Review Notes: I reviewed an HDM Excalibur earlier this year and thought this regular line might be too powerful. I was wrong! This beautiful dark monster cut easily, had a good draw, and burned very evenly. Enormous amount of smoke with an impressive salt and pepper ash that stayed attached, what seemed like forever. The woodsy notes with a strong kick tasted great with an equally strong home-brewed Octoberfest beer. I'll have to look at getting more of the HDM regular line and tucking them away for long term storage. This stick was a little rough around the edges, though never harsh. It would probably do well with some aging.