THE CIGAR
AJ FernandezBellas Artes
6 x 48 Short Churchill
w. "Rojita" Connecticut 8212, Corojo 99, Habano 2k
b. Nicaraguan
f. Brazilian, Honduran, Nicaraguan
m. Tabacalera Fernandez SA, Nicaragua
K A P L O W I T Z SCALE
appearance.k a p l o W i t z
Classically garish band on excellent paper-stock replete with golden embellishments, fancy-pants font, medallions, and iconography-esque oil-painting mural center. I likey. Embossed, natch. Secondary band reads "AJ Fernandez" and is sealed upon itself with the AJF insignia. Gold on red, bordered with gold.
Stick itself? A dense and un-high/low-lighted natural brown. Thick sheen over-top. Press is square with rounded corners. Seams are tight overall, with a half-tick lifting up in a singular spot of 2/3. Cap is neatly appointed. A slender vein crimps whilst running the entire first-half. Fine and scant tooth. Bit dryly delicate of eye.
construction.
k a p l O w i t z
Bit of an un-even pack density, but not drastically 'nuff to speak to hard/soft spots. Draw is an even-keeled medium+ tension, perfecto, in my book. Wrapper seems a tick fragile in hand, as well as there are a couple of slight cosmetic only puckering cracks as eluded to above. To be fair -- it's cold on my porch. Box-press holds fairly firmly, but also feels a tick odd in mitt and mouf. In 3/3 the top-leaf feels a tick loose over-top of binder. Temp is cool to firm nub, though some further crackling is visible on top-leaf. Shoulder/cap hold well and fast.
combustion.
k a p l o W i t z
On toasting, the foot cracks a bit. Here and there a tick a' top-leaf pulls up fromst burn. Burn-line is even, over-all, just not on a razor-line. Ash presents an occasional 1/2 tick a' flake, but is build fairly densely of tight not always even ladder-rungs. Silvery heather-grey in complexion, verily toothy in texture. Holds to an easy inch and then-some. Shaft is cool right up to char. Big, big smoke out-put off each end both resting and active. Pace is even throughout and of ideal speed, although it feels more lively than that at times. Wrapper/binder/fillers burn exceptionally on-par with one another. Bugaboos to the eye, not to performance.
flavors.
k a p l o W i t z
Horseradish on immediate light. I only eat the stuff with gefilte fish, so my brain goes there and... hold on... Reset. Dense notes of a robust white pepper with a black pepper under-belly which keeps growing. Those lil caramel candy squares that you can never successfully unwrap. Suede, verily. Sourdough, some. Caramelized sugar and Eye-talian roast coffee with heavy cream. Heavily toasted then pasted cashew. Spices are white and contribute more to body than flavor. Toasted grains and floral honey appear in the 2/3. Then a sweetly-spiced buttery cedar takes the wheel as primary shot-gun to a nutty/coffee tandem. A high upper middling raises the primary via sweet pale and exotic spices. 3/3 sees an influx of graham cracker and a peanut brittle thing. A bissell anise. Some slight sharpening of a new greenish oak wood note with an unfortunate cardboard under-belly lilt. Main focus shifts to a sweet yet tangy earthy bit, which shows me the door in a nigh bitey fashion.
Flavors dip noticeably at the mid-point mark. Roundness and nuance drop there, as well. Not very complex nor overly transitional, but does show some loveliness in the opening half.
body.
k a p l O w i t z
A tick dry insofar as texture. Some tongue-tingle in a creamy base ia spiced bits. Moisture-level in smoke-hole ain't as dry as texture, but still, I woulda liked a sip a' somethin'. Finish tapers greatly from draw and consistes mainly of a somewhat shy of rich suede with a sweet natural tobacco attachment. Medium legs till bitey visits roof of mouth in 3/3, then sadly longer. Palate gets roughed a tick thusly, but ne'er throaty.
strength.
k a p L o w i t z
'Nuff to know yer smoking, but no overt zetz a la sweats, jitters, dizziness. Mayhaps a kindly swoon in 3/3.
aroma.
k a P l o w i t z
Cold notes of syrupy sweet caramel and rich natural tobacco; raw woodsy bracing. Room-note is a straight-forward sweet natural tobacco with a slightly spiced under-belly crispness. Fairly mute, all told.
FINAL GRADE
****B+****
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