And what a pleasure it was! I set out predisposed to not like this cigar. Don't know why, but the band was kind of uneven, the wrapper was veiny, the cigar was rock hard and I thought the draw was going to be really tight. It was obviously well aged and well cared for, but it didn't get the salivary glands working the way so many do just by looking at it.
I just finished a meal of venison tacos (mmm) and had finished my first Shiner bock. I was thinking of grabbing something I knew would be full bodied, but since I spent the day smoking other cigars sent to me by the generous PT, I figured I'd make good on my promise to give my opinion on the Xquisito.
I carried it and another beer out to the patio and grabbed a seat. It was brutally hot today and I spent the entire day doing yard work so I was pretty beat. Fortunately, it turned out to be a pleasant evening and admiring the days labor made me feel pretty good.
Since it was a small ring gauge and I feared it was going to be tight, I gave it a full cut just above the head. I toasted the foot briefly and brought her up for a draw. From this point on, I knew my first impression was way off. The draw was perfect, the burn was great and the taste was...dare I say "exquisite?!" Well, that may be a bit much, but it kept getting better as it burned. It held a 2+ inch ash until I walked over and tapped on the window to show my wife who was reading inside (of course this jostling caused it to fall). After the ash fell, I got up and started puttering around the yard a little (there's always more to do). The cigar kept burning slow, straight, and tasty down to the nub. Since I've never had this cigar before, I can't say for certain, but my feeling is that the extensive aging improved this cigar considerably. I'm really glad that PT sent two so that I can repeat the experience with the other later.
Was it the best, or even one of the top cigars I have ever had? No, probably not. Was it "darn good?" You betcha