Baccarat- The game, Rothschild Candela- Cigar review

Baccarat- The game, Rothschild Candela- Cigar review

Time in humidor, 3 months @ 68%

Size: 5x 50

Blend: Honduran Puro 

Construction: The wrapper was smooth with a hairy feel whilst looking dry with a slight oily sheen. It exhibited minimal veins which were only made obvious by the lighter colour of the wrapper.  It also had visible seams. This stick was a couple of gauges thicker on the foot than it was at the head. The stick was a little soft to squeeze and a few large veins could be felt in the binder, No substantial lumps or bumps. On a whole the stick appears to be well made and the head is closed with a neat triple cap.

Smell: Wrapper; Green grass, Hay with subtle cool hits of cucumber: Foot Dried hay, cucumber and wood.

Cold draw: Flavours on the cold draw consisted of dried hay and caramel, the wrapper was imparting a very pleasant sweetness onto the lips. Draw had a desirable level of resistance after punching the cap 

First light: Flavours on the first light were very difficult to identify due to this stick being so mild. The cigar was imparting a sugary sweetness front of mouth like the flavoured / sweetened cigar. Flavours behind the sugar were green grass wood and a very subtle wood.  Smoke production is good with a very thick moist consistency.

Aroma: the aroma of this cigar was very interesting, it was segregated between a delightful sweetness and a combination of timber and hay.

First 3^rd 16 min

I decided to look a little deeper into this very obvious sweetness being deposited onto the lips rather than through the smoke itself. I sat licking different parts of this cigar like an ice-cream until I managed to come to the conclusion that it was the wrapper. The wrapper on this cigar was coated in what I assume was a layer of its own natural sugar which could be tasted when licked…… or placed in the mouth as one does when smoking a cigar; funnily enough.

Flavours on the first third were very similar to the initial light with an increase in the sweetness. The burn is near textbook. If I had to condense my description of the flavor profile of this stick I would have to say it’s a very light bodied, grassy sweet cigar.

The retrohale consisted primarily of sweet caramel and dried hay.

Second 3^rd 35 min

Transitioning into the second 3^rd a very smooth and subtle spice started to develop which I was yet to identify and the smoke started to get sweeter, after every draw I could lick my teeth and taste a defined layer of literal sugar all through my mouth. Initial flavours of green grass and hay were present and unchanged. The burn was near perfect even in the windy conditions I’m constantly finding myself reviewing cigars in.

As the second third progressed I managed to identify the subtle spice as nutmeg which was slowly increasing which made it easier to identify once it showed itself.

I found it pays to smoke this stick very slowly as letting it get hot tended to introduce a singed tobacco flavor and overthrow all the delicate flavours I experienced

Third 3^rd 52 mins

Flavours in the third 3^rd remained consistent but saw the slightest introduction of heat into the finish, I typically find heat very offensive when smoking a cigar but in this case is was quite bearable and did not detract from the existing profile of this stick at this stage.

The burn was still excellent even this far down the stick which I was quite surprised.

At 1 hour 10 minutes the heat started to gently increase in this cigar and very soon was going to detract from the enjoyable flavours previously experienced. I decided to put it down.

Overall this stick was very consistent from start to finish, brilliant smoke thick moist smoke production with a delicious green grassy flavor coupled with a surprising sweetness. Ever so subtle hints of nutmeg appearing around the halfway mark made for a pleasant addition which kept this stick interesting. I would happily purchase a box of these sticks and enjoy in good company after a light lunch.

Suggested pairing would be with a dry champagne such as Moet as not to overthrow delicate flavor offered by this stick.

Thanks for reading.

Trinidad Series T Robusto – Cigar Review

Trinidad Series T Robusto – Cigar Review

From the Humidor at 70%, Time in 2 weeks

Size: 5x 48, Pigtail

Blend: I had a lot of trouble finding information about the blend of this particular Cuban stick.

This cigar was sent up to me for review by a friend named Rob who lives down in Melbourne. When the stick arrived it was in Mint condition with no damage, Thanks Rob!

Construction: This stick had a very smooth oily wrapper with barely visible seams depending on wrapper colouration; the wrapper appears to be extremely thin. The stick was very lumpy along its length with an extremely tight pack. Although the cigar was lumpy, the overall construction appeared to be excellent and the lumps gave the stick a very rustic, handmade feel.

There was one small split running along an insignificant vein near the head which I was worried about, any damage to a wrapper pre light always gets worse in my experience.

Smell: Light tobacco and woody smell, along with dry hay. Foot; Dry hay with ground coffee beans.

Cold draw: Once I cut the stick the chink in the wrapper was exacerbated significantly. The cut revealed a perfect draw from this tight stick whose flavours consisted of gentle white pepper with a smooth taste of wood and hay.

First Light: Flavours on the first light consisted of an electric white pepper with toasty wood and bread. Smoke production was reasonable with thin dry smoke.

Aroma: Sourdough bread.

First 3^rd 16min

Light to medium body. Flavours in the first third consisted of the initial white pepper which smoothed out and reduced slightly.  The effects of the pepper went from whole of mouth to tip of tongue. Other flavours alongside the pepper were sourdough bread and a woody taste. This stick had a long salty finish which made me think of the finish experienced after eating an olive.

Retrohale revealed toasty wood with very slight hints of sourdough.

The burn in the first 3^rd was excellent, transitioning from sawtooth to a straight line when resting.

Second 3^rd 30min

Smoke production in the second 3rd increased, the texture of the smoke thickened and got more moist while starting to dry out the palate slightly.

There were no significant additions or transitions in flavour, the salty finish lasted longer and the pepper got a little more obvious and sharp. Both I believe was as result of having a dryer mouth.

Over smoking this stick in the second 3^rd produces heat and significantly increases the white pepper.

Mid Second 3^rd saw the burn start to degrade slightly and the delicate wrapper was starting to split both laterally and longitudinally (pictured).  I was not overly concerned in this case as the splits were in a way that would not “run” in front of the cherry.

Third 3^rd 45min

Transitioning in to the third 3^rd saw a further reduction in the pepper flavours whilst the sourdough developed to mouldy with mild acridity. This stick very rapidly degraded into what I have previously identified as a “wet” over humidified stick. The aroma started to smell like an old cigar that I’ve thrown out into the dew sprinkled garden 12 hours earlier.

As the third 3rd progressed the stick started to become spongy hot and more acrid. I really started to think this sick was just wet, although it has been in my humidor for 2 weeks at 70%

As I approached the band the head of the cigar was starting to swell, the wrapper was experiencing blowouts all over the place and the flavours consisted of mould, wet ashtray and heat. I retired the stick at 58 mins as a result.

Overall this light to medium bodied cigar was very consistent in its flavour profile with no additions or transitions throughout. I found the stick rather boring and unenjoyable, priced at 45-48 bucks a pop in Australia, I would be downright pissed off with the experience I had with this cigar. Any $20 stick would run rings around this one.

I’ve smoked a few Habana Trinidad’s before this particular stick and found them similar in their flavour profiles but far more enjoyable than this one.

Suggested pairings would be beer to keep the palate moist while smoking this stick without overpowering the mild profile offered.

Thanks for reading. 

Whisgars

 

Nub Connecticut 464 Torpedo – Cigar Review

Nub Connecticut 464T – Cigar Review

Size: 4x 64 Torpedo

Blend:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian seed Connecticut
Filler: Nicaragua
Binder: Nicaragua

 

 

Construction: The construction of this stumpy little bullet was brilliant; a firm pack which was consistent along the length with not a single lump or bump. The taper of the torpedo was so well made through the triple cap that it looked as if it had been turned on a wood lathe rather than rolled, the appearance of this stick oozed quality. The oily smooth wrapper had barely visible seams due to no inconsistencies in colour and being so delicate and thin.

Smell: Wrapper; On the wrapper I picked up dry grass with a very smooth white pepper which excited the nostrils while still being very subtle. The foot was very similar to the wrapper in smell with the addition of the slightest amount of vanilla.

Cold Draw: Made a 7mm cut on the taper to discover even with this tightly packed rocket a perfect draw. Flavours on the draw consisted primarily of dry grass with slight amounts of white pepper and a barely noticeable caramel.

First light:

BOOM! A big blast of robust but refined white pepper all about the mouth with a touch of green grass. The white pepper was huge on the first light from this stick but it coupled with plumes of creamy thick smoke that deposited a pleasant oil onto the palate which smoothed off the pepper to make it feel elegant rather than overpowering and jagged as spice can be on first lights.

First 3^rd 10min

Body was light to medium. As the cigar warmed up and progressed I saw the white pepper start to pull back to a pleasant level which revealed a green grass and subtle lemon like acidity; all of which was surrounded by a toasty like character. The cigar was still producing plumes of creamy thick smoke with the oil on the palate.

As the first third progressed the burn started to concern me as there was a scallop starting to run down the side of this cigar, at that stage I was blaming the wind blowing.

Second 3^rd – 25min

The second third of this stick saw no change in body and a nice transition in flavour. The white pepper pulled back further into the background, the smoke got thicker and creamier to the stage it was saliva thickening, like a dessert. The flavours overtaking the white pepper were green grass, the lemon was replaced with toasted white bread.

The second 3^rd saw the burn further degrade to a line best represented by a dog’s hind leg. The stick required constant attention and touch-ups to maintain this stick in smoking condition.  I was inclined to say by that stage it was a construction issue rather than a breeze.

At this stage I managed to stand the stick up on its ash at the half way point, only to have it blow over before I could get a photo. Bugger!

Third 3^rd 40 min

The third 3^rd saw no significant change in flavour from the second, the smoke was still thick and creamy while imparting a lot of oil onto the palate which I found quite enjoyable.

The start of the third saw an early onset of heat which I accredit to the 140,000 touch-ups +/- I had to perform to keep the burn on this stick resembling something reasonable.

As the third progressed the heat started to overtake the light smooth flavour profile offered by this stick.

Moving into the end of this stick the burn improved significantly, the cigar had done its dash, the heat had set in and it was too late to forgive this stick for its sins. The stick was retired at 50 minutes.

Overall this cigar is a tasty mild stick that I tend to enjoy. This individual stick I used for the review does not represent Nubs typical burn characteristics. I’ve smoked 40+ of these Connecticut’s and this individual stick with its burn issues just let me down and IMO ruined the whole experience. You could confidentially pick one of these up and be sure it will not act like this stick.

Suggested pairings for this little bullet would be a wet and crisp Semillon Sauvignon Blanc.

Thanks for reading,

Whisgars