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NUB LIMITED EDITION 2009
First a little background in this cigar. I received this cigar on June 25th, 2009 at the NUB event in Monona, WI. From what the “Josh the rep” told me, this is a Limited Edition cigar; only 3000 were made and are in circulation. It came in a plastic tube and was not humidified for however long they had been distributing them. So, after a month and ten days or so, I decided that she was back to “smoke-able status” and deserved a death by fire. Here’s how it went:
Pre-Light
Appearance: The doubled wrapper is thin in both the maduro and Connecticut shades. The maduro has some medium sized veins running through it and the cap is a bit rough. This could be due to the drying out and re-humidification process. After cutting, I found the draw to be free with some slight resistance and the pre-light flavor to be of tobacco and caramel.
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1st Third
Initial puffs: Got a nice creamy coffee flavor with a hint of spice. The spice mellowed out and as I continued through the first third, the roller coaster began…
First, this cigar tasted exactly like the NUB Maduro, with strong coffee and cream notes; shortly thereafter there was a transition where the cigar had muted coffee and cream notes while flavors of wood took over with a dry finish. This was pushed back again by earthy notes along with more dry-ness. Remember, this is only halfway through the first third. Not two puffs later and the creaminess returned along with his friends; cocoa, caramel and a woody finish.
I’m simply exhausted from all these twists and turns. This is one of the most complex cigars I’ve ever smoked!
At this point in time I made note of the burn: wavy, and running along one side. I touched it up with my torch, and moved along into the end of the First third. Here the predominant flavor was the wood notes with a finish of cream, sweet earth, and slight bitterness that some smokers get from Connecticut shade wrappers. The body is firmly in the mild range.
Whew. On to the 2nd third.
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2nd Third
It was here that I really noticed the aroma of the cigar: sweet tobacco with a caramel topping! The flavors are starting to blend together a bit with a predominant wood and earth flavor. At this point the cigar was running again (hmmm… a re-occurring theme maybe?) so I touched her up.
About halfway into the 2nd third a maduro “earthiness” mixed with wood and slight bitterness on the finish. Two puffs later the bitterness was gone. (I think I was smoking too fast…) By the end of the second third there was a well balanced mix of wood and earth with creamy finish and MORE bitterness. (By now I’m slightly confused.)
Last Third
I decided to begin the last third with a purge (hoping it would clear out the bitterness). Well it certainly cleared it out… along with everything else. There was a slight “sugary cream” flavor I could detect, but the cigar had flat-lined and was very bland. I decided it was time to let her go.
Final Thoughts: Although it took a while for this cigar to get her bearings, it developed beautifully into a well balanced cigar. Had it not been for “user error” with the purge, I think this cigar could have been a real knockout! Best barber pole cigar I’ve ever smoked!
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Worth a try: Yes
Buy Again: If I could ever find another one…
Enjoyability: High
Comparable cigars: NUB Maduro, NUB Connecticut
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