My Week of Cigars: 4th to 10th October Sometimes less is more
In contrast to last week I have had a much quieter week of cigars. I was supposed to be doing another Instagram live interview on Monday, but with Facebook and associated sites going down this didn’t happen. Instead I took the opportunity to curl up and watch some films. That being said I have had some interesting and completely new to me cigars this week.
Wednesday 6th October – Gerard Limited Blend EEE Any Time Cigar
The first smoke in my week of cigars was given to me at a Cigar Club LDN meet-up. Doing a bit of research on this 4.5″ by 56 cigar I wasn’t able to find the blend. What I did find out was that it should be smoked at any time of the day, but enjoyed slowly. My final smoking time of 2 hours thirty minutes, I think that qualifies as smoking slowly.
This was an interesting cigar for various reasons. The wrapper was a lovely oily Colorado Maduro and it felt firm from head to foot. For a change, I used a clover cut and this revealed a very thick cap. The cold draw was quite easy and creamy and a bit sweet. Flavour wise, there were three very distinct sections that segued very subtly together.
The first third had notes of creamy leather with that underlying sweetness I tasted on the cold draw. Most notable about this portion of the cigar was the shape of the white ash. It stared canoeing then splayed right open like a flower. By the middle third, this odd burn had corrected itself ans the Gerard Limited Blend EEE Any Time Cigar took on a flavour of fresh hay and almonds. The change to the final third, was so subtle that I only really noticed with an inch left.
By this, the cigar had lulled me into a state of meditation. I became very aware of the light and clean texture of the smoke and how it floated languidly in the air. It tasted of ceder, sandalwood and frankincense. Burn issues aside, this was a very enjoyable smoke.
Thursday 7th October – El Viejo Continente The Circus Petit and Maduro Piccolo
My week of cigars was boosted on Thursday by a live Zoom launch and tasting organised by Mike Choi from Boutique Smokes with Daniel Guerrero from El Viejo Continente of two new cigars. The first was The Circus Petit – a new half corona that is a perfect short smoke for the winter. This small but mighty cigar packed quite the flavour punch and at no point did it feel like an insignificant cigar.
The second of the El Viejo Continente cigars was, quite literally, the little brother of the Maduro Lancero. The Maduro Piccolo uses the same blend as the Lancero and packs all the intricate flavours of the longer cigar into a neat little half corona package. My full review of these two cigars can be found here
Saturday 9th October – Liga Privada No. 9 Box Pressed
This might just be the cigar that changes my mind about Drew Estate. I’ve had a few different cigars from this brand before and haven’t always enjoyed them. This one on the other hand was amazing. The cigar itself was encased in a dark maduro wrapper that was smooth and left a moisturising oil on my fingers and lips. Aromas of leather and cedar enticed me to cut the cigar. The cold draw tasted of sweet hay, nougat and jasmine green tea. I really was looking forward to smoking this one.
The first third had notes of toffee, pine trees, vegetable stock, cream and sweet manure, all of which combined to create a divine opening salvo. The middle third was a little less complex with the fresh pine forest taking center stage with creamy orange and cedar playing a harmonious supporting roles.
Getting into the final third the wrapper started to become more of an oscuro colour. When I took the band off, it looked as thought it had been soaked in oil. Over the course of the cigar I had been retrohaling and there was nothing harsh or uncomfortable about the smoke. It formed beautiful tendrils as I released it into the air. The burn was perfect with a sharp black line separating the white ash from the rest of the cigar. This may very will be the best smoke I’ve had in this week of cigars. And coming in at 4.8, I reckon this will make my cigars of the year.
Did you know my website is entirely self-funded? I currently do this as a labour of love and am not sponsored by or affiliated to any of the cigar brands or retailers featured in my content. If you enjoy what you read here, please consider contributing to my next cigar review or article by donating an amount through my Buy Me a Coffee page. Thank you so much for your support x
