Lit up my first of these this afternoon, sep 07 box code.
A flawless construction, oily and veiless, taken from th lighter side of the box, which is already starting to display a small amount of bloom even with just half a year or so of perfect storage. The smell at cold was intoxicating, dungy and pungent but with incongrous undertones of chocolate. I was expecting something heavy...
The first third had nothing to it apart from a dusty earthiness, and a body on th light side of medium. Not good.
Just before the 1/2 mark it had it's 'road to damascus' moment. In a flash the bland earthiness was gone, replaced by spiced wood, some fruit and undertones of cream and honey. Excellent stuff. These flavours lasted into the final third; slowly mutating, losing the fruit and spice high notes and settling into light and fragrant sweet cedar toward the end, with the body picking up to medium. Good but just a small step down form the middle of the cigar methinks
Overall I was mildly dissappointed with what is often touted as the best RE of 2007, the first third definitely needs to sort its act out for this to be a great cigar. As to aging- we'll see, it's difficult to say at the moment but I intend to smoke one a year, to try to educate myself about the progression of cigars. At the moment- 69.
"You want WHAT on the fu<king ceiling?" -
Michelangelo, 1566
