during A quick last minute sweep through the humidor at tobacco row in bismark nd, I found what i was looking for: a random $5 stick that i had never heard of, so that i could take it home and light up with no knowledge of what i was in for. It actually sat waiting for a month before i got to it, but finally tonight i had a chance. I haven't done a review before, so I'm not going to act like this is really an organized review. I simply was happily surprised tonight and i would love to post a few comments and thoughts on my experience.
Looking at this cigar, i noticed it was in fact a box press, and it was small with large vains. it was packed pretty tightly but had surprisingly nice draw. smelled like hay, tobacco, and some hint of something tangy almost.
i lit it up and puffed away. the first 20 minutes were not the best start in my opinion, because the flavour was mainly a dull tobacco, and leather. Surprisingly, the leather wasn't bitter, so i suppose someone who likes that flavour would enjoy this one. I wasn't a big fan if this first flavour, but it quickly changed into a quite delightful taste. The leather backed off a bit, the tobacco flavour turned into a more aged flavor, and a creaminess blended the three well. This change happened very quickly. I would say in about three puffs. I became very content with the flavour, and began to relax a bit. The next change very slowly developed in the last third, and basically only changed the leather taste. I couldn't believe how the first 5 minutes of the cigar was pure leather, and towards the end it was just about all gone. It was overall about a 1 hour stick, it had two transitions, and it was low maintenance as it burned great. The ash fell off every 3/4 inch, but wasn't terrible. I really enjoyed the complexity of this stick because of its good price and its short burn. Over all it was a good experience, and i would recommend somebody else trying it. Thanks for reading!