Wrapper: Brazilian Cubra
Binder: Nicaraguan (Condega), Dominican H192 (Double Binder)
Filler: Dominican Havana Vuelta Seco, Dominican Havana Vuelta Abajo Viso, Peruvian Pelo D’Oro Viso, Nicaraguan Jalapa Viso
Size: 6 x 52 Toro
Body: Medium/Full
Price: $18.60
My cigars received 3 months of naked humidor time.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
Heating my PerfecDraw to 160C° prior to insertion will melt the tobacco into a cannabis-like state with a thc level of 32%. DEA Rule #9-R/420 strictly prohibits this so I just roll a joint from the 5-finger lid I have at hand. The Casdagli was rolled perfectly so this whole michegos has been moot…and hence, another shameless plug has landed successfully.
First, the price for this cigar has not changed since inception in 2016.
I reviewed the Basilica C#1 eight years ago. I felt 2024 was time to revisit this blend.
A million ways to enjoy a cigar starts with shoveling schnoz to wrapper and breathing deep. There is a mallard’s worth of dark caramel, darker honey, darkest blackberries, most darkest chocolate, and wild flapping of the spice cabinet’s wings. Adjectives are easy. Content is hard.
I taste unadvertised flavors of milk chocolate, sweet malt, and condensed milk.
I like the shaggy foot. I dated a girl with those. She had webbed toes. Freaked me out. I did the right thing…I ran.
Half an inch in and flavors widen and fatten: Feisty cinnamon that gives tongue tingle, a roasted cashew that is earthy and daintily sweet, toastiness that is reminiscent of hot buttered matzoh, first sip of boutique coffee with real cream, very tart lemon rind dusted in salty ferret droppings, and authentic vanilla saltwater taffy. Super nice.
It was expected that we allowed a few fans into the dressing room after the performance. A shit show I never looked forward to. Young men would stand there and say stupid crap. You have a sexy woman fronting the band and 90% of your fan base is pediatric boys. But most of the time, they expected us trained monkeys to engage them with our brilliant repartee. One instance I remember was when I chose to ignore the stares…to say nada…nothing. I sat verklempt and sweating in a large overstuffed chair while I was encircled by heavily breathing fans. They stared at me. I stared back. This went on for a very painful couple of minutes. I was, of course, the one to break the silence. Or the time one guy took me aside as I was escorting him out of the dressing room…he told me he had a song for me that he wrote for this special occasion. Slowly, he called out the chords: “E, A, and B.” He winked and said I could keep them. And then he smiled, showing off those scary pumpkin teeth the British are famous for. I thanked him and he left feeling good about himself. I returned to the hub bub and had a roadie punch me in the face and then torch me up a huge pipe of hashish.
So hard to find a big cigar that surpasses the expected one-dimensional flavor apparatus. Normally, it requires a Corona or Corona Gorda to snag the intense flavors the blender envisions. This log reaches maximum warp within the first inch. That’s what I’m talking about. And I got 5” to go (Filthy joke insertion here).
Jeremy has said that his blends need only 3-4 months of humi time to grab on to blender’s intent. He is correcto-mundo. I stupidly smoked a few prior to this review. Don’t be Mikey. Let ‘em sleep a few months. Worth the wait.
I’m binging on the Basilica C#1 and the box pressed DOTW Pony Express. Different blends that just pedal insouciance as to whether your palate is trained or not.
Look at the leaf stats. A beautiful Brazilian wrapper. A double binder made of fancy Nic and Dom leaves. And the killer filler of Nic, Dom, and Peruvian shrubs. Perfect. While the Pony Express is Ecuadorian, Nic, Dom, and Peruvian. Yikes.
Few blenders are reliable sources. What do we junkies look for? Consistency. I want to pick up a brand from my humi and absolutely know I’m going to have a good time. So, if it looks like I’m shilling…damn straight. I know what I like.
I’d smuggle an ounce of hashish underneath the pick guard of my Fender Precision. But I personally never carried the bass across the border of Holland or France. It was in the semi-truck with all the gear. End of one crossing, I mistakenly let the roadies know my evil deed. The firestorm simulated Dresden. I promised not to do it again. Ha.
Skip, my dear friend of 60 years, was my Rick Rubin. A good, but not great, guitarist. But he had magical ears. He would have been a brilliant producer. I tried to get him to come work with me at my studio, but he had his molecular genius gig, and a wife. She breathed fear into him. Before her, he was the king of going for it. I didn’t beg hard enough. He let his health take him out to escape her. Damn.
Strength begins at medium. At the halfway point, it moves on up. I feel it like a Fleet done right. Not a lick of nicotine. The power looms like David Carradine telling himself he won’t screw up.
The dark chocolate is masterful. Coffee with amaretto is smileable. The lemon tartness tastes candied. Cinnamon and caramel are Mutt & Jeff. A toasty spiciness akin to rye dipped in chili crisp. Mean Mr. Mustard, A tiny hint of honey smeared over a Nilla Wafer slants the profile towards a sweeter savoriness. The balance wobbles. Back and forth, to and fro, Moose and Squirrel.
Sometimes it’s fun to dissect. Most of the time, it’s good to be freed up and just enjoy.
I’m smearing the nub all over me. My PD tool comes out and I declare it’s never enough. The second half was just gold. Complex, transitional, rich beyond your wildest dreams, nuanced, bold, and damn flavorful. So I quit the police department.
My palate has improved exponentially over the last 8 years since I first reviewed this blend. I was just a kid of 67. What did I know. Apparently, not much. The last two hours were splendid. Better than dating Brigitte Bardot.
You can purchase the Basilica C#1 Toro from sponsor Small Batch Cigar (10% off with promo code ‘katman). Don’t forget the DOTW Pony Express. Let ‘em sleep boys, let ‘em sleep.
RATING: 100
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
