.
Released December 2019.
90 Boxes of 10 were released. I also found data that says 150 boxes of 10 were released.
Saka has said that this cigar blend was made for smokers that retrohale.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
This cigar was a most generous gift from a friend. He prefers to remain anonymous as he is still on the run from John Law.
The aroma is mainly dung. Oh man, it smells like a filled diaper. This can’t be right.
The draw is OK. My PerfecDraw draw adjustment tool lays there silently. I allow it to sleep.
The start is yummy. Aged tobacco slinging away in the jungles of Nam. It may smell like poop but it tastes pretty damn good so early in this escapade.
Black pepper reigns the moment. I’m surprised. This much aging and the spiciness is upfront with its gig line intact.
Next up is a smooth maltiness. Creaminess follows. Raisins emerge with machete in hand. An unidentified sweetness materializes. Seems to be a combo of dried fruit and candied ferret.
Strength is a potent medium/full. Wasting no time to let me know who’s boss. (What?).
I can no longer retrohale. My sinuses are shot from engaging in that process for decades, so I’m probably missing out on half the flavor points.
The depth is OK. Not a stunner at ¾” burned which only took 7 minutes.
I stop writing to look for reviews. I found two written reviews and one video review. Nobody went crazy over the cigar with ratings of 88-91. Plus, each reviewer picked up different flavor profiles.
With 1” burned, the blend is enabled. Notes of dark chocolate, cinnamon, espresso, caramel, marzipan, malt, smoked hickory, creaminess, dried tart apricots, and sourdough bread.
Some complexity wheedles its way into the mix. But there isn’t a sign of any needed richness yet.
Some blends soar with years of aging. Some shrivel and die. I’m not sure where this cigar is leading me.
The blend improves. But there is a hole in this doughnut as the rich depth is missing.
The burn is a bit wonky. But the construction feels right to the touch.
Have any of you been inundated with the wildfire smoke in Canada? We have had several days of it and Claritin D doesn’t fix the sore throat, weepy eyes, and sinus issues. Unfortunately, the fire missed all the cannabis farms. I would see that as a great benefit if the state of Wisconsin got baked en masse for a few days. Thousands of freeway drivers would be pulled over for going 32mph.
The burn continues to be a wandering Jew lost in the desert for 40 years. We lived in devilishly hot Phoenix in the 90’s…I can’t imagine four times that.
2” into the cigar and I’m not feeling it. It’s not a bad cigar…I just expected more of an exciting ride. I wanted a flume ride not a carousel going in circles endlessly.
I truly thought I’d have more info to disperse with this extremely aged blend. I seem to be in the same space and time as reviewers a few years ago. But I hold out hope that the second half shows me some cajones. I don’t want to see them, I want to feel them…er…that’s not right.
I’ve got Amazon Music playing and everything I choose stops playing after each song. I wonder if this is a sign from the gods? I change up to Pandora and The Allman Brothers.
The burn self corrects.
And immediately returns to wonky.
Man, I’ve been looking forward to this review. What a letdown.
Naturally…the richness appears out of nowhere. It fills the gap.
Still medium/full but on the cusp of combustion.
The halfway point arrives. If this cigar doesn’t jump into action, I am going to strip down to my thong and knock on my Palestinian neighbor’s door. The reaction will be Allahu Akbars heard two blocks away. They like me.
I don’t think that retrohaling reveals the golden ticket.
This is an average decent cigar. Too much fuss was made over it. The lack of reviews speaks for itself.
Complexity is minimal. The flavor points are buried in Canadian smoke.
The second half does not conjure up a sweet spot.
Damn.
Sips of water merely bring out the spiciness of the black pepper.
If I wasn’t writing a review, I’d have water boarded this cigar by now.
Ever find a used butt plug in a Walgreens’ parking lot? Me neither.
When I was a young man, I became roommates with a friend who had a nice house in Anaheim. I was cleaning out the room as the previous roommates…a young unmarried couple…I found a half empty tube of anal lube. I picked it up not knowing what it was from afar. It was oily. I screamed like a little girl and set my hand afire.
Gov’t Mule. Carrying on the tradition of the Allmans. Love this band.
That is correct. I am killing time.
2-1/2” to go. Yawn.
The blend is appealing on a minimal level. The aged tobacco is doing the heavy lifting. Flavor points are missing in action. In the background, when I close my eyes, I taste espresso, dark chocolate, raisins, creaminess, and cobalt. The candied ferret is gone.
The stick is struggling to impress but doesn’t have the horsepower to get there.
Strength hits full tilt. It always signals this morph with my vision becoming blurred.
So far, it has seen 51 minutes elapse. Time I’ll never get back.
Our 20-year-old crock pot died. I bought a new one. A bigger one. I can now slow cook a decent sized ferret. Tastes great on a pile of deep-fried hay.
Transitions are missing in action. The finish is a fiery spiciness from black pepper. Smoothness is also missing. It is a rough cob.
I believe the blend has hit its expiration date. What a shame.
With 2” to go and a little over an hour of smoke time, I bury it at sea.
I’m bummed.
Don’t forget to check out The Katman Sampler from Small Batch Cigar. Great choice of sticks. And they are going fast.
RATING: 84
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
