[DBall]

Ripplingh2o Cigar #4
******************

Initial Observations - A 6 1/2" x 43RG, Maduro wrapper (IDK, maybe) cigar of the Lonsdale category. Seems tightly packed, with a very slight toothy texture to the wrapper. Looks like a very small, single cap. I will straight cut the head and assume most of the cap will be gone. Hope it won't cause any unraveling issues. As for precut aroma...forget it, my smeller fails (again). I read somewhere your sense of smell & taste wane in your "senior years". But alas, the Mrs. even remarked, "I smell nothing, nothing at all". Pairing with my morning coffee. Toasting now begins at 8:00 a.m.

First 1/3 - Minimal smoke output compared to the previous 3 cigars. Maybe the cigar's length has something to do with how much draw is required for a mouthful of smoke. Even though the draw isn't tight it seems I have to pull a long time to develop a full puff. Burn and ash however are excellent. I printed a Cigar Flavor Wheel to aid me in ID'ing notes and nuances. But for now, it won't provide any help. I'm afraid if I don't continue to sip this cigar that it may go out. Just a very light, wide open draw producing minimal smoke, which is confusing considering it's so densely packed. But the burn continues to be flawless.

Second 1/3 - As feared, the wrapper just below where the cap was, is showing signs of wanting to unravel. Smoke output continues to be light and lackluster. Just not much to expand upon. This is the lightest, weakest cigar I have ever smoked, void of flavor or strength.

Final 1/3 - Hoping for a positive transition of some sorts, but not overly optimistic. Smoke output has improved as I ventured into this final third. I can now take a steady draw and receive a mouthful of smoke. Other than that, nothing else to report. Halfway into this final third the wrapper seriously began to unravel to the point where I just took it off. I was surprised how tissue thin this single layer wrapper was. I continued to smoke the stick down to the nub without further issue. At least it never got hot or ammonia tasting.

Overall thoughts - This cigar basically had no cap because after a very minimal straight cut, it was gone. I found it blasé and lacked anything I look for in a premium cigar. Draw and smoke output were both whisper light for 3/4 of the cigar. Flavor, body, & strength were, to a relative degree, nonexistent. Unfortunately, I found nothing noteworthy about this cigar with the exception of a perfect burn and ash. All in all I can't say it was a bad cigar, it just didn't have any exceptional qualities.

Smoke time: 1 hour. Overall rating: 3 for a razor sharp burn and 2 for a solid ash. So that equals 5.0. On to cigar #5 (knowing it'll be significantly better).