WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Sumatra
BINDER: Nicaraguan
FILLER: Dominican, Nicaraguan
FORMAT: Robusto
ORIGIN: Honduras (STG)
INTENSITY: Medium-full
NOTES:
Black pepper | Anise | Raisinets
The black pepper really steers from out-front but never scorches. Instead, it stays something quite a good-bit-like smooth especially when its edges soon get wrapped in a supple leather note. It keeps pulling a molasses note up to itself, as well. Anisette, and a lot of it, chases those notes down coming out of the opening act and it feels a bit like a horserace, this smoke. Savory hickory, toasted, lends structure, and all those notes splinter-off individually in delineation. Rye whiskey mash bill.
At the half, a diesel addition threatens but never really happens. Super-focused laser-so is predominantly on-par with one-another notes. It's a tick flat but so is a racetrack and the notes are in cars now. VROOOM VROOM BEEP BEEP. Not a lot of complexity or nuance but plenty of revving. Well-balanced enough but perhaps shy of operating in harmony. Chocolate-covered raisins perk-up in the 2nd-half adding a nice depth, as they stay a bit lower than the rest on the banking.
One might say ham-fisted but it's more apt to say petal to the metal. I taste fuel for a minute. I'm not sure if it's me getting carried away but this thing seems to burn fast. It does burn mostly evenly on a razor-thin line. Ash grows well. Assemblage holds. The draw tightens a half-bit via progression but the wind feels great in my hair and although I've never been a gearhead, fast is fun. Speaking of which, tell your mom I said hi. VROOM VROOM BEEP BEEP.
TASTE: B+
DRAW: A-
BURN: B+
BUILD: A-
FINAL GRADE: B+
A 90-100 B 80-89 C 70-79
::: very :::