I was curious about these so I picked up a box of 10.
The packaging is pretty cool, its a drawer style box packed loosely with tabacco leaves, the 10-pk is bundles with a small bit of burlap.....its an attractive packaging.
Pre-light the stick is very attractive, a nice deep chocolate brown wrapper with a small shaggy foot and pig-tail cap. Pre-light aroma is thick and pleasant.
Cut goes off without a hitch, I toast the end....the shaggy foot burns....aroma from the burning excess is not pleasant...kinda concerning.....but I continue....
Draw is easy...not very easy but def. easy
Smoke is plentiful and potent....first couple draws are spicy, not harsh but spicy.....
Ash is amazing, beautiful white ash that holds. I usually tap off at an inch but I think i'll risk a mess on this one to see how far it can go.
Lit aroma is intoxicating.....lots of depth in the aroma....very pleasant...
After 3/4 inch the flavor develops.... From spicy to sweet with a hint of spice, caramel like sweetness.
About a 1/3 in now and the flavor develops further...Less to no spice.....sweetness and a leathery aroma take center stage...
Ash held to 1 1/2 inch and made a mess, but it was worth it....pretty white ash..
I tried to retrohale earlier and it was a tad harsh to appreciate.....now it improves the flavor profile.....
Aroma is still very pleasant with the leathery tones becoming more prevalent...
It is a nice surprise to see a stick at this price point develop so much....some woody notes are in the background now...sweetness not as center stage as it was....
I guess I should mention that the wrapper is somewhat toothy...nothing crazy but very attractive....
For those that appreciate smoothness this smoke has little to no harshness once developed....
Close to the end now....sweetness is coming back some....kinda chocolaty/caramely....
Retrohale is pleasant.
All-in-all I suspect this stick will improve quite a bit with age, considering the fact that it is quite good OTT that is saying something. I bought the box of 10 with 5 MoW salomon's for 60 something shipped and I will be getting more.....this stick has earned a place in my rotation....it will be hard to let them age....
