Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Om Mani Gold Label Maduro - Cigar Review

B"H
INTRO
Who ordered this rain?

THE CIGAR
Gold Label Maduro in Toro
w. Ecuadorian Sun Grown Maduro Shade
b. Nicaraguan Jalapa
f. Dominican, Nicaraguan
K A P L O W I T Z SCALE
K least, Z most
Construction O
Combustion O
Flavors W
Body O
Strength O
&
Sweet W
Sour W
Salty O
Bitter W
Umami O
&
Complexity W
Nuance L
Transition L
Balance O
Smoothness L
&
Animal O
Spicy O
Woody W
Vegetal L
Earthy W
Chemical P
SUMMATION
Rich 'nuff and somewhat shy of smooth via a Dominican tanginess which presents in a citrus manner alongside the typical Maduro red-purple fruits. Satiating richness cut with that tangy bit. Balanced and at times reshuffled there. Thinning out on the sweet/sour finish. Ends with a bit of chemically smokiness on the palate. Somewhat acidically salty... say urine... but that sounds bad and it ain't -- so don't say that. Biological. Leather. More complex than nuanced, but a nice helping of each in a Maduro context. Some flirtations with sharpnesses here and there via seared bits. Medium, and sturdily so profile... strength unsettles once or twice from low+ to medium+.

[As doth they appear] Black pepper. Espresso beans. Fruit, mainly ripe red-purple. Citrus tanginess. Oak, seared. Compost with a slight charcoal attachment. Cream, toasted. Herbs, dried. Barnyard. Chocolate, dark (flexes upon finish). Topsoil. Meat, smoked. Cedar, seasoned. Grains, kasha (buckwheat). Espresso. Cumin. Red pepper flakes. Nutmeg. Caramelized sugar. Ashy bits. Pecan, roasted/toasted candied vibe. Salt. Leather. 

Burn is paced well but presents at a bit of a ribbon to occasional wobble, then a single blistering. Nice out-put from each end. Slightly sharp room-note. Top-leaf seems a tick loose in the second half. Packing moves to medium+ to -medium as progression progresses. Seams hold. Draw is an even medium+. Ash is solid and toothy with a smattering of slight flakiness, white with silver teeth pockets. Texture is occasionally coarsely ground. Hand-feel and mouth-feel err toward dryness, but nothing egregiously so. Smoke heats up some at the well-formed nub.
SMOKE TIME
90mins

FINAL GRADE
****B****

OUTRO
The face on the band of this Om Mani offering keeps registering in my brain as Anonymous. Oh, hubris of hubrises; like me on FACEBOOK, gentlepersons. 

L'shalom