Thursday, August 5, 2021

Big Sky Cigar Co. Bitterroot in Review

lo-fi & lovely

Big Sky Cigar Co. Bitterroot in Review

WRAPPER: Habano
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: Toro (654)
ORIGIN: Nicaragua
INTENSITY: Medium/Med.-full

NOTES:
Spiced cider | Caramel | White peppercorn

Bursts out of the gate. Allspice, cloves, cinnamon. Brown sugar sweetens and extends into the finish as the gushing subsides. An apple orchard, fruit & wood, comes in quick on that in-between to add a neat effervescent bit and some excellent delineation via structure. That initial burst smooths-some into the 2/3 but maintains an even kick. Edges round-off as a caramel enters softly. I envision the thing's namesake river and also my Gypsy granddad riding a horse bareback alongside it. Fast. How odd.

Clean as a whistle sharpened into a shiv. At the halfway point, some cocoa butter and nougat begin to further cushion the pushin'. A bit of macadamia nuttiness. White peppercorn. Under-belly is clay soil with some pale grain savoriness. Brightly tethered into nifty nuance. Quite complex. Balanced well even when establishing itself with dominance in the opening-third. Apple notes spin-off into chamomile floral bits as it closes out in a lovely manner.

Features a super-smooth draw, for sure the highlight of its performance. Burns on a bit of a slight-wobble that gets a tick jagged in spots but requires zero re-touches. Does soften some ahead of burn, un-egregiously. If I wasn't wearing my critic's hat, I'd probably not register any of my bitching. Puts off a ton of smoky-smoke, culminating in a room-note of applewood in a fireplace, comfortably warming a leather chair alongside it. Thru a window, you can see the river, orchard, and Gyp on a horse.

TASTE: A-
DRAW: A
BURN: B+
BUILD: A-

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

::: very :::