Mike 86 – Monster of a smoke. Started with a tough draw at light up but improved within the first 20 minutes. A solid stick that pretty much had the same taste to the band. The big ring gauge was possibly the reason why it was hard to keep lit and also the reason why it and started to turn a bit at the band ( I had to smoke faster to keep lit). This cigar lasted over two hours.
Will 85 – Big fatty-well made firm cigar, good looking wrapper. Dry nose was white pepper and a bit of hay. Dry draw was a bit tight, lots of4 tobacco in a 6×60. Upon light nice tangy flavor of dark roast coffee with a little sweetness, tastes like Sumatran wrapper. Very little flavor progression but it remained pleasant and satisfying. I smoked it for about 90 minutes while I hand watered my back 40. Well made, decent flavor but no WOW.
Rob 89 – Very nice pre-light aroma; some baking spice and very mild earth. Used a punch to open the stick, and was shocked to see a 1/8 inch thick cap. Very unusual. Wrapper was a beautiful Colorado, and was very oily and a bit toothy. Very tight seams with almost no veins. For my taste, the ring size was a bit too large (again just my personal preference). Burn is razor sharp. Medium Body. Earthy, leathery flavor, with gobs of smoke from the foot of the cigar. Had to give a Wow Factor for the extremely thick cap. Could have sustained a nuclear blast and held up.
Paul 79 – Caramel colored wrapper, minimal veins, well done cap, rich tobacco aroma with dark fruit, very firm feel, very firm draw. First 1/3: difficult draw, little smoke, mild tobacco taste, a little leather, very solid ash, wrapper started to crack at burn line, pepper spice on retrohale, mild/medium strength. Second 1/3: Ash fell off at 1 1/2″, several cracks in the wrapper developed, overfilled?, little complexity, no flavor changes, burn uneven. Last 1/3: Flavor picks up slightly with some pepper and leather on the retrohale, draw never loosened. A boring cigar. It might be better in a smaller ring.
Artie 86 – This cigar is HUGE! It’s gotta be 60+ ring size. No strong prelit aroma. The filler is nicely bunched and it has a fairly tight draw. The wrapper looks shade grown and is smooth to the touch. Upon lighting, the first inch is smooth and creamy, with a mild flavor. It has a Conn. shade flavor profile and is what’s commonly referred to as Cubanesque. Unfortunately, the cigar is so big, it’s hard to get my mouth around it. But I detect pleasant flavors of cashews and cappuccino. There’s a subtle complexity that is nice. Mid way the spice picks up a bit as the creaminess drops off. It also starts to pick up an earthy quality. Towards the nub, the flavors intensity, but not in a particularly pleasing manner. I find myself losing interest in the cigar. Perhaps if this had been a smaller vitola, the flavors would have stood out more. Plus, I was working too hard to fully enjoy this stick. It’s just too darn big.
Jim 90 – I’m a fan of larger ring cigars so I’m excited to try something new. Well constructed and firm to the squeeze. First initial draws are smooth and non-distinct . About a 1/4 inch in I start picking up a slight peppery spice finish but yet there a smooth and creamy draw on the intake. It is starting to burn uneven which I find is common to the bigger ring cigars. About and inch or so in the ash fell off on its own. Taste wise I’m getting nuts and raisins. I’m also getting a slight leather smell and taste. The slight peppery finish is just enough to add to the taste but not overpowering the cigar. I am also noticing after the ash drop the burn has evened-out on its own (although very wavy). One thing I’ve learned about big ring cigars is not to power through them and let get them too hot. I made a point of setting it down and letting it cool off more as I get halfway through the stick. Flavor started to change but when I let it cool a bit it came back. The ash fell off a second time but once again, the burn evened up on it’s own. Down to the main band now, 1-1/2 hour into this smoke, Had to even out a little due to the wrapper lifting slightly. Starting to go a little sour at this point so I stopped. All in all a very nice medium strength smoke and I would buy more of these.
