Wrapper: Honduran Maduro
Binder: Mexican
Filler: Nicaraguan, Panamanian, & Proprietary Secret filler
Vitola: Toro 6 x 52
The box declares 'aged 5 years'. Alarm! That sounds like a long time to sit in storage, not counting the time from factory to doorstep.
The evening of the day the cigars arrived in the mail, against my better judgement, I eagerly sampled one of the box.The cigars were somewhat hard and dry. I pulled one out of its cellophane wrapper. A slight dry aroma. But not much. I was immediately concerned that flavour would have dissipated. I was wrong. It was smooth and tasty, rivalling some of the more expensive maduros: Liga Privada Ratzilla, for example. I must revisit that cigar to make a better comparison.
Since I bought this box, in part, after reading Phil Kohn's review, I'll quote a few passages.
"The wrapper color is so dark, that it looks like a hunk of coal."
Mine are not. They are more of the deep brown I would associate with maduro, or perhaps a shade lighter in the colorado maduro shade.
"I clip the cap to find aromas of much muted smells."
I concur. The dry aromas are indeed muted.
"The draw is good. There are big flavors aboard. Very spicy from red pepper. Big doses of leather and cedar. A wonderful, strong sweetness."
I concur.
"The char line is all wavy. But not out of control."
Agreed. No touch ups required.
I wouldn't call it a ball breaker. I'd still put it at medium body and medium strength. But I'd like to confirm that after a few more dips into the box over the next few weeks, after the batch has had time to settle into its new home.
"This is a cigar that Patel got right. The price point is perfect. And it is a real experience. I can’t begin to count how many higher priced cigars are out there that don’t come close to the flavor profile and sophistication of The Edge."
This is a good point. There are many maduros that don't have the depth and complexity of this one. A pleasant surprise. Yet this cigar is not expensive. I bought mine for $3.90 each, the cheapest cigars in my collection. The customs man passed them through without duty. (Maybe he thought that I was a good customer deserving of a freebie once in a while :P.)
A fine looking stogie. Didn't disappoint.
Good to the nub
2. November 7th, 2020
Eight days later I revisit the batch. I notice the mellow tea-like dry aroma. The dry draw is spicy. I contemplate the footer. I suppose, now that white gloves are redundant, the most effective place for a band, if one were to have any efficacy beyond decoration, would be on the foot. It protects the foot. It facilitates immediate removal to reveal the naked cigar. I usually remove the cigar band as soon as I light up. The band is a distraction.
This is a very mellow-flavoured cigar with a slight sweetness. The purported five years aging has removed any harshness. The dry-draw pepper is not present in the smoke. The aftertaste is clearly maduro. It reminds me of the refined maduro of that last box of Vegueros Entretiempos that I polished off earlier this year: a very mild to medium start without any peppery influence. But a very fine aroma. If aroma could be described with body, this is full bodied aroma.
I'm taking it slowly. The middle builds up a little body. The finish lengthens. The final third builds more body. Now we're approaching full body. I'm at a leisurely one hour and twenty minutes. I'm reminded now of the Liga Ratzilla. Smoke output is intense. Burn is excellent, razor sharp. No touch up required until the nub, which is a deep, complex elixir, un-put-downable.
Haydn rules
This is a mostly Haydn year. I've been listening to all of the 68 string quartets and attempting to become just as familiar with the 108 symphonies. (The first month of the year was devoted the six quartets of Bartok, which took as much listening effort as twenty Haydn quartets. But that's another story.)
Tonight I'm revisiting the quartets op. 33, the so called Russian Quartets. Number 1 of the set of six is in B minor. It's one of only two of the 68 in that key. Both the B minor are gems.
Number one starts with an Allegro Moderato. It's a stately movement, with lots of emphatic pauses, a bit of dramatic tension, a few aggressive chords and a little fugato thrown in. The second movement is a rollicking scherzo, punctuated by an effete, but brief, menuet. The first two movements together might have been an inspiration for Beethoven's op. 95, Serioso Quartet.
The third movement is a dainty interlude in triple time in ABA form. The B subject has a little tension. But the mood is gentle, soothing and lyrical.
And then the finale; one of Haydn's greatest movements; a feverish rondo, played in feather light presto with rapid-fire questions and answers. I'm listening to Cuarteto Casals. They play the repeat on the final section. Just when you expect the movement to end they start up again. It's too good to end. The first violin slurs the final notes in the tiny coda and the movement comes to a skidding end.
Number 2, The Joke, is probably the most famous of the set.
The first movement is, as the marking suggests, moderate. The Scherzo is a dainty dance. Nothing But the Largo is outstanding, with a mournful opening statement by the cello echoed by the other strings. It's in AB form, with a strident second subject that settles back into the first theme. Inspiration for Mozart's Hunt Quartet or perhaps the magical G minor Quintet?
The final movement is the most celebrated with its notorious almost a complete measure rests confusing the listener.
Number 3, The Bird, with chirping in the first movement and in the Allegretto of the second movement.
No chirping in the Adagio, but we return to the chirping and chattering in the finale, with a cute staccato in the first violin accentuated by a simple c major triad on the beat by way of accompaniment and doubled up in the third measure.
One of my piano teachers, Eric, taught me to count like this:
"One and two and,one-e-and-a two and,one-e-and-a-two-e and-a,one-e-and-at two-and..."
3. November 26th, 2020 back home at Eelswamp
After a disappointing Liga Privada Ratzilla (see separate post), the night before, I decided to test a stogie from the same humidor as the dud. The RP Edge Maduro Torpedos was quite hard. I think there's an issue with my humidor. I added some moisture despite the reading of 74%. I prefer my cigars to have a little squeeze. I'll check the humidor again to make sure it's not too moist. (I usually check humidity twice per day.)
So to the cigar in question. It was bone hard but there was no other sign of dryness. No exfoliation (cracks) and the wrapper still gave off an oily reflection in the lamp light; remarkable considering it is at least five years old. The initial pepper burst, which I like, gave way to a smooth, occasionally creamy, medium bodied delight. Aroma, like the flavour, was rich and complex.
Finish was long and satisfying. That's an import quality. When reflecting on the Liga of last night, the finish was almost non existent. A lingering taste sensation gives the smoker something to chew on and contemplate, slowing down the pace of smoking and giving a longer smoking session. I'm not sure how long the cigar lasted. Well over an hour. I listened to two podcasts about Xenophon.
Verdict: satisfying
Two Podcasts about Xenophon
Xenophon was one of the coolest dudes of the ancient world. He was an Athenian, a student of Socrates and an aristocrat.
Somewhere around 400 and something BC, he signed up with an army of ten thousand mercenaries to go to war with Cyrus the Younger, to overthrow his brother, Artaxerxes II, the current king of Persia. Things were going well until Cyrus the Y. decided to make a charge at his brother, ending in his death. After the death of the leader, the Persians cunningly invited all of the Greek generals and their captains to a banquet, where the promptly slaughtered them.
The first podcast, on the channel, Ultraworking, focused on the role of Xenophon at this point and his epiphany in the moment of despair. Leaderless, the soldiers were in total disarray, sitting around all night, not sleeping, not lighting fires, totally demoralized, waiting to be slaughtered by their enemy.
Xenophon was just a young man, in his early twenties according to Ultraworking and holding no rank in the army. He broke out his despair and seized the moment to rally the troops. He led them out of the enemy's land and home to Greece over the course of a year or two.
The moral of the story on this podcast is the effect of morale on soldiers. All were waiting to be slaughtered. But one among them suddenly had a bolt of moral strength and roused his fellows, saving them in the process.
4. January 31st, 2021. This cigar was soft and a bit squishy, unlike the sample smoked on 26th November, which was bone hard. Burn was wavy and needed two or three touch ups throughout the 85 minute indulgence.
This cigar was not the 'smooth and creamy medium bodied delight' of two months ago. It was pleasant, with good aroma, medium body, but flavour was a bit thin and finish not long and satisfying. Flavour dwindled during the final third to a rather simple, slightly bitter, earthy (dirty) flavour with a little spice. Overall, a pleasant hour and twenty minutes.
5. April 5th 2021: I like this cigar despite its shortcomings: goes out easily, burn is irregular, flavour dissipates. So what do I like? First, this was a very solid cigar. It felt weighty in the hand. It was also quite shiny, despite being touted as 5-years old. So not all of those oils had disappeared from the wrapper. If anything, this stick appeared more oily than some of the previous ones. Draw was easy throughout. Flavour was a bit thin, but still adequate to satisfy. It had that dirty maduro taste which some call 'earthy'. Perhaps a bit of something else. But it was mainly 'maduro taste'. The cigar was smooth throughout with a medium body. There was no bitterness or ammonia. Strength was good: there was just enough to feel slightly entranced while listening to a podcast. A good 85 minutes.
I listened to Brad Harris, Context podcast, talking about Barbara Tuchman's massive Tome, 'A Distant Mirror', which is about the collapse of civilization during the 14th century due to the intense cold weather of the early part of the century, famine, the Black Death of 1347 - 1351, plus or minus a year or two, and the Hundred Years War. Harris did a good job of describing the absolute bleakness and hopelessness of that period. What he didn't get right was the decline of chivalry into marauding of citizens who expected to be protected and the oppression of the lower classes with taxes to pay for their follies; wars that ended with disaster. He also fails to mention that vanity of the knight class led to their failure: lack of cohesion in battle and contempt for foot soldiers and archers. It was only in the early 15th century, when Charles VII established a standing army comprising mostly 'the oppressed classes' that the British were finally routed from France and the war came to an end.
6. June 17th, 2021: This was a very pleasing cigar: smooth, balanced, fragrant, quite tasty and just strong enough. The wrapper colour reminded me of the Oliva Churchill that I had just smoked a few days ago: more colorado maduro than maduro. However, unlike the Oliva, which began deliciously but got bitter at the end, the RP held through deliciously to the nub. Draw was easy. Burn was quite wavy in the first third but I slowed down the pace of puffing and the burn-line evened out by itself. Not much more to say about this cigar except that the size 6 x 52 feels good in the hand. 90 minutes. Very satisfying.
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| More of a colorado maduro than a maduro. But, whatever, it was certainly a delicious smoke. |
7. October 9th, 2021: Much the same good quality as above: a deep, rich, smooth, almost creamy, complex maduro flavour and aroma in the first half. There were occasional moments of a very rich, aged complexity. Pepper almost absent. In the second half flavour and complexity dissipated somewhat and finish became a little dirty. I left the cigar before the nub.
Draw was a bit resistant, but not too much; just enough resistance to facilitate a slow burn. Burn was irregular and required a couple of touch ups. But this was not a serious defect.
Strength was moderate. 90 minutes. Quite enjoyable.
8. February 3rd, 2022: This cigar was bone hard. Other cigars in the same humidor were quite spongy. So I can't account for the anomaly. Nonetheless, the cigar had a glossy oily texture. It was also quite heavy in the hand.
The cigar drew and burned perfectly. I have rarely seen such an excellent construction. The cigar was heavy but not over-packed. Draw was easy and smoke was voluminous.
Flavour was pleasant but not great; it was a dark roast, burnt toast, earthy (or dirty if you prefer) flavour. There was also a dash of pepper from time time. There was complexity, albeit not impressive. It was smooth throughout. There was no bitterness.
Aroma was rich and complex, in some ways, better than the flavour. Body moved between medium and full. Strength was not apparent.
Surprisingly, the cigar lasted 110 minutes. That's quite impressive for a 6x52 vitola. If complexity could be ramped up and dirt scaled down, this cigar would be a winner. It was quite satisfying, but I won't be rushing back to try another one until a few months have passed.
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| Any cigar smoked to the nub can be deemed satisfying: this one lasted a remarkable 110 minutes. |
May 28th: This one lacked body and flavour. It was pleasant and lasted 80 minutes, without burn issues. The lesser burn time was probably due to the lack of flavour: more flavour, more rest time between puffs. Compare the AJ New World robusto from a couple of days ago: much more body and flavour with a similar dark roast flavour. Pleasant but not satisfying.
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