OM Cigars Essential Blend No. 7 in Review
WRAPPER: Sumatran
BINDER: Indonesian
FILLER: Dominican
FORMAT: 654 Box Press
ORIGIN: Dominican Republic
INTENSITY: Medium
NOTES:
Citrus | Berries | Cedar
Kicky and warm citrus notes. Balanced but some bits lurch on-ahead, others track those down. Meaning that there is a constant catching up to the sour bits by the chasing rest. Balance is achieved laboriously, then. The struggle is real but not unkind. Admirable if not plucky. Light and dark deliveries of zest ticks upon ticks. Wildberries THEY'RE CRAZY I TELL YOU! add to the bulging sour spectrum. Exotic spices seem to amplify that there, in a mixed manner. Orange marmalade. Certain notes of interest flit about, almost or just out of reach.
Kicky and warm citrus notes. Balanced but some bits lurch on-ahead, others track those down. Meaning that there is a constant catching up to the sour bits by the chasing rest. Balance is achieved laboriously, then. The struggle is real but not unkind. Admirable if not plucky. Light and dark deliveries of zest ticks upon ticks. Wildberries THEY'RE CRAZY I TELL YOU! add to the bulging sour spectrum. Exotic spices seem to amplify that there, in a mixed manner. Orange marmalade. Certain notes of interest flit about, almost or just out of reach.
A sharp mintiness catches ya on the way out and Bob's your uncle. Hot cocoa powder and cedar prior to that. Suede envelopes all the elses in golden earth. Nicely structured. Complex but on a bias and nuances are fleetingly shallow mere farts in the wind. Breezy and nonchalant. Pffft. The aroma seals this blend's win though; all sweet suede with nary a view of the sourscape. From the nose to the palate are toasted cereal grains and custard dalliances. White peppercorn keeps it all honest and almost anchored if not even-keeled, mainly. A sneaky sinewy Cafe au Lait steers.
The box-press rounds a 1/2" off char line. The line itself puckers here and there, mildly-so. Seams loosen a half-tick but hold. The pack holds as well, sans hard/soft spots. Excellent smoke out-put. Clumpy ash but not terribly-so. Draws well and good, up-to excellently. Cap does lose a bit of integrity but that doesn't hamper performance. After mid-point, almost at the final third, a transition occurs from less citrus to more berry. Grapes? Then to a wine-soaked uncorking and even a bit of astringency. All which would have been welcomed earlier on.
TASTE: B+
DRAW: A-
BURN: B
BUILD: B+
FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59
@kaplowitzmedia
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DRAW: A-
BURN: B
BUILD: B+
FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79 D 60-69 F 0-59
@kaplowitzmedia
Instagram | Twitter
::: very :::