RealFreakinCigarReviews

If there was EVER a compelling reason to start smoking cigars, Bad Dog cigars has the incentive package to beat all incentive packages with their current poster promotion.  As Jack Nicholson said it best "that girl's enough to put steam in a man's stride."  I mean seriously!

And no, the above picture ain't the poster I'm talkin' about.  It can be found here :).

Initial Thoughts

Ok... Rhodesian wrapper...  I'm certainly open to new things.  Change/hope, isn't that what this year is all about anyway?  I will say this: if this cigar smokes anywhere near as good as it looks, I'm in for a definite treat.  In terms of the cigar itself, it appears to be well constructed; I'm not finding any soft spots.  Sniffing the cigar gives an earthy and sweet smell to it; I even asked the Mrs. to take a whiff, and even she said it smelled pretty pleasant... coming from her, thats a pretty damned high compliment.

Now before I get into the actual review, lemme say a few words here.  I've read a couple of other review sites, who have said things like "this cigar is from a sponsor, so I'd like to give it a good review..."  Now, if thats your cup of tea, by all means, read them.  As far as I'm concerned, I don't give a flying fuck if it was JC and the boys who gave me the stick, I'm gonna smoke it like I bought it myself, and if its good, I'll say its good, if its a dog turd and falls apart while I'm smokin' it, I'm gonna say so.  I don't cook, so I can't say a stick tastes of "anise" or some other crap.  What I can tell ya, is whether or not the stick is actually worth the experience -- did I find myself truly relaxing and enjoying the experience, or is it something that doesn't bear repeating.  I understand there are sites out there that pride themselves in being able to describe every nuance of flavor; this ain't one of 'em.  Not that I don't have a good sense of taste and smell; I actually do.  I do not, however, have any experience as a professional chef, so I couldn't tell ya what anise, baking spices, and the difference between white and black pepper are.  For the record, yes, I do know Anise seeds have a strong licorice taste... but I digress.

Having gotten my undies all in a bunch with my little rant, I'll focus on finding my center, and be thankful for the little things... such as the fact that in spite of gaining weight, my XL sponge-bob-squarepants boxers still fit.  In the era of transparency and accountability, I'll say that I'm not wearing transparent clothes (that would scar the kids for life), but I was in fact given this cigar by the baddogcigar company.  (Actually they sent them to Ash, but he felt that perhaps he should actually give one to me, since the review would actually get done). [Just teasin' Ash!]

The Smoke

Ok... it's only noonish, so I suppose its too early to have anything to drink with this cigar.  I don't want to risk my loonie mother calling me, asking me what I'm doing and have my response be "havin' scotch and a cigar..." That would most likely warrant a phone call to the ex-wife to say I'm an alky, so I'll avoid that at all costs.  Diet coke it is :).

I was pleasantly surprised by the sweetened cap, noted as I moistened it prior to using my punch cutter.  The first couple of puffs gave me an interesting contrast, between the sweetness, and the earthy and decently strong peppery flavor that shows up with each puff.  As I'm approaching the 1/3rd point, I'm seeing some unevenness with the burn.  Nothing requiring a touch up, but it is noticeable.

At the 1/3rd point, I'm noticing a hint of toasted nuts, and the pepperiness has become a little more subdued.  Thus far, I'm enjoying myself; nice flavor, easy draw, plenty of smoke.

I'm now just a smidge over the 2/3rd point, still have plenty of flavor, although it seems to have lessened a bit.  After rotating the cigar a little, I corrected the burn issue, so thats no longer a problem.  So far, I'm liking this cigar; medium to mild with decent flavor and complexity.I'm enjoying this cigar, as obviated by the fact that its been just shy of an hour; I'm taking my time with it; not babying it per-se, just enjoying it..

And I'm all the way down to the nub; a truly good smoking experience.

The Rating