Finally got round to trying this Arturo Fuente - Hemingway - Work of Art (maduro, connecticut shade grown wrapper instead of the lighter cameroon wrapper on most of the Hemingways).
That is one fat bell end (60 ring gauge at its fattest point, 46 at its thinnest).
Just had a big black coffee so in the mood for a maduro. Starts out with slight cocoa, and a hint of the cinnamon sweetness that you get in the Cameroon-wrappered Short Stories, but adds a note of brooding dark earth. The good thing about these perfecto cigars is that you know that from just after you light up until you get over the hump, you will be tasting almost 100% wrapper so you know what that is contributing. The bad thing is that you will probably have to correct the burn line because humps don't burn straight. Once over the hill, there is quite a bit more cocoa coming into it, and a bit of dark ghana-style chocolate as well - slightly bitter but not fruity. And plenty of coffee grinds. The trademark cinnamon grows a bit and a rich mouthful of cedar and other woodiness in there, finished off with a drying spicy white pepper (is that szechuan pepper Scott?) with hints of paprika. The resulting thick grey smoke actually has a bit of coffee aroma, which is unusual, but is also intensely sweet smelling as with its shorter cousin. Very satisfying package.
Into the last third and pepper grows. The end turns dark'n'broody again but with little sweetness and more meatiness. Now would be the time to fetch a peaty whisky or some such. I have a 16y.o Tomintoul on hand, a bit light for the job (sweet with a touch of stonefruit and apple).
All in all, the 1st half was top drawer, and the 2nd average, dusty and peppery. Pretty typical and a game-of-two-halves profile that it shares with the Hemingway short stories and the Ashton VSGs we once had. All of these have dominican filler... is there a common theme here? (maybe we should start reviewing them like the gimmicky Cigar Aficionado magazine and only smoke the first inch!!!). Anyway with an inch to go it dies out on me and i'm happy to leave it at that...
Dayum! Knowing how big that ashtray is puts that's cigar into perspective!
ReplyDeleteAre you's a-tryin to git the A-postrophe nazi's on our tail's? Them darned puncturation freaks' have A-postrophe's and Q-otation marks stuck so far up their Colons' that when anyone, anywhere, doesn't use 'em right, they's a come-out of the woodwork like injuns' and hound you until your arse is the one puncturated, sure as hell!
ReplyDeleteAre you's a-tryin to git the A-postrophe nazi's on our tail's? Them darned puncturation freaks' have A-postrophe's and Q-otation marks stuck so far up their Colons' that when anyone, anywhere, doesn't use 'em right, they's a come-out of the woodwork like injuns' and hound you until your arse is the one puncturated, sure as hell!
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