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El Rey del Mundo Tainos – Orchant Selection
Size: 7 x 47 (Churchill / Julieta No. 2)
Age: 2001
Smoke Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Source: C.gars
Drink: Water
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DSCN2374.jpg
WARNING! I GOT (VERY) CARRIED AWAY WITH THIS REVIEW!!!!!
Since it’s a sunny day and I haven’t had a cigar since Tuesday (cue miniature violins
), I decided to fire up one of my better smokes – an ERdM Tainos. I bought two of these as singles and had one as my special birthday smoke. I remember being incredibly impressed by it, but since I’d had a fair few drinks when I smoked it I couldn’t be sure that my opinion was unbiased. So I decided to smoke and review this one when stone-cold sober in the cold light of day.
Appearance: This is one ugly stick! Ok, so I’ve been smoking quite a lot of NCs recently and I’ve got used to shiny maduro wrappers and a bit of cheap bling, but even by Cuban standards this cigar wouldn’t win any beauty contests. If it was in the modelling business, it would only get work advertising brown paper bags!
The surface of the wrapper is covered in thick, ugly veins and has a gnarled, lumpy texture. It has a bit of discolouration and a few flaky patches. On the plus side, the cigar feels firm but springy all the way down. She’s ugly, but at least she’s up for it!
The pre-light draw unsurprisingly reveals a pronounced flavour of high quality tobacco and cedar with hints of citrus.
After sparking up, the first couple of puffs produce nothing but a bland tobacco taste. I’m on the verge of serious disappointment. Then something magical happens: The blandness gives way to an intense taste of grapefruit mixed with the resinous flavour of pine needles and the tiniest hint of mixed spice! This is glorious!
But there’s a slight problem. As if to remind me that pleasure comes at a price, the draw is a little too tight. Not uncomfortably so, but I’m having to puff a bit harder than I’d like to. This has the effect of teasing and tantalising me: the flavours are amazing, but I can’t quite get enough of them in each puff.
A few puffs later and the draw has opened up nicely. Now this cigar is showing itself in its full glory! The body is progressing from mild to medium, and I’m hit with a kaleidoscope of flavours! Grapefruit remains dominant, but the pine and mixed spice become deeper and richer. They are accompanied by the wholesome taste of buttered toast and the combined creaminess and acidity of sour cream.
As I move into the second third, the kaleidoscope becomes even more intense. I’m approaching sensory overload. Without picking up in strength, this cigar is seriously challenging my palate. I’m tasting flavours that I’ve never tasted before and I honestly can’t put a name to them all. I can still detect grapefruit, spices, pine, toast and sour cream. I’m also getting honey and dried herbs, but there are other flavours that I really can’t put my finger on. They are delicious, but I’m becoming sharply aware of my own inexperience and limitations as a reviewer. Sorry guys, I'm afraid that this is the best I can do.
After this intense taste sensation, the final third settles into something more sedate and familiar. At this point, familiarity is comforting. The grapefruit recedes into soft cedar, spice and herbs. I’m still experiencing awe at how amazing this cigar is as I start burning my fingers. It’s with a feeling of deep regret that I finally lay it to rest.
What more can I say? I can’t remember the last time that I’ve been this pleasantly surprised - no astonished, by a smoke. The Tainos catapults itself into my top 10 cigars and is a serious contender for my best ever smoking experience. I’ve fallen in love. If this cigar was a woman, you wouldn’t be immediately attracted by her looks, but she would turn out to be your soul mate!
Crashing back down to earth, I suppose that I’d better give this cigar a rating. After removing a few points for ugliness and a slightly tight draw to begin with, I can give it no less than 95 points. And C.gars has no more in stock!
Size: 7 x 47 (Churchill / Julieta No. 2)
Age: 2001
Smoke Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Source: C.gars
Drink: Water
DSCN2367.jpg
DSCN2374.jpg
WARNING! I GOT (VERY) CARRIED AWAY WITH THIS REVIEW!!!!!
Since it’s a sunny day and I haven’t had a cigar since Tuesday (cue miniature violins
), I decided to fire up one of my better smokes – an ERdM Tainos. I bought two of these as singles and had one as my special birthday smoke. I remember being incredibly impressed by it, but since I’d had a fair few drinks when I smoked it I couldn’t be sure that my opinion was unbiased. So I decided to smoke and review this one when stone-cold sober in the cold light of day.Appearance: This is one ugly stick! Ok, so I’ve been smoking quite a lot of NCs recently and I’ve got used to shiny maduro wrappers and a bit of cheap bling, but even by Cuban standards this cigar wouldn’t win any beauty contests. If it was in the modelling business, it would only get work advertising brown paper bags!
The surface of the wrapper is covered in thick, ugly veins and has a gnarled, lumpy texture. It has a bit of discolouration and a few flaky patches. On the plus side, the cigar feels firm but springy all the way down. She’s ugly, but at least she’s up for it!
The pre-light draw unsurprisingly reveals a pronounced flavour of high quality tobacco and cedar with hints of citrus.
After sparking up, the first couple of puffs produce nothing but a bland tobacco taste. I’m on the verge of serious disappointment. Then something magical happens: The blandness gives way to an intense taste of grapefruit mixed with the resinous flavour of pine needles and the tiniest hint of mixed spice! This is glorious!
But there’s a slight problem. As if to remind me that pleasure comes at a price, the draw is a little too tight. Not uncomfortably so, but I’m having to puff a bit harder than I’d like to. This has the effect of teasing and tantalising me: the flavours are amazing, but I can’t quite get enough of them in each puff.
A few puffs later and the draw has opened up nicely. Now this cigar is showing itself in its full glory! The body is progressing from mild to medium, and I’m hit with a kaleidoscope of flavours! Grapefruit remains dominant, but the pine and mixed spice become deeper and richer. They are accompanied by the wholesome taste of buttered toast and the combined creaminess and acidity of sour cream.
As I move into the second third, the kaleidoscope becomes even more intense. I’m approaching sensory overload. Without picking up in strength, this cigar is seriously challenging my palate. I’m tasting flavours that I’ve never tasted before and I honestly can’t put a name to them all. I can still detect grapefruit, spices, pine, toast and sour cream. I’m also getting honey and dried herbs, but there are other flavours that I really can’t put my finger on. They are delicious, but I’m becoming sharply aware of my own inexperience and limitations as a reviewer. Sorry guys, I'm afraid that this is the best I can do.
After this intense taste sensation, the final third settles into something more sedate and familiar. At this point, familiarity is comforting. The grapefruit recedes into soft cedar, spice and herbs. I’m still experiencing awe at how amazing this cigar is as I start burning my fingers. It’s with a feeling of deep regret that I finally lay it to rest.
What more can I say? I can’t remember the last time that I’ve been this pleasantly surprised - no astonished, by a smoke. The Tainos catapults itself into my top 10 cigars and is a serious contender for my best ever smoking experience. I’ve fallen in love. If this cigar was a woman, you wouldn’t be immediately attracted by her looks, but she would turn out to be your soul mate!
Crashing back down to earth, I suppose that I’d better give this cigar a rating. After removing a few points for ugliness and a slightly tight draw to begin with, I can give it no less than 95 points. And C.gars has no more in stock!
Those cigars don't seem to come up very often do they but when they do!!!
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