Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut
Binder: Dominican Monte Plata
Filler: Dominican (3), Zimbabwean
Size: 6 x 50 Toro
Strength: Medium
Price: $14.00
Released: 2023
Quantity Released: Limited
Factory: Kelner Boutique Factory in Dominican Republic
My cigars received one month of naked humidor time.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
I smoked two and decided to critique the blend this morning. I was unable to find the exact numbers released. I’m guessing that since this was a limited edition 2023 release, these cigars have two years of box aging. And hence, are ready to smoke.
It’s a very light cigar. I wish it had more heft in its britches. Hopefully, it plumps.
I admit I’m a fool for Ecuadorian Connies with Dom guts. The floral aromas are enticing and delicious. Gentle notes of smoky hibiscus, lavender, and rosewater. Not just generic automated baking spices but memos of cardamom and fennel seed with sweet overtones of honey.
My PerfecPunch makes the faultless blow hole. The resistance is dead nuts perfect. The cold draw is easy with annotations of milk chocolate, cloves, cinnamon, wintergreen, white pepper, and light earthiness.
The fun part. Lips meet cap. Flame hits foot. Immediate tones of honey-soaked baklava, fresh lemonade, and creamy oats. The Kelner touch.
I feel complexity and richness nipping at my ankles. The body is undemanding and entertaining. A smooth morning smoke on an empty palate. Except for the presumptuous cups of coffee to make things easier as I crawl from the wreckage.
It is now hot and humid in Wisconsin. The weather seeps into my wood humidors. I battle the lifelong quest of maintaining a good equilibrium of humidity. It can drive a sane man mad. Dry boxing is dicey. I’ve done it all. Nearly 60 years of playing tag with the water in the air and I still don’t have it right. Maybe next time.
The first inch is not a bunker buster. It is a sleight of hand as it beckons an invite to thematic substance in the coming inches. I prefer my women to be subtle, not brash and decisive in the morning. The Kelner touch is there but it is more than that with the influence of Principle and its flair to accentuate the baseline of KBF and find its own bifurcating path. They work well together.
The second inch begins with a stylish increase of depth. The complexity divides like an amoeba to allow serious engagement from the Dominican leaves. I’m not familiar with the Zimbabwe participation. It is used so rarely but my research discovers it brings a smooth and subtle earthiness to any blend. It is an adjunct to the vibrancy and richness of the Dominican leaves.
The second inch is all in. My palate perks up. The cigar plumps. Time slows. And so does my sipping from the cigar’s headtwine. Nondescript cigars make it easy to puff away without giving thought to engaging the ‘tar’ monster. The White Gold allows my brain to find another gear. I take puffs only every couple minutes so I can savor the finish which just goes on and on. I sip water. The lemonade factor brightens. The honey coated almonds is new. There is ginger and hibiscus. Creamy milk chocolate with light attention given to white pepper. This is my first White Gold on a clean palate. What a difference. The subtleties separate into very discerning characteristics that don’t moosh together like so many blends tend to do. Everything is distinct. I can taste it all.
An odd thing. We all value life. Others as well as our own. We hope that we don’t say goodbye while we have things to do. Here’s the gumby and pokey in the pudding…old people see the end and therefore feel an urgency about life. Most of us don’t acquire wisdom as much as we see a new clarity not available to us earlier. It is this soberness that gives us the desire to forge ahead without interruption…and not give up the proverbial ghost. It’s a strange thing that happens but belongs to every living sentient hominid…cigar smokers too.
I’m cruising. If you herf amongst peers with this blend, all will be set adrift. The blend is so understated that the slightest distraction will find delicate notes lost in the maelstrom. This is a special cigar. And how much? $12.60 after promo codes! I’m screaming laughter.
The first half is special. The blend is on an incline towards enlightenment. Tension mounts as I hope the second half finds a glorious sweet spot. Took an hour to get here.
Lemon crème, milk chocolate, honey and hibiscus, gingerbread, creamy wintergreen, cloves and cinnamon, black earth, and white pepper.
This is a 10th anniversary blend from Principle. This blend tastes beautifully aged. And yet there is no evidence to support that. It signifies that masterful blending is in play.
The fourth inch is dynamic in an Elysium sort of way. Layers of deliverance. The pony is at the bar and it suckles from the fantasy teat of mama’s milk. I hear a violin concerto in the foreground. A bass solo…way in the background. Do I like the White Gold? I think so.
Inch five. The blend delivers with all I’ve asked from it. A cigar smoker does a pretty please and hopes to be transported away from everyday matters that weigh us down. I’m now in fairyland west of Eden. I’ve barely noticed in the last two hours that I’m 75 and dwindling. I was once over six feet tall. Now, I gotta stand on tippy toes so my chin rests on the kitchen counter.
Inch six requires my PD tool to betroth the nub.
Know what would taste good with the White Gold? Another White Gold. Rinse and repeat.
You can purchase this gem of a cigar from sponsor Small Batch Cigar. Take 10% off with promo code KATMAN.
RATING: 96
Coming soon to an IMAX near you: The Katman/Stulac Blue. A very limited release! Watch for it.
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
I have been trying to be more scientific with my dry boxing. I have started to use a travel humidor with a 49% Boveda pack as my dry box. That at least eliminates variation due to changes in the house humidity. Still, I can’t always tell when a particular cigar is ready to smoke. Is the CigarMedics HumidiMeter or one of the other humidity meters worth trying? Or is there some other way to tell when a cigar is ready?
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Hi Jeff,
I’ve tried everything. My results are 70/30 in the affirmative that I get them right.
As you can see from the dust and cat hairs, in the photo below, just how much use I get from my HumidiMeter. It works OK but I don’t like piercing the toast with the big prongs. Inserting them into the foot, or near the foot, provides semi-accurate results…which only leaves sticking the prongs into the wrapper mid-cigar and making big holes. Maybe in a few years, Dr. Rod will invent the PerfecHumidiBoinker which will work like an ultrasound and doesn’t pierce the wrapper.
Phil
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