Cigar: Gurkha Micro Batch Liga VH-7
Companion drink: Water. Nothin' fancy here, folks.
Look of the stick was impressive. Dark wrapper, nice sheen, no huge veins nor abundance of veins in general, no empty spots far as I could tell. There was an area where the wrapper had flaked off, but it was very small and singular.
Aroma of the cigar was nice, earth and leather, almost a given. The cut was easily done, though I noticed the wrapper was a tad crumbly, but it was only barely. Pre-draw was interesting, already spicy with a little nuttiness, though vague it was. Smooth, almost perfect light, and a fair amount of smoke to boot! The draw was also loose, almost too lose, but still comfortable.
Now here is where it got a little unpleasant. The first few puffs were okay. Nothing too interesting, earth, leather, slight nuttiness here and there, and a fairly strong pepper finish, though not nearly as smooth as i would have hoped. First third proceeded as such.
Second third things got much more peppery on the finish, and the leathery taste took a fairly strong lead over all else. Burn became uneven, though it sort of realigned itself after a bit. Complexity of flavor was lost at this point, and I became very very bored. Aftertaste was horrible, almost of gasoline at some points. Though strangely enough, there were sporadic puffs that were somehow fairly smooth, complex and nutty again. Unfortunately, these were far and few between.
Near the end of the 2nd third I let it go out on its own. I was more than finished. I do think that perhaps a more appropriate companion drink would have brought out some of the better flavors and perhaps helped this stick, though I am pessimistic.
In conclusion, I will most likely never smoke one of these again, though it is possible I had a sub-par stick. May attempt again in the future, though certainly not the near future.
Note: never before have I had to brush my teeth after a cigar to get rid of an unpleasant taste. I hope I don't have to again.
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