Paul 87 – Dark, maduro color, mottled wrapper, minimal veins, oily, slight barnyard aroma on the wrapper, no soft spots, firm draw. First 1/3: Leather, earth, acid, medium amount of thin smoke, malt, burn slightly scalloped, light gray ash, firm draw, earth fades, oak, medium strength and body, long finish, mouth coating smoke, mild retrohale, flaky ash. Second 1/3: Leather and wood, draw opens up, medium strength and body and a very long finish, more smoke production, very flaky ash. Last 1/3: Oak, acid gone, smooth to the end.
Rob 87 – This is a maduro Rothschild cigar. It has a very firm pack with a slight oily sheen. There are tight mostly invisible seams, with a tick tighter than a perfect draw. It has a good smoke output. A roasted leather flavor to start with a tiny char on the long finish. It is very tasty! As the cigar heats up, the smoke significantly smooths out with a slight black pepper zing on the tongue. At 1/3 in the smoke volume slightly reduces along with the pepper. It is still creamy, but the roasted leather has disappeared. The flavor is mostly gone, and the body of the cigar has softened and is smoking quite warm (could be due to its smaller size)? At half way, the cigar has returned: It is soft and smooth, with a bit of summer fruit. The burn was wobbly, but is now sharp. The last third has returned to its earlier status; lost its zing and has gotten muddy. Not much left to offer.
Jim 87 – Odd looking little cigar. There are some extremely visible blemishes on the wrapper as well as distinct decolorization in certain areas. Not a pretty cigar. Initial draws pull in some smooth and creamy smoke with hints of cocoa in the finish. As it heats up, I am getting a little peppery spice on the finish. Cocoa and leather in flavors that are developing. Burn is wavy and going uneven with a firm ash. As I get midway, a bakers spice is moving forward and becoming more predominate. I’m finding that if you take time and not let the cigar get too hot, the flavors are more balanced. For an ugly looking cigar, the flavors are pretty good.
Artie 82 – This robusto has the distinctive look of a Cameroon wrapper. It’s rough and toothy, with a slightly greenish tint to its dark tan color. The cold nose is what I can only describe as sour barnyard. It’s not an appealing smell. But I’ll cut it and see what happens…The cold draw has little or no flavor. I know this stick is well humidified, so it’s not an issue of dry tobacco. I’ve never experienced this before. Upon lighting, I get a initial blast of green hay. An inch in, notes of pine and wet leaves are sitting on my tongue. There is no richness, umami, or creaminess at all. If I could take points away as a negative Wow factor, I would. Although I am not liking this cigar, it’s not off-putting and am willing to go the distance. At the nub I will say that this cigar was well-constructed with no burn issues. The flavor was flat and unexciting, but I didn’t “Artie” it (put it down), so I guess it wasn’t horrible. The grassiness does give way to a black pepper vibe, but the vegetal quality lingers to the end.
Will 89 – 4.5 x 50 Rothchild, ugly double cap on a dark tan wrapper with tight seams, I’m pretty sure I smoked this stick at a cigar event several weeks back, it was good then but a bit under-humidified. Hopefully 2 weeks in my humi will make a difference. The cold nose is red pepper which illicit 2 sneezes and the cold draw is coco beans and pepper. Deja vu, this is the same blend. Its oily wrapper is a bit more supple after a few weeks of aging. Upon ignition I am getting a subtle earthiness and salty leather with a nutty finish. Pretty complex stick for a petite robusto. About 10 minutes in I’m getting all those flavors plus a roasted venison quality with a sweet almond paste finish. I really enjoyed this cigar, would love to smoke a larger vitola. Medium body and mild strength.
