Got a lead from my boss the other day on a cigar he says is one of his favorites. The Ashton Cabinet. So I went searching the local humidors and found them at, of all places, my favorite beer store, Jungle Jim’s in Fairfield. They had two sizes, a $12 size and a $9 size. Since I don’t make the money my boss makes, I went for the nine dollar one.
It was 6 x 48 with a nice light connecticut wrapper. No veins or hard spots. A pretty good looking cigar. It lit fairly quickly and had a really easy draw. At first I thought it was going to be like one of those cheap tangy cigars that burns your taste buds and doesn’t last. But it was quite the opposite, except for the burn time-it only lasted about 30 minutes. (Maybe I should have gotten the longer $12 version) It had a good, smooth medium body with just the right amount of white puffy smoke. It had a good even burn all the way down to the 1 inch mark. About halfway through, I began to taste a hint of roasted nuts and some slight peppery notes that lasted the rest of the way. Besides the fact that it burned too quickly, it was a very enjoyable smoke. I think it would probably go better with a post breakfast cup of coffee and the sports page than an after dinner smoke. It left just a slight aftertaste that hung around awhile.
Overall, I thought it was a very good cigar that I’ll probably get again to have on hand for that occasional late morning/early afternoon special moment, but a little overpriced. But keep in mind I try to keep my smokes under the $5 mark. (That’s right I’m a cheapskate and proud of it) Maybe if I can talk my boss into giving me a raise, I can start smoking the same caliber sticks as he does. Anyway, thanks for the tip, I believe this one will make it back in my humidor very soon.
P-O-R-C-H Rating: C+
Posted by Mr. Porch