Cigar Newbie

Peacemaker in its coffin

Cigar Name: Red 760 Peacemaker (7 x 60)

Cigar Description: Brazilian maduro wrapper and Habano binder around a blend of Seco Cubano, Ligero Piloto Cubano, Ligero Olor Dominicano, and Ligero Nicaragua long-filler tobaccos.

Cigar Strength: “Strong” Medium

Review of the Cigar itself: I had decided since I was reading Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu by J. Maarten Troost that something exotic and different was needed. I had ordered this cigar (along with a sampler) from Flatbed Cigars earlier in the week and after the challenging week that I had experienced, it truly was time to wind down and relax a little. The cigar was in a freshly made coffin. I could smell the wood as if it had just been cut that morning. I mixed up a nice spiced rum and Coke, turned on CBC’s Jazz Stream, settled into my home office chair and inhaled the scent of the cigar. It was rich with a deep earthy scent and a sweet tobacco. The length and guage of the cigar was certainly massive. This is definitely a hefty cigar and I expect it to take a better part of the afternoon. Since my girlfriend was out, I figured this was a perfect activity to do for the warmish sunny afternoon.

The cigar construction was excellent. The wrapper lines were nearly indistinguishable  and I punched the end easily. It took a little bit to light it, given it’s girth, but once going it emitted a nice sweet odor with a hint of spice that danced along the bluish hue of the smoke. This isn’t an overly smokey cigar but enough to gentle waft along any current of wind. I sipped the rum and the cigar as read about the adventures of the fearless — or is that fearful? — author while in Vanuatu. The greyish ash burned fairly consistently and straightly with only an occasional slant here and there.

Enjoying the taste..

The long ash that had developed as part of the first third eventually fell off on it’s own. Rich woody scents mingled with the sweet earth scent and my taste buds enjoyed a deeper earth taste with hints of sweetness and tang (molasses?) in the background. I continued reading and ended talking with a friend online before I noticed that I had already gone through the middle third. The cigar’s flavour was so smooth and the burn so good I didn’t even notice the two hours that had already pass (!!).

As I got into the last third, I pondered how a simple idea had culminated into a wonderful tasting cigar. Flatbed went back to basics. Yes, the cigar came in a coffin but it was a simple one. No fancy wrappings. No splash. No bang. Plain paper nestled in the coffin to protect the tasty treat inside. The tasty spice mixed with a sweet earth taste became more accentuated as I got closer to the nub of the cigar. I looked over and realized that my spicey rum-Coke mixture was long gone. The intrepid author had now moved over to Fiji and my last third was almost gone. The sign of a good cigar, to me, is one that lets me meditate while life bustles by. The name, Peacemaker, is apt.

You’ll find it if you let the cigar guide you.

Definitely a cigar to enjoy again and again and again.. I think I may try to get a few for the next Herf I have with work colleagues in May.

Enjoyed with: water & a spiced rum and Coke

Smoke time: approximately 180 minutes

Final Review Rating: 9.5/10