This is a tough entry, because on one hand I have to savage a cigar and on the other hand, I have a cigar that really knocked it out of the park. Which is which, it's time to find out. I got some non-cuban cigars from a friend on Cigar Asylum, some cigars that I was REALLY curious about. How has the NC movement progressed since I went over to the darkside? There are people who swear by the Drew Estates Liga Privada line. To me, I am thinking, 'what is it that had been missing for so many years and has catapulted THIS cigar to the top tier?' People seem to put this right up there with havanas, or maybe they don't, I am not sure how people rate these or if it is just NC cigars they compare them to. This cigar CAN'T be riding simply on the strength of the vitola.
As you can tell, it's a fantastic shape for a cigar. The construction was top notch, the burn was great. But the flavor....it was the same as all the most common Nicaraguan power cigars. It's a flavor I still do not get. You get flashes of brilliance among plain old strong tobacco notes, acidic, rough, steamy smoke and boring flavor. I can get the exact same taste out of the Omar Ortez I reviewed a few months ago for 2.50 each and available everywhere. The Flying Pig is rare, pricey and coveted. I am not getting the difference. I have a few more vitolas of the Liga Privada line, and I certainly would not like to denigrate what my friend has done in answering my curiousity. I also think Drew Estate cigars can be great. But this smoke was more hype than flavor. I have no idea what was going on .
I also had a chance to smoke a cigar that had treated me equally as bad on previous occasions, but I thought time might have turned the tide. That is the Diplomaticos No.5 from 2008. Previous testings of these small cigars were just awful. Steamy, harsh, tasteless tobacco. I lit one up the night I arrived in Blowing Rock, and it exploded with coffee and toffee notes plus a hint of light tea and cinnamon. What a great little cigar.
I have handed these cigars out for years with apologies for what I thought might be not worth smoking, much less an example of a havana cigar. It was wrapped in a heavy fireproof wrapper and burned like a fuse. This time around, every single facet of it's flavor, performance, burn, ash...were perfect. I smoked this to the nub and enjoyed it, and wished I had another to back it up with. However, I gave that to the guys at Peabody Wine & Beer in Boone. They hooked me up with some great beers at some great discounts. This was a great trip to the mountains, with some great craft beers enjoyed and a few good cigars smoked. Here are a few pictures of some great views on the Blue Ridge Parkway......
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