We continue the saga with Review No. 2.:
Glad I timed this one for a weekend, as it's a big'un.
A sharply box-pressed Torpedo, 6-1/2" x 50 ring, deep dark wrapper & very densely packed, barely budging when squeezed.
Prelight smell of barnyard & raisins, though faint flavor.
I begin at 5:00 PM with water in hand & a blues mix in ear,
after a hearty steak dinner.
Let's light it up & see what it's got.
It starts with flavors of strong coffee, dark chocolate and a raisiny sweetness, with a touch of green pepper snap & cedar in the finish. Leaves a medium fullness in the mouth, but not entirely developed. Could be more so, but it's OK.
A surprisingly good draw, given how tightly it's packed.
After 20 minutes, I decide that rum would pair decently well with it. As a medium strength & not full-flavored cigar, I figure bourbon would overpower it, and I'm not in the mood for a tongue-wrestling match. At least not tonight. I choose a Mount Gay Eclipse for it's light body & vanilla sweetness. Wait, what am I reviewing again? Oh right, the cigar. Let's get back to it, shall we?
At the 30 minute mark, I'm only an inch into it. It's less sweet and more woody than it was, but the predominant tastes are still strong coffee & dark chocolate, with a slightly peppery finish. It's OK, but it's lacking something - the flavor isn't quite full, the finish is a bit short. A decent yardgar, though. I'm reminded of a Nestor Miranda Reserve Maduro, which I haven't had in years. The burn isn't perfect, but it's not off enough to correct.
Until the 1-1/2" mark, that is, where the burn is pretty uneven, so I correct & burn off the slacker side.
An hour from my start, and I'm not at the half-way yet! There's been little change in flavors, still primarily strong coffee & dark chocolate, though somewhat more cedary & sharper than before, so I try a purge. Nope, doesn't affect it much, but still smokeable.
Breaking into the second half, some of the sharpness dissipates, leaving a more balanced taste of the coffee, dark chocolate & sweetness. Again, though, it seems to be lacking enough dimension; there's something missing. As I'm smoking, a storm moves in from the north. Lots of thunder crashing & shaking the deck, lightning flashing, and still I smoke on. But inside now.
It stays in this mode with little change for quite a while. The cigar and the storm, that is. With 2-1/2" left, the burn is off & sharp charcoal is creeping in, so it's a good time to correct & purge. The bitterness sits down for a short time, but it keeps returning, despite my waving my arms & yelling, "Shoo Charcoal, Shoo Shoo!" Hey, it sometimes works.
At 7
5, I put the last inch down to rest. I'm done after 2 hours, 25 minutes.
Overall, it was an OK cigar, it just lacked in dimension to be a good cigar. Would make a perfectly fine yardgar, though, where you weren't concentrating on your smoke & didn't mind that it was straight-forward with little change. It has its purpose. The draw remained good throughout, & it only required a couple of touchups on the burn, which is above-average for a box-press.
On a scale of 100, I'll give it a 70. Or a "C", if you prefer letters.
I don't do calculus, so make your own equation for extra credit.
Next up:
Does Trouble Come in Threes? Tune in to see Review No. 3.