Thursday, April 16, 2020

Maya Selva Cigars Flor de Selva Maduro Grand-Presse in Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Maya Selva
Flor de Selva Maduro
Grand-Presse

WRAPPER: Honduran
BINDER: Brazilian
FILLER: Honduran

FORMAT: 656 Toro Grande box-press
ORIGIN: Honduras (Tabacos de Oriente)
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: 
Espresso | Salted caramel | Leather

Espresso, robust yet smooth, is laid out over a thick & smoky leather. Salted dark caramel has its own molasses underneath, nice depth there. Nuances are not lost on the bitter-savoriness, either. They linger in their nethers. The cup runneth over. Structure is nicely enforced by a black peppercorn beef jerky. Vertically complex af & horizontally staunchly upheld. 

Oak barrels hold up the middlings. Some black walnut. Underbelly is umami-drenched compost & top-soil. Abrades the palate some. Quite drying. A parched tongue lets in peppers. PEPPERS, BLACK. Some notes begin to charcoal via progression. Mottling occurs at the half-way mark. Purging don't aid. A tale of two cigars, this. Becomes aggressive, spastically-so. Frenetic & somber at once. It feels mental.

The burn-line requires a retouch at each third. Ash aerates, splinters... fugly. Box-press rounds ahead of char. Draw wobbles emptily at times. Cap loosens on shoulder. Less than moderate smoke out-put irritates a bit; spicy & stiff. (A Latino lover, say?) A retro-hale at mid 2/3rd makes me do the Curly Shuffle on my carport floor. 'Floor' de Selva, more like. Biting. Eek. Blind-sided.

FINAL GRADE: B-
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59

::: very :::