avantgrade purchased this cigar on 2010-05-22.
It has 6 months of additional aging.
For a value-line stick, this one can hold its own with any mild cigar.
Upon lighting, toasty notes of cedar emanate along with other woodsy nuances. The flavor is very pleasing on the palate and through the nose. While not overpowering, the flavors appear very full and are complemented well by a slight sweetness coming from the wrapper of the cigar.
Burning right along, I start to pick up more of the earthy notes. They are pretty light, turning towards hay once in a while. There is also a substantial leather undertone, adding to the pleasant complexity of the smoke.
The draw is exceptionally smooth, and I find that a light draw complements a mild-bodied cigar like this one very well. Smoke is plentiful and snow-white in color, carrying a pleasant cedar aroma.
While the cigar is fairly long, it does burn pretty fast, maybe a little too fast. In parts, some of the wrapper blisters up as the heat appears to build quickly. This comes and goes the cigar goes on, becoming more evident closer to the end.
The flavor profile has not changed much, still playing off of the woodsy nuances, adding espresso notes to the mix.
As for the ash, it holds fairly well, but nothing impressive enough to write home about, which is expected of a smaller gauge vitola.
I am really enjoying the clean and crisp finish that accentuates each toasty puff. It is a good balance of feel and flavor.
I only wish I would have been able to come closer to finishing every last morsel of this stick, but the burn did get much too hot, overwhelming the inherent flavors.
Still, for less than 2 dollars a stick, this bundled cigar stood its ground well.