Being that is was a beauty of a day and that I was going to be alone for most of it I decided I was going to have a 3 smoke day. Sort of like a breakfast, lunch and dinner starting out milder and getting fuller as the day progressed. My morning smoke was a Torano Casa Torano (review pending) which was just ok and my evening smoke was going to be a Man O' War.This review is of my lunch smoke.
I scored a 10 pack of these off that thrice accursed site that will remain nameless
and got them yesterday. I figured some of you guys may be curious so decided to post this review first. Here goes:
Setting: Outdoors in the backyard. Great day with temps in the 80s and very low humidity
Appearance: Beautiful light brown color. Bit of a shine to the wrapper. Anyone would agree that it appears to be a very well rolled cigar.
Storage: Just got these in yesterday and dropped them in a coolerdor that is kept at 70% RH for about 18 to 20 hours (for whatever that is worth).
Cut: made with my Palio and as usual very good cut.
Size: Toro
1/3rd: Toasted her up and was expecting that peppery blast that Pepin is known for. Never came. What came through was this rich, deep earthy cocao flavor that made take the stick out of my mouth look at it and say "NICE!". As I progressed more of this flavor came through and it almost felt that there was a gooey texture to smoke and flavor. Very strange as I have never experienced something like this but very pleasant as well. The flavor would start to subside and an aftertaste of mild leather could also be picked up. Again, the only way that I could describe the flavor is like a really rich dark choclate earthy one. The other thing I notice was that you could pick up some sweetness just by having the stick in your mouth. It made me want to keep it there is tasted so good. Draw was a pinch tight but have a feeling that many purists would call it just right. Burn was good but a bit ueven. Smoke was also a good amount but not booming (which I wish it was). Ash would drop off on its own at an inch.
2/3rd: Needed a touch up at this point. Also noticed that one part of the wrapper came undone. The sweet earthy flavor started to subside into a mild sweet tobacco one. Again this might sound strange to some but it tasted like fresh or rich mild earthy tobacco. This is to say that it was not an overpowering flavor; smooth and fresh if that makes sense to anyone. Flavor would continue to become milder and more muted as it progressed. Burn was again a bit uneven. Smoke and ash was same as before (with ash consistently dropping off at about an inch).
3/3rd: Touch up needed again. After I purged and applied some flame I got hit with some nice sweet dark cacao and leather flavor. This quickly went away and was replaced by the (by now) very mild rich tobacco flavor. Little hints of a tea like quality would come through every once and a while. As with most Pepin's I nubbed this one for as much as I could and it did get harsh but that is to be expected. Burn was ok (not great) but no more fixes required. Smoke was the same throughout as was the ash.
Overall impressions:
Smoke: Good amount. Uneven at times (sometimes more and others less) but at minimum it was a good amount.
Ash: An inch and then drop off on its own.
Burn: Good but slightly uneven. Needed to touch up twice.
Final Thoughts: This is a very different Pepin. Milder and mellower with a bit of a different flavor profile. It is still a Pepin in any event and the quality and enjoyment I got from this smoke came through. The beginning 3rd was fantastic. It tasted so good I had to struggle to slow down and not keep puffing on it. I sort of wished that the final third (HELL THE WHOLE STICK) would have continued this way. Have not tasted something like this before on any smoke, let alone a Pepin. At the end I also had a very pleasant buzz going. Nothing crazy just a bit that felt very good.
As for some of the "problems" (burn) I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt since these really have not rested in my humis at all. I have a feeling that with some rest these things will get better.
I hope you guys found this review helpful.
Stay strong and happy smokes!
PS: My friend who lives in Europe just got in this week and called me while I was writing this up asking if my deck was open tonight as he has some sticks that are, let's just say, hard to come by here in the US. The adventure continues.
06-04-2009, 02:03 AM
Re: DPG Tobaccos Baez
DPG Tobaccos Baez
