Forum Blend Notes - Revist #1
I don't do reviews and I'm terrible at flavors. This is really meant for better cigar minds than mine to post their thoughts, but I will get it started.
The strangest thing about this stick for me was that it felt really DRY. The wrapper felt kind of like microfiber to the touch and it was really dry in the mouth. I'm not talking about the smoke, but that was more drying than mouth-watering, but the actual wrapper. I've never had one feel like that before, and it was kinda awkward and uncomfortable(that's what she said). As for the cigar's construction, at a couple points (mostly the beginning and end) it put off smoke like it was from Liga, in the middle it was average. The ashes were impressive, I had to forcefully knock them off at each third and the burn was mostly even with a few (on the OCD side) touch-ups.
For flavor, the first bit of it was VERY spicy to me, like a tabasco spice, but it mellowed less than an inch in. I don't think it was user error on the light, it lasted a bit longer than that and grew before it tapered off. After that for about 1/3 of the stick I got the funky flavor I associate with Ometepe tobacco, or at least I assume it to be that because I've only had it before with the Punch Uppercut, which also has Ometepe. It's the flavor I was hoping for from that filler so that was great. But it only lasted about 1/3 in, after that either I acclimated to it and stopped noticing it or it actually disappeared. The next third was kinda woody/earthy to me, with a bit of a mild sweetness. Like a sweet wood if that makes any sense? There wasn't much noteworthy to me in the final third except that the mild sweetness vanished.
This smoke was overall somewhat "OK" to me, nothing memorable. It's missing character IMO. At the time I thought maybe it needed more sweetness, like maybe PA broadleaf maduro in there or something. But I'll leave all that to the heavier hitters, just wanted to get this ball rolling.
NOTE: This was literally in my humidor 24 hours before I smoked it and had spend probably 24 hours in transit before that.
Revisit #1: It's now been in my humidor 4 months to the day since my last (completely by accident!) try. It was pretty similar really, in a lot of ways. It still put off smoke like crazy at the start and tapered, and still blasted spice for about the first half inch. This time it didn't break down as nicely into thirds though, pretty much staying the same after the spice went away. I think it was less earthly, and unfortunately I didn't pick up the funk that was there last time (call me crazy but I liked that part!). There was still a mild sweetness that came and went in the middle portion and it was pretty smooth in the mouth. Darn harsh on the retro though, but i haven't been smoking a lot lately so maybe that accounts for that. I don't know, I want to like this, but part of me is wondering if maybe cigars shouldn't be blended democratically, lol
