OK, smoking the unbanded stick from cs. Looks like a lightly box-pressed toro, medium brown wrapper, very faint aroma of barnyard/hay, cold draw again has that hay flavor.
First couple of puffs taste nothing like the aroma -- straight creamy coffee with a little pepper on the retrohale...not at all what I was expecting. There's a touch of some spice, maybe cinnamon or nutmeg. After 10 minutes or so the pepper has disappeared and I've got a mild tobacco flavor without much in the way of complexity...perhaps a touch of leather and some of that faint baking spice flavor. The finish is faintly bitter. Hoping this one turns around soon, honestly -- it's not doing much for me at the moment. The draw and burn are both good at least.
Starting to get a touch of sweetness as I move into the 2nd third, but mostly still just a mild tobacco flavor. I'm getting a very slight buzz, but I'd put this as medium strength at most. I really hope cs doesn't tell me that this is his favorite stick LOL. I could see it as a yard gar -- it's not a stick that demands much attention. It still has a decent burn and smoke output, and the mouthfeel is pleasant...a bit creamy, but still not a whole lot of flavor. This is my first cigar of the day, too, so I don't think my palate is dead.
45 minutes in and I'm gonna MU this one with about one third remaining. I can't say that I would seek this one out again, but it might not be too bad for mowing the lawn. Construction seemed good, but I prefer sticks with a little more flavor and a little more punch. The bitter finish lasted right until the end as well.
I'm really hoping cs says that this is a cheapo stick. Well, sir, what was it?
Thanks for the fun, in any case. These blind reviews are always enjoyable.
