Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Ventura Cigar Co. Archetype Sage Advice in Review "I Get Flowers & Dust"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Ventura Cigar Co. 
Archetype Sage Advice

WRAPPER: NSA & Habano seed hybrid
BINDER: Dominican San Vicente 
FILLER: Multi-country blend (as per Ventura Co. site)

FORMAT: Robusto (5.25x54)
ORIGIN: Occidental (Davidoff) Dominican Repuplic
INTENSITY: Mild-Medium

WEBSITE: www.StogieBird.com

NOTES:
Herbaceous | White pepper | Pale spice

Muffled & at times mumbled, at more times pleasantly pedestrian. Herbaceousness-forward. Sweetgrass parsley, maybe chive gambit. That, gently w/in a slight clotted cream. White peppercorn up&down, in&out. Spices are muted bits of white ginger, cardamom. Simply doesn't evolve or expand. No true delineation. I'm left wanting more of something. I get flowers & dust.

Undertones are somewhat lulling ticks of coconut cream, cocoa butter. Smokes a bit like a foggy daydream. Calm & easy, very smokeable, just not a wow in the whispered house. ::: very ::: smooth. Balance is achieved via an inseparable melange. Zero complexity but does exhibit an excellent layering of depth. That, structured by a supple cedar/terra cotta addition to pale earthen underbelly.

Draws well and smooth, albeit at rare times a little emptily. Burns on a rather uneven line that doesn't require a retouch. Built a bit light of 'baccy but seams, cap hold loosely. Aroma is sweet light tobacco, as is the moderate-length'd finish. A bit of salty suede clings to the cheeks. A soft meh of an experience. 

TASTE: B
DRAW: B+
BURN: B
BUILD: B+

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

Other Ventura reviews:

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Dunbarton T&T Cigars Sobremesa Brulee Blue in Review "Literally & Greasily"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Dunbarton T&T Cigars 
Sobremesa Brulee "Blue" 

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian CT Shade
BINDER: Mexican San Andres
FILLER: Nicaraguan

FORMAT: 6.25x46 pig-tail cap
ORIGIN: Fabrica de Tabacos Joya de Nicaragua, S.A.
INTENSITY: Medium

WEBSITE: www.dunbartoncigars.com

NOTES:
Caramel | Cashew | Cedar

& who doesn't like occasional sweet nothings whispered in their ear? & who doesn't like shouting at their TV as horses run down the stretch? This stick has a bit of both. Big cushy notes of buttery cedar, salted caramel sauce, cashew butter. Subtle intricacies of savory brushed suede, pale exotic spices, sunlit wildflowers. White pepper.

An experience to leave a sweet taste in your mouth as your mind wanders. Or, an opportunity to explore precise elusive depths. Suede carries a slight chicken coup & cereal grain. Spices include cardamom, white ginger, saffron. Wildflowers include distinct appley chamomile and grow around sweet herbaceousness & from damp clay soil.  

Creamy dreamy af. Somehow not cloying. Balanced well. Complexities & nuances run deep as addressed. Fairly-so, the cigar which classic blends of its ilk aspired to. Performance-wise, a half-tick wavy & quick to self-correct burn. Excellent pacing. Dense sheath ash. Tight assemblage. Bigly smoky. Aroma is all that (mentioned above) and the proverbial bag of chips... literally & greasily. 

TASTE: A
DRAW: A-
BURN: A-
BUILD: A

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

Other DT&T reviews:
kaplowitzmedia@mail.com

::: very :::

Monday, November 9, 2020

MBombay Cigars Corojo Oscuro in Quick Review

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

MBombay Tobak
Corojo Oscuro 

WRAPPER: Ecuadorian Corojo
BINDER: Ecuadorian Criollo 
FILLER: Dominican, Peruvian, Ecuadorian

FORMAT: Robusto (4.5x50)
ORIGIN: Tobaccos de Costa Rico
INTENSITY: Medium-Full

WEBSITE: www.stogiebird.com

NOTES:
Chocolate Fudge | Savory earth | Dark fruits 

TASTE: B+
DRAW: B
BURN: B
BUILD: B+

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

Other MBombay reviews:

Friday, November 6, 2020

Dunbarton T&T Cigars Mi Querida Triqui Traca No. 552 in Review "Powerful Dealings"

“Have you Kaplowitz’d to-day?”

Dunbarton T&T Cigars 
Mi Querida Triqui Traca No. 552

WRAPPER: Connecticut Broadleaf
BINDER: Nicaraguan 
FILLER: Nicaraguan, Dominican

FORMAT: Robusto (552)
ORIGIN: Nicaraguan American Cigar S.A. (NACSA)
INTENSITY: Full

WEBSITE: www.dunbartoncigars.com

NOTES:
Hickory | Red spices | Coffee

Wood. Hickory w/ a haunting thereafter seasoned cedar. Takes spices a draw or two to develop, then smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon nethers. Cayenne like a mofo via progression. A sweetness balances well; a thin molasses, cola thing. Coffee structures dryly, full city roasted beans. Focused near piercingly-so. Heighty but well-weighted, anchored. 

Anchored in earth, a darkly roasted umami-triggering top-soil. Teriyaki beef jerky, particularly on the bittersweet finish. Big legs. A salted minerality lives there. Sneaky complex for a dead-ahead offering. Deeply nuanced & cleanly-so. A robust yet crisp profile. Big notes, no cloying bits. A refined rustic quality. Although just rustic to the eye. Veiny w/ a solo pock-mark. Cap scans a bit short, askew. 

None of that hampers performance. Excellent smooth draw w/ a slight-nice resistance. Rolled firm, stays firm. Ash builds in a dense sheath. Big smoke out-put yields a dried red fruit aroma, eventually finding the palate. Leather, too. Burn-line itself is even-steven. A no-nonsense blend, trading some charisma for the sake of precision; which is an important thing in powerful dealings.

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