Gentlepersons, another week, another... well... seven days lettuce say. As I decided to write up this inaugural write-up, a sampling of Mbombay Mora was found stufft into my mailbox -- the Lancero format (I speak of the cigar and not the mailbox, mind ya.)
THE CIGAR
MBombay Mora
8 1/2 x 38 Lancero
Shaggy foot and pigtail/twisted fin short cap thing
w. Dominican
b. Ecuadorian
f. Dominican, Peruvian, Ecuadorian
I pinch off the cap (gasp) and don't take a cold pull (gasp) cuz this ain't a full review-- that'll be coming. And off an offering which has had sufficient rest in my humi. Here, breathe into this paper bag, it's OK. I tore into this one like a kid on Chanukah's eighth day, because: Mbombay. Burn-line makes a lovely transition off shaggy foot and onto wrapper -- and didn't we just talk on Radio Herf about this yesterday? Notes of natural tobacco with an aromatic lilt and a dirt/earth under-belly. Exotic tangy spice retro-hale. Middlings of sweet cedar, roasted nuts, and a caramelized sugar vibe. Underneath it all is a clean and bright hay note. Draw is an even medium+ with just a tick of tension. Burn is even, ash medium grey ladder rungs. Pace is -medium. Very nice. Thanks, Mr. Shah, indeed.
GGG SIGNS WITH NIKE
I don't full-on care, gentlepersons. Neither do I half-on, if pressed. I suppose it is nice to see GGG hit the commercial level pull of the other two fellas he's joined here in Roy Jones, Jr. and Andre Ward. I too suppose it nicer yet, to see any pugilist currently garnering this sorta mainstream deal. Speaks well to the sport, it doth. Or at least not poorly.
Carmelized sugar ramps up, and in perfect balance as does that tangy foriegn spice rack. On many occasion, these MBombay offerings feel as though I've had my passport stamped. I do not have a passport. Very cool burn. Very sedate out-put and room-note. (natural tobacco with the sweetness minus tanginess). Very ready to evenly fill my smoke-hole on an easy pull. White pepper comes in, as does a graham cracker vibe which spins to the now note of caramelized sugar. Ash clumps to my QWERTY, missing my schmatta by mere cm.
Why then, in light of my meh, am I keen on inserting Golovkin chatter into this? To speak briefly of his upcoming April 23rd fisticuffs vs Dominic Wade. I Smell danger. Not simply coming from Wade, but coming from a look down the road at Canelo. See, GGG wanted Canelo, he did. It's hard to not look past who's standing smack in front of ya. Also, with an 18-0-0-12 record, Dominic Wade is on an upswing. He can still be a great one -- even if only in his and his handler's eyes. He's coming off a win against Soliman the Ugly, a nice step up. Granted, Sam Soliman is no Golovkin, but he is tricky and did fuel Wade's upward trajectory. Kid's riding high as a pin-up on a torpedo-shaped bomb.
Verdict? Wade gets a zetz or two in on GGG. Might even stand him up, if he catches him early. It should all be over within four. A fun 'nuff four, nonetheless. Depending on how invincible Wade thinks he is, a cringe inducing two rounds might be tacked on. It'll be interesting to see what's next for the young man. Even more interesting, yet -- Golovkin v Alvarez. Not really. Canelo is made for Gs's style.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA: KEEP PROS OUT OF OLYMPICS
Here's a topic I spoke briefly to on my latest Sabbath Smoker. Ash pales on the Mora and pull is a half-tick more resistant. Even delivery and on par with prior. Woods come in. An oak and a cedar -- upper middlings. Nuts are pine nuts. I'm three inches into the Lancero. Still very tobacco driven with greater aromatic tendencies now, and spiced as before, with exoticness. Leather comes in underneath. Lots of flavors and completely not overpoweringly so. Profile is classic medium, strength mild, finish medium+ leg'd and complex as heck (see future full write-up).
Nevertheless, what I stated in the Sabbath Smoker, re: Pros in the Olympics, is that they have too much to lose, not enough to win, and a deck stacked against them. It would seem the main complaint at issue is our pros would run roughshod. Well, over the hosting country's wiminz, mayhaps -- but not the competition, I feel. The game is different, and as such requires a different strategy and mentality. One that would be hard to adopt, and if adopted, perhaps harder to leave behind than the aforementioned wiminz.
What I mean to say is that Olympic style boxing is fencing in mittens. Whilst doing so at a fast pace. It'll be as foreign to US professional pugilists as are the spices in this Mora to myself. If ya win? You beat an amateur, big whoop. If ya lose? You lost to an amateur, BIG WHOOP. I should say two things:
1. I have a week gut and sensitive palate. The other ol' one-two. I, like Roseanne and Dan Connor, keep all my spices in the salt shaker.
2. The brilliance here in this Mora, is the brilliance of all I've smoked in the MBombay line. Namely, it is a foreign land I',m in, but I've found the McDonald's. This is not a disrespect. This is to say when you travel with Mel Shah, he makes you feel at home.
Ash darkens again. Burn-line is thin and unwavering. Draw is dead-even. Cedar and spice are primary. white pepper rises to carry the middling from within its middling. Leather is there, as well. Pine nuts, too. Kind of a swirling tobacco center. Remaining mentioned previously notes are therein. Underneath is that Mickey D's, a simple lightly sweetened sunny hay note.
ERROL SPENCE TKO 5 OVER CHRIS ALGIERI
Say ya wilt about Algieri, and oy vey, I know I have -- but he gave Khan some nice trouble and Pac-man dropped him six times, on the way to failing to end it. Mr. Spence scored a fifth round technical knock-out on the sir. Impressive. Some time has passed, sure -- but impressive.
Now I'm getting a tea leaf note from the Mora. The chew is very soft in my mouth. The foot-smoke kind. I let it dangle in my lips. I'm coming outta the mid-transition point. Cedar flies high and that exotic spice rack is on its heels, or tail feathers, in a more apt metaphor. Mouth-feel is a pleasant slight tingle. Perfect moisture. Spicy retro-hale and there's a black pepper there, now. It's on my caramelized sugar palate. Pine nuts, too. Maybe other pale fleshy nuts. Lots of cigar talk sounds dirty. That in mind, the Mora has a dry hand-feel to its shaft.
Let's critically assess the fight, shall we? Spence's feet were wide, as were his punches. He plodded (all be it quickly 'nuff) ahead minus head movements or jabs. All things which are forgiven against a jitter-footed and feather-fisted opponent a la 21-3-0-8 Agieri. There were several wild Spence misses that Algieri missed making him pay for, instead just back-peddling off of. Straight back, back-peddling. Here's something else from the Devil's Advocate files: Spence caught him off-balance, going backward, and flush on his jaw. The response? Chris Algieri popping up from a quick knee.
All told, young Errol Spence did what ya do. He handled a newly-minted and tailor-made gatekeeper. Now he wants Kell Brook and more so, his IBF Welterweight Crown. What do I see? Well, gentlepersons, lettuce instead ask what I'd like to see. I'd like to see how Spence reacts to being frustrated. My gut-guess is rather poorly and brat-ish. But at the end of the day, and with the Brook match-up specifically, he will be frustrated, but comfortably so. Meaning he'll never be taken into deep waters because Brook's style is again tailor made for Spence. We'll see some flaws more clearly, though. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
Although luck doth run out.
HAGLER/HEARNS TURNS 31
Ah, Bob Arum's "The War." Tax Day, 1985. I re-watched this for the ump-teenth time just a few ticks ago. Truly great fight, 'natch. I applauded the YouTube video at the close of round one, wherein Hearns nearly ends Hagler fresh outta the gate. I sighed in an elated fatigue at the close of round two wherein Hagler goes to righty then southpaw again; working constantly on the inside after shaking off the Hitman's terrible power. I always liked better Hearns' lesser known nom de ring, "Motor City Cobra." I just felt the need to be on record there. Also: I absolutely love Marvin Hagler.
Spices spicen up, and black pepper flies up to meet them in the primary section. Previous primary notes fall close to, but not into, tobacco core -- I get a lot of tea leaf when it all settles. Just for an instant. I remove the band, and in doing so, pull the top-leaf a tick outta place. Mea culpa, gentlepersons. Smoke is cool. Mouth is warm. Palate a bit roughed, but this ain't the day's first cigar, let's just say. Strength is up to a mild+ and profile sees a medium+ upping. Ash keeps my schmatta earning its keep; and a laundering.
Some floral vibes in at the immediate draw and only reappears at the far-end of finish. With about two inches to go, I swig big from my Stevie sweetened coffee cup, as this is not a full review. Vastly, we are cruising. Tobacco in the core gets a tick deeper and bolder. There's more spice than pepper. Black pepper aids in the tobacco happenings. White pepper goes to the cedar. I swig again. Coffee soars through the stratosphere... wait. Never mind. This is why reviewers whom pair with their reviews are complete and total drek. In my humble opinion. Nub is quite soft. Smoke is cool. Draw is even. The leaf I cracked upon band removal is a non-issue.
We all now it ends in round three with Hearns on his back, then draped over Richard Steele. With a victorious Hagler donning the Jim Ross coined (or re-coined?) proverbial crimson mask -- But gentlepersons -- watch it again. See if it don't just get yer blood pumpin'. Ironically and ultimately, the Motor City Cobra got his predicted KO 3. Although I'm sure in not the way he foresaw.
Happy 31st, gentlemen and "The War." I'm off to do some push-ups -- I got all this energy, ya see.
K A P L O W I T Z SCALE
Appearance W
Construction I
Combustion T
Flavors/Body I
Strength A
Construction I
Combustion T
Flavors/Body I
Strength A
EDITOR'S NOTE
Goodnight, Samuel Horwitz, wherever ya are.