Firstly and I shall now do away with any hopes of future secondly, thirdly, et cetras insofar as a formatting heads-up -- a straight-forward cigar. Verily earthen backed by thick leather notes with cocoa whirls stirred in. Cedar stiffens the profile with a pungent attachment of red pepper flakes and cayenne lilt which appears predominately on the finish. Said finish is short-legged in spite of a moderately bold draw. Lacking perhaps in some depth of notes, therefore nuance. Linear flirtations, but that ain't bad per se. It ain't bad here, say. Simply... simple. A tick thin. A half-tick hollow. There are some fleeting and toasting bits along the merry way:
The first third features a certain yeasty creamy thing like a plain cookie that grandma disappoints you with but that I hear many an older gentleperson may admire. I'm getting to that age. This mixes with savory bits and gives the feeling of a heaping truck-stop plate of warmed comfort. Toward the end, I get some hint of pine nut cookie. The second half carries on mainly in absence of these notes, without any new bits supplanting 'em. The final act hums along the best of all and gets delivered via a more excellent draw, coolly-so. Some opening-third bits come back around. Plus malted buckwheat honey, espresso, mo' meat, and something like a cherry cordial but less syrupy. Again, all these notes are rather fleeting and often hinted at more than delivered upon. The profile is vastly well-summarized at the onset of this, my fanciful drivel. If I must say.
Balance is nice but a line is technically in perfect balance -- but that's awfully too math-y for me to say in any academic surety. I'm more a language fella. I'm a taste fella, too. Not a fella of taste, mind ya. That distinction covered, I'd call this Hiram & Solomon Master Mason a tasty 'nuff treat with primary notes of the bitter/pungent varietal. This top is damn nigh on perfect par with a quarter-hair lesser sweetly sour melange featuring a saltiness that clings to the cheeks and lips. A beefy and leathery savory aspect is nice, but down below in a compost and 'baccy nether region. Not at all a tall profile, but it does sit rather high in the saddle.
Burn-line is a tick+ errant throughout and keeps my Bic flicking. Particularly, there is a canoe threat in the 2/3. Draw itself is somewhat inconsistent insofar as tension and palate saturation. That there burn, for all its not overly egregious behavior, offers up a great aroma of seasoned cedar and deep 'baccy. Funny, how that same depth is lacking in my smoke-hole. Perhaps the quirky draw of the opening two-thirds is to blame?
Aside from the aroma, another high-spot of the Master Mason experience is in its cosmetics. A beautifully dressed and presented thing with ornate band and nice secondary one to boot. A deep dark and even complexion with many a vein, but all slight and un-bothersome. One thing is soiten: there is a LOT of tobacco in this stick, and it's packed in there evenly as can be sans hard/soft spots from gate-to-wire.
I've never been and doubt I will be, a Mason. I side with Groucho's sentiment, "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." They sure seem like a nice bunch'a folks though. The more adept and higher-ranked among them proly deserve a better stick.
FINAL GRADE: B
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59
WRAPPER: Dominican Maduro
BINDER: Dominican
FILLER: Dominican
STRENGTH: Full
FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Ventura Cigar Co., Dominican Republic
NAME DROPS: Ed Kashouty, George Dakrat
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