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I recently had the good fortune to trade with RevSmoke/Todd. He had posted a thread mentioning how he had lots of older cigars but hadn't been trying anything new lately and asked for suggestions. After discussing some of the stuff I like, I offered to send him some newer cigars and he agreed, provided he could send some cigars to me as well. He mentioned some of his cigars would be aged and boy, he wasn't kidding! I decided to start with the 2nd oldest cigar he sent me, which would be the :

2005 Kristoff Maduro Gordo

I did a little research before smoking this one so I knew what to expect and did to that, I was expecting a medium full bodied maduro. After lighting the cigar and taking a few puffs, I could tell that it certainly wasn't going to be a medium full smoke. Instead it was more of a mild-medium and built up to a pretty solid medium at the start of 2/3s. Boy what a difference 15 years makes!! Besides I don't really fault the blend or the age alone for the mildness, imo the gordo vitola makes for a much less intense smoke overall in comparison to robustos, coronas, etc.

As for the profile I the cigar, in a word it would be "smooth". In all honesty it's probably the smoothest smoking maduro I've ever had!! I really enjoyed the flavors at the start of the cigar, it bounced between coffee with cream, roasted peanuts, and a wonderful mustiness that I really appreciated. Not like a bad musty mind you, more like a lightly sweet mustiness that had a lot of earth to it, sort of a mix between the mustiness of an old cellar and the smell of the soil in a forest. Loved it!

2/3 in and unfortunately the more unique aspects have dissipated and the cigar has settled in to a more general earthy-creamy profile. Very pleasant mind you, however it just lacks the more subtle nuances of the first 1/3. While there was absolutely no pepper in the first 1/3, I'm finding there is a mild white pepper that is creeping in occasionally now, not at all intense but it has a long finish that sticks around and almost has a fizzy like zing reminiscent of a carbonated beverage.

Now entering the final 1/3, the white pepper is increasing slightly and the earthy profile is now being accompanied by some flavor of dark chocolate. The burn has been pretty even the entire duration up until now, where I've gotten a bit of a lip on one side, but burns away quite promptly. I can tell the blend is trying it's darnedest to reach medium full but father time is backhanding the blend with the power of 15 years as if to say "Nay!! Thee shall remain of a medium body!!" Still very smooth and the white pepper is subsiding, giving way to a lightly sweet almond & oats characteristic...there is also some black coffee and malted milk chocolate notes that make brief appearances. Now in the final 1 inch or so, I'm getting predominately black coffee but is accented with the occasional note of black licorice and also a perfume-y zest that is very pleasant! At this point the cigar draws to a close.

I'd like to humbly thank Todd for being so generous as to share such an old cigar with me, it was a blast to smoke and really fascinating to think about the time that passed for the cigar to smoke like it did today. I'd like to also thank you for reading this review and I hope Todd and I get to trade again someday down the road!! :-)
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Great review and you better keep your eye on Todd!!!!!
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Great review and actually, that is probably not much change in flavor as cigars 15 years ago had a vastly different definition of full.

Great review on the flavors and changes, hard to keep the focus on the nuances of a fine cigar.
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Excellent review, Michael, thank you. :-)
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Thanks for the positive feedback guys! :-)
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I will have to go to the humidor and see if there is another one there. Then I can review it and make a comparison from how it tasted when I first smoked them.

An aged cigar will have the flavors more nuanced -vs- more sharp when fresh. They might be called more subtle. To my tastes, what happens is the constituent flavor meld together when they age, they are not longer contending against one another and so there is more effort needed to taste those subtle nuances. Kind of like smoking a pipe and looking for flavors,

I would bet that the nic kick was still as strong.
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What? Why?
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Haha yeah, aside from being a pretty big cigar, there was definitely some noticeable nicotine, particularly at the end. Thanks again Todd for the great smoke!!
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I wondered about that. "Strong" cigars has had a change of definition in my lifetime of smoking. It has gone from strong being defined by the nic kick to, strong being defined as the flavors...ONLY!!!!.

I have had some strong cigars (flavor-wise) that have minimal nic kick, and vice versa. Oftentimes the strong flavors are not very complex.. other than strong, they have nothing to offer.

Personally, I prefer cigar with complexity, great flavors, AND... if they have a nic kick that is strong, that is a bonus. I want to enjoy my smoke, contemplating the complexity and enjoying the flavors - whether strong or not.

This EDrM with the tissue may or may not be strong, but I pray you can enjoy the wonderful sweetness, hints of cocoa, and wonderful flavors.

PAX
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Thanks for that heads up, I'll be sure to light it as the first cigar of the day so I have a better shot at appreciating those nuances! Hoping to get to it in the next couple weeks. :-)
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