[ikkaariainen]

The '06 platinum tubo version of this cigar has been really well reviewed by lenguamor and I thought about adding this to his thread because essentially they are the same blend separated by time & shape but after thinking about it decided that this was vintage & shape wise a different enough smoking experience that it deserved a separate thread. Enjoyed earlier today with a good cigar buddy while watching the Carolina Kittens lose to the Bills (in the last 2 seconds but no not a bit peeved at that...) and at various points accompanied by the last dregs of coffee, 23 yr Ron Zacapa rum and Fonseca 20 yr port. A beautiful long thin lancero of a cigar with a tightly wound Cuban style pig tail tie, well constructed and the Cameroon wrapper was an almost flawless dark chocolate. Good draw with a punch cut despite length, very even burn, very consistent taste from alpha to omega with no off notes or other issues. Surprisingly full bodied and by the end I had more of a nicotine buzz then expected but that is NOT because of any harshness - I was very tired smoking this just coming off a week of night shift call and under other circumstances I do NOT expect this to recur, I think this was me not the cigar. Overall a very pleasant and good high end smoke. Medium to (surprisingly) full bodied, white pepper up front morphing into more late palate black pepper notes as the cigar progressed, allspice / leather / coffee were the dominant flavors. A surprisingly dense and tightly packed cigar with a leisurely burn time of about an hour rather then the expected 40-45 minutes. This cigar has a long humidor life left if treated appropriately. Highly recommend this and not cheap but in no way outrageously priced. Way ready to smoke now but do anticipate improved aging over the next couple of years, trouble is I doubt many of these are going to be around that long.