Slavac Cigar #3
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Cigar: Mystery Cigar 3
Setting: Back deck on a 70 deg night with AdamC.
Drink: Left Handed Brewery Milk Stout
Initial Impressions: This is one of the longer of the 10 cigars I was sent, however it is VERY veiny cigar, probably one of the most vein riddled I've ever seen.
Cut and pre-light draw: Hard draw but not as bad as #1.
The first 2 inches of the cigar appear supple to the touch, the rest of the cigar has periodic knots throughout, usually under the knots.
Lit easily using my tri-torch.
Draw after lighting: Difficult, but not hard. Guillotine cut. Flavors of wood and tobacco with a vaguely sweet finish that I can't pigeonhole into a particular flavor.
First Third: Tastes a bit off. Unpleasant but not horrid. Draw is tight with very little smoke. Ash is strange, very strange. Looks a bit like a series of hourglasses stuck atop each other at different angles. Developed a burn spot 1" down from the cherry which burned through. At this point I don't hate this stick, but I don't like it.
Lost ash at 1". Burn is uneven.
Flavors of wood, tar and oddly enough, faintly of freshly baked bread.
^Burn spot during First Third.
Second Third: Draw easing, smoke increasing. Flavor is more harsh, with maybe a hint of pepper? Some tar flavor building. Lost its ash again with 1" of buildup. Burn remains uneven.
Flavors remain the same though I lost the fresh baked bread component.
Toward the end of 2/3 I noticed some more harshness at the back of the palate. Cigar has begun falling apart: trying to lose the main leaf wrapper.
^Funky ash and falling apart.
Third Third: Ash lasts only half an inch at a time. More palate burn returning.
Flavors remain the same and unremarkable. Wrapper continues to disintegrate.
^Damage evident here. 3/3.
Final Impressions: This cigar lasted about 50 minutes and wasn't enjoyable for more than 2 of those.
Would I buy again: Certainly not.
Would I smoke again: I'd give this one another try to see if I got a dud, but odds are I'd pass.
Overall Rating With 10 the highest possible and 0 the baseline: 3.5/10
Final Thoughts: Look elsewhere.