A ceremony carries with it the connotation of something special, set apart, not an everyday occurrence, sacred even (perhaps that's redundant). Every once in a while I get to engage in a a very sacred, ceremonial act which is very dear to me. It always involves one or more of three of my immediate family members, my two older brothers and my dad. The item the ceremony centers around is of ancient construction and venerable esteem. On special and rare occasions this ceremony is reenacted and serves as a real means of common and special enrichment to my being.
I had the opportunity to spend a few days with my Pacific Northwest brother which afforded us the opportunity to fulfill our ceremonial obligations. Knowing all to well the liturgy involved in the occasion Jeremy and I made our way down to a new local smoke shop and spent some time and mental energy deciding on the appropriate vestments for the occasion We had a lovely conversation with the keeper of the shop who was very knowledgeable of his merchandise and was able to make some profitable recommendations. This led me to purchase a cigar which I had never tried nor heard of. I came home with a Via Havana Maduro in a Torpedo shape.
I had the opportunity to spend a few days with my Pacific Northwest brother which afforded us the opportunity to fulfill our ceremonial obligations. Knowing all to well the liturgy involved in the occasion Jeremy and I made our way down to a new local smoke shop and spent some time and mental energy deciding on the appropriate vestments for the occasion We had a lovely conversation with the keeper of the shop who was very knowledgeable of his merchandise and was able to make some profitable recommendations. This led me to purchase a cigar which I had never tried nor heard of. I came home with a Via Havana Maduro in a Torpedo shape.
This was an enjoyable smoke and I will go ahead an say it is one I wouldn't mind having around for a go to stick. It isn't extremely complex. The maduro wrapper has a great taste and imparts a sweet and smooth flavor to the cigar. On top of that the wrapper is aged with a brown sugar mixture. I usually don't go for that kind of thing but it didn't take anything away from the smoking experience other than giving it the most subtle sweetness on the palette.
The foot toasted well and burned quite even until about the last third of the cigar. The foot of cigars is usually spicy and tends to mellow out getting closer to the middle. I found that this cigar was mellow from the start barely changing in character throughout the smoke.
My one criticism has to do with the rolling job on the cigar. Hand rolled cigars are subject to error so you can expect every once in a while to get one not rolled perfectly. This one smoked well until the last third of the cigar. The roll was loose and would not stay lit though I was smoking it consistently. The ash also dropped off exposing an almost hollow inside indicating a botched rolling job. It is going to happen but when you are paying $8.00 a stick you expect high quality every time.
All in all I would recommend this cigar to the casual and occasional smoker giving it a 8.5 out of 10 for price, flavor and all around quality.
Might I add that The Glenlivet 12 year is an excellent malt to drink with this cigar. Subtleties in flavor are exposed which do not come out when drinking alone. The single malt becomes very smooth and the vanilla really pushes through acting as a palette cleanser throughout the smoke. Good stuff!