Kind of a milestone day for me today so thought I'd break out a special cigar and whisky. Decided to break away from form with a non-Cuban. I'm known to smoke 1 or 2 from time to time for a change of pace and this is one of those.
Following some prime dry-aged NY strips cooked to a perfect rare medium rare for 6 minutes at 1000 degrees on the Green Egg with cast-iron grate, baked potato, green beans Amandine and a 2006 Chateau Milene St. Emilion Bordeaux Gran Cru.
The drink:
Signatory Cask Strength Collection 12 year Single Malt Caol Ila 1992 - Cask 04/0794, Bottle 29/265, 56.4%abv in a Glencairn glass, splash of spring water.
The cigar:
Don Pepin Garcia 10th Anniversary (Limited Edition 2013) Toro - 6.5" with a 52RG
The wrapper is 2009 Ecuadorian Habano Seed. The binder and filler tobacco are Nicaraguan, composed with Pelo de Oro tobacco.
Comes in boxes of 14 coffins with the inscription "The hand that started it all" on the top. Total of 2500 boxes produced.
9:15 start - blast of pepper as expected but not with the normal intensity for a DPG. Leather, cedar, cocoa out of the gate.
Full, full, full - body, strength and flavor! Well, not quite as full as most Don Pepin's, actually a bit more refined.
White pepper on the retrohale though not overpowering.
Creamy and oily, rich and tasty. Prodigious smoke production.
The scotch is oily, smoky, oaky and honeyed - I find these to be a very nice pairing.
The DPG 10th is a perfectly constructed cigar, high sheen on a silky colorado maduro wrapper with barely visible seams or veins.
Consistent firm feel end to end and the ideal draw, just a touch of resistance. Well packed foot and a beautiful triple cap.
Ash is a not quite white, burn is even and razor sharp.
My primary (and maybe only) drawback so far is the bit ostentatious band, 1.75" long royal blue and gold with a red crown and accents.
Given the occasion I guess it can be forgiven. Reads Don Pepin Garcia - 10th Anniversary - Limited Edition on the front with his signature, Jose Pepin Garcia, across the back. Comes in a varnished coffin.
An inch in, ash holding firm, I am getting nuts, cherries and bittersweet dark chocolate and the pepper has subsided - this is like a Neuhaus Belgian praline on steroids.
1st ash drops at 9:45, firm and flaky like a a mature Habanos. How'd he do that!
Getting a little dryness on the palate though the Scotch being cask strength may have a little to do with it. Glass of icewater on the side should help with that.
2nd ash drops at around 10PM as I begin to enter the 2nd third. Burn is still perfect.
Starting to get some toasty notes with cedar, a little white pepper makes a reappearance, burn is off just a bit though not significant.
I'm listening to a shuffle of jazz, blues, zydeco and early classic rock on Pandora, not much else to distract me than typing my impressions while enjoying the cigar.
There are hints of cocoa though fruit and sugar have dropped off, a little more pepper through the nose now.
Leather, a little bread, almond creep in.
Still some astringency while the oiliness and creaminess of the first third have pretty much dissipated. An hour into it now and still not quite halfway, this is a well burning creation.
3rd ash drops at 10:30, still 3" to go! Flavors beginning to become a bit muted, hope it doesn't drop off from here, I've been quite enjoying it so far.
Pouring a second dram of Scotch, butterscotch. Not as oily as a Lagavulin nor as peaty as a Laphroaig, no iodine to speak off but still hints of sea air. Quite a nice expression from the Islay boys, shame this one's not an easy find and I'm running low.
The strength of the cigar is starting to pick back up now, spicy nose, spicier on the tongue. More cedar, leather, the drying sensation has dropped off now entering the final third.
Wife just dropped a bit of quesadilla on me, beef, cheese, green chili salsa - she likes the late night snack, nice interlude, great wife.
Palate refreshed I'm now getting some honeyed notes, richer, earthy, creamy again.
A little more cocoa and fruitiness returns toward the finale. More pepper through the nose, no bitterness (slow smoking helps with that), Hmm. hint of citrus, salty and touch sweet at the end.
Strength surprisingly tails off at the very end leaving a nice clean finish with tastes of nuts and malt.
I set it down at 11:15 to extinguish with an almost 2" inch ash still holding - quite impressive!
A highly complex and changing cigar from beginning to end, one I would recommend trying regardless your predilection.
Aside from that dip between the 2nd and last thirds, this has been an outstanding smoke that's kept me interested for 2 hours. Not bad at all for a Nic Toro.
Besides the La Aurora Cien Anos Edicion Especial Robusto Maduro, and it's close, this is probably the top NC I've smoked this year. Highly recommended.
I'd picked up this stick at a local shop where I met a friend at a couple of weeks back as courtesy to the proprietor, glad I did. Contemplating a box to see how these develop, seems to go in the neighborhood of $20 a stick.
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