It’s once time again for another issue of Brian’s The Week In Smoke. In case this is your first Week in Smoke, be advised that it covers many (though not necessarily all) of the cigars I’ve smoked in the past week (or the past month, or however long it has been since the last issue), along with a couple of quick thoughts that came to me at the time. These are not full cigar reviews, but quick blurbs based on a single smoking experience. As such, they may be influenced by the natural variations that occur from one cigar to another. Your mileage may vary. (If I know the cigar well enough to comment, I may mention if an experience strays from what understand to be the norm.)
An appearance in The Week in Smoke does not preclude nor guarantee a future in-depth review. Whenever possible, I’ve linked to more a thoughtful and thorough review of the cigar in question. (Or maybe I’ve linked to a photo of Jerry The ‘Stache. You won’t know until you click.) Enjoy!
Curivari Achilles
I’ve been carrying this Curivari Achilles around in my travel humidor for weeks, waiting for the right time to smoke it. This was my first one, and I wanted to give it a fair shake, not wedge it in sometime when distractions and interruptions were likely. It took a while but I found the right time this week. Once lit I noted woody, earthy and nutty flavors with some spices but also some bitterness. It wasn’t a bad cigar, but it’s not the best of the Curivari offerings.
EP Carrillo Dark Rituals
I’m not generally a fan of catalog exclusives, but possibility of a reincarnated EP Carrillo Dark Rituals seemed to good to pass up. I don’t know if it’s quite as good as the 2011 original, but it was a very enjoyable smoke. It had plenty of chocolaty, leathery and peppery flavor with spices and occasional notes of vanilla and fruity sweetness. I’m glad I pulled the trigger. I’ll bet they age well too.
La flor Dominicana LG Diez Oriental 2012 **
It’s hard to beat a well aged LG Diez. They’re fine smokes right off the truck, but they keep getting better with time. To date, I’ve never had one that rested too long. Then again, I rarely hang onto them long enough to find out. This one was as to be expected- meaty, spicy, leathery, peppery and grassy with a nice touch of sweetness. In my notes I wrote “it’s a muscular, sexy smoke”. I don’t know exactly what that meant, but it seems appropriate somehow.
Quesada Keg
The Quesada Keg was also on tap this week, though unfortunately it didn’t occur to me to pair it with a Guinness. I can see might go well with a stout or some other malty beer. I picked up coffee, chocolate, earth and pepper with some sweeter, tart fruit notes. I’ll have to remember to buy another Keg and grab a beer to go with it, for science. (If you’ve tried the pairing, leave a comment below and let me know how it was.)
Re+United by Ernesto Perez-Carrillo & Michael Giannini
I really should spend more time keeping on top of the latest cigars out there, but great cigars like the Re+United by team Perez-Carrillo and Giannini keep pulling me back. It’d be easier to resist if they weren’t nearly gone. That new thing can wait a day or two, you may not have another chance to buy one of these. I don’t really have anything new to add to what I’ve said in the past- oodles of rich delicious flavors, and still worth buying by the box if you can find them.
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* Big Brother would have you know these cigars were gifts or free samples, and that my opinions on them is suspect. My opinions (and this millimeter accumulation of snow) are my own, your response to them is your own. All your base are belong to us.
** I have too many smokes, and this denotes that the smoke in question has been sitting in one of my humidors for at least a year, and thus qualifies as “aged”. If my collection continues to grow, the chances are good I’ll be on that Discovery Channel show about people who hoard stuff and face eviction.
Some of the pictures in Brian’s The Week In Smoke first appeared on twitter or instagram. If you’d like to see these lists constructed in real time, follow Brian on twitter or instagram. If you don’t, you’ll make the Fail Whale cry. And he’s ugly when he cries.
