The KC/DW Review Series

[King Catfish]

This was a very small (3.7 x 48), hard-packed perfecto, with a robust, dark aroma. I enjoyed it with a glass of water after lunch. The band was the classic Oliva cream-and-gold. I took a diamond file to my cutter to make sure it was sharp enough for the task; this cigar was so attractive that I did not want to screw it up. I have found Cameroon wrappers to be fragile, but this cigar did not show any fragility.

I toasted the tiny foot briefly, and upon lighting it, the wrapper was immediately assertive and somewhat sweet on the lips (this sweetness disappeared quickly); the smoke came out of the gate civilized and immediately gave the impression of complexity. The aftertaste at first was shallow and shy, but it seemed to hint at more to come; I felt as if I were tasting several things at once and could not immediately identify them all.

Smoke volume was low at first, which is understandable for such a tiny cigar; however, it continued to increase, and became quite impressive. The taste was subtly leathery and peppery; the body definitely mild (increasing to medium later). When lit the aroma was perhaps woody and, again, civilized.

When the cigar hit the widest part (at the end of the first third), the flavor started to explode, and the taste got strongly and pleasantly leathery, with a bit of a peppery, alkaline finish. Well into the second third a nutty flavor was starting to add to the mix. Pepper was ascendant in the middle third; however, no single taste predominated, and the flavor remained extremely well balanced. The aftertaste remained unobtrusive, but did increase enough to become notable in the last third.

In the final third it did not change so much as it became more completely itself, and I stuck with it until my fingers were burning. The ash was admirable throughout, and lay in the ashtray in two cylinders when I was done. If I did not handle my cigars so much, I suspect it would have been one long ash. I think the most telling aspect of this cigar was that instead of trying to find its best qualities, I had to search for something not to love about it.

Score: 19.05 (x5) = 95.25

An emphatic “Thank you!” to DeeDubya for this one. Part of my next paycheck is already earmarked for a few of these.