Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano
Binder: Nicaraguan
Filler: Nicaraguan (Aged 2 Years)
Size: 5 x 46 Corona Gorda
Strength: Medium/Full
Price: $3.00
My cigars received 3 months of naked humidor time.
THE WHOLE MEGILLAH:
This is how it happened. I was zooming with Alex Gougher, and he had a thought that came from his toes to his brain. “Ooh, ooh. Have you tried Dime Bank?” I shook my head no. He told me that everyone at CP is smoking these little devil dogs because they are surprisingly good. Naturally, I laughed because this is a retailer telling me his exclusive cigars are great.
He sent me a tenner. I lit one up on receipt. Damn, his not lying eyes. He was right.
The cigar begins a little light in the loafers but once lit, it plumps like a Dodger Dog. The first puffs are a bit spicy, but not in a good way. But it disappeared almost immediately. And then the blend blossomed into the realm of very pleasant.
The initial inch is woody, lightly spicy, notes of espresso, a touch of sweetness, and creaminess. Not a hint of roughness which one expects from cheap.
CP has a bunch of inexpensive cigars on their roster that use cigar bands that are 100 years old. The Dime Bank band looks brand new. A nice gimmick.
Inch 2 morphs into all Dominican and not Nicaraguan. The flavors are so smooth that this would have been my guess if I didn’t know the leaf stats. Construction settles in. The char line is crisp. And the slow roll begins.
I’m going to give you the Cliff’s Notes on this blend because I don’t want to use 1200 words describing a $3 stick.
The first half is marvelous. Not a single criticism. The blend offers a bit of complexity and definite transitional qualities. I even get a slightly sweet banana flavor as the second half begins.
Strength in the first half did a balancing act between medium and medium/full. So, this little dagger has some punch…minus nicotine. It took 30 minutes to get here.
I’m deep into the second half and the flavor profile opens up with notes of milk chocolate, dried pears, honey, lots of earth, cinnamon, mild black pepper, vanilla, and nougat. This tastes Dominican with hints of Brazil and Ecuador.
Honestly, I could smoke these fuckers all day long. The things that inexpensive cigars have in common are harshness, untamed landscapes, desperado longings, and rough around the edges. The Dime Bank has none of that. It’s a smooth operator.
Right down to the nub, this 60-minute cigar has zero harshness especially at the end. I surgically remove the stick from my mouth with one inch left. At $3, who cares, right?
If you buy a ten pack, they are $3 each. If you buy a bundle of 20, they are $2.45 each.
You can get them from sponsor Cigar Page.
RATING: 90
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Categories: CIGAR REVIEWS
Now THAT’S what a yard-gar should be! I’ve been searching for some as of late because I realized that with the JR codes and tax-season dumps from other retailers, I’m stocked up on $10-$20 cigars and don’t have many that I’d have regrets smoking half of. I’m gonna snag some! Thanks, Phil!
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Exactly what this stick is, a great yard gar.
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