THE CIGAR
MBombay TobakVintage Reserve Lancero 1973
8 1/2 x 38
w. Ecuadorian DesFlorado
b. Dominican
f. Dominican, Peruvian
I
Cedar sleeve, epis! But what? No familiar flying carpet band? OK, made it through the shaggy-footed intro, gentlepersons. White pepper lead, thins to a red and is somewhat piercing particularly in the nasal cavity. Sandwiched twixt white and red are neat-o sweetnesses of graham cracker and coffee with cream and sugar. A vegetal ridden suede lies in the under-belly... pale nuts and alfalfa. Sweet earthiness bulges from the lower middling on up. Burn transitions well from the shaggy fuse to ignite evenly on the top-leaf. Draw is a medium tension and smoothly so. Texture is creamy but there is that nasal heat ghosting. Moisture level of smoke-hole is admirable. Packing didn't budge an iota against lighting. Smoke out-put off each end is thick cumulus culminating in a sweet suede room-note with a light bit a' spice.Dominican tanginess. Cardamom... well that's odd. Saffron and vanilla, too. The three priciest spices there be. I feel fancy, gentlepersons. A very soft creamed cedar floats in on a cloud. I'm working on my memoirs, and please to pardon the stream of consciousness self-indulgence. I am remembering the time I dated a young lady who'd just previously dated one Mr. Shaquille O'Neal. Yeah -- we went out couple times until I realized I wasn't a -- good fit. Thanks for stopping by www.kaplowitz.xyz. Your home on the world wide web, for this sorta thing.
Ash is now night 2" long and holding firm on tight ladder-rungs. It's a pale to medium-grey marbling. Aaannnd... it dumped as I stated that. Graham is teaming with cedar and building in an excelsior manner. Red pepper has subdued but now thinly ghosts the back of my palate. White pepper has taken the spice lead with a slight exotic attachmentation. Line is dead-even on a thin bit of mascara, seems to be a hot burner, but the heat ain't yet visible to the draw, as I'm still 6 1/2" of shaft from all that. A greater toastiness comes in now. Very nuanced, not very complex thus far. Medium-bodied and flavor'd with a low+ strength. Tongue is a tick tingled via a now white pepper in clarified butter saute.
II
Creamy yet crisp balanced texture. Actually, this whole '73 seems about balance and smooth delivery. A big ditto as to the entire MBombay line-up. Nice. Red pepper gets a footing in the upper middling and does so with its own caramelized sugar attachment. Coffee and cream gets richer in the mid-middling. Earthiness saturates the lower middling and now downward to the sweetly spiced suede under-belly. The pricey trinity mentioned prior laces the middlings. Cedar and graham cracker are the primary shoulders upon which red and white peppers stand. Fairly exquisite, gentlepersons. I taste milk chocolate -- and attachment to a free-floating cream, separate from the coffee. Sugar, too.I've been known for a while now as a writer. Given my lofty position in Cigar Media (ranked 18th in a recent top-ten list), perhaps I am now even more-so known. I've actually been recognized for my blog in real life. That was fun. Why just he other day a fella comes up to me and says "Kap, yer a writer. What rhymes with orange?" ...
"No it don't." I said; somewhat confounded.
Burn doesn't look so hot now, temperature-wise. Pace is even and nice and hath been thru-out. Packing holds, seams hold, draw holds. Excellent performance. Profile is too unchanged yet more robustly delivered. Ash makes it to an easy inch before I rolls it off, and it stubbornly obeys. Creamy/spicy texture is 50/50 and quite lovely. Finish is of medium length and of somewhat subdued notes of exotic spices and coffee stired with a cedar stick. Retro-hale is red pepper with a subtle java note which ends in a sharp sweet spice on my palate, the perfect palate. Smoke out-put billows.
III
Ash drops a tick more freely now at, say, 3/4" marks. Not a lot of flavor transitions, lest a building up of red pepper, so...A kvetch and a seeking out of invite: I'm cold. I'm on my porch in a wool overcoat. Shivering (almost). I always wanted to take a spin 'round SoCal. H-wood. Anyone? Nickel tour, room, & board? "Relax," calms the therapist to the man whom just charged into his office screaming, "HELP ME, DOC!!! I'm a Tee Pee, I'm a Wigwam!" Seems the good doctor readily had him pegged as simply being...
"Two tents."
Three inches of shaft left and a good hour in. Creamy more than spicy now and mouth-feel is nigh luxurious whilst the flavors soften also. Wait -- I went out. One puff was a tick thinner and the the next -- nothing. Oy gevalt. I shall re-light post purging. Harrumph. First re-lit toke is very smoky out-put and a tick greyed. Packing hath done softened considerably so. Very toasty flavors and a new smoked meat sensation. There was a bit of looser than typical seam hiding under band. Bread, artisan white. A load of white pepper. Expensive trinity has subdued and the cardamom is the lead there in a bit of a wobble. Ash is a shade darker. Cream builds back up and sans slight cocoa. Strength up-ticks to medium, making this Lancero a classical across-the-board medium. Cedar is less creamy meow than seasoned. Mouth gets a bit spitty by a slight hair, nothing egregious. A butterscotch vibe, warm. All told, now spicy more than creamy. Verily earthy. Fennel takes the seasoning lead. The caramel/creamed coffee complected top-leaf crackles when I pull on the post-band nub. I don't normally review beyond that point -- but this new transition left me choiceless. Sans choice. Without choice. I am on my toes, MBombay. Thank ya for that. Smoke warms but comfortably. I taste the froth on a warm cup of Swiss Miss.
Grabbin' me a toothpick...
Final Grade
****A-****
L'shalom