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Okay then, the second report from my Wednesday session by the water...
This was the first of the two cigars that I tried, and I should point out that I tried to get it going earlier than I managed - eventually I decided to give up due to the sea breeze. Did head over to a more sheltered spot in the end and gave this little boy a go. Gifted by celsis, over and above our stick a stick in agreement (
), I'm not sure exactly which Don Gabriel it is. My guess is that it is roughly petit corona size. I'll let celsis confirm that (hopefully).
Appearance /15
(Size: approx 5" x 42)
The wrapper of the DG was of a darkish hue, though it had no oily qualities at all, feeling quite dry to the touch. The cigar wrapper showed a number of small veins, though nothing drastic. 13
Smoking Characteristics /25
This is a stick that, pre-light displayed no distinct characteristics. Lighting this particular cigar was a bit of a pain... Now, it may partially be down to the lighting attempt from half an hour previously, none-the-less it was a chore. When trying to light the end, it was very uneven - some patches glowed red when blown on, others displayed no signs of even having been warmed slightly... Eventually I got it going. That was not to be the end of it though, as the DG started canoeing immediately (a definate contender in the kayak competition at London 2012 if you ask me!) The burn was poor for quite a while, and it took every trick in the book to get it back on track. A fellow cigar smoker commented on the dexterity with which I had drawn it from the brink
. Eventually the burn improved, though never showed any particular consistency. The aroma of the smoke was quite harsh. The draw, though, was easy and the ash solid - so a couple of saving graces. 13
Flavour /25
Early draws on this cigar produced some fairly robust, peppery, spicy flavours (consider robust a euphamism for harsh if you desire...) However, the edge quickly softened, and the pepperyness gave way to a slightly fresher toastiness. The toasty flavours worked well with similar, nutty notes at around the half-way point. The cigar softened once more, as the toastiness gave way to some quite smooth, herbaceous type flavours. These, quite vegetal, thoughts were then replaced, by, are you waiting for this Mr B... some slightly meaty flavours. Something just reminded me of red meat - be it a sirloin steak or a lamb shoulder. It was quite an unusual experience, and something that holds this particular example in good stead with me. However, all good things come to an end, as as I entered the last stage of the cigar it came over quite harsh again. Overall, quite a mixed stick - a poor finish and end were well compensated by some interesting developments through the middle few inches. 21
Overall Impression /35
This DG cigar was quite a mixed bag all around really. Some quite pleasant points were overshadowed by some less than top-notch qualities. For me, the worst offender for this cigar was the lighting and burn issues. However, in this last 'overall impression' category, I shall not hold that too much against this stick, as it had been through a tricky, and unsuccesful, attempt at lighting it shortly before smoking. The flavour profile was interesting, and not too bad, though, as I say, a little rough around the edges. Indeed, that fairly sums up this cigar - not too bad and quite interesting, though quite rough around the edges. 29
Grand total... 76/100
This was the first of the two cigars that I tried, and I should point out that I tried to get it going earlier than I managed - eventually I decided to give up due to the sea breeze. Did head over to a more sheltered spot in the end and gave this little boy a go. Gifted by celsis, over and above our stick a stick in agreement (
), I'm not sure exactly which Don Gabriel it is. My guess is that it is roughly petit corona size. I'll let celsis confirm that (hopefully).Appearance /15
(Size: approx 5" x 42)
The wrapper of the DG was of a darkish hue, though it had no oily qualities at all, feeling quite dry to the touch. The cigar wrapper showed a number of small veins, though nothing drastic. 13
Smoking Characteristics /25
This is a stick that, pre-light displayed no distinct characteristics. Lighting this particular cigar was a bit of a pain... Now, it may partially be down to the lighting attempt from half an hour previously, none-the-less it was a chore. When trying to light the end, it was very uneven - some patches glowed red when blown on, others displayed no signs of even having been warmed slightly... Eventually I got it going. That was not to be the end of it though, as the DG started canoeing immediately (a definate contender in the kayak competition at London 2012 if you ask me!) The burn was poor for quite a while, and it took every trick in the book to get it back on track. A fellow cigar smoker commented on the dexterity with which I had drawn it from the brink
. Eventually the burn improved, though never showed any particular consistency. The aroma of the smoke was quite harsh. The draw, though, was easy and the ash solid - so a couple of saving graces. 13Flavour /25
Early draws on this cigar produced some fairly robust, peppery, spicy flavours (consider robust a euphamism for harsh if you desire...) However, the edge quickly softened, and the pepperyness gave way to a slightly fresher toastiness. The toasty flavours worked well with similar, nutty notes at around the half-way point. The cigar softened once more, as the toastiness gave way to some quite smooth, herbaceous type flavours. These, quite vegetal, thoughts were then replaced, by, are you waiting for this Mr B... some slightly meaty flavours. Something just reminded me of red meat - be it a sirloin steak or a lamb shoulder. It was quite an unusual experience, and something that holds this particular example in good stead with me. However, all good things come to an end, as as I entered the last stage of the cigar it came over quite harsh again. Overall, quite a mixed stick - a poor finish and end were well compensated by some interesting developments through the middle few inches. 21
Overall Impression /35
This DG cigar was quite a mixed bag all around really. Some quite pleasant points were overshadowed by some less than top-notch qualities. For me, the worst offender for this cigar was the lighting and burn issues. However, in this last 'overall impression' category, I shall not hold that too much against this stick, as it had been through a tricky, and unsuccesful, attempt at lighting it shortly before smoking. The flavour profile was interesting, and not too bad, though, as I say, a little rough around the edges. Indeed, that fairly sums up this cigar - not too bad and quite interesting, though quite rough around the edges. 29
Grand total... 76/100
"Come in here, dear Boy, have a cigar" ....Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) 
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